If you're an AOL user and signed on today, the top news item was a photo of President Bush at the wheel of his pick-up truck, and the headline "Should He Be On Vacation, Long Break Stirs Controversy". Of course, they had the obligatory unscientific "polls" where the AOL users get to express the views.
The poll questions were as loaded as the headline:
1. Should Bush be on vacation during a war? Yes/No
2. How hard does it seem like Bush is working on his vacation? Very/Somewhat/Not at All
3. Do you think Bush's vacations make him more effective in the long run? Yes/No
4. How would you describe the amount of vacation Bush takes? Too Much/Just Right/Not Enough
This is at least the second time AOL has run a news item and poll like this since Bush went on vacation. Given that this info appears under "AOL News", the assumption is that AOL considers this the top news story in the country (this is the same spot where important breaking news appears).
This type of "polling" implies that Bush is just sitting around the ranch for 5 weeks and doing nothing, despite the fact that there have been nearly daily meetings with various members of the administration, and trips away for speaking engagements. Of course, the Western White House can provide the president with everything he might need to run the country, with the exception of 535 congressmen down the street (and their usefulness is debatable).
Now that Cindy Sheehan is back in Crawford, maybe AOL can start running her updates in this spot again.
