Reporter's notebook: When presidents go on "vacation," controversy follows

President Obama arrives at Martha's Vineyard Airport on August 18, 2011 in West Tisbury, Mass.

/ Getty Images

Of all the numbers in my files on presidential activities, none generates more controversy than "vacations."

It's also the data I'm asked for more than any other aspect of the presidency. Not pardons, foreign trips, number of speeches, news conferences or visits to Michigan. It's "vacations."

Especially at this time of year, fellow reporters and others want to know: How much "vacation" has the president taken since taking office? How does it compare with his predecessors? Do you count his Camp David visits?

As of today, here are the answers to those questions.

I deliberately put quotation marks on the word "vacation" as recognition that a modern U.S. president is never really on "vacation," not the way most people understand the word.

At left, a view of where President Obama and his family are staying in Martha's Vineyard, called Blue Heron Farm.

There's no denying that the burdens and responsibilities of the office go with him wherever he is - even on "vacation."

But presidents draw plenty of criticism for the privilege. President Ronald Reagan was often castigated by his critics for all the time he spent at his California ranch. He made 43 visits to his ranch as president, totaling all or part of 349 days - 2 weeks and 2 days short of a year.

President George W. Bush was constantly slammed for the time he spent at his Texas ranch. By my count, he made 77 visits to his 1600 acres in Crawford, totaling 490 days: well over a year.

Sarah Palin: Obama will come back early from vacation

In a book, author Vincent Bugliosi used my "vacation" numbers to support his contention that President Bush "could not care less about the human suffering and carnage going on in Iraq, or anywhere."

It's an unfair claim, since presidential "vacations" have more to do with a change of venue than a getaway from the duties of office. Presidents can do things on "vacation" they can't do at the White House, but they remain on-duty 24/7.

There have been plenty of occasions when urgent business has intruded on presidents on "vacation."

Even during World War II, President Roosevelt took "vacations."

Information obtained from his presidential library shows FDR went on a 7 day fishing trip to Birch Island in Ontario, Canada, in August of 1943. And since it was during the war, the entire trip was wrapped in secrecy.

Hard to imagine an American president taking a secret "vacation," much less leaving the country to do it. Imagine the political uproar if he did.

More from Mark Knoller: In Obama's town hall rhetoric, echoes of Bush

[gcarroll247]

bush only went home not on trips and billed it to the people when you go home are you on a trip if you think you are something wrong with you

[gcarroll247]

bush only went home not on trips and billed it to the people when you go home are you on a trip if you think you are something wrong with you

[OneMoreConcernedCitizen]

I'd like for all of our politicians to spend more time where they actually live. No doubt past Presidents who went home were isolated (as they will be the rest of their life), but I don't think working from home and traveling abroad with your family at the beach are the same thing. They're not the same cost to the tax payer either. I remember when Bush had to justify working from his ranch, and personally, I think it was probably as productive a place to work for a President as the White House (I'd say the same about Camp David). I don't think the trips to Martha's Vinyard, Hawaii, Indonesia, South Africa, Ireland, etc. (whatever label you give them) are the same - although they may have a place, too. And, good-night are those trips expensive to the American taxpayer. Although, if you're an Obama supporter, statistically you probably don't contribute to the cost anyway.

[bsharkey]

by the way, number of rounds of golf played by Obama vs. Bush, while they're "working"?? ready, GO!

1000% guaranteed Obama has George W. beat at least 4:1 in that dept.

[bsharkey]

sorry but Barack's campaign dinners in California count as vacation when you're 3000 miles from Washington and not really on official business that's there to take priority.

I don't buy the "10 vacations" Obama spin, there are some serious accounting errors there. Crawford Ranch parallels Camp David - which didn't get counted for Barack, but GW Bush preferred because of his Texas roots and all the acreage to be out in the wilderness, and further away from mainstream media. but make no mistake there was a full replica oval office and staff down there nearly all of the time.

sure Kennebunkport counts, but don't forget a few of Barack's sudden unexpected trips to Hawaii to visit family and funerals. and his Olympic trip to Europe to randomly show up and lobby for Chicago getting the 2016 games I don't consider "working". that was an extracurricular activity on his own free time.

[2happy2ride]

He loves the job but HATES the WORK!

Our horrific economy, unemployment and world status is the result of a radical extremist influence.

[dagf76]

It's not the vacation it's the money involved in doing so and the mess he is leaving behind untended to. If them arogant republicans could pull thier heads out of where the sun don't shine long enough to comprimise there wouldn't be such a mess in congress. They don't want him to undo anything that lunitic Bush messed up, no wonder he can't accomplish anything good.

[RobAla]

President Obama totally ignored Republicans for two years (when McCain tried to work with him on the health care bill, President Obama basically told him "I won, you lost".) Now President Obama whines about people not wanting to compromise with him. Duh!!?

President Obama's extremists progressive policies have pushed the United States 50 steps in the wrong direction (he is damaging this country). He takes one step back, and expects a compromise? There is no reason to compromise with extremely bad policy - it must be stopped. It must be stopped before even more damage is inflected on the United States.

We are in crisis. We can not afford to play games with progressive dreamers. In 2012, I want President Obama sent home for good to Chicago. I want Harry Reid sent home for good to Las Vegas. I want every progressive dreamer sent home, and replaced with persons with practical experience in successfully creating jobs in the private sector or either has shown success in creating an environment that fosters private sector job creation.

[RobAla]

I don't have a problem with the vacation, I have big problems with his horrible policies:

Democrats complain about business hoarding cash instead of hiring people.
There are two reasons corporations are hoarding cash:
1) The stupid health care law imposes huge expenses and regulations per employee on businesses in 2014. Any smart business will put that money aside now so that it will be available when this crap hits the fan.
2) The economy is horribly unstable right now. Corporation are afraid to invest cash because there is almost no confidence in the US economy (and uncertainly as to what numbskull move President Obama might do next). Would you be willing to invest a boatload of money right now?

President Obama has the responsibility (with the Federal Reserve) to create a stable economy (an environment where the private sector business can promote job growth). He has done the opposite. He has attacked business verbally over and over, and he has punished business with increases in expenses and regulation. He has crippled the very private sector businesses that the federal government relies on for tax revenue, and then he turns around and blames everyone else in the room.

[tothesheep]

folks come on hawaii is home(remember the birth cert.). His mom and family live there. Its the same as Regan going to Calif. or Bush to Texas. I,m sure it does cost more to go to Hawaii,but not much more than it would cost Romney to visit his Swiss bank accounts.

Speaking of vacations, I just got back from Disney in Fl. and Thanks to our horrible economy I had a hard time finding a hotel room out of hundreds of places some of which ran almost 300.00 dollars a night. By the way that was 2 months before we went. Again thank goddness for the horrible economy. WE went to down town disney, where they have shoping and shows, and had to park out in the back 40.If the economy was ant better I don't thing I ould have found ant parking. So I don't know where your from but I took note of the lic. tags in the parking lot, they were from all over the U.S. . I think we can all see how bad the economy is whereever you live, just go to a Olive Garden on Friday or Sat. and ask how long it will be till you can get in.All these places hire good people to work. Oh and by the way I own a buis. and the new obamacare has already given me tax breaks to make up for insurance exspenses. Not enough to pay for it I'm sure. But right now I pay over 1200.00 a month for Insurance on my 4 person family. If I apply that to the Tax reductions it should come close. And will cover my employees, Like Lisa who was scared to go to the Doctor for some pains she was having,because she didn't want to incure any debt. on top of her already tight budget. God bless her shes gone now, it was cancer and by the time she went in all they could do was keep her doped up till she died a week later.They wouldn't do any more anyway it might have been because she didn't have insurance(maybe)think about it.

[Leaderless]

Why are the lefties keep comparing obama to Bush?.....isn't the messiah supposed to be way better than anyone?

[RobAla]

It's not the vacation, it is President Obama's horrible policy:

There is a lot of talk about huge government waste, while President Obama threatens Americans with higher taxes.

Here is an article from the Weekly Standard, which most Americans may find interesting:

"The report was written by the White House's Council of Economic Advisors, a group of three economists who were all handpicked by Obama, and it chronicles the alleged success of the "stimulus" in adding or saving jobs. The council reports that, using "mainstream estimates of economic multipliers for the effects of fiscal stimulus" (which it describes as a "natural way to estimate the effects of" the legislation), the "stimulus" has added or saved just under 2.4 million jobs — whether private or public — at a cost (to date) of $666 billion. That's a cost to taxpayers of $278,000 per job.
In other words, the government could simply have cut a $100,000 check to everyone whose employment was allegedly made possible by the "stimulus," and taxpayers would have come out $427 billion ahead.
Furthermore, the council reports that, as of two quarters ago, the "stimulus" had added or saved just under 2.7 million jobs — or 288,000 more than it has now. In other words, over the past six months, the economy would have added or saved more jobs without the "stimulus" than it has with it. In comparison to how things would otherwise have been, the "stimulus" has been working in reverse over the past six months, causing the economy to shed jobs."

This is President Obama's bogus stimulus at work. In September he will give us another speech on the economy and jobs - and I certainly hope that will not suggest another stupid stimulus. I certainly hope he will not suggest that taxpayers have just not given him enough money to help the country. I certainly hope that he will not suggest that government programs are the answer to job growth. We can't afford more of this nonsense.

The federal government must reduce the horrible expenses and regulations that have been laid on it by President Obama's administration. Using his words, he needs to take the "boot off the throat of American business" (he bragged at one point about placing his "boot on the throat of business"), and allow the private sector to breath again. We need private sector job growth. Period.