August is the cruelest month — for American presidents
Presidential vacations can be rudely interrupted by foreign and domestic crises
Read the full article at The Hill
Forget the poet (T.S. Eliot) who proclaimed April to be the “cruelest month.” August is no summer picnic for U.S. presidents. As President Biden has discovered, a presidential vacation can be rudely interrupted by foreign and domestic crises.
Just when tropical-level heat and humidity turn Washington into an urban steam bath, and Congress takes its annual summer recess, modern presidents have tried to steal a few days of respite from their daily burdens in family enclaves at Hyannis Port, Mass., Kennebunkport, Maine, Bedminster, N.J., and Texas ranches, or tony resorts in Jackson Hole, Wyo., and Martha’s Vineyard.
Criticism of President Biden’s initial decision to remain at Camp David mounted even before the Taliban had solidified its conquest of Kabul.
But the world’s complexities continue to dog them in the dog days of summer. One could even argue that malevolent forces might take advantage of distracted presidents or that vacationing and diverted commanders in chief can exacerbate brewing problems. Criticism of President Biden’s initial decision to remain at Camp David mounted even before the Taliban had solidified its conquest of Kabul. And the ill-considered photo of him sitting alone at an empty seminar table, staring at a video screen, produced a less than inspiring image.
