European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 05, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes Walter  even on vacation president is still president nobody really begrudge presidents their vacations. After All. The Man who holds the Job never is really off duty anyhow. Nor is he Ever off stage even on Holiday. But presidential Days away Are watched and counted As though an office bookkeeper were Mak ing sure an employee had t overstayed his quota of paid vacation  in t any limit for presidents of course. They set their own schedules for their Breaks from the office routine and the office travels with them. President Bush took a three week vacation at Kennebunkport. Maine his family Retreat since boyhood. For Barbara and me this has been a delightful vacation a place that we love very much said Bush who has been More talkative and More accessible than most of his modern predecessors were when  president. Ronald Reagan spent vacations in the isolated privacy of his 688-Acrc ranch near Santa Barbara Calif. During eight years in office he spent 335 Days at the ranch. Jimmy Carter vacationed at St. Simons Island and later at Saclo Island off the Georgia coast renting retreats there. He also spent some of his Breaks at his Home in Plains oa., which enjoyed something of a tourist Boom during his single term. Gerald r. Ford visited Vail Colo. Richard  bought himself a place in key Biscayne. Fla. And later switched coasts to san Cleminte Calif. Lyndon b. Johnson had his lbs ranch in Texas. And John f. Kennedy s vacation White House was the family compound of oceanfront Homes in Hyan Niport mass., on Cape  vacations Are As luxurious and As private As the president wants them to be. Bush has been golfing boating and fishing often commenting on what he called a total  but he also held a news conference at his Walker s Point Home invited two prime minister Sas House guests and summoned some Cabinet Mem Bers to meet with him on the drug fighting program that will be announced today. While a vacationing president has some Whitehouse work to do each Day and aides at hand because there s More where that came from re cent ones seem to have broken the old pattern in which a sheaf of announcements was trundled along on the Holiday to be rationed put one at a time to give the impression that decisions were flowing  can be a costly problem especially when the presidential Retreat is close by tourist territory As Bush s is and As Kennedy s  the vacation White House came to Hyan Niport. The neighbors met in a Village Church an considered asking that the streets be blocked off to bring Back their peace and quiet. That did t Hap pen except at the Kennedy compound. Bush said last week he Hopes his Kennebunkport neighbors Haven t been inconvenienced. He also said he Hopes Congress will vote funds to help pay local Security expenses. There s no question that Carl Rowan there s a Security Burden placed on this Small Community Here and indeed some of the surrounding communities by the presence of the president he said. The president said he feels Safe and comfortable in his Maine surroundings although i can t strolls you know quite As freely As i used to before i was in government  what bothers me a Little bit is that you just can t jump in the car Over there and drive downtown. But that goes with the  the territory also seems to include questions about luxury and isolation from the average Man. When Bush was asked one he said he s doing his Best to keep in touch. I be got a lot of friends from All walks of life and you know there is a Little tendency in this Job to get isolated he said. But i Don t think people feel anything other than in t it Nice to have a Good vacation. And i try to have As much Contact As 1can." Bush has spent vacations at Kennebunkport All his life missing Only the years of his world War ii  first presidential vacation had to be one of his better ones certainly More relaxed than tiebreak he took while trying to get to the White House. He looked Back after getting what should rank Ashe perfect question for a vacation news conference Why do the polls show that americans think he s doing a great Job thank you for asking that question he smiled. But these things  in the summer of 1988 he was the Republican presidential nominee lag Ging i n the polls and in need of a comeback. Look you re looking at a Guy who was standing on this Lawn about a year ago at this time. And the numbers were quite different in a different set Ling a different situation. What goes up can come  Wallet r. Mun. Tee president and columnist Lor hit Assoc led pro he reported on Washington and National politics Lor mom than 25 Yutani. Overseas troops Fie up badly needed funds for reasons that i can t under stand the United states is paying a for tune to keep 43,000 troops in South Korea 36 years after a War in which 54.246 americans died and our total number of casualties was 157,530. In a time when the people s Republic of China and the soviet Union pose no threat to South Korea and have put a Leash on the North korean regime we arc still assigning forces and spending Money As though we fear the communists will Roll into Seoul any Day now. President Bush can t really be the education president or the environmental president or allocate funds to fight a tragic crisis of drug abuse because he does t have the Money and refuses to raise taxes. It is imperative then that he reduce drastically the annual waste of hundreds of billions of dollars to defend koreans whose Economy is soaring not to mention the japanese the West germans and other West europeans. I am reminded anew of the inability of my country to Stop playing daddy War Bucks by an interview Given by Gen. Louis c. Menetrey commander of . Forces in South Korea. He said the United states can probably leave the korean Peninsula by the mid-1990s." what thai s what he said suggesting that it la be another six year or so before South Korea modernizes its own forces to the Point it would be Able to repulse an invasion from North Vietnam. The first temptation is to say thai the South koreans have colossal Gall to expect the United states to continue to foot the Bill for their defense even a they Pound the United Stales in world markets keep some . Products out of their markets and in Many ways show contempt for the gis who arc there to protect them. But a lot of the blame rests in Washington. This country is still propelled by a great Power psyche that says we Are needed. We must save Grenada. We have got to try to save Lebanon. The japanese know How to make cars but they be forgotten How to fight. The poor brits and West germans would die of nervousness if our troops weren t around to Comfort them then there is the mentality of most military leaders in the United  always ask for More than Lilicy need believing that an excess of weaponry and manpower constitutes the margin that Shields them from fail ure. Since there is no place to use or hide the excess manpower in the United states Korea Japan Western Europe the Panama canal zone and the Philippines become places to Post them As bulwarks against threats that Are in a few cases real but in Many cases ephemeral. But the military motto is that you never give up a Pla Toon or close a base without a political fight. President Bush has talked of withdrawing 30,001 troops from Europe. Sam Nunn the Georgia demo crat who chairs the Senate armed services committee is leading a drive to Force some withdrawals from Korea. It s about time. This business of Bas ing . Troops in Korea and Western Europe has too Long been locked Concrete in a Stony inertia that also imprisons the dreams of american children who need schools Medicine and food. Norm amen i Syndicate the opinions expressed to the columns and cartoons on this Page rear stat those of he authors and Are in no Way to reconsidered As representing the views of the stars and stripes or the unite states government