Hillary Taking Month-Long Break From Senate

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) is taking a month off from Congress to recuperate after her marathon run for the presidency.

She is not expected to return to the Senate until July 7 or July 8 after the Independence Day recess, according to two Democratic sources.

Clinton's Democratic colleagues in the Senate are taking a sympathetic attitude toward her extended absence, which comes after a grueling 18-month formal bid for the White House and, according to some calculations, a decade or more of planning and positioning since the days when her husband was president.

"People understand this is a transition for her," Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) said.

Read the full story.

Comments

[Bronxcutie]

She does deserve time off, but I think the woman's been on a LONG vacation from her duties. As a New Yorker that voted for her I find it appalling that Sen. Schumer does most of the work!!! The man is truly a fighter! I just hope that Hillary will start campaigning with/for Barack in July.

[PoliticoJonze]

She doesn't want to go back to the Senate and be seen as "just a Senator" again when she still has designs on being Barack's VP.

[harriscrl3]

I'm really disappointed in this. I thought she would be going campaigning but if she is not she needs to get back to work not take a vacation. Isnt there stuff that needs to be done in the Senate. Last time I check the country is in a mess. Its one thing to be taking it to campaign its another to take it to rest. Who the he heck needs a whole month to rest. A weekend should do fine.

Carol

[nuglet304]

oh, get over it. go take a cold shower.

[omaro]

I really doubt that, for Hillary Clinton, "taking a month off" really means doing absolutely nothing. I'll bet she'll do all kinds of work through her office, catching up on pending legislation, doing constituent work, planning with staff for the next session and any legislation she might want to introduce or support, and for campaign and fundraising events, etc. This story just says she's taking a month off from being on the floor of the senate.

[shelby35]

With appeasers like Harry Reid, Jay Rockefeller, and Nancy Pelosi what stuff can get done in the Senate. 15 months of intense campaigning is a long time. She deserves the rest. BTW all federal employees have paid vacations. Don't complain if your job doesn't.

[rangem]

a longer vacation would be better how about forever and a day

[marymansour]

I thought she was gonna campaign for Obama. Aw well, guess that went out the window when he hired Patti Doyle. I wonder if she's taking a month off to create another party before November or checking with John McCain about a spot on his ticket.

[wndrwrthg]

This is why a law needs to be passed that forbids holding office while running for another office without resigning the current one. These people are being paid to do a job and should not be allowed to use the bosses (us) resources and be paid while trying to find a new job.

[KMKY]

On the one hand I agree with you, wndrwrthg. These three candidates have been out of their office for 15-18 months, missing or not holding committee meetings and missing some key votes. But on the other hand, I don't think someone should be in danger of losing their job in order to run for President. Maybe it would be better if limits were placed on the campaign season: announcing a bid in January, choosing a nominee in May, and then choosing a president in November. Many mainstream Americans are tired of hearing about the election-year politicking, which is not the same as saying they don't care, of course, but the media has been covering this election since early 2007.

[kissmygrits]

That would have a serious chilling effect on the best candidates running for office. I agree that the consequences for government are not great, but the opposite would be even worse.

[mary82]

Good for her, she needs it.

[jupitor]

Bull, you don't get a month off at any time in your work schedule, do ya? Niether should she! This isn't show up when you want Senate house! This is your job and you do it as any other job! And if this has totally taken it's toll on her emotionally and physically so she cannot do her job the american people has hired her for, Than you just think how long Mr. Mccain at 72 years old is going to need to take off to recuperate! Some thing don't add up here! "She needs to get out there and talk about how at her age this took such a toll on her emotionaly and physically that she need a seriouse long amout of time to recoop from it"! She need to do this quickly, so people will see that a person of Mccains age and poor health has no bussiness running for President of the United states!

[shelby35]

Actually my parents do. Month off going on safari in Botswana. Should be awesome. Oh and they're not obscenely rich businesmen but doctors who work their ass off.

[jupitor]

Now wait a minute! Do you think the average worker is takeing a month off, and does she get paid for doing nothing for that full month? If she need a month off at 60 years old for the election campagne for 18 months she ran around and campagned, just think of how much time old man mccain is going to need. Are you telling me it was to hard on her at this age to bounce right back for Hillary? If that is what you are saying, than you know why Mr. Mccain is haveing sever memory desruptions and seems not all there most the time! Just think about it folks? Do you really think he can handle the presidency and be ready to deal with a whole country 24 hours a day for 7 days a week, and 300some days a year, for the next four years and not continue to have a sever memory problem and even get worse as the days,weeks,months go es on! all I ask is that you think about it!

[shelby35]

Federal employees get paid vacation off. In addition if Pelosi had any spine she would fight for paid employee leave like Bill Clinton did.

[Titiman]

Ok Senator.Have nice break then. My regards to Bill and Chelsea.

[Ohsillydutchman]

As long as I dont have to hear from her for a month I dont mind. I do love that if it were Obama taking a month long break after his campaign, Hillary supporters would be bashing his ass till the end of days.

[personalpolitical]

No doubt. I can understand needing a few days off maybe, but her loss came as no surprise to anyone, and I think it is a bit ridiculous that she can just got AWOL from the Senate when taxpayers are paying for it and we need her vote in the Senate. If she can't handle campaigning without a month long vacation I don't see how she thought she would have been fit for the general election, or ready on Day One. Obama isn't going to get a break for the next 8 and a half years, its basically going to be 10 years of nonstop campaigning and leading, and I don't see him taking a month off to rest anywhere in there.

[RedDogBear]

Ready on Day One! (after a month long break)

[SCVADem]

Bravo!

[nutty4tahoe]

PLEASE tell me she's planning to show up to vote and help block Bush/McSame's California and Florida offshore drilling initiative!

[shelby35]

He's bluffing. It will probably die in the House.

[Grunty1]

We the people tend to use absence from a currently held office as a cheap shot at politicians running for higher office. O'bama has been missing a quite a few votes, and Mc'Cain doesn't even bother to show up except to vote against veteran benefits.

But this one is not running anymore...

[barackobama4prez]

The media doesn't want her to go away. She dazzles them despite her abrasive personality. I wish I'd never seen the Hillary of Feb. 2008 - June 2008. Had I not seen her ugliness I'd be wishing she would be on Obama's ticket.

[gadfly55]

After denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance probably in November after Obama is elected. Similarly the late middle age married white women who identified with her are in no mood to indicate their preference for Obama. A good time of the year perhaps to recover from depression, with some revival in October when decisions are required, so much for the promise of working flat out to elect a Democrat. Inexorable river of time runs on and leaves us but an instant to mime our meagre part upon a public stage.