Would you like to go for a ride in myott?

I've seen a number of mentions around Blogistan that Congress has approved money to "buy George W. Bush a yacht". Yeah, it seems like a less-than-pressing bit of business, but I do think it's worth noting that it's not like they're looking to buy a brand new yacht for the President. Rather, they are looking to buy back the USS Sequoia, which actually was the Presidential yacht starting with the administration of Herbert Hoover and ending with the administration of Jimmy Carter, who had the yacht auctioned off as part of his effort to remove some of the "imperial trappings" of the modern Presidency. The Sequoia has since been designated as a Historical Landmark, and is actually available to be rented out for $10,000 for up to four hours. (Damn!)

Here is a good article on the Sequoia. I personally can't really see just why the President really needs a yacht, since nearly thirty years' worth of Commanders-in-Chief have gotten along without it just fine, but I wanted to make the distinction that they're not just looking to splurge on some nifty new boat for George W. Bush. They're looking to splurge on some nifty old boat for George W. Bush. Does that make a difference? I dunno, really. I just found it interesting; I read these mentions of buying Bush a yacht, and I thought, "Gee, why don't they just buy back the old one?" Turns out that's what they want to do.

(BTW, a Golden Gumdrop to anyone who can identify the source of the title to this post!)