Aug. 8 (Bloomberg) -- It's August in Washington and the city is emptying out.

Members of Congress left over the weekend and won't be back until Sept. 4. President George W. Bush goes tomorrow to his family's seaside compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, for a long weekend before heading for his ranch in Crawford, Texas. Call it a recess, call it a break, just don't call it a vacation.

For lawmakers, it's a ``district work period,'' time to meet with voters, raise money or take ``fact-finding'' trips overseas. White House officials stress the president has regular briefings and is on call 24/7 for any emergency when he's in Crawford, where he has spent 418 days as president.

This year, perhaps more than most, politicians are bending over backward to avoid the appearance of taking a holiday.

``It's the optics,'' said Ken Duberstein, chief of staff under President Ronald Reagan, who was known for his passion for spending time at his California ranch. ``Whether you're in Congress or the White House, you must give the impression that you're working and not tanning, that you're at your desk and not at the beach.''

It's an especially sensitive topic this August because the administration and Congress put pressure on Iraq's parliament to work through the scorching Baghdad summer and pass legislation aimed at promoting political unity and stabilization. Paying little heed, the parliament on July 30 left for a month off.

``It's better than taking two months off, which was their original plan,'' Vice President Dick Cheney said in a July 31 interview on CNN.

Summer Off

Cheney, 66, who left last weekend for his Wyoming ranch, quickly noted that the U.S. Congress ``of course takes the month of August off.'' Cheney said he ``made clear'' to the Iraqis during a visit in May ``that we didn't appreciate the notion that they were going to take a big part of the summer off.''

The schedules of the president and Congress draw attention in part because of unfinished business in Washington and because crises don't adhere to a calendar.

Bush and congressional Democrats are on a collision course, after everyone returns to town, over spending priorities for next year, and work on a number of other priorities, including the war in Iraq, has been left on the table. All 12 of the annual appropriations bill for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 are unresolved, as are an extension of a health insurance program for children from low-income families, energy legislation and a new farm bill.

Bush, 61, told a conference of state legislators in Philadelphia on July 26 that Congress was ``getting ready to leave for their August recess without having passed a single spending bill.''

`Hang Around'

Then he offered -- at least partly in jest -- to ``hang around'' in Washington if that might inspire lawmakers to pass at least the defense legislation that funds the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The House and Senate delayed their departure long enough to pass legislation sought by Bush to streamline the ability to intercept calls and e-mails of foreign-based terrorists, with final action late on Saturday, Aug. 4.

There is also potential for political damage from unexpected events while everyone is away.

At the end of August 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and a wide stretch of the Gulf Coast. Bush, who was in California, rushed back to his ranch -- and stayed there for two more days before returning to the White House.

His administration's bungled response to Katrina was widely criticized and coincided with a long slide in the president's approval ratings. The tepid White House initial response to the South Asian earthquake and tsunami after Christmas 2004 -- while Bush was at his ranch -- also drew fire.

Crisis and the Calendar

``The key is, world crises don't go on vacation and world events don't wait until after Labor Day,'' said Duberstein, who is now a Washington lobbyist.

Elected officials ``for the most part'' have always been loath to describe any time off as vacation, said Don Ritchie, associate Senate historian. ``They have been attacked enough to know what they are likely to be attacked for, and that's one of them,'' he said.

Nadeam Elshami, a spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said the ``district work period'' is appropriately named because ``it's an opportunity for members to try to catch up not just with their constituents but also with their families.''

Former Senator James Sasser, a Tennessee Democrat, said vacations are tricky propositions for politicians for another reason.

``Most Americans just get two weeks' vacation,'' Sasser said. ``If you take a month-long vacation, it's another item people can criticize you for -- for living a privileged life.''

Bush's full August schedule hasn't been disclosed. He will be at the ranch for about half the month, interrupted by an Aug. 20-21 meeting with Canadian and Mexican leaders.

Of the week of Aug. 13, White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino said: ``While the president is always president and gets his regular daily briefings, I don't think he'll have any public events that week.''

Sounds like a vacation.

To contact the reporter on this story: Edwin Chen in Washington at echen32at@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: August 8, 2007 00:03 EDT