Despite growing hostilities in the Middle East, aggressive actions elsewhere, continued post-superstorm Sandy struggles plus the looming fiscal cliff at home, Washington is at a standstill this week as key government leaders and Congress are away from their desks, observes Grumpy Editor.
President Barack Obama is in Myanmar (also known as Burma) today, the second day into a four-day tour that started in Thailand yesterday, with Cambodia slated for tomorrow.
Not widely broadcast in the first leg of his around-the-world flight, is that Air Force One headed east from Washington with a stop in Germany on Saturday.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, also in the Southeast Asia-Australia region, joined Obama in Thailand.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was traveling from Southeast Asia over the weekend, after a week-long trip that took him to Australia, Thailand and Cambodia.
The House and Senate are on a Thanksgiving break this week.
The Senate, by the way, met in a pro forma session Friday for a whopping 28 seconds and reconvenes at 2 p.m. Nov. 26.
So who is "minding the store."?
After being on the road yesterday touring superstorm Sandy-wrecked parts of New Jersey, Vice President Joe Biden remains, quietly, in D.C. today.
His official Website notes “no public schedule” this week.
But there may be some stirring at the vice president's residence tomorrow.
It’s his 70th birthday.
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