The summer holiday activities of our political leaders

Ever since Pres. Bill Clinton conducted focus groups to determine where the First Family should vacation, the summer holiday activities of politicos have been the subject of scrutiny.

None of the vacations of our local leaders was as exclusive as Pres. Obama summering with the hoity-toity of Martha's Vineyard, but their responses to our inquiries did reveal some interesting vacation activities:

Sen. Orrin Hatch: "I find composing music very relaxing, so on my vacation, I wrote some new lyrics to the 1970s favorite 'Stayin' Alive.' It's a personal theme song for me, describing my life on so many levels. And if you like the song, you'll really love the YouTube video of me dancing to it — Ooo, Ooo, Ooo, Ooo."

Gov. Gary Herbert: "I come from a very talented family (especially the in-laws). We sing, we dance, we play sports. With all that talent in my genes, I'm a candidate for one of those celebrity dancing shows, so I practiced some dance routines on my vacation: 'Waltzing with the Tea Party,' the 'Anti-Immigration Twist,' the 'Veto Override Hustle,' the 'Liquor Department Hokey Pokey,' the 'Delegate Disco' and the 'GRAMA Quickstep.' And I still have to master the 'Jim Matheson Dodge.'"

Rep. Jason Chaffetz: "I spent a little time on the beach reading the book 'Tease' — which I thought was a manual on political tactics but turned out to be just a murder mystery. But for me, vacation equals media opportunities. While others are relaxing, I'm filling up those slow news days. I almost achieved the media quadruple crown: CNN, ABC This Week, and Fox News — all within 72 hours. I apologize for not quite making it. … I know how important this is to my constituents."

Rep. Rob Bishop: "This was a great summer. I was able to kick back, avoid the newsies and read the entire contents of 'Hind's Precedents'— A multi-volume study of the historical origins and evolution of House procedures dating back to 1789. Wow! It was almost as exciting as the Federalist Papers."

Sen. Mike Lee: "For relaxation, I memorized the U.S. Constitution — backwards. This was really enjoyable — and a little spooky. Those sneaky Founders hid away a few secrets, probably influenced by the Illuminati. Who would've guessed that if you read every third word of the Constitution in reverse order, you will have revealed an 18th century recipe for Bundt cake."

Utah Democratic strategists: "At the beginning of the summer, a number of fundamentalist Christians believed that the Rapture was about to occur. We spent our vacations joining in prayer and fasting, hoping for this event because we believe most people righteous enough to be translated into Heaven would be conservative Republican voters. This is our Victory Plan for 2012."