Posted on 05/31/2012 2:29:21 PM PDT by Lucky9teen
U.S. President Barack Obama (L) is pictured alongside former U.S. President George W. Bush, former first lady Laura Bush and first lady Michelle Obama after the Bush's official White House portraits were unveiled during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington May 31, 2012.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you, sit down. Sit down. Behave yourselves. (Laughter.) Mr. President, thank you for your warm hospitality. Madam First Lady, thank you so much for inviting our rowdy friends — (laughter) — to my hanging. (Laughter.)
Laura and I are honored to be here. Mr. Vice President, thank you for coming. We are overwhelmed by your hospitality. And thank you for feeding the Bush family, all 14 members of us who are here. (Laughter.) I want to thank our girls for coming. I thank Mom and Dad, brother, sister, in-laws, aunts and uncles. I appreciate you taking your time. I know you’re as excited as Laura and me to be able to come back here, and particularly thank the people who helped make this house a home for us for eight years, the White House staff.
I want to thank Fred Ryan and the White House Historical Association and Bill Allman, the White House curator. I am pleased that my portrait brings an interesting symmetry to the White House collection. It now starts and ends with a George W. (Laughter and applause.)
When the British burned the White House, as Fred mentioned, in 1814, Dolley Madison famously saved this portrait of the first George W. (Laughter.) Now, Michelle, if anything happens there’s your man. (Laughter and applause.) I am also pleased, Mr. President, that when you are wandering these halls as you wrestle with tough decisions, you will now be able to gaze at this portrait and ask, what would George do? (Laughter.)
I am honored to be hanging near a man who gave me the greatest gift possible, unconditional love — and that would be number 41. (Applause.) I want to thank John Howard Sanden for agreeing to use his considerable talents to paint my likeness. You’ve done a fine job with a challenging subject. (Laughter.)
In the portrait, there’s a painting by W.H.D. Koerner called, “A Charge to Keep.” It hung in the Oval Office for eight years of my presidency. I asked John to include it, because it reminds me of the wonderful people with whom I was privileged to serve. Whether they served in the Cabinet or on the presidential staff, these men and women — many of whom are here — worked hard and served with honor. We had a charge to keep and we kept the charge.
It is my privilege to introduce the greatest First Lady ever — sorry, Mom. (Laughter.) Would you agree to a tie? (Laughter.) A woman who brought such grace and dignity and love in this house. (Applause.)
MRS. BUSH: Thank you all. (Applause.) Thank you, everybody. Thank you very much. Thank you, darling.
Thank you, President and Mrs. Obama. Thank you for your kindness and your consideration today. It was really gracious of you to invite us back to the White House to hang a few family pictures. (Laughter.) And I’m sure you know nothing makes a house a home like having portraits of its former occupants staring down at you from the walls. (Laughter.)
This is not the first time I’ve had the opportunity to confront an artistic likeness of myself. A few years ago, just after the 2008 election, a friend sent me something he’d found in the gift shop of the National Constitutional Center in Philadelphia. It was a Laura Bush bobblehead doll. (Laughter.) He said he found it on the clearance shelf. (Laughter.)
But I’m flattered and grateful to know that this particular work has a permanent home. And thanks to the masterful talent of John Howard Sanden, I like it a whole lot better than I do that bobblehead doll. (Laughter.)
Thank you very much, John Howard Sanden — you’re terrific to work with. And thanks to Elizabeth and your family who have joined you today. Thank you very, very much, John. (Applause.)
And, of course, it’s meaningful to me as a private person to know that these portraits will be on view at the White House, that my portrait will hang just down the hall from my mother-in-law, and that George’s portrait will hang very close to his dad’s. But what’s more meaningful is it’s meaningful to me as a citizen. This was our family’s home for eight years. It was our home, but it wasn’t our house. This house belongs to the people whose portraits will never hang here, the ordinary and not-so-ordinary people whose lives inspired us and whose expectations guided us during the years that we lived here.
In this room are many of the people who stood by us as we faced the tragedy of September 11th, and who worked with us in the years after. Thanks to each and every one of you for your service to our country. (Applause.)
I hope others will see in this portrait what I see: a woman who was honored and humbled to live in the White House during a period of great challenge, and who will never forget the countless American faces who make up the true portrait of that time.
Thank you all very much. Thanks so much. And thank you, Michelle, if you want to come up. (Applause.)
People also fold arms by keeping their thumbs out to indicate superiority. While a folded arms gesture with one palm outside and the other firmly placed between the other arm and the chest may indicate a confused state of mind. In addition, some people fold their arms while keeping their fists firmly clenched to indicate hostility.
The partiallly crossed arm gesture in which one arm swings across the body to hold or to touch the other arm to form a barrier is often made by a person when he/she finds himself/herself lacking in confidence. Holding both your palms just below the stomach can mean that the person either is trying to de-stress himself or is in a position where he has to take orders from someone.
"His fault!"
Who painted those, Thomas Kinkade, or R.Crumb?
And I wanna know what they’ll do once they run out of room in the WH to hang these bad portraits of bad former ex-presidents?
I don’t think it looks anything like him.
I sure do miss a sense of humor in the White House.
Those portraits (especially of W) are U-G-L-Y.
Barry’s backhanded compliment:
“That’s certainly been true of President Bush. The months before I took the oath of office were a chaotic time. We knew our economy was in trouble, our fellow Americans were in pain, but we wouldn’t know until later just how breathtaking the financial crisis had been. And still, over those two and a half months — in the midst of that crisis — President Bush, his Cabinet, his staff, many of you who are here today, went out of your ways — George, you went out of your way — to make sure that the transition to a new administration was as seamless as possible.”
probably bling on her boob belt, too
They look like they were done with Paint by Numbers.
Laura Bush: "Will somebody please get this walking carpet out of my way?"
Why was laura painted in that ugly black gown? Ug
John Howard Sanden painted them. He is considered the dean of American portrait artists. I like his work, though I agree that it’s not innovative, and I too might have chosen someone else. We do have so many extraordinarily gifted portrait painters in this country, the best of them meeting in Philadelphia this week. Who would you have preferred to paint them?
P.S.: It’s very hard to judge the quality of an oil painting from a photo like this, since you can’t see the layers of transparent glazes that go into creating a realistic skin tone.
"I'm serious, there's prayer rugs and a camel in the Lincoln bedroom. Go have a look for yourself"
Obama is garbage compared to Bush.
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