A Day in the Life of President Bush (photos) 12.22.03

Yahoo,Whitehouse.gov,Reuters,AssociatedPress | 12/22/03 | TruthNtegrity

[TruthNtegrity]

The President had a busy weekend. He called the President of China to thank him for his recent comments on Taiwan and they discussed by phone how to restart North Korea nuclear talks. During the conversation Saturday night, the two leaders made a favorable appraisal of Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to the United States this month. Hu told Pres. Bush he hoped the goal of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula can be realized through a way acceptable to all parties concerned.

Sunday, after attending St. John's across the street from the White House, the President met with his Security Council and Sec. of Homeland Security, Sec. Ridge. As a result of these meetings, based on the increase of chatter, the threat level has been raised to "High".

Monday, the President met with his Homeland Security Council meeting, including officials from the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), after the domestic security threat level was raised Sunday from yellow, denoting an "elevated" risk of attack, to orange or "high" risk. The President also met with Iraq Administrator, Paul Bremer, for an update, the week following the capture of Saddam Hussein. The President was also scheduled to meet with Sec. Defense Rumsfeld.

President Bush scheduled several events Monday to send Hanukkah greetings to Jews celebrating the eight-day Festival of Lights this holiday season. The President was to meet in the Roosevelt Room of the White House with rabbis and Jewish community leaders in Washington. Before leaving for Camp David, Pres. Bush was scheduled to host an annual Hanukkah reception at the White House and speak at a ceremony to light a menorah, or candelabra.

Then he left for Camp David where he will spend Christmas, leaving the day after for the Crawford Ranch where the First Family will celebrate the New Year's celebration together.

The President's diplomatic day continued from Camp David. President George W. Bush swapped views with China's President Hu Jintao on ending the North Korea nuclear crisis, in a telephone call (1:45 PM Monday) which also touched on mainland tensions over Taiwan. Pres. Bush also eased the path for his Iraq debt envoy James Baker who arrives in Beijing on December 30, after visits to South Korea and Japan.

[TruthNtegrity]

Quote of the day: From the President's radio address on Saturday: "Some of the men and women I have met are members of the armed forces, who volunteer time in their communities on top of their service to the nation. And next week, I look forward to helping a generous group from Virginia distribute Angel Tree gifts to children whose parents are in prison. [snip]

This holiday season, I ask every American to look for a challenge in your own community, and step forward to lend a hand. You can learn about thousands of service opportunities by visiting the USA Freedom Corps website, usafreedomcorps.gov. Many Americans volunteer with their families, allowing them to spend time together while improving the lives of others. And if you find a need that no one else is meeting, you might want to start a group of your own."

Welcome to the Dose and Sanity Island!

[TruthNtegrity]

Forgot to post the picture of the President meeting with reporters at the White House this Morning.

Best Picture of the President of the Day

[ZOTnot]

Top ten?

[TruthNtegrity]

To streamline the work of this thread, please wait to post any pictures you find until today's author indicates he/she is finished with the initial photo posting work. Thank you.

[Mudboy Slim]

Good afternoon...MUD

[2Jedismom]

Woohooo!

[Soaring Feather]

Here I am.

[Soaring Feather]

Hi,

Good to see you!

[RobFromGa]

Merry Christmas, President Bush.

[MamaB]

Hi, How are you? I have another headache from being in stores with lots of perfume smells. Very allergic to it.
Thanks for doing this. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I was in a store and it had a small stuffed animal which said a kid's prayer. Another lady was standing there, so I told both Jan and the lady that the store should not let that be in there that it might offend someone! Both agreed with me! Isn't that a shame?

[MamaB]

Merry Christmas!

[TruthNtegrity]

The President had a busy weekend. He called the President of China to thank him for his recent comments on Taiwan and they discussed by phone how to restart North Korea nuclear talks. They are shown in this file photo from June 2003:

U.S. President George W. Bush waves to the press before entering St. John's Church in Washington, December 21, 2003. Pres. Bush will spend Christmas with his family at Camp David in Maryland but met with security advisors on Sunday. Sec. Ridge of Homeland Security raised the Terrorist threat alert to "High" based on "chatter".

Secretary of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, speaks with the media outside the Oval office at the White House, Monday, Dec. 22, 2003, in Washington. Ridge briefed President Bush after attending a security council meeting.

This is part of the speech Sec. Ridge made outside the Oval Office.

"The strategic indicators, including al-Qaida's continued desire to carry out attacks against our homeland, are perhaps greater now than at any point since September 11, 2001. The information we have indicates that extremists abroad are anticipating near-term attacks that they believe will either rival or exceed the attacks that occurred in New York, in the Pentagon, in the fields of Pennsylvania nearly two years ago.

Recent reporting reiterates - and this is a constant stream of reporting - that al-Qaida continues to consider using aircraft as a weapon. And they are constantly evaluating procedures, both in the United States and elsewhere, to find gaps in our security posture that could be exploited.

Our actions, our considerable actions, are directed against their efforts. We have not raised the threat level in this country for six months. But I remind everyone, we have raised it before.

President George W. Bush walks from the Oval Office toward Marine One in Washington. Bush met with his top anti-terror advisors, one day after the US government raised the nationwide security level over concerns of an impending domestic attack.

As a note of interest, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar is shown addressing Spanish troops in Diwaniyah, Iraq, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2003, in this image from video. Aznar paid a surprise four-hour visit to Spanish troops in Iraq on Saturday, having lunch with them in a desert canteen and thanking them for their sacrifice, in a trip reminiscent of U.S. President George W. Bush's Thanksgiving Day visit to American soldiers stationed in Iraq.

Here is what the increased security looks like in Washington, DC.

[TruthNtegrity]

Good to see ya, Mud.

Have any new lyrics for us, like maybe on Homeland Security?

Just wondering - I'll accompany you with my guitar, if you have any!

[2Jedismom]

Good to see you too! Another one of my chickens is laying...just started today. That makes three now! I got three warm eggs before lunch today!

[Mudboy Slim]

It ain't exactly new...but contrary to Lib'ral thought, the Liberation of Iraq is directly related to the War on Terrorism and, therefore, Homeland Security...

"FRee Iraq!!"
(To be sung to Bob Seger's "Like a Rock")

Strength and Boldness...Whuppin' Lib'ral Scum!!
Ignorance is Legion...DemRATS're Sleazy BUMS!!
We fight fer FReedom...Right's never been this strong...FRee Iraq!!

Left's like pre-teens...RATS don't have a CLUE!!
Libs LOATHE our FReedoms...Ignorant Poltroons!!
Folks, Right is Winning...Socialists Dispair!! FReepers ROCK!!

These days're heady...our Fight's 'tween Wrong and Right!!
Our Noble Purpose...the World we shall Enlight!!
Right must hold firmly...'cuz FReedom's Worth the Fight!!
FReedom ROCKS!!

FReepers ROCK!! RightWing's Strong 'cuz we are FRee!!
FReep Iraq!! Liberate the WHOLE MidEast!!
FRee Iraq, Sheeple Blossom When FRee...FRee Iraq!!

God is GOOD, God is Great!! In His Hands we trust our Fate!!
Reject Left's hustlers and RATS' schemes!!
Right stand proud...Right stand tall...Left's about to Fall!!!
MUD still believes in his dreams!!

(TruthNtegrity killin' it on guitar...MUD on pie-anny)

Forty years, Lord...Where'd they go?!
Forty years...I'm gittin' old!!
Still, we're fightin' against...Clinton's SCUM!!

And sometimes late at night...ohhh, when I'm FReepin' by candlelight...
The tunes come to me and All IS Right!!
And I recall...I recall....

FRee Iraq!! FReedom's the World's Fate!!
FReepers ROCK!! Shrink the Fed'ralist State!!
Like Iraq!! The World We'll Liberate...like Iraq!!

FReepers ROCK!!! Treason's why we FReep Slick!!
RATS're "shocked"...Left's arses Right Shall Kick!!
Like Iraq, the Righteous Win AGAIN...Like Iraq!!

Mudboy Slim

[DollyCali]

Thank you TNT... President bush looks very solemn in this sequence..

He carries so much for us all..

[ThePythonicCow]

Y'all be sure and visit the Laura Thread, at Brian Kilmeade: The most attractive First Lady in the history of all first ladies. It's got plenty of Laura pictures, some I've never seen before, some posted by OhioWfan.

[TruthNtegrity]

Did you spot any of the ninjas on the roof of the White House? They're there, trust me. I can see two in the first picture of the White House and 3 in the second.

And that picture of the President walking toward Marine One? No wave up to the private quarters, because the First Lady is at Camp David. And doesn't this picture show "the weight of the world" on him?

Heavy are the shoulders of a President who bears the burdens this President does. But we know that he prays and that God and his lovely Laura and his family sustain him.

I say, lets all double our prayers for the First Couple, their family, members of his Administration, for Congress and SCOTUS and for all of us this holiday season when we are at HIGH threat level.

God bless us all and keep us safe.

[TruthNtegrity]

Thanks for the link. I'll check it out soon.

For now, I need to leave to get to the Post Office before the after-work crush. Wish me luck?

I'll be back and will check for more pictures in about an hour. Until then, continue on!

ZOTnot - I like you SN! Very clever. Wish I'd thought of it, actually.

[TruthNtegrity]

Good post. I wish the First Couple and their family a very happy celebration of the birth of Christ and a wonderful New Year.

Have you heard that our Dubya and Laura are in bed by 9 PM as usual, so no watching the ball drop in Times Square at Midnight or any other kind of revelry.

But they have their own tradition - getting up for a sunrise walk together on the ranch.

I'll be thinking of them as I watch the New Year's festivities on cable, and wishing them the best for their sunrise walk, when I will still be sound asleep!

[TruthNtegrity]

Now, just for fun, here are some others photos I found on Yahoo. Enjoy!

Jesse Combs, president of Toypresidents Inc., holds a doll of President George W. Bush as he talks about the company's presidential dolls, at their Houston headquarters. The other presidents shown are, from left, John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan . Each presidential doll wears hand-stitched clothing reminiscent of their era, such as Lincoln's top hat and Bush's navy suit, red tie and black cowboy boots adorned with the presidential seal. The dolls also talk; an embedded computer chip plays 25 different phrases the presidents uttered during their administrations.

For those keeping up with the White House Holiday stories, Education Secretary Paige and SBA Administrator Baretto will read The Grinch (in English and Spanish) tonight at 8pm as part of the continuing holiday bedtime story series.

I tried to make that picture of Sec. Paige larger but I only succeeded in making a red "X" show up. Sorry.

[TruthNtegrity]

Now, I'm off to the Post Office, hopefully before the after-work crowd descends.

I'll be back shortly!

[DrDeb]

Before leaving the office to run a bizillion errands, just thought I'd post the URLs to a number of excellent articles:

Results from the 12/15-17/03 Ipsos-Reid/AP Poll:
http://www.ipsos-na.com/news/pressrelease.cfm?id=2004

Fred Barnes: "It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This"
http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/003/525hvlii.asp

Neil Cavuto: "Nothing Succeeds . . . Like Success"
http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/003/525hvlii.asp

Oldy (by a few days) but goody from Mark Steyn
http://www.suntimes.com/output/steyn/cst-edt-steyn21.html

[DrDeb]

A FEW 'CONSERVATIVE' RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE LAST MINUTE SHOPPER!

1.) Star Spangled Ice Cream (recommended by Ted Nugent)
http://www.starspangledicecream.com/index.cfm

2.) Top Gun: George W Bush Action Figure
http://www.newsmaxstore.com/nms/showdetl.cfm?&DID=6&User_ID=7260352&st=2464&st2=-66759673&st3=-82832672&Product_ID=1568&CATID=9&GroupID=12&af_id=518

3.) Books from the Conservative Bookstore
http://www.conservativebookclub.com/Join/JoinHome.asp?sour_cd=WC00108

4.) GWB Items from the Crawford (Texas) Store
http://www.crawfordtx.com/store.htm

5.) Merchandise from the George W Bush On-Line Store
http://www.georgewbushstore.com/

6.) Merchandise from our own W04Man
http://w-04.com/

. . . OK, I'm off to do some last minute shopping of my own!

[Brad's Gramma]

[Brad's Gramma]

Howdy!!! I'm pinch-hitting for Mo1 for a few days. If I miss anyone's birthday, PLEASE tell me!!

Mo's mom has been sick and is in the hospital. PLEASE pray for the situation, all around.

Thanks everyone.

[TruthNtegrity]

Prayers lifted for Mo1 and her family!

Pinging some prayer warriors.

[hoosierpearl]

Thanks for the dose tonight. I've missed it the last few days.

[terilyn]

Well aren't you the sweetheart! Thank you so much. A Very Merry Christmas to you and yours.

[Brad's Gramma]

And to you, too! I hope you have a wonderful birthday, and a blessed Christmas.

If you have extra gifts, would you like my address? I'll take as many as I can get. As often as I can.

Ha!

[terilyn]

ROFL! If you could see my house you'd think I had enough gifts for all of FR. I go a little crazy at Christmas time.

[terilyn]

Prayers for your Mom, Mo.

And for you as well. It's always hard to have a loved one be ill, and especially so at this time of year.

I'll be here thinking good thoughts.

Merry Christmas!

[prairiebreeze]

I say, lets all double our prayers for the First Couple, their family, members of his Administration, for Congress and SCOTUS and for all of us this holiday season when we are at HIGH threat level.

[prairiebreeze]

Prayers going up!! Thanks for the info BG

Prairie

[W04Man]

Bump!

http://W-04.com

[TruthNtegrity]

Check out Mike's dose for Thursday. I was delayed by work and then having to de-virus, de-worm a PC where I was staying before I could post any pictures for the Friday dose, as a sub. for ohioWfan.

In total desperation, I added the Friday pictures I found to the end of that Dose.

Do you want me to ping you to it?

Truthy

[Lucy Lake]

This just arrived in an email:

Walter Reed Red Cross manager asks donors to hold off

By Sgt. 1st Class Doug Sample, USA
American Forces Press Service

In August, the American Red Cross asked the public for donations of phone cards, clothing, small suitcases, and comfort items for service members recuperating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here.

Now Barbara Green, the ARC station manager, says she has more phone cards, sweat pants, and luggage than she can use.

In fact, thanks to a generous public, so many items were donated that the Red Cross' storage room inside the hospital is filled to the brim, and Green is politely asking the public to hold off until further notice.

"We're not going to be able to give it all away," she said, adding that one Army unit sent an Air Force C-130 "full of stuff."

The initial request came because many troops evacuated to the center arrived with no personnel effects, she said. Now, Green said, her concern now is what to do with all the donated items. She said it's very important that she follows the donors' intent that the items go to the soldiers, so what's now on hand will take care of their needs for the foreseeable future.

"We need to wait awhile, to at least give us a chance to use what we have before we take in any more items," she said. "We'll put the appeal out again when the time comes," she said.

Green said that she appreciates the public's generosity, and that the soldiers are "very thankful" for what the American public is doing. "The soldiers are very well aware of the caring of the American public, and they are very grateful," she said.

[McGavin999]

OMG, prayers immediately for Mo's mom!

[Brad's Gramma]

Thanks everyone for your prayers....please PLEASE pray if you haven't already.

[TruthNtegrity]

This is your evening PING I promised I'd do, when I post the Dose during the day.

[MamaB]

Hey, how are you?

[Soaring Feather]

Here I am again.

[kitkat]

..........................................................HAPPY BIRTHDAY........................

[homemom]

You are SOOOOOOO creative!

[kitkat]

Prayers for Mo1 and her Mom.

[Kath]

One police car and one cop on at the capitol building?? That's increased security???

[homemom]

Hi Nancy--

How are you doing? Did you remember to pick up your mom? :-)

Have you talked to Mike? I had an idea--are you "into" scrapbooking, or are you interested? I was thinking it would be neat to make a scrapbook of all of his "adventures" in the service. I'm BIG into scrapbooking, so if you have any questions . . . just ask! It would certainly keep you busy while he's gone (not that you're not busy . . . I think you know what I mean! :-) )

How are you holding up? Special prayers from me to God for you this week!

Peace and blessings-
Shelly

[homemom]

***And doesn't this picture show "the weight of the world" on him?

Heavy are the shoulders of a President who bears the burdens this President does.***

Yes, it sure does. His worries must be especially great as the terror threat was raised 24 hrs. before there was even the Homeland Securtiy meeting to discuss it!

[TruthNtegrity]

Hello again!

[homemom]

***Have you heard that our Dubya and Laura are in bed by 9 PM as usual, so no watching the ball drop in Times Square at Midnight or any other kind of revelry. ***

I think they probably have their own revelry--it's just private! :-)