A day in the life of President Bush (1/21/06): photos

White House, Google Photos ^ | 1/21/06

[Wolfstar]

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY The first family is spending the weekend at Camp David. Next week, the President, Vice President and others in the administration will be pushing back on the issue of monitoring international phone calls potentially connected with terrorism.

THE WEEK AHEAD: Once again Scott McClellan did not announce the week-ahead schedule at his press briefing. However, a search of news articles yielded the following:

President Bush will speak Monday at Kansas State University about U.S. efforts to fight terrorism. His address will be part of the university's Landon Lecture series and is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. CST in Bramlage Coliseum on the Manhattan campus. GWB is the third sitting president to give a lecture, following Ronald Reagan in 1982 and Richard Nixon in 1970.

President Bush will visit the ultra-secret National Security Agency on Wednesday.

Also on Wednesday a sports team that never was invited to the White House will finally do so nearly 40 years after they won their championship.

'66 Miner title team to finally visit Washington
Bill Knight
El Paso Times
Friday, January 20, 2006

The 1966 Texas Western NCAA championship basketball team, the team that was never invited to the White House, will meet with President Bush there Feb 22.

"The White House has invited Coach (Don) Haskins and his wife (Mary), the players and their spouses to have dinner and to see a screening of 'Glory Road,' at the White House on February 22," said Steve Tredennick.

Tredennick, who played on Haskins' first Texas Western team, is a lawyer in Round Rock, Texas, who has been handling everything for the 1966 team.

"This is pretty exciting after 40 years," Haskins said. "I think everyone's excited. I just called Eddie Mullens (the sports information director in 1966) and he was ecstatic. George W. is a special guy, as far as I'm concerned."

Harry Flournoy, a starter on the 1966 team, lives in Los Angeles. He, too, was excited by the news.

"Yes, it is exciting," Flournoy said Thursday night. "We should have been the ones to start that tradition in 1966. But better late than never. Seriously, all this is just something I could never have dreamed ... not even in my wildest dreams. I know we're going to have a good time. I know I am. I love all those guys (teammates). We love getting together, hashing out things, telling some lies and hoping people's memories are not too good."

And, on Wednesday night, Feb. 22, the men from 1966 will tell their stories in the White House.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: The First Lady gave an interview to the BBC's Sir David Frost after her return from Africa. Following are excerpts from the transcript.

First Lady recalls 9/11 challenge
By Matthew Davis
BBC News, Washington

The United States' First Lady Laura Bush has told the BBC that the "war on terror" has made her job more challenging than she ever anticipated.

"Obviously we didn't expect what happened on September 11th, we never expected we would be in a war, and that is very, very difficult," she said.

Mrs Bush, just back from Africa, made the comments during an interview with the BBC's Sir David Frost.

Such is her popularity that some have speculated that she might follow in the footsteps of her predecessor as First Lady, now-Senator Hillary Clinton, and seek elected office.

In a speech on Thursday President George W Bush said his wife would never run for office, and Mrs Bush confirmed it was "absolutely unlikely".

She also said that her friend, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice - who despite her denials is still being tipped as a potential 2008 presidential candidate - had "fully decided" not to run.

Mrs Bush spoke instead of the challenge of being a first lady in a country divided by the war in Iraq.

"I watched people that I love very much in this job - my mother-in-law and my father-in-law - and I had a real idea of the weight of it, the weight of the job.

"I remember during the Gulf War when President Bush, my husband's father, was president, and the very start of it when the body bags went over to Kuwait - and the whole worry of that, the whole gravity of that.

"The choices that a president makes, for instance, are so consequential, there are so many consequences - and so I knew that, even though that doesn't always help when you are in the midst of it yourself.

"Many people are very, very sincerely anti-war, everyone is anti-war, the president is anti-war, no-one wants war, but no-one wanted what happened on September 11 either."

In the homespun way that has endeared her to the US public, the first lady also revealed what first attracted her to Mr Bush.

"One of the first things I liked about him when I met him was his sense of humour," she said.

"And to be married to someone who can be funny at the dinner table - we had two teenage girls at the dinner table - it was really very nice, he was always able to defuse moments of tension when 13-year-old girls are acting like 13-year-old girls - he's a really wonderful father to our girls."

[hoosierpearl]

Louisiana? I used to live on the Gulf Coast of MS. I'm glad to hear you say FEMA money is coming through. I've heard other reports that said differently.

[STARWISE]

Thank you so much, Tx ... you're a font of valuable insights and info yourself ;). Tomorrow's the last football playoff .. Sunday Dose will be limited at best for me too, I think. Let's see ....prediction: Hagel, McCain (he's been missing for what .. 2-3 weeks? Time for Timmy to drag him out. And,

WASHINGTON -

President Bush previewed three domestic themes of his upcoming State of the Union address — tax cuts, energy prices and the rising cost of health care — in his weekly radio broadcast Saturday.

So ... they're gonna have to be blasting him about those issues for sure. What lackluster and doom-ridden imaginations these people have.

Have BIG TIME party fun ;).

[hoosierpearl]

LBJ was not a warm and fuzzy kind of person. Plus the war protests and other things.

[Txsleuth]

Who are you rooting for in the games tomorrow? I have no doubt that they will be on at my daughter's house...we Texans LOVE our football!!!

I am sure I will have fun tomorrow...I always enjoy being with my daughter and granddaughter...and the 1st Birthday may not mean much to the baby...but, to us that were in the hospital waiting for her last year...it is a VERY big deal...LOL

[hoosierpearl]

Hello RM. We got moved into our new house 3 weeks ago, were without a phone for ten days and internet, finally got the computer up Thursday night. Now have cable broadband and I can see the pictures on the dose in real time. Now if I can just get the email switched over. I'll be sending you my new email addy when I get it set up.

[STARWISE]

Can't say I'm really into the teams that much, 'cept I will root for the Steelers and "The Bus" .. probably his last game and he's just a legendary player. The other game, hmmmmmm... probably Seattle. They did a great job and won against tough odds last week.

[snugs]

I have looked into Barbra Bush's book and yes you are correct that he lost the Senate race but decided not to contest the Congress seat so he did not loose the Congress seat at the ballot box.

It does also mention the vote in Congress in 1968 (Page 71) I will re-type the section regarding this.

"Later that month (July 1968) Congress passed the civil rights open housing bill, the most controversial bill George voted on while in the House. He voted yes, despite the fact that mail from his constituents ran heavily against it. What made him feel particularly strong about this was that so many young black men were fighting in Vietnam for the cause of freedom, yet were denied freedom when they came home.

I was proud of the stand he took, but upset by how personal and mean his mail was, including from supporters who said they were shocked and disappointed. I remember that we went to Peter Sellers movie the night of the vote, just to be able to laugh.

I was even prouder a week later when George flew to Houston to face a hometown crowd He was introduced to loud boos, but at the end of the speech, during which he told them he put human rights above property rights he had won them over they gave him a standinding ovation. Still, I was very relieved he had no opposition for reelection that fall; it would have been a tough campaign."

So that proves your point in fact his last re-election to Congress he neither won or lost he was returned unopposed.

Regarding the Senate Race that he lost Barbra Bush's take on this is on page 78 and again I will quote.

"Once again lightening struck to completely change the political picture. This time our friend Lloyd Bensen ran against Yarborough and beat him in the Democratic primary This hurt us badly but we still thought we had a chance of winning. Then those smart Democrats put a liquor by the drink bill on the ballot, and the Democrats who otherwise would not have voted turned out in record numbers."

Regarding the UN appointment here is Barbra Bush's comments on this - Page 79.

"After the election George and I returned to Washington to finish out his career as a Congressman. George was very disappointed. He always had wanted to be in the Senate, especially since the days when his father had served there. Now the big question for use was. What next?

Many people felt President Nixon owned George, because he had asked him to give up his safe House Seat to run for the Senate. George did not feel that way. It had been his choice to get into the race Nevertheless, rumors flew all over Washington about who would get what jobs, including George. The President once hinted that maybe George should move to Connecticut and run against Senator Abraham Ribicoff in 1972 That had zero appeal, I was ready to suggest we go home to family and friends and live happily ever after.

However George knew exactly what job he wanted. Ambassador to the UN. Family friend Charley Bartlett had suggested it and once, and after much thought, George decided it was where he could serve the President and the country best. He discussed it with White House Chief of Staff Bob Haldeman and many others, but not directly with President Nixon.

Finally the call came for George to come to the White House, and the President offered him a job as special assistant to the President. George said he would do whatever was asked of him, but added he was sorry that the President didn't like the UN idea. He said he felt he could have served the President well there, especially since incumbent Ambassador Charlie Yost was as liberal Democrat and really did not represent the administration's views. A few minutes later, President Nixon called George back into the Oval office and said I've thought about our conversation - you have the UN job."

Hope that this is of interest Kath, I found it interesting searching in the book. I have never read it from cover to cover I must do I have only read sections that interested me at the time and I missed this bit completely. Thank you by your comments encouraging me to read that bit.

[WaterDragon]

Before 9/11 I'd see photos of the Twin Towers and marvel at the architecture or the views I imagined from the upper floors. Now, when I see photos of the Towers all I can think of are the individuals working that day, their families, the firemen, all the deaths. Truly, photos of the Towers still whole AND after the attack should be on view all over America, a constant reminder and memorial to those we lost that day.

[WaterDragon]

t's those who have to talk without having anything to add that irritate me. They are too much like liberals

You're a prime example of that.

[WaterDragon]

The meals you describe are just what they were in my home when I was growing up. The mid-day meal was the main meal, vegetables, salads and meats, and desserts. Then, in the afternoon the youngest kids got got a sandwich and a glass of milk, then baths and to bed. Older kids ate a light cold supper with the parents. Breakfasts were pretty sturdy meals.

All of it changed by the time I was raising my own family -- the main meal became the evening meal, but it took me a long time to accept calling it "supper"! :))

[WaterDragon]

I meant!!!! Took me a long time to accept calling the evening meal "dinner".

Time to pour coffee and wake up.

[LuvyaDubya]

Here is another site where one can buy a Bush/Cheney Hummer. The price is approximately $30 less than from the manufacturer I linked in post# 144.

[Wolfstar]

Wow, $30 less makes a huge difference. I definitely have it on my wish list for occasions when presents are given. :-)

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

Thanks for your opinion, I will give it all the consideration it deserves.

[LuvyaDubya]

I forgot to mention that the price difference takes into account the shipping charge from the second website. When comparing the prices after adding the shipping charge from the manufacturer as well, the difference is approximately $45.

[afraidfortherepublic]

I moved to Houston within 5 years thereafter, and I could be wrong about being "voted out". I know his district was changed and he ran for the Senate. He was defeated in his bid for the Senate, and his vote on segregated housing played a part in the defeat. Nixon then appointed him head of the CIA. Or, he became head of the RNC first and then head of the CIA. I've forgotten the order. His anti segregation vote was well known in Houston at the time and freely talked about as a reason for his defeat.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Absolutely -- they were the first all black team at a time when black players were not allowed on the courts in many southern states.

The movie is great. You must see it.

I am so happy that President Bush is honoring them -- even if it is belatedly.

[afraidfortherepublic]

I'm talking about Glory Road -- the story of the first all black basketball team to win the national championship in 1966. They were the the Miners from Texas Western -- El Paso. I don't think the school exists anymore. I think it is UT-El Paso now.

It's a great movie that is in the theatres now and suitable for all ages. I'm not even a sports fan, and I loved every minute of it.

It was a topic of discussion because the President is invinting the real team and the coach to a special screen ing at the White House.

[Txsleuth]

Thanks for the information....I am ashamed that I wasn't SURE that was the case...

I plan on seeing the movie...thanks for the review.

[rlferny]

The golden age of Hollywood. There isn't a movie star these days that is worthy of shining these 4 guys shoes!!