Posted on 02/26/2006 8:39:11 PM PST by indcons
President George W. Bush is planning a two-day wind sprint across India this week, when he will meet with political leaders, chat up high-technology millionaires and give a speech at a 16th-century fort.
But to the consternation of many Indians, he will not see the country's most famous monument, the Taj Mahal, a decision Bush blamed last week on an omnipotent scheduler.
"Look, if I were the scheduler, perhaps I'd be doing things differently," Bush said when he was asked in an interview with Indian reporters at the White House why he was skipping the Taj. "I'll be the president, we've got the scheduler being the scheduler. I'm going to miss a lot of the really interesting parts of your great country. I know that."
Bush has never been a sightseer, and his planned two days in India and one in Pakistan are typical of a president who visited the Great Wall of China in 30 minutes flat. For the most part, the president's India is one of strategic calculations - a hoped-for nuclear deal, a booming market for American goods and an Asian powerhouse to counterbalance China.
But Bush did sound notes of eagerness last week about his first trip to India, the world's largest democracy and a country that has long cast a powerful spell on the Western imagination. People who know Bush say he has an interest in the country through little- known personal and political connections in Texas.
(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...
Ping....thought you might be interested in this article on Pres. Bush's upcoming visit to India.
US President George W. Bush will have to negotiate hot Indian curry and spicy Indian food when he is here next week.
"Well, I'm going to have to -- I'll have to try that on. I'll tell you afterwards," a smiling Bush told India's state-run television Doordarshan in Washington.
He was asked whether he had discussed with First Lady Laura Bush how to negotiate hot Indian curry during his three-day India visit starting March 1. The interview was broadcast Saturday.
I love it. The INdians Prime MInisters Daughter is a ACLU attorney that sends out releases against the Bush adminstration policies in her jib. Too rich. Ahh like they say only in America
I think it also attests to the power of a true democracy. That said, that idiot has no business being in the ACLU.....I was very irritated when I read it.
I suppose we can rule out a Presidential BBQ
LOL....no barbecue this time around.
I have to admit I was a little shocked too. If I was her I be getting into some plum job with all the contacts she must have lol.
Any Texan worth his salt has eaten plenty of hot Mexican food. That should be pretty good training.
He should pack a pint of pickled (jalapeno) peppers as a presidential present.
"LOL....no barbecue this time around."
Tandoori Chicken! BBQ Goat! What's the problem?
More hate coverage from the good 'ole NYT.
Uh... because it's probably the most beautiful building ever erected?
"Personally I never quite understood the hype around Taj Mahal. Its an Islamic monument built by a muslim king. Why do Indians care about it so much ?"
....because it is not an "Islamic monument" but a Hindu Temple occupied/appropriated by Muslims. I am surprised you dont know.
Tajmahal: The True Story:
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/true_story_of_the_taj_mahal.htm
http://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/modern/taj_oak.html
http://www.hindunet.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=92&page=3
Your photo looks arabic. Bush is going to India..... a little Hindu shrine in the sunset would be more appropriate.
Check post #15.
Thanks for the ping! We're off to breakfast and a meeting. I'll read it when we return. Thanks, again!
Bttt! Thanks.
It might have been sanctioned to be built by a Mughal emperor. It was built by Indian laborours, many Hindu. It was designed by Indian, Turkish and French architects.
Seriously, do you really not find this building beautiful? You have to be there to be stunned by its size, scale and beauty.
Without reading the article .. my comment is this: Since Bush has lived in TEXAS for many, many years, why wouldn't his major contacts be with people in Texas ..??
Why does this obvious connection seem so irregular .. when to me it just seems logical ..??
Thanks for the ping indcons :)
It's a shame Bush can't find time to visit the Taj Mahal, especially since he'll be so close (well relatively anyway) in Delhi.
Personally I think it's because his security people get nervous whenever he's out in an exposed area. It seems like they always try to keep him indoors as much as possible. Though after I looked at a satellite image of the Taj it looks pretty well secured (in that it would be hard for a Muslim sniper-assassin to get into position.)
Well, he'll miss the chance to see a great historical monument.
oops I didnt mean for the image I just posted to be so big :(
Please remove it if it's too big and would slow page loading or take up too much space or whatever.
Thanks.
Even if you dont like the people who built it, the building is still beautiful, and fascinating from a historical perspective.
In Spain they still like the Alhambra and alcazars, even though the Muslims built those.
They are part of history, and should be cherished as such. You should like the Taj Mahal because it is part of history, and a great building aesthetically and architecturally.
The Taj Mahal, in my opinion, is one of three things that lives up to its hype. The Grand Canyon and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony are the other two.
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