Posted on 05/13/2006 1:54:07 PM PDT by Wolfstar
PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: The President and First Lady are spending the Mother's Day weekend at Camp David with family and invited guests, including former Chief of Staff Andrew Card.
Following are two significant, if little noticed news items (to read the entire articles or just view the sources, click the links embedded in the titles).
Cautious Optimism for President Bush's ID Theft Executive OrderPresident Bush this week created an "ID theft prevention" task force by executive order, and Internet security executives are reacting positively, if cautiously, to the new federal initiative.
"This task force should help improve coordination among federal, state and local authorities. It's a positive step toward addressing the problem of identity theft," Bill Conner, president and CEO of Entrust, told the E-Commerce Times.
While optimistic over the creation of the task force, Conner renewed Entrust's call for a national data breach notification law.
"We hope the federal government's leadership role on identity theft doesn't end with this task force," said Conner. "While this is a positive step, Congress needs to pass a data breach notification law that assures consumers, clears up the patchwork of state laws and gives organizations the option to protect customer data through encryption."
Guantanamo detainee's trial on holdJudge suspends case involving alleged al-Qaida conspirator until Supreme Court renders a ruling on the military commissions
By Carol Rosenberg
KNIGHT RIDDERSiding with an enemy combatant over the Bush administration, a federal judge Friday ordered the Pentagon to suspend a Saudi captive's trial at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, until the U.S. Supreme Court rules next month on whether President Bush's military commissions are constitutional.
On the social calendar, "The Australian" website reports that President Bush has presented two saplings to the Australian people. He will join Prime Minister John Howard at the Australian embassy tomorrow to plant them. Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington is already bedecked with Australian and U.S. flags to herald the visit.
The Prime Minister left Australia yesterday for a two-week trip that will include a five-day visit to the U.S., as well as visits to Canada and Ireland. Earlier this week, the President praised Australia as "one of America's closest allies and partners," adding that Washington and Canberra are united in "the common goals of promoting peace, freedom and prosperity through fighting terrorism, stopping the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and promoting an open international economic order."
In a statement released on the eve of his visit, the Prime Minister said, "We will also consult on critical regional and global issues," and added that he would hold talks over the weekend with Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Howard, Bush meet during tree-planting ceremony
May 13, 2006Two young saplings will mark a new era in Australian-US relationships when Prime Minister John Howard plants them in the grounds of the Australian embassy in Washington on Sunday, watched by US President George W Bush.
The elm and maple saplings, from the grounds of the White House, are a special gift from Mr Bush to Australia.
And just as the two trees will grow to withstand the American capital's steamy hot summers and snowy winters, Mr Howard is confident the relationship between the two countries will continue to grow and flourish.
President Bush will host a black-tie dinner for Mr Howard in the White House on Tuesday night - only the seventh such honour he has accorded to a visiting leader during his two terms of office.
"I do have a very close relationship with President Bush," Mr Howard told reporters as he arrived in Washington for his second visit in less than a year.
"I like him and we think along similar lines on a lot of issues ... but ... the relationship goes beyond the personal relationship between two heads of government."
UPCOMING EVENTS: The following schedule information was obtained from various news sources.
— Monday, President Bush addresses the nation in a televised speech about illegal immgration.— Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister John Howard meets with President Bush at the White House. Later that evening, the President and Mrs. Bush host a state dinner in Mr. Howard's honor.
— Thursday, President Bush is scheduled to follow up his address to the nation by visiting the U.S.-Mexico border. (I have not found specifics as to where his visit will occur.)
— Friday, the President will be in Virginia Beach, VA, to campaign for U.S. Representative Thelma Drake. He will attend a $5000-per-plate luncheon at a private home to raise money for Ms. Drake's reelection campaign.
— May 20, 2006: The First Lady delivers the commencement address at Roger Williams College in Bristol, RI.
— May 21, 2006: President George H.W. Bush and Mrs. Barbara Bush are the commencement speakers at George Washington University in Washington, DC.
— May 27, 2006: President Bush delivers the commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY.
— Jun. 19, 2006: The President delivers the commencement address at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, NY.
— Jun. 21, 2006: President Bush travels to Vienna, Austria, to participate in the annual U.S.-EU Summit.
Thanks , ilovew .
Imagine the plight of the person who must have got to do the project on hillary . LOL. :0
I just saw those. They're definitely going into my collection. I'll need em if she ever runs for pres :)
But overall, it's been pretty amazing, hasn't it?
It pulls away from civil once in a while, but comparatively speaking, it's remarkable!
Ew! Someone had to do a project on Hillary? That could be considered cruel and unusual punishment, I think.
I'm doing good. What movie did you and your friend see? Do you recommend that others see it?
Lol we saw Scary Movie 4. I don't know if anyone else would enjoy that. And they did have a part making fun of President Bush's reaction to 9/11 which irritated me. The rest of it was funny if you enjoy seeing movies made fun of. And if you can overlook the Bush-bashing parts.
Here are 2 great photos of Condi when she and Rummy visited the White House to brief/be de-breifed on their visit to Iraq. You can see here the President is giving her respect both for her position and as a person in the distance and room he is allowing her.
Well....you can't expect freepers to always be angels...LOL
I would've picked almost anyone over Hillary. Condi is definitely a great choice though. Or Margaret Thatcher.
Beautiful shot of Condi w/
Yo Yo Ma...
& also at piano in the
formal dress!
"You can see here the President is giving her respect both for her position and as a person in the distance and room he is allowing her"
RESPECT - that is what i appreciate most.
This is a MUST READ post and run . . . I'm off for a rare DATE with hubby (my early Mother's Day present)!!!
MUST READ:
FROM THE ANCHORESS
[I recommend that you follow the link and read the commentary as posted at her website -- she provides LOTS of great links!!]
I’m off on politics for a while
http://theanchoressonline.com/2006/05/12/im-off-on-politics-for-a-while/
"I’ve decided that if I’m going to keep blogging, I’m going to have to leave off writing or reading about politics for a little while, because it’s all making me sick.
But as I put the subject away, I just have to ask all of you people - on every side - who have decided that immigration is one man’s burden, and that every good thing President Bush has done is to be negated because he hasn’t snapped his fingers and done what YOU think is the solution to the immigration problem…what did Clinton do about immigration, what did Bush 41 do? What did St. Reagan do? What did Carter do? What has any president, congressperson or senator done about immigration for the last 30 years, except kick the issue down the road for someone else to deal with?
Reagan, if you remember, was the amnesty president. Clinton was the “borders? What’s borders, everyone is our pal” president.
Lots of bills that were ignored by past presidents, particularly during our “vacation from history” have come due on Dubya’s watch. The whole world seems to be coming due on his watch, and damn him for not handling everything perfectly. What a loser, eh? And it’s easy to kick a guy when he’s down, isn’t it? AJ is getting weary of it, too.
Energy. We were promised back in the 1970’s by President Carter that we would cease to be dependant on Middle East for our energy. How’s that been working out, all these years, all these presidents, later? Oh…Bush DID try to get a comprehensive energy bill passed in congress. No go. Congress kicked it down the road for someone else to deal with. Whatever happened to expanding and strengthening the grid? What will we say this summer when the blackouts and brownouts occur? That bastard Bush…he didn’t fix this. No mention that congress kicked and kicked that ball away.
Social Security. We’ve been told it’s the “most important issue” - or at least we hear it every election year…but everyone knows it’s going to hell. Oh…Bush DID try to get a comprehensive reform of Social Security passed in congress. No go. Congress kicked it down the road for someone else to deal with. Social Security is a joke, but it’s a joke with a lockbox, and the key’s long throw-away.
Terrorism. We’ve essentially been at war with Islamofascism since our countrymen were held hostage for 444 days, since our soldiers were slaughtered in their barracks. Since Saddam tried to kill a former president. “This will not stand,” yeah, yeah, yeah…we heard it all. What did Carter do about it? What did Reagan? What did Bush 41? What did Clinton do - particularly when AlQ began to attack American interests, holdings and naval vessels on an average of every 20 months? What? Are those crickets I hear chirping?
Finally after 3,000 of our countrymen died action was taken, and the action continues…and Bush has worked very hard to keep us safe and to destroy the infrastructure, funding and communications of Al Qaeda and their ilk, but…you know…it’s a bad thing for us to monitor the calling habits of AlQ and their co-horts. That would be an awful abuse of power, wouldn’t it? Right up there with accessing FBI files on political opponants and other Nixonian tactics, right? Better to completely mischaracterize what he’s doing and call a hero a tyrant and a traitor a hero…because…because…well, because the truth is Bush is doing the job on terrorism too damn well, and we can’t bring ourselves to report that.
And now, immigration…one man is to blame, one man is at fault, one man must find the Solomonic solution. And if he doesn’t, he’s a bum no matter what else he’s done. Meanwhile, the press can’t get over the president who smiled and cried his way through two terms, and they still work on his legacy. Can you ever recall a time in history where 6 years after an administration ends, the ex-president is still breathlessly being polled-on, still being given (on most days) as much press as the current president? I can’t.
When Clinton was being waylaid, his party closed ranks. Now Bush - a good man despite his flaws, (and what president is not flawed) is being attacked on all sides, and his party just jumps in with both feet and kicks away. It just doesn’t seem right to me. And I know, I KNOW…he’s been a job to defend for all these years against unprecedented attacks - I’m tired, too. But I cannot go along with the “get Bush” mentality from the right. The question I keep asking myself is…right now, at this moment in time, who is BETTER than him? Giuliani? The religious right will never go for him. Allen? Mush-mouthed bore, the religious right will love him, and the rest will turn the page, and neither of them will be elected in this atmosphere - and if they could be, it won’t be for two more years. Bush is what we’ve got, the best we’ve got…but you know, maybe he’s too punch drunk, after 6 years of abuse, and a feckless party that squanders its majority again and again…one year ago, on May 10, he was dancing with free Georgians…but none of that counts, anymore, right? We forget the good stuff pretty easily, it seems to me.
It’s not just about the president, though. There is a terrible toxicity to our political and social exchanges - there is little real thought and lots of shrieking going on, lots of noise, little real discourse and precious little honesty. There is no way to debate because - no matter which side tries to get serious - a well-thought-out discourse is immediately shot down by the other side with a one-line-sneer, usually a specious one, that distorts or misdirects and never allows a thought to go forward. The disrespect between “sides” is staggering, and completely unproductive. But non-productivity seems to be what people like. It’s “safe.” If you don’t do anything, you can’t get blamed, right? More kicking things down the road. Let the guy who actually wants to take some action bear the brunt of your fear, your insecurity, your anger, your scorn, your impotence. If he doesn’t do it all perfectly, he’s a bum. Prof. Bainbridge and Ed Morrissey report that “conservatives are abandoning Bush.”
Ah, well…I never did think of myself as a conservative, anyway…more like a classical liberal without a home…
I wonder who all those principled conservatives are going to vote for in ‘08. We did this “he’s not conservative enough for me, I’ll vote principles or stay home” thing once before, in 1992, didn’t we? How’d that work out for you?
There are games within games, and strategies within strategies, and in the end, I wonder if anyone - anyone at all - is really looking out for America beyond their own interests. I think the president is. I think certain exceptional blogs and a few - very few - professional folks in the press are. But there is a great deal of stuff out there that is all about taking the easy route - cynicism is easy, sneering is easy, rabble-rousing is easy - in order to promote oneself or one’s cause…and it’s beginning to drown out the rest.
The roiling hate that is the driving force behind the MSM and some parts of the blogosphere and so much more cannot produce anything good. All of these negatives cannot create a positive. I can’t be the only one who is feeling increasingly ill - not ill-at-ease, but physically ill - when looking at it. I have to think that there are folks on both sides, GOP and Dem, Liberal and Conservative who are looking at all of this and thinking…I’m not walking into that insanity. I wonder how many GOOD people, on either side of political spectrum, are NOT considering running for office because of the atmosphere.
Seems to me both sides are completely infected with a blood-poisoning that could take down the nation. And I have no help to offer, because when I try to read about politics, lately - any story, be it a Kennedy car crash, or an imploding CIA, I want to puke. I physically want to vomit.
And so, for a while, I’m off the subject. We’ll talk sex, religion, baseball, opera and even - Lord help us - television. But to stay in the middle of the deleterious snakepit of politics…no…there be monsters.
I think for the summer, my little boat will sail in the other direction."
The Anchoress
THIS COMMENTARY SPEAKS FOR ME AND MINE!!!
What do you want on your toaster?
"The whole world seems to be coming due on his watch, and damn him for not handling everything perfectly."
That she is. That's never been a problem for me for presentations though. I did a presentation about why the war in Iraq was right. Only a few other people in the class agreed with me.
Tha commentary could have been written by ME...if I knew how to write that well....and compile my thoughts that logically...and had the nerve to write it.
But, alas, I will just have to read this, bookmark this...and pray that she comes out of her "vacation" refreshed and ready to fight in November....we NEED her type of thinking, and blogging.
My work last year was on "the Axis of Evil "
I explained all the problems with Iraq , Iran , N. Korea.
I explained how it was justified for the thee states to be called Axis of evil.
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