A Day in the Life of President Bush (photos): 6.29.06

yahoo.com, whitehouse.gov, washingtonpost.com, foxnews.com ^ | Thursday June 29, 2006 | GretchenM

[GretchenM]

President Bush and Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi held a press conference (text and video here) at the White House to discuss the war on terror, defending freedom and democracy, promoting regional security and prosperity in Asia (including North Korea), and enhancing closer cooperation on global economic issues (including Japan now agreeing to open its markets to US beef). This is Koizumi's farewell visit, as he steps down from his position as Prime Minister in September.

President and Mrs. Bush will host an official dinner tonight for the Prime Minister.

Secretary of State Rice continues her G8 Foreign Minister Summit visit in Moscow, before a July 15-17 summit of G8 leaders, to be held in St. Petersburg and hosted for the first time by Russian President Putin.

The US Supreme Court issued its ruling on the use of Guantanamo Bay. Bush told reporters Thursday that he would like to work with Congress to determine whether passing legislation setting up military tribunals is a valid option. Bush said, "The American people need to know this ruling, as I understand it, won't cause killers to be put out on the street. I was told this was not going to be the case … one thing I'm not going to do is jeopardize the safety of the American people."

Twins' News WaPo gossip column: Jenna Bush is reportedly going to take a teaching job in Latin America, potentially leaving around the end of summer. (Barbara recently moved to Manhattan, where she has a job in education programming at Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.)

[GretchenM]

QUOTES: Bush: "Japan and the United States have built a strong alliance and a close friendship. Decades ago, our two fathers looked across the Pacific and saw adversaries, uncertainty and war. Today their sons look across that same ocean and see friends and opportunity and peace. ... ...You've had a remarkable tenure as the Prime Minister of your country. You have led with courage, you have made hard decisions. You've helped us change our relationship so that Japan and the United States will be able to work even closer together in the 21st century."

Koizumi: "I believe it is no exaggeration to say that over the past five years, there has been no world leader, alongside Mr. Bush -- President Bush, among the world leaders with whom I have felt so much heart-to-heart, felt so deep a friendship and trust and have cooperated with."

Bush: "Officially he's here to see the president but I know the highlight of his visit will be paying his respects to the king," Bush said, referring to the visit he and Koizumi will make Friday to Graceland, the former home of Elvis Presley. (White House officials said the trip to Graceland was Bush's idea, a final public tribute to a friendship that Bush has often described to American audiences.)

Regarding the USSC decision today: "Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a strongly worded dissent, saying the court's decision would "sorely hamper the president's ability to confront and defeat a new and deadly enemy." The court's willingness, Thomas said, "to second-guess the determination of the political branches that these conspirators must be brought to justice is both unprecedented and dangerous." Fox News report

[GretchenM]

Dose going up.

Truckloads of photos; please wait to post or repost photos till the all clear.

[silent_jonny]

1

[GretchenM]

Welcoming ceremony

[silent_jonny]

YES!!!

[GretchenM]

YAY JONNY!

[GretchenM]

[Dog]

I want to see the Elvis stuff.

[OldFriend]

What a wonderful early surprise.

[GretchenM]

U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps marches across the South Lawn during the official arrival ceremony

Reviewing U.S. military honor guard

[GretchenM]

Before their speeches during an official welcoming ceremony

BRING ON THE BABES! Oh wait! This is BUSH'S presidency, not Bubba's.
"Greeting children during an official welcoming ceremony"

"cheered by Japanese schoolchildren at a White House arrival ceremony"

[Suzy Quzy]

Saw Bush on C-Span this AM with the man who made "Let's Stay Together" (Al Green ?) they were having a ball.

[Dog]

Do I get a toaster or something...I was told I get a toaster.

Give me my toaster...:-)

[GretchenM]

"Celebrating a close friendship, President Bush welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to the White House on Thursday as a strong ally in Iraq and Afghanistan and confronting North Korea about its nuclear weapons ambitions."

[GretchenM]

[bitt]

hello!

[GretchenM]

Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi bows as he steps to the lectern bearing the seal of the president as President Bush, unseen, welcomes him to a White House arrival ceremony

Koizumi expresses his gratitude for sunny skies as he makes remarks to Bush. After a day of official discussions, the leaders will travel together Friday to Memphis, Tenn., for a visit to Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley. Koizumi is a lifelong fan of the late rock and roll legend. [Rank has privileges!]

[retrokitten]

JONNY!!!

I haven't "seen" you in forever!!! How the heck are ya??

[silent_jonny]

Thank you, Gretchen :)

[GretchenM]

[retrokitten]

U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps marches across the South Lawn during the official arrival ceremony

That is sooo cool.

[GretchenM]

[GretchenM]

I roared with laughter when I heard PM Koizumi's farewell at the end of the press conference: "Thank you very much," he said, to the American people, "for ... Love Me Tender."

Walking to the East Room for a press conference

[silent_jonny]

I want to see the Elvis stuff.

Me too. The President and PM didn't happen to go a day early, did they ... ???

Oh well :)

[GretchenM]

[GretchenM]

[Kenny Bunkport]

Pres. Bush welcomes the Iron Chef to Washington.

I haven't seen so many Japanese flags since Ichiro played in Oakland with the Mariners.

[GretchenM]

Rice and British Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Secretary Margaret Beckett

Rice , Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, (Rear row from L) Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik, European Union Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana, Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Secretary Margaret Beckett, Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema, Canadian Foreign Minister Peter Mackay and EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Walder pose for a family picture during the G8 Foreign Minister Summit in Moscow

Putin, Rice and and Canadian Foreign Minister Peter Mackay

[GretchenM]

Canada's FM listens to Condi

With German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier

With Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov

[GretchenM]

Reprising this since Jenna is in the news today.

[silent_jonny]

RK!!!

How the heck are you? Did you get washed away with all the rain :-/

[GretchenM]

Place settings for tonight's official dinner for the PM (the china commemorates the 200th anniversary of the White House)

[GretchenM]

That's all for now. When photos of the official dinner are available, if I don't get to them first, please feel free to post them.

[GretchenM]

You may be Silent, Jonny, on the other side of that monitor, but I heard you saying, "YES!" when I got to your post at #5. ;-)

[freedom4me]

The President really looks great today. A very good hair day. As for the Prime Minister...well. Bush looks great in black suits...and of course he has the red "power" tie on today.

[silent_jonny]

I think my neighbors heard that "YES!!!" too ;)

So many great photos tonight ... hmmm, which one will be on my long awaited toaster .... :)

[GretchenM]

Oh Dog, I'm so sorry to say that to get a toaster you have to either be first, or be second by ten seconds.

As a consolation prize, I could scan an impression of my new puppy. Would you like that?

[GretchenM]

Hi everybody! Happy Thursday!!!

[GretchenM]

It's very impressive, isn't it? I'm glad someone put the caption up at the WH web site because Yahoo! didn't have an explanation for why we were looking so ... British.

[onyx]

Woo-HOO!
What a treat today!

[Texagirl4W]

Our president looks extremely happy today. God bless him.

[retrokitten]

We've been really lucky in that the storms we are getting here aren't that big. It's been raining almost every day, but only for about a half hour each time.

It's really playing havoc with my allergies, though :-( This morning I left work for a few minutes (our coffee maker isn't working and I really, really wanted a coffee Coolata from Dunkin Donuts :-D) and when I came back a was a sneezing mess!

The good thing is that I can blame any air-headed screw-ups on too much allergy medication. :-)

[retrokitten]

Yahoo! didn't have an explanation for why we were looking so ... British.

LOL!!! "The redcoats are coming! The redcoats are coming! And they brought their fifes!"

[GretchenM]

KB, I am sorry to say I still find it somewhat disturbing to see their flag. (Wish they'd change it.) It brings back thoughts of such a devastating, hard, time. I don't have anywhere near the same reaction to Germany's flag; possibly because Hitler was so identified with his Nazi flag and that went into great disfavor and disuse in Germany after WW2.

[GretchenM]

Have you gotten a toaster award before?

[Kenny Bunkport]

Interesting, Gretchen. I had the same thought seeing the US flag and the red-dot Japanese flag together. Japan is a good friend and ally, but it's understandable that it would still elicit a cringe from Americans. Can you imagine West Germany keeping the swastika after the fall of Hitler?

[silent_jonny]

The good thing is that I can blame any air-headed screw-ups on too much allergy medication. :-)

That's why I always keep a bottle of NyQuil handy.

"It's wasn't me! The NyQuil made me do it!" ;)

[Kenny Bunkport]

You know what bothered me? -- Visiting Pearl Harbor about ten years ago, and seeing all the Japanese tourists snapping pictures of the memorials to the sunken ships and lost crews. Maybe it shouldn't bother me, because the war is now a couple of generations past, but it still did. Forgiveness is easier than forgetting. I suppose, in a sense, we should never forget.

[silent_jonny]

Have you gotten a toaster award before?

Many times, but not for ... let's see ... two months!

Mystery and I were tied for a while, but she has the lead now

[GretchenM]

We are sharing a brain on the topic. No, I can't imagine Germany retaining the Nazi flag. I think they knew no nation would take them seriously as proclaiming themselves defeated and ready to take their place as a peaceful entity among the nations after they started two world wars in just a few decades, ending in the slaughter of scores of millions.