Posted on 05/06/2007 4:04:55 PM PDT by Wolfstar
PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: President and Mrs. Bush spent the weekend at the White House. Yesterday, the President went for a mountain bike ride at the U.S. Secret Service training facility in Beltsville, Maryland. Accompanying him on ride were Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt and members of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Here's an AP piece about the event:
President Bush urges nation to exercise
By ANN SANNER, Associated Press
May 6, 2007BELTSVILLE, Md. - Just before climbing on his mountain bike Saturday, President Bush urged people to get up off their couches and walk, jog, pedal and swim. "It doesn't take much time to stay fit -- 30 minutes, five days a week," Bush said at a Secret Service training facility just outside Washington where he went for a bike ride.
May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, and June will mark the fifth anniversary of the Healthier US Initiative. The president launched the initiative in 2002 to encourage people to do physical activity every day, eat nutritious food, get preventive screenings for disease, and make healthy lifestyle choices.
"I have found that exercise not only is a good excuse to get outdoors. It helps to relieve stress, as well," the president said.
He was joined by Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt and members of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, including fitness expert Denise Austin.
"The message to all Americans is to find time in your schedule to ... take care of yourselves," Bush said.
Bush traded in his running shoes for mountain bikes about three years ago after pain in his knees kept him from jogging. At 60, he is a devoted mountain bike rider, regularly leaving the White House for rides on Saturday mornings or after church on Sundays.
As he delivered his statement on exercise, Bush gave a rare glimpse of the wooded area in which he cycles. He typically rides his bike out of the media's view.
In his National Radio Address yesterday, the President focused on his struggle with Congress to obtain necessary military funding. Here is an excerpt:
PRESIDENTIAL RADIO ADDRESS, MAY 5, 2007:Our troops are now carrying out a new strategy in Iraq under the leadership of a new commander -- General David Petraeus. He's an expert in counter-insurgency warfare. The goal of the new strategy he is implementing is to help the Iraqis secure their capital, so they can make progress toward reconciliation and build a free nation that respects the rights of its people, upholds the rule of law, and fights extremists alongside the United States in the war on terror. This strategy is still in its early stages, and Congress needs to give General Petraeus' plan a chance to work.
I know that Republicans and Democrats will not agree on every issue in this war. But the consequences of failure in Iraq are clear. If we were to leave Iraq before the government can defend itself, there would be a security vacuum in the country. Extremists from all factions could compete to fill that vacuum, causing sectarian killing to multiply on a horrific scale.
If radicals and terrorists emerge from this battle with control of Iraq, they would have control of a nation with massive oil reserves, which they could use to fund their dangerous ambitions and spread their influence. The al Qaeda terrorists who behead captives or order suicide bombings would not be satisfied to see America defeated and gone from Iraq. They would be emboldened by their victory, protected by their new sanctuary, eager to impose their hateful vision on surrounding countries, and eager to harm Americans.
No responsible leader in Washington has an interest in letting that happen. I call on Congress to work with my Administration and quickly craft a responsible war spending bill. We must provide our men and women in uniform with the resources and support they deserve. I'm confident that leaders of goodwill can deliver this important result.
While he is dealing with the seditious Democrats on Capitol Hill, he also is confronted with treacherous Republicans who increasingly have their own elective agendas on their minds. Why does this sort of thing always seem to happen in a president's second term, you might ask? The answer is that the hasty, ill-considered over-reaction to Franklin Roosevelt's four election victories gave us the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution. It's no accident that every president covered by this amendment, from Eisenhower forward, has had a rocky second term. The primary system, along with the recent trend of states to push their primaries ever earlier in order to have more influence in the candidate selection process, has added to the problem.
Politically speaking, we quite literally emasculate our presidents the moment they win a second term. To the best of my knowledge, we are the only country in the world that weakens its chief executive so drastically and for such a long period of time -- four years. In a time when the concept of honor still meant something, and politics really did stop at the water's edge, perhaps this phenomenon meant little. However, in our time we are faced with a seditious, if not outright traitorous Democrat Party, the most serious dangers from foreign enemies this country has ever confronted, and a typically selfish, backstabbing group of politicians in the President's own party. It's no wonder the "insurgents" continue to fight in Iraq and our other enemies around the world are emboldened.
The Constitution is not a suicide pact, or so the saying goes. I'm not sure that's true any more.
And so we have this form of backstabbing...
Boehner Says Republicans Want Signs Bush Iraq Plan Is Working
By Miles WeissMay 6 (Bloomberg) -- House Republican leader John Boehner said President George W. Bush may start losing support from members of his own party if his current strategy in Iraq fails to show results by September or October.
The next three or four months should provide enough time to assess the outcome of Bush's order to deploy 30,000 more soldiers and Marines to Iraq, Boehner, of Ohio, said today.
"We want this plan to have a chance of succeeding," Boehner said on the "Fox News Sunday" program. "By the time we get to September, October, members are going to want to know how well this is working, and if it isn't, what's Plan B?"
Democrats, who are using war funding legislation to try to force Bush to alter the U.S. course, said Boehner's comments show that the president eventually will have to give in to their demands to limit the American military role in Iraq.
And this. Robert Gates, whom many of us on FR have never trusted, seems to be undermining the President. Here's an excerpt from a Los Angeles Times article that is sure to have tongues wagging in Washington.
On Iraq, Gates may not be following Bush's playbook
As the president pushes for more time and money for the war, the Pentagon chief's message has seemed to run counter. By Peter Spiegel and Julian E. Barnes, L.A. Times Staff Writers
May 6, 2007WASHINGTON — President Bush has mobilized his administration, including his top general in Iraq, in a major push to win more time and money for his war strategy. But one crucial voice has been missing from the chorus: Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates'.
In fact, Gates' recent comments seem to run counter to the message from the White House. During a recent trip to the Middle East, Gates told the Iraqi government that time was running out and praised Democratic efforts in the U.S. Congress to set a timetable for withdrawal, saying it would help prod the Iraqis. He reiterated that point during a meeting with reporters last week.
[SNIP]
"I believe Gates is on a completely different page than President Bush and Gen. Petraeus," said a former senior Defense official who has supported the buildup. "He wants to see some results by summer, and if he doesn't see those results, he seems willing to throw the towel in."
Gates was a member of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, which recommended in its report last year that most combat troops withdraw by early 2008.
[SNIP]
"Knowing how that group got along and how we shared our views, there remains no question in my mind that Bob Gates, had he not become Secretary of Defense, would have supported those recommendations," said Leon E. Panetta, a former Clinton White House chief of staff and a member of the Iraq panel.
Why did President Bush appoint Gates? We can only speculate, but I think it was a sop -- a conciliatory gesture -- toward his father's old crowd, led by Jim Baker. This crowd, which included current and former members of the Senate, House and Bush 41 cabinet, was behind the so-called Iraq Study Group. Just my opinion, but I think they did Bush 43 and this nation a terrible disservice by butting in the way they did with that rotten-to-the-core Iraq Study Group.
On a brighter note, President Bush may have a new ally in France. If so, this is excellent news, because the French have long historical ties to and influence with the Islamic world.
Bush congratulates France's new presidentWASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush telephoned France's new president-elect Nicolas Sarkozy to congratulate him on his victory in Sunday's presidential election, a White House spokesman said.
"President Bush called president-elect Nicolas Sarkozy to congratulate him on his victory," said Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the White House National Security Council.
"The United States and France are historic allies and partners. President Bush looks forward to working with president-elect Sarkozy as we continue our strong alliance."
Sarkozy celebrated victory in the second round of voting after projections gave him victory with 53 percent of the vote and his Socialist rival Segolene Royal conceded defeat with 47 percent.
Following news of his victory, he said that the United States can count on a friendship with France, which "will always be at their side when they need help."
Since a much-publicized US trip in September 2006, Sarkozy has fought against charges that he pandered to Bush and the perception that he is too pro-American, a quality seen as unpopular with French voters.
But he has also made emphatic calls for friendship between the two nations.
Franco-American relations cooled in 2003 when Paris, under its now outgoing president Jacques Chirac, took a leading role in the United Nations in opposition to Washington's plans to invade Iraq.
But ahead of the election, France's ambassador to the United States dismissed the notion that relations between the two countries were still chilly.
THE WEEK AHEAD:
— Monday, President and Mrs. Bush greet Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, during an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn. This is an official state visit, and there will be a State Dinner in the White House beginning at about 8:10pm ET. Folks may wonder how this is possible. Queen Elizabeth is her nation's Head of State. The President of the United States is not only our nation's chief executive, but he fills the dual role of ceremonial Head of State.— Tuesday evening, President Bush and the First Lady visit Queen Elizabeth II at the British Embassy in Washington, where they Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will host a dinner in honor of the President and Mrs. Bush.
— Wednesday, the President holds a bilateral meeting at the White House with Rene Preval, president of Haiti. He also joins the First Lady to deliver remarks at the Preserve America Presidential Awards, an event to be held at the White House.
— Thursday, President Bush delivers remarks at celebration of Asian Pacific Heritage Month, and presents the President’s Volunteer Service Awards. Later, he will headline the Republican National Committee gala to be held in the Washington DC Armory.
— Friday, the President delivers the commencement address at St. Vincent College, Latrobe, Pennsylvania. He will also delivers remarks at a Military Spouse Day event in Pennsylvania.
— Friday, First Lady Laura Bush delivers commencement address at University of Texas at Arlington.
EXTENDED SCHEDULE:
— May 23, 2007: President Bush delivers the commencement address to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT.
I've got to go, too. It's time for me to put the gazillion Dachshunds I have to bed....brush their teeth, make sure they go out, have fresh water, etc., etc.
Glad I got a chance to type attcha!
NITE All!
It must be really hard. I don’t have kids so I can’t even imagine. It’s good to hear he’s excited. One thing I learned at the GOE in March was how much better the team deployments have been for morale versus the rotation of individual soldiers back in the 60s and 70s. It fosters the team work and sense of purpose necessary to get the job done right.
I’ve just been in ‘discussions’ w/ a supposed former marine on another thread, and feeling slightly guilty because he was rude and I told him so. What do you think about Harry Reid and trying to get charges of treason brought up against him? People seem to shy away from it because there is no precedent, but I’m all for it. I’ve called his office and sent e-mails for him to resign, but we all know that goes absolutely nowhere, even when thousands are doing it.
Does the idea seem completely impractical? I have no concept of the legalities of it. I tell you, it would stop this ‘funding’ question fast.
LOL! It helps some. But it's still pea green. Ugh!
I should change it. Have had it for too long. But essentially it goes back to the really rough arguments around here and elsewhere on conservative blogs prior to the 2006 elections. There were people encouraging Republicans to stay home and trying to whip them into a backlash against all Republicans in Congress, against the President, etc. Naturally the Dims won.
Hence my tagline.
You're very welcome Altura. :)
Denise is your friend! She sure does look star struck by seeing the President. Of course I would be too, if I were in her place. :)
I must be the only one here that kind of likes the shirt, but then I may just influenced by whats in it LOL! Did anyone notice his socks match the shirt? Everyone else is wearing the usual white socks. I think black or dark green shorts would have been a better match, but I’m not complaining. Those were nice pics.
Yes, she's looking great. Hard to imagine it, but she's 61 also.
You're welcome. When the first couple retire, I think most of us will miss the pups.
LOL about being influenced by what's in the shirt. No, I didn't notice his sox, but you're right. They match the shirt. I guess he must like pea green. He has a tie that's not quite that color, but close. Ugh to pea green. I like a lot of green colors, but not pea soup green.
Yeah he prove to be better enviornemist than Presidnet Clinton former VP Al Gore with Crawford Crib LOL!
Thanks for the “TOO funny!” re: easy peasy...
& as for more lemonade in the sitch...At least those condos are down the street fom me... and I don’t have to live in them.
The color choice is a real “what on Earth were they thinking?! day.
profound & true tagline Wolfstar!
I like the colors too. My spouse does the same thing.
Yes, Jon will be home sometime in Oct..Mike will be over there in Sept.
Maybe they’ll pass each other in the airport. ;)
LOL....Mike actually leaves home in July for training in Mississippi then off to Kuwait by the end of Sept.....does Eric know where he will be going for training and where to in Iraq?
for Rummy!!!
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