Posted on 07/11/2007 6:03:02 PM PDT by silent_jonny
President and Mrs. Bush mourn the passing of Lady Bird Johnson and send condolences to the Johnson family. (Transcript)
Earlier today the president and first lady unveiled the newly renovated James S. Brady Press Briefing Room. The president spoke at the ribbon cutting ceremony (Transcript) and Mrs. Bush toured the new work areas around the room.
President Bush later spoke about the budget and how to keep the economy growing. (Transcript)
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke at the Organization of American States/African Union Democracy Bridge Forum in Washington.
Mrs. Lynne Cheney spoke to students at the Ambassador Baptist Christian School in Washington.
Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island
Quote of the Day:
President Bush: Welcome back to the West Wing. We missed you -- sort of. (Laughter.)
Photo of the Day:
President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush, with White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, left, welcome reporters and photographers back to the newly re-modeled James S. Brady Press Briefing Room following an official ribbon cutting, Wednesday, July 11, 2007, at the White House. White House Correspondents' Association president Steve Scully is seen at right.
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Not agian...me?
HI!
Thanks for the ping
Laura and I mourn the passing of our good friend, and a warm and gracious woman, Lady Bird Johnson. Those who were blessed to know her remember Mrs. Johnson's lively and charming personality, and our Nation will always remember her with affection. Mrs. Johnson became First Lady on a fateful day in November 1963 - and was a steady, gentle presence for a mourning Nation in the days that followed.In the White House, Mrs. Johnson shared her love of the environment and nature with our entire country. The native wildflowers that bloom along roadsides today are part of her lasting legacy. She joined President Johnson in the struggle for civil rights, inspiring millions of Americans. Her commitment to early education gave many children a head start in life.
President Johnson once called her a woman of "ideals, principles, intelligence, and refinement." She remained so throughout their life together, and in the many years given to her afterward. She was much-loved in our home State of Texas, and the Bush family is fortunate to have known her.
Lady Bird Johnson leaves behind her devoted daughters, Lynda and Luci, their fine families, and a Nation that joins them in honoring a good life of kindness and service.
Good evening!
Man! I don’t understand my T streak but I’ll thankfully accept it!
;)
Nice pic jonny. The Funeral Home look is perfect for the WH Press Corpse.
Pray for W and Our Troops
Good evening! Congratulations
Hi Kas
Good evening!
Hi snugs!
Thanks! I truly can’t phathom why so many lately!
I went MONTHS Nov-06-Lately without a new one...
The area of the White House now known as the Press Briefing Room was originally built as a swimming pool for President Roosevelt in 1933. Roosevelt often swam to alleviate the pain of his polio and he was thankful that a pool was now convenient to him inside the White House.
This is how the pool looked in 1948, during President Truman’s term. (Truman enjoyed the pool as well and swam in it with his glasses on.)
The pool is 15 feet wide, 50 feet long and 8 feet deep.
Astronaut Edward White (the first man to walk in space) plays with his kids in the pool, 1966.
The mirrored wall reflects the mural.
This part of the mural now hangs in the Kennedy Library.
The original Press Briefing Room. This view is facing where the president would speak, in front of the white curtain. 
The pool remained hidden for 30 years, until workers rediscovered it—still intact—as they were installing new wiring in the room in 2000.
The room is now named after Reagan’s first press secretary James Brady who was wounded during the assassination attempt in 1981.
The Carter version.
The Reagan version.
Although the briefing room might appear spacious and even glamorous to those watching at home, it is not. In a space no larger than a decent-size living room, 48 small theater-style chairs are crammed together, feet from the podium … The carpet is worn, and cameras, ladders and other equipment are piled along two walls and in the back of the room.The room is, quite literally, a fire hazard, with wires fraying and cameras, cords and equipment piled throughout. It has all the comforts of a 1970s schoolroom: cramped, ergonomically challenged desks and seats for reporters, and no high-speed Internet access
On August 2, 2006, President Bush invited former press secretaries, including James Brady, to tour the room once more before it was closed for renovations.
Accompanied by seven White House Press Secretaries, President George W. Bush jokes with reporters Wednesday, August 2, 2006, during the last day of operation of the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room before it undergoes a renovation. On stage with the President are, from left: Joe Lockhart, Dee Dee Myers, Marlin Fitzwater, Tony Snow, Ron Nessen, James Brady and his wife Sarah Brady.
President Bush: I know you've been complaining about the digs for a while. (Laughter.) So this is like the end of an old era. And let me just say, we felt your pain. And so we decided, you know, to help you renovate and come up with a new Brady center.… So, like, suede chairs? (Laughter.) Is that what you're looking -- kind of velvet armchairs? Armchairs. Everybody wants to be able to lean back.
It looks a little crowded in here. And so you want to double the size?
Q Yes.
Forget it. (Laughter.) You get to work like the rest of us. We may let you have some air conditioning if we decide to. (Laughter.)
Cool retro pool pics etc...! & my earlier typo fix...again...LOL!
Before this renovation, the pool could only be accessed through a narrow trap door in the floor.
Press Secretary Mike McCurry demonstrates in this 1996 photo.
Now the pool area (which is now filled with electronics and other equipment) can be reached more conveniently with a new set of stairs installed behind the speaking platform.
Press signatures on the tiles of the pool in 2007
For more on the history of the Press Briefing Room click here
President Bush, at podium, speaks to members of the media prior to the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, Wednesday, July 11, 2007, at the White House in Washington. First lady Laura Bush is at far right, White House Correspondents Association President Steve Scully, stands behind the president.
This combination photo shows President Bush, right, speaking to the members of the media, before renovations in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, Aug. 2, 2006, top, and after renovations, Wednesday, July 11, 2007.
President Bush: ... I think it's going to benefit future Presidents and future White House press corps, to be working in modern conditions, conditions where a fellow like me will feel comfortable coming in here answering a few questions without losing 20 pounds. (Laughter.)It was really hot in here. As a matter of fact, I can't imagine how Snow could handle it on a regular basis. But now it's modern, and it's going to enable you to do a better job. And I'm glad that's the case.
Huh. That's a nice pool. not too extravagent, but really nice.
Is there a pool in or outside the White House today I know there is an outside one at the VP official residence but cannot remember hearing of one nowadays at the White House.
Do we have an all clear...to repost pics?
There was a pool built...yrs ago...one of the President’s had it buried...or cemented over it...can’t remember which one now...I’m thinking Nixon or Kennedy restored it...probably Kennedy...
President Bush along with White House Correspondents Association President Steve Scully, right, first lady Laura Bush and White House spokesman Tony Snow, take part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, Wednesday, July 11, 2007, at the White House in Washington.
silent_jonny: AWESOME DOSE tonight . . . I particularly enjoyed your historical retrospective on the pool/press room!
The following ‘letter’ was posted on another thread by tomnbeverly. IT IS A MUST MUST MUST MUST READ:
LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT:
In the shattered ruins of the symbols of prosperity, you stood for freedom. At that moment you were charged with holding freedom’s light for the world to see on that day and in those smoldering ruins you said, “Those that did this to us will hear from all of us soon” and you moved a nation.
So to protect Americans which you are most succinctly charged by the Constitution to do, you set in motion an unprecedented course of offensive action a course that has been very successful. Bold initiatives that have the potential to philosophically change an entire culture and offer it the very freedom’s that many who live in this great country sadly, take for granted.
The media has approved a debate in which critics to this strategy enjoy marked progress in the reports of unfathomable violence in the war torn country of Iraq. Opponents of your policy quote references of Vietnam, they remain steadfast with ideals of defeatism and isolationism and they eagerly state with quick media attuned sound bites that Iraq had nothing to do with the terror attacks of September the 11th.
I believe our Iraqi response to remove Saddam from power had everything to do with September the 11th and I believe you also saw and realized the threat posed by a mad man who was a sworn enemy of the U.S. as he was emboldened by the success of Al-Qaeda.
To your critics I say unlike the Viet Cong, who had no ambitions beyond their border, the Radical Islamists fighting our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan want to see America destroyed. The terror attacks on September the 11th were simply a successful strategic strike by our enemy, much like the devastation of Peal Harbor was to Hirohito in 1941.
The movement of Islamic Jihad against the U.S. must be countered and that is the responsibility of every leader in our government. I believe Americans can become less focused on the threat especially when no one talks about the calamities that have been avoided, where is the measure of the lives saved, we must measure the feeling of security, we must measure by the very words of our Constitution that charges the government elect to secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves are our future. How have they done? We sleep well at night without fear of radical terrorists blowing up our children’s schools, our workplaces, our transportation hubs, our leisure spots. We carry out business as usual, maybe slightly attuned to the threat but never ruled by it. That is the true measure of success. Will our future leaders provide us with this security or will they blame you when the next attack comes, will they rewrite history?
I want to believe that all good men want the same outcome and all leaders of our country understand that they must place politics aside, they must do what is in the best interests of this country. Now is the time for consensus, now is the time for action, instead of looking at each battle as success or failure the real truth lies in results as a total.
Your critics have engaged you in an attack on every method of your strategy in the War on Terror; some have gone as far to say that it is nothing more then a “Bumper Sicker” campaign.
United this great country has faced and defeated the great enemy hordes of history and even when divided and internally at war with each other consensus has ruled the day with successful results. The principles of our leaders have always remained true to the value of freedom. Has that changed? Why does it seem that the Democrats in Congress desire failure in Iraq? Why are they so quick to judge actions as failure before they have a chance to work? Where is the patience? Have they unwittingly allied themselves with our very enemies for short political gains? Why do they go unchallenged to answer the questions about our responsibilities in protecting the fledgling Democracy of Iraq? If they get the troop withdraw they want will they allow genocide? Will they turn a blind eye as emboldened terror groups plot, plan and strike at our national interests? Will they risk the lives of our children in future battles which will come with greater cost? Their argument is purely emotional and driven on polls and politics and someone needs to stand up and counter their defeatism.
On September the 11th 2001 this country was forever changed. That day we were savagely and brutally assaulted by people that have been hypnotized by an ideology of hate. These were not a simple handful of dimwits, they were a highly trained and organized group whose numbers range in the tens of thousands. The true lessons of that day are that we can never again risk so much, our men, women, children, ordinary citizens of this country who felt safe nuzzled in the womb of freedom, lives cut short because they dared to go to work, to live, to enjoy freedom on that fateful day. Their lives are over and what a tragedy it will truly be if we refuse to combat that which caused this murderous event to happen. We will not honor them if we refuse to learn lessons, if we are afraid to make changes.
The transformational power of freedom has always been a successful tactic, even in the dark days when people didn’t even understand what it meant to be free. History judges that it is the true path for change. How a people reap the benefits that freedom is largely a product of their own will. God Bless You and you have our continued prayers and support. Stay steadfast in your courage and always remember:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
Respectfully,
-
ACTION PLAN:
We must call our spineless Senators and TELL them to support our President. Unfortunately, my Republican Senator, Voinovich, is one of the most spineless in the Senate.
We should also call Senator Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader, both to thank him for his strong leadership and to INSIST that he use his ‘whip’ authority to defeat ALL Democrat/RINO anti-surge legislation!
McConnell, Mitch- (R - KY) I
361-A RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2541
Web Form: mcconnell.senate.gov/contact_form.cfm
THE DEMOCRATS/TERRORISTS ARE CERTAINLY MOTIVATED AND RELENTLESS . . . WE MUST EXCEED THEIR RELENTLESSNESS OR SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES!
No, there are still plenty of pics to post. I got a late start tonight and I’m posting them as fast as I can.
Thanks for the ping
That was OUTSTANDING, thanks for the hard work.
You’re doin’ great, as always...T Y!
President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush, with White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, left, welcome reporters and photographers back to the newly re-modeled James S. Brady Press Briefing Room following an official ribbon cutting, Wednesday, July 11, 2007, at the White House. White House Correspondents' Association president Steve Scully is seen at right.
Enjoy it while you can - MamaB will be back soon:)
LOL!
I know!
I’m still not fast at it...just blessed timing is all!
I’m not even trying for it & still I get it...Lately!
:)
Talk about lots of rumbling going on amongst conservatives regarding President Bush. I went to see an old friend today. Retired Army very conservative...he had such an attitude toward Bush..[in the past has always believed in Bush, supported him, and prayed for him daily]....I always had lots of influence with him. Boy, did I ever straighten out his way of thinking...I just couldn’t help it but just flew right in the middle of him...I told him...HOW DARE YOU...
Good evening!
I’m glad you straightened him out! [ENCOURAGE him to stop listening to ANY media for awhile . . . He needs to detox!]
First Lady Laura Bush inspects the workspaces used by White House correspondents after President Bush officially opened the remodeled Brady Press Briefing room at the White House in Washington, July 11, 2007.
First lady Laura Bush tours the renovated James S. Brady Press Room after the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Thanks for all the pics of President Bush and the new Press room, I have been busy today and didn’t get a chance to see the opening on the news. Amen to praying for President Bush.
Even with multiple wins of late...still tis only my 8th one...But really tis like Toaster CHRISTmas in July!
Teeheehee!
:)
S/E I’ll let You know my pick asap. Could be awhile though.
Thanks ahead of time!
Hi Kas! How wa ya? I just really really loved this dose tonight. The pool retrospective is cool!
First lady Laura Bush tours the photographers workspace area of the renovated James S. Brady Press Room after the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Wednesday, July 11, 2007 at the White House in Washington.
First Lady Laura Bush greets ABC network correspondents in their new workspace as she tours the remodelled Brady Press Briefing room
First Lady Laura Bush tours the work space area of the remodelled Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, July11, 2007. Joining Bush is CBS's Mark Knoller (C), and Bill Plante (R).
psst - you could ask for a large screen TV. Kitkat always orders one of those - and gets it. (I think it’s her - SOMEONE does.)
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