Posted on 03/14/2008 6:08:43 PM PDT by silent_jonny
President Bush spoke to the Economic Club of New York today. (Transcript)
If the Congress truly wants to send a message that will calm people's nerves they'll adopt the budget I submitted to them and make it clear they're not going to run up the taxes on the working people, and on small businesses, and on capital gains, and on dividends, and on the estate tax.
Speaking of Congress, Nancy Pelosi and her merry band of traitors were at it again today. After letting the current FISA program expire (while they enjoyed a two-week Presidents’ Day vacation), the rats returned to Washington and gutted the FISA expansion bill that was passed by the Senate last month. That bill originally provided immunity for communications companies as they help provide information on FORGEIGN TERROR SUSPECTS. But after a little retooling, the Democrats dropped the immunity and, in the words of Deputy Press Secretary Tony Fratto, “passed a partisan bill that will please class-action trial lawyers at the expense of our national security.”
The House bill is not a serious effort to move the legislative process forward, nor is it a serious effort to protect our national security. It is a partisan bill designed to give the House Democratic leadership cover for their failure to act responsibly and vote on the bipartisan Senate bill. The President trusts that Senate leaders, who have acted in a far more bipartisan and responsible way than their colleagues in the House, will see the House bill for the political ploy that it is, reject it, and send back to the House the strong bill the Senate has already passed. (Transcript)
First Lady Laura Bush continued her visit to Mexico City today, speaking at the inauguration of the Mexico-U.S. Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research of the Americas.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Santiago, Chile today as part of her two day meeting with our allies in Latin America.
Sunday& Saturday ~ President & Mrs. Bush will spend the weekend at Camp David, returning to the White House on Sunday afternoon.Monday ~ St. Patrick’s Day. The president will meet with the Prime Minister of Ireland in the Oval Office, then will make remarks at a St. Patrick’s Day reception in the East Room. Later that day, President Bush will welcome the Children’s Miracle Network Champion Children to the White House.
Tuesday ~ The president will travel to Florida to talk about trade.
Wednesday ~ President Bush will speak about the War On Terror during a visit to the Pentagon. And he will welcome the President of Georgia to the White House.
Thursday ~ The president will welcome the prime ministers of the Bahamas, Barbados, and Belize to the Oval Office. President & Mrs. Bush will depart that evening to spend Easter Weekend at Camp David.
(Source)
Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island
Quote of the Day:
President Bush: … sometimes, when times are tough, it's easy to -- it's much easier to find a -- somebody else to blame ... plus it's easy politics.… I guess if you're the kind of person that followed polls and focus groups, that's what your tendency would be. I'm the kind of person who doesn't give a darn about polls and focus groups, and I do what I think is right. And what is right is making sure that -- (applause.) And sometimes if you're going to lead this country, you have to stand in the face of what appears to be a political headwind.
Photos of the Day:
President Bush gives a thumbs up as he emerges from Air Force One at J.F.K. Airport in New York, Friday, March 14, 2008
First Lady Laura Bush waves as she arrives at the inauguration of the Mexico-U.S. Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research of the Americas in Mexico City, Friday, March 14, 2008
hi
Thanks for the ping
Air Force One waits at Andrews Airforce Base for the arrival of the president .
President Bush, accompanied by Col. Paul R. Ackerley, waves as he head to Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, Friday March, 14, 2008, for a day trip to New York.
Boarding Air Force One
President Bush boards Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, Friday, March 14, 2008, en route to New York where he will speak about the economy
Hola!
Thanks. What a cute Leprachaun
President Bush waves as he arrives for a speech at the Economic Club of New York March 14, 2008
Hello! :)
President Bush: First of all, in a free market, there's going to be good times and bad times. That's how markets work. There will be ups and downs. And after 52 consecutive months of job growth, which is a record, our economy obviously is going through a tough time. It's going through a tough time in the housing market, and it's going through a tough time in the financial markets.And I want to spend a little time talking about that, but I want to remind you, this is not the first time since I've been the President that we have faced economic challenges. We inherited a recession. And then there was the attacks of September the 11th, 2001, which many of you saw firsthand, and you know full well how that affected our economy. And then we had corporate scandals. And I made the difficult decisions to confront the terrorists and extremists in two major fronts, Afghanistan and Iraq. And then we had devastating natural disasters. And the interesting thing, every time, this economy has bounced back better and stronger than before.
Good to see the President with his usual bright smile.
How I am going to miss him when he is gone from the WH.
President Bush: So I'm coming to you as an optimistic fellow. I've seen what happens when America deals with difficulty. I believe that we're a resilient economy, and I believe that the ingenuity and resolve of the American people is what helps us deal with these issues. And it's going to happen again.Our job in Washington is to foster enterprise and ingenuity, so we can ensure our economy is flexible enough to adjust to adversity, and strong enough to attract capital. And the challenge is not to do anything foolish in the meantime. In the long run, I'm confident that our economy will continue to grow, because the foundation is solid.
is there any new info on the gathering of eagles in DC today?
President Bush: The temptation is for people, in their attempt to limit the number of foreclosures, is to put bad law in place. And so I want to talk about some of that. First of all, the temptation of Washington is to say that anything short of a massive government intervention in the housing market amounts to inaction.I strongly disagree with that sentiment.
I believe there ought to be action, but I'm deeply concerned about law and regulation that will make it harder for the markets to recover -- and when they recover, make it harder for this economy to be robust. And so we got to be careful and mindful that any time the government intervenes in the market, it must do so with clear purpose and great care. Government actions are -- have far-reaching and unintended consequences.
President Bush: I want to talk to you about a couple of ideas that I strongly reject.First, one bill in Congress would provide $4 billion for state and local governments to buy up abandoned and foreclosed homes.
You know, I guess this sounds like a good idea to some, but if your goal is to help Americans keep their homes, it doesn't make any sense to spend billions of dollars buying up homes that are already empty. As a matter of fact, when you buy up empty homes you're only helping the lenders, or the speculators.
The purpose of government ought to be to help the individuals, not those who, like -- who speculated in homes. This bill sends the wrong signal to the market.
silent_jonny: Thank you for posting yet another AWESOME DOSE (”o’head” indeed)!
HEADS UP . . .
AT 11:12 PM EDT, CSPAN WILL AGAIN RE-BROADCAST THE PRESIDENT’S PASSIONATE (AND DECIDEDLY BRILLIANT) REMARKS FROM TODAY’S VISIT TO THE NY ECONOMIC CLUB [Q&A included!]
http://inside.c-spanarchives.org:8080/cspan/schedule.csp?
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YOU CAN WATCH LARRY KUDLOW’S INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT BUSH HERE:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=686090997&play=1
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MUST READ . . .
THE LIKEABLE SIDE OF BUSH
By Carl Leubsdorf
[A leftist reporter gets it right for a change — and he ‘only’ included a few obligatory snarks!]
Once a year, normal Washington political antagonism is suspended, and leaders of the two parties, plus their critics in the press, join in showing what unites them, rather than what divides them.
It’s the annual dinner of the Gridiron Club, an organization of Washington journalists, a white-tie affair that pokes fun at politicians and themselves. To some, it’s an embarrassing, all-too-cozy relic; to others, it’s an oasis of civility and fun in an often-uncivil political world.
From the vantage point of the head table, where I presided Saturday night as the club’s 119th president, the mood was one of civility and good fellowship, exemplified by the approach of the night’s top guest and most surprising performer, President Bush.
Mr. Bush displayed an ingratiating manner, both in his public moments and as a dinner companion. It reminded everyone why he was elected in the first place and was so popular a governor in Texas.
For four hours, he happily signed autographs from well wishers – including some Democrats – made pithy comments about political allies and rivals and spoke of his hopes for his presidential library at Southern Methodist University.
As a person, the president is engaging and congenial and, in my dealings with him, always proper and polite. As a Texan might say, he shows his mama raised him right.
You can read the entire artible here:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/03/the_likeable_side_of_bush.html
President Bush: Secondly, some have suggested we change the bankruptcy courts, the bankruptcy code, to give bankruptcy judges the authority to reduce mortgage debts by judicial decree. I think that sends the wrong message.It would be unfair to millions of homeowners who have made the hard spending choices necessary to pay their mortgages on time.
It would further rattle credit markets.
It would actually cause interest rates to go up.
If banks think that judges might step in and write down the value of home loans, they're going to charge higher interest rates to cover that risk. This idea would make it harder for responsible first-time home buyers to be able to afford a home.
President Bush: Congress can also take other steps to help us during a period of uncertainty -- and these are uncertain times.A major source of uncertainty is that the tax relief we passed in 2001 and 2003 is set to expire.
If Congress doesn't act, 116 million American households will see their taxes rise by an average of $1,800.
If Congress doesn't act, capital gains and dividends are going to be taxed at a higher rate.
If Congress doesn't make the tax relief permanent they will create additional uncertainty during uncertain times.
A lot of folks are waiting to see what Congress intends to do.
One thing that's certain that Congress will do is waste some of your money.
So I've challenged members of Congress to cut the number of, cost of earmarks in half. I issued an executive order that directs federal agencies to ignore any future earmark that is not voted on by the Congress. In other words, Congress has got this habit of just sticking these deals into bills without a vote -- no transparency, no light of day, they just put them in. And by the way, this executive order extends beyond my presidency, so the next President gets to make a decision as to whether or not that executive order stays in effect.
And may I say...that's a snappy color you used to bold that last paragraph in post 23! ;-)
First Lady Laura Bush and Mexico's first lady Margarita Zavala listen during a meeting at a center for women with breast cancer in Mexico City, Friday, March 14, 2008.
An unidentified woman speaks at the center for women with breast cancer in Mexico City, Friday, March 14, 2008.
First Lady Laura Bush, center, is greeted by Mexico's first lady Margarita Zavala, right, and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza, left, as she arrives for the Mexico-U.S. Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research of the Americas in Mexico City, Friday, March 14, 2008.
My private message to you was meant to be a post on the Dose! It’s been a stress-filled day (granddaughter in car wreck last night) and I’m making mistakes galore...think I’d better hang it up for the night.
First Lady Laura Bush smiles at a breast cancer awareness event in Mexico City March 14, 2008.
GUESS WHO WILL JOIN APPROXIMATELY 20 OTHER SUPPORTERS FOR A PRIVATE MEETING WITH PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH before a campaign speech at the end of this month?! . . . I am soooooooooooooo psyched!
PROPOSAL: During this meeting, my two sisters and I will have the opportunity to chat privately with the President. At this time, I would love to gift him with a packet of ‘support’ letters from fellow DOSERs.
Given the short time between now and the meeting, I recommend that you freep-mail to me your letters; I will then print the letters and include them in a special packet [If you want me to print photo collages, I can do that too — I have access to an excellent color copier.] . . . I’m open to any other suggestions — I just feel that it’s important that we take advantage of this opportunity to let our President know how much we support him!!
silent_jonny: Would you like me to gift the President with one or more of your sketches — perhaps I could get one signed for you as well?! [Of course, I can’t make any promises; although I’m pretty assertive when I need to be!]
i just turned the nastiest shade of green, I’m sssssoooo jealous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think I’d faint if i got to meet him in person, and probably would forget my own name!
Oh, Deb!! I am SO happy for you and SO jealous! LOL!
Just please tell him how the people here love him and the first lady and support his War On Terror and thank him for his love of the troops and his country!
....if you can speak. I would become mute in his presence, I fear!
I’m concerned about turning into a stuttering fool — and I’m a Communication professor. [I’m going to wear a nametag so that when I forget my name, I can just look down!]
Congratulations, Make sure you take photos
Thank you for your sweet comments . . . I’m just hoping to maintain my composure so that the President doesn’t regret meeting me!
First Lady Laura Bush waves after attending the inauguration of the Mexico-U.S. Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research of the Americas in Mexico City, Friday, March 14, 2008
The White House photographer will take an ‘official’ photo . . . and I’ve already secured a promise from one of the event organizers to take LOTS of ‘candid/informal’ shots during the set up!
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, top right, gestures to members of the musical group Baguncaco during her visit to the historic district in Salvador, Brazil, Friday, March 14, 2008
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice waves to photographers while speaking with Bahia State Governor Jacques Wagner during a walkabout in the historic Pelourinho district of Salvador, capital of the northeastern Bahia state, March 14, 2008. Rice is on a two-day state visit to Brazil.
With the US Ambassador to Chile Paul Simon.
OH Wow...Wow Wow.....how FANTASTIC! I’m soooo excited for you!! And, if anyone deserves this opportunity, it’s you....for all your wonderful support of the President and for your tireless efforts to bring us accurate information about the President’s policies, etc.!
I may have previously mentioned that I was planning to write the President before he leaves Office. I will try to get a letter to you asap. Thank you for this offer.
YEA!!!! I’m just sooooo happy for you....a private chat with our wonderful W. Do you think you’ll be able to resist hugging him.....?? LOL.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is seen during a meeting with Chile's Foreign Minister Alejandro Foxley in Santiago, Friday, March 14, 2008.
“Do you think you’ll be able to resist hugging him.....?? LOL.”
I hoping he’s in a ‘hugging’ mood — I know I will be!
AWESOME, DrDeb!! Please Hug him for All of us that Love him!!
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