..... And we honor the leadership of Japan's Prime Minister Koizumi. He's a man of vision; he's a man of integrity; and I'm proud to call him my friend. I thank the Prime Minister for coming to the White House. And I'm looking forward to joining him tomorrow at Graceland. (Laughter.) Officially, he's here to see the President -- but I know the highlight of his visit will be paying his respects to the King. (Laughter.)"
Prime Minister Koizumi leaves office in September so this is his last official visit to the US. Koizumi is an unabashed Elvis fan. He was born on the same day as Elvis, and is president of an Elvis fan club. I think he might have even recorded a CD of some Elvis songs. I know he sang one in honor of President Bush at a dinner in Scotland (a G8 conference, maybe) (thankyouverymuch) LOL So, tomorrow, the President and the Prime Minister will travel to Memphis to tour Graceland.