Posted on 04/02/2005 1:32:59 PM PST by Wolfstar
PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: The President and First Lady are spending the weekend in Washington. They had no public appearances planned, but did come out together to make a statement about the passing of Pope John Paul II.
THE WEEK AHEAD: On Monday, GWB welcomes Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko to the White House. President Yushchenko also will address the Congress next week. WH Press Secretary Scott McClellan said, "The President looks forward to welcoming President Yushchenko to the White House. His election was a landmark event in the history of liberty. And the Orange Revolution was inspiring to all who yearn to be free. So the President looks forward to talking with President Yushchenko about a range of issues. Ukraine is a strategic partner of the United States, in our view. And, yes, I suspect that they'll talk about the importance of supporting the advance of freedom and democracy in Eastern Europe and the broader Middle East region. And I expect they'll talk about our cooperative efforts on counter proliferation, as well."
The rest of the President's schedule next week may be subject to change due to the upcoming funeral of Pope John Paul II.
QUOTES OF THE DAY: At yesterday's White House Press Briefing, Press Secretary McClellan was asked several questions, not about the President and his activities, but about the First Lady. I thought "Dosers" might enjoy Scott's answers to the media's typically rude questions:
Q Thank you. The President joined Mrs. Bush this morning in an event. So far, can you see any impact on Mrs. Bush's campaign to curb gang violence? And how are you going to go about it, especially since most gangs are formed of illegal immigrants --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, Mrs. Bush's effort is much broader than just gang violence. Her effort is aimed at promoting positive youth development. It is aimed at helping America's at-risk youth. And this is an important priority for the President, it's one of Mrs. Bush's top issues, and it's something that we will continue to work to address. She has been speaking around the country and we have a number of different programs. The President talked about a number of those initiatives earlier today. The mentoring children of prisoners is one of the initiatives that is important to this effort. And addressing gang violence is also one part of helping America's youth and really changing our culture.
And there are a number of parts to this initiative, but Mrs. Bush really is committed to reaching out particularly young boys who often lack the kind of adult supervision and mentoring that is so needed. And she will continue to speak out about the importance of positive youth development.
Q What's behind the increasing involvement of the First Lady in political affairs -- her trip to Afghanistan, this effort the President gave her in his State of the Union address. Has she come to him and said she wants to be more involved? Has he decided that she's a resource he needs to use more in his second term?
MR. McCLELLAN: She has a great passion for the issues that you brought up. She is someone who comes from a background in education, having been a teacher and a librarian. She cares deeply about the education and development of young people. She has made education a top priority throughout her life and her career. This is something that she personally has a deep passion for.
And in terms of Afghanistan, this is an effort to help advance the rights of women in Afghanistan and to help build an education system that will provide opportunity for all the people in Afghanistan, for men and women. And that's why she is focused so strongly on those areas.
Q You're going to completely ignore the basis of the question, though, that she is certainly more active in the second term than she was in the first?
MR. McCLELLAN: No, I think -- I think she was very active in the first term, Wendell. She is someone who has made these issues a priority throughout her life. And I think the way you characterized your question, I would take some exception to that, because these are not new issues to Mrs. Bush. These are issues that she has cared about throughout her life. And we welcome her involvement in all those areas.
Q I was not suggesting that she was not active in the first. We are seeing, however, a much higher profile First Lady in the second term, it seems.
MR. McCLELLAN: She's a tremendous asset, and the President knows that. And he appreciates all that she is doing to help our young people and to improve education in America.
Thanks for the great pictures. Needed something to brighten up the day! Not sure why, the weather here is bright and shiny, with not one cloud, in itself! Just needed some "W"!
I love the tie! :)
These spring pictures are lovely! Are the flowers really blooming there already?!
Thanks. I've been using it for awhile now.
Thank you for these wonderful pictures with the Pope. His are some mighty big shoes to be filled.
The initiatives the President and First Lady have undertaken to help the nation's boys, and to help the children with parents in prisons, are all funded through private charities.
I say a closet is too big!
Thats good. I would hate to see tax-dollars wasted on parenting children.
Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne, meet His Holiness Pope John Paul II in the Vatican in Rome Jan. 27, 2004. The visit was part of a five-day trip through Switzerland and Italy for consultations with European allies on national security and economic matters.
Thanks for these pictures of the President and Laura when he paid his respects to the Pope. The way she looked at him throughout the speech!...such love in her eyes!
Here's the link to the news story about the loss of the Australian service personnel: http://au.news.yahoo.com/050402/2/ts24.html
What a beautiful selection of photos - Spring warms the heart and the soul doesn't it? You have made me smile - thank you! :0)
I'm so glad you enjoyed them. I always think of Ronald Reagan when I think of the WH squirrels. He used to love to feed them, and some of them would come right up and take food from his hand.
I encourage all to join in the theme of this thread -- hope and renewal.
I'm sorry to hear of the loss of the Aussie tsunami aid workers. Tragedy upon tragedy. God bless and sustain their families.
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