A day in the life of President and Mrs. Bush (5/21/05): many photos

WhiteHouse.gov; Yahoo News Photos ^ | 5/21/05

[Wolfstar]

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: While his wife was traveling in the Middle East, President Bush addressed the 2005 commencement at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., today. Bush gave his first graduation speech of the year addressing the Christian liberal arts college.

PRESIDENTIAL SCHEDULE: White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan gave the commencement speech at the University of Texas, his alma mater, on Friday. So no week-ahead schedule was announced. (If I find anything while scanning the WH website tomorrow, I'll post it on the Sunday thread.)

The President will welcome German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder to the White House for a meeting and working lunch on June 27, 2005.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: From the President's commencement speech at Calvin College today.

The immigrants who founded Calvin College came to America for the freedom to worship, and they built this great school on the sturdy ground of liberty. They saw in the American "experiment" the world's best hope for freedom -- and they weren't the only ones excited by what they saw. In 1835, a young civil servant and aristocrat from France, named Alexis de Tocqueville, would publish a book about America that still resonates today.

The book is called "Democracy in America," and in it this young Frenchman said that the secret to America's success was our talent for bringing people together for the common good. De Tocqueville wrote that tyrants maintained their power by "isolating" their citizens -- and that Americans guaranteed their freedom by their remarkable ability to band together without any direction from government. The America he described offered the world something it had never seen before: a working model of a thriving democracy where opportunity was unbounded, where virtue was strong, and where citizens took responsibility for their neighbors.

Tocqueville's account is not just the observations of one man -- it is the story of our founding. It is not just a description of America at a point in time -- it is an agenda for our time. Our Founders rejected both a radical individualism that makes no room for others, and the dreary collectivism that crushes the individual. They gave us instead a society where individual freedom is anchored in communities. And in this hopeful new century, we have a great goal: to renew this spirit of community and thereby renew the character and compassion of our nation.

[snugs]

If you right click the photo you will notice I have called it my favourite photo, there are quite a few I have got since but that one is still right up there as one of the favourite. I also like the one taken of him with Liz his oldest daughter back in 1968 in case you have not seen that one here it is

[snugs]

I wonder if Laura and Liz managed to meet or if they were at the forum at completely different times of the day.

[Fudd Fan]

Thank you snugs, Liz is adorable in that photo and the VP isn't bad either!

[snugs]

To think that little girl is now the U.S. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs

[snugs]

I think Gretchen she is someone to watch for the future

[Fudd Fan]

The Bushes and Cheneys prove you can be smart, accomplished and adorable!

[GretchenM]

Considering this is a Christian school which encourages volunteerism and community action, I really don't see where anyone could have had a complaint against anything GWB said.

I read, during the run-up to his address, that there is a fairly signficant contingent there that is pacifist and that this is the root of the dislike of W.

[snugs]

Indeed, helping dad to bed back in a few minutes for a little while

[GretchenM]

Purple is a very favorite color among teenage girls, so it is especially suitable that Miss Beasley (yes, it's with an "s") would appear on a purple toaster at this stage of her life.

She could moderate to a more subtle, yet attractive, color, as she grows older. ;-)

[GretchenM]

[SevenofNine]

Yeah Dick Cheney with hair LOL!!!

[GretchenM]

[just moved] got my cable hooked up right away!

I see you have your priorities straight!

Are you old enough to remember the days when a person moved and would get all psyched out (pre-cell phones, pre-PC's) when the telephone installer didn't arrive for three days and we felt we were cut off from the outside world?

[GretchenM]

saw Laura's speech this afternoon on C-Span. There was a BUG flying around her face for almost the entire speech.

How do we know that it wasn't a memeber of the press, warped in a beam-me-up-Scotty transfer and left to spend its days superannoying her?

just kidding

[GretchenM]

I read or saw something about how she wouldn't marry him unless he got a higher level of education than he was planning on getting. He had difficulty studying and she helped him, taught him how to study, and it changed everything for him.

I posit that we have the VP we have today because of Lynne Cheney's wise and loving influence and inspiration.

[hoosierpearl]

While Liz has been at the state department she has had Near East responsibilities. I believe she has had more than one job. Why do we send women to work with Arab men? I thought they wouldn't want to work with a woman not wearing a burka.

I'm sure Liz does a good job, it is just curious. I thought her last job had to do with awarding funds to Middle East countries. Might be wrong.

[snugs]

I think you are right there Gretchen and I think you can see it in Lynne face to this day she is she proud of him because she knows how he struggled early on.

It is then said once he got into the studying thats where he thought he career would be in academia but his fascination regarding political science took him into the real world of politics and the rest is as they say history.

[Lemondropkid31]

Thanks, Gretchen. Snugs told me about deleting everything after the jpg, so I guess that means the question mark. I couldnt figure out what in the world was going on!

[snugs]

Here is the bio I have of her:-

-Deputy assistant secretary, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Department of State, 2002-2003

-Attorney, White and Case, LLP, 1996-1999

-Director of vice-presidential debate preparation, Bush-Cheney Campaign, 2000

-Attorney (Middle East and Central Asia), International Finance Corporation, World Bank, 1999-2002

- Special assistant to the deputy secretary of state (U.S. assistance projects in the former Soviet Union and China), 1992-1993

-Interim representative in Poland; desk officer for China; project development officer in Hungary; U.S. Agency for International Development, 1989-1992

-Consultant (Kenya and Uganda election), International Republican Institute, 1993

Education
J.D., University of Chicago
B.A., Colorado College

There is an interesting fact she got her BA at the same college and her mother got her BA and MA.

This bio does not say what her areas of responsibility were but it is an interesting fact as you say why does America send women to Arab countries. Maybe it is a deliberate policy.

Having said that I deal with Arab countries at work and also Muslim countries such as Iran and the only country I would say I feel a problem with being a women is Egypt and that is strange because 2 of the companies I deal with my contact is a woman but I feel if I were a man I would probably get on better with them.

Strangely enough the country I probably get treated the best is Iran who one thinks of as being the most fundamentalist and anti women's right but they are always most courteous to me. I take the view with all people that one should not judge what is fed you but what you actually experience yourself.

[snugs]

Yes it does include the ? question mark sorry if I was not clear earlier

[Lemondropkid31]

You were clear. I just had to go see it to realize exactly what was after the jpg LOL.