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.

[radiohead]

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

I must have arrested development, then. Purple is still my favorite color. Each cohort in our program is identified by color and I was able to convince everyone in my cohort to be the purple cohort. (I don't know about anyone else, but I was not going to spend 4-5 years being identified by a crappy color.) : )

However, I define purple broadly, and will gladly wear or decorate with lilac, mauve, etc. I will be wearing an icy lilac nailpolish for good luck when I defend my proposal on Monday. There is a purple house on my bus route and I must say I am just green w/envy. One day...

Arrested development.

[hoosierpearl]

She's got an impressive resume. I have always believed she is well qualified for the positions she has held.
I've read lots of books of women who live in the middle east and American women married to Arab men who lived there. Whether middle class, poor, or wealthy and upper class, none were well treated. State department officers would not help these women either.
Everything is consistent in every book I've read.
The best evidence is what you see with your own eyes, but you can also believe eyewitness testimony. They use it in court, it is in the Bible to prove the divinity of Christ.
The Arab street was not kind to the US after September 11th.
Diogenesis has posted many pictures of Arab countries, both positive and negative.
No country is 100 percent, but the bad treatment of women is predominant.

I think there must have been some intelligent thought behind placing Liz in a responsible position and sending Laura over there to the Near/Middle East.
Things are better or they would not have sent the First Lady there.

I'm wondering what the intelligent thought planned to accomplish. Wonder if there is some humble pie here. And Condi as Secretary of State and the Arab men have to deal with her.

Regardless, it is a big change from what was ten years ago to now. It is a startling change. And I don't think they are quite finished with the change.

Thanks for the resume. The part where I thought she was giving out assistance was the special assistant to the deputy secretary of state for US assistance projects in the former Soviet Union and China, in 1992-1993. I thought that was for middle eastern countries so I must be mistaken.

[snugs]

Time I turned in night - God Bless you all and God Bless America - hope to chat tomorrow

Night Night
Love
Eleanor

[MJY1288]

Susan Walsh seems like a very nice person, I watching the WHNPA Dinner again and she is speaking now. Very bubbly and she seems to like George W.

[MJY1288]

Gnite snugs, I have been having Cable troubles here and my connection keeps failing, I called my Cable provider and they are upgrading the network and I should expect interuptions for the next few days, but they say the system will be faster once the upgrades are complete

[luvie]

A very late thank you, Wolfstar, for all the wonderful pictures--especially the ones of our beautiful First Lady! She is truly a great American and the best we have had for a veeeeerryy long time! Makes me proud to live and work where she grew up!

[WaterDragon]

I just read an article reporting that Our President spoke at an award dinner for political photographers, and he showed photographs taken at the White House, many taken by his mom, and made jokes about them. Do you know if his photo show will be online at some point? I'd love to see them and read his comments about them!

But, I want to thank you for today's dose....it heartens me. As always.

[MJY1288]

It was a good awards dinner program, I enjoyed watching it a lot

[tiredoflaundry]

LOL! ;-)

[SE Mom]

Oh lordy yes I'm old enough to remember that! Heck I'm old enough to remember when we picked up the phone and gave the number we wanted to the operator:) No prefixes either- just 3 or 4 digits! We'd pick up the phone and she'd come on and say "Number, please" and we'd say 356 or 1066 etc!

[snugs]

can't imagine what it feels like to get a piece of sand stuck inbetween your eyeball and the lens It's not a pretty thing.

I had that happen to me in London about 15 years ago there was a building site with a lot of sand and cement blowing about and it got under my lens. Having the gas permeable I was able to take it out and wash and put it back but having friends who have the soft lens that must not get any water on them it must be a nightmare and I suppose you have to take solution with you all the time. Though I suppose most people have the disposable ones so a spare set goes with you now I guess.

[snugs]

I would imagine that it is a lot different for the Arab women than how the Arabs treat western women in business or politics.

We had an interview on Sky TV today with the wife of the Syrian President boy was she a pretty and very educated lady. I don't know if you are aware of her story she was educated in Britain born of Syrian parents, then worked in the City as an investment banker before marrying the Syrian President.

Apparently when they wed she did not want any photos of her in the Syrian papers and during the first month of her marriage she went around Syrian in jean and Tshirt talking to the ordinary Syrian women to find out what they wanted etc. She also refuses to have a driver and drives herself and her children in her own car. She seemed one feisty lady a lady that hopefully will be able to change attitudes and rights to women in the middle east.

She made a very good comment that some many people judge how women are treated by the fact they are behind the veil. She said it is not a case of how women decide to dress that is the issue but how they are treated as women that should be looked at.

She is in Europe to promote women's rights, I was very impressed by her by the way she was dressed in pale blue jacket and skirt.

[snugs]

Hope the cable problems are soon resolved I have had a few problems myself for the last week which normally means they are doing maintenance on the system.

[Wolfstar]

Do you know if his photo show will be online at some point?

Hi. I'm just now preparing the Sunday dose and will look for the photos.