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.

[Wolfstar]

Both the President and First Lady were traveling today: he to Michigan and she to Jordan.

[Wolfstar]

Pinging you to a full Saturday Dose. Please hold off posting other photos/images until the all clear is given. Thanks.

[Lemondropkid31]

Wow am I first?

[phancypants]

A post and run--don't forget C-Span at 8 EST tonight!

GW will be speaking...

[kellyismetal]

how come he's never in my area !!! :(

[Txsleuth]

Thank you for the reminder---I hope there is a LIVE THREAD!!!

[Wolfstar]

PHOTO OF THE DAY: Although Yahoo posted this today, they didn't identify where or when this photo was taken. Even so, it's the photo of the day because GWB is enjoying a hearty laugh — which made me happy. We can have some caption fun imagining ID what he might have been laughing about.

[Wolfstar]

The President arrives on stage. During the 2000 presidential campaign season, GWB participated in a primary debate with the Republican presidential candidates. Gaylen Byker, the school's president, stands at left.

The President at the Calvin College commencement.

[Wolfstar]

The graduates pay rapt attention to the President of the United States.

President George W. Bush greets members of the 50th anniversary class (now elderly) of Calvin College.

[Bahbah]

GW will be speaking...

What's up. Is it the commencement address from earlier today?

[Wolfstar]

The President arrives at an airport in Michigan earlier today on his way to the commencement at Calvin College. Yahoo identified the airport as Gerald R. Ford International Airport, Grand Rapids. However, we can clearly see in the photo that the stairs are from Grissom ARB. So our Dubya landed somewhere in Michigan — but we can't even trust the media enough to accurately tell us where, LOL! [All, I'm just poking fun at the media due to its many errors and fraudulent stories in recent years. There may be absolutely nothing wrong with Yahoo's caption.]

[Wolfstar]

Our Dubya as he left the White House this morning on his way to -- ummm -- somewhere in Michigan [snicker].

[Wolfstar]

Our beautiful First Lady is on a five-day trip to the Middle East, and of course our idiot media talking heads are all agog about her supposed "political coming out." Here Laura looks at a monument at the Judeo-Christian holy site of Mount Nebo in Jordan today. Earlier in the day, she spoke at the World Economic Forum at the Dead Sea, part of her five-day trip to Israel, Jordan and Egypt. She called for greater voting rights for women in the Middle East. (Note that it's a Judeo-Christian monument, but it has Arabic writing on it.)

Father Michele Piccirillo, head of the Franciscan Archeological Society, shows the First Lady the view from Mount Nebo.

The First Lady on her tour of Mount Nebo with Father Piccirillo.

[CasearianDaoist]

Is it this speech or another one?

[Seattle Conservative]

Whoo-hoo 1st time I've made top 20

[Wolfstar]

Laura at the World Economic Forum.

The First Lady made an impassioned plea for the empowerment of women in the Middle East and Afghanistan, in a keynote address at the World Economic Forum, and seemed momentarily overcome in these photos.

Sincerity just shines from her eyes.

Arab men watching the First Lady's speech -- but are the really listening?

[Wolfstar]

Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, congratulates the First Lady after her speech.

[MamaB]

Looks like it. We are getting ready to go over to our daughter's. Our grandson and granddaughter are having a large graduation party.

[Wolfstar]

Our First Lady and Jordanian King Abdullah Il take part in a panel discussion on Arab youth at the World Economic Forum today.

Even kings are captivated by our beloved Laura.

Laura meets with leading Jordanian women, from left, Dr. Amal Sabbagh, Malak Ghazal, Reem Abu Hassan, and Wijdan al-Saket.

[Wolfstar]

In this photo released by the Royal Palace, First Lady Laura Bush shakes hands with Jordan's Queen Rania as King Abdullah II, center, looks on at the World Economic Forum in South Shuneh, 35 Kilometers (21 Miles) west of Amman, Saturday. More than 1,300 participants will attend the forum between May 20-22 to discuss social and political reforms in the Middle East, Arab-Israeli peacemaking and Iraq reconstruction.

Laura with King Abdullah and Queen Rania.