Posted on 05/28/2005 3:32:36 PM PDT by Wolfstar
PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: President and Mrs. Bush -- and the dogs, of course -- are spending a quiet weekend at Camp David. They will return to the White House Sunday to be on hand for Monday's traditional Memorial Day activities. Today, Saturday, May 28, 2005, marks something of a red-letter day, because Tom Raum of the Associated Press actually reported the following remarkable piece -- a left-handed compliment, to be sure, but a compliment nevertheless. Mr. Raum has covered Washington for The Associated Press since 1973, including five presidencies.
Newsview: Bush's Global Clout Seen GrowingBy TOM RAUM, Associated Press Writer, Sat May 28,12:49 PM ET.
WASHINGTON - In the rarified club of world leaders, President Bush has taken his share of lumps. Critics have railed against his handling of Iraq, his perceived disdain for the United Nations and what they say is a swaggering approach to foreign policy.
But Bush probably would not want to trade places with any other head of state.
Nearly all his fellow leaders of the world's big industrial democracies have stumbled. It has left them vulnerable at home and weakener on the world stage.
The president, through it all, is riding what he sees as a strong re-election mandate to trumpet his goal of spreading democracy.
That helps explains why Bush, despite a slip in his approval rating among Americans, may find himself holding the stronger hand when he travels in early July to Scotland for the annual summit of the leaders of the eight major industrialized democracies.
"His counterparts all face ill political winds that make their domestic positions rather precarious," said Charles Kupchan, director of European studies with the Council on Foreign Relations, a private research group. "I do think it puts Bush in an advantageous position."
It is not the best of times be a world leader:
_Britain's Tony Blair, Bush's chief ally on Iraq, did win re-election this month to a third term as prime minister. But he prevailed by drastically reduced margins for his Labour Party, threatening his leadership abilities.
_Italy's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, also a strong supporter of U.S. policy in Iraq, has seen parties in his government coalition lose in regional and local elections. Defeats even forced his resignation, although he cobbled together a new coalition to regain power.
_German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, a vocal critic of the Iraq war, has called for national elections for this fall — a year early. That followed his party's crushing defeat in Germany's most populous region. The loss, he said, cost him the mandate he needs to fix Germany's struggling economy.
_French President Jacques Chirac, also a foe of U.S. policy in Iraq, is taking heat for his decision to call a referendum on the European Union's first constitution. It's set him up for what could be a humiliating defeat. Chirac's approval ratings have declined and he faces opposition from within his own party.
_Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin faces serious challenges and demands that he resign. The House of Commons tied on a vote of confidence this month. It took a vote by the parliament speaker to give Martin's minority government a one-vote victory. Canada pledged to tighten its borders after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But Ottawa has declined to send troops to Iraq or sign on to the U.S. missile defense shield.
_Japan's prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, finds his popularity lagging after four years on the job. It's down about half from the 80 percent he once enjoyed. Koizumi may be in better shape than his European counterparts. But weighing him down are tensions with North Korea and China, and public concern about expected tax cuts and pension restructuring.
_Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to consolidate power and exercise more control over regional leaders. But his rollback of press and political freedoms, and his pursuit of oil giant Yukos, have drawn international condemnation and clouded Russia's business climate.
Analysts see common themes for the leaders' tough times: high unemployment and slow growth in Germany and France; social tensions associated with Muslim immigration; and a backlash against "globalization" as industries move their operations to low-wage countries.
Bush himself is having trouble on Social Security, judicial nominations and other domestic priorities. Yet, analysts suggest, the president has had a strong run internationally over the past few months — even with the continuing violence in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He persuaded European powers to negotiate with Iran over Tehran's nuclear ambitions. He watched democratic elections and the formation of a new government in Iraq. He successfully prodded Syria to withdraw from Lebanon.
And he is taking an active role in trying to nudge Israelis and Palestinians toward peace.
France's ambassador to the United States spoke recently of the effect of Bush's winning a second term.
"The moment President Bush was re-elected, he extended the hand of friendship and cooperation to the leaders of Europe," said Jean-David Levitte. "Style has changed."
PRESIDENTIAL SCHEDULE: Once again Press Secretary Scott McClellan did not announce a week-ahead schedule. However, I obtained the following from various news reports.
Monday, The President will lay a wreath at Arlington National Cemetary and participate in traditional Memorial Day ceremonies and rememberances in Washington.
Thursday, GWB will travel to Hopkinsville, Ky., to speak about Social Security reform. He will fly into Fort Campbell Army Airfield before heading to the Hopkinsville-Christian County Conference and Convention Center. The President last visited Hopkinsville while campaigning for the presidency in May 2000. He last visited Fort Campbell in March 2004 when he came to address the thousands of soldiers who had returned from combat duty in Iraq.
Friday, President Bush will address the Organization of American States on June 6 at the group's annual meeting. The United States has not hosted the General Assembly since 1974. The three-day OAS General Assembly in Fort Lauderdale brings together the foreign ministers from most of the 34 OAS member nations. The meeting will be chaired by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
President and Mrs. Bush will travel to Denmark prior to his participation in the G8 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. The President's bilateral program in Denmark will take place on July 6th. Denmark is a close friend and ally of the United States, and Prime Minister Rasmussen is a strong proponent of effective transatlantic cooperation.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: From today's Presidential Radio Address:
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, a victory for freedom in which more than 400,000 Americans gave their lives. Today a new generation of Americans is making its own sacrifice on behalf of peace and freedom, and some have given their lives.
In their hometowns, these soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines are more than names on a roll of honor. They were friends and neighbors, teachers and coaches, classmates and colleagues. Each was the most important person in someone's life; each had hopes for the future, and each left a place that can never be filled.
We mourn their loss, and we honor their sacrifice. We pray for their families. And we take heart in knowing that these men and women believed deeply in what they were fighting for. Christopher Swisher was a staff sergeant from Lincoln, Nebraska, who joined the Army a year after graduating from high school. He was killed in an ambush while on patrol in Baghdad. Sergeant Swisher told his loved ones: "If anything happens to me, I'm doing what I want to be doing -- I'm protecting my family and my home."
Rafael Peralta also understood that America faces dangerous enemies, and he knew the sacrifices required to defeat them. An immigrant from Mexico, he enlisted in the Marine Corps the day after he got his green card. Just before the battle of Fallujah, he wrote his 14-year-old brother, "We are going to defeat the insurgents. Be proud of me, I'm going to make history and do something that I always wanted to do." A few days later, Sergeant Peralta gave his life to save his fellow Marines.
Howdy back at ya, Mike, and you're so very welcome.
Hi, DrDeb. Thank YOU for all the great info and links you provide. I especially enjoy your polling insights.
Susie the pit bull, LOL!
There's a photo of David as he was leaving the ceremony, and he was carrying the medal on a pillow. It was one of the most poignant, sad and yet uplifting photos I've ever seen. I so wanted to post it today, but couldn't find it on the WH website. Maybe it was a news photo and not a WH photo. In which case, I don't know if I'll ever come across it again. Sigh.
You're welcome, hoosierpearl. It's a heartfelt tribute. Simple, but moving. Who could fail to be moved by the pain that's so apparent on little David's face?
4 to 5 hours sleep a night and I'm good to go
I hear you all. Any more than that, am drouzy for the day.
It also helps when my big boy cat is purring in my face
early or doing touch and go landings on the bed
Probably just as well that you didn't find that picture! You would have probably had all of us crying out loud! No medal can take the place of all the hugs and kisses that the survivors don't have anymore. It's hard to even call it "surviving"! Bless them all!
I find that an occasional 15 to 30 minute nap in the early evening does me a world of good if I only got 4 hours of sleep
I'm so insistant on 5 hrs of sleep and no more, that I set my alarm even on the weekends
Just think of all the men that his Daddy saved. It is so sad to see David's face. I'm sure David thought his dad was a hero, but now a whole lot of people know that his dad is a hero. It's like ripples in a pond, you do something good and it spreads. So many things in the future would not have happened save for David's dad. Like the movie "A Wonderful Life", you never know what your actions will do in the lives of other people. I wish there were some way to help David too like his dad helped his men.
I do that as well and then I wake up like I have now and will probably have to force myself to go up to bed in about 15 minutes.
Where do you live Tom?, I want to move there :-)
No, the drivers never collide with one another here. And you almost never hear a horn honking. You could not make a living fixing cars here.
Night snugs, see ya tomorrow
Thanks for the poll results (and resulting reality check--LOL!)and the great links.
I was busy for a few days last week and missed the "compromise" but seems most weren't happy with it. To me it seemed like the Repubs had the power and were foolish to compromise but did anyway; but it also seems that by delaying the Bolton vote they Dims showed themselves to be the real obstructionists they are.
Sometimes I wish the Republicans would stop playing "nice"; you know the Dims would never compromise in the same situation.
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