A Day in the Life of President Bush (photos) - 12.13.05

Whitehouse.gov, Yahoo.com | 12.13.05 | ohioWfan

[ohioWfan]

Today President Bush participated in a roundtable discussion on the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit program at Greenspring Village Retirement Community in Springfield, Virginia.

This afternoon he met with Republican leaders in the Roosevelt Room at the White House to discuss strategy in the War on Terror.

Tonight at 10:00, MSNBC will broadcast the complete hour long interview of Brian Williams with President Bush (and Mike recommends it, so it's got to be good!)

Enjoy your trip to Sanity Island on the Daily Dose!!

[ohioWfan]

Quote of the Day (from yesterday's speech in Philadelphia): On Thursday, Iraqis will meet their fourth milestone. And when they do go to the polls and choose a new government under the new constitution, it will be a remarkable event in the Arab world. Despite terrorist violence, the country is buzzing with signs and sounds of democracy in action. The streets of Baghdad, and Najaf and Mosul, and other cities are full of signs and posters. The television and radio air waves are thick with political ads and commentary. Hundreds of parties and coalitions have registered for this week's elections, and they're campaigning vigorously. Candidates are holding rallies and laying out their agendas and asking for the vote.

Our troops see this young democracy up close. First Lieutenant Frank Shriley of Rock Hall, Maryland, says, "It's a cool thing riding around Baghdad and seeing the posters -- it reminds me of being home during election time. After so many years of being told what to do, having a real vote is different."

Unlike the January elections, many Sunnis are campaigning vigorously for office this time around. Many Sunni parties that opposed the constitution have registered to compete in this week's vote. Two major Sunni coalitions have formed, and other Sunni leaders have joined national coalitions that cross religious, ethnic, and sectarian boundaries. As one Sunni politician put it, this election "is a vote for Iraq; we want a national Iraq, not a sectarian one."

To encourage broader participation by all Iraqi communities, the National Assembly made important changes in Iraq's electoral laws that will increase Sunni representation in the new assembly. In the January elections, Iraq was one giant electoral district, so seats in the transitional assembly simply reflected turnout. Because few Sunnis voted, their communities were left with little representation. Now, Iraq has a new electoral system, where seats in the new Council of Representatives will be allocated by province and population -- much like our own House of Representatives. This new system is encouraging more Sunnis to join in the democratic process because it ensures that Sunnis will be well-represented, even if the terrorists and Saddamists try to intimidate voters in the provinces where most Sunnis live.

More Sunnis are involved because they see Iraqi democracy succeeding. They have learned a lesson of democracy: They must participate to have a voice in their nation's affairs. A leading Sunni who had boycotted the January vote put it this way: "The Sunnis are now ready to participate." A Sunni sheik explains why Sunnis must join the process: "In order not to be marginalized, we need power in the National Assembly." As more Sunnis join the political process, the Saddamists and remaining rejectionists will be marginalized. As more Sunnis join the political process, they will protect the interests of their community.

Like the Shia and Kurds, who face daily attacks from the terrorists and Saddamists, many Sunnis who join the political process are being targeted by the enemies of a free Iraq. The Iraqi Islamic Party -- a Sunni party that boycotted the January vote and now supports elections -- has seen its offices bombed. And a party leader reports that at least 10 members have been killed since the party announced it would field candidates in Thursday's elections. Recently a top Sunni electoral official visited the Sunni stronghold of Baquba. He went to encourage local leaders to participate in the elections. During his visit, a roadside bomb went off. It rattled his convoy, but it didn't stop it. He says this about the attempt on his life: "The bomb is nothing [compared to] what we're doing. What we're doing is bigger than the bomb."

By pressing forward and meeting their milestones, the Iraqi people have built momentum for freedom and democracy. They've encouraged those outside the process to come in. At every stage, there was enormous pressure to let the deadlines slide, with skeptics and pessimists declaring that Iraqis were not ready for self-government. At every stage, Iraqis proved the skeptics and pessimists wrong. At every stage, Iraqis have exposed the errors of those in our country and across the world who question the universal appeal of liberty. By meeting their milestones, Iraqis are defeating a brutal enemy, rejecting a murderous ideology, and choosing freedom over terror.

[ohioWfan]

DOSE PING!!! Please wait until the ALL CLEAR to post or repost photos. THANKS!!

[silent_jonny]

1

[ohioWfan]

At this morning's Medicare roundtable discussion in Springfield, Virginia.......... (this is 85 year old, Eloise Cartwright)......

Bush Babes can be any age..... :)

President George W. Bush bends to meet Jean Tessier of Tyson's Corner, Va........

[ohioWfan]

Meeting with and briefing Republican Senators on the War on Terror in the Roosevelt Room...........

[newfrpr04]

jUST ME.

[Jemian]

Thank you for your work.

[ohioWfan]

President George W. Bush shares a quiet moment on the balcony with Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) during the senior Democrat's visit to the White House to mark his 50th anniversary in Congress

[radiohead]

Dang, close but no cigar; spending too much time on the lutefisk thread.

[ohioWfan]

Some lovely new photos of Laura from yesterday...........

I love this one of Laura, laughing......

Hey, Laura! Come to Ohio.........we have the real thing! (You can stay at MY house, if you'd like. ;)

[newfrpr04]

Looks like you are number 1 . It's been a long long day, I am ready for a sanity island break.

[ohioWfan]

And I thought I'd include a few of the elections going on before Thursday's major election in Iraq. Iraqi soldiers...........

And Iraqi ex-patriots here in the U.S..........

And Lynn Cheney............talking about the importance of the upcoming election in Iraq to kids at Ft. Belvoire Elementary School ............

And at W.W. Burrows Elementary in Quantico.......

[ohioWfan]

You MADE it, jonny! Congratulations!!

[snugs]

Hello Ohio great to see the cheeky grin again - thanks for the dose.

[ohioWfan]

Number TWO! Good job!

[ohioWfan]

You're welcome, dear Jemian! Glad to do it!

[silent_jonny]

Just lucky :) I refreshed the page and there was the Dose.

[ohioWfan]

Lutefisk thread?? LOL! What? NO thread on Potates Korv?

(Isn't that discrimiation against us Swedes? :)

[MamaB]

Hey dear. How are you and the family?

[luvie]

All those happy Iraqis who don't have a clue that the war is going badly! /sarc.

Great bunch of pictures, Ohio! Thanks for all your hard work!