Posted on 07/12/2008 1:32:58 PM PDT by daisyscarlett
The President and Mrs. Bush are at Camp David for the weekend. The President delivered his Saturaday radio address. President’s Radio Address. He urged Congress to address the pain that high gas prices are causing our citizens. President and Mrs. Bush were saddened to learn of the death of Tony Snow. REMARKS
Vice President Cheney underwent his annual medical checkup today at George Washington Hospital. His heart was declared in stable condition, his spokeswoman said.
THANK YOU FOR WAITING FOR THE "ALL CLEAR" BEFORE POSTING ANY PHOTOS
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week, Members of Congress returned to Washington after their Fourth of July recess. While they were at home, they heard a clear message from their constituents: Americans are concerned about high gas prices. Everyone who commutes to work, grows food, books a plane ticket, or runs a small business feels the squeeze of rising energy prices. And Americans are increasingly frustrated with Congress's failure to take action.
One of the factors driving up high gas prices is that many of our oil deposits here in the United States have been put off-limits for exploration and production. Past efforts to meet the demand for oil by expanding domestic resources have been repeatedly rejected by Democrats in Congress.
This week, however, we are seeing signs that the recent rise in gasoline prices has caused some to rethink their long-held opposition to opening up more areas for domestic production. If this change of heart is real, we can work together on four steps that will expand American oil and gas production and eventually relieve the pressure of rising prices.
First, we should expand American oil production by increasing access to offshore exploration on the Outer Continental Shelf, or OCS. Experts believe that the OCS that is currently off-limits could produce enough oil to match America's current production for almost ten years. The problem is that Congress has restricted access to key parts of the OCS since the early 1980s. Since that time, technological advances have allowed us to explore oil offshore in ways that protect the environment.
Last month I called on the House and the Senate to lift this legislative ban, so we can allow States to have the option of opening up OCS resources off their coasts. I also offered to lift an executive restriction on this exploration if Congress did so. Unfortunately, Congress has failed to act. Time is running out before Congress leaves for its summer recess. For the sake of our economy and American consumers, Congress must move quickly to expand exploration of the OCS so we can tap into these vast oil resources as soon as possible.
Second, we should expand oil production by tapping into the extraordinary potential of oil shale. Oil shale is a type of rock that can produce oil when exposed to heat or other processes. One major deposit in the Rocky Mountain West alone could, if fully recovered, equal more than a century's worth of imports at current levels. Last year, however, Democratic leaders inserted a provision blocking oil shale leasing on Federal lands into an omnibus spending bill. That provision can be taken out as easily as it was slipped in -- and Congress should do so immediately.
Third, we should expand American oil production by permitting exploration in northern Alaska. Scientists have developed innovative techniques to reach this oil with virtually no impact on the land or local wildlife. With a drilling footprint that covers just a tiny fraction of this vast terrain, America could produce an estimated 10 billion barrels of oil. That is roughly the equivalent of two decades of imported oil from Saudi Arabia. I urge Members of Congress to allow this remote region to bring enormous benefits to the American people.
Finally, we need to expand and enhance our refining capacity. It has been 30 years since a new refinery was built in our Nation, and lawsuits and red tape have made it extremely costly to expand or modify existing refineries. The result is that America now imports millions of barrels of fully refined gasoline from abroad. This imposes needless costs on American families and drivers, it deprives American workers of good jobs, and it is now time for Congress to change it.
It's time for Members of Congress to address the pain that high gas prices are causing our citizens. Every extra dollar that American families spend because of high gas prices is one less dollar they can use to put food on the table or send a child to college. The American people deserve better. So I urge Congress to come together with my Administration now to ensure that our economy remains the strongest, most vibrant, and most hopeful in the world.
Thank you for listening.
Vice President Dick Cheney arrives at George Washington Hospital for his annual medical checkup.
Former White House Press Secretary Tony Snow waves goodbye Sept. 14, 2007, as he departs the White House on his final day at the office. The 53-year-old spokesman died early Saturday, July 12, 2008, of cancer. Said the President in a statement, "The Snow family has lost a beloved husband and father. And America has lost a devoted public servant and a man of character." White House photo by Chris Greenberg
President and Mrs. Bush Saddened by Death of Tony Snow
Laura and I are deeply saddened by the death of our dear friend, Tony Snow. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Jill, and their children, Kendall, Robbie, and Kristi. The Snow family has lost a beloved husband and father. And America has lost a devoted public servant and a man of character.
Tony was one of our Nation's finest writers and commentators. He earned a loyal following with incisive radio and television broadcasts. He was a gifted speechwriter who served in my father's Administration. And I was thrilled when he agreed to return to the White House to serve as my Press Secretary. It was a joy to watch Tony at the podium each day. He brought wit, grace, and a great love of country to his work. His colleagues will cherish memories of his energetic personality and relentless good humor.
All of us here at the White House will miss Tony, as will the millions of Americans he inspired with his brave struggle against cancer. One of the things that sustained Tony Snow was his faith - and Laura and I join people across our country in praying that this good man has now found comfort in the arms of his Creator.
Dr. Michael DeBakey passed away today. As many of you recall, President Bush presented Dr. DeBakey with the Congressional Gold Medal on April 23, 2008. I am reposting the poignant photos of this event and the remarks made by President Bush.
President George W. Bush delivers remarks Wednesday, April 23, 2008, during the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony honoring Dr. Michael Ellis DeBakey at the U.S. Capitol. In honoring the 99-year-old Chancellor Emeritus of the Baylor College of Medicine and the Director of the DeBakey Heart Center, President Bush said, "Dr. DeBakey has an impressive resume, but his truest legacy is not inscribed on a medal or etched into stone. It is written on the human heart. His legacy is the unlost hours with family and friends who are still with us because of his healing touch. His legacy is grandparents who lived to see their grandchildren. His legacy is holding the fragile and sacred gift of human life in his hands -- and returning it unbroken." White House photo by Chris Greenberg
President George W. Bush presents the Congressional Gold Medal to famed heart surgeon Dr. Michael Ellis DeBakey during a ceremony Wednesday, April 23, 2008, at the U.S. Capitol. Said the President, "For nearly a hundred years, our country has been blessed with the endless talents and dedication of Dr. Michael DeBakey. And he has dedicated his career to a truly noble ambition -- bettering the life of his fellow man." White House photo by Chris Greenberg
President George W. Bush offers his hand to Dr. Michael DeBakey Wednesday, April 23, 2008, after honoring the 99-year-old pioneer of bypass heart surgery during the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony at the U.S. Capitol. White House photo by Chris Greenberg
Tony Snow was as fine a man as ever lived. May he rest in peace.
Hi
Thanks for this thread, daisyscarlett.
I have a double honor...reporting the disruptor in #3, and being first (a rarity) on this one which is largely about a wonderful human being we lost today...Tony Snow.
Thanks for reporting he/she/it.
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Thu May 29 17:18:52 2008 · 103 of 329
Tony Snow to La Enchiladita
I couldn’t agree more about Schwarzeneger’s attitude. Wonderful! Faith is everything, friends, through good or ill...
Thanks so much for your kind thoughts regarding my latest unpleasantness. As often happens, reports of my imminent demise are greatly exaggerated. I’ve been fighting a bowel obstruction for the last month, and won’t travel until we get it fixed. Hence, the speech cancellations.
We’ve embarked on a pretty aggressive course of treatment, and I’m on the mend. As for cancer, all the signs are good: Treatments are working, and genetic tests indicate that a new course of treatment has a good chance of real success.
So thanks, as always, for the thoughts and prayers — and continue sharing them with each other for others in need (like Jim Rob). I can’t tell you what a source of strength and reassurance you are.
We were speculating on the thread a couple of days ago that the VP had lost some weight recently I wonder if it was because of impending annual checkup. Maybe he decied to loose some weight rather than the doctor tell he needed to do so.
Sad day today with the passing of these great men
I was thinking it was a pre-vacation weight loss so that he could chow down, without guilt, at that Jackson Hole restaurant where he goes and gets steak and fries...lol..
He said something nasty about the President.
Maybe a mixture of the 2 so that he would not get ticked off by doc and test results would be better and then he can relax and enjoy a good feast or 2 on holiday.
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