Book festival is new chapter for the Bushes

The Deseret News ^ | 9/8/2001

[Utah Girl]

President Bush will put a special focus on reading next week, hoping to give his education package an extra nudge toward passage on Capitol Hill.

The president began the campaign Friday night by attending a National Book Festival gala at the Library of Congress with first lady Laura Bush, the festival host who plans to testify before a Senate education panel on Tuesday.

The festival is patterned on one Laura Bush, a librarian, sponsored in Texas when her husband was governor.

At Friday night's event, she said she became a reading advocate because "I love to read, and I want more Americans to experience the sense of adventure and satisfaction that comes from reading a good book."

James Billington, the librarian of Congress, said the library was honored to have as festival host "the first professional librarian to live in the White House."

Bush is stepping up his schools message to press Congress to pass his education package "so that we can improve our public schools," said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.

In recent weeks, the president has routinely made the case for toughening classroom standards, arguing in last week's radio address that lawmakers needed to act now so that educators will have enough time to brace for the changes.

Bush is devoting this week's radio address to the subject as well.

Congress has tried to craft a compromise, with an eye toward reaching agreement early this month. Bush is renewing his push anyway out of concern that lawmakers might be inclined to delay his proposed reforms, citing a budget squeeze.

About 60 authors are to participate in the book festival, which is patterned after the Texas Book Festival organized by Mrs. Bush, a former teacher and librarian, when her husband was governor.

The first lady put in a pitch for the education bill Friday during an appearance on CBS' "Early Show." "I know the whole Congress and, of course the president, really want a good education bill out ... since children have started school all over the United States," she said.

Mrs. Bush will testify before the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday about the development of early childhood cognitive skills.

Bush and Education Secretary Rod Paige will visit schools in Jacksonville and Sarasota, Fla., on Monday and Tuesday. On Thursday, Bush is to address the White House Assembly on Reading at the Library of Congress.

Other members of Bush's Cabinet are also traveling around the country to advocate reading, even taking time to read to elementary school classes.

Bush's budget includes $5 billion over five years to make sure all children are reading by third grade. He has pushed for private-school vouchers, which would allow students in failing schools to use as much as $1,500 in federal money for private- or parochial-school tuition.

That idea was defeated in Congress last spring after teachers' unions and many Democrats fought it, saying vouchers would drain money from public schools.

The Senate and House are in the process of reconciling differing versions of education legislation. The bill likely will allow students in failing schools to use a smaller amount of federal money for private tutoring services or transportation to another public school.

[jhofmann]

Oh, and here I thought our bilingual President with a Yale degree, Harvard MBA, fighter pilot experience, several years of successful business experience, key participant in three successful major political campaigns and Texas governor didn't read books and has an IQ of 92.

[ConsistentLibertarian]

Doesn't Bush read the very same book every time he attends one of these events? Hundreds and hundreds of times he's gone and read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar". Maybe Laura could find him another book? People are going to start wondering ...

[ConsistentLibertarian]

How high an IQ does it take to read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar?"

[Utah Girl]

Giggle, good one. I heard on C-Span today that the authors Laura Bush invited to the book festival think that she hit a home run with this festival. The festival was created with children and families in mind, with some excellent authors for adults too. Just an exciting event.

[jhofmann]

Last I heard he was reading the John Adams biography. Have you?

[ConsistentLibertarian]

John who?

[firebrand]

Those children who managed to escape the abortionist.

[Utah Girl]

When you libertarians don't have any facts to get the President with, you stoop to personal insults against him. Such a tiresome ploy, and a copycat gesture from the Dems to boot.

[Utah Girl]

Sheesh, don't you guys ever lighten up? Abortion is evil, but I saw families there at the book festival. Parents who loved their enough to take them to read books and expand their minds.

[ConsistentLibertarian]

I'm making a positive suggestion. Laura should see if she could find a second book he can read aloud when he makes these appearances.

[headsonpikes]

How come all these threads end up being bash-fests against the Librararian Party???

[bcoffey]

I'm making a positive suggestion.

I guess now I'm the person who has the IQ of 92 if I'm supposed to believe that! LOL

[speekinout]

she hit a home run with this festival.

I've seen those reports too. I have hopes for her efforts. Literacy is a huge problem in this country, and she has the interest and skills to make a difference.
It would be a real political upset if a GOP admin was seen as the leader in education! The clintoons only cared about sex ed and Title IX.

[Utah Girl]

I don't want to get in a fight here, but it seems lately every time a positive article is posted, or any time any article is posted about President Bush or his policies, we get some people who come on and denigrate us and the President. I do not agree with the President 100%, and I think his education bill got hijacked, but he has done many other good things. No one leader can do everything that all of us want done, the country didn't get this way overnight, and it is going to take longer than 8 months to get the problems solved.

[ConsistentLibertarian]

Well, if you don't think it might help for Bush to read a variety of books at the hundreds of appearences he makes, rather than having the Secret Service clear the rooms of all reading materials and than walking in with "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" each and every time, then we have an honest disagreement. I have no comment on whether it shows that you have an IQ of 92.

[firebrand]

My comment was directed at Laura Bush, who has these lovely book festivals geared toward children but is not pro-life. I resist the trend toward making a goddess out of her, as the libs did with Hillary. Reading by itself is not the be-all and end-all.

[Utah Girl]

I was thinking maybe we could write a letter to the White House making the suggestion that he change books every once in awhile. That would be constructive. I do know that the Hungry Caterpillar was his daughters' favorite book when they were young. I know how much perception counts, especially amongst the media too. The media has picked up and run with this story, even though it isn't quite how they have framed it. President Bush was asked for his favorite books, and his staff sent in 6 or 7 titles. They put in the letter that his favorite children's book was the Hungry Caterpillar. Of course, it has now been trumpeted that the HC is his favorite book, thus denigrating his IQ. How handy.

[headsonpikes]

"No one leader can do everything that all of us want done..."

I agree with you 100%. Too many folks have unrealistic expectations of what is possible. And the mess has been a long time forming.

I hope George Bush becomes one of the greatest Presidents in the U.S. history. However, it would be easier to be optimistic if I saw the Bush Administration and the Republican leadership generally, placing more priority in at least ONE policy area of being 'openly respectful' of the original construction and spirit of the Constitution. IOW, some thing, some where for the VRWC to cheer about.;^)

People shouldn't carp, but neither should they wax triumphant.

Let's have a real victory first.

Peace and liberty.

[yikes]

I watched part of the festival live on C-SPAN this afternoon. Liz Carpenter of LBJ fame appearned in one of the tents and had her audience in stitches. She is a very funny lady. At 82, she is sharp as a tack and very homorous and engaging. Watching her was a very enjoyable use of time.