A Month in the life of George W. Bush (News and many Photos) September 2005

georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news ^ | September 5, 2010

[pattyvita]

Very nice blog from Focus On The Family where President Bush did an interview with the host today. I believe it's going to air on the Focus On The Family radio show next week Dec 14. and Dec 15. on Christian talk radio stations across the country so please check your local listings. But I'm sure it's going to be posted on the FOTF website afterwards.

Bush Focus On The Family interview

The Interview with the President Went Swimmingly

Posted by Jim_Daly on Dec 6, 2010 2:43:27 PM

Today was one of the more exciting days in Daly family history -- the reason why all depends on who you ask

My boys, Trent and Troy, quizzed early this morning about what they thought the highlight of their day was going to be, took nanoseconds to respond, "We're going swimming!" It was a particularly joyous occasion for Trent, the fish of the family, since he hasn't been able to hit the pool for a couple of months after breaking his wrist this summer.

So it seemed a perfectly natural answer for a 10 and 8-year-old -- even though they were only a few minutes away from meeting the 43rd President of the United States.

I brought the boys and Jean along with me to Dallas today to meet President George W. Bush at his office here, where we recorded a Focus on the Family broadcast scheduled to air next week, Tuesday and Wednesday, December 14th and 15th. I've met Mr. Bush a couple of times before, and was thrilled to have the opportunity for the boys to meet him, too.

Almost as thrilled as they were to splash around in the hotel pool.

The President was friendly and gracious with them, giving them presidential bookmarks as gifts and wishing them a Merry Christmas. (He also had a little fun with me, remarking as I was telling him about a spill I took mountain biking with a mutual friend, "You're a little big for a mountain bike, aren't you?") The boys and I had talked in advance about some questions they might want to ask him, and with a little help from Dad they did find out whether the President carries money.

The answer? No.

Mr. Bush said aides handle any point-of-sale purchases that need to be made, so there's no need to keep cash on hand, but added that the funds used for buying everything from food for the First Family to putting up relatives at Camp David comes from a president's personal finances.

That was just one of the interesting things discovered in the 90 or so minutes the Dalys and some members of the Focus team spent with the president this morning.

They say you can tell a lot about what a man values by the way his office is decorated -- and in that case it's clear President Bush is a person of great faith and love for his family. The wall closest to his desk is home to three large photographs: one of him with his daughter Jenna on her wedding day; one of him with his wife, Laura; and one with his other daughter, Barbara.

On the credenza behind his desk are a few family photos as well: one of his father's inauguration as president (there are no photos, tellingly, of Mr. Bush's own two inaugurations); a shot of his grandfather, Prescott Bush, a U.S. senator; and an old family snapshot taken outside an airplane -- the days when air travel was an *event*! -- featuring his parents and grandparents and him as a toddler.

President Bush's desk is neat and mostly unadorned -- there's a clock, a small bust of an eagle and a small bust of a steer. There were two books stacked there, as well: "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About God But Were Afraid to Ask" by Eric Metaxas and "All Things Are Possible Through Prayer" by Charles L. Allen. On the credenza is another pair of leather-bound editions: "Decision Points" and the New American Standard Bible.

I was fascinated by "Decision Points" and the straightforward way President Bush discussed the key highs and lows of his eight years in office -- from the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks to the financial crisis of 2008. What struck me most, though, just as his office reflects, was how his faith in Christ and his love of family helped him weather the rough times and deepened the joy of the good times.

I don't want to spoil some of the insights you'll hear on the broadcast next week, but there is one thing he said to me off-mic, before the recorders started rolling, that I think succinctly sums up who he is. As we were about to begin, I told him I wasn't going to ask a lot of questions about politics, but rather explore his personal journey as a believer in Christ, a husband and father and son, who served the American people during a particularly meaningful moment in history.

"That's about right," he said as he nestled into his chair. "It is Focus on the Family, not Focus on the Party."

Those are the words of a man who seems to have his priorities straight, a man my boys will be proud to have met.

Just as soon as they get out of the pool.

[luvie]

What a great story. I wish I could meet him like that one day! :)

Thanks!

[DrDeb]

. . . which is one of MANY reasons I so love and respect OUR president!

[luvie]

There are SO many reasons to like him...and respect him!

[DrDeb]

Thank you so much for finding and sharing the wonderful blog post from Jim Daly/Focus on the Family . . . Can’t wait to hear the interview!

[DrDeb]

GWB UPDATE . . .

FLASH: BUSH HOLDS TOP OF BOOK SALES WEEK ENDING 12/5/10 WITH 171,691 SCANNED, BRINGS TOTAL TO 1,057,582... HILLENBRAND UP TO #2 WITH ‘WWII’ 53,044 [137,181 SINCE RELEASE]... PALIN AT SHOW WITH ‘HEART’ AFTER 50,908 [108,580]... MORE... KEITH RICHARDS ‘LIFE’ HITS ANOTHER 41,796 [250,501]... BECK ‘BROKE’ WITH 33,207 [252,411]... STEWART ‘DAILY SHOW’ 32,013 [301,878]... DEVELOPING...
http://drudgereport.com/

FYI: The scanning group that Drudge cites accounts for approximately 70 - 75% of book sales — for this reason, you can add another 25-30% to the President’s totals . . Of course, any way we add it, Decision Points is a runaway bestseller!!
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GEORGE W BUSH: THE ROCKY BALBOA OF AMERICAN PRESIDENTS
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100067390/george-w-bush-the-rocky-balboa-of-american-politics/
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PRESIDENT BUSH WILL BE SIGNING BOOKS TOMORROW (12/9/10) IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA

[STARWISE]

We KNEW it would be a HUGE bestseller ... WOO HOO!

********HEADS UP .. PRES. BUSH WILL BE ON THE DENNIS
MILLER SHOW TOMORROW. HERE’S A SNEAK PREVIEW:

http://www.dennismillerradio.com/blog;jsessionid=175E958E29901DB77E3192A058D197CC?categoryID=10

Should be where the full interview will be .. and should
be super!

And perhaps on Breitbart, where the clip is also linked tonight:

http://www.breitbart.tv/president-bush-visits-dennis-miller/

[luvie]

Had no doubt that OUR president’s book would be a runaway
best seller, in spite of the MSM and the leftie commentators
trying to put it down and sneer at his efforts. He was honest,
courageous, upfront, intelligent and funny...just like he is in real life. :)

[DrDeb]

Thanks for the heads up about the Dennis Miller interview . . . Since 911, Dennis has been a steadfast supporter of our president!!

[DrDeb]

. . . and that’s the key, he is just so authentically REAL!!

[STARWISE]

He sure has ... he’s been unabashed in his gratitude
for Pres. Bush. Here’s an example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryd5s1f45zE

[STARWISE]

Former President George W. Bush, left, sits with former world boxing champion Muhammad Ali during a book signing for the former president's new book 'DecisionPoints' at a local Barnes & Noble Booksellers store in in Phoenix Thursday, Dec. 9, 2010.

More PICS HERE.

[STARWISE]

Article about President Bush/Muhammed Ali encounter today.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/12/09/20101209arizona-bush-book-signing-ON.html

[Dr. Scarpetta]

Thanks for the ping!

BTTT!

[Dr. Scarpetta]

Muhammad Ali looks so fragile...

[DrDeb]

STARWISE: Thank you for posting the GWB/Ali photo — everybody seems to like our president these days (about time)!

More links from today’s book-signing in Phoenix:

FANS THRILLED TO MEET FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH
(an AWESOME videoclip)
http://www.azfamily.com/video/featured-videos/Fans-thrilled-to-meet-former-President-George-W-Bush-111599829.html

ADMIRERS STRUCK BY FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH’S CHARM
(another awesome videclip)
http://www.azfamily.com/news/rafols/Admirers-struck-by-former-President-George-W-Bushs-charm-111608584.html
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FYI: Yesterday, President Bush passed the ‘100 day’ mark on Amazon.com’s TOP 100 list! [And yes, he’s still NUMBER ONE!]

[STARWISE]

Those are GREAT, Deb.

I especially love the experience of the gal
who’s Kurd .. and how grateful the 40 million
Kurds around the world are that he liberated
them. For sure .. those who now have freedom
KNOW the awesome blessing they were given by
the perseverence of our great President and the
unparallelled courage of our awesome troops.

God bless and protect them both dearly. We’ll
always honor them to the highest degree possible.

I bet he WILL call her when he goes back to be
his translator.

[Wolfstar]

I gave some thought to posting a separate thread for the following brief excerpt from 'Decision Points' (Page 203), but no longer have any confidence that the larger FReeper body would appreciate it. So I'll post it here for those of us who have been loyal to this great man.

Introducing the George W. Bush you never knew:

"Early in the war, I decided to write letters to the family members of Americans lost on the battlefield. I wanted to honor their sacrifice, express my sorrow, and extend the gratitude of the country...My [first] letter was addressed to Shannon Spann, the wife of Mike Spann, the CIA officer killed in the prison uprising at Mazar-i-Sharif and the first battlefield death of the war...I sent letters to the families of every service member who laid down his or her life in the war on terror. By the end of my presidency, I had written to almost five thousand families." President George W. Bush

[ohioWfan]

Those two video clips are just AWESOME, Deb! THANKS! (Finally got a few minutes to watch them. LOL!)

All over the country people are seeing the great, kind, funny, sweet person the media tried to hide for eight years, and they LOVE him.

Great stuff!

[ohioWfan]

That's just an amazing statistic, Wolfstar.

What an incredible sacrifice to write to 5,000 families.

What an outstanding, caring Commander in Chief he was.