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President Bush met with Israel's Prime Minister Sharon (Yahoo quotes) to give "qualified U.S. backing to the Israeli leader's high-stakes proposal to withdraw from Gaza but retain part of the West Bank." Bush "said that Israel has a claim on some West Bank land that Palestinians say is theirs, in a shift in policy that possibly has major implications for Middle East peace negotiations." Text of President Bush's remarks at joint press conference He spoke with Mexico's President Fox via phone concerning Cuba, and the "International Court of Justice" finding that the US violated the rights of 50-plus Mexicans on...

President Bush conducted a National Security Council meeting via teleconference with General John Abizaid, in Crawford, Texas. He received an update on military operations in Iraq. NSC Executive Secretary Greg Schulte was also present. He and Prime Minister Tony Blair spoke by telephone. (Mr. Blair will meet President Bush and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan during a two-day visit to the United States, date not included in announcement of visit.) Mr. Bush called on the Sudanese government to take immediate action to end atrocities being carried out in the Darfur region, where rebels are fighting government forces. Information on White...

President Bush graced West Virginia where he spoke about job training and the economy with local business leaders, university faculty, staff and students at Marshall University's Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center in Huntington, W.Virginia. He is scheduled to attend two campaign fund-raisers, a private one in Georgia and also the National Republican Congressional Committee fund-raising dinner. The latter is expected to raise $7 million for campaigns for House Republicans. The Bureau of Labor statistics reported strong payroll data today that helped financial markets. Mr. Bush highlighted the encouraging news of 308,000 jobs created in March. Drudge headlines: Bush hails...

Baseball fans, draw near. President and Mrs. Bush hosted a luncheon for baseball's Hall of Fame members and new inductees in the State Dining Room at the White House. (Mr. Bush will throw out the first pitch on Monday in St. Louis.) Laura Bush continued hosting Marta Sahagun de Fox, wife of Mexican President Vicente Fox, as the two First Ladies visited Martha's Table, an organization that helps low-income and homeless children, families and individuals in Washington. They packaged sandwiches for distribution and read a book in English and Spanish to children in a bilingual day-care class. In an unwitting...

President Bush attended the Congressional Medal of Honor ceremony for Women's rights champion and civil rights leader Dr. Dorothy Height, who is 92 years old today. She served more than 30 years as the president of the National Council of Negro Women, an organization dedicating to uplifting black women and their communities. President Bush spoke at the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Washington. He accepted Jacques Chirac's invitation to go to Paris on June 5. Welcome to Sanity Island.

Special Weekend Edition hastily put together to showcase photos of President and Laura Bush's day of campaigning, with an appearance at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida ... Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island!

President Bush welcomed dignitaries from Ireland, reaffirming the friendship of our two nations and celebrating the faith of St. Patrick, in Jesus, commemorated in both countries. From Yahoo!: "The White House on March 17, 2004 backed plans to investigate allegations that the government's top expert on Medicare costs was threatened with dismissal if he disclosed higher cost estimates to lawmakers. During congressional debate on the bill in November, the administration embraced an estimate by the Congressional Budget Office that it would cost $395 billion in the first 10 years. The cost estimate was revised upward to more than $500 billion...

The President went to Ohio today to discuss the important role that women business owners play in the economy and the importance of international trade to the US economy in Cleveland, Ohio. He also toured an electronics industry factory. Enjoy your dose of W, and welcome to the evening edition of Sanity Island!

The President is and will be on the road for the next six days. Right now he's on West Coast time, which would make the Dose quite late for Easterners, so I'm posting what's out there, with the expectation that there might be more photos tonight. President Bush is in Los Angeles today, and will travel in California and then Texas to do some fundraising and receive President Fox of Mexico at The Ranch. Vice President Cheney reiterated to the press his acceptance as running mate with George Bush for this year's election. It seems he has to keep repeating...

President Bush met with the President of Georgia, Mikhail Saakashvili, in the Oval Office to discuss democracy, the economy and the fight against corruption in the former Soviet republic. He urged Moscow to abandon two Soviet-era military bases in Georgia. Regarding Haiti, Mr. Bush "said that the deteriorating situation in Haiti may require an international security presence once a political settlement is reached," telling "Haitians tempted to seek refuge in the United States to stay home." On Social Security, "he thought that cuts to Social Security benefits should be off-limits to those at or near retirement age, a position that...

The President met with Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in the Oval Office of the White House to discuss regional security and diplomatic issues. (Geography refresher: Tunisia is in North Africa, borders eastern Algeria and is SW of Italy, across the Mediterranean; the CIA wrote recently, "Tunisia has taken a moderate, non-aligned stance in its foreign relations.") Laura Bush visited students and educators at Limerick Elementary School in the Canoga Park area of Los Angeles, promoting literacy. Mrs. Bush encouraged students to read more than they watch television. And on a "know your opponents" note: the democrats continue...

A retired Alabama Air National Guard officer said Friday that he remembers George W. Bush showing up for duty in Alabama in 1972, reading safety magazines and flight manuals in an office as he performed his weekend obligations. “I saw him each drill period,” retired Lt. Col. John “Bill” Calhoun said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from Daytona Beach, Fla., where he is preparing to watch this weekend’s big NASCAR race. “He was very aggressive about doing his duty there. He never complained about it. ... He was very dedicated to what he was doing in the...

Here it is, the SpinMeister Award of the Year. Why it isn't a picture of Saddam's statue being pulled down can be explained only by those who bestow the "honor." "World Press Photo of the year 2003 by French photographer Jean-Marc Bouju of the Associated Press shows a detained Iraqi man comforting his 4-year-old-son at a regroupment center for POW's near Najaf, Iraq. Picture was taken on 31 March, 2003. Jean-Marc Bouju/Associated Press REUTERS/Jean-Marc Bouju. "

President Bush, at the Fort Lesley J. McNair National Defense University in Washington, announced new measures to counter the threat of weapons of mass destruction, for toughter international safeguards to keep nuclear arms technology from falling into the wrong hands. He plans to attend the Daytona 500 on Sunday. Welcome to Sanity Island to enjoy today's Dose of W!

President Bush spoke at the new Library of Congress exhibit, "Churchill and the Great Republic." Open Feb. 5 through June 26, 2004, the exhibit marks Winston Churchill's contributions to democracy and his relationship with the United States. Winston Churchill III and his family attended. Text of remarks regarding Sir Winston, and the War on Terror. Laura Bush spoke at St. Joseph's Hospital in Savannah, GA about The Heart Truth campaign. The First Lady visited with 20 of Savannah's heart disease survivors and called on Americans, especially women, to learn more about heart disease and ways to prevent it. She asked...

The President's fiscal 2005 federal budget is being printed today. He spoke at the Eisenhower Office Building in DC plans to address rising health care costs. Mr. Bush met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office. Vice President and Mrs. Cheney met with Pope John Paul II in the Vatican in Rome Jan. 27, 2004. The visit was part of a five-day trip through Switzerland and Italy for consultations with European allies on national security and economic matters. Enjoy today's Dose and welcome back to Sanity Island!

The economy was today's hot topic, as the President spoke with participants during a discussion on job training and the economy at Owens Community College in Perrysburg Township, Ohio. He traveled on to Phoenix to attend a discussion on job training and the economy at Mesa Community College, the day after announcing in his State of the Union address a $250 million proposal for new job-training grants channeled through community colleges. The White House hosted its second "Radio Day" on Wednesday as an opportunity for local and national radio hosts to interview White House officials and Cabinet members. Full story....

<p>PLANO, Texas — Dissident Episcopalians upset over the consecration of a gay bishop formed an unprecedented national protest group Tuesday — a network of conservatives who pledged to work with each other and oppose church leadership.</p> <p>Yet the creation of the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes stopped short of a schism with the Episcopal Church, raising the prospect of church-by-church fights for authority and control.</p>

The President prepared the nation to boldly go where no man has gone before ... in announcing his proposals for a space program to replace aging U.S. space shuttles with a new generation spacecraft to get Americans back to the moon and on to Mars. White House Fact Sheet: President Bush Announces New Vision for Space Exploration ProgramAfter meeting with Canada's new prime minister, Mr. Bush announced that Canada, and three or four as yet unnamed countries, will be able to bid on reconstruction contracts in Iraq. The article states, "Bush announced his change of heart about Canada in his...

I put rintense's graphic first, to remind us topside why this thread exists, on the day of the Great Unveiling of President Bush's plan for Congress to consider on dealing with illegal immigrants. A gentle word to the wise: flame wars on this forum, and most recently singled out, flame wars on how to deal with illegal immigration, are not seen with favor by the forum owner. Anyone who chooses to start a fire on the subject on this or any thread could find himself inhaling the flames alone, as posting privileges can be revoked if one engages in...