Bush may be Keanu Reeves in disguise...

Today a man threw a pair of shoes at President Bush's head which resulted in a display of cat-like reflexes by our Commander in Chief. Unlike the reporters who hastily began to apologize security guards who beat the protester, President Bush seemed to find it comical. This incident occurred shortly before Bush was to shake hands with the Prime Minister of Iraq and the shoes were thrown by a Muntandar al-Zeidi. His employer, along with other reporters from Iraq, or sending pleas to the government to spare his life. Right before he threw the shoes he shouted "This is a farewell kiss, you dog. This is from the widows, the orphans, and those who were killed in Iraq."Apparently, according to the news report I read, the removal of a shoe to use as a weapon is similar to that of a person slapping another to the ground. It not only hurts the victim, but it is a sign of contempt and intended to embarrass the person receiving the "shoe-ing"

President Bush and the Economy- BFFs

This week Bush discussed the economy with a rather optimistic point of view. He also detailed what he believed to be the fundamental solutions to fixing the crisis without delving into how we would come about such solutions. Bush states that we must make credit more affordable and that he is concerned about what is going to happen to the automobile companies. After reading Bush's speech, I feel somewhat robbed of three minutes of my life because there was nothing of substance in it. As the weeks go by less and less news seems to come up about President Bush and I can't wait until he pardons someone very interesting or controversial so that I have something to write about. I wish more of the President's speeches went into great detail about why and how we must do things instead of just stating they need to be done. 

Bush Pardons Two Turkeys and Supports SOFA

President Bush pardoned two delicious turkeys on Thanksgiving this year. Their names are Pumpkin and Pecan. They are no doubt grieving over the recent deaths of their many friends and family members, who had their corpses desecrated and eaten. To cheer them up they are both going to Disneyland and Pumpkin is going to be Grand Marshal of Disneyland's Thanksgiving day parade. No one knows what will become of Pecan except that he will be accompanying Pumpkin on the plane flight to Disneyland. My guess is that Mickey Mouse will eat him.

President Bush also made a statement on two agreements between the USA and Iraq. Recently, as many of you know, Iraq's Council of Representatives approved a Strategic Framework Agreement and a Security Forces Agreement. The Strategic Framework Agreement sets the stage for a future relationship between the two countries while the Security Forces Agreement addresses the withdrawal of US troops in the near future. Instead of President Bush seeing this as a sign of defeat because we are being kicked out, he saw it as an example of how much stronger Iraq's democracy has become that they no longer need us. If President-elect Obama stays true to President Bush's statement, a Republican was holding the office of president when the plans for full withdrawal of US troops began.

This week, President Bush addressed aviation congestion and transportation safety. He started off his speech buy thoroughly congratulating the Secretary of Transportation, Mary Peters, on the job she did on regulating bridge safety after the collapse of the I-35 bridge in Minnesota earlier this year. President Bush then addressed what the airlines need to do to make travel a more enjoyable or, more likely, a less annoying hassle for the average American. President Bush supported the implementation of regulations that will take effect in time for Christmas. "These include measures that will require airlines to provide greater compensation for lost bags, as well as tougher penalties when airlines fail to notify travelers of hidden fees. " Bush then talked about how his administration opened up global travel for Americans before complaining about some work that needs to still be done. He also signed an executive order that made modernization a priority for agencies across the federal government.

Summit on Financial Markets and World Economy Participants

This week President Bush hosted a dinner for the representatives of the major economies. The only missing member on the first night was Prime Minister Balkenende due to the tragic passing of his father. They were all there to discuss the global financial crisis and what could be done to fix it. As always, President Bush emphasized the importance of having a free market economy. President Bush and the representatives had a series of meetings in which they focused on five primary objectives; understanding the causes of the global crisis, reviewing the effectiveness of our responses thus far, identifying principles for reforming our financial and regulatory systems, launching a specific action plan to implement those principles, and reaffirming our conviction that free market principles offer the surest path to lasting prosperity. George Bush has claimed that "global credit markets are beginning to thaw" and lets hope he's right. President Bush is convinced that free market trade will be the thing that saves the economy. He states that "Free market capitalism has been an engine of prosperity, progress, and social mobility in economies all over the globe".

True conclusion that I made up with no factual evidence: To let other presidents know how great he was, Bush has been carving "W is the man" into every bathroom wall as he prepares for Obama's move into the white house.

11-10-2008 Update

President elect Barack Obama and his wife Michelle were welcomed at the white house today. Since the election of the Democratic candidate the news wire has been relatively quiet at whitehouse.gov. A feature on the front page discusses the presidential transition and for the first time since the election a day(november 9th) passed by without a news story. That is not to say that nothing will be done in the president's lame duck period.

Today, Bush visited the Naval Medical Center. He commended the work of the men and women at the center saying, "It's inspiring to see the hard work...the courage of the patients".

While little official news is being given about happenings in the white house, do not be surprised to see a few changes in the last days of the Republican Presidency. Updates will continue to be given at this blog

All Good Things Must Come To An End

President Bush finally seems ready to accept that his rich Presidential legacy may be coming to an end. The President who, in past years, made the trip to Crawford, Texas to vote publicly, has instead voted by an absentee ballot and will watch the Tuesdays historic election on a white house television set (rumored to be a $5000 65" LCD bought with your tax dollars). It appears that finally the President has stopped stirring up political drama and is ready to hand over the reigns to whomever his predecessor will be. Others however are not willing to let Mr. Bush slip into everyday life without getting in one last word. San Fransisco, a bastion of conservative supporters of Bush has sought to honor their noble leader by naming a sewage plant after him. Proposition R will appear on San Fransisco's ballot and proposes renaming an existing plant to commemorate President Bush. The plant, which treats sewage to help reduce its effect on the environment when it is dumped into the ocean, is perfect to continuing Bush's legacy of being a proponent of the environment. Foreigners are exploiting Bush's silence by insulting him in these last few days. The former Governor of Hong Kong (the man who let Hong Kong be taken over by China) has gone on the record as saying "I don't think he's got a first-class temperament, put it mildly. And I think he's deeply uncurious intellectually." Then again you don't see America getting repossessed by Britain.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/03/BAQG13S22D.DTL
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hqXcd0sJkd40sYkks_g4XO_hzn8Q
http://www.smh.com.au/news/us-election/wilting-bush-absentee-vote-for-president/2008/11/03/1225560735906.html

Going Out With Guns Blazing

President Bush must have a great deal of confidence in whoever the president elect will become. The bleak economic situation America is facing as well as a continued war in Iraq seem not to pose a big enough challenge to whichever candidate will come to power in the November 4th election. To make the job truly challenging, American troops launched an attack on a target within Syrian borders. Syria has aided the United States on it's borders with Iraq. In the last month Syria has been particullary co-operative. Though the details on the attack are still hazy it is believed that special operations ground forces and possibly helicopters entered Syrian borders and launched an attack on a building believed to be harboring millitants. During the attack there were no American Casualties though 8 were killed including 4 children. This attack not only came at a surprising time (given recent Syrian cooperation as well as the proximity to the election) but also poses a significant danger to the shaky base on which an American presence can be maintained in Iraq. Some writers, both domestic and abroad, are touting this attack as a final play by Bush to anger Syria with whom he was at ends for many years.

Bush meets with the President Sirleaf of future international powerhouse Liberia

On October 22nd President Bush met with President Sirleaf to discuss their countries' relationship. Though they seemed quite cordial to each other, i felt that the two presidents were in a bragging competition. Bush talked about Liberia's bright future but was not scared to say that Liberia was in need of the United States's help. President Sirleaf then shot back at Bush and talked about the strength of Liberia and how it was growing ever stronger. In the midst of the economic crisis currently going on in the US, Sirleaf's comments were a slap in the face. As President Sirleaf stated "We've been able to put our economic and financial house in order; tackle our debt; begin to rebuild our infrastructure; put our children back into school; bring some water and electricity to a country that hasn't had it for over two decades. And so we're just so thankful for the encouragement, the support that we received from you.". Though they have received our support I don't think that will stop them from conquering us. Watch out America, here comes Liberia.

Summit Meeting

The current economic crisis has extended beyond the bordered of the United States. Indeed the entire global economy is being brought down. President Bush has called for a meeting of the leaders of twenty major countries whose economies have been effected by the current economic hardship. The leaders will meet on November 15th in Washington D.C.. The date of this meeting is extreemly interesting. President Bush will, bearing polling fraud and controversy, know who his successor is to be. President Bush said that he will involve the president elect heavily in the meeting however neither Obama nor McCain has said that they will attend and participate if elected.

Bush Signs Andean Trade Preference Act Extension

This week, on October 16th, Bush signed the Andean Trade Preference Act Extension in order to promote economic growth in the Western Hemisphere. Like he has done in many other speeches in which he addresses the bills he has signed or plans to sign, Bush commended the legislative branch on its bipartisan voting practices. Bush states that "Now that members of Congress have ensured duty-free access for American -- South American products entering our markets, they also need to ensure duty-free access for U.S. products entering South American markets. Congress has a good opportunity to take a step in that direction by approving our free trade agreement with Colombia." Bush claims that 90 percent of Colombian products that are exported to America, not counting the drugs of course, are completely duty free but there is still the problem of the high tariffs on the American goods being exported into Colombia. When Congress comes back to Washington Bush hopes that this, along with similar agreements with Panama and South Korea, will be one of their priorities. He believes that these agreements will strengthen America's relationship with its allies while also benefitting the economy of said allies. 

Bush Trys to Boost Confidence of Americans

President Bush, while considered by many to be a lame duck, is not fading from the face of politics. The President has been very busy in the last few days. On Monday he welcomed Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi to tour the United States. Italy has been one of the more committed European nations in the War on Terror. Bush took an interesting approach to instill confidence into the Economy. On Wednesday Bush had two meeting to deal with he financial crisis. The first was with his cabinet which included the presence of Secretary Paulson. The President acknowledged that extraordinary action had been taken in order to resolve what he deemed "an extraordinary situation". After seeking the advice of his cabinet Bush addressed the people of Ada, Michigan. Staying true to the average American attitude which arguably got him elected, met with the people in a local deli. He responded to questions posed and attempted to instill faith of average Americans that the economy will fully recover. Bush has had some fun recently however. On Tuesday afternoon he invited the Detroit Red Wings to a celebration in honor of their Stanley Cup victory last season.

Bush Discusses Economy with G7 Leaders

Today, George W. Bush met with the G7 Financial Ministers(Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, and Japan) at the White House to discuss the state of the US and World economies. With all of the many actions the United Sates has taken in the past few weeks, including the Wall Street Bailout, to push the country out of a rescission, it was important for President Bush and Secretary of the Treasury Paulson to explain the United States' plan.

Bush stated that

"In my country, it is important for our citizens to have understood that which affects Wall Street affects Main Street as well. And all of us recognize that this is a serious global crisis and, therefore, requires a serious global response for the good of our people. We resolve to continue our strong efforts to return our economies to the path of stability and long-term growth. "

Source:http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/10/20081011-2.html

Election Update

In terms of the election, Bush has stayed out of the news in the past few weeks. He has not spoken much about the campaign, possibly realizing that any association may damage the campaign. The actions Bush is taking to pull the economy out of recession and talk to global leaders could help to improve the image of the Republican Party, but it may be too late in the game. Stay tuned

Bush signs United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Nonproliferation Enhancement Act

Today, on October, 8th 2008, his majesty, President Bush,  signed the United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Nonproliferation Enhancement Act. For the past three years Prime Minister Singh, of India, and President Bush have been working on this such agreement as a way for both nations to cooperate on nuclear energy. Bush believes that this agreement will strengthen global nonproliferation efforts and reduce the danger of nuclear proliferation around the world. Bush believes that "this agreement sends a signal to the world: Nations that follow the path of democracy and responsible behavior will find a friend in the United Staes of America." This statement was followed by a large applause. During this Speech, Bush also talked about the benefits of nuclear energy while thanking his fellow government officials including a women who seems to hate him with a passion, Nancy Pelosi. He also thanked the Foreign Affairs Committee, which just happens to have Senator and vice presidential candidate Joe Biden as a member.

To see the full transcript of this speech go to: whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/10/20081008-4.html

Weekend Update

On October 4th President Bush signed the now infamous "Bailout Bill" into law. Despite rather controversial terms the bill was passed by congress. The plan, which provides 700 billion dollars worth of aid hopes to stabilize the American Economy.

Presidential Location Update

Today the President was in the Oval Office meeting General David McKiernan, NATO Commander for International Security in Afghanistan. President Bush remarked that, "There's been progress when you consider the fact that millions of young girls go to school that didn't have a chance to go to school before in Afghanistan," but also noted that "There's difficulties, of course, because killers can't stand this progress."

In the case that significant progress in Afghanistan is noted in the coming weeks this could help the McCain campaign as Obama has been negative about the current adminstration's work in the area. This is an excellent political move for the President.

The Golden Age Of America

George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States of America, will leave behind him a rich legacy. Until recent weeks it would seem the monumental event of his term was the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001. These overshadowed the controversial manner in which Bush came into office in the 2000 presidential election. Since then president Bush has taken a course of action to spread democracy to those whom are deemed oppressed and worthy of saving. Bush adopted preemptive tactics attempting to wipe out the Taliban in Afghanistan and other terrorist organizations in the area before they could launch another attack on the American Mainland. Bush is known for his well spoken message of victory. As Bush said himself "So long as I'm the president, my measure of success is victory -- and success." April 17, 2008 He will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest Presidents, if not the single greatest president, of all time.

Revised bailout passes in Senate, Bush responds

Bush finally had a day at the whitehouse that is leaving him smiling and applauding for his fellow comrades. And George, I can see your pearly whites all the way here in San Diego, California. The Senate's passing of the financial rescue plan has left Bush feeling like he has finally "won". The bill passed with an overwhelming 74-25 majority. He stated that, "especially appreciate the efforts of Majority Leader Harry Reid, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senators Chris Dodd and Judd Gregg", noticing efforts from both parties. He believes that this particular financial rescue plan is what Americans need to help them become financially secure. He stated that he was very pleased with the Senate's "strong bipartisan vote in favor of the financial rescue plan." He also hopes that the changes made by the Senate to the bill will make it more appealing to both parties in the House of Representatives. Bush also thinks that the American people are behind him in his actions, a rare occurrence, and that this is a "good bill".

To read the statement on the passage fo the bill by the Senate go to:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/10/20081001-16.html

picture provided by: z.about.com/politicalhumor

George W. Bush In Support of bailout plan

In the weeks before Monday's vote on the bailout plan President George W. Bush pleaded for bipartisan support. While Democrats backed the President in the vote on Monday, the bill was unable to pass as only 65 of 198 house Republicans voted to pass the bill, with the final margin being 228-205.

A color coded map on where the votes were distributed in reference to party and location can be seen here

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/09/29/business/20080929-CONGRESS-VOTE-GRAPHIC.html

The map and the outcome of the vote provide a few clues into the current state of the Republican party. For one, less than a third of Republicans voted for the bill. This is after it was supported by both President George W. Bush and the John "The maverick" McCain. McCain was supposed to be the knight in shining armour that rode into Washington to save the day. Videos were shown of McCain working the phones and he went as motioning to suspend his campaign to "save the day". His campaign as of today is now down by 7 points across the nation after this failure. This vote however does not show that John McCain completely failed, but rather that the house has completely lost support for its President. With the Republican party split, as it appears to be, winning a Presidential elections in the coming weeks appears that it may be more of a struggle than the party previously believed.

It appears that the President can do little but try to distance himself from the campaign as it continues. Bush appeared to be powerless at the RNC, talking off a mega prompter and showing little emotion while joking, "John McCain will tell you when he thinks your wrong, trust me I know". However, for the Republicans to win the campaign Bush will need to step up and rise to the challenge of leading his party and the country to a solution in this economic crisis. Through doing this, not on the campaign trail, Bush can elevate the McCain campaign and provide "the maverick" with a needed victory that may not only bring him back into competition, but win him the presidency.


Source: pinkdome.com