mediabistro.com: FishbowlDC

It is a big week as POTUS plants a tree and meets the pontiff.

"The event was open press, but here are a few particulars. Pope Benedict XVI emerged from an Alitalia plane in his traditional white garb. He did not kiss the ground upon descending the stairway to the tarmac. He was greeted by President Bush, Mrs. Bush, and Jenna Bush. The group proceeded down a red carpet, past an honor guard and into the terminal, where they remained for about 15 minutes. Then the Pontiff, the president, Mrs. Bush and Jenna walked back outside and the pope descended into a large black limo, part of a motorcade of the type usually used by visiting heads of state. No, there was no sign of the Popemobile. The Pontiff was whisked away and the president immediately proceeded to his motorcade, your pool struggling as usual to stay with him." -- Keith Koffler, CongressDaily

"A few miscellaneous facts provided by the White House to the pool: -- The Boeing 777 on which the pope arrived is designated 'Shepherd One.' -- This is the first time the president of the United States has ever greeted a head of state (the pope being not only the leader of the Catholic Church but the ruler of Vatican City State) at the airport." -- Koffler

"Motorcade to and from Andrews was normal. At one Beltway crossing, there were no cars to be seen in either direction at all, during rush hour. This conjured up images best summarized by Mark Knoller of CBS, who remarked that the papal arrival had probably inspired an obviously unintended but unfortunately significant outcry of the Lord's name being taken in vain up and down 495." -- Koffler

"The most perilous part of our journey occurred at approximately 4:40 p.m. just outside the POTUS ranch, as the driver of Camera One -- we will call him a 'senior press advance representative' -- attempted to turn the van around on the narrow road and ended up stuck with the rear of the vehicle in the ditch. A swift rescue was carried out by the Secret Service; poolers in the van chose to remain put in order to stave off panic." -- Dan Eggen, The Washington Post

"Motorcade carrying POTUS and FLOTUS departs presidential ranch at approx. 5:55 p.m. Arrives at nearby Broken Spoke Ranch at 6:02 p.m. Pool settles into a very nice BBQ and beer meal under sunny skies and a light breeze. Tent and porta-john at our disposal." -- Eggen

"POTUS departs fundraiser via motorcade at 8:40 p.m. Arrives at presidential ranch at 8: 48 p.m. A 'senior press advance representative' again attempted a U-turn but this time was successful. Lid called at 8:50." -- Eggen

"POTUS and FLOTUS each took hold of a commemorative shovel. POTUS quipped that he was 'getting ready to shovel,' then he paused and added, 'dirt.' Some laughter from the assembled at this. They shoveled dirt onto the rootball of the replacement Scarlet Oak, which
was about 20-25 feet tall. After hand shakes and introductions with the decendents of the 23rd U.S president, POTUS turned to the pool and said, 'Thank you all. Pleasure shoveling in front of you.'" -- Eric Rosenberg, Hearst Newspapers

Tuesday Oct 09, 2007

This Week In Pool Reports

In this week's episode of the pool reports, POTUS and FLOTUS play the role of proud parents and POTUS keeps a room of hungry Muslims waiting.

"President and Mrs. Bush departed the White House around 6:45 pm for a short trip via motorcade to the Hay-Adams Hotel, for what staff described as a party to celebrate the publication of Jenna's first book, Ana's Story. Jenna traveled in a separate car, wearing a blue dress something between royal and aqua, poolers concluded -- flared at the hem, with open-toed heels. She was flanked by her sister Barbara, in a black dress, and Jenna's fiancé Henry Hager, in a dark suit with light tie. The motorcade returned to the White House at 7:34.
The pool was kept at a safe distance from partygoers and hors d'oeuvres." -- Sasha Issenberg, The Boston Globe

"Your pool was escorted in to the State Dining Room shortly after 7
p.m., and the room fell silent soon after we entered. But it was several minutes before the president and first lady entered at 7:15 p.m., which likely seemed like a long time to the observant Muslim guests who had fasted throughout the day -- the 22nd day of Ramadan." -- David Nitkin, Baltimore Sun

"Saifulislam began his prayer with a preamble during which he told the president that the prophet Mohammed once that whomever in the month of Ramadan invites a person to break fast 'gets the same reward as the person who fasts.' 'Mr. President, we've got you covered,' Saifulislam said, drawing a small chuckle from the crowd." – Nitkin, Baltimore Sun

"The evangelical president did not go to church today, but he did go on a bike ride. He left the White House at 7:53
a.m., arriving at Fort Belvoir at 8:20 a.m. The pool then spent an hour at Starbucks. Motorcade departed at 10:25, arriving back at the White House at 10:52." -- Bill Sammon, The Washington Examiner

"Decked out in evening finery, President and First Lady Laura Bush left the White House at 6:50
p.m., en route to the Library of Congress for the gala. The president donned a traditional tuxedo. Your color-blind (and fashion deaf) pooler would have a difficult time describing Mrs. Bush's evening gown, which was called copper-reddish in color; at least one fellow correspondent described it as 'burnt siena.'" -- David Jackson, USA Today

"The pool was allowed to hear the presentation of only one author, thriller writer
J.A. Jance. She joked that she couldn't read from her latest work, Justice Denied, because the hero works for an outfit called the Special Homicide Investigation Team - not an acronym to be tossed around lightly before such an august audience. 'With the president sitting here, my mother would never allow me to read that,' Jance joked." --
Jackson

"As the pool headed to the press room, it encountered First Dog Barney sauntering in the Rose Garden. Barney dutifully posed for pictures until his master appeared on the colonnade, calling the pooch back inside. President Bush waved to the pool before disappearing back into the West Wing himself." --
Jackson

Monday Oct 08, 2007

Matthews: Hillary Is Impressive, Not Inspirational

It was standing room only at Politics and Prose on Friday when Chris Matthews made an appearance to discuss his new book and the current state of American politics.

He expressed a desire to see a sense of optimism in the next president, citing the current lack among the presidential frontrunners. "Rudy [Giuliani] trying to scare the bejesus out of you has a certain appeal, I suppose..." Matthews said, adding later "Hillary [Clinton] has run an impressive campaign, but not an inspirational one."

He then turned to the subject of presidential campaign strategy, saying that if Sen. Clinton won the Iowa caucus, she would have a substantial chance of 'running the table' in the primaries and easily becoming the Democrat presidential nominee. If Illinois Senator Barack Obama could muster a victory in Iowa, however, "all bets are off" Matthews conceded. He also concluded that John Edwards wouldn't have the same prospects if he were to pull of a victory in Iowa. When talking about Obama's perpetual lag behind Clinton in opinion polls, Matthews said "I'd like to see him take off."

Matthews' analysis of Republicans was much less friendly and constructive. When discussing Rudy Giuliani portraying himself as strong on national security, Matthews said "There's a big piece of Nixon in Rudy." He also found it "too hilarious" that the Republican National Convention is slated to be held in Minneapolis -- "where the bridge fell and the feet touched."

Matthews also blasted former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee as being from "Hickland" and trying to solve "big city problems" for suggesting that right-to-carry laws would reduce inner city violence.

After such biting criticisms of Republicans, Matthews apparently sought to temper his remarks by saying "I'm just pandering because I know you're all from around here," drawing laughter and applause from the predominantly, if not exclusively, liberal audience.

It would seem that he wasn't yet done pandering, because he went on to say that the GOP wanted a leader as their president, adding "I won't use the German term for leader, or the Italian word for leader, but a leader." He later stated that Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson belonged in a Lay-Z-Boy chair.

Matthews also commented on his appearance on the Daily Show, calling it "an experience." After saying that he and Jon Stewart were "competitors," Matthews added "If I wanted to be snaky, I would say that [Stewart] was doing what my book says -- fighting up."

During the Q and A session, a young girl asked the Hardball host who his inspiration was, to which he answered "It depends." After lauding Ernest Hemmingway and his literary works, he claimed that his hero was former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

His parting comments were again directed at Hillary Clinton, saying that he "liked the cackle," referring to her now-infamous laugh on her recent rounds to the Sunday talk shows. "She's a reasonable facsimile of an easy-going person," Matthews said, "and that's good enough for me."

Tuesday Aug 07, 2007