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"I do think that the quality which makes a man want to write and be read is essentially a desire for self-exposure and is masochistic. Like one of those guys who has a compulsion to take his thing out and show it on the street." - James Jones
...And lastly, on Tuesday, the President will participate in an interview with Yahoo! and the Politico -- with Politico's Mike Allen -- and that will be online, his first online interview.
Is there anything scarier than a bush groomed to look like a poodle?
"Fratto answered a few questions at noon. Someone asks why the president decided to speak at this commencement since he's never spoken at a high school graduation, and very few presidents have done so before him. Fratto said it was because Bush was particularly struck by what he saw during his visit after the storm last year. 'It's not often that a town of this size is 95 percent destroyed. He may have met every resident who was in town that day. He felt a closeness with the whole town and he was impressed with their willingness to rebuild,' Fratto said." -- Sandhya Somashekhar, The Washington Post
"This report contains one really large bush trimmed in the shape of a poodle or terrier or maybe both, $500 K raised by the RNCC with the help of President Bush and no news at all, nothing worth reading really, save for gratuitous color commentary on a nice night out in Virginia. It was 5:20 pm EDT at our arrival, cool, crisp and only partly cloudy and definitely not in a traditionally defined recession yet, and, friends, the excitement was mounting by the minute. We waited, motors running, glug glug glug, for the landing of Marine One on a lush soccer pitch, green as the cash the RNCC was raising this evening." -- Mark Silva, Chicago Tribune
"Marine One landed on the pitch at 6 pm, bathed in the warm light of the sinking sun on a cool evening. With a salute and a wave, the president stepped out in a dark blue suit, light blue shirt and red tie and walked across the grass and out the gate of the black chain link fence surrounding the field and climbed into a limo. The now complete motorcade rolled straight out and across the road into a subdivision on the south side of Braddock Road. It was called Brecon Ridge. Get it?" -- Silva
"The motorcade arrived at 6:18 at Chez Peterson, a sprawling modern ranch of stained wood siding with a lovely glassed porch looking out into undeveloped woods behind it and a large pond beneath the hilltop house -- the hillside planted in white and pink azaleas. To the side of the house, a garden contains a number of really large bushes -- one clipped in the shape of a dog, six feet tall. Now, the body and legs say poodle, but the tail says terrier. There was another tall bush cut in the shape of the abominable snowman, arms outstretched." -- Silva
"Pool was warned upon entering oval that no questions would be taken, and pool was quickly ushered out after about three minutes. Pool was told to head out rear doors and to briefing room. But the smiling president caught the eye of Fox cameraman Brian Haefeli, and said 'In your case, it's back to the bar,' within earshot of all assembled White House staffers and press. Laughter ensued." -- David Nitkin, Baltimore Sun
"Pool takes helicopters behind Marine One en route to the South Kent, Conn. estate of Henry Kissinger. Pool lands on the incredibly expansive and groomed Kissinger lawn at 12:55. POTUS and Marine One land four minutes later. POTus out at 1:01, greeted by Kissinger and his wife, Nancy. Chris Shays also along w/POTUS. 'Thank you for mowing the lawn for us,' POTUS quips." -- Dan Eggen, The Washington Post
It seems POTUS can understand Spanish. Who knew? And, he dines at a New Orleans institution, which is right next to a different type of NoLa landmark.
"The fundraiser is being held at the home of Dan and Carolyn Heard. A photographer reported that the home was used in the movie The Toy, with Richard Pryor." -- Jim Gerstenzang, Los Angeles Times
"The three leaders used shining gold-toned shovels to dig into a pile of freshly turned dark earth, and tossed two shovelsful each around the rootball of a tree identified on a nearby stone as a shumard oak. They made no comments audible to the pool, and completed the task in 25 seconds. The tree sits beneath full-grown live oaks and magnolias in Lafayette Square across the street from Gallier Hall. From there it was a 2-minute ride to the French Quarter where the president is having lunch at Galatoire's." -- Gerstenzang
"Galatoire's is four doors down Bourbon Street from 'Larry Flynt's Hustler Club, home of the Hustler Honeys'" -- Gerstenzang
"We held until about 9, then a smaller pool was taken over to Commander's Palace to watch a bit of the after dinner entertainment provided by Irvin Mayfield, Ambassador to New Orleans and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. We were ushered into a courtyard of the restaurant where rows of chairs had been set up, filled by an assortment of White House staff (Bolten, Hadley), Cabinet secretaries (Chertoff and Guitierrez) prominent local figures like Archbishop Hughes and Norman Francis and big sports stars, including LSU football coach Miles, Deuce McCallister and Reggie Bush, as well as Chris Paul, looking relaxed and buoyant and ready for the Mavs. It looked like an audience of about 100-120." -- Michael Abramowitz, Washington Post
"The seven-piece band struck up a verson of 'Mac the Knife,' and in a few minutes, the three leaders walked in and the audience rose in applause. Bush sat in the front row, between Calderon and Harper, who found himself next to Drew Brees." -- Abramowitz
"The president's motorcade made a short and uneventful trip from the Mexican Consulate to the Windsor Court Hotel where he met for roughly an hour with President Felipe Calderon of Mexico in a windowless conference room on the 22nd floor. A transcript will come, but the highlights included the president's remarks on relations with Mexico -- 'sometimes we take them for granted' -- trade and
cross-border security, including arms trafficking from the United States." -- Steven Lee Myers, The New York Times
"President Calderon offered an even stronger defense of NAFTA. Acknowledging it as a campaign issue, he said the increased trade benefited both countries, creating jobs on both sides of the border and decreasing immigration from Mexico. The two presidents sat in front of a flags and a placard advertising the North American Leaders' Summit, with their aides in two rows. Mr. Calderon spoke at some length before the foreign minister interrupted him to allow a translator to begin. 'I understood every word,' Mr. Bush
said." -- Myers
"The president also accepted an invitation to visit South Korea. Mr. Lee said he did not plan to meet with the North Korean leader anytime soon, and when Mr. Bush was asked if he would consider a meeting, he said simply, 'No.' Afterwards, they shook hands and walked off. 'Come on, ladies,' the president said. And the entourages followed. The last golf car to leave was driven by the Secretary of State, who spoke emphatically to Gordon D. Johndroe, patting her hand on the top of the steering wheel, but she declined a request to speak directly to the pool." -- Myers
"Under a cloudless sky the helicopter bearing the President of the Republic of Korea and Mrs. Kim Yoon-ok broke the treelined Camp David around 4 p.m. POTUS and FLOTUS waited behind the Colors. FLOTUS wrapped her green shawl tight around her shoulders and Marines held their lids as the rotor wash laid flat the combed grass. ... POTUS and the Kim Yoon-ok headed for one golf cart and the first ladies headed for the second one. In the back seat of each sat a translator. When the leader of the free world offered the controls of Golf One with
gleaming tires to the president of Korea, Yoon-ok leapt at the opportunity. During a quick drive-by, POTUS said, 'He's afraid of my driving.' With that, they headed off into the wilderness of Camp David for a dinner of roast beef tenderloin, sauteed mushrooms and cheese grits, which is closed to the press." -- Charles Hurt, New York Post
"POTUS arrived at Renaissance Hotel shortly after 11 a.m. for the America's Small Business Summit. ... POTUS welcomed the crowd of small business owners. 'You're brave souls to be here during tax week,' he said. He commended them for coming the same week as the Pope's visit since 'it will take a miracle to keep the IRS out of your pocket.'" -- Hurt
Pool was warned upon entering oval that no questions would be taken, and pool was quickly ushered out after about three minutes. Pool was told to head out rear doors and to briefing room. But the smiling president caught the eye of Fox cameraman Brian Haefeli, and said "In your case, it's back to the bar," within earshot of all assembled White House staffers and press. Laughter ensued.
A bit of awkwardness between President Bush and the New York Times' Sheryl Stolberg (NOTE: EARLIER IN THE PRESSER, DURING AN EXCHANGE WITH MARTHA RADDATZ, BUSH HAD MENTIONED "the exclusive I gave you on the ranch"....):
QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.
BUSH: You're welcome.
QUESTION: I'm still waiting for my exclusive at the ranch.
BUSH: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
QUESTION: Mr. President, today...
(LAUGHTER)
BUSH: I'm at loss for words.
(LAUGHTER)
If only you'd have been at the White House Correspondents Dinner, I would have invited you.
(LAUGHTER)
Anyway, please, go ahead.
It's an inside joke for everybody listening.
[LATER IN THE EXCHANGE, STOLBERG TRIED TO ASK A FOLLOW UP, PROMPTING BUSH TO ALLUDE TO THE WHCA AGAIN]:
BUSH: ...It'd be like a major tax cut for people.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
BUSH: Let me finish, please, Cheryl (ph). Strike one on the exclusive.
(LAUGHTER)
Excuse me, strike two.
(LAUGHTER)
"POTUS and President Putin spoke a few minutes to the pool, praising each other and commenting on POTUS's dancing ability. You'll see the transcript shortly. Putin, speaking through a translator, welcomed POTUS and said they talked today about their issues in a 'calmer, working manner.' POTUS thanked him for the dinner and the entertainment. 'I'm only happy that our press corps didn't see me try to dance the dance I was asked to do,' he said jovially. 'We have been able to see that you're a brilliant dancer,' Putin said. POTUS laughed. 'Thank you very much. We'll leave it at that.'" -- Peter Baker, The Washington Post
"Downstairs were two rooms where we were served an elaborate array of canapes, including some with red caviar. There also was wine and tea and coffee, as well as pastries. One of the rooms housed the biggest pool table your pooler has ever seen. It also has the narrowest pockets." -- John McKinnon, The Wall Street Journal
"POTUS then tried his Ukrainian again. 'Vitay yu vas,' he told the lunch guests, which translates essentially as "I greet you." POTUS harkened back to Ukrainian courage in World War II and again during the Orange Revolution. 'In 2004, Ukrainians inspired the world with the Orange Revolution,' he said." -- Baker
"POTUS made an abrupt and unexpected departure from the summit at 6 p.m. He literally just got up, walked out, got into his car and left without waiting for the rest of the motorcade. He's now back at the hotel preparing for the evening events, which have been pushed back to give the leaders more time to get ready." -- Baker
"No real news, but I am filing a pool report before the SAO briefing because 90 minutes after he was scheduled to leave, POTUS is still at the working dinner and FLOTUS has just left by herself." -- Jon Ward, Washington Times
"The lesson of this pool report is that those of you too lazy (or busy) to read the gaggle transcript get a summary." -- Ward
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