Category: western white house

Bound and Gaggled: Dense Undergrowth Edition

From yesterday's press gaggle:

Good morning. Let me update you on the President's schedule. Yesterday, after arriving, he went out and did some cutting and clearing brush, and then was at his home on the ranch. And this morning he had his normal intelligence briefings, and he was out this morning clearing some brush and is right now -- or has just recently concluded a bicycle ride and he'll be spending the rest of the day at home with his wife and mother-in-law.

Jeezy Creezy! Again with the brush? Doesn't the President have some, I don't know...tack to polish? Isn't about time he put down some new shelf liners in the pantry? Considering the steady way this brush encroaches on his ranch like super flora from beyond the moon, you'd think that at the very least, he'd have some cronies-in-waiting willing to take on the task in exchange for political favors.

Seriously, could someone help him? With the President always out in the field machete-ing his way through kudzu, it's no wonder we're always in grave danger whenever he goes on vacation.— DCEIVER

READ MORE: death cab for cronyism , press briefings , top , western white house

WH Pool Report: Vacation? What Vacation?

In this White House pool report, Peter Baker tries to get WH spokesbot Scott McClellan to comment on the President's vacations or lack thereof:

Asked if POTUS needs a vacation after this vacation, Scott said, "This is not what you would call a vacation. This is the president's home. He always enjoys coming here. But when you're president, you're president 24/7."

Ah, yes, especially when consulting with that little-known cabinet official, "Secretary of Clearing Brush."

Full report after the jump.

From: White House Press Releases
Reply-To: White House Press Releases
Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2005 11:39:29 -0400
To: WH Press Releases
Subject: POOL REPORT #1, 8/31/05

POOL REPORT #1, 8/31/05

Quick pool report before AF-1 takes off. Scott came back to gaggle while we were on tarmac, there will be a transcript.

He said POTUS conducted video conference this morning on the hurricane relief efforts. Joining him in Texas were Rove and Crouch; on the line from Maine was Card, who's also returning to Washington today; VPOTUS joined in from Wyoming; at the White House were Chertoff, his deputy Michael Jackson, Fran Townsend, Claude Allen, Dan Bartlett and others; and from the region was Mike Brown. Brown gave operational briefing on where things are, particularly on the Superdome. POTUS focused on first, saving lives and sustaining life, and second, developing a long-term plan, particularly to deal with the displaced residents, Scott said.

Scott said Chertoff has declared this an "incident of national significance," triggering a recently developed national emergency plan for the first time. This allows DHS to better coordinate agencies, he said. Chertoff is in charge from Washington and Brown from the region.

Scott said he expects a supplemental appropriation to be requested at some point to pay for disaster relief and recovery. POTUS will talk after the 4 p.m. at WH and seems likely to take questions. Scott said he had no idea where reports came that there will be an address to the nation.

Scott said he expects a presidential visit to the region later in the week, probably either Friday or Saturday, but they're still figuring out the timing. Asked if AF-1 would fly over the affected region en route to Washington today, he said stay tuned.

Scott said the president urged national unity. "This is a time when all Americans really need to come together and do all that we can to support those ... in the Gulf State region that have been impacted by this natural disaster," Scott said. "This could well be the worst natural disaster in our nation's history."

Asked if POTUS needs a vacation after this vacation, Scott said, "This is not what you would call a vacation. This is the president's home. He always enjoys coming here. But when you're president, you're president 24/7."

Peter Baker
The Washington Post

READ MORE: White House , crawford , katrina , peter baker , pool reports , scott mcclellan , top , western white house

Crawford A Little Too Laid Back

Wonkette's secret service operative sends us this pic of a Crawford Sheriff's Department vehicle:

Well no wonder not many protesters got arrested...

420 [Snopes]
Arrests, rhetoric highlight protests [Waco Tribune-Herald]

READ MORE: Funny Pictures , cindy sheehan , crawford , protests , western white house

Press Corps Enjoys Cookies, Access

Dan Froomkin of the "White House Briefing" gets up on his high horse about Bush's off-the-record barbecue with the WH press corps, but this time he has company: "And later, a small handful watched askance as the rest fawned over Bush, following him around in packs every time he moved." How big do you think that "small handful" got by the time the press vans got back to the hotel? We wouldn't be surprised if Froomkin's scolding has the cranky Crawford corps in a snit, though we'd argue that there's nothing wrong in and of itself with sucking up to someone to get a story. It's the stabbing in the back afterward that we miss.

Bush's Secret Dinner -- With the Press [WP]

RELATED: NBC producer Antoine Sanfuentes made the scene and describes the same spread as Froomkin, though he does note that "Wild grasses and various flowers and trees surround the First Family's residence. The roof is made of metal and the large windows framed in natural rock overlook the property that includes canyons, streams and various indigenous trees." Yowza. Developing. . . [Daily Nightly]

READ MORE: crawford , dan froomkin , george w. bush , press corps , western white house , white house press corps

Best Little White House in Texas

An operative on the scene sends us this:

Gee, you'd think the reporters would like it there more.

READ MORE: Funny Pictures , crawford , western white house , wh press corps

Bush's To Do: Give Press Chance to Claim I'm Insensitive A-Hole

Ken Herman of the Cox News service looks at what Bush did instead of talking to Cindy Sheehan and picks some low-hanging fruit:

In addition to the two-hour bike ride, Bush's Saturday schedule included an evening Little League Baseball playoff game, a lunch meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a nap, some fishing and some reading.

We could also point out that yesterday, while thousands starved in Darfur, Bush ate a donut. The problem isn't that Bush was napping while Cindy Sheehan protested the war that got her son killed. The problem is that he was napping during the intelligence assessments that led up to the war that got her son killed.

Bush will `go on with life' [Cox News]
RELATED: This Newsweek story makes a convincing case for Bush's genuine compassion for families who have lost someone in the war. It's just not going to change his mind.

ALSO: Balancing Act [Soundbitten]
U.S. Lowers Sights On What Can Be Achieved in Iraq [WP]

READ MORE: cindy sheehan , george w. bush , newsweek , soundbitten , western white house

Bush Neighbor Fires Shots Into the Air For No Metaphorical Reason At All

A brain-teaser from the Crawford circus:

Reporter: Larry, why did you shoot the gun?

Mattlage: Well, I'm getting ready for dove season and you all are still gonna' be here, I'm practicin'.

Reporter: Was there another message involved in the gunshot?

Mattlage: You figure it out for yourself.

"Practicing for dove season" -- well, that seems pretty straightforward. What other message could there be? If only doves were a well-recognized symbol for something...

Man defends firing shots near Bush protesters [WND]

READ MORE: cindy sheehan , protests , western white house

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