Wonkette - white house pool reports

Category: white house pool reports

DEC

2005

Pool Report: No Defense Against the Dark Arts

Filed by Michael Kranish of the Boston Globe:

Pool Report #2, 12/21/05 President Bush signed the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005 in room 350 of the EEOB. He spoke for a few minutes. The text will follow. He stayed on message and took no questions. He did not stay to chat with the audience. He briskly exited, followed by the hovering Karl Rove.

Rove's levitating now? It could be prestidigitation. Or he's afloat with the knowledge that he's not being indicted for Christmas. — DCEIVER

NOV

2005

Linen N' Things

White House reporters have noted Laura Bush’s appetite for news. Unlike the professions of her husband, Laura reportedly not only reads the papers but calls reporters when she disagrees with a particular take. We don’t know if the rumors are true, but this corrected White House pool report did catch our eye.

The president and first lady arrived at the lock at 10:35 a.m. EST, about 15 minutes ahead of schedule. He was wearing a blue shirt and grayslacks and no tie. The first lady had on a white pantsuit, looking very crisp.”
“Skies were overcast, but it was not raining. A very large cruise ship, tourists lining the railings, passed thought the lock just before they arrived.”

“The Bushes were joined at the lock by President and Mrs. Torrijos. The Panamanian president was without jacket and tie, also His wife had on an eggshell-white pantsuit. Hers appeared to be linen, while Mrs. Bush's outfit was probably polyester and cotton.

About three hours later, the following correction went out to reporters:

First Lady Laura Bush's white pantsuit was linen, and not polyester and cotton, as reported. It still looked crisp.

Richard (Saint Laurent) Benedetto

USA TODAY

Full report after the jump.
-- Eric Pfeiffer

Pool Report 3 Nov. 7, 2005 Propositioned pool Tour of the Miraflores Lock
The president and first lady arrived at the lock at 10:35 a.m. EST,
about 15 minutes ahead of schedule. He was wearing a blue shirt and gray slacks and no tie. The first lady had on a white pantsuit, looking very crisp.

Skies were overcast, but it was not raining. A very large cruise ship,
tourists lining the railings, passed thought the lock just before they
arrived.

The Bushes were joined at the lock by President and Mrs. Torrijos. The Panamanian president was without jacket and tie, also His wife had on an eggshell-white pantsuit. Hers appeared to be linen, while Mrs. Bush's outfit was probably polyester and cotton.

The two couples crossed the canal by traversing the narrow, slippery
path along the top of the v-shaped lock gate. The trek was a little
tricky for the ladies, who were wearing high heels, requiring them to
hold on to the railings. At one point, the foursome stopped and President Torrijos gave and animated explanation.

A little out of breath after climbing a narrow flight of stairs that led into the control tower, the two couples emerged in the lock's main
center where they received a grand tour. The highlight of the scene was the huge historic control table that dominated the room. Controls are now computerized, so the tubes, switches and handles on the table are no longer used. But they are kept for the museum value. The president tried his hand at turning some of what appeared to be faucet handles and seemed to be having fun.

The control table looked something like a lab out of a 1950s science
fiction film, with lights and dials and a series of calibrated, square
brass-and-glass tubes of varying heights that once were used to measure the water height. Senior control operator Leopoldo Cochez explained that the controls were built by General Electric in 1914, and were at the time state of the art. He said it was one of the world's first "mechanical computers."

Tucked in the corner, and taking up much less room, were the
more-familiar and less-impressive computerized controls and flat-screen monitors that manage the locks now.

The group spent abut 15 minutes looking out the window toward the
Pacific Ocean end of the canal, where they could see a ship carrying
lumber approaching the locks. They were out of earshot, but they
received an extensive explanation from Alberto Aleman Zubieta, the canal administrator, and Ricaurte Vasquez, who is chairman of the canal's board of directors. The presidential couples then went out on the balcony where Torrijos continued his tour. Returning to the control room and heading for the stairs, the president passed your pool and said, "Interesting, isn't it?"

Then they were gone. All in all, they spent about 35 minutes on the lock tour.

Richard Benedetto
USA TODAY

OCT

2005

Gossip Roundup: 'Hide the Salami'

• Inside the Beltway: Margaret Spellings said of Miers in 2003: "She doesn't want to be in the paper. She's all about the president. Will people think she is important and in the know for her next gig? I can tell you she is and she is.". . . White House pool report noted that Cheney dashed his turkey with salt or pepper. [WT]
• Under the Dome: After urging conservation, Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman uses Cadillac limo and large SUV to travel 15 blocks. . . Rumsfeld distracted by the "wrong rabbit". . . Aspen Institute names Reps. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Dan Boren (D-Okla.), Artur Davis (D-Ala.), Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.), Heather Wilson (R-N.M.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) among top 24 "emerging leaders." [The Hill]
• Rush & Molloy: Dean on Miers: "You can't play hide the salami, or whatever it's called. [Bush has] got to go out there and say something about this woman… We deserve to know something about her." [NYDN]

• Reliable Source: Prince Charles and Camilla set for official White House visit next month. [WP]
• Lloyd Grove's Lowdown: Ashcroft hawking his memoir with Bob Barnett. [NYDN]
• Cindy Adams: "Fashionistas" can't handle Miers. [NYP]
• Page Six: Lewinsky wants $100,000 for her first interview as a UK resident. . . E! will broadcast "Bill Clinton: All the President's Women." [NYP, NYP]

AUG

2005

Gossip Roundup: Biggest Cinnamon Bun Ever

• Inside the Beltway: Podesta group issues press release titled "How Not to Prepare for a Massive Hurricane, by President Bush". . . White House pool report noted Air Force One served "the biggest cinnamon bun you ever saw, even bigger than the ones you can buy in the mall." [WT]
• Inside Politics: Buchanan calls for Republicans to attack Bush for his immigration policies. . . Will evangelicals accept Romney, a mormon, in '08? [WT]
• Names & Faces: Schwarzenegger museum in Austria closes. [WP]
• Liz Smith: Bill Clinton and Desmond Tutu will receive awards from the Human Rights Campaign. [NYP]

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AUG

2005

Gossip Roundup: Bush Wears Kerry's Face

• Inside the Beltway: White House pool report comments Bush "wore a dark blue suit, looked tired and drawn.". . . Hank Williams Jr. gives "pledge of support" to Frist. [WT]
• Inside Politics: Leahy says he would not vote for Roberts if nominee expressed positions on specific cases. . . Sharpton's driver arrested for driving at 110 mph in Texas; Sharpton walked away. AP: "There is no word on where they went.". . . Sheehan supporters may start releasing video packages. [WT]
• Rush & Molloy: McGreevey milks the "gay social circuit.". . . Clintons vacation in Kauai, invite Pierce Brosnan. [NYDN]
• Page Six: Judith Miller "is having a perfectly awful time in jail," her husband reports. [NYP]
• Names & Faces: Deck of Bush playing cards literally leans right (Rove is the ace of diamonds). [WP]

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