STORM2K

BUSH TRIP

Bush arrives in Australia
The President of the United States, George W Bush, has arrived in Australia.

The US President's aircraft, Air Force One, was escorted to Canberra by two Australian F/A-18 fighter jets.

There is extremely tight security at the airport and in many parts of Canberra.

The fighter jets will patrol the city during his stay, and navy helicopters will shadow his motorcade.

President George W Bush will be in Australia for less than 24 hours.

He will address a joint sitting of Parliament tomorrow, meet senior ministers and attend a barbecue at the Lodge, before visiting the war memorial.

Bali stopover
Mr Bush had a brief stopover in Bali where he met President Megawati Sukarnoputri and moderate Islamic leaders.

Both presidents renewed their pledge to work together against terrorism.

And Mr Bush says Islam should not be used as an excuse for violence.

"Terrorists who claim Islam as their inspiration defile one of the world's great faiths," Mr Bush said.

"Murder has no place in any religious tradition, must find no home in Indonesia.

"President Megawati has confronted this evil directly. Under her leadership, Indonesia is hunting and finding dangerous killers. America appreciates Indonesia's strong co-operation in the war on terror."

Mr Bush also said Indonesians had made great progress in strengthening democracy over the last five years and the process will continue in 2004.

"Next year your country will reach an important milestone when some 150 million Indonesians vote in the nation's first ever elected presidential elections," he said.

"The US is working with Indonesia to support these historic elections. In a short time Indonesia has travelled far down the road to full democracy and Indonesians should be proud of this accomplishment."

I heard recently that Bush has been absent from the White House far more often than any President in history.

sunnyday wrote:I heard recently that Bush has been absent from the White House far more often than any President in history.

I think he just really likes to travel.

That was a bold statement sunnyday. At least this President is traveling for good reason.

sunnyday wrote:I heard recently that Bush has been absent from the White House far more often than any President in history.

I think "absent" is a strong word. He doesn't have to be in the White House to do his job.

GalvestonDuck wrote:

sunnyday wrote:I heard recently that Bush has been absent from the White House far more often than any President in history.

I think "absent" is a strong word. He doesn't have to be in the White House to do his job.

This is true. I'd be more concerned if he was at his ranch alot.

It may seem bold to you, but it is simply the truth. He is gone so much that it is noticeable, and I heard some commentators talking about it. He simply has been away from the White House more than any president in history.

Some of his trips are to the ranch.

I can't see how absent is a bad word; it simply means not present, and he is not present in the White House quite a bit.

Do you have any proof of why he is absent?

Why do I need proof? His absence from the White House was a topic of discussion on the radio one day, and I happened to hear the program. I didn't say where I thought he went or why. All I said was that he is gone quite a bit. I didn't say anything about his job and how is or is not doing it well. Would you rather I didn't mention it? Why is the mention offensive? I'm not clear about why you seem upset. It's only the truth, not something to be upset over.

I am in total shock that you accused me of BASHING the president. All I said, ALL I said, was that he was absent from the White House a lot. What's wrong with saying a true fact? How do you get BASHING out of that? I am totally suprised!!!!

X's 2

Chad,
What is X/2?
Thanks for the info,,,,

sunnyday wrote:I can't see how absent is a bad word; it simply means not present, and he is not present in the White House quite a bit.

I didn't say it was a "bad" word. I said it was a "strong" word to use. It carries with it the connotation that he wasn't at work and, thus, not working. I also said that he didn't have to be in, as in present at, the White House to do his job. He can work and serve as POTUS while he's in Air Force One, at Camp David, on foreign trips (diplomatic relations?), or standing on a pile of rubble in Manhattan. The West Wing is just one of many of his job sites.

BTW, does anyone know what's in the East Wing?

I see no such connotation; I was simply stating a fact. Would everyone have been as upset if I had said that he went on frequent trips?
Maybe, my word choice was offensive to some of you. I assure you, I meant no offense. I was simply stating a fact.

I wasn't offended. But as I said, the wording of the sentence came out sounding like I explained above. It happens sometimes.

Maybe something more along the lines of "I heard recently that Bush works outside the White House far more than any president in history" would have had a more positive sound, if that's what you meant. Or "I heard recently that Bush hides from his White House duties far more than any president in history" would have had a more negative sound.

What else did they discuss on the radio program? It might help us understand where the facts you heard are coming from.

The people on the program represented different political views and were discussing the war, Bush, Rumsfeld, etc. It was simply a round table discussion. Someone brought up the fact that statistics show that Bush 'works outside the White House' etc, etc. Except they said, 'was absent from the White House.' Those were their words, not mine. It was an interesting discussion.

One last thing I would like to know is if anyone besides Linda thinks I was bashing the president? I am not that kind of person and was not even thinking of a negative connotation when I wrote it at first. No more from me on this.