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Politics : Impeach George W. Bush -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TigerPaw who wrote (64097)	6/30/2006 11:00:51 AM
From: Smiling Bob	Respond to of 93284

Tush getting presidential approval to search the medicine cabinets Rush needs a fix Bush, Japan's Koizumi to tour Graceland By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 46 minutes ago The king is getting big-time respect from the president and the prime minister. Elvis, of course. As in Presley. President Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi are going to Graceland. A private tour through the late rock 'n' roll legend's Memphis mansion on Friday wraps two days of consultations between the leaders. The visit has spanned military pomp, the tinkling of crystal at a black-tie dinner and two hours of discussions on Iraq, North Korea, U.S. beef exports and other weighty matters in the Oval Office. But their outing to the home of Koizumi's undisputed musical hero, with its oddity quotient and celebrity patina, was the most-anticipated portion. Swiveling hips, spangled jumpsuits and over-the-top decor aren't Bush's usual style. And this is a president who routinely skips even the most awe-inspiring destinations on his speed-travels — such as India's Taj Mahal and China's Great Wall. So it's a sign of his fondness for the Japanese leader that Bush is taking Koizumi to a tourist hotspot, and by plane, no less, five years to the day after they first met. Aides said the president decided a Graceland tour was the perfect way, along with a gift of a jukebox loaded with Elvis hits, to bid adieu to a leader who is departing office in September after being one of his most ardent defenders on the world stage. Bush revealed his excitement about the day's travels as he drew the formal dinner he threw for Koizumi at the White House to a close at 10:10 p.m. Thursday night. "Off to Graceland," the president said. Bush arrived ahead of Koizumi at Andrews Air Force Base in suburban Maryland and stood at the bottom of the steps to Air Force One awaiting his guest. When Koizumi's helicopter appeared, Bush waved, then greeted his guest and patted him on the back as they boarded the presidential jet. The trip to an outside-the-Beltway locale reprises a signature feature of state visits earlier in Bush's presidency. In 2001, Bush took Mexican President Vicente Fox to Toledo, Ohio, where the two addressed Hispanic voters the day after their state visit at the White House. The next year, then-Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski also saw his state visit capped with an out-of-town journey. He accompanied Bush to a Polish cultural center in the Detroit suburbs for traditional fare and an audience with the area's large Polish-American — and heavily Roman Catholic — community. The trips with Fox and Kwasniewski served Bush's domestic politics as well as global concerns. They were aimed at helping the president with key U.S. voting constituencies in battleground states even while the ride on Air Force One and close-up look at American life wowed his guests. Bush has always favored a more casual brand of diplomacy, holding fewer lavish state dinners than his predecessors and looking for personal touches whenever he can. For instance, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, like Bush an avid bike rider, was treated to a two-wheel jaunt around the Camp David presidential retreat earlier this month. Koizumi's treatment goes several steps further. At Graceland, recently designated a National Historic Landmark, Bush and Koizumi will see the white-column, two-story colonial most visitors see. There are the shag carpets and ceramic monkeys of the Jungle Room, which Elvis famously furnished with a 30-minute shopping spree; the glossy black baby-grand piano near the living room's white, 15-foot sofa; hundreds of gold records, outfits and guitars in the home's museums; and the singer's grave out by the swimming pool. Also like others, they won't get a peek at the private upstairs quarters, including the bedroom and bath where Elvis died of heart disease and drug abuse in 1977. But the leaders get a perk most don't. Squired around the manse's gaudy interiors by Presley's only child and heir, Lisa Marie, and her mother, Priscilla, they have tour guides almost as interesting as the tour. The men will also be greeted at Graceland by Elvis impersonators hoping to press an anti-whaling message. The costumed environmentalists plan to sing "Don't Be Cruel" to protest Japan's opposition to a 1986 global ban on commercial whaling. The visit — and Koizumi's Elvis obsession — was a top topic even during the leaders' otherwise-serious joint news conference Thursday at the White House. "We've agreed to take two questions a side," Bush instructed reporters. "Walking in, I reminded the prime minister of one of Elvis's greatest songs, 'Don't Be Cruel,' so keep that in mind when you ask your question." Koizumi ended the session with his own Elvis song reference: "Thank you very much, American people, for 'Love Me Tender.'" Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Copyright © 2006 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. Questions or Comments Privacy Policy -Terms of Service - Copyright/IP Policy - Ad Feedback