MetaFilter posts tagged with WhiteHouse and bush

Grapes we can believe in

Joe Beese — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 12:59:16 -0800

The first female White House chef, a naturalized Philippina named Cristeta Comerford, was appointed by George W. Bush - who told Philippine President Gloria Arroyo, "I am reminded of the great talent of our Philippine Americans when I eat dinner at the White House." Despite the urging of American food icon Alice Waters, President Obama has left Comerford in charge of the White House kitchens - though he's keeping quiet about it. But on the basis of the wines served at Obama's Inauguration Day lunch, oenophiles are still hoping for change. (more First Food posts here and here )

Oral History of the Bush White House

CunningLinguist — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 07:10:13 -0800

Farewell to All That An illuminating and depressing Oral History of the Bush White House from Vanity Fair

Sorry, We’re Booked, White House Tells Obamas

Quidam — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 19:35:13 -0800

NYT: "The White House has turned down a request from the family of President-elect Barack Obama to move into Blair House in early January so that his daughters can start school on Jan. 5." The Obamas were told that Blair House, where incoming presidents usually stay in the five days before Inauguration Day, is booked in early January, a spokesperson to the Obama transition said. “We explored the idea so that the girls could start school on schedule,’ the spokesperson said. “But, there were previously scheduled events and guests that couldn’t be displaced.” The Blair House, situated across the street from the White House, is the official state guest house for the President of the United States. Take a tour of the Blair House. Wikipedia. And where are the Obama girls going to school, anyway? To the Sidwell Friends School, apparently, which has also educated the children of Theodore Roosevelt and Bill Clinton, as well as the grandchildren of Joe Biden, albeit for as much as $29,442 a year.

More White House lies...

jpburns — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:11:10 -0800

Tim Goeglein, director of the White House office of public liaison, is a plagiarist.
... and he actually admits it.

“It is true,” Tim Goeglein wrote to The Journal Gazette in an e-mail. “I am entirely at fault. It was wrong of me. There are no excuses."

Found by Blogger (and MeFi lurker) Nancy Nall.

Little Humor

The Deej — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 22:49:10 -0800

Rich Little was selected (vid link on that page is dead) to headline the White House Correspondents Dinner this year, no doubt to avoid the kind of controversy created last year's headliner, Stephen Colbert. Seems like it was also a way to avoid any type of humor as well! Although no video of the event is yet available online (as far as I can see), an earlier YouTube video accurately predicted the result. An example: 5 minutes to set up this ancient, unfunny, joke. I wish I was kidding.

White House Behind US Attorney Dismissals

empath — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 06:01:02 -0800

The dismissals took place after President Bush told Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales in October that he had received complaints that some prosecutors had not energetically pursued voter-fraud investigations...
Sampson sent an e-mail to Miers in March 2005 that ranked all 93 U.S. attorneys. Strong performers "exhibited loyalty" to the administration; low performers were "weak U.S. attorneys who have been ineffectual managers and prosecutors, chafed against Administration initiatives, etc." A third group merited no opinion.

White House Said to Prompt Firing of Prosecutors (NYTimes) - Firings Had Genesis in White House (WashPost) [via]

The Hiding of the President

digaman — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 10:10:18 -0800

Keep Bush away from the press. Joe Scarborough (in the news lately for asking rude questions about the President's intelligence) opines that "If George Bush has lost his ability to give a commanding presser, then stage manage him differently. Play to his strengths... Show him only in settings where he is in control." Curiously, while Bush's press conferences have become unsetllingly less coherent in recent days -- even for him -- the so-called liberal media and even the blogosphere have barely mentioned it (perhaps in the spirit of preserving the dignity of the office, like FDR's wheelchair?) Example: watch this video -- what happens at 1:34 or so, right before the President abruptly terminates the questioning? Will Bush in his twilight years, as Foxborough advises, become like Ronald Reagan, protected from public humiliation by his faithful staff?

Downgrading the Fourth Estate

digaman — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 12:58:04 -0800

Rollback. Media critic Jay Rosen rises above the McClellan/"shake-up" foofaraw to put several pieces of the puzzle together and show how the Bush administration has significantly altered the long-standing relationship of the press to the White House. (More from Rosen here.) Another piece that fits: Donald Rumsfeld's bold, frequent, and rarely-challenged assertions that the American press is being expertly "manipulated" by Al Qaeda "media committees" in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Exit Card, Rove Flips?

digaman — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 06:39:44 -0800

Intrigues at the White House: Andrew Card, Bush's longtime chief of staff -- the guy who briefly interrupted the President's reading of The Pet Goat one rough morning in 2001 and took heat for the Katrina and Dubai debacles -- is out, replaced by budget director "Yosh" Bolten, the one-time founder of a club called "Bikers for Bush." Meanwhile, is Rove rolling over for Patrick Fitzgerald, and if so, what's the angle?

The moderate, conservative, and neoconservative estimates of the cost of the war on Iraq

edverb — Sun, 08 Jan 2006 20:40:34 -0800

What is the cost of the war on Iraq? [more inside]

The 15 most imcompetent Bush appointments

Tlogmer — Sat, 08 Oct 2005 14:40:16 -0800

Like top-10 lists? The fifteen most incompetent Bush administration appointments.
Newsfilter, and reg. required. But this article is a thing of utter transcendent beauty. You have not heard of most of these people.

Flip-Flop faux-paus at the White House.

cpchester — Tue, 19 Jul 2005 08:08:21 -0800

Flip-Flop faux-paux at the White House. On a recent visit to the White House, the 2005 national champion Northwestern women's lacrosse teams choice of footwear is causing quite a stir. Let the Kerry jokes begin.....

Square knots in the Oval Office

digaman — Mon, 20 Jun 2005 19:38:30 -0800

No "beeper violations" or loosened ties in this White House, mister.

Lincoln Bedroom, anyone? and Kitchen and Living Room and Office and Hallways...

amberglow — Fri, 03 Jun 2005 18:18:25 -0800

The Pimping of the President --Jack Abramoff and Grover Norquist Billing Clients for Face Time with G.W. Bush: ...He had just concluded his work on the Bush Transition Team as an advisor to the Department of the Interior. He had sent his personal assistant Susan Ralston to the White House to work as Rove’s personal assistant. He was a close friend, advisor, and high-dollar fundraiser for the most powerful man in Congress, Tom DeLay. Abramoff was so closely tied to the Bush Administration that he could, and did, charge two of his clients $25,000 for a White House lunch date and a meeting with the President. ... Jack Abramoff, in the news due to his shady dealings with DeLay, and Grover Norquist, and the White House. Norquist has not responded to inquiries about using the White House as a fundraiser.

Mouth ajar

Smedleyman — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 01:07:19 -0800

"The Bush administration intervened to argue that their claims should be dismissed" I seriously can't believe it. This is Brechtian. Something has to be missing. This can't be my government.

Bush - brought to you by Busch!

FormlessOne — Tue, 21 Dec 2004 09:29:31 -0800

White House Considering Product Placement Deal All I can say is, I really, really hope this is a spoof article.

OK? -eyes on ball. but, look away...............way...

troutfishing — Sun, 27 Jun 2004 22:53:58 -0800

"The most intriguing story in Washington these days is a subterranean conflict that reporters cannot cover because some of them are involved. A potent guerrilla insurgency has formed in and around the Bush presidency - a revolt of old pros in government who strike from the shadows with devastating effect. They tell the truth. They explode big lies. They provide documentary evidence..." - William Greider, on what could prove to be one of the defining power struggles of our time. Through a lens darkly, yes. But deniable ? - not plausibly. As gossip, growing louder now, the shadow-war advances. Unstoppably? No.

Live from Baghdad -- Not

digaman — Sat, 13 Dec 2003 23:22:37 -0800

This is frankly not one of the best films ever made. "Realizing that sequels are often fraught with peril, the producers of Barney Cam secured starring roles from the President, the First Lady, many senior White House officials and a yet-to-be-named surprise cameo appearance."

Picture Hunt time!

AaRdVarK — Thu, 06 Nov 2003 15:48:09 -0800

Picture Hunt time! How many women are in this picture? (more inside)

Decorators Grudge match: 10 Downing Street versus the White House

taz — Sat, 25 Oct 2003 06:06:47 -0800

Pick your poison: highbrow (virtual tour of 10 Downing Street), or lowbrow (virtual tour of the White House). Hint: one of these is funny.

Iraqi Freedom: You Break The War--You Pay For It.

y2karl — Tue, 09 Sep 2003 07:14:57 -0800

Iraq Estimates Were Too Low, U.S. Admits
The White House acknowledged Monday that it substantially underestimated the cost of rebuilding Iraq and that even the additional $87 billion it was seeking from a wary Congress would fall far short of what is needed for postwar reconstruction. Administration officials said President Bush's emergency spending request - which would push the U.S. budget deficit above the half-trillion-dollar mark for the first time - still left a reconstruction funding gap of as much as $55 billion.
Reserve Tours Are Extended
With U.S. forces stretched thin in Iraq and the Bush administration still searching for additional international peacekeepers, the Army has ordered thousands of National Guard and Army Reserve forces in Iraq to extend their tours in the country to a year, months longer than many of the troops had anticipated, Army officials said yesterday.
$87,000,000,000 + $55,000,000,000=$142,000,000,000
One year tours for National Guard and Army Reservists
Hope you enjoyed your meal--here's your bill...

Support our troops?

whatever — Thu, 14 Aug 2003 14:19:14 -0800

Support out troops? The Pentagon wants to cut the pay of its 148,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, who are already contending with guerrilla-style attacks, homesickness and 120- degree-plus heat.

Dear Mr. President:

CunningLinguist — Thu, 17 Jul 2003 20:44:17 -0800

The White House has a new system for email from the public. Dashing off a rant, a rave or a question to president@whitehouse.gov won't cut it anymore. Now it takes a maze of forms and clicks and filters. The first question: is this a supportive message or a differing opinion? Then you have to pick your topic from various menu lists. And list a name and address and email. And reply to an automated message making sure it's really your email. White House tech guy tells the NYTimes: "When it comes to a Web site, it's a bit like a movie. Some will say it's a tour de force; some will say it fell flat." Fun Fact: all emails are saved and must be publicly disclosed in 12 years.

e-Government White House chats for e-citizens

madamjujujive — Thu, 08 May 2003 23:37:26 -0800

Ask the White House - forget fireside chats - e-Government is here! Got a question about judicial nominees, the EPA, the economy? Head to the online White House and ask your questions directly to national leaders. As with any online forum, be sure to check the privacy policy first.

Happy Loyalty Day!

Yelling At Nothing — Thu, 01 May 2003 14:09:04 -0800

Happy Loyalty Day, Everyone!