Bush thanks Obama for inviting his "rowdy friends" to portrait hanging

(CBS News) Former President George W. Bush brought a light-hearted tone to the unveiling of his official White House portrait on Thursday, winning over an audience of friends, family and former colleagues with jokes.

Standing beside his portrait after its unveiling in the White House East Room, Mr. Bush chided the cheering audience to quiet down and thanked President Obama "for inviting our rowdy friends to my hanging."

The new portrait "brings an interesting symmetry to the White House collection," the former president said. "It now starts and ends with a George W."

A portrait of former First Lady Laura Bush was also unveiled. Both will become part of the permanent White House collection.

AP Photo/Charles Dharapak

It is a tradition for the sitting U.S. president to host a portrait unveiling for his immediate predecessor, and on Thursday, Mr. Obama had some jokes of his own.

Mr. Obama said he would always remember the kind words Mr. Bush had for him during the transition from one administration to the next. "Plus, you left me a really good TV sports package," the president said to laughs. "I use it."

Mr. Obama and Mr. Bush had only kind remarks for one another, with Mr. Obama noting, "We have our problems politically, but the presidency transcends these differences."

The current president noted that after three and a half years in office, he has "a deeper understanding" of the challenges his predecessor faced. He commended Mr. Bush for "conveying extraordinary strength and resolve" after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and for understanding that issues of national security and economic stability transcend partisan politics.

First Lady Michelle Obama thanked Laura Bush for serving as "a wonderful model of strength and grace" as first lady and as a mother. Mrs. Bush thanked the first family and joked, "Nothing makes a house a home like having portraits of its former occupants staring down at you."

Those in attendance for the unveiling included Vice President Joe Biden, Mr. Bush's daughters Jenna and Barbara, former President George H.W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush, Mr. Bush's former adviser Karl Rove, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and former Secretary of State Colin Powell.

The portrait of Mr. Bush shows the former president standing in the center of the Oval Office with his right hand resting on an armchair that was made for the White House in 1818. Over his right shoulder hangs a 1929 western painting, A Charge to Keep, by William H. D. Koerner. Mr. Bush used the same title for his 1999 memoir.

The portrait of Laura Bush shows the former first lady in the White House Green Room, which she helped refurbish in 2007.

The portraits were painted by John Howard Sanden, who received the first John Singer Sargent Medal for Lifetime Achievement from the American Society of Portrait Artists in 1994.

[franknkissy]

Rowdy GWBUSH & CRAZY BARACK OBAMA & LOCO BILL CLINTON - enjoying a Presidential BONG Together ... what role models ... for our kids ...

[realist2010]

The dingbat compassionate conservative has no idea of the hardship he put this country through with the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and wars he didn't have the intelligence to finish.

He is a walking poster for abortion post-birth, or as they call it in Texas...justice.

[bobnjersey]

[Former President George W. Bush brought a light-hearted tone to the unveiling of his official White House portrait on Thursday, winning over an audience of friends, family and former colleagues with jokes.]
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who's writing his material?

very funny.

good to see he's in good spirits ... and enjoying the company of friends and family.

[slownewsday_6000]

by Riverjump May 31, 2012 7:07 PM EDT
Wanna-be slow: You r an idiot. GW is the WORST president we ever had.

----

I agree regarding GWB. Maybe you should READ a comment first before whining.

You just stopped at "I don't support Obama", DIDN'T YOU???

I'm the real slow - I've been here for over four years.

[Scimajor]

It's funny, if you transpose the name "Bush" for "Obama" you'd think these comments belong somewhere on Foxnew.com.

It's all the same in American politics. The head of the "other party" is an evil scumbag. Grow up people.

[slownewsday_6000]

Hey, ad_ludicium/FoxDrone -

I'm a libertarian. Deal with it. I don't support Obama.

It's sad that you cannot take criticism of Bush without automatically thinking someone is a dem or a lib.

Here's that list again of questions YOU CAN'T HANDLE:

Were you FOR the "6-week" Iraq war?

Do you mind that we Americans are paying for their universal healthcare? Do you mind that we Americans are paying for ISRAEL's universal healthcare, too?

Do you know anything about Medicare Part D, in which the pharm companies could choose what to charge taxpayers?

Do you know that Bush, for the first time in history, borrowed war funding from FOREIGN sources?

Do you know that Bush, for the first time in history, LOWERED taxes during a time of war?

Come on - grow a pair and at least answer one of them.

[slownewsday_6000]

Riverjump - perhaps you should re-read my comment.

You stopped at "I don't support Obama", didn't you, drone? READ THE REST.

[john5673]

Obama should have avoided his presence in the White House when President Bush visited to hang his portrait. Obama should be aware of 50 years sentence to Charles Taylor for killing thousands of innocents using his goons, but Bush-Cheney has killed many times more human beings using all means and all WMDs for long 8 years. Rather than hanging his portrait; Obama should have send him to Hague to face criminal charges and punishment.

[tulseyjoe]

Bush is wrong about the painting by William H.D. Koerner which is also in the portrait. The painting is actually an illustration of a smooth-talking horse thief on the run, risking the welfare, and perhaps the life, of the horse he rides in a mad dash up a rugged slope, trying to escape the justice following close behind. It was NOT painted in 1929; it was painted in 1916.

[icuping]

http://caraf.blogs.com/caraf/2010/01/funny-thing-happened-at-the-archive-or-how-i-busted-a-lefty-internet-meme-about-george-w-bushs-taste.html

[smehl1506]

Kudos to both Presidents for their graciousness. Contrary to the Tea Bagger morons and their opposites on the left-wing side whose absurd comments are above, this is the kind of political cooperation and respect we ought to have in our country ALL the time.

[uisignorant]

Graciousness???? The clown in the office now was blaming Bush at the hanging.

[UForgotPoland]

I feel sorry for Bush, I'm sure he's a great guy but unfortunately he was not fit to be President. Rumsfeld and Cheney were the real power in his Presidency, too bad he didn't realize that until his last few years.