Bush Watch Down Under

Australian Media Can't Get Enough Of A Visiting President

(CBS)  Peter Maer is a CBS News White House Correspondent.

The Australian media are seemingly obsessed with President Bush. Sydney's Channel 7 has a "Bush Cam" focused on the presidential hotel. With no Bush sighting, the morning anchor speculated, "He's sleeping in."

As the station chronicled the president's agenda, a reporter noted, "Australia's never seen anything like it." Veteran White House reporters have never quite seen anything like Australia's fascination with the U.S. president.

In something of an understatement, the president told Australian reporters, "You people are recording my every move here." Little did he know that Channel Seven's aerial camera showed him and his security detail mountain biking at a secluded former police training center.

A private aircraft flying near the president in the U.S. would draw a potentially lethal response from authorities but the Australian eye in the sky provided surprisingly close-up shots of him pedaling on the dirt trail. The station colorfully reported that he was "going bush" with the bike expedition. The station shared the footage with U.S. TV networks.

There is a great deal of curiosity about the presidential entourage. A TV station reported that the president is traveling with 150 national security advisors. That exaggerated calculation would likely surprise National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley; he is back in Washington, supervising work on the Iraq war status report that the administration will release next week.

The Australian media dutifully reported on Mr. Bush's culinary adventures, too. In a front page item headlined When I met Dubya, he did his noodle, Sydney Morning Herald columnist Annabel Crabb said Mr. Bush dictated the story lead, telling reporters, "I'll help you out. Here's your first sentence. 'The president takes a spoon...'"

As he dished up some pasta, the president told the scribes, "Eight noodles! There's your story. Nice helping you out!"

The Morning Herald also has an interactive Web page that allows readers to drag a variety of Australian attire (from slouch hats to Dame Edna's glasses) onto a paper doll-like image of President Bush.

Late Wednesday, a camera crew shot images of the president through the window of a boat after he dined with Australian Prime Minster John Howard. Unaware of the coverage, the president was seen loosening his belt; the anchor noted Mr. Bush apparently enjoyed the meal.

The media are also reporting on presidential security. While the size of the Secret Service contingent is always closely-guarded information, one TV station confidently reported the president is being guarded by 250 agents.

The subject of security precautions also came up at Mr. Bush's joint news conference with Prime Minister Howard. When an Australian reporter attempted to ask him about security, the president stopped him. "I hope you feel safe," the president said.

"I feel..." the journalist began.

"You feel inconvenienced, obviously," Mr. Bush said. He added, "To the extent I've caused this, I apologize."

[lars008-2009]

No one cares-- especially the Australians!
Posted by socrates392 at 02:53 PM : Sep 06, 2007

you are right... no one cares about the land of oz...

[socrates392]

the lot of ozzies... are unimpressive... and idiotic.... decendants of criminal wombats... lol

hahahahaha

Posted by lars008 at 09:13 AM : Sep 06, 2007

Lars008, I always thought you were a spam server posing as a person given that all your posts are long incoherent lists of nothing, but this attempt at humor suggests that you are a person afterall-- a boring, sad, obnoxious person who likes to clutter up the board with insulting garbage.

Please, please, stop posting the same 50 line long posts all over this site. No one cares-- especially the Australians!

[lars008-2009]

vote jefferson... vote gop...

dnc are like john adams and want to give the jihadist their lunch money hoping they will leave us alone....

gop are like thomas jefferson and want to spend their lunch money on weapons and go kick the jihadists in their arses.....

What Thomas Jefferson learned from the Muslim book of jihad

Thomas Jefferson knew about fascist nazi islam..... he killed plenty of them....

In 1786 Jefferson and John Adams went to negotiate with Tripoli''s envoy to London, Ambassador Sidi Haji Abdrahaman or (Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja). They asked him by what right he extorted money and took slaves. Jefferson reported to Secretary of State John Jay, and to the Congress:

The ambassador answered us that [the right] was founded on the Laws of the Prophet (Mohammed), that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have answered their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as prisoners, and that every Mussulman who should be slain in battle was sure to go to heaven.[1]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Barbary_War
http://www.usvetdsp.com/jan07/jeff_quran.htm
muslim justifies slavery and piracy%u2026
http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?6bdec278-6a71-4436-bc4d-29d1c54b0ad7

[lars008-2009]

Posted by ckcool192001 at 12:54 PM : Sep 06, 2007

hahahahahaha

the debt to gdp was highr under demonic-rats roosevelt and truman....

sure beats demonic-rat dimmy kar-ter....

double digit inflation, double digit unemployment, double digit interest mortgage rates.... good one dimmy....

It''s productivity, stupid.
http://www.optimist123.com/optimist/2007/05/its_productivit.html

check out who is holding usa paper!!!
http://www.optimist123.com/optimist/2007/08/an-800-billion-.html

U.S. Economy: Expansion Was Faster Than Estimated
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aP3CFLmKC2CQ&refer=worldwide
Deficit Falls to $205 Billion
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8QAD5LG1&show_article=1
Good Thing We Cut Taxes
http://ezraklein.typepad.com/blog/2006/09/good_thing_we_c.html
Don''t Just Cut Taxes - Cut Spending
http://www.heritage.org/Press/Commentary/ed021802.cfm?RenderforPrint=1
The greatest economic boom ever
Just how red-hot is the current worldwide expansion? "This is far and away the strongest global economy I''ve seen in my business lifetime," U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson declared on a recent visit to Fortune''s offices.
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/07/23/100134937/index.htm?section=money_latest

[geezer62]

Although I despise Bush for all the things he has done going all the way back to his going AWOL during the Viet Nam war I see this in a little different way. Although it is most likely not possible it would really be better if other countries didn''t hate him so much. We have almost a year and a half left before he leaves and I would rather see some positive gains in foreign policy so we could hopefully move forward at least with the issue of global warming. As to domestic policy, I have no illusions of any progress. Actually I wish he would go to his "ranch" and chop wood till Jan, 09.

[ckcool192001]

Anyone see the story on the national debt?

The national debt is at it''s highest point. Under the Bush Administration the national debt has rose an astonishing 57%.

Nice job Bush, The house market is failing, and reports say the world economy is facing a decline... and some people still contend that Bush is a great president.

Bush has not:

Balanced the budget or decreased spending

Bush has:

Increased government spending to an all time high
Inacted a Tax cut

No wonder the debt is so high! He is spending spending spending but not making enough in taxes to cover his butt.

[realpatriot1]

Lars008,

Is that any way to talk about what''s left of the "Coalition of the Willing?" When did your Belgians turn tail and run and why aren''t you in Iraq?

[skyk-2009]

Shouldn''t the IDIOT be trying to come up with someway to get us out of this Quagmire called Iraq. The Resistence has taken control of Basra and the British are leaving. That mean''s the resistence which is very much opposed to our occupation and our method of governing that Country is in contol of the second largest city in the Country, which means, being that BOTH of the major factions are Anti Bush, our convoys are yet again going to be subject to attack. We do NOT have the number of troops necessary to cover that City AND attempt to bring a hault to the violence in Bagdad. Combat Vet, RVN, 1968

[dodaz-2009]

"....As an american temporarily living in Sydney, my Sydney coworkers continue to ask me how could americans could possibly elect such a unimpressive, rather idiotic man, twice (my answer is scaring the sheeple). ..."

Answer: ?? That''s a BIIIIIG " IF" he was elected ...trust me..LOL

[dodaz-2009]

He''s a walking talking BLOOPER,... of course they are facinated w/ a "World Leader" (i use that term loosely...LOL) who can hardly walk, talk, and chew gum at the same time....as Bugs used to say .." What a Maroooon..." lol