President and First Lady Laura Bush head for Marine One, for start of a journey to NATO summit. Photo by J. Scott Applewhite / AP
by Mark Silva
President Bush, departing for Europe this morning, left a returning Congress with a full assignment of issues to address.
“They have a lot of work to do,’’ said Bush, standing on the South Lawn of the White House this morning at the first light of dawn.
The Congress needs to enact intelligence surveillance reforms, the president said – insisting on immunity from lawsuits for telecommunications companies that have aided the government in the surveillance of suspected terrorists.
“Our intelligence officials are waiting on the Congress,’’ Bush said, in a brief statement delivered with his wife by his side before the two strode to Marine One on the lawn for a hop to Andrews Air Force Base and journey to a NATO summit in Bucharest.
Bush also will meet with outgoing Russian President Vladimir Putin in a Russian resort city, with the two continuing talks about U.S. designs for a missile defense network based in Poland with radar support in the Czech Republic.
In the meantime, the traveling president is calling on Congress to “modernize the Federal Housing Administration’’ – with congressional leaders and the administration alike examining plans to back the loans of homeowners stranded with mortgages costing more than their homes are worth.
The Congress needs to act on a free trade agreement with Colombia, he added, asking leaders of both parties to act speedily.
Then the president and First Lady Laura Bush pivoted just as quickly and boarded Marine One awaiting their departure from the South Lawn.
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Comments
Bush headed to Europe and Iran brokering a cease fire in Iraq. Yes this war really is going to pay off big for us.
Posted by: bill "Hussein" r. | March 31, 2008 7:31 AM
Good luck to the President on his journey...and good luck on getting this do-nothing Democrat Congress to do anything other than raising their own pay.
Posted by: Grantland | March 31, 2008 8:04 AM
Every one in this world only beleaves what the gov. tells them, and that is all they want to hear.
I'm married to a mexican none citizen, and he pays taxes,always has. How many of or American poeple dont pay taxes? Poeple dont think about that kinda thing, their there to look at the other race right away, but if the table would turn , and if some of the American poeple would have to live a life like an immagrant, illigal, maybe poeple would relize and open there eyes. You dont know unless you live it.
Posted by: Tracy Espinoza | March 31, 2008 10:51 AM
Besides NATO, yesterday London papers had stories stating Bush will meet with Putin this Sunday to discuss the 64 mile tunnel under the Bering Strait from Russia to Alaska. Meetings held, and some private capital and equipment already in hand. American Railroad Asso. already on board--happily. This for "Free" Trade--the other country always getting the best and longest end of the stick. Russia wants to unload mining products in N.A. What does America have to trade after Bush gave all our manufacturing to other countries? How is it "Free Trade" when America has nothing to export? Lets see- we have our unemployed, our already bootlegged music and movies, our children wit 2-4 T on their credit card that China carries due to Bush's Iraq invasion, millions of service workers or gov't employees? Right. That is a bad trade deal and more deficits. I wonder how well Russia's Bering tunnel will be regulated on our side? Can Canada say da? Can we say da? This whole thing is not unlike Bush's NAFTA Super Highway or Trans Texas Corridor--Google it--its not fiction--already in the works. The monstrosity is going from Mexico into Laredo, Texas along Interstate 35 and on through America's heartland--Chicago-- to Canada--then through Canada. It is 400 miles WIDE and will bypass all Longshoreman and Teamsters unions. What NAFTA nations will own or regulate that land? I wonder how many trillions to build the monstrosity, and to buy the land--or most likely go through the theft and large scale emenant domain of private property to build this mostly-for-multi-national- corporations hitway. Bush is going to NATO. When W. Bush goes abroad, or when he breaths on a foreign dignitary, America ends up with less. He personally signs or gives away more of America. Bush treats public money, public treasure--citizens' blood--as his own private stash.
Posted by: Vivian | March 31, 2008 12:43 PM