WASHINGTON – President George W. Bush is spending Thanksgiving at his Camp David retreat, thankful for his almost-expired "privilege of serving as the president."
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(Photo: AP Images / Pablo Martinez Monsivais)Veronica Lewis, smiles to the family as she continues to react to seeing that it is President-elect Barack Obama, and his family, from left, Michelle Obama, daughters Sasha, 7, Malia, 10, distributing the Thanksgiving turkeys at the food bank at St. Columbanus Catholic Church on the South Side of Chicago, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008.
President-elect Barack Obama is staying in Chicago to "have a whole bunch of people over to the house" and squeeze in some Christmas shopping.
On a holiday designed for reflection, one man, historically unpopular, is heading to a remote Maryland mountaintop with his family. The other, promising change, is surrounding himself with dozens of people in a bustling city.
Dressed casually in a leather jacket and black scarf on Wednesday, Obama handed out food to the needy at a Chicago church with his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters, shaking hands and jovially telling people "you can call me Barack."
He followed that with a quick visit to a school next door, where he asked the excited kids, "Who's going to have turkey?" "Who's going to have green beans?" "Who's going to have sweet potato pie?"
Obama has shown a knack for symbolism, in this case following the Thanksgiving tradition of helping the poor, said David Greenberg, a Rutgers University historian. "Here he's showing a different side of himself, the president as national conscience or moral authority," he said.
In an interview broadcast on ABC, the Obamas told Barbara Walters they were having 60 people, at least, to their Chicago home for the holiday.
Michelle Obama said she's not cooking — explaining that she gets "an out" because her husband ran for president.
For Bush, his final Thanksgiving in office is proving a time for nostalgia. He always reflects a bit at Thanksgiving, but he went further this year.
He gave thanks to troops and volunteers, to teachers and pastors, to all the American people. Then he gave thanks for his wife and twin daughters — "two Thanksgiving miracles who we were blessed with 27 years ago" — and that his mother, former first lady Barbara Bush, was doing well after being hospitalized.
"Most of all," he said, "I thank the American people for the tremendous privilege of serving as the president."
In 2003, months after the Iraq war began, Bush surprised soldiers serving in Baghdad by showing up unannounced in their mess hall for the holiday meal.
The more private celebration this year is fitting his lame-duck status, Greenberg said, calling Bush's retreat from the spotlight "kind of like a mutual agreement between him and the American public."
"In a way it would be unseemly if he did anything too flamboyant or too showy," he said.
Associated Press writers Sara Kugler in Chicago and Ben Feller in Washington contributed to this report.
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I not so sure in what way this article didn't give GWB a fair shake.They can only report, what the WH press dept. gives them to report.
If interested, http://online.worldmag.com/2008/11/20/obama-on-faith-in-his-own-words/ contains a link to a detailed interview (2004) concerning Obama's faith.
Gee, Squeeky, most of us who voted and worked for Obama did so mainly 'cause we felt he would make decisions based upon reason and evidence, not "divine wisdom," or the "word of God" as interpreted by the preacher dejour.
After eight years of Bush, many of us (a majority, it would seem), have had quite enough of divine wisdom in the presidency, and believe that the solutions to our problems isn't more religion in government, but less.
Perhaps church worship service ought to take priority over basketball pick-up games? Especially when a future president is in need of divine wisdom as he faces major decisions that affects millions of people?
Actually, there is one particular mitzvah which is completely devoted to expressing gratitude -- the mitzvah of bikurim (Deuteronomy 26:1-12). During the Temple Era, every farmer was commanded to bring to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem the first fruits which ripened in his orchard. There he would recite a passage thanking G-d for the Land and its bountiful harvest, and the fruit were given to the Kohanim (priests). The Midrash extols the great virtue of this mitzvah; going as far as saying that the Land of Israel was given to the Jews as a reward for the mitzvah of bikurim they would observe after entering the Land!
I read this story and and I saw the picture. I thought it rather interesting that they showed only this part of the picture. In the Hannibal Courier-Post, Hannibal,MO. dated Novaember 27, 2008 it showed a picture of this same woman bowing down to Obama while he holds her hands and laughs. Do I need to say more? He is no God, or Messiah!
ek, you really don't expect Bush to get a fair shake from the AP?:)
Is anyone having Acorn Cookies for Thanksgiving? What about Pioneer Acorn Bread or Acorn Muffins?
No, but it sure sounds good :)
Happy Thankgiving everyone . . .
Is anyone having Acorn Cookies for Thanksgiving? What about Pioneer Acorn Bread or Acorn Muffins?
Is there a bit of unkindness in this Associated Press article?