President Drops in on President's Forum
Waco, TX | Baylor University's proximity to Crawford made it convenient for George W. Bush to take a break from his grueling vacation schedule to make a brief appearance at The President's Economic Forum.
In keeping with Bush's policy of bipartisan camaraderie, the symposium brought together a diverse cross section of senior Republican officials, conservative supporters, and corporate contributors.
Bush dropped in on four of the eight sessions, offering his impression that the event was "a great show."
The President expressed the need "to get American hard-hats back to work." Then, in a sincere attempt to look concerned, he watched intently for a few minutes as several "working Americans" read questions which had been screened in advance.
"Whether I read it or not, everything you've said will be printed on some color of paper and placed in an important-looking folder," Bush pledged.
Although the mood of the one-day conference was generally harmonious, there was one serious area of contention: Should the U.S. strike Iraq right before the upcoming mid-term congressional election, or wait until right before the next presidential election?
But, seated next to brokerage founder Charles Schwab, Bush broke the tension by quipping at one point, "Is that a wallet full of stock options in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"
Vice-President Cheney was also in attendance, and helped to rectify the mistaken impression that August is a vacation for his boss. "He'll continue to make every effort to appear at national disasters like floods, forest fires, mine collapses - as long as it coincides with his fundraising schedule." Cheney insisted, "He genuinely wants to give the impression that he cares about ordinary Americans."
Before heading back to the family ranch, Bush summarized his outing. "I really enjoy spending time with the cows."
