Word association: You would think most folks who are as noisily enthusiastic about Christmas as the departing first family keep telling us they are would hear the phrase "in the manger" around this time of year and think "baby." They seem to have settled instead on "dog"
The Bush administration has denied President-elect Barack Obama’s request to move early into an official guest house across from the White House, citing previously scheduled commitments, a transition official said today.
The Obamas wanted to move into Blair House before Jan. 5, so that daughters Malia and Sasha could start classes on time at Sidwell Friends School in Washington. "
well, nothing pointed about that, right?
[T]here were previously scheduled events and guests that couldn’t be displaced," said a transition spokesperson, who agreed to be quoted only on condition of anonymity…
McDonough, a spokeswoman for first lady Laura Bush, said in a statement that Blair House will be "available to President-elect Obama and his family starting January 15, as is historically the case." Prior to that, McDonough said, "should he need to use it for a meeting or such he can certainly request it and the transition office will check its availability."
Administration officials said there are no foreign dignitaries scheduled to stay there during the first two weeks of January, but some farewell events have been booked for departing Bush administration officials.
Well, if there’s no room, there’s no
Blair House is now a complex of four connected townhouses, including the original Blair House. During the 1980s, Blair House underwent significant restorations, with a new wing added to the north. An adjacent townhouse, Trowbridge House, is being renovated to serve as an official guest residence for former U.S. presidents while in the capital. The combined square footage of the four adjacent townhouses exceeds 70,000 feet, making it larger than the White House.
But, that sort of thing doesn’t matter, right?
"One of things President-elect Obama was interested in — after we had our policy discussions — was his little girls. How would they like the White House?" Bush told CNN about Obama’s visit to the Executive Mansion on Monday. "It was interesting to watch him go upstairs, and he wanted to see where his little girls were going to sleep."
Bush also said that before he met with the president-elect, he called former President Clinton to recall a similar meeting the two had after Bush was elected.
"I said, ‘Bill, I’m getting ready to meet with the new president and I remember how gracious you were to me,’" Bush said. "’I hope I can be as gracious to President-elect Obama as you were to me.’"
Um. Yeah. OK.
Well, at least we can be pretty sure the Bush family won’t be faced with this particular problem in their new neighborhood
But the exclusive Dallas community the Bush family will soon join has a troubled history of its own.
Until 2000, the neighborhood association’s covenant said only white people were allowed to live there, though an exception was made for servants.
Enacted in 1956, part of the original document reads: "Said property shall be used and occupied by white persons except those shall not prevent occupancy by domestic servants of different race or nationality in the employ of a tenant."
Well, shit. Hate it when that happens. But I’m sure it was just a …
Republican presidential hopeful George W. Bush and his wife sold their Dallas home in 1995 with a "restrictive covenant" in the deed designed to restrict ownership to white residents, records of the sale indicate.
Sigh.
"The thing that’s important for me [Bush said] is to get home and look in that mirror and say, ‘I did not compromise my principles" …
Clearly not.
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Aloha, Julia!
Hey, you. Aloha back.
Well, it’s not like we didn’t know what kind of people the Bushes are. They’ve given us eight years of irrefutable proof of that.
Well, sure. But you still figure that they’ll at least pretend to have some decent human feelings on the way out the door when people are watching.
Bush is only Treating Detroit like a Second New Orleans, and Laura’s not letting the Obama’s stay in the Guest House any earlier than she has to.
It’s not Racism…naw…it’s not…really, it’s not…
Hi Julia. Howdy pups. All I can say about this story is “oy vey!”
Simply lacking any scope of humanity, class, regard for anyone NOT in their ‘circle.’
So tempted to apply a racial/classist aspect to this, but their lack of dignity is well beyond these definitions.
Thanks, Julia.
I should have added state of mind:
They’re both very sheltered people. I don’t know if they have a conscious issue with minorities. I almost think they might not, as the only ways they’ve gone against the nativist borg is when they tried to get their party to be more inclusive.
You know, that said, if you’re more interested in your social status than with, say, the fact that Those People can’t buy in your neighborhood, you’re maybe not such a g00d person.
Hey, you.
that’s a great fucking video in your post julia — thank you
How you doing? Get much snow?
Shuster = postal on ChimpCo’s ass.
Lest there be any doubt about ratings and the population of TV watchers… Nicely done, David!
Wow.
Practically none. A frosting in the front yard. It’s mostly been dank and cold and dreadful.
This has been a message from the NY Tourist Commission…
petty little thugs, aren’t they?
George need not worry about his legacy. It is something most of us will remember like out parents or gandparents remember the Great Depression.
i’m supposed to get snow on my beach tomorrow and on and off snow showers and below freezing daytime temps until thur or fri
i thought it did not snow on the beaches
Was thread lurking on another blog today (probably corp media ’cause it sure as he!! wasn’t a reich wing one) and the nastiness/thoughtlessness/stupidity of many of the comments about this story was simply unbelievable. Nothing overtly racial (who knows about covertly) but disgusting all the same. Example: he’s a millionaire; why can’t he pay for a motel?……think that one falls in the “stupidity” category. :-(
How’d the rain treat you Julia? We got 3-4 inches in Mid-Hudson. Water table above my dirt floor basement, so puddles, but they’ll recede in a day. Flooding bad enough to close one of the bridges over the Wallkill.
Luckily it didn’t freeze on my trees, or those nearby, meaning we didn’t loose electricity, but there was a lot of that in the area.
sure it does, but the salt from the ocean can melt most of the nearby snow.
btw, julia, george bush is a racist unchristian sumbitch
All that we have put up with for the past 8 yrs and now we get ungracious and tacky, too. Marvelous, just marvelous.
We’re pretty warm. We’re at the top of one of our local ridges, but we have a fieldstone facing on the house, so it’s warmer than you’d think.
I’m betting we ain’t seen nothing yet. Remember those lies at the start of the horror that is Bush 43 about how Clinton people had trashed the White House and Air Force One?
Well, I won’t exactly be surprised if BushCo actually do it.
but how do you really feel?
Os missing from the keyboards.
It’s really disturbing. Kids that age are fragile. You’d think if you had a few of your own you’d realize that.
can’t say in polite company ma’am – that was the cleanup version
(((((Suzanne))))
Yeah, Michelle should just send the girls off with the nanny to the prez suite in the Hay Adams. I’m sure they’d comp it.
hey npb – the plants i took survived the trip and are happily inside riding out the storm.
Well, it is good to see that the Bushes remain consistently graceless and tacky.
You think the Bush twins were ever fragile? Bwahahahahaha.
when he was that age, he was too drunk and/or drugged to notice what was going on with the kids
that was Mrs. Bush’s job
They don’t trouble their “beautiful minds”(sic) with that sort of thing.
should read, “when his kids were that age…”
Snowing here in the northern Rockies (first of the winter). Supposed to be a pretty big snowfall. The other good news is that it is currently 28 F and isn’t going to get any warmer for the next few days. High on Monday is predicted at 4 F.
fraigle? with barbara bush as their grandmother and pickled for a dad and pickles for a mom? those girls learned life sucks and to look out for themselves at an early age
nah. they had nannies.
Where’s the polite company? I thought we were all foul mouthed fem bloggers?
Not if Granny Babs had anything to do with it.
Well, bless their hearts, the only way they can recover from this cavalcade of tacky is to invite the Obamas to use three bedrooms at the White House so the girls will be able to get to know their new home.
I salute your first paragraph, ma’am!
my 14 yr old would feel right at home. kid sounds like a sailor.
“Administration officials said there are no foreign dignitaries scheduled to stay there during the first two weeks of January, but some farewell events have been booked for departing Bush administration officials.”
Well, who wants to bet that these receptions will have a lot of invites made to various right-wing Think Thanks and K-Street lobbying groups. After all, they’ve got to get linked up with jobs before they go out into the cold, dark Depresion they’ve created.
And I thought Bush wanted to be remembered as the “Education President”…”nothing will get in the way of our childrens educations!”…”No Child Left Behind”…
…well except in the case when those educations interfere with parties for his cronies!
So I had a happy making story today, and want to share.
The who cuts my hair is a 70 year old straight Jewish man. He’s been doing it for about 15 years. He also is a very talented photographer. He’s had shows in galleries in NYC and Shelter Island, where he has a house. A few of his photos have been bought by museums.
Anyhow, he’s now getting a book published by Penguin! It will come out next October and they’ll promote it for the holidays. Title: The Flag. It’s one of the many themes he noticed when going over his 50 year collection. And someone at Abrams is interested in another book, portraits, though Penguin will have the right of first refusal on a second book.
Here’s his webstite. I didn’t see any flag photos, but if you scroll down a bit, on the right there’s a link to an article showcasing his photos in the forthcoming B&W Magazine.
I am sooo happy for him. He’s such a nice man and deserves all his success.
http://victorfriedman.com/
That should be “Think Tanks” (not “Think Thanks”) [It’s been a long day, sorry!]
but …. but ….. but ….. the education of black children?
All 14 year old boys sound like sailors. That is about the time they really discover profanity and they revel in it. It gives them a sense of power. Generally harmless in the longer term. In the short term, it is nothing that can’t be cured (or alleviated) with a bar of soap properly applied. 8-)
Ok, lmao, any doubts i’ve ever had about schuster has been vanquished.
“but some farewell events have been booked for departing Bush administration officials.”
Well, there are some Bush administration officials that should be “booked” in farewell events! Maybe they could hold these events at the Federal Courthouse or down at the FBI? Or we could say good-bye to them in a frog-marching parade down Pennsylvania Avenue!
Dude cut loose, didn’t he?
doesn’t work as well when he is staying with dad and swearing by text message
but but but ‘think tanks’ are always about ‘think tank!’
That is prize :D
A little harder to apply at a distance.
frog-marching would be a nice CYA!
is shuster trying out his snarkability (or is MSNBC trying it out) in anticipation of having his own show?
someone from msnbc certainly has to read us – we probably have several lurkers from them
well, msnbc–I think shuster has potential
I’ve always thought he was a good reporter, perhaps he can make it as an anchor
The thing that amazes me is that Bush keeps trying to do these “victory laps,” y’know, what you do when you’ve been successful. What he doesn’t understand is that there is no victory! His administration is a complete and utter failure.
way kewl.. hailing outside – enough to cover the deck with what looks like popcorn ceiling droppings
I like Schuster. However, to make it as an anchor, I think he needs a little more distinctive personality. I wonder if there are people who do training for that.
What, no webcam so we can watch it?
I thought he was starting to work on it tonight
i think we are seeing his personality emerge. he gets his snark on pretty good – at least he did on that segment.
he is in training camp i think – getting behind the desk experience with an eye for him eventually getting his own show.
but we need to have a better sense of who David is, as we do with Keith and Rachel and Tweety (I don’t want to know who Joe Scar is…)
a web cam hooked up to a wifi weather station is on my wish list.
Totally Off-topic but an interesting way to break your teevee:
http://norman.walsh.name/2008/12/12/thirds
re: the boosh snub of the obama family…whatever happened to peace on earth, goodwill to men at the Christmas season?
oh, wait. no room at the inn?
You would like this:
http://www.opencongress.org/battle_royale
digg! my friend digg!
Ha. I knew it all along.
Oooooh, props on the post, Julia! Love the Schuster snark.
Gregory for Press the Meat, probably won’t keep his afternoon slot…
twould be a way of sharing all the eye candy looking off the deck towards the bay
You betcha.
sit’n on the deck o the bay.
cute guys hang out near the deck??
did you all know that Harry Truman & family lived in Blair House for a good part of his presidency, while the White House was gutted and completely rebuilt from the inside?
I not only knew it, I remember it. :)
oooh – sounds great! (seen from indoors, of course)
otopaw….has Token weighed in on the blessing?
I used to know that. Or I knew that someone did that during a WH renovation. Is that when they added the West Wing?
I imagine all possible residencies for Obama will need a clean sweep ;)
it was just a bit before my time…
hahahahaha exactly
nope, only cute males are birds
ceiling cat approves this message.
I want a spy cam. Yes, I know I read too many John le Carre books but what’s done is done.
Now it’s just that just spiffy Southern Hospitality!! Shrub and sweet Laura at their very best manners. Oh thats right he doesn’t have any. What an insult to all Americans that this administration would purposely be so callus!
I don’t know about that. I read about it in a Truman biography recently, don’t recall discussion of the west wing.
It did, however, make me wonder what claim to authenticity the Lincoln Bedroom could have…perhaps it occupies the same airspace?
wicked evil laugh – he refused to go outside when it was hailing – i can’t wait to see what he and bailey think of *snow*
Yes, I’m sure W had the Russians come over and bug the whole WH in prep for Obama. Direct feed to Shelby & Corkhead.
The whole White House complex is going to need a full electronic, explosives, and biohazard sweep (not to mention decontamination). Remember who has been living there for the past eight years.
Yes, he is. When he was presented with a portrait of Martin Luther King, Jr., he used his slimy smirk as he said:
“Mrs. King, thanks for this beautiful portrait”. He glances at the audience, smirks, and says, ” I’m..um..I can’t wait to hang it”. And the sick group laughs. Ah, yes, in Bush’s world it is funny to allude to lynching Blacks.
http://www.politicalvideo.org/…..er-king-jr
I learnt what cut and paste means a week ago. Why didn’t I ask you to explain it to me two months ago when you suggested it to me? Even I could have understood without being shown in person! Bah..one of life’s missed opportunities. Two extra months of typing in url’s was soooo unnecessary.
I don’t think it’s necessarily purposeful, I think it is who they are
did someone else already say that here?
new post upstairs Senator Dodd Angered by Republican Desire to Screw Workers
Owning an historic house, I can assure you I’ve seen my share of those still in private ownership that have had all the history renovated out. Sometimes called remuddling (H/T Old House Journal). It always gives me a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.
But I’m sure they’ll never mention that everything historic has been demolished when cspan shows it’s forthcoming splendiferous hagiography on the WH. They’ll never say that it might have been put together by Disney.
Kirk !
Where’ve you been ? All’s well, I trust !
eek, yeah, double up on the biohazard tests and triple up on all the ones in the tunnels.
don’t worry, the first comment and the Digg have been taken care of…:)
OMG! lol, i’ve _so_ been waiting that airing!!! ;)
His pix are absolutely beautiful, eCAHN. And yet, in a way, what does it say about this country in general that a publisher would elect to publish his flag work over all the others? If if gets his foot in the door for a second book, that’s wonderful. My reaction has absolutely nothing to do with your friend and his talent but the mentality of the publisher and, in turn, potential purchasers.
How do you remove the smell of Sulphur … the Darth One has been lurkin’ there as well …
Dedicated White House hazmat team.
Wow … incredible … a straight hairstylist … *g*
Why does this response come from Laura Bush’s representative, when Blair House is run by the State Department and managed by the Administration’s Chief Protocol Officer? I’m darn sure the CPO, a senior ambassador, would have anticipated a need for the incoming family to be in residence in D.C. in time for the first day of school, and made sure accommodation was available. Blair House is plenty big enough. Something typically nasty Bushy’s at work here.
A Department of State? A Secretary of State?
Facts not in evidence, I’m afraid.
The rooms are full of shredders that are running 24/7.
I think the flags are not patriotic, though I don’t know for sure since I saw only one on the site. It was in the background of a scene, maybe a boardwalk? Can’t remember. Knowing Victor, I think it will just reveal all the myriad sites where the flag shows up, kind of a photo essay on a part of Americanism. I didn’t ask him details about it today because I couldn’t think of a way to craft a neutral Q. Next time I go, I’ll enquire further.
I also wondered why the Bush group had anything to say about who could stay a Blair House. It does not, after all, belong to them. It belongs to us.
I had to add that because no one would believe a male hair stylist who is also a creative and talented photographer is also straight. He’s also monogamous to his first & only wife, as near as I can tell. We don’t talk about that directly but from the comments he makes about his family (one son is an actor who is pretty fully employed, doing, among other appearances, ad spots for the Super Bowl) and family events, that they are really close, fun and loving.
Yes, but according to his mama, we all belong to him.
Oh, and Penquin is a Bristish publisher, though they have a substantial operation in the States, and I would guess it is all being handled here.
Dear Michelle,
May I suggest that Chimp and Pickles’ respective portraits be hung across the street in said Blair House. Why risk the hidden microphones?
Please wish him the best from me … have been banging my head all year trying to get an agent/publisher myself …
Petro!
Great to see you again, and all is well. The two days a week grand jury service has been cutting into my free time…uh…big time.
How are you!
I am more concerned about the toxic residue.
Good luck.
I asked Victor to describe the whole process to me because I know it is difficult to get a publisher. The short version is that he’s plugged into an artist’s community on Shelter Island & elsewhere. And it was all introductions that worked the first time.
Doing well, my friend … still looking for an Agent & Publisher … you’d think with all this bad news, self-help books would be in demand ! *g*
Y’all have more avenues open to connect with Agents & Publishers than we do up here. Next year, I’m re-doubling my efforts.
He got the idea for the book 2 years ago. They do an annual Studio Tour on Shelter Island, and he overheard a wife say to her husband while they were in his studio: You see, dear, I told you you should publish a flag book. He contacted them, but they did not respond. So he put together a portfolio qua book and started shopping it with friends. That worked pretty efficiently.
What is your book?
How to tap your full potential – self help but easy to read and practice and very, very effective.
I have 3 Book outlines and 5 more after those are done.
It takes a lot of perseverance to get the first one published but once that is a Bestseller, all the top Agents/Pubs come knocking the door.
Best of luck. Keep on keeping on.
Going upstairs.
“I don’t know about that. I read about it in a Truman biography recently, don’t recall discussion of the west wing.
It did, however, make me wonder what claim to authenticity the Lincoln Bedroom could have…perhaps it occupies the same airspace?”
C-Span is set to begin its huge documentary on WH History this Sunday — I suspect it will answer all questions.
When I was just a kid in the late 40’s we went through DC on a vacation, and as my Dad had a distant cousin who was in the Secret Service, we got a very personal tour of the whole place on a Saturday Morning.
The WH as you look at it from Penn Avenue was indeed totally gutted. Down about four floors (we looked from the diplomatic entrance) was a huge pile of structural steel, and a cement plant. Inside they had reinforcement to hold up the walls, and at the west end, a kind of bridge that Harry Truman used when walking from Blair House to the West Wing Offices. Otherwise, it was a big empty hole. By the Diplomatic entrance were parts of what became the Truman Balcony — that was pre-cast off site, and the supports for it inside the walls were being put in place.
What was done was very very carefully measure every part of the WH rooms, and all of the woodwork, mantles and all were taken across the river for restoration. All the floors — same treatment. Otherwise, every bit of structural beam and post was removed — some of it was still over by the Treasury Building, so you could see the sorry state of it all. What had happened over the years as electricity and modern plumbing had come into fashion was that holes had just been drilled for such in the structural members, and over the years the whole place became structurally dangerous, in addition to being a fire-trap. If you look at pictures of the WH in the early days of WWII, you will see that they provided FDR with cables and pullies so in case of fire, he could crawl to the window, take an ax and break it (they provided an ax) and then use his upper body strength to let himself down to the ground level on an inclined cable. When Harry Truman moved in, his daughter Margaret’s piano partially fell through the second story floor. So no question — gut rehab was in order.
I also got to see an assortment of FDR’s ramps that were stored in a construction shed by Treasury, ready to be shipped off to Hyde Park for the museum. The one real change they made in the WH during rehab was to eliminate all steps between rooms and raised thresholds so it was wheel chair accessable. Anyhow, the reconstruction was all concrete and steel, aside from decoration, all wood was removed. But all rooms were restored to their exact location in their exact dimensions — except that lots of mod con’s were added — many more bathrooms, better electrical service and the like. And it was air conditioned — before the 50’s it was shaded with large awnings, but no AC.
The West Wing was built by Teddy Roosevelt, but it was complete only at the end of his administration, so really it was Taft who first officed there. TR took down the extensive green houses that had been built — prior to his time the greenhouses grew much of the food used in the WH. Up until the early 1950’s the now Executive Office Building was both the War and State Department — War went to the Pentagon in the early 40’s, but the State Department wasn’t built till the 50’s. Up till TR’s time, the Presidential Offices were on the second floor in the WH residence.
(I often think that the lovers of small government ought to propose to eliminate the Pentagon and State — and move their functions back to the Executive Office Building, and push the President back into the Residence — now that would be properly downsizing Government.)
From what I remember from my tour back in (I think) 1949, there was about twice as much WH underground than above ground. At least three, maybe four stories. I’ve been in it several times since — and each time I find myself trying to remember aspects of that big hole in the ground, and what I was told they were set to construct. I think the Truman’s got back in for a couple of months, but it was really Eisenhower who got the full benefit of the gut rehab.
Over at the FP thread at dkos are the details, but shorter me:
Since acquisition of Blair house under FDR, there have been 11 pres. only 6 of which have used Blair in the ‘traditional’ way of Jan. 15-20. 6/11 –does that a tradition make?
PE residential apartment is separate from public rooms. IF SecSErvice thinks they can coexist w/ Bush guests –who have to have security clearance to be Bush guests–then they could easily stay there.
This is obstructionism, pure and simple.
class act, Laura, the educ. pres’ librarian wife. No child let move forward, eh?
Yeah, there’s a lot of stuff they accuse people of that I think are totally goofy and end up accounting it to “that’s what they’d do.” One of my favorites lately is the outrage at the possibility that the new administration will reinstate the Fairness Doctrine. Ummm, what does it say about a person that would get all paranoid at the prospect of “fairness” being asserted?
Let’s tell them: you can have the Os on the keyboards, you can take the Oval Office carpet along with the tedious story…oh yeah, and please take that painting with the thieving cowboy you think is a role model. Just leave. Soon.
You would have thought after the Plantation Caucus met this week that the Bushes would be thrilled to have a black family living in the little house on the lot. Spit.
Just when you think these semi human beings can’t sicken you anymore, they do.
Good Morning Julia and Puppies.
Alls u guys pickin’ on the cur rezdents. Tain’t fair.
Two, no, three thots keep nagging at what’s left of me mind:
- to be fair, remember how nice Nancy Reagan was to the incoming Clintons.
After all, precedents were set and should be honored.
- i wonder how Lawra’s comin’ with that rush-order surprise sleepover plan for dubya an’ his remaining buddies before the big move to whitesville manor on the common.
- to be perfectly honest, i think it’s only right to keep the place under lockdown while the servers continue searching for dubya’s secret decoder ring until the very last minute. a fella’s got every right to save his precious antiques from the trash bin. “nope. not under here….”