by Mark Silva, and updated
As President Bush prepares to address the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, First Lady Laura Bush will announce today that she will make a “public diplomacy’’ trip to the Middle East next month.
In New York today, the president plans to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as well as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the representative for the “quartet’’ of nations seeking a peaceful settlement of the conflicts in the Middle East.
“It really is an opportunity for discussions about efforts to help the Palestinian people… and moving towards a good partner that Palestine can be with Israel,’’ White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said today.
The first lady’s office plans to announce her Middle East October itinerary later today -- the trip will promote U.S. programs there.
"The U.S.-Middle East Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research will educate women in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan,'' Mrs. Bush said in New York today. "Through the partnership, women in these three countries will learn about the importance of early detection. I'll visit the Middle East in October, during Breast Cancer Awareness month. And I look forward to talking with women there about this important issue.''
At the U.N. tomorrow, the president will make a case for an international campaign against hunger, poverty, tyranny, violence, illiteracy and ignorance, disease and despair, the White House says.
“He will focus it on the responsibility for the United Nations to meet immediate human needs…’’ Perino said. “He will say that whatever differences U.N. members may have on other areas, these are issues on which we can all agree.’’
The president has no plans, however, to meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who will address an audience at Columbia University today and also field questions from a video feed to the National Press Club in Washington. But the White House is voicing no objections to Ahmadinejad’s appearances: “The wonderful thing about America is it’s a free country,’’ Perino said, “and if people want to invite people like Ahmadinejad’’ to speak, they are welcome to do so.
(First Lady Laura Bush and daughter Jenna Bush, shown above, traveling as U.S. ambassadors to Africa earlier this year. Photo by Mark Silva.)
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Comments
Ya gotta be sorry for poor Laura. We'll be rid of that boob in a year-and-a-half. She's gotta spend the rest of her life with him
Posted by: Kenneth Janowski | September 24, 2007 11:12 AM
Kenneth, I'll bet your wife feels the same way about you too, huh??
Posted by: John D | September 24, 2007 12:10 PM
I asked her. The Current Occupant, the great Decider, the "Bring-em-on" guy, in other words, the Boob-in charge came in second, and last.
Posted by: Kenneth Janowski | September 24, 2007 2:53 PM
Shouldn't that be Condolesa Rice going to the Middle East?
I also feel sorry for Mrs Bush. She's being used as a cheap PR stunt for a fail foreign policy. Make that a failed foreign policy, and a failed Presidency. A national disgrace.
Our troops have been put in a no-win situation. War College Pros have worked out a ratio of soldiers to civilians in order to effectively occupy and stabilize a country. It is one soldier to 40 civilians in the country in question. In the case of Iraq (pop.25,000,000)that works out to 625,000 soldiers. We don't have them to send, and have no plans (or money) to augment the army so greatly. So just what the hell are they doing there? Bring them all home not now but yesterday.
Posted by: Anonymous Bosh | September 24, 2007 4:09 PM