The Memphis, Tenn., home of the King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley will host a summit of sorts Friday when President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi travel to Graceland for a personal tour of one of America's wackiest, and some may argue tackiest tourist attractions.
This is the first time a sitting president has visited Graceland..... Koizumi is a good friend of G W Bush, and a massive fan of Elvis. Koizumi even serenaded President Bush with an Elvis song at his last birthday party.
I guess George must have liked the song PM Koizumi sang so much that he is taking him the the home of the King.
Elvis's ex wife Priscilla and daughter Lisa-Marie Presley will be the tour guides for the President and PM this Friday...... I wonder if they will be fed peanut butter and banana sandwiches?
13 comments:
The question on everyone's lips is will Richard Gere be in attendance?
Really am I missing something here?
Glad to know these guys are working on the big issues.
What a pair of asshats. You heard me, asshats.
Rymann, you should be working at the Comedy Club up there on Sunset.
Seriously though Rob. Look at that photo...
Its Chimp and Chimper.
HAHA....
Rymann need a lithium pill. George Bush is doing a terrific job of promoting a good relationship with Japan. Koizumi was apparently thrilled with his tour of Graceland. It's a legitimate purpose of the US president to impress visiting leaders. he could have bored Koizumi senseless with military parades or meeting boring hollywood celebrities who quack out on scientoloty, but what would that prove? Here's a Japanese leader who loves Elvis - so why not take him to Graceland?
I'd like to think when important allies and friends of ours come to New Zealand, we give them a tour of some of our more famous institutions like an All Blacks game or race a couple of America's Cup yachts in the Hauraki Gulf instead of endless poi dances from local schools.
Oh, and as for working through the big issues, they had a 30 minute quiet chat in Elvis' gardens. Bush, unlike his predecessors, favours casual diplomacy, easing off on all the state dinners but doing interesting things like taking foreign leaders on Air Force One to places of interest. Topics of discussion were the recent decision by Japan to open their markets to US Beef, North Korea, Energy issues, Iraq and Afghanistan.So, I think Joe Taxpayer got some immediate and long term value here.
Bush has used this casual diplomacy debore - Bush has taken the leader of Poland to Detroit (where there is a heavy Polish-American and Roman Catholic community) and the Danish PM on a mountain bike ride around Camp David.
CNN reports that such moves by Bush wowed his guests.
If I recall correctly, lithium is generally used to treat manic depression. No thanks, but I appreciate the expert medical diagnosis.
You make a valid point about cutting down on the wanky state dinners and doing things more aligned with the interests of visiting dignitaries.
But to be honest, even seeing a picture of Bush gets my blood boiling. I find his arrogance in the wake of massive corruption, ineptitude, and illegalities absolutely incredible.
I'll leave it at that.
After all, arguing on the internet is like running in the special olympics.
Even if you win your still retarded.
Well, the only thing that is retarded is commentary that calls a President a "Chimp" and an "Asshat", and his visitor one as well. We don't learn much about Bush or Koizuimi from such comments, but I think we all learn a fair bit about you.
Retarded commentary out on the net can be found in abundance from people who simply mouth off on the sight of a photo of George W Bush. Before deciding you are going to slam the US President for entertaining world leaders in a more casual fashion, you might like to do some reading up first. And if a mere photo of Bush gets your blood boiling, then maybe you ought to seek pharmaceutical assistance to control some of your brain impulses.
Lastly, in your final line, the word you want is "you're".
Obviously levity is an unknown concept to you.
All my posts are made with tongue firmly in cheek.
Perhaps I should have posted in italics to better convey sarcasm.
What is with your preoccupation with medication?
Are you speaking from experience?
As for calling me on a typo, thanks for the lesson.
Do you honestly think that was intentional?
Mistakes happen when you type fast.
Read your first post again, and you'll find several typo's and a spelling mistake.
A rational person would assume you were in a hurry and didn't proof it before hitting send.
An asshole would point out these mistakes with glee and suggest you are non compos mentis.
Oh christ.
I'm arguing on the internet.
I don't think you're wriggling out of that one citing a technicality, Rymann. You've posted at least once before on this blog with previous comments in the same vein. None done in levity, but in the spirit of shallow ignorance I have come to expect from liberal-left leaning folks. OK, maybe your comment really was was a lighthearted jab, but the ignorant remark about the visit to Graceland being some kind of laziness on the part of Koizumi and Bush just demonstrated some pretty big ignorance about how statecraft works. At a personal level, I think Koizuimi was relieved to not have to go through another dreary state dinner that only mid-level bureaucrats get a kick out of, and to be gifted a Wurlizter full of Elvis songs sounds like a pretty cool gift from a US leader to an Elvis crazy ally.
Again, people who go around feverishly denouncing Bush as a chimp or the "Bushitler" clanger that the looney left just love to use tell me a lot more about themselves than they do about Bush. It's a supreme irony that folks who indulge in that sort of stupidity are perhaps the people most responsible for the election of a President you can't stand.
After all, if I was living in mid-West America or in a battleground state, it would be an easy decision to vote Bush and Republican after watching the negative, nasty drivel that comes from the mouths of those who campaigned against Bush (note - campaigned AGAINST Bush rather than campaigning FOR someone.)
But perhaps I am being too harsh. I'll accept that your comments were made in a light hearted vein. You could try a smiley face next time.
Aaron, the presumptions you make in regards to my political leanings are a little off the mark.
I'm not a fan of hysterical partisan squabbling at all, I'm more interested in seeing the right man for the job in the hot seat.
Clearly, Bush is not that man.
Its as simple as that.
I also agree that in the last election the choices the public had were indeed poor.
He will never be the statesman his father was, but its his insistence on consulting with jesus on foreign policy decisions that is the most disturbing to me.
We can go on forever like a couple of old ladies but I'm sure we both have better things to do with our time.
Quite simply, the picture Rob posted made me laugh.
Here we have a man who is a fanatical believer in creationism who also bears a striking resemblance to our simian ancestors.
To me thats funny, regardless of his political alignment.
Obviously its not to you.
Perhaps I should have asked for guidance from above before posting. WWJP?
As to my "pretty big ignorance of statecraft", I can assure you nothing could be further from the truth.
Sure, lets talk foreign policy.
I welcome your views and I hope you will give mine some thought too.
When Rob posts a suitable topic, I promise to post sans humor.
I think you will find me anything but ignorant and shallow.
But a post on Bush & Koizumi going to Graceland?
Thats just too good to pass up.
You have to admit, it is a rather un apt photo for #43 and Japanes PM... Did you see the video clips of the Japanese PM's performnce at Graceland? Possible backs up Rymanns remarks in jest. Although having been to Japan I could tell that Koizumi was very excited therefore as Aaron said it may have well been a good form of diplomacy for # 43 to take him there instead of a boring state dinner.
I must say that Elvis is a much much better singer than PM Koizumi
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