Gov. Mitt Romney has reportedly told a gathering of supporters at a fundraiser in London that if he is elected President of the United States, he looks forward to returning a bust of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to the Oval Office”:
Mitt Romney at London fundraiser: “I’m looking forward to the bust of Winston Churchill being in the Oval Office again.” #watersedge?
— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) July 26, 2012
Great Britain graciously sent the bust to the White House as a gesture of friendship and support following the horrific September 11,2001 terror attacks on America. Then President George W. Bush proudly displayed the bust of Churchill in the Oval Office. But once Barack Obama became President, one of his first acts was to return the bust to the British.
I guess this means that if Mitt is elected President, he will replace the framed copy of the New Yorker depicting Obama “walking on water” that our humble President placed in the Oval Office.
Gov. Mitt Romney Tells Fundraiser Crowd in London “I’m Looking Forward to the Bust of Winston Churchill being in the Oval Office Again” – 7/27/12
Here is video of former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations – John Bolton – on Fox News this morning where he said President Obama’s speech tonight announcing the beginning of a withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan is exactly the wrong thing to do at this time.
Bolton made the point that the only reason Obama is doing it is to fulfill his pledge back in 2009 to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in the summer of 2011. It’s not a result of advice from his military commanders and not related to conditions on the ground in Afghanistan. It is purely a political decision with an eye on the 2012 Election.
Bolton disagrees with Republicans like Jon Huntsman, who jumped into the 2012 GOP Presidential Nomination race yesterday. Huntsman believes the drawdown of troops should be faster than even what Obama is expected to announce: 5,000 troops this year and another 5,000 in the Spring of 2012. Bolton said that recent U.S. success in Afghanistan against the Taliban means the time is now to increase the pressure on them – not let up.
Amb. John Bolton on Obama’s Oval Office Speech Tonight: This is Not the Time to Reduce Pressure on the Taliban – Video 6/22/11
Presidential Seal as depicted on Obama’s New Oval Office Carpet
Official Presidential Seal
It seems some are suggesting President Obama’s new Oval Office rug not only got a historical quote wrong as to its source, but that it also has the Presidential Seal wrong.
Ed Morrissey at HotAir has done a fantastic job of getting to the bottom of that question. He concludes that because the Seal on a carpet is not supposed to be an exact representation of the actual Seal, there is nothing wrong with the Seal on the new carpet.
HotAir: So no, Obama and his team didn’t use the wrong seal for the carpet, or get the seal wrong at all in any official sense. Some may not like the non-traditional representation of the seal in the new carpet, but it’s at least slightly more traditional than Bush 41 . . . . . Read More
Controversy over the Presidential Seal on Obama’s New Oval Office Rug
Via CBS News’ Mark Knoller on Twitter
We posted more photos of the newly redecorated Oval Office yesterday.
White House Releases Photo Of President Obama in Newly Redecorated Oval Office – Photo
What we heard the other day has turned out to be true. While the Obamas were on their 10-day vacation, the Oval Office was redecorated to suit President Obama’s taste:
NYT – THE CAUCUS: The Oval Office has gotten a makeover.
When President Obama addresses the nation on Iraq on Tuesday night, he will do so from newly redecorated digs. The look, which includes new and reupholstered furniture and new paint and wallpaper, is more modern and tends toward neutral hues of brown and taupe, rather than the gold and yellow tones favored by his predecessor, George W. Bush.
Gone is the sunburst rug that Mr. Bush loved so much; designed by his wife, Laura, he used to say it evoked a spirit of optimism. In its place is a more muted, mostly wheat and cream-colored carpet featuring the presidential seal in the center, and ringed on its edge with five quotations selected by Mr. Obama – four from former presidents (Lincoln, Kennedy and both Roosevelts) and one from the Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. . . .
The makeover was not done at taxpayer expense; the White House said the costs were covered by the
White House Historical Association, a nonprofit group, through a contribution from the committee that paid for Mr. Obama’s inauguration. The White House is not saying how much the redesign cost, except to say that it was ‘’in line with’’ what Mr. Obama’s two most recent predecessors spent. The rug was made and donated by the Scott Group, a carpet maker headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., that had made the rug designed for President Bill Clinton, the White House said.
But given the hard economic times facing the nation, Mr. Obama is bound to face questions about the redo. . . . . .
These are the quotations the president chose for his rug:
* “The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself” – President Franklin D. Roosevelt
* “The Arc of the Moral Universe Is Long, But It Bends Towards Justice” – Martin Luther King Jr.
* “Government of the People, By the People, For the People” – President Abraham Lincoln
* “No Problem of Human Destiny Is Beyond Human Beings” – President John F. Kennedy
* “The Welfare of Each of Us Is Dependent Fundamentally Upon the Welfare of All of Us” – President Theodore Roosevelt . . . . . . . Read More
President Obama Does Major Redecoration to the Oval Office – Photos
Via Drudge Report
We’ll see if there is any confirmation of this in the days ahead. If true, not the best thing to do PR-wise at a time of great economic difficulty.
UPDATE 8/31/10: CONFIRMED: Obama did have the Oval Office redone while he was on vacation – PHOTOS
Oval Office Redo During Obama Vacation? – Drudge
Here is video of Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer describing in detail her meeting yesterday with President Obama at the White House.
Brewer said when she arrived, Obama greeted her in the hall and then invited her into the Oval Office. They sat down, and other aides also sat on the couches around them. She said they exchanged pleasantries, and then Obama told her that he disagreed with her on “1070″ – the Arizona anti-illegal Immigration law. But, he told her he would not comment on it, and Brewer said she told Obama that “there is a lot of misunderstanding about the bill,” and the “she made sure it mirrored Federal Law” and would not allow “racial profiling.” Gov. Brewer indicated that Obama just sat and listened to her position but did not comment further on the law.
They then discussed “securing the border,” which Brewer said Obama pledged to do. But Brewer apparently put Obama on the spot by asking him, “When?” She wanted to know when he intended to actually commit the resources to secure the border. Obama said he would send people to Arizona within two weeks to talk to her further about that.
Greta said, “Let me get this straight. Here we have the two principals involved – the President of the United States and the Governor of the State sitting across from each other in the Oval Office – and the President says we’re going to send the staff to do all the talking to your staff instead of the two of you talking together.”
Brewer responded, “That’s correct” – as she flashed that smile of hers.
The Governor told Greta that Obama made it very clear that he wants “Comprehensive Immigration Reform,” and Brewer said she made it clear that the border had to be secured before there could be any discussion of Immigration Reform.
Brewer said she believes Obama is going to push for “Comprehensive Immigration Reform.” She is expecting to hear from Obama within two weeks what he intends to do about the border, whether he is going to build a fence, how many troops he is sending to Arizona, and how much money he is going to commit.
I wouldn’t hold my breath on actually hearing from Obama within two weeks. But Brewer does a fantastic job of communicating her message in clear and understandable terms. Hopefully, she will keep his feet to the fire.
