Digest of Other White House Announcements, Week Ending Friday, August 22, 2008
The following list includes the President’s public schedule and other items of general interest announced by the Office of the Press Secretary and not included elsewhere in this issue.
August 16
In the morning, at the Bush Ranch in Crawford, TX, the President had an intelligence briefing followed by a briefing on the situation in Georgia.
August 18
In the morning, the President had an intelligence briefing. He then had a video teleconference briefing on Tropical Storm Fay with Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff and Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel.
August 19
In the morning, the President had an intelligence briefing, in which he was briefed on the deaths of 10 French soldiers who were killed in an ambush on August 18 in Kabul Province, Afghanistan. He was then briefed on the current situation in Georgia and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s meeting with NATO allies in Brussels, Belgium.
The President announced that Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao will replace Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as head of the Presidential delegation attending the closing ceremony of the Olympic games in Beijing, China, on August 24.
The President announced his intention to nominate James X. Dempsey to be a member of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.
The President announced his intention to designate James A. Williams as Acting Administrator of the General Services Administration.
August 20
In the morning, the President had an intelligence briefing. Later, he traveled to Orlando, FL. He then traveled to the Orange County Convention Center, where he presented the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Keela Carr, who recently walked across the country to thank and raise support for U.S. military personnel.
In the afternoon, the President traveled to New Orleans, LA. He then traveled to Jackson Barracks, headquarters for the Louisiana National Guard, where he toured the facilities. Later, he traveled to Gulfport, MS.
In the evening, the President met with Leslee Morrow Curry and Krysten and Trevor Curry, wife and children of Gulfport Police Officer Robert J. Curry who was killed on August 14 in a motorcycle accident. He then returned to the Bush Ranch in Crawford, TX.
August 21
In the morning, the President had a telephone conversation with former President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan to wish him well and thank him for his cooperation in the war on terror. He then had a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani of Pakistan to express his condolences for the loss of life due to the terrorist attacks in Dera Ismail Khan on August 19 and in Wah on August 21 and to discuss the war on terror and U.S. economic assistance. Later, he had an intelligence briefing.
Later in the morning, the President met with Counselor to the President Edward W. Gillespie.
The President declared an emergency in Florida and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Tropical Storm Fay beginning on August 18 and continuing.
The President announced his intention to nominate Michael Young to be a member of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission.
The President announced his intention to appoint the following individuals as membersof the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts: Herbert V. Kohler, Jr.; Carl H. Lindner III; Marilyn Carlson Nelson; Robert Frank Pence; David Rubenstein; Shirley W. Ryan; and Marc I. Stern.
The President announced his intention to appoint the following individuals as members of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation: John L. Berrey; Bill Haslam; Mark A. Sadd; and John Williams.
The President announced his intention to designate David Kelly as Acting Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at the Department of Transportation.
August 22
In the morning, the President had a video teleconference with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to discuss her trip to Baghdad, Iraq. He then had a video teleconference with his national security advisers, who briefed him on the current situation in Iraq. Later, he had an intelligence briefing.
Later in the morning, the President had a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki of Iraq. He then had a telephone conversation with President Nicolas Sarkozy of France to express his condolences for the deaths of the 10 French soldiers who were killed on August 18 in Kabul Province, Afghanistan, and to discuss President Sarkozy’s trip to Afghanistan and the situation in Georgia.
The White House announced that the President and Mrs. Bush will welcome President John Agyekum Kufuor of Ghana and his wife, Theresa, for a state visit on September 15.