An emotional Bush at last Fourth of July as president

It was his last Fourth of July as president -- and his first  visit to Monticello, the home of the author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson. It was not a long trip. It took the presidential party 40 minutes by helicopter from the White House -- plus a 10-minute motorcade -- to arrive at the home Jefferson built for himself and his family in Charlottesville, Va. 

The president's stated purpose was to welcome and attend the swearing-in of 72 new citizens from 30 countries, including one from Burma. But his voice  showed emotion when he talked about spreading freedom to other countries, one of his stated rationales for the war in Iraq. Quoting Jefferson as saying that the principles of the Declaration were universal, Bush said: "We honor Jefferson's legacy by aiding the rise of liberty in lands that do not know the blessings of freedom." Without mentioning Iraq, Afghanistan or the war on terrorism, he added, "And on this Fourth of July, we pay tribute to the brave men and women who wear the uniform of the United States of America." Watch the video here.

Bush was interrupted repeatedly by protesters, shouting  "Defend the Constitution, Impeach Bush!" and "War Criminal!" Bush diverged from his prepared remarks to respond to the hecklers, explaining to
America's newest citizens, "We believe in free speech in the United States of America."

One of the protesters, David Swanson, has gone online to explain his behavior, saying

When Bush opened his mouth to speak I shouted "Defend the Constitution, Impeach Bush!" I repeated that several times, as people nearby knocked me over, cops handcuffed me, people gave me smiles and thumbs up signs. They threw me out and a couple of more defenders of our Constitution behind me, and then a few more, and then a few more. The handcuffed citizens who'd done their duty kept coming down the hill. They did not arrest us but did give us a ride down the mountain where we joined a crowd of protesters in the road who greeted Bush's limo coming and going.

Bush, who celebrates his 62nd birthday on Sunday, said he was delighted to spend part of the weekend at  the home of the nation's third president, who died on July 4, 1826, the 50th birthday of the United States.

"This is a fitting place to celebrate our nation's independence," Bush said. "Thomas Jefferson once said he'd rather celebrate the Fourth of July than his own birthday. To me, it's pretty simple -- the Fourth of July weekend is my weekend birthday."

Praising Jefferson's achievements -- a well-read man whose book collection formed the basis of the Library of Congress -- Bush noted that although Jefferson was the nation's first secretary of State, second vice president and third president, he hated public speaking. Alluding to his own reputation for muffing a speech line from time to time, Bush said, "It seems Jefferson got away with only delivering two public speeches during his presidency." Pausing for the laugh, he added, "I'm sure a lot of Americans wish that were the case today."

Full video of the speech after the jump

-- Johanna Neuman

Comments

[Thomas Moore]

Why is every1 writing paragraphs for comments? do yall think any1 bothers to read..i dont think so

[Lady Liberty]

Yes, we all love America, so everything we do is great and wonderful and powerful. God, it feels good to be American ... a land where we can protest because all we really want is attention and not because we want to express our "freedom of speech" to a speaker or audience ... a land where all protestors (like our Forefathers) are nothing but hippies and liberals and terrorist sympathizers ... a land where we love our brave soldiers and Marines so much we''re willing to do nothing to save them except to write hateful anonymous comments while they stand in harms way to protect our ignorance ... a land where we can hate everyone for everything regardless of personal responsibility for real harm done to others ... a land where our children and grandchildren will suffer from our collective refusal to have done nothing about anything except to blame "them" for our troubles. Happy dependence on Saudi Arabian oil! No worries, soon we’ll have Iraq’s and we can always get more from Iran. In the meantime, let''s all go escape to a firework show to scream "ooh" and "awe".

[Tom]

Jefferson would have been outraged to see the damage Bush has inflicted on his country and its laws. How offensive to see this moron at Monticello. He belongs on trial in court for his crimes.

[J B HAAS,SR.]

THE IMMATURE MINDS OF THOSE THAT THINK SHOUTING OBCENITIES AND MAKING FOOLS OF THEMSELVES AT THE SITE OF A SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT, ANY PRESIDENT, ALL PRESIDENTS ARE MUCH THE SAME AS THAT OF A BABY THAT HAS SOILED IT'S DIAPER. THEY ARE UNDEDUCATED AS TO HOW OR WHAT THEY WANT BUT CRYING AND SHOUTING FOR OTHERS TO TAKE CARE OF THEM. WHEN THEY ARE IN THIS UNINFORMED STATUS THEY USUALLY CLOISTER IN ONE SPECIFIC PARTY AND LATER WHEN THEY BECOME EDUCATED AND SEE THE NEED FOR CONCERN TO BE OBJECTIVE AND THOUGHTFUL, THEY USUALLY MIGRATE TO THE OTHER POLITICAL PARTY. PERHAPS AND HOPEFULLY THEY WILL LEARN SOME COMMON SENSE, MANNERS AND MATURING ALONG THE WAY.

[Joe]

@VLM: People like you are exactly the reason why people shout down W at ceremonies.

Sure. Let's take peaceful demonstrators and lock them up and throw away the key. Then we'll be exactly like MYANMAR. You idiot. Statements like this are proof that the mentally handicapped have taken over the country.

The fourth of July is our celebration of the values that make this country great, such as freedom of THOUGHT, freedom of SPEECH, the right to PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY, and many other things that other countries lacked.

Bush invaded a sovereign nation that posed no threat to America and has created a nightmare in terms of two million homeless Iraqi refugees, 200,000 dead citizens who were just fine under Saddam, and 4,000 dead coalition soldiers. By any definition, by all measures, invading Iraq Bush has exacerbated terrorism.

This man has singlehandedly done more damage to our FREEDOMS and invoked more HATRED than any other president in the history of our great country.

I WISH I could have stood with those protestors and shamed this horrible man.

[Lorna]

President Bush isn't perfect, but he still beats the heck out of Al Gore! Good heavens.

God bless America.

[Ray]

God bless America and George and Laura Bush.

[Kendall]

There is a time and place for everything.
This was NOT the time nor the place for a protest.

[Gus]

Swenson has a constitutional right to protest, which he did peacefully. Bush responded graciosuly, though from his prior record he is hypocritical: He showed his true colors when he called reputable reporters "assholes" when they asked awkward questions ("private comment to the vice-president", indeed!). He has characterised Americans who disagreed with his (Incorrect as it turned out) positions as traitors, unpatriotic and "against us", whoever "us" is. IMPEACH WHILE HE IS STILL PRESIDENT.

[Web Smith]

Instead of hot dogs, beer, and firecrackers, today would be a great day to celebrate by reading the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution. Both of them are very short but they are the two most effective documents on the planet. Most people have actually never read them. Many people have read the Bill of Rights but never the entire Constitution. Now would be a good time to do so.

Take a pad and pen and, as you read them, jot down the things that we are dealing with today that resulted in the Declaration of Independence and the things in the Constitution that are being violated. You will then have a list of the things that are causing the problems that we are now facing.

It is said that only 5% of a population will fight for their country. At this point, you still don't have to fight. You only have to vote.

You only have to Google them.

[Bill]

To all who have said that this was not the "time or place" for protest, you deserve none of the rights conferred to you by those brave enough to protest the rule of a corrupt society. Giving Bush a free pass is not acceptable, he has done too much bad to be rewarded with "respect". Patriotism and defense of rights does not entail meekly following along with the White House. True patriotism is loving a country enough to protest its destruction despite imbeciles marching in lockstep with a failed leader trying to silence you.

[Cornwallis]

He is one pathetic human being

[Linda Roper]

I am afraid that in 4 years people will wish that they still had Bush or someone like him as their president.

[dfs]

"Protestors" (if we are going to dignify them with that word) of this kind are really nothing more than ego-tripping exhibitionists. Some nutball acts out in public and imagines he's a new Thoreau. Outside the confines of his own imagination, he's really accomplishing nothing more than discrediting the cause he stands for and gaining sympathy for whatever he's against.

[Oregon Engineer]

Isn't it about time to give the irrational Bush hatred a rest? Mean bullies are never very attractive, and the toadies who pile on after the bullies have given the guy a bloody nose are despicable.

[bill j]

I voted for Bush. He embarrasses me. I can' t imagine a president living so close to Monticello and not visiting it in eight years. When he does, it's only as political theater. Shows a real lack of intellectual depth and curiosity. A sad legacy.

[Joe johnson]

I wonder what the new citizens thought about the protests.

[Charles Lopez]

This beats all the propaganda that has come out of this Administration! We bomb the hell out of Iraq and this is for FREEDOM.
They have killed thousands of people in Iraq all in the name of Freedom.
This War has been a cash cow for the Oil companies, and the contractors.
Bush is a Oil man and Chenney is with Haliburton.
Conflict of interest!!!!!!!
How many Lawyers do we have in the Congress!!!!! Maybe they should hire one.
Oh I forgot you don't need a lawyer with a no bid contract.

[Albert A]

On this July 4 I ask each one of the supporters of the current occupant of the White House to remember:
1) Bush lied and thousands have died
2) Bush has made a raid on the treasury and has destroyed American prestige around the world
3) the actions of this man and his minions could be considered treason
4) there is a real possibility that Bush,Cheney, Rumsfeld or Rice could be indicted for war crimes
5)that this is the 2nd time in 20 years a Bush has been at the heart of a financial crisis....remember and the savings and loan collapse...that cost the taxpayers over $1B and left the Federal Government owning approximately 60% of Colorado Springs
To say shame on you to protesters is completely wrong...Ron Kovic was a Vietnam veteran....go and reacquaint yourself with his story..."Born on the Fourth of July"

[Kelly Wright]

I do not agree/disagree with Bush taking us to Iraq. I do disagree with the way it has been handled. We should have sent enough troops to Iraq, as we did in Desert Storm, to handle anything the Arabs terroist could throw at us. As for the protesters they should have honored and welcomed our new citizens. This was not the time or place for a protest against Bush. There will always be selfish, uninformed idiots. As Murphy's law states: light travels faster than sound and that is the reason people appear bright until they speak.

[Connie Warner]

Thomas Jefferson is ROLLING OVER. BLESS THOSE PROTESTERS!!

[Jim]

It's amazing how none of the incalculable damage Bush has inflicted on the World has changed him one iota. If anything, he's become more smug and calculating. Too bad Pelosi is a sold out Neocrat, no President has ever come close to being as Impeachable as this useless sack of you-know-what. The Founding Fathers would have him drawn and quartered.

[Fernando]

I think is kind of funny to watch these people open their mouth, and I would appreciate if Mr. David Swanson stops calling him self or any of the immature selfish protestors a “Defender of the Constitution…”, because as a proud American citizen I can say that it takes more that interrupting the President of the United States, when he is giving a speech, to be called a defender of the constitution. Every one has the God-giving right to speak his/her mind, but, these protestors need to understand that like VLM said, there is a time and place for protesting, that was definitely not the time nor the place for that. Mr. David Swanson reminds me of those crazy fundamentalist that where protesting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan at the commentaries where the soldiers who lost their lives where been buried; once aging, not the time and definitely not the place. I may not concur with Mr. Bush’s policies, but if I have something to say, I’ll do it in a responsible and respectful manner, and not at the expense of others.

[Brian B]

I agree that Bush should be brought up on war crime charges. After seeing shows on PBS about Hitler and Bush my 8 year old thinks they are the same person

[Ben Romero]

What's wrong with some people of this country? What's wrong with the media? The media here, like in many countries, is a destructive instrument. I am a Colombian born, I am also a USA's citizense and I know what the cost of freedom is. We have sufferred the killing and kidnapping of thousands for more than 40 years and we are still strugling for peace. Mr George W. Bush is perhaps the president of this country that has faced so many national desasters, one major terrorist attack and two war fromts. Add to that the opposition of Democratic Congress that says no to every intent of advance. A lot of people of this country, including some of the media people are no different than Hugo Chavez that called "Satan" to our president. Bush is a decent person. He has been a good example to the youth of this country. No sex scandals for 8 years at the White House coming from our President!