From Tokyo comes word that Dana Perino, the White House press secretary, wants an apology from Sen. Barbara Boxer.
The California Democrat and chair of the Senate Environment Committee accused Perino today of lying about why the White House had pushed for deletions in congressional testimony from the Environmental Protection Agency regarding the effects of global warming on public health.
Boxer placed the blame in the office of Vice President Dick Cheney -- and said Perino then lied about the reason for the deletions.
In Japan, where President Bush was attending the annual Group of 8 summit, Perino told reporters Thursday morning (Tokyo time): “I have never said such a thing about a fellow public servant, and I wouldn’t if I didn’t have all the facts."
"I think I deserve an apology," she added, completing the trans-Pacific volley between Capitol Hill and Japan.
Not likely, according to this response from Natalie Ravitz, Boxer's spokeswoman: "It is the Bush administration that owes the American people an apology for covering up the dangers of global warming."
It has been three days since the White House announced, on the eve of the Independence Day weekend, that President Bush, as expected, would attend the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.
On Sunday, in Japan, where he is attending the annual Group of 8 summit, Bush for the first time explained on the record why he decided to attend. The decision has drawn some pointed criticism.
Forget the political importance the Chinese have attached to staging a successful Olympics, he seemed to say. Ditto the complaints about China's treatment of protesters seeking independence for Tibet, and of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader. It's all about sports, said the president, a former part owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team.
Here's how the president put it at a news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda:
PRESIDENT BUSH: I view the Olympics as a opportunity for me to cheer on our athletes. It's an athletic event. I had the honor of dealing with the Chinese -- two Chinese presidents during my term, and every time I have visited with them I have talked about religious freedom and human rights. And so, therefore, my decision to go was -- I guess I don't need the Olympics to express my concerns. I've been doing so.
I also believe that the Chinese people are watching very carefully about the decisions by world leaders, and that this -- I happen to believe not going to the opening games would be -- the Opening Ceremony for the Games would be an affront to the Chinese people, which may make it more difficult to have a -- to be able to speak frankly with the Chinese leadership. That's why I'm doing what I'm doing. And I'm looking forward to cheering the athletes. I think it will be -- I think it would be good for these athletes who have worked hard to see their president waving that flag.
Q -- (inaudible) --
PRESIDENT BUSH: You know, in some areas we've made progress on a common agenda; other areas we haven't. But nevertheless, I have been very clear in my view that, for example, a whole society is one that honors religion and that people shouldn't fear religious people. After all, truly religious people love their neighbor, and that China benefits from people being able to worship freely.
It looks like there's some progress, at least in the talks with the Dalai Lama. And by the way, as you know, I'm the first president ever to have stood up publicly with the Dalai Lama, and told President Hu Jintao I was going to. And he wasn't that pleased about it, but nevertheless, I said I believe in a religious freedom, Mr. President.
And so it's -- and I hope I have a bilateral -- I might have a bilateral with him here, and I bet I do when I'm in Beijing, as well, and, of course, the subject will come up.
In a classic case of announcing controversial news when it is least likely to draw attention, the White House finally disclosed this afternoon, on the eve of a three-day holiday, that President Bush will -- as expected -- attend the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games next month.
Several hours earlier, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino signaled that it was more than likely that the president would be in the stadium on the opening day, calling his attendance "a distinct possibility," when asked about it by reporters.
But it was an announcement that the White House had been putting off for months -- indeed, ever since Bush committed himself to attending at least some of the Games when he met with Chinese President Hu Jintao last September in Australia.
The issue is complicated, but there was little expectation that the president would not in the end show up for the ceremonies. To do otherwise -- as a protest of Beijing's human rights policies and its treatment of Tibetans and the Dalai Lama -- would have been a slap in the face for the Chinese.
U.S. beef is returning to South Korea for the first time in five years -- and so is President Bush.
Korean President Lee Myung-bak, visiting Bush at Camp David last April, agreed to lift the ban on U.S. beef that had been in place since mad cow disease was discovered in the United States in 2003.
Despite violent protests in Seoul, the White House said that Bush will meet with Lee when the two are in Japan for the G-8 meeting this month and again when Bush visits South Korea Aug. 5-6, on his way to the Beijing Olympics.
At Camp David, Bush served the south Korean president Texas Black Angus tenderloin. No telling what they'll be eating on this trip.
It all started in April, when the new president of South Korea, Lee Myung-bak, visited President Bush at Camp David. The two countries announced resumption of beef imports -- halted after the December 2003 report of mad cow disease in the United States. At the presidential retreat, Bush nicknamed the visiting South Korean president, who had been in office only four months, "the Bulldozer" and served him Texas Black Angus tenderloin.
"I appreciate your decision to reopen the Korean market to American beef -- consistent with international standards," Bush said at their joint press conference. "This is good news for Korean consumers, and it's good news for American beef producers. As a matter of fact, we had some good American beef last night for dinner."
In Seoul, worried consumers took to the streets in protest, and some demonstrators have been in the streets ever since. Government negotiators added safeguards to the deal. Still, Lee was forced to shake up his Cabinet as the crisis continued. So it surprised no one today when the White House announced that the president will not visit South Korea during his July trip to Japan for the Group of Eight summit.
"We’re actually moving in a good direction on the beef deal," White House press secretary Dana Perino said, noting that Bush will still meet Lee while in Japan and might visit South Korea before his term ends in January. "We will certainly have another opportunity when we head into Asia in August," she said. "But this trip will just be solely for the G8."
Vice President Dick Cheney has now retracted comments he made earlier this week suggesting that China, at Cuba's invitation, is drilling for oil 60 miles off the Florida coast. Which is too bad for Democrats, who were pouncing on the remarks as evidence of the latest West Wing foreign policy intrigue.
"First they used scare tactics to try to get Americans to support a war with Iraq," said House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel of Illinois. "Now they're trying to scare us into drilling for oil where we don't need to."
In his original remarks, Cheney cited as his source columnist George Will, who wrote
Drilling is underway 60 miles off Florida. The drilling is being done by China, in cooperation with Cuba, which is drilling closer to South Florida than U.S. companies are.
The theme has been popular with conservatives. House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio has mentioned the idea on the House floor, according to the Associated Press. Rep. George Radanovich (R-Calif.), recently wrote about it in the Modesto Bee. All of which prompted Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) to charge that Republicans were using "the ghosts of communism and xenophobia," to beat the PR drums against China.
Political leaders in India are upset that President Bush seemed to allude that some Asian countries like Vietnam and India are to blame for the current trend of rising food prices.
On Friday during a visit Friday to World Wide Technology, Inc. in Maryland
Heights, Missouri Bush explained that the recent prosperity of the Indian middleclass is one of the reasons for the higher food costs. "When you start getting wealth, you start demanding better nutrition and better food," he said. "So, for example, just
as an interesting thought for you, there are 350 million people in India who are
classified as middle class. That's bigger than America. Their middle class is
larger than our entire
population. And so demand is high, and that causes the price to go up."
The statements made Indian Defense Secretary A. K. Anthony to declare that Bush's words were a "cruel joke".
James Gerstenzang and Johanna Neuman are reporters in The Times' Washington bureau. Between the two of them, they have covered the White House, diplomacy, military affairs, the environment, international economics, trade and Congress. They have both spent time in Crawford, Texas.
Political leaders in India are upset that President Bush seemed to allude that some Asian countries like Vietnam and India are to blame for the current trend of rising food prices.
