Bush\'s Fine Send-Off

Tag : Sports Rug

The remark was met with warm laughter from the roughly two dozenmembers of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team who were invited to the White House for an official send-off that included a tour of the Oval Officeyesterday morning and a formal dinner in the evening.
"I can't wait to salute our athletes," the president said. "And Ican't wait to share the joy of your triumphs."
It was hard to say who was the bigger fan on a sun-drenched morningin the Rose Garden: President Bush, who was presented with ared-and-blue Olympic jersey by pitcher Jennie Finch , who led the U.S. softball team to gold at the 2004 Athens Games,or the athletes themselves.
"He's a very special man," said Kerri Walsh , who invited the president to attend the beach volleyballcompetition, in which she and her teammate Misty May-Treanor arefavored to win a second consecutive gold medal. "He's proud ofus; we're proud of him. I'm going to Beijing and do exceptionallynow. I'm confident. I swear he has that faith, and that helps us alot."
Bush used the occasion to underscore the power of sports -- and theOlympics, in particular -- to unite people.
He congratulated the Olympians on their achievements to date. Andhe expressed confidence that they would convey the nation's mostcherished values and represent its character in Beijing, hailingthem as "ambassadors of liberty" and "ambassadors of goodwill."
"You will be humble in victory and gracious in defeat," he said."And by showing respect for your competitors, you will demonstrateAmerica's respect for the world."
With roughly 150 invited guests looking on, the president shookhands with each Olympian and exchanged salutes with paralympianScott Winkler, 35, of Augusta, Ga., who was paralyzed in anaccident while serving in Iraq in 2003.
Mired in depression during his recovery, Winkler said he was"dragged" to a sports camp for injured war veterans by friends whothought it would help. Winkler said he felt he wasn't good enoughto take part. He earned a spot on the 2008 Paralympic team bysetting a U.S. record in the shot put.
Yesterday he joined his Olympic teammates at the White House, whereout of the glare of TV cameras, the president invited the athletesinto the Oval Office and explained everything from the historicalsignificance of his desk (a gift from Queen Victoria , with a special panel added during Franklin Delano Roosevelt 's tenure to obscure the president's wheelchair) to his selectionof the rug (he wanted one that conveyed optimism).
Some athletes got a glimpse of Barney, the president's pet dog. Andeach got a picture taken with the president.
Said Erinn Smart, 28, a fencer who will be competing in her secondGames: "The Olympics are about sport; not a political event. Youhave 10,000-plus athletes joining in from 205 countries. And it's atime, I think, that people can put down their arms and compete.
"I think that's the real ideal behind the Olympics; it's not aboutthe politics. Because President Bush understands that it's aboutsports and not politics, he is able to support us. And that means agreat deal."