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Former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush greet the crowd before a 'Welcome Home' rally, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009, in Midland, Texas.
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Continuing a White House ritual, former President George W. Bush left a note in the Oval Office for President Barack Obama, wishing him well as he takes the reins of the executive branch.
The White House yesterday declined to provide specific details of the message the two-term Republican left for the incoming Democrat, saying only that Bush wrote it on Monday and left it in the top drawer of his desk.
"The theme is similar to what he's said since election night about the fabulous new chapter President-elect Obama is about to start, and that he wishes him the very best," White House press secretary Dana Perino said yesterday.
During his last moments in the Oval Office, former President Ronald Reagan scribbled a note for his successor on a notepad with a turkey insignia that said "Don't let the turkeys get you down." He, too, slipped the note in the presidential desk for his successor, President George H.W. Bush.
Four years after that, the elder Bush left a note for President Bill Clinton. And eight years after that, Clinton wrote a note for Bush, and included a copy of the message he had received from Bush's father.
Bush's final half-day as president included a goodbye to Washington and a hello from fellow Texans.
In the morning, the Bush and Laura welcomed Obama and his wife, Michelle, to the White House. The Bushes, the Obamas, Vice-President-elect Joe Biden, his wife, Jill, and leaders of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies had coffee in the Blue Room.
After the swearing-in ceremony for Obama, Bush took a helicopter to Andrews Air Force Base. The Bushes then flied to Midland, Texas, on the familiar blue-and-white presidential aircraft, although it was called Special Air Mission 28000 instead of Air Force One because Bush was no longer president.
Then the Bushes would be flying to Waco, Texas, on their way to their 650-hectare ranch in nearby Crawford.
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(Agencies)
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沿襲白宮傳統，布什離任前在橢圓辦公室里給繼任者奧巴馬留下一張字條，祝福他接任總統后一切順利。
白宮昨日拒絕透露字條的詳細內容，只是說布什本周一寫好了字條并把它放在了辦公桌的第一層抽屜里。連任兩屆總統的布什和剛上任的總統奧巴馬分屬共和黨和民主黨。
白宮新聞發言人達娜?佩里諾昨天說：“字條的主要內容與勝選之夜布什所說的奧巴馬將翻開‘神話般的新篇章’差不多，布什在其中對奧巴馬致以了最好的祝愿。”
前總統羅納德?里根離任前在印有火雞徽章圖案的便條本上給繼任者喬治?H?W?布什留言說：“別讓火雞把你打垮。”當時他也把字條留在了總統辦公桌里。
四年后，老布什在離任時也給繼任者比爾?克林頓也留下字條。八年后，克林頓不僅給小布什留下了自己寫的字條，還留下了當年老布什給他留言的副本。
在總統生涯的最后半天，布什道別華盛頓，得克薩斯也已準備好迎接他的歸來。
就職日當天早上，布什和勞拉歡迎奧巴馬和夫人米歇爾入主白宮。之后，布什全家、奧巴馬全家、副總統喬?拜登及夫人吉爾，以及總統就職典禮委員會的主要負責人在白宮會客室“藍房”共飲咖啡。
奧巴馬就職典禮結束后，布什乘直升機前往安德魯斯空軍基地。之后布什全家從那里搭乘空軍28000號飛往得克薩斯州的米德蘭。由于布什已卸任，這架人們非常熟悉的藍白相間的總統專機已不能再被稱為“空軍一號”。
之后布什全家將飛往得克薩斯州的韋科，前往位于克勞福德附近的面積達650公頃的私人農場。
（實習生許雅寧 英語點津姍姍編輯） |
