This Week In Pool Reports, Week 3

Week three of FishbowlDC's White House Pool Report contest has concluded and admittedly, this week was a greater challenge. Europe just can't compare to a Rodeo on the South Lawn. You had to work for it a bit more this week -- we get that. And without further delay, these are some of our favs from this week: "First toast came from the Hungarian president, Laszlo Solyom. He spoke, through a translator, of the 'strong bond between us.' ... Not clear what this was -- 'down to Iraq, Iran and Russia.' Check the transcript." -- Sheryl Stolberg, New York Times [Note: hmmm... did he just declare war? Something was clearly lost in translation here.] "Mrs. Bush was seated in front of a Women Without Borders banner that included the slogan, 'Bridging the Gap: Empowerment Strategies for the New Female Arab Leadership.' Dr. Schlaffer said the program is 'dedicated to the alternative female diplomacy,' and mentioned an occasion when Afghan underground women and an Afghan minister were having a conversation. 'They were very careful. It was like a minefield,' she said. 'At the end of the stay in Vienna, of the week, they went shopping together. This was a huge success. This is alternative female diplomacy.'" -- Mike Allen, Time "We arrived in Budapest about an hour later and reached the hotel after another uneventful 20-minute motorcade at about 8:25 p.m. There were a lot of people along the route -- four or five deep downtown -- but very few signs of approval or disapproval, mostly just stares. The most notable thing was the number of shirtless men, especially on the outskirts of town." -- Ron Hutcheson, Knight Ridder "'Satisfied?' Fischer asked the photographers. 'That's a funny thing to ask the press -- they are never satisfied,' Bush joked, smiling." -- Mike Abramowitz, Washington Post "Contrary to what was anticipicated in the pool report at take-off, we never saw Shrek II, but, having seen Pocahontas, I wish we had seen Shrek instead. The agents in the cabin ahead of us watched King Kong, a repeat on AF One also preferable to Pocahontas. We also saw that Harrison Ford film about his family getting kidnapped and Ford getting them back." -- Mark Silva, Chicago Tribune "POTUS could be overheard saying 'Did he come here?' and then, 'My dad? Right here?' Your pool was quickly ushered out." --Stolberg, New York Times "Poolers did spot Andrew Card who rode back on Air Force One and asked for the duffle bag story. The gist is this, all paraphrased from Card: when Card attended from June 1966 to August 1967, there was lots of hazing at Kings Point and lots of rules for plebes. ... So one night, somebody came back in his room, pulled him out of bed, stuffed him in a duffle bag and dragged him outside. He had no idea where they were going but heard someone say something like, you're going to put him on the flagpole? 'Yes, I was scared,' Card said. 'I'm sure they didn't take me to the top but I felt as if they did,' Card said. They brought him down and everyone was laughing. ... Several poolers heard this, and this pooler has it on tape, along with the whole explanation paraphrased above, if anyone wants it." -- Craig Gordon, Newsday

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This Week In Pool Reports, Week 3

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