[lbo-talk] No politics, just rock 'n' roll

Dennis Claxton ddclaxton at earthlink.net
Fri Jun 16 08:28:42 PDT 2006


<http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-picnic16jun16,1,7024188.story?coll=la-news-a_section>http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-picnic16jun16,1,7024188.story?coll=la-news-a_section

June 16, 2006

WASHINGTON ­ President Bush was the host of the annual congressional picnic Thursday at the White House, but it was his chief of staff's band that came close to stealing the show.

"We got some interesting entertainment for you," Bush told lawmakers and their families at the picnic, called "Rodeo on the South Lawn."

"We got some people who can play music and some people who think they can play music," the president said.

The Compassionates, Joshua B. Bolten's band, and the Second Amendments, a bipartisan congressional band, were the opening acts. The featured entertainment came from Riders in the Sky, a professional group.

Bolten, who became chief of staff in March, told reporters as the band made its way to the stage that the members had played a few times while he was at the Office of Management and Budget.

The Compassionates, appearing like the Blues Brothers in their dark shades, white shirts and ties, ended their set with "Born To Be Wild." Then the congressmen took the stage.

Rep. Collin C. Peterson (D-Minn.) said the band had played all over the world, including Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan.

"No politics, just rock 'n' roll," he said.

The other members of the group are Reps. Kenny Hulshof (R-Mo.), Jon Porter (R-Nev.), Dave Weldon (R-Fla.) and Thaddeus McCotter of Michigan, a Republican whom Bush called "that rock 'n' roll dude."

Spotted in the crowd were Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, CIA chief Michael Hayden and Bush's top political advisor, Karl Rove.



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list