Clinton bought carpets, what'll Bush buy

[SoCalDem]

Clinton bought carpets, what'll Bush buy

http://us.rediff.com/news/2006/feb/28bush1.htm?q=tp&file=.htm

Archana Masih in New Delhi |

February 28, 2006 08:52 IST

snip......
And the shopkeepers in the hotel's shopping arcade hope George and Laura Bush will stop by. Just like another American president had done almost six years ago. Bill Clinton bought three Kashmiri carpets from NCE, a shop stocking Oriental rugs and shawls. A few shops in the hotel showcase their best stuff in the window display, hoping to catch the eye of the President and First Lady as well as the large American delegation accompanying them. This time round NCE has already sold some 12 carpets to members of the US entourage already camped at the hotel. Ab Saboor Wangnoo, a native of Srinagar who owns the shop, hopes Bush will buy some elegant carpets too.

A wall in his small shop is dedicated to framed press clippings of Clinton's visit to his shop. He quickly shows us an album of pictures of Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton shot inside his shop.

Unlike the Clintons -– for whom a carpet had been specially woven -– NCE has not made anything especially for the Bushes.

In view of the strict security surrounding the visit, it is not certain whether the shopping arcade will remain open during the three nights Bush will stay at the Maurya. The hotel and its restaurants -– including the Bukhara which was much praised by the Clintons -- will be out of bounds till at least March 3. The staff at the Maurya refuses to divulge any details about the arrangements made for their guest, citing security reasons.One shopkeeper noted that there isn't as much buzz as during Clinton's visit. With the hotel due to turn into Fort Maurya by tomorrow -– vignettes of what the President and First Lady ate, what they admired and what they said about the famed Indian hospitality –- will have to wait till the guests have waved their goodbyes from Air Force One.
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clinton's trip
http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/2000/0403


more pics of BC in India

By ANTHONY SPAETH

Bill Clinton's trip to the subcontinent was billed as one of the most difficult of his presidency--an intriguing characterization for a President who has visited more than 60 foreign lands in seven years--and one of the riskiest in terms of personal safety. Who would have guessed it would also be so much fun? Clinton frolicked with peasant women in an Indian village while being showered with flower petals. The shopping was great: he charged three carpets to his Visa card, and daughter Chelsea searched for fabric in a New Delhi market. Together they saw the Taj Mahal, ceremonial elephants and two Bengal tigers prowling through the grass of a nature preserve.

The work didn't go badly either, as Bill went on a one-man crusade to dissolve decades of distrust between India and the U.S. "It was a great visit, absolutely great," said an aide to Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. A Clinton adviser agreed: "It was almost as if you could hear the ice melting."

snip

[murielm99]

1. Oh, how I miss Bill.

And isn't that always the way it was with him? He walked into a pub in Ireland. People were glad to see him. It happened in other countries, too.

Bush needs to shut down everything in a ten mile radius just to preserve his worthless hide. How far we have fallen.

[SoCalDem]

2. Here's another good pic of his trip..

[Sabriel]

3. *ush will want to know where the bows and arrows are.

"Hey, where do y'all keep your tipis and feather headbands? The girls want me to bring them back a little something...."