Bush Takes Koizumi for Tour of Graceland

When Bush and Koizumi arrived at Graceland, a small clutch of activists from the International Fund for Animal Welfare gathered nearby to protest Japan's whaling policies, featuring four Elvis impersonators holding up signs such as "Don't Be Cruel."

But nothing would spoil Koizumi's day, which came complete with the gift of a vintage Elvis poster. He checked out the triple televisions embedded in the walls of the yellow-and-blue basement entertainment room with the mirrored ceiling. He was shown the pool table in the billiard room festooned with 350 yards of multicolored fabric covering the walls and ceiling. He and Bush shared what a Graceland spokesman called "private time" in the Meditation Garden where Elvis and his parents are buried next to an eternal flame.

By the time he got to the Jungle Room, decorated after Elvis's memory of Hawaii, Koizumi was ready to perform.

He smiled at Lisa Marie, her brown hair streaked with blond.

"You look like Elvis," he told her.

" Arigato ," she answered, expressing thanks.

"My birthday is the same as Elvis," he noted.

"Even now," he added, "I often listen to Elvis CDs."

"You're a pretty good Elvis singer," Bush offered.

Koizumi demurred. "I'm not impersonator," he said.

But Washington Times reporter Joseph Curl recognized the moment of opportunity. "Let's hear some," he called out.

And Koizumi obliged. He started with a few words from "Love Me Tender," then segued into "Can't Help Falling in Love."

"I thought you were going to do 'Blue Suede Shoes,' " Bush said.

The first lady of the country and the onetime first ladies of music came over to pose for pictures. Koizumi wrapped his arm around Lisa Marie. "Hold me close, I want to hold you tight," he crooned to her.

Priscilla showed the prime minister a few of her former husband's personal items, including a pair of sunglasses that a museum employee in white gloves had gingerly placed on a table minutes before.

Koizumi eagerly grabbed them and slapped them on. Then, in the moment that thrilled television producers around the world, he crouched, seemed to play a bit of air guitar and emulated the late singer's motions while belting out, "Glory, glory, hallelujah."

The president kept his singing voice and dance moves to himself but seemed to enjoy the show. He wanted Koizumi to have a good time. On this day, Mission Accomplished. "I knew he loved Elvis," Bush said. "I didn't realize how much he loved Elvis."