Monday, January 7, 2008

Falling Behind

The White House's goal was to have the No Child Left Behind education law reauthorized by Congress before 2008, so as not to be wrangling over it while presidential candidates are pitching their own education plans and criticizing President Bush's.

But discussion of Bush's signature domestic initiative languished last year, and now the president will lobby Congress for reauthorization today in Chicago, one day before the New Hampshire primary.

Bush will speak from Horace Greeley Elementary, a pre-kindergarten to eighth-grade school that earned a "Blue Ribbon" award for test score achievement last year.

The Windy City's Bid: From blue ribbons, Bush will turn his attention to gold medals and a short meet-and-greet with the committee promoting Chicago as the host of the 2016 Summer Olympics. The United States Olympic Committee named the Windy City as the U.S. nominee last April, and Chicago is now competing with cities including Baku, Azerbaijan; Madrid; and Prague. Its official bid is due to the International Olympic Committee by Jan. 14, and that panel will announce the finalists in June.

Bush finishes his Chicago trip with a statement on the economy this afternoon, just a few days after reports of stalled job growth and increased unemployment rates prompted talk from the White House of potential tax cuts as part of an economic stimulus package.

Tomorrow, Bush is set to host Abdullah Gul, the president of Turkey. It will be the first White House visit for Gul, whose election last August represented the first time the secular country's parliament chose a leader with an Islamist background. After the meeting, Bush leaves for extended travel in the Middle East, with the first stops in Israel, the West Bank, Kuwait and Bahrain.

By Rachel Dry