Albuquerque Bush Watch

(See Updates below.) According to unnamed sources (!) President Bush will be arriving in Albuquerque sometime today (Update: He arrived at the Marriott about 3:15PM today with a massive motorcade) and is staying at the Uptown Marriott Hotel at 2101 Lousiana NE. Eyewitness reports (!) indicate that groups of police, men in suits and military vehicles have converged on the site. There are roped off areas already in place and the top three floors of the Marriott have become off limits. The last time Bush came to town, he stayed at the Marriott.

Bush is scheduled to speak at Intel in Rio Rancho Friday morning, participating in some sort of panel discussion. Some business leaders and politicos have allegedly been invited. Unnamed sources (!) report that Bush will be speaking in the first floor cafeteria of the building called RR7. This is the furthest south office building (4 floors), just south of the 3-tiered parking garage on the Intel site. I've also heard that 528 will be closed to traffic for a time when Bush arrives. The roundtable will take place around 7:00 or 8:00 AM.

UPDATE: A Presidential Rally organized by New Mexico PACE will be held on Friday, February 3rd, at 8 AM at Haynes Park in Rio Rancho. Gather on the West corner of 21st St. and HW 528.

The rally will focus on the issues of not cutting the budget for education or health care to pay of lobbyists. They will be shutting down HW528 for a time when Bush arrives so people should try to arrive early to be sure to get through. There will be signs if people can't bring their own. If enough people are there at 7 the event will start early. Any questions please call Esteli at 255-4266 or email at esteli3@yahoo.com. Click for a Rally Flyer (doc).

You can rest assured that no-one will have to be dragged from the event, handcuffed and jailed for wearing a teeshirt displaying the number of US troops killed in Iraq. The "screening" of attendees should be tight indeed. By the way, five more casualites yesterday bring the total American military deaths in Iraq to 2,247.

Although the administration has described Bush's four-city, post-State of the Union trip as a chance for him to explain his plans to the public, this morning's Albuquerque Journal reports there will be no events open to the public during Bush's Albuquerque visit.

Today's must-read delineation of Bush's unlawful actions? Senator Russ Feingold's diary on Daily Kos entitled Pre-1776 Mentality. Quote:

I've seen some strange things in my life, but I cannot describe the feeling I had, sitting on the House floor during Tuesday's State of the Union speech, listening to the President assert that his executive power is, basically, absolute, and watching several members of Congress stand up and cheer him on.  It was surreal and disrespectful to our system of government and to the oath that as elected officials we have all sworn to uphold. Cheering? Clapping? Applause?  All for violating the law?