HOKKAIDO, Japan (CNN) – It was a birthday celebration in the skies, as President Bush turned 62 aboard Air Force One while en route to Japan where Bush is attending the summit of the Group of Eight industrialized nations.
First Lady Laura Bush and White House staff members gathered in the conference room on Air Force One late Saturday night eastern time, where a steward dimmed the lights as the crowd waited for the birthday celebrant to arrive, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said.
On the table was a "large" coconut cake with a single burning candle and the words "Happy Birthday President Bush" on it.
The crowd called out "surprise" as President Bush walked into the room and then sang Happy Birthday, Perino said.
Bush "dutifully pretended to be surprised" and blew out the candle, Perino said. It was not known whether he made a birthday wish.
After cutting and serving the cake, the health-conscious president ate a "small" piece of birthday cake, she said.
There was no word on what he gifts he received from family members, but Perino noted the president was sporting a new teal-colored tie.
White House staffers presented Bush with birthday notes and cards - well-wishes delivered in a small wooden box with his initials carved on top.
The box was carved by a Texas woodworker with wood from an old Scarlett Oak tree that grace the north lawn of the White House until it fell last year.
The tree was planted in 1892 by the great granddaughter of President Benjamin Harrison, according to Perino.
From CNN Politics
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who cares 4 more months til we have someone else in the white house. bush made everyone in the usa poor!
we are like a 3rd country!
HEY, how about that, I wonder how many G.I.'s in iraq never got to see their next birthday. But gee whiz , by all means, go ahead and celebrate you draft dodging coward. You should have to spend one year in hell for all the missed b'days of those G.I.'s.
Happy Birthday, Pres Bush! May God bless you with many more to come! Enjoy your retirement and thank you for keeping us safe from more terrorist attacks. The history books will be kind to you, even though the media and rabid liberals have blamed you for everything from the tsunami to Katrina and everything in between. God bless you and your fine wife, Laura, and GOD BLESS AMERICA !!!!
Mr. President, Happy Birthday. You have been great and you have never wavered. Look at Obama. He is now thinking of refining his policy for iraq. He is a fliflopper. We cannot forget such cheap candidate from Democrats. He has Jeremiah Wright to support him. He has a long way to learn something. With just 1-2 years in senate without any accomplishments, do you qualify to be our president. Carmen fropm Colorado is saying who cares? I care for my country and I cannot see Obama to become our president. He is a zero.
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Yes your a loser
and you can leave office too.
Good riddance , good for nothing
I think we all forget the gravity and difficulty of President Bush's job sometimes. He may have made mistakes, but he has one of– if not the– hardest job in the world, what with media attention and all.
So have a restful birthday, Mr. President.
My birthday wish for Bush is that he rubs those two brain cells together really hard and figure out a way to get is out of the mess he put us in!
Please Mr. President if you can't do any good thing please save gasoline atleast,,,,sit in office,, don't fly anymore
Next year on this day we can celebrate that we no longer have probably the worst president in U. S. history.
Please stop Romney from destroying social security !!
I hope he gets something better than what we got for our birthday....a $1 trillion dollar debt.
We are in the war, gas goes up $4.00... We have to work till 70s to get our retirement?. All because of Bush. I do not think he knows people do not like him as our president.
Anyway, I wish him long live to 120.
He is so disconnected from what is really going on – if he had any appreciation for he has done to our country he would give us a birhtday present and resign. He should have been impeached for what he has done. I doubt seriously if even he knows what the people of the country actually think of him.
God bless President Bush! Our last president took this nation into the sewer. " Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." (Proverbs 14:34) Many like to make Pres. Bush the scapegoat for all the ills of America. He isn't perfect, and we aren't either. I believe his actions have kept more 9-11 tragedies from happening. No one likes war, (my son is in Iraq,) but I prefer the war is somewhere other than our shores. Happy Birthday, President Bush. May God bless our nation because of your strong leadership.
According to the polls 109 miliion Americans STILL approve of his job in office.
Amazing but true.
Thank God it's almost over.
Happy Birthday to the man who gave the whole world reasons to despise and hate us. He is only human. May better days dawn over Washington after his legislature finally has come to an end.
happy birthday mr. president and i hope you have many more at your ranch in crawford texas. god bless!
Yawn.......zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Thank You. Mr. President, you led the country down. Your tax cut enrich more Rich people, millionaire with tons of stock in oil I think Bush is doing a fine job as President. Anyone who has anything bad to say about him is a traitor to America.
God Bless President Bush and his party, for rich people. Rich people: make sure to vote for John McCain in November to have another Bush for another 4 years in the White House!
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Thank You. Mr. President, you led the country down. Your tax cut enrich more Rich people, millionaire with tons of stock in oil I think Bush is doing a fine job as President. Anyone who has anything bad to say about him is a traitor to America.
God Bless President Bush and his party, for rich people. Rich people: make sure to vote for John McCain in November to have another Bush for another 4 years in the White House!
As they say, I guess it is now official!! Double your IQ eh!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU SIR. MAY YOU BE BLESSED WITH MUCH PEACE AND PROSPERITY IN THE COMING YEARS OF YOUR LIFE AND MAY YOU CONTINUE TO LEAD THIS NATION TO THE FIGHT WE HAVE TAKEN ON. YOU ARE THE GREATEST PRESIDENT EVER IN MY BOOK. FORGET WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT YOU THEY ARE IDIOTS ANYHOW. AGAIN HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRESIDENT BUSH!!!!!!
It doesn't hurt to have some manners. When it's in the news that someone is ill or has died or that they have a birthday or other milestone in life, try keeping the animosity at bay. Must every opportunity presented for comment be used to express enmity?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU SIR. MAY YOU BE BLESSED WITH MUCH PEACE AND PROSPERITY IN THE COMING YEARS OF YOUR LIFE AND MAY YOU CONTINUE TO LEAD THIS NATION TO THE FIGHT WE HAVE TAKEN ON. YOU ARE THE GREATEST PRESIDENT EVER IN MY BOOK. FORGET WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT YOU THEY ARE IDIOTS ANYHOW. AGAIN HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRESIDENT BUSH!!!!!!
OH WHAT THE HECK MANY HAPPY BIRTHDAYS TO THE GREATEST MAN TO LIVE IN THE WHITE HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!
9/11 happened on his watch.