President Bush celebrated his birthday on Air Force One with first lady Laura Bush and White House staff members.

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.

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President Bush holds a press conference before leaving for Europe last month.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush heads to Japan for his final G-8 summit of world leaders on Saturday, as the global economy slumps, energy prices soar and food shortages loom in the developing world.

Bush says he will press other leaders of the Group of Eight industrialized nations to follow through on their commitments from earlier summits, but has warned there is nothing he or anyone else can do in the short term about oil prices.

"It took us awhile to get into the energy situation we're in and it's going to take us awhile to get out of it," he said Wednesday in an appearance at the Rose Garden to preview his trip.

He continued to advocate more drilling in currently protected areas of the U.S. as a medium-term fix for skyrocketing fuel costs.

"Ultimately, of course, we're going to transition away from hydrocarbon. But we're now just in a transitional period and we need more oil to be able to do so," he said.

Bush's main economic goal at the summit may be defensive, said David Gergen, former adviser to presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton.

"What's essential in this summit for George W. Bush is to make sure the world economy does not spin downward," he said.

Yet Bush is not raising expectations about what he and the other G-8 leaders can realistically accomplish on the economic front. "One thing we need to make clear when I'm with our partners is that we're not going to become protectionists; that we believe in free trade and open markets," he said Wednesday.

A former administration official who served on the National Security Council under Bush says the G-8's purpose is not to come up with quick solutions.

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WASHINGTON (CNN) — The White House has congratulated Sen. Barack Obama on clinching the Democratic nomination for president, spokeswoman Dana Perino said Wednesday.

His victory — which sets him up to become the first African-American to lead a major party ticket in the race for the White House — shows how far America has come, Perino said.

She said President Bush, a Republican, did not plan to call Obama to congratulate him personally.

President George Bush and first lady Laura Bush pose with daughters Jenna and Barbara. (White House Photo)

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Against the backdrop of a stunning Texas sunset, near a lake on the Bush family's 1,600-acre ranch, President Bush walked his daughter, Jenna, down the aisle to her groom, the White House said.

Jenna, 26, married Henry Hager, the son of a well-connected Virginia Republican.

"The wedding was spectacular. It was all we could have hoped for," the president said Sunday before boarding Air Force One.

"We're mighty blessed."

Wearing a white silk organza Oscar de la Renta gown, the bride stood with the groom before a beige-colored cross and altar made of Texas limestone.

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First daughter Jenna Bush marries her longtime boyfriend Henry Hager Saturday night.

CRAWFORD, Texas (CNN) — First daughter Jenna Bush and Henry Hager — the son of a well-connected Virginia Republican — say "I do" Saturday on President Bush's 1,600-acre ranch in Crawford, Texas.

"I had to face some very difficult spending decisions and I've had to conduct sensitive diplomacy. That's called planning for a wedding," Bush told the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on March 12.

The plans are largely under wraps, but they call for gathering by a lake in front of an altar and four-foot high cross made from Texas limestone.

"This is the time when the wildflowers are all blooming. And I think it will be a very, very lovely wedding, and it will be very like Jenna and Henry," first lady Laura Bush recently said.

Jenna Bush told CNN's Larry King on April 24 that the wedding will include "all relatives, our families, really, kind of big. So it's half-family and then half-very close friends." More wedding details »

Not all of her friends will be on hand though.

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Watch Laura Bush's press conference Monday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – First Lady Laura Bush has spoken out before on Myanmar - mostly through written statements - but Monday's on-camera mini-news conference in the White House briefing room was a first. In the wake of Saturday's deadly cyclone in Myanmar — also known as Burma — Mrs. Bush did not mince words decrying the ruling military junta for its failure to adequately warn residents of the impending danger.

"The response to the cyclone is just the most recent example of the junta's failure to meet its people's basic needs," Mrs. Bush said.

Aides to the First Lady say today's briefing room appearance was originally planned for Tuesday.

That's when President Bush is expected to sign legislation awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel-Prize winning democracy activist currently under house arrest in Myanmar.

Officials say Mrs. Bush decided to push up her appearance, in light of the deadly cyclone over the weekend.

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Rove left the White House in 2007.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – A House committee Thursday asked former White House political adviser Karl Rove to testify about allegations that Bush administration officials pushed for federal prosecutions of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman and other Democrats.

House Judiciary Committee leaders said it is "imperative" that Rove answer allegations that he pressed the Justice Department to investigate Siegelman, a Democrat who when indicted was preparing a rematch against Alabama's Republican governor in 2006.

"We look forward to scheduling an early date for your voluntary appearance," the committee's Democratic leaders wrote in a letter released Thursday.

Rove's lawyer, Robert Luskin, said Thursday that President Bush's onetime political mastermind "absolutely denies he was in any way involved in the decision to prosecute Don Siegelman." Luskin said he has had no direct communication the the Judiciary Committee's staff or its chairman, Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan, and said the White House would have to decide whether Rove will be able to testify.

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Watch Zamfir's performance.

BUCHAREST, Romania (CNN) — It wasn't exactly a typical last day at the NATO summit - at least not for some members of the White House press corps.

As President Bush and other world leaders gathered behind closed doors for private meetings, journalists monitoring the events from a nearby hotel were paid an unexpected visit from an American cult figure - Zamfir, master of the pan flute.

For those who may not remember, Gheorghe Zamfir is probably best known for the late 80s/early 90s commercials that aired on CNN.

(As several colleagues have said, Zamfir paid their salaries for a long time.) But Zamfir is a true musical maestro, with a host of Hollywood movie credits, including performing for the soundtracks of Kill Bill and the Karate Kid. (Who can forget those musical montages of Daniel Larusso training for the big tournament? That pan flute was Zamfir.)

How the Romanian musician came to visit the workspace is a story in itself. Basically, he's a friend of a friend of a local Romanian working for a U.S. television network. He planned to stop by the workspace for just a brief visit to say hello, but quickly had the press corps buzzing with excitement. I asked him afterwards what he thought when he walked in and received … well, a rock star's reception.

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