[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/11/26/art.card.cnn.jpg caption="A card sent to Jewish leaders had a distinctly Yuletide flavor."]WHITE HOUSE (CNN) – Whoops! A picture of a Christmas tree is not the first thing you would expect to see on an invitation to an event celebrating Hanukkah, but that is exactly what recipients of invitations to this year's White House Hanukkah reception initially got in the mail.
The invitation sent to American Jewish leaders on behalf of the President and First Lady, requesting "the pleasure of your company at a Hanukkah reception," bore an image of a Clydesdale horse-drawn cart, carrying the White House Christmas tree, with a Christmas wreath-adorned White House in the background.
Mrs. Bush's press secretary, Sally McDonough, attributed the snafu to a "staff mistake" in not printing separate cards for the different White House holiday events, as has been the custom in years past. "Mrs. Bush is apologetic, It is just something that fell through the cracks," she said, referring to the role of the First Lady's office in sending out the invitations.
The card as originally intended featured a menorah given to the White House during Harry Truman's presidency. That mailing was to have gone out today, according to Mrs. McDonough.
McDonough added that the White House had received "dozens" of calls of support from members of the Jewish community to express their appreciation for what President and Mrs. Bush had done for them through the course of Mr. Bush's presidency.
Ran @ 4:17
It is our very good fortune that January 20, 2009 arrives before July. 20
I do agree with you point however. A little chuckle.
Please get this fool out of our White House!
Ran, what happens July 20, 2009??? The end of the world? Mars attacks? A solar eclipse? You retire?
Who cares.... this is merely an aside.
This does not even deserve the dignity of a response. This little "snaphew" should have been one of those comments without a "Leave Your Comment" spot.
Here I go... .like everyone else.... leaving a comment. 🙂
Oh... i thought it was a Christmas card mistake like the one on Seinfeld w/ Elaine... i just don't know or would really want to know who would be given the nick name "Nip" around the white house...
Oh come on, it's not a big deal. Even as an observant Jew, I don't find this offensive.
Neocons brains are as bright as a smoldering cigarrette butt!
To Bill K........
Thanks for making Obama a SAINT...you bitter guys on the right never give up do you!
A beautiful, wintery picture typical of the winter season! What on earth is the problem folks?
As Joe Klein to aptly put it in Time this week:
"stupifying ineptitude"
It is not a tree. It is a green bag covering Budweiser kegs keeping them extra cold.
Bush is very supportive of Israel and JUdaism. Obama will NOT be. Wake up to the pending disaster as the Dems already wrecked the economy. Ramadan, here we come.
We'll long for Bush after 7 years of no terror attacks!
Haven't you people better things to do than hate, hate, hate, hate?
It takes so much energy and doesn't produce much but more hate.
Hey, Dallas tx – yes, do some research into John's claims. You'll find interesting truths about how the Christians took over the pagan holiday and kept pagan trappings to appease the locals .... but OTOH, most of John's information here is not true. Most certainly, Santa Claus is not a remake of the Green Man. Look into it for yourself.
There are wreaths and Christmas trees in the Whitehouse. What's the big deal? Why should the taxpayer pay to have different cards printed? Its bad enough that we have to waste $3 billion a year on Israel.
It should be obvious to even the most casual observer that it's a Holiday Tree and those are Holiday Wreaths in the window.
Why do they all of a sudden revert back to being Christmas Trees/Wreaths? Seems like it's just so the intolerant left can claim to be offended?
And who would be surprised by such monolithic incompetence coming from the Bush administration?
NO ONE!
Big whoop! Who cares. I'm Jewish and I wouldn't give a hoot.
Wow, liberals keep calling us republicans angry. all you have to do is read the posts above from you soft hearted and gentle liberals, talk about angry people!
2008, November 26. Amazing. Bush is not yet in prison.
THANK YOU PABLO...(fer nuthin')
You would think from some of these comments that MANY believe that OBAMA is the SAVIOR and will save us all and that on 20 January, everything will be correct and right in the world.........get real, January 21st, we will still be in a really bad recession. As for the Cards.......Who cares....Minor mistake.
rick @4:24 what are you smoking? ramadan being in and Christmas out why is that or are you still trying to press the disproven lie that Obama is a Muslim (I would have figured even an idiot member of the radical religious right could figured that out after they cried about rev. Wright but guess that is too much of a reach). That being said what is wrong with celebrating Ramadan? Give me a good reason why we should NOT celebrate it. Thought so like most of the radical religious right your only reason is that you have misinterperted the words of our Constitution to somehow make you believe we are a Christian country instead of a country with NO NATIONAL RELIGION, one that treats all religions equally.. like I have said in just about every post to you members of the radical religious right...idiots
I am Jewish and there are so many important things in our world to be upset about. This is not one of them.
I can't wait for Bush to leave but cut the guy some slack. Bush did not do this to offend anyone. As a matter of fact he did not do it all. It was a staffer.
We Democrats are getting pretty nasty. I know it is nice to gloat after so many horrible years, BUT we are all Americans. In the spirit of the season can we call a truce.
I will stop the mean and ugly comments if you will. I will even go first!
This does not suprise. It would be simpler to just report what they have done right since 2000.
let it be said, for the billionth time, "when in Rome..", I'm sure our real, true friends, in the Jewish community have accepted the First Familys invitatation as genuine. our hats off to political correctness..bah humbug..