Bush at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast

President Bush at the

from Pro-Life News TV There is one thing the White House Press Corps never does.

Applaud the President.

Your Business Blogger is attending the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Your Nation’s Capital. And received White House Press Pool credentials.

So my fellow press jackals kindly let me know that it was very bad form for me to clap for the president. Whooping and cheering is frowned upon in the press gallery. We all must keep a professional, detached demeanor, you see.

And don’t even think about reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Plege was led by Marine Corporal Michael Blair. Got his body blown up by an IED in The War. He still hobbled up and stood tall for the 1600 attendees. I looked at Cpl Blair…then over at the press corps.

The White House Press Corps — I was reminded of a slander my old First Sergeant would often invoke: They all wouldn’t add up to a pimple on a corporal’s backside. Except Top didn’t say backside…

(‘Top’ is the term of endearment for the senior enlisted rank-holder in a company size Army unit.)

So I join my fellow Jesus-loving Christians, who are in the Catholic tradition. [Caution: Christian humor to follow.]

Catholics are easy to spot — they’re the one’s with tabbed Bibles…to make the individual books easy to find.

Protestants smugly don’t need the table of contents and page numbers; having grown up with ‘sword drills’ to find a particular Biblical passage. Although we Protesting Protestants could use the sacrament of confession…

…Or maybe just this Calvinist.

(I’ll match my humility against anyone’s.)

Anyway, Austin Ruse began the welcoming after the breakfast meal.

President Bush came to the podium punctual. On time: The Courtesy of Kings.

A war protester yelling something about stop the war was quickly and safely escorted from the ball room. It was not clear if she was addressing President Bush…or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran. (Not present.)

The President starts by complimenting the Catholic crowd, “You make a Methodist feel at home.” Bush noted the wisdom of the planners that the breakfast bash, was “…on the Friday after Lent…[so you can now] eat the bacon…”

George Bush speaks about the sanctity of human life — he is at home in this pro-life crowd. Standing O’s.

Laura Bush did not attend.

In the gathering:

Wendy Wright, Concerned Women for America; Janice Crouse, Ph.D., Beverly LaHaye Institute.

Justice Alito, Bill Saunders, Board member of the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast

Reverend Thomas G. Bohlin, Vicar, Prelature of Opus Dei in the United States

Colleen O’Boyle, CRC; and

putting the PR in PRayer Jacqueline Halbig, Board member of the National Prayer Breakfast

Ken Blackwell, fellow at the Family Research Council, and Michael Steele.

The Breakfast is the kick-off for the day-long conference. The National Catholic Prayer Breakfast was created and influenced by Pope John Paul the Great for a “New Evangelization, new in ardor, methods and expression.”

Well Done, good and faithful servants.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Schedule at the jump.

All links are unpaid.

Be sure to watch Charmaine on Cavuto today between 4 and 5 on Fox in a debate on Imus. (Not present.)

UPDATE: 14 April, Kathryn Jean Lopez, from NRO was there, of course. K-Lo is every where. See The Guy Can Deliver, and Breakfast with the Catholics.

President George W. Bush

Former Senator Fred Thompson

Congressman Christopher H. Smith

Archbishop Donald Wuerl, Archdiocese of Washington

Bishop Paul Loverde, Diocese of Arlington

Bishop Robert Morlino, Diocese of Madison

Bishop Martin Holley, Archdiocese of Washington

Bishop Francisco Gonzalez, Archdiocese of Washington

Raymond Arroyo, EWTN news anchor and New York Times Bestselling Author

Jim Nicholson, Secretary of Veterans Affairs

Dr. Scott Hahn, Catholic theologian

Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, founder of the religion-and-policy journal First Things

His Excellency Pietro Sambi, the Vatican Ambassador to the United States

Dawn Eden, author of The Thrill of the Chaste

Bishop Octavio Cisneros, Diocese of Brooklyn

Former Congressman Bob Livingston

Ambassador Joseph Rees

Ambassador Alberto de Vollmer, Former Venezuelan Ambassador to the Holy See

Ambassador Thomas Melady

Ambassador Margaret Heckler

Friday, April 13th; doors open at 6am, program begins at 7:45am. An educational program and two panels follow in the afternoon. Please see here for the schedule of events. Press check-in is between 7-8am at the Media Check-in table.

Hilton Washington, 1919 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC.

CONTACT: Kristina Grabosky at 703.683.5004, also see www.catholicprayerbreakfast.com for a complete schedule of events.