President Bush and Homeland security head Michael Chertoff entertain crowd
Minneapolis, MN (APE) - President Bush today made a surprise visit to Minnesota and the site of the I-35 bridge collapse, joining the first lady who had arrived yesterday. The assembled crowd was treated to an impromptu benefit concert featuring "Osamapalooza", a band composed of musically inclined White House personnel, including the president, Homeland security head Michael Chertoff, and press secretary Tony Snow. Proceeds from the concert were donated to victims and survivors of the bridge collapse.
During the performance, the president praised the victims as heroes in the ongoing war on terror. He thanked survivors and victims family members for their sacrifice and service to the United States.
"Over this past week much has been made of America's deteriorating infrastructure," Bush announced during the concert. "If we raise taxes to fix these things, then the terrorists have won. Wartime demands sacrifices from us all, and these brave people here have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Let them serve as an example for those of us who might have to cross one of 70,000 other similar bridges in fear every day."
The president left quickly after the concert, and a White House spokesperson stated that the band was scheduled for two other appearances over a busy weekend in which they would be attempting to garner popular support for legalization of the president's domestic spying program in Congress.