PM catches up with son in US(volunteer on Bush re-election camp)

[cal04]

PRIME Minister John Howard arrived in Washington today for talks with US President George W Bush, but there was someone even more important he wanted to see. Waiting inconspicuously in Mr Howard's plush hotel lobby in downtown Washington was his youngest son Richard, who last year worked as a volunteer on Mr Bush's re-election campaign. After a brief hello to hotel staff, Mr Howard strode quickly towards his son, who had managed to escape the notice of the waiting Australian media, and gave him a giant bear hug.


Another quickly followed from mum Janette before the family trio slipped away from prying cameras into a lift for a more private reunion in their suite upstairs. Mr Howard later told reporters that he hadn't seen his son for six months. "We were very happy to see him," Mr Howard said. "He worked here as a volunteer during the election campaign and he's just here under his own steam (currently)."
Mr Howard has kept his entire weekend in Washington free from public events, possibly to use the time to catch up with his son before a series of high-level meetings with Mr Bush and business leaders on Monday and Tuesday.


However, he joked with reporters he would venture out in the public glare for his traditional daily walk. "I certainly won't have any public events tomorrow except a walk, that's always very public," he said. High on Mr Howard's list of priorities for his talks with Mr Bush at the White House will be terrorism in the wake of last week's deadly bomb attacks in London and the stalled Doha Round of world trade talks. He will also hold separate meetings with Vice-President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Commerce and Trade Robert Portman and Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan.


"So far as my visit is concerned, I'm looking forward very much to again seeing President Bush, the vice-president and the secretary of state and other senior members of the administration as well as Dr Alan Greenspan, whose views on the world economy and such things as oil prices will be very interesting to glean," Mr Howard said. "It is a very appropriate time to be in the American capital to talk not only about things such as the war on terrorism and the international security situation but also matters that are important to the long-term economic functioning of the world and in particular trying to make sure that the Doha trade round is a success. "There are very important issues at stake and I will be discussing those matters along with other things with the president and other people I see."

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,15947570%255E1702,00.html

[anotherdrew]

1. at least Howard can speak, how could bush interact with him?

will there be video of them talking for some time?