Bush Hands Out His Last, Heartfelt Medals of Freedom

John D. McKinnon reports on the White House. President George W. Bush handed out his last and perhaps most heartfelt batch of Presidential Medals of Freedom, honoring three of his staunchest allies – former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair , former Australian PM John Howard , and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe . “Each of these gentlemen we honor today has his own style and personality, and each has amassed distinctions and achievements that belong to him alone,” Bush said, in an East Room ceremony. “Yet all of them have shown a firm adherence to the principles of freedom and democratic values, and a willingness to face problems squarely instead of passing them on to others. They’re the sort of guys who look you in the eye and tell you the truth and keep their word. In lengthy service they proved to be leaders of character and fortitude. They are warm friends of the United States of America. The opportunity to know them and work with them has been among the great satisfactions of my ... (link)