Bush To Discuss Economics Today At Central Louisiana Chamber Of Commerce
by Robert Morgan - The Town Talk (excerpt)

President Bush will step foot in downtown Alexandria today for the first time during his nearly eight years in the Oval Office.

While Bush has flown into England Airpark before, the 43rd president has never ventured down I-49 and into the city's main hub.

This will all change, however, after he emerges from Air Force One and into a meeting with local bankers and business people at the Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce. White House personnel have described the meeting as Bush's way of gauging how the nation's economic crisis is impacting America's "Main Streets."

It follows the president's Friday meeting with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, also on the economic crisis.

"Since the beginning of the financial crisis, the president and his economic team have worked to stabilize the financial system," said Blair Jones, a White House spokesman. "In addition, the president has been traveling around the country to talk directly with the American people about these important issues."