I was a little surprised to get the e-mail this morning that President Bush would be holding a press conference at 10 a.m. He hasn't held a presser this year, I believe, and while he usually does one about every month, he hasn't been hiding from the press lately.

He did a few joint press conferences with leaders in Africa last week, he took questions yesterday in both Oval Office appearances, which is unusual, and he's got a joint presser with the Danish prime minister at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, on Saturday.

But it's obvious that the White House wants to take full advantage of the president's bully pulpit, or what's left of it. They put out a press release this morning previewing Mr. Bush's opening statement. He'll call on Congress to reauthorize AIDS funding for Africa, authorize a permanent update to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, fund U.S. troops in Iraq, and " quickly pass legislation to help homeowners avoid foreclosure, not bailouts for lenders and speculators."

— Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times