Koizumi feels the texture of the “Velvet Elvis” presented to him by President Bush
Memphis, TN (APE) – President Bush concluded Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi’s visit to Graceland yesterday by presenting the Elvis fan with another piece of American iconoclastic culture, a huge “Velvet Elvis”. Koizumi was moved by the president’s gift, and described the likeness as “eerie”. Bush and Koizumi, who shares a birthday with “the King”, appeared to establish a real bond throughout the visit. Also on hand were Elvis’ surviving relatives, wife Pricilla, and daughter Lisa Marie.
Detail of the White House commissioned “Velvet Elvis” presented to the Japanese Prime Minister
The visit was not without controversy, as a Japanese photographer, dressed for the occasion as an Elvis impersonator, began to shout pointed questions at Koizumi. He shouted repeatedly, “Mr. Prime Minister, what do you have to say after Japan has forced you to withdraw troops from the disastrous occupation of Iraq?!”. The photographer was quickly wrestled to the ground and removed by secret service men. The prime minister, without missing a beat donned a pair of Elvis’ actual sunglasses and broke into his own impersonation, singing, “Wise men say… only fools rush in…”
Karl Rove walks toward Air Force One with his own Elvis souvenir
White House aide Karl Rove, who had arranged the entire taxpayer funded junket, branded the trip an overwhelming success. He stated, “We’re telling America, and the whole world, that, in regards to Iraq, Elvis will never leave the building.”
