White House ‘Facts’ on ‘L.A. Trip’ Are Out of Date, Don’t Compute

Oops.

Before every presidential trip, White House staff members prepare a press fact sheet providing handy facts and figures about the President’s destination, local elected officials and the like.

With any luck, not too many reporters will rely on the sheet distributed for President Bush’s current trip to Southern California.

First, the handout lists George Deukmejian as the state’s governor and continues to show Gov. Pete Wilson in his former job as the state’s junior senator. The information also lists as members of the House of Representatives two congressmen who lost their reelection bids last fall, as well as former Rep. Augustus F. Hawkins (D-Los Angeles), who retired.

Finally, in a faux pas that might escape East Coast residents but would certainly be noticed by the President’s hosts, the fact sheet refers to the visit as the “Trip of the President to Los Angeles,” ignoring the venue for most of Bush’s visit--Newport Beach in Orange County.