AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: At the White House, the president is about to begin this Columbus Day proclamation ceremony. He's with the first lady. These are fire chiefs, rather, from around the country behind him. You can listen to the president now as he is being warmly greeted at the White House.</s>GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you all.</s>BUSH: Justice Scalia, thank you for being with me.</s>BROWN: The president handing out some pens that he used, sitting next to the first lady as we wait for Liza Minelli to sing. Again, a group of fire chiefs and fire officials with him. It strikes us how the most ordinary and routine events in government -- and this certainly was one of them -- take on an entirely differently hue on a day like this, 24, 36 hours after the nation has launched an attack, a month since the nation itself was attacked in New York and in Washington. Nothing seems routine at all: not even a Columbus Day proclamation that would have, I dare say, in a different moment gone unreported or unnoted as just the routine events of the day. Liza Minelli coming in, a military escort, to sing on this Columbus Day, or at least the day we celebrate as Columbus Day.</s>LIZA MINELLI, ENTERTAINER (singer): Say, yes, life keeps happening every day. Say yes, when opportunity comes your way, you can't stop wondering what to say. You'll never win if you never play. Say yes. There's</s>BROWN: Liza Minelli entertaining the president and the -- those assembled at the White House on this Columbus Day. Ms. Minelli's mother, Judy Garland, entertained at the White House during the Kennedy administration.
President Bush Issues Columbus Day Proclamation