Post Wire Services
June 17, 2008
President Bush, wrapping up his weeklong European tour with a stop at a Belfast school, acts every bit the globetrotter yesterday - the Harlem Globetrotter, that is.
The commander in chief hit the basketball court at the Lough View Integrated Primary School, entertaining the youngsters with a ball-spinning demonstration and a series of grimaces while going 0-4 in shot attempts (an air ball, two off-the-backboard misses and a botched layup).
When a girl shot an air ball of her own, he said, "I know how you feel."
The visit to the school, which enrolls Catholic and Protestant boys and girls, was meant to highlight efforts to integrate students. Most children in Northern Ireland attend schools that are segregated by religion.
The 10- to 14-year-old kids with whom Bush played are members of PeacePlayers International, a group that operates around the world to address sectarianism and foster mutual respect and tolerance.
