Town says goodbye to VIP visitor
Gets what may be last visit by a Bush as sitting president
KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine - They will miss the helicopters thwap-thwaping overhead. The motorcade will no longer be zooming past, and the political attention - along with the money - showered on their community will begin to fade.
With what is probably the last visit to Kennebunkport by a Bush who is a sitting president, George W.'s quiet stay here this weekend has touched off a bit of nostalgia among townsfolk who have grown accustomed to living with the occasional catapult into the international limelight.
The wistful feeling is still sinking in, but many say they will miss the hoopla and other trappings of power that accompany a "POTUS" sojourn by the sea. Bob Franchi, a 70-year-old from Worcester, confessed to sitting for eight hours one day outside the Cape Arundel Inn, hypnotized by the layers of activity that surround a presidential boat trip.
"I'll be sad to see that air of dignity go away, to lose that status level," Mat Lanigan, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said as he stood behind the counter at his high-end gift store in Dock Square. "But I feel honored that we were there in the first place."
Tourists flock to this seaside town year-round, parking their cars along Ocean Avenue to catch a glimpse of the century-old Bush family compound on a rocky promontory called Walker's Point. Shops in town sell postcards of President Bush and his wife, Laura, with the house in the background (Republicans buy them to gush to friends; Democrats buy them as jokes). One restaurant has mugs that say, "Two presidents, one town" sitting on tables next to bottles of Pellegrino.
Senator John F. Kerry carried York County in 2004's presidential election, but no matter. The 12 years of presidential visits have heaped worldwide attention on this small picturesque town on the Atlantic Ocean and helped it in many ways.
"This was a little fishing village with a drinking problem," said Brooks MacDonald, the owner and a fixture at Hurricane Restaurant. "It's been good for us. People are going to miss it - and miss it more than they realize."
But what may be the final trip - the White House isn't ruling out a chance that he'll visit again before leaving office - has been anticlimactic as Bush slides into the twilight of his presidency. Last year, he met here with President Vladimir Putin to discuss US-Russian relations, followed by a rendezvous several weeks later with President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, where they discussed Iran's uranium enrichment.
But since Bush arrived here Thursday afternoon, he has assiduously refrained from making any news - the biggest ripple was when television cameras showed him limping a bit after a Friday morning bike ride. He rode his bike again yesterday morning, and the White House later said he had a 10-minute phone conversation with President Luiz Inécio Lula da Silva of Brazil over the collapse of world trade talks.
Last night, the family planned to host a wedding reception for two White House staff members - the groom is the son of the president's cousin, the bride an assistant to White House counselor Ed Gillespie - under an elaborate tent set up on the lawn of the family compound, which includes a large main house, a guest house, a pool, and a tennis court.
"Walker's Point holds a special place in the whole family's heart, as does Kennebunkport," said White House press secretary Dana Perino. "It's been a great place to host everything from wedding receptions to family reunions to world leaders. You can bet that all of the Bushes will keep coming back to Kennebunkport long after the president's last day in office."
But there's a difference in how residents perceive President George H.W. Bush - who speaks at local parades and stops by the town pharmacy - and how they view his son, whose visits often bring protesters to town.
The younger Bush has frequently downplayed his New England roots in favor of his Texas ties, and he much prefers his Crawford Ranch to the family's Kennebunkport compound. He's made 74 trips as president to his Crawford ranch, while this is his 11th to Kennebunkport, according to news reports based on a list compiled by Mark Knoller at CBS News.
"It's been a long haul," said Linda Harvie, a 45-year-old substitute teacher from Kennebunk, who on a sleepy sunny Friday afternoon was manning the Kennebunkport Democratic Headquarters and wearing a "Women for Obama" T-shirt. "The shops love it, but for the rest of us, it's 'Good riddance. Go back to Crawford.' "
About 60 protesters carried that message home yesterday, marching about 2 miles to Walker's Point and chanting things like, "Occupation is a crime, Bush and Cheney should be doing time." Others held signs saying, "War is Not the Answer," and "No More Bush Wars."
"I don't now if it's hit everyone yet that this could be the last trip," said Steve Kingston, a self-described "little fish guy" who owns The Clam Shack and last year found himself being interviewed by the Arabic news channel Al Jazeera. He's provided lobster for international dignitaries and supplied the haddock for Bush's chef, Ariel De Guzman, to make the chowder served at the house Thursday.
Kingston was planning last night to have a farewell dinner - involving a fair amount of lobster, and even more beer - for about a half-dozen members of the White House cooking staff.
"It's bittersweet," he said. "It's put Kennebunkport on the map."
Bush will be back here, to be sure, but there won't be the motorcade or the swarm of Secret Service. And the large press pool will have moved on to other locales.
"It's just a hiatus," said Brian Bartley, owner of Bartley's Dockside Restaurant, which has a "Welcome back, Mr. President" sign outside and a shrine to the Bushes inside the restaurant that is capped with a wall-size poster of the current president's head. "I don't think we're done. We're keeping our eye on George P., Jeb's son."
Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com. 