Bush and Obasanjo were scheduled to retire to the White House shortly after the Rose Garden announcement to discuss a wide variety of issues -- most notably Bush's hope to convince OPEC to boost its daily per-barrel production of crude oil, as the U.S. anticipates a supply shortage heading into the summer.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, French President Jacques Chirac, U.S. President George W. Bush, Russian President Vladimir Putin and a host of other VIPs spontaneously rose to their feet to applaud a march-past by proud veterans from all the Allied nations.