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President George W. Bush was in town last night to speak at a fundraiser for Arizona Christian University held at the Phoenix Convention Center. Photographers were only given access for three minutes (that’s 3!), so I didn’t get a chance, obviously, to hear much of the speech. He began with a couple of quips about the sense of liberation he felt when he and Laura left Washington for their ranch in Crawford, TX. Here he talks about coming into the living room and saying to Laura, “Free at last!”

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Although, again, it’s difficult to gauge the tone of a speech based on three minutes of exposure, he was genial and seemed very relaxed.

Every year, Childhelp, an Arizona-based charity founded to aid abused children, holds its principal fundraiser in conjunction with the Barrett Jackson automobile auction in Scottsdale. The event attracts a number of local celebrities and politicians and usually features a musical performance of some kind. The featured artist this year was Willie Nelson:

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Other celebrities in attendance included NFL quarterback Kurt Warner:

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Actors Cheryl Ladd and Jane Seymour:

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Arizona Governor Jan Brewer:

And controversial Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio (note the tie pin):

Yesterday was a big day for Republicans and the party was in full celebration mode last night at its Election Night Event in downtown Phoenix. The star of the evening was John McCain who beat back a Tea Party challenger in the primary and then rolled over his Democratic opponent in the general election.

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The  crowd was largely sympathetic with Sen. McCain’s point of view about Nancy Pelosi.

Jan Brewer, who replaced Janet Napolitano as Governor when Napolitano became Secretary of Homeland Security, won her first election easily, in part because of her championing of SB 1070.

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While my fellow photographers were swarming early in the evening, by the final speeches they were long gone.

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Jeff Flake was elected to his sixth term as the United States Representative from Arizona’s 6th congressional district…

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…while Ben Quayle, the son of former Vice President Dan Quayle, was elected to his first term as the U.S. Congressman from Arizona’s 3rd congressional district.

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Tiffany Quayle, Ben’s wife of six months, didn’t win anything, but she’s pretty, so she makes the cut.

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Finally, Kimberly Yee was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in District 10, becoming the first Asian American woman ever elected to the Arizona State Legislature.

John McCain continues to pull out all the stops to fend off Republican challenger JD Hayworth in his quest to be re-elected to his fifth term in the Senate.  This past weekend, Mitt Romney, one of Senator McCain’s challengers for the Presidency in 2008, traveled to Arizona to participate in a town hall meeting to help buoy up McCain’s campaign.   As with Sarah Palin’s appearance at a McCain rally two months ago, it seemed that the majority of the crowd had come out not to see the Senator, but the Senator’s guest.  Governor Romney has issues to overcome before he can hope to run successfully for President, but he is undeniably charismatic and articulate on a variety of issues.


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Twice a year, during the NASCAR races at Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale becomes the fourth largest city in Arizona.  An armada of recreational vehicles descends upon the valley, all drawn by the spectacle of stock car racing.  This was the third or fourth time I have photographed the Sprint Cup in Avondale and each time I enjoy it more.  I didn’t start with a predisposition to like motor sports, but I’ll confess I’ve become a fan.  There is something about the speed, the noise, the danger.  I have a favorite spot between turns two and three from which I like to shoot.  There is a big opening in the fence, the cars are accelerating quickly and I am very, very close to the action.  Sometimes, when a pack of cars passes, I will be blown backwards by the force of the wind  they create. It is such a rush.  Here are a few images from Saturday’s Sprint Cup race:
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NASCAR is running a little more recklessly this year, allowing the drivers to make more contact than they have in the past. Inevitably, bad boys are born and the two who seem to attract the most attention are Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch, seen here driving the #18 car. It is mildly amusing that one of the two bad boys in this sport drives a car decorated with M&Ms.


Here, Joey Logano (#20) trails a small group heading toward turn three. Joey is 19 years old.


Juan Pablo Montoya (#42) leading the field into turn one while under a cautionary yellow flag. Montoya, who was born in Colombia, was the first Formula One driver to make the transition to competing full time in NASCAR racing.


The controlled chaos of the pits.


Bad boy Kyle Busch and NASCAR’s version of Michael Jordan – Jimmie Johnson


NASCAR Nation, baby.

Senator John McCain is facing a tough fight in his campaign for re-election, so he has started calling in the big guns, beginning with Sarah Palin. He held two rallies this past weekend – first in Tucson and then in Mesa – at which Ms. Palin offered her endorsement of her former ticket-mate’s candidacy. I won’t opine on policy and politics, but there is no denying that Sarah Palin is a rock star to one segment of the Republican faithful. I don’t have any more scientific evidence than the volume of the reception they each received, but it seemed clear to me that the vast majority of the overflow crowd had come to see and hear Ms. Palin. The welcome she received was both lengthy and loud. Here are a handful of images from the event:


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Todd Palin


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I was hired recently to shoot an arts and music festival that featured a Vegas-based cover band called The Bluzmen.  As you will quickly see, the band is a knock-off of the John Belushi-Dan Aykroyd act from the late 70s and early 80s, best known from the 1980 film The Blues Brothers.  It was a great show and a nostalgic blast from the past for those old enough to remember The Blues Brothers.
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