Irish leader shares the green in Washington

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Washington bigwigs -- parts Irish, Italian and Texan -- donned their green Monday as the leader of Ireland made his traditional St. Patrick's Day visit to the United States capital.

At the White House, Bertie Ahern, the Irish prime minister, or taoiseach, presented President Bush with a bowl brimming over with shamrocks and spoke poetically about the connection between their two countries.

"I believe the United States and Ireland will always enjoy an indelible bond shaped by the legacy of countless immigrants who built and cherished their new home but never forgot the land of their ancestors," Ahern said.

Wearing a dark green tie, Bush stressed Ireland's success in the Northern Ireland peace process and pledged that the United States remains ready to help in the final steps of that plan. Watch Ahern present the shamrocks »

Even as he spoke about foreign policy, nostalgia crept into Bush's remarks. He pointed out this would be his last St. Patrick's Day as president and suggested he and Ahern later would put their feet up and "talk about the good old times."

Bush also showed he's thinking about the future of the White House and trying to earn the presumptive Republican nominee, John McCain, as many points as possible. When he pointed out that an estimated 35 million Americans claim Irish ancestry, he said, "America is richer for every Murphy, Kelly and O'Sullivan," then he paused and added, "I should have said McCain."

The remark brought wide laughter.

The president and Ahern then were to attend a St. Patrick's Day lunch in the Capitol with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, and other leaders, indicating the Irish holiday, and the hunt for the Irish-American vote, is bipartisan.

St. Patrick's Day celebrations included parades in many U.S. cities. One of the largest, in New York City, brought out thousands of spectators. In Chicago, the city's namesake river was turned green. And the key primary state, Pennsylvania, held two parades in which Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton took part. Watch New York City St. Patrick's Day parade »

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama spoke at a St. Patrick's Day dinner sponsored by the Irish Women's Society on Monday in Scranton, Pennsylvania. "I actually have a great-grandfather who came from Ireland and settled nearby in Ohio," he said in prepared remarks.

St. Patrick's Day has been celebrated in Ireland since 1903. After a slow start, pubs began staying open for the holiday, and the revelry has grown in to a five-day St. Patrick's Festival. This year, a reported 650,000 people gathered to watch the annual parade in central Dublin, according to The Associated Press. E-mail to a friend

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