最"貴族"聚會:政界大腕齊聚空軍一號

The luxury aircraft Air Force One hosted a political reunion on Monday, as the two Presidents and three first ladies - Laura Bush, Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton - were on board to fly to South Africa for Nelson Mandela's memorial service.A series of intimate behind-the-scenes photos aboard Air Force One have revealed the moment George W. Bush sharing a joke with the president and casually chatting ahead of dinner.

美國總統豪華專機“空軍一號”本週一迎來了一場重量級政治聚會，兩任美國總統及三位第一夫人——勞拉-布什，米歇爾-奧巴馬，希拉里-克林頓同乘“空軍一號”飛往南非出席南非前總統曼德拉的追悼會。隨後白宮披露了一系列小布什和奧巴馬在機上談笑風生，晚宴前閒聊的幕後照片。

Because of limited space on board, the Obamas retired to the President's office and regular cabin at the front of the plane while former Secretary of State Clinton was given free reign of the senior staff's cabin. Bush and his wife Laura were given the medical suite.

因爲機上空間有限，奧巴馬伕婦不得不“退縮”至位於飛機前端的總統辦公室和常規艙，小布什夫婦則被安排在位於飛機後部的醫療套間，高級助理艙則成爲了希拉里的“管控”區域。

The former president has been perfecting his painting skills since leaving office, famously producing colorful images of horses, dogs and still life scenes after taking lessons from a local during the long flight to South Africa, he took the opportunity to show the country's leading ladies his latest work on his iPad.

小布什，這位美國前總統離任之後在繪畫創作上日益精進。他師從一名當地的畫家，並在以馬、狗等動物及一些生活場景取材的畫作上尤爲稱道。長途飛行中，他不失時機地用iPad向這幾位第一夫人展示他的最新作品。

In a more serious photograph, the president is pictured editing his speech for the memorial with Deputy National Security Advisor Ben d of the journey, White House spokesman Jay Carney said the Obamas were looking forward to the political reunion. "It's a very, I think, enjoyable experience certainly for the president and first lady," he said. "And they're both grateful to be able to have former president and first lady, former secretary of state on board."

在一張比較嚴肅正式的照片中，奧巴馬被拍攝到正與國家安全事務副助理羅茲爲悼念儀式上的發言潤色。出發之前，白宮發言人卡爾尼稱奧巴馬很期待這次在“空軍一號”上的政治聚會。同時他說：“我認爲，對於總統和第一夫人來說，這是一個非常令人愉悅的經歷。他們對於能與前總統、前第一夫人和國務卿搭乘同一飛機心存感激。”