George Clooney joins Bush 41

Dec 22, 2006, 8:00 GMT

epa00885896 Actors George Clooney talks to reporters at the end of a press conference following a meeting with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan at UN Headquarters in New York, New York on Friday 15 December 2006. Clooney and Cheadle discussed their recent trip to China and Egypt where they discussed the ongoing situation in Darfur with government officials EPA/JUSTIN LANE

George Clooney put aside his political opinions to join forces with George Bush Snr to discuss the rebuilding of a Louisiana hospital on Thursday morning (21.12.06).

The 'Ocean's Thirteen actor - a keen Democrat and a very public critic of Bush Snr's son President George W. Bush, who is a Republican - appeared with the former US leader to promote relief efforts following the destruction caused by Hurricane Rita.

Bush Senior praised Clooney saying: "I thought we could add a little spice to this event, and, boy, was I right. What he has done for the morale of this town is remarkable. I know there's been a lot of tears shed over the past year.

"Hurricane Rita, like Hurricane Katrina, showed us the very worst in nature but they've also brought out the best in human nature."

Bush Sr. also shared a joke with notorious ladies man Clooney, telling him not to talk about his wife.

Her quipped: "Don't ask about Barbara. I'm too old to ask about Britney Spears."

Clooney joked back: "How's Bill Clinton's golf game?"

But Bush denied the story that he had recently hit former president Clinton, a Democrat, on the head with a golf ball when they played together.

The 82-year-old retired politician and the 45-year-old actor teamed up to discuss their fundraising efforts to rebuild a Louisiana emergency care hospital, destroyed by the hurricane.

Clooney said: "There is good news in all of this, which is that when the hospital gets up and running, I will not be doing any of the medical procedures.

"I'm coming to remind people in the rest of the country that just because it's not on the front page anymore, all the problems that have been placed here from Katrina and Rita are not solved yet."

(C) BANG Media International