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CAMP DAVID, Md. -- British Prime Minister David Cameron called it "a nice, peaceful spot."
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, decked out in an electric blue sport coat, raved about "my new place."
And President Obama, who hosted Cameron, Medvedev and the leaders of five other major economic powers here Friday and Saturday, lauded "the great views and the great weather."
This customarily top-secret presidential retreat let its guard down over the weekend, much to the apparent chagrin of the green-and-khaki uniformed Marines who watched warily over eight presidents, prime ministers and a chancellor -- not to mention scores of reporters and photographers from around the globe.
Never before in Camp David's 70-year history had so many important people visited at once -- not to mention camped overnight in its cabins or scooted around in its golf carts.
Only twice before, in fact, had a president hosted more than one leader at a time -- in 1978, when Jimmy Carter helped make peace between Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat, and 2000, when Bill Clinton couldn't do the same between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.
Obama took obvious pride in greeting his guests here, though he's an infrequent visitor himself. A Chicago resident who prefers hoops to horseshoes, Obama last came to the retreat in October and has visited just 23 times as president, according to CBS Radio correspondent Mark Knoller, who keeps track of such comings and goings. By this time in his presidency, George W. Bush had made 81 trips.
Obama gave not only his fellow leaders but their staffs and the media a rare glimpse of the bucolic, beautifully maintained spread filled with bike paths, tennis and basketball courts, a playground, a horseshoe pit and all manner of trees, bushes and plants.
Aspen Cabin, where the president's family resides when here, became the backdrop for the official Group of 8 photo as well as Obama's closing statement. The stone-and-wooden plank cabin boasts three fireplaces, a pool and a golf hole with sand traps.
The retreat's chapel, opened during George H.W. Bush's administration and featuring a massive pipe organ, stained glass windows and a pitched oak ceiling, hosted the media while they waited for open events.
White House officials said Obama switched the summit from its original Chicago location just because of the intimacy it would provide. Here Obama was able to meet privately with various leaders by taking walks or sitting on patios. He even shared a treadmill workout with Cameron.
"Camp David's just got a very special atmosphere," said Michael Froman, the White House deputy national security advisor for international economics. His boss, National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, called it a "back to basics" summit.
Thus it was that as reporters were leaving the grounds Saturday, White House press secretary Jay Carney tooled by at the wheel of a golf cart, with National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor in tow.
"It's electric," the environmentally conscious Vietor advised. "No gasoline."
