Former President George W. Bush looks out over the U.S. Capitol as his helicopter departs Washington, D.C. January 20, 2009, for Andrews Air Force Base following the inauguration ceremonies for President Barack Obama. (ERIC DRAPER/AFP/Getty Images)
“Every day in the White House was a joyous day for me,” the 43rd president said. “I miss being commander and chief of our military the most. You know you live in an amazing country when we have servicemen that continually volunteer to serve their country in the face of danger. I believe we have an obligation to give our troops all the support they need to accomplish their missions.”
The former president said he still has faith that conflicts in the Middle East can eventually be resolved. Read the rest of this entry »
We’ve missed her voice of reason these past months!
We haven’t heard much from former Secretary of State Condi Rice since Obama took over. The following is an extensive interview by Nina Easton. It’s an excellent reminder of what it was like when adults were in charge:
The money quote is:
“The last time we left Afghanistan, and we abandoned Pakistan,” she said, “that territory became the very territory on which Al Qaeda trained and attacked us on September 11th. So our national security interests are very much tied up in not letting Afghanistan fail again and become a safe haven for terrorists.
“It’s that simple,” she declared, “if you want another terrorist attack in the U.S., abandon Afghanistan.”
For those readers who wish to take a short walk down memory lane I offer this replay of the pictorial tribute to Condi Rice as part of the Bush Thankathon.
The president has now decided that although the fight against terrorists might not be war as usual, it nonetheless calls for special powers and the infringement of certain liberties. In this he is surely correct. The attacks of September 11 2001 and subsequent terror plots show that the US is dealing with a tenacious and resourceful enemy, willing to kill as many innocents as its weapons allow, loosely organised around the world but organised nonetheless. This enemy is no ordinary criminal enterprise and suppressing it calls for extraordinary measures.
As the US media likes to point out, the Bush legacy is intrinsically tied to Iraq. And evidently, they are banking on it’s ultimate failure.
So it comes as no surprise that it takes a UK (not a US) publication, The Guardian, to report on some very notable successes in the wake of the Iraq elections over the weekend.
Polling was peaceful, the results encouraging.
We could yet be looking at a model for Arab states
Despite a lower than expected turnout of 51%, there were no boycotts based on ethic or sectarian lines. In fact, the Sunni turnout in some areas was as high as 60%… a big difference from the 2005 elections. “It was also the first election to have international observers in all 712 constituencies.”
Don’t mean to drag this out, looking back instead of forward (”we look to the future from a present shaped by the past“), but I don’t remember this getting mentioned during the Bush Thankathon (never too late, right?): A brilliant speech delivered by Senator Orin Hatch [R-UT] on January 14th in regards to the Bush Presidency, the office of the presidency in general, and on the fickle nature of poll numbers and Congress:
What’s it like to “Play House in the White House?”
There have been so many examples of the welcoming good grace, best wishes and pure classiness that President and First Lady Laura Bush extended at every opportunity to the incoming Obama family. So, it should surprise no one that that same good wishes were also communicated by the Bush daughters Barbara and Jenna.
President Bush left incoming President Obama a letter on the Oval Office desk entitled “from #43 to #44″ and the Bush twins left a letter for Obama’s two young girls which the Wall Street Journal reprints under the headline: Playing House in the White House.
In a rare moment of showing the Bush family in a good light, NBC’s Today Show arranged for the Bush girls to read the letter along with an accompanying slide show of photos showing what growing up in the White House was like for them:
And for those of you who want to take one more walk down memory lane before the harsh reality of Obama’s failed presidency sets in, an encore for our Bush Thank-a-thon: Read the rest of this entry »
Plus: A report from inside the Bush Plane and a pictorial of the trip.
“Never Tire, Never Falter” from President Bush’s Farewell Address
30,000 well wishers gave former President and Laura Bush a heroes welcome upon their return to Midland Texas Tuesday, January 20, 2009.
Aboard the Bush Plane
a former Bush advisor files his account—and his photos—from aboard the former president’s flight back to Texas.
by Mark McKinnon The Daily Beast Read the rest of this entry »
Chief Justice John Roberts administered the Oath of Office. Ruth Fremson, NYTimes
Congratulations and good luck, President Obama!
President Obama and his wife, Michelle, escorted former President Bush and hiw wife, Laura to their helicopter after the ceremony. Ruth Fremson, NYTimes
When I look at this photo, I can’t help but think of a new meaning for the phrase, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty,……..”:
The former president departed from the Capitol. Ruth Fremson, NYTimes
Liberals can take that to mean one way; I’ll take it to mean another.
Our Bush Thankathon would not be complete without a tribute to our Secretary of State!
After Laura Bush, there has been one other person seen most often at President Bush’s side. His faithful friend, the former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, Dr. Condoleezza Rice. Affectionately called “Condi” by President Bush, he was often overheard saying “get me Condi” when some problem or other cropped up around the world.
Since the early days of President Bush’s 2000 campaign for president Dr. Rice has been there on an almost daily basis. She has become part of the Bush family and stayed with them at the ranch and Camp David on numerous occasions.
She has been at the heart of every decision on national security and foreign policy during the last eight years and has represented our nation overseas with style and dignity.
With all the hoopla over the inauguration of the nation’s first black president, let’s not forget that trail blazers like the first black female Secretary of State led the way.
Condi is one heck of a class act!
U.S. President George W. Bush (L) and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice walk from the Oval Office to board Marine One at the White House in Washington November 21, 2008. They are on their way to the APEC Summit in Peru. Read the rest of this entry »
President Bush holds the door open for his dog, Barney, at the White House.
Jim Young, Reuters
Who says President Bush didn’t have an exit strategy planned out? It’s been there all along, since day one: 8 years to man the helm and steer this great country.
And now the man who is said to have ceased unprecedented presidential power, would declare marshal law, would repeal the 22nd Amendment, exits the stage exemplifying the workings of our system of government through the peaceful transition of power. Read the rest of this entry »
Vice President Cheney is the only man in the Bush Administration more despised by the left than President Bush. No doubt the reason is because he has been the most effective Vice President in history. And as with President Bush, history will likely be kind to Dick Cheney.
Throughout this week of the Bush Thankathon, I’ve tried to convey the sense of history and events great and small through photographs. The following tells the story of Dick Cheney’s service to our nation during these last eight years.
The Most Experienced National Security Vice President in History
Dick Cheney had many years experience in government before becoming Vice President. He first entered government in the Nixon Administration in 1969, served as White House Chief of Staff under Gerald Ford, became a member of Congress after 1977 rising to House Minority Whip in 1988. He served the Administration of President George H.W. Bush as Secretary of Defense from 1989 to 1993.
No man could be better prepared for the trials and challenges which quickly engulfed the Bush Administration in 2001: Read the rest of this entry »
Our Bush Thankathon would not be complete without a look at one of the best First Ladies of our time!
Laura Bush is unquestionably one of the best First Ladies of the last 50 years or more. Unlike Hillary Clinton, whose time in the White House was dogged by scandal, Mrs. Bush has maintained an air of dignity and calm throughout. Even Laura’s mother in law generated more controversy than Laura ever has when she inartfully used the “B” word in reference to Hillary Clinton.
In many ways Mrs. Bush has been a traditional First Lady. She’s managed the duties of White House entertainment and state occasions flawlessly. Traveling with the President she has always been an asset and never a liability.
But beyond the traditional role, she’s carved a unique niche for herself and worked tirelessly to promote a range of important causes and issues beyond those traditionally pursued by First Ladies in the past.
The White House has prepared a fact sheet highlighting the leadership of Laura Bush, but I didn’t need a press release to remind me that Mrs. Bush has taken the lead on vital issues like promoting women’s rights and women’s health in the Middle East and Afghanistan. She’s made multiple trips to these areas of the world and also invited women’s representatives from this area to the White House to continue the vital work which they have begun.
On her own and with the President, Laura Bush has become an indefatigable globe trotter. The White House has a photo album of the First Lady’s travels here which tells that story so much better than I could.
Aside from her public role, Mrs. Bush is first and foremost a wife and a mother. Her family has remained front and center throughout her time as First Lady.
The following are a collection of photos culled from the thousands taken these past eight years that illustrate for me the many reasons I will miss First Lady Laura Bush: Read the rest of this entry »
