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Former President George W. Bush on Thursday outlined plans to establish a $300 million library, museum and research institute, taking a step back onto the national stage. The George W. Bush Policy Institute—which would be the first think tank to be affiliated with a presidential library—will address issues that were priorities during Mr. Bush's presidency, such as education, global health, political freedom and economic growth, and seek to promote advances by offering practical solutions, the former president said. In a speech at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where the center is slated to be built, Mr. Bush said the institute...

MADISON, Wis. (Reuters) - A year after his historic election, President Barack Obama sought to remind Americans on Wednesday the biggest problems he is grappling with -- from the economy to the war in Afghanistan -- are the legacy of his predecessor, George W. Bush. With his approval ratings down from once-lofty levels and Tuesday's Democratic election losses raising questions about his political clout, Obama held no special ceremony to mark the anniversary of his election as America's first black president.

President Barack Obama has been in office just nine months and already he is defending his legacy, pushing back more aggressively against criticism of his record on health care, climate change, closing Guantanamo, reforming immigration laws and financial regulations and managing the war in Afghanistan. For the past two weeks, as he’s jetted across the country to fill Democrats’ 2010 coffers, Obama has been test driving a new speech that sounds a lot like one he’d be giving if he were on the ballot next year: A line-item defense of his record so far, and a sober reminder to supporters...

Michelle Obama decided to go all in. Ever since her husband took office in January, the first lady has been cautious about the causes she embraced. But with her hometown of Chicago vying to host the 2016 Olympics, Michelle boarded a plane to Copenhagen last month to make a personal appeal. She brought along Oprah Winfrey, worked her sleeveless charm on the assembled dignitaries, and even lunched with the Queen of Denmark. Her efforts culminated in a passionate televised speech to the International Olympic -Committee—-perhaps her most high-profile advocacy ever. Then it all fell flat. Rio won the Olympic bid;...

Barack Obama entered office proposing and then passing a Stimulus Plan that was breathtakingly ambitious. This legislation constituted "the greatest increase in government spending in world history". The explicit goal was to halt the serious and precipitous decline of the American economy. One of the central promises of this plan was to slow and then reverse the unemployment rate that had been creeping up at an increasingly alarming rate. Prior to the Stimulus' passage Obama assured a concerned nation that unemployment would go up to 8% and shortly begin a decline.And then the American people, comforted by this assurance, stepped...

U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy went to his deathbed looking forward to a reunion with his assassinated brothers - certain he could proudly tell them he had continued their legacy through the president who will deliver his eulogy today, U.S. Rep. William Delahunt told the Herald yesterday. In a dramatic conversation with Delahunt, the ailing Kennedy “talked about a reunion with his brothers, and I’m confident he could say, ‘I did it. I carried the torch,’ ” said Delahunt. “From Jack to Bobby to the Obama moment, Teddy really was the bridge. He carried the torch and never wavered.” The...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The death of Senator Ted Kennedy dominated front pages across the United States on Thursday with newspapers proclaiming it the end of an era and a huge loss for the Democratic Party. "Final Curtain Falls on 'Camelot' Era," read the headline on the lead article in The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Kentucky. "End of an American Epoch," declared The Washington Post, which devoted another four pages inside its front section to the life and legacy of the Senate legend who died of brain cancer on Tuesday at the age of 77. "Throughout his career he stood by some...

Susan Donaldson James of ABC News nails the true Ted Kennedy legacy: The Real Ted Kennedy Legacy 84rules August 26, 2009

The worlds news organizations will not do it, the Democrats won't admit to it, even the Republicans will join in on the sycophantic praising of the man's life. Well, I propose the we start a list of all the bad and evil things Ted Kennedy has brought upon this planet while he lived. Starting with Chappaquiddick, and on through to the last piece of legislation that was bad for America, and the world. If we don't do it, it will not be done. So let's get our collective minds together and start listing all the evil this man was apart...

July 15, 2009 Note: The recent untimely and controversial deaths of actor David Carradine, mega-star Michael Jackson and football great Steve McNair beg a re-reading of a column posted in October 2003 about Denver businessman Justin Rosen. Stellar professional careers, as well as ordinary lives, can be sullied, overshadowed and devalued by circumstances surrounding our deaths. It’s essential that we end well. In death, Justyn Rosen was caught with his pants down. An alleged adulterous affair erupted and killed him. Few would have suspected his dalliance with Teresa Perez, 40, had she not reacted so murderously when the 79 year-old...

Thinkers in the ancient world sought to plumb the depths of ultimate reality. With that quest for ultimate reality came the birth of the discipline of philosophy. Some philosophers focused on one particular aspect of philosophy called metaphysics (ultimate being). Others focused their attention on epistemology (the science of knowing). Still others stressed in their investigation the basic principles and elements of ethics (the study of the good and the right). And others focused on the ultimate foundations for aesthetics (the study of the beautiful). One philosopher stood out as being deeply involved in the study of all of these...

BET Awards to highlight Jackson's legacyBy Sandy Cohen ASSOCIATED PRESS updated 12:33 p.m., June 28, 2009 LOS ANGELES -- After three days to process the shock and grief, attendees at the BET Awards -- a show thrown into "total overhaul" by the death of Michael Jackson -- were preparing for what was sure to be a spectacular celebration of the "King of Pop," put on by an dazzling collection of the artists he influenced most. Already an affair of major star wattage, Sunday night's show was thrown under a white-hot spotlight in the wake of Mr. Jackson's death, adding attendees...

OC Family Grateful Editor: Saturday, April 25, 2009 was a beautiful day, and it was made even more wonderful by the outpouring of affection expressed toward Captain Robert S. Craig at his Beach Memorial Service. The Craig children and family appreciate all that was done to honor our “Pop,” a man so many in Ocean City have known and loved for so many years. The Beach Memorial was truly memorable and more special than we could have possibly imagined. We have many people to thank for their efforts in making it happen. We learned very quickly that organizing such an...

(At right) Flanked by friends and family members, a wreath is carried down the beach to be released into the ocean in memory of Craig, "founding father" of the Beach Patrol. Carrying the wreath is the current head of the organization, Capt. Butch Arbin, who is flanked by Craig's son, Robert Craig, and grandson, Christopher Craig. (Above) Sean Williams pushes a surf board, carrying the wreath and the ashes of Capt. Craig, toward a Coast Guard boat, which released the wreath farther from the shore.

The rich get richer. Nothing wrong with that. Except in the case of an ex-president who doesn’t need the money, and could rehabilitate his image by donating his government pension to a good cause – say, for the families of Iraqi civilians and U.S. soldiers killed in the war that Bush instigated; or for the continued rebuilding of New Orleans, whose flooding became a symbol of Bush’s presidential ineptness; or for workers laid off in a downturn that started under Bush’s watch. Such benevolence would renew the “compassionate conservative” label that helped galvanize Bush’s base in 2000. Bush would be...

Ted Kennedy’s wife, Vicki, and his nephew, former congressman Joe Kennedy, are getting set for a bruising battle over who will succeed the ailing senator, according to a new book excerpted in the new issue of Vanity Fair magazine. “Vicki is seen by all as an interloper and she is deeply resented by Ted’s children and many of the newphews,” Edward Klein writes in his new book, “Ted Kennedy: The Dream That Never Died,” due in stores next month. “Joe, who sees himself as the only serious heir apparent, particularly loathes her control over his uncle and hence the family....

News Release: April 8, 2009 Memorial Service planned to honor Captain Robert S. Craig Ocean City, MD – A memorial service for Captain Robert (Bob) S. Craig will be held 3 p.m. Saturday, April 25 on the beach at North Division Street. Captain Craig passed away on Saturday, March 28 at the age of 90. Captain Craig joined the Ocean City Beach Patrol in 1935 and served as its captain from 1946 until retiring in 1987. Captain Craig is credited with building the Ocean City Beach Patrol into the professional organization it is known as today. When Captain Craig turned...

(April 3, 2009) The man who not only epitomized the Ocean City Beach Patrol, but also built it into a serious and professional organization, passed away Saturday. When Capt. Robert (Bob) S. Craig turned 90 last July, a competition, dinner and slide show honored him for his 52 years as a town employee and member of the Beach Patrol. Thousands knew Craig from his years guiding the Beach Patrol and taking it from a small, relatively unskilled group of young men to a large group of highly skilled young men and women. Capt. Butch Arbin, the current head of the...

OCEAN CITY – Ocean City lost a treasured icon this week when Captain Robert S. Craig, who shepherded the Beach Patrol through decades of change and inspired his young charges for half a century passed away at the age of 90. Captain Craig, as he was known for decades not only by the thousands of lifeguards who worked with him and for him but also by the countless millions of local residents and visitors to the resort area, passed away last Saturday at the Coastal Hospice in Salisbury at the age of 90. A former schoolteacher and coach, Captain Craig...

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“Never before in our history have Americans been called upon to face three grave threats to our very existence any one of which could destroy us. We face a disintegrating economy, a weakened defense, and an energy policy based on the sharing of scarcity.” - Ronald Reagan Time to Recapture Our Destiny (RNC Address - July 17th, 1980) The story goes that Governor Reagan, while strategizing with his political allies in a Beverly Hills Hotel in early 1980, found the moment opportune (as he so often did) to make a point. Leaning over to Dick Allen, his soon-to-be national security...

The New York Times offers the following on the Obama Administration's toxic asset relief plan: WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department is expected to unveil early next week its long-delayed plan to buy as much as $1 trillion in troubled mortgages and related assets from financial institutions, according to people close to the talks. The plan is likely to offer generous subsidies, in the form of low-interest loans, to coax investors to form partnerships with the government to buy toxic assets from banks. To help protect taxpayers, who would pay for the bulk of the purchases, the plan calls for auctioning...

WASHINGTON - Former President George W. Bush can finally boast "Mission Accomplished" - if the mission is winning a chance to repair his legacy and be paid handsomely for it. Bush, who called himself "the Decider," scored a multimillion-dollar book deal to write a dozen or so chapters on how he decided everything from quitting booze while in his 40s to starting two wars. "My goal is to bring the reader inside the Oval Office for the most consequential moments of my personal and political life," Bush said in a statement Thursday issued by Crown Publishing. "I look forward to...

There have been fewer Presidents in American history who were more unlikely men for the job than George Walker Bush. Diplomatically called “a late bloomer,” Bush was a partying frat boy up to the age of 40, whereupon he quit drinking and focused on his professional goals. These included making money and securing the financial future of his family, but there is no evidence that, even then, he saw himself as a future political leader. The study of history and current events is captivating not because of the predictable, but precisely because the predictable is constantly thwarted by events. Events...

When the American Civil War began, president Abraham Lincoln was far less prepared for the task of commander in chief than his Southern adversary. Jefferson Davis had graduated from West Point (in the lowest third of his class, to be sure), commanded a regiment that fought intrepidly at Buena Vista in the Mexican War and served as secretary of war in the Franklin Pierce administration from 1853 to 1857.

Obama worries US debt may shape legacyTue Jan 27, 5:21 pm ET WASHINGTON (AFP) – President Barack Obama told Republicans behind closed doors Tuesday that he worried about the soaring US debt because "I will be judged by the legacy I leave behind" on the economy, a source said. Wooing lawmakers openly hostile to his stimulus plan, Obama also warned that the current recession was "different, deeper, and global," and that inaction could cause "irreparable" economic damage, said a Republican participant. But "nobody is more worried about the deficit and the debt than me," he told Republicans who charge the...

Bush -- Man Of The Day Fools rush in every time something positive is written about President George W. Bush. Attacks on the writer, not on what was written, come from the dark pit of anger and ignorance where enlightenment is badly needed. By highlighting Bush’s achievements in a published editorial as he bids farewell to the nation, I “forced” Liberal extremists and their radical satellites on the edge, to stump their feet of disapproval and cry in pain! What I actually did was forced out of their system, their greatest hidden expertise on name-calling. When I wrote about Bush’s...

I had a chance to watch the coverage of President Bush’s return to Texas and I have to say, there is something that has bothered me ever since. He addressed the crowd from behind a podium bearing the Texas state seal and spoke in the same folksy manner we have seen from him since day one. As he finished his speech and went on to wave, shake hands and swagger through the crowd of well-wishers, there was one thought, more of a question really, that I couldn’t get out of my head. Why the hell have we abandoned this guy?...

The political postscript to all the hugs, kisses, personal Oval Office desk drawer notes and backslaps between POTUS 43 and POTUS 44 isn't exactly a warm, Pete Seeger, sing-along scene. I went to high school with Pete's Daughter, Mika; he was a great icon and true believer in harmony back then and still is, at a spry 90, leading a million-plus citizens in song last Sunday in DC. But partisans from former and current administrations are striking a very different tone. The smell of fresh upholstery hasn't even worn off the new, improved White House website yet and already there's...

Newsmax.com Editorial As Barack Obama assumes the mantle of the presidency and duties of the office, he has inherited from his predecessor a federal government that has a staggering national debt of over $10 trillion, a ballooning federal deficit this year estimated at $438 billion – and a government that recently assumed responsibility for some $5 trillion of the nation’s consumer debt. The irony is that George W. Bush, who billed himself as a conservative in the mold of Ronald Reagan, leaves a legacy of profligate federal spending, record debt and an economy in shambles. A broad range of conservative...

George W. Bush is blamed for everything under the sun; but how will his legacy be judged by historians? What has he accomplished? Has he made mistakes? Sure, but does he deserve to be called the worst president of the United States as the polls suggest? Did the internet play a role? How about the media? What role did he have in the financial crisis? Did he fail in Iraq?

When George W. Bush leaves office Tuesday, he will do so with a 27 percent exit approval rating, lower even than Jimmy Carter’s was. I think he deserves better. Why? Because, while national security is not the president’s only job, it must be his first priority, and Bush has been an excellent wartime leader. Even when it cost him politically, he has remained a relentless and successful defender of this nation and its people. Like all of us, Bush saw those two great towers reduced to rubble, the smoke pouring from the Pentagon, the smoldering scar cut through a Pennsylvania...

Limited the overall size of the Federal Government by restraining non-security spending, simultaneously focusing on key priorities and limiting non-security spending growth to 3 percent, slightly above the rate of inflation.

Whatever history's verdict on the Bush administration might be, it is likely to be very different from what we hear from the talking heads on television or read from the know-it-alls on editorial pages. President Bush's number one achievement was also the number one function of government— to protect its citizens. Nobody on September 11, 2001 believed that there would never be another such attack for more than seven years. Unfortunately, people who are protected from dangers often conclude that there are no dangers. This is most painfully visible among those Americans who are hysterical over the government's intercepting international...

As President George W. Bush prepares to leave office a review of his eight years as the Nation’s chief executive is in order. While the end of his presidency has been overshadowed by economic problems and angry calls from the left about various aspects of the war against radical Islam, Bush did have some success which should be recognized.

GEORGE W. BUSH understands how history works. While the victors may write the history, sometimes history undoes the victors, and their victory is shown to be more shallow than at first glance. Looking at the Bush's poll numbers in his waning days of office, one might be tempted to conclude he was a "failure," as just about everyone has triumphantly proclaimed. But this president's success or failure will not be determined by what Americans—and certainly not by what Europeans—think of the man and his policies today, but whether those policies produce the intended results tomorrow. I believe that they will.

She was our calm presence after 9/11, a real lady. Fox News' Greta Van Susteran and others weigh in on the legacy of our departing First Lady.

ASK the average American about President Bush's health-care legacy and the most likely response is a snort. After all, didn't he refuse to fund medical aid for kids? Hasn't he spent billions on the Iraq war while shorting human needs at home? It's time to look at facts: Mr. Bush's record on health will stand as a great contribution to the well-being of mankind. Take, for example, the doubling of federal funding for community health centers since Mr. Bush took office. These not-for-profit agencies operate in underserved areas and treat people regardless of their ability to pay. According to The...

Before he was a war president, George W. Bush fashioned himself as an education president. He campaigned as a school reformer and held his first policy speech at a Washington elementary school, where he began laying the groundwork for the controversial No Child Left Behind education law. Nearly eight years later, Bush devoted his final public policy address to the same topic, traveling to an elementary school in Philadelphia yesterday to claim success in education reform and to warn President-elect Barack Obama against major changes to the landmark federal testing program. Bush argued that No Child Left Behind has "forever...

As I type this article, I think of the figurative-millions of both mundane and serious things I’ve done over the past seven-and-a-half years with absolute confidence in America’s safety. That confidence was inspired by the steadfast leadership and unblinking courage of President George W. Bush, as he faced our country’s most deadly enemies and succeeded in preventing another ghastly attack on American soil after September 11th. I know, I know. Let me count the ways that Republicans and conservatives have railed against our 43rd president’s deficit spending, his refusal to pardon the American border-guard heroes Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean,...

Conventional wisdom last week decreed that President-elect Barack Obama had done such a fine job culling his Cabinet that only one pick - Attorney General-nominee Eric Holder - would present a problem, but most likely, a surmountable hurdle. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson - Obama's presumptive commerce secretary - stepped on that happy tale when he withdrew his name from consideration Sunday in the midst of a federal corruption probe. Back to Holder. Inside money would bet that Republicans will use Holder's Jan. 15 Senate confirmation hearing to grill him on his role in President Bill Clinton's notorious last-day-in-office pardon...

Dear Congressman Hunter, Welcome back to the private sector. Having had the opportunity to talk to you a number of times, I know that you are looking forward to doing some "real" work for a few years before you retire. I wish you well in the construction business. But I want to thank you for your service to the country. Frankly, the vast majority of politicians in DC provide nothing but disservice to our nation, including most republicans. But you, on the other hand, have been a national treasure. A true Reaganite from the beginning, you never wavered from your...

President George W. Bush departs with low approval ratings. Appraisals of presidents sometimes change over time, and sometimes they don’t. *snip* No doubt the Internet dervishes will pepper this and other assessments of Bush with their standard displays of anonymous ferocity. There are a lot of 14-year-olds with Internet connections. But when the Jon Meacham of 150 years from now goes about his task with Bush, that historian will have as much material and more, as did the author of “American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House.” And the verdict will be nearly the same: Here was an extraordinary...

WASHINGTON, (AP) -- President George W. Bush will be judged on what he did. He will also be remembered for what he's like: a fast-moving, phrase-mangling Texan who stays upbeat even though his country is not. For eight years, the nation has been led by a guy who relaxes by clearing brush in scorching heat and taking breakneck bike rides through the woods. He dishes out nicknames to world leaders, and even gave the German chancellor an impromptu, perhaps unwelcome, neck rub. He's annoyed when kept waiting and sticks relentlessly to routine. He stays optimistic in even the most dire...

admire President Bush. I think he is a good man and I have said so before. But as Bush leaves office he is looking more and more like a deer in headlights.... ...A sound education, a clear and steady mind, real world experience, a moral compass, the ability to listen to and understand conflicting points of view, superior communication skills, common sense and courage are the tools a statesman needs. With the possible exception of education, none of these skills can be taught. They must be lived, learned, and earned.

A fairly balanced analysis of how Bush will probably be remembered in the future. It is a Bloomberg article so it cannot be directly posted on FreeRepublic. The article is linked on DrudgeReport.

President George W. Bush is leaving with one of the lowest approval ratings in the history of numbers. During his final months on the job, the controversial commander-in-chief has given several interviews that have revealed how he views his legacy. Here are some highlights... Soul not for sale One of the president's most interesting sound bites came during his interview with FOX News. He said: "I didn't compromise my soul to be a popular guy." The quote is an acknowledgment that the president is well aware that he's about as popular as taxes and chicken pox. Bush went on to...

WASHINGTON – President George W. Bush says history will judge him, but he is getting his own crack first. Bush is using his final 50 days in office to tout his legacy, hoping to leave a lasting impression of overshadowed progress. On Monday, World AIDS Day, Bush was heralded for his leadership in fighting the disease, a point that even his Democratic critics readily concede. The anti-AIDS program Bush championed in 2003 has delivered lifesaving medicine to more than 2 million people in five years, up from 50,000 people before it began. Many of those helped live in impoverished sub-Saharan...

Five years ago, Arnold Schwarzenegger took over a state drowning in red ink, brimming with confidence that he and the Legislature would forge a bipartisan solution that would put California back on sound financial footing. “I know there are some who say that the Legislature and I will never agree on solutions to our problems,” the internationally famous bodybuilder and action-movie star said in his Nov. 17, 2003, inaugural address. “But I've found in my life that people often respond in remarkable ways to remarkable challenges.” Five years later, Schwarzenegger presides over a state drowning in red ink and last...