Free Republic

DALLAS (AP) — George W. Bush says that after eight years in the White House, he's happy to be back home in Texas and out of the spotlight. But the former commander-in-chief tells The Associated Press there's one aspect of his presidency he still misses: interaction with U.S. troops. And Bush, who sent them to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, says that despite his desire to remain largely out of the public eye, he wants to make sure veterans and military members know they still have his support. "I was a little concerned that our veterans don't think that I...

Trump: Bush probably worst U.S. president Businessman and "Apprentice" television star Donald Trump blasted President George Bush today, calling him "probably the worst president in the history of the United States," and blaming his 2004 victory on the Democrat ticket. Appearing on CNN's "Situation Room," Trump was asked by host Wolfe Blitzer his opinion of Democrat presidential candidate John Edwards. "I don't know him," Trump answered. "People like him. I know people that like him very much, but I really don't know him." Trump went on to say that Edward's experience as John Kerry's 2004 running mate was a negative...

Welcome to the Third Term of President George W. Bush By Victor J. Massad It all seemed so clear to progressives in the summer of 2008. A dense president born into old establishment wealth had conned the American people and we were trapped into implacable problems, both foreign and domestic. These problems included a bad war that the president had lied us into, a good war that he had ignored, a deficit that was out of control, a prison that violated human rights, and a relationship between big business and big government that had become too cozy. But there was...

CPAC presidential straw poll results aside, Karl Rove, former Senior Adviser to President George W. Bush says the GOP side of the 2012 presidential field is "a wide open contest." Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Rove classified the race as "the first Republican contest in modern history in which there is no presumptive frontrunner." While Rove doesn't currently see a clear cut choice for the GOP, he did admit the nominee is likely to be a better known name, naming several examples including "Governor Romney, Sarah Palin and Governors Barbour, Daniels and Pawlenty." When asked how high profile political...

John J. Miller has a cover story in the new issue of National Review that’s a compelling portrait of the accomplishments of Jeb Bush. Four years after leaving the Florida governor’s mansion, he remains one of the most impressive Republican politicians in the country, a formidable policy mind with the political chops to drive conservative reforms even out of office. So why isn’t he running for president? Bush told Miller what he’s said to others, too — he won’t run in 2012, but he’ll consider 2016. This is a mistake. Bush should run now for at least eight reasons: 1)...

Bush Child, in a Break, Endorses Gay Marriage By MICHAEL BARBARO The Bush dynasty is no stranger to generational conflict: father and son differed over deposing Saddam Hussein, raising taxes and the role of the United Nations. Barbara Bush in her video statement. Now it is father and daughter who find themselves at odds over a weighty issue. Barbara Bush, one of the twin daughters of George W. Bush, will endorse same-sex marriage on Tuesday, publicly breaking ranks with a father who, as president, pushed for a constitutional amendment banning such unions. Ms. Bush, 29, has taped a video calling...

For someone who mangled words on a regular basis, it's an impressive feat. Former U.S. President George W Bush's memoir has sold an astonishing two million copies since it was released in early November - and it's not even in paperback yet. 'Decision Points', published both in hardcover and e-book form, is flying off the shelves, the Crown Publishing Group says. By contrast, former president Bill Clinton's memoir, 'My Life', has logged sales of 2.2million copies since it was first published in 2004. A spokesman for Crown called the performance remarkable. He claimed he could not think of any other...

George W. Bush sits down with Sean Hannity and talks about the Tea Party Movement. The rise of the Tea Party movement shows “democracy works”, former President George W. Bush says in an interview to air Tuesday night on Fox News’ “Hannity.” “Here’s what I see. I see democracy working. People are expressing a level of frustration or concern and they’re getting involved in the process,” Bush told Sean Hannity in advance of the release Tuesday of his memoir, “Decision Points.” “And the truth of the matter is, democracy works in America,” Bush said. He gets it. Bless you, President...

I was thinking about it this morning over breakfast. Something hit me.. What happened in September of 2008 was a fatal wound to the heart of capitalism in America as we fix. We need a miracle now folks. I don't think a lot of people knew it at the time. A lot of people still don't understand quite what happened. I am not going to go into conspiracy territory like "info-wars" and some of these other nuts and anti Americans floating around out there. I loved President Bush. His presidency started when I was in Junior High and ended when...

WASHINGTON — The incumbent senator from Alaska is taken by surprise in a primary. A new conservative movement energizes Republicans in a furious response to a Democratic White House. Little-known insurgent candidates prepare to storm the Senate. It is starting to feel like 1980. While the 1994 Republican takeover of the House is regularly explored for insight into what might happen this polarized election year, parallels are emerging between the watershed Senate election of three decades ago and the campaign of 2010 as another conservative rebellion threatens to reshape the Senate. In 1980, shocked Senate Democrats lost 12 seats in...

Ken Mehlman, President Bush’s campaign manager in 2004 and a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, made a shocking confession today in an interview with The Atlantic’s Marc Ambinger: Privately, in off-the-record conversations with this reporter over the years, Mehlman voiced support for tax increases and told of how, in private discussions with senior Republican officials, he beat back efforts to support the Bush tax cuts. The reaction by conservative pundits and leaders was praise for Mehlman following his conscience and being true to himself. Okay, not really. Maybe in an alternate universe that would happen, but in D.C....

Click here to find out more! A random walk among issues currently in the news... Do you miss George Bush yet? ***** American-born Muslim Anwar al-Awlaki, likely al-Qaida's top English-speaking recruiter, may be the world's most dangerous man. He has inspired -- let's see: the alleged Fort Hood shooter, the Christmas underwear bomber, the Times Square bomber, and some of the 9/11ists. Hiding in Yemen, this terrorist counselor reportedly is a target for capture or assassination. Short of that, federal authorities are seeking to confiscate any financial assets he may have in the United States. Not so fast, says his...

The 2001 Economic Growth and Recovery Tax Act was George Bush’s version of Barack Obama’s stimulus plan. However, instead of creating a bunch of temporary government jobs and subsidizing the expansion of government, it cut tax rates, increased the child tax credit, increased the standard deduction for married couples, and increasing contribution caps for a variety of savings programs. The result? The recession ended in November of 2001. (Source) But, September 11, 2001, happened as the economy was recovering and throughout 2002, the economy grew at an anemic rate. The Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 revved...

Three generations of Bushes descended on a Brickell area church Saturday for a wedding and Memorial Day weekend family reunion of the Republican Party's most enduring dynasty. The two former presidents -- George Herbert Walker Bush and George W. Bush -- were on hand, along with the former first ladies to watch as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's youngest son, John Ellis Bush Jr., 26, known as ``Jebby,'' married Coral Gables resident Sandra Algudady.

Former first lady Laura Bush has broken with her husband on the premier social issues of his administration and said she backs gay marriage and abortion. After more than eight years of silence on the controversial issues, Mrs. Bush said in an interview with CNN's Larry KingTuesday, that gay marriage and abortion were points of contention with her husband, former President George W. Bush. Mrs. Bush in recent weeks has been promoting her memoir "Spoken from the Heart," in which she writes about her life both before and after becoming first lady. In response to a question about gay marriage,...

A former White House speechwriter, Mark Thiessen, has jumped to the defense of his former boss, writing for the Washington Post that George W. Bush “established a conservative record without parallel.” Even by the loose standards of Washington, that is a jaw-dropping assertion. I’ve been explaining for years that Bush was a big-government advocate, even writing a column back in 2007 for the Washington Examiner pointing out that Clinton had a much better economic record from a free-market perspective. I also groused to the Wall Street Journal the following year about Bush’s dismal performance. “Bush doesn’t have a conservative legacy”...

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but someone has to do it. The “Miss Me Yet?” billboard (inspired by Jonathan Maney’s t-shirts) is cute. But let’s not get carried away with nostalgia. President Bush put America on the proper war footing after 9/11 and deserves much credit for doing so, but he also: 1) joined with open-borders progressives McCain and Kennedy to try to force shamnesty down our throats; 2) massively expanded the federal role in education; 3) championed the Medicare prescription drug entitlement using phony math; 4) kowtowed to the jihadi-enabling Saudis; 5) stocked DHS with incompetents and cronies;...

<p>President Barack Obama hosted a pair of Bushes this morning in the Oval Office: former President George H.W. Bush and his son, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.</p> <p>Two weeks ago, Jeb's brother, former President George W. Bush, was at the White House talking about Haiti relief with Obama and ex-President Bill Clinton.</p>

(snip) I am concerned, however, that a number of the legislative proposals being circulated would significantly reduce the capacity of the Federal Reserve to perform its core functions. Notably, some leading proposals in the Senate would strip the Fed of all its bank regulatory powers. And a House committee recently voted to repeal a 1978 provision that was intended to protect monetary policy from short-term political influence. These measures are very much out of step with the global consensus on the appropriate role of central banks, and they would seriously impair the prospects for economic and financial stability in the...

President and Mrs. Bush served our country with honor and dignity and remain committed to improving our nation and the world through the George W. Bush Presidential Center. The Center will be located on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, a rising national university in a major metropolitan city in the heartland of America. The George W. Bush Presidential Center uniquely integrates the records of a national archive, the thematic exhibits of a presidential museum, and the intellectual capital of a research-based policy institute to advance ideas based on the core principles of the Bush Presidency: freedom,...