Free Republic

The University of New England welcomed two former White House chiefs of staff to the Biddeford Campus on Wednesday for the 13th annual George and Barbara Bush Distinguished Lecture Series, offering behind-the-scenes accounts of a presidential administration during a transformational time in history. Featured speaker John Sununu, former chief of Staff to President George H.W. Bush, and moderator Andrew Card, once Sununu’s deputy, painted a picture of a president who cared deeply about his domestic agenda, even though he was known for his foreign policy. “George Bush’s reputation as a foreign policy president was earned,” Sununu said. “But (he) was...

What would President Obama say in such an interview? How would he answer a question like: “What would you say you do here?” This is not an entirely rhetorical question. Obviously being president is an incredibly grueling job that no well-adjusted individual would ever apply for, but looking back on some of the Obama administration’s most noteworthy accomplishments and scandals, what role, if any, did Obama play? And what does it say about his leadership? In his new memoir, Obama’s former defense secretary and CIA director Leon Panetta describes the president’s “most conspicuous weakness” as “a frustrating reticence to engage...