Free Republic

Life outside the White House has been sweet for former President Barack Obama, with perhaps the most difficult thing being the one he does best: politics. Mr. Obama is navigating a landscape in which he must fit his obvious relish for the celebrity lifestyle with an unwritten code of conduct for past chief executives, a world that is his for the taking yet tradition dictates he do so incrementally. It’s a political scene where players may covet his endorsement or desire his invisibility. Mr. Obama enjoys tremendous post-presidential popularity within the Democratic Party’s rank and file, but he has not...

Barack Obama has revealed his plan to rebuild the Democratic party and mold its new leader after he leaves the White House.  In an in-depth interview with The New Yorker on Thursday, the President told how he would help his successor Donald Trump settle in to the role before vacating it. Once out of office, he hopes to dedicate himself to training and advising a new wave of politicians, the next 'Michelle and Barack... who right now is sitting out there'.  'What we'll be most interested in is programming that helps the next Michelle Obama or the next Barack Obama,'...

The closer and closer we get to the election, the more I see people harping on the theme "there's only x many days left until the election", "I can't wait until Obama isn't president anymore", "this error is almost over"........ Why? Do you seriously expect Obama to go away quietly into the night just because his term is over? Because if that's what you think? I honestly wonder if you've not learned anything over the last 8 years. This guy isn't going anywhere. Yes, he won't be president anymore. But you aren't rid of him. The nightmare isn't over, it's...

President Obama sought to increase the amount of money available for the federal government to spend on former presidents in advance of his White House exit. In his budget requests for fiscal years 2016 and 2017, Obama proposed hikes in the appropriations for expenditures of former presidents, according to a report from the Congressional Research Service published Wednesday. The report, which discusses the pensions and other federal benefits offered to former commanders-in-chief by way of the Former Presidents Act, specifies that Obama’s 2017 budget proposes a nearly 18 percent hike in appropriations for expenditures of former presidents. He successfully requested...

President Bush takes in Baylor women's game 5 hours ago WACO, Texas (AP) — Former President George W. Bush attended the Baylor women's basketball game against Oklahoma on Wednesday in one of his first public appearances since returning to his Crawford ranch. Bush and his wife, Laura, walked onto the court with Baylor coach Kim Mulkey after the former president addressed the team before the game. As soon as Bush and Mulkey emerged from the tunnel, without any introduction, the crowd stood and broke into loud applause. The Bushes then took their seats in the first row behind the bench....