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US president presses on with Mideast tour, meets with Egypt's Mubarak in Sham el-Sheikh. Due to speak at World Economic Forum on Sunday, Bush says he will outline vision for reaching agreement on future Palestinian state while still in office US President George W. Bush said on Saturday he remained confident a deal on Palestinian statehood could be achieved before he leaves office, as he sought to ease Arab doubts about his commitment to even-handed peacemaking. In the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for the final stop of his Middle East tour, Bush faces growing skepticism over his chances...

SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt — U.S. President George W. Bush said Saturday that the Saudis' modest increase in oil production is "something but it doesn't solve our problem" of soaring gas prices. Taking note of the kingdom's recent decision to raise production by 300,000 barrels a day, the president said the United States must act, too, to ease the gasoline crisis. He mentioned steps such as developing alternate fuels, improving conservation and expanding domestic exploration. "We've got to do more at home," the president said on a lawn of a resort overlooking the Red Sea. He spoke after a private meeting...

Saudi oil output hike would not solve US problems: Bush US President George W. Bush said on Saturday that a hike in oil output by Saudi Arabia would not solve American energy problems. "It's not enough, it's something but it doesn't solve our problem," Bush told reporters in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Bush said he was "pleased" with a Saudi decision taken on May 10 to increase its oil production by 300,000 barrels per day in response to customers, but said that he was "also realistic" about what the Americans should do. "Our problem in America gets...

"Frankly, I can be wrong, but I do not think that America can carry to the presidency a candidate as on the left as Barack Obama." Norman Podhoretz, May 14, 2008 Check the link for the complete interview on Iraq, Iran, the WoT, neoconservatism and US presidential elections.

"That's enough. That – that's a show of disrespect to me." That was Barack Obama, a couple of weeks back, explaining why he was casting the Rev. Jeremiah Wright into outer darkness. It's one thing to wallow in "adolescent grandiosity" (as Scott Johnson of the Powerline Web site called it) when it's a family dispute between you and your pastor of 20 years. It's quite another to do so when it's the 60th anniversary celebrations of one of America's closest allies. President Bush was in Israel the other day and gave a speech to the Knesset. Its perspective was summed...

President Bush made a moving speech in Israel to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the founding of that state. The New York Sun began its editorial "Bush's Covenant" this way: As far as political reactions go, it was a weird one. President Bush gave a beautiful and moving speech in the capital of Israel to give voice to America’s solidarity with the Jewish state. He reached back to Herzl and beyond, declaring that the establishment of the State of Israel was, as the president put it, “the redemption of an ancient promise given to Abraham and Moses and David —...

The United States and Israel agree on the need for "tangible action" to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokesman said Friday, after a visit by U.S. President George W. Bush. "We are on the same page. We both see the threat ... And we both understand that tangible action is required to prevent the Iranians from moving forward on a nuclear weapon," Olmert spokesman Mark Regev said. Regev described diplomatic efforts so far to exert pressure on Iran as "positive", but added: "It is clearly not sufficient and it's clear that additional steps will have...

It was fun while it lasted. The guaranteed election of a non-conservative President on November 4th represents the end of the conservative movement in America. Neither Barack Obama nor John McCain stands for Reagan principles in any way, shape, manner or form—and after twenty years of non-conservative Presidents, it’s obvious that the Reagan era will never, ever return. The conservative movement has been in the hospital for nearly two decades. Once George H. W. Bush—a good, moral man, but not a true conservative—entered the White House, conservative principles slowly but surely began to leave. Yes, he gave us a victory...

How to Enrage a Democrat May 17, 2008 If nothing else, we now know what it takes to make a Democrat go nuts. One word: "appeasement." Notwithstanding that President Bush named no names in his speech to Israel's Knesset on Thursday, Barack Obama instantly called it a "false political attack." On him, of course. To House Speaker Nancy Pelosi it was "beneath the dignity of the office of the President." "Offensive and outrageous," thundered Hillary Clinton from somewhere in South Dakota, followed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: "reckless and irresponsible." When the party's top four Democrats come roaring out...

Barack Obama may be part black, part white, and part cow. ... Without accusing anyone in particular, Bush made a statement of policy, a policy that preceded him by three other Presidents. Obama took it personality, and reacted with a level of youthful impetuousness normally reserved for a prom night grope. ... If Obama had let the sleeping dog sleep, Bush’s comment might not have made the evening news. Obama instead reacted ... That, my friends is reason enough to vote against him.

Right off the bat he reaffirmed that Hezbollah is “not a legitimate political party.” Instead, “It’s a destabilizing organization by any common-sense standard. This wouldn’t happen without the support of Iran and Syria.” I asked him what he meant with all this emphasis on electoral and patronage reform. He said the U.S. should help the Lebanese government deliver better services to the Shiites “to peel support away from Hezbollah” and encourage the local populace to “view them as an oppressive force.” The U.S. should “find a mechanism whereby the disaffected have an effective outlet for their grievances, which assures them...

On Today’s Show... The Democrats are throwing a fit over President Bush's truthful statement about appeasing evil. Obama threw a tantrum, taking it personally even though the president didn't mention Obama by any of his names. (Rush 24/7 Members: Listen Here) When you're a messiah, everything that happens anywhere in the world is about you, eh, Barack? What a spoiled little child this guy is. (Rush 24/7 Members: Listen Here)A helpful guide for the speech police: Things you can't say about Obama, or talk about because Lil' Barack might think are about him. (Rush 24/7 Members: Listen Here) Pearl...

In an interview to air later tonight on Bloomberg TV, Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) said President Bush is "absolutely radioactive" and Republicans "will suffer widespread election losses in November unless they distance themselves from him." Said Davis: "They've got to get some separation from the president." Davis also said his party "would lose 20 to 25 House seats if the election were held today." And if Sen. John McCain is seen by voters as "Bush III" he will lose by 20 percentage points.

Appeasement: In slamming President Bush and John McCain, Barack Obama seemed to follow political consultant Jim Carville's rule: "You've got to be willing to fight." But what Obama is defending is indefensible.When the first President Bush charged in 1992 that the only way rival Bill Clinton could keep his big-spending campaign promises was by raising taxes on families earning $36,000 and up, Clinton hit back hard. "It is a disgrace to the American people that the president of the United States would make a claim that is so baseless, so without foundation, so shameless, in an attempt to get votes...

If President Bush would simply pardon the unjustly imprisoned former Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, we could all rest much easier knowing that in the United States, a foreign drug smuggler's word does not prevail over the word of federal agents in the line of duty. This week, the Kentucky-based group, Christians Reviving America's Values, filed an ethics complaint with the Texas Bar Association to investigate U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, whom the group argues willfully misled a jury to convict the agents. Here is a refresher on the case for those who need it: Messrs. Ramos and...

Thursday May 15, 2008, American media hit a new low. To paraphrase Michelle Obama, I have never been less proud of my country. On the occasion of Israel's 60th anniversary, President George W. Bush gave one of the greatest speeches of his career. Yet, America's media could only see this event through the tiny prism of the upcoming presidential election, and thereby totally ignored virtually everything that was said by the most powerful man in the world to one of our nation's greatest allies. From a speech that lasted over 20 minutes -- interrupted eight times by applause from Israeli...

WHEN HE hinted to the Israeli Knesset this week that Barack Obama was an appeaser for being willing to talk to Iran, President Bush broke an unwritten rule against partisan politicking on foreign shores. He also displayed confusion about his own policies — and about the cause of his calamitous foreign policy failures. more stories like this * What they said * U.S. looks set to offer Israel powerful new radar * US-Russia pact faces opposition in Congress * Obama slams Clinton's "cowboy" talk on Iran * Petraeus promotion keeps nation on its war course * Perhaps Bush forgot that...

Not that I want to bring any attention to that loser on MSNBC, but the comments made recently by Keith Olbermann on his "Countdown" show should be addressed, if only to point out how out of control these left-wing Bush haters are. Olbermann has engaged in vitriolic diatribes against the president before, but this time he was way over the top. Referring to the US Military in Iraq as "merciless mercenaries who shoot unarmed Iraqis and then evade prosecution in any country by hiding behind your skirts, sir," this foul-mouthed commentator, struggling to get ratings for the moribund network, has...

The Popular Press is lined up outside the tuxedo rental places here in Your Nation's Capital, to get ready for what they all assume will be the Coronation of Sen. Barack Obama as the Nominee for President of the Democratic Party after the primaries in Kentucky and Oregon. The endorsement of John Edwards yesterday, one assumes, also brings his eleven delegates with him. That would put Obama, according to CNN's count, at 1,910 delegates only 115 short of the 2,025 to have a majority. Kentucky (60 delegates) and Oregon (65 delegates) will hold their primaries on Tuesday. Assuming Obama and...

Hating Bush C'mon, everybody's doing it!By Christopher Cook Look, I know that President Bush has disappointed us in many ways. He's lousy at selling even his best ideas. His first term was a smashing success; his second term has been much less effective. He's made some mistakes, and he's deviated from core conservatism in several areas. The left hates him the way the Democrats hated Lincoln—not just political hate, but a burning, visceral, personal hate. But we conservatives and Republicans, however disappointed we may be in aspects of his conduct of the office of president, should do two things:a) we...

Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) thinks that President Bush is "absolutely radioactive" and that any Republicans close to the him will suffer electoral consequences. Davis, who made waves for a shockingly bleak memo about the electoral outlook for the GOP this fall, tells Bloomberg TV in an interview that will air tonight that GOP members have "got to get some separation from the president." "Republicans, I think, have time to turn it around to some extent," Davis tells the network. "But, if they don't, we're cruising for a bruising." Davis is not seeking reelection.

Today in Watertown, South Dakota, Barack Obama responded to comments about appeasement made by President Bush in the Israeli Knesset yesterday. He linked John McCain to Bush, saying that McCain "embraced" the comments in a conference call with bloggers.

What is surely undeniable is the imperative need to defeat Hezbollah, and that America and Britain will either help bring that about -- or will help strengthen it instead through continuing to pursue their lethally misguided strategy of appeasing Syria and Iran.

U.S. President George Bush is in Saudi Arabia for talks with King Abdullah marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Washington and Riyadh. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, the two leaders are expected to reach agreement on civilian nuclear technology.They will discuss a deal to help the kingdom develop civilian nuclear power for medical and industrial uses as well as generating electricity. The agreement provides access to safe, reliable fuel sources for nuclear reactors and demonstrates what the Bush Administration calls Saudi leadership as a non-proliferation model for the region. [I certainly hope McCain disowns this policy....

Hey sweetie, are you bitter? Pittsburgh Tribune-Review By Salena Zito Perfect Sen. John McCain bumper sticker: Hey sweetie, are you bitter?

RIYADH (AFP) - The White House announced major new cooperation agreements with Saudi Arabia on Friday as US President George W. Bush made his second visit to the oil superpower this year. The agreements cover cooperation on civil nuclear power and protecting the kingdom's oil infrastructure which has come under attack by Islamist militants. "The Saudis bear a special responsibility for protecting key energy facilities of global importance and the world benefits from their abundant energy supplies," a White House statement said. "Our global economy depends greatly on Saudi Arabian energy. The United States has a keen interest in helping...

At 5:43 into this video, Barack Obama asserts that "has never said" he'd negotiate with terrorists. The problem with this is one of two things: Barack Obama is either lying through his teeth, or he doesn't consider the Iranian regime terrorists. Either way, he's off.

In an earlier column, I raised the matter of whether, and how, Senator Barack Obama's conspicuous intelligence may act as a barrier to his being elected president. [SNIP] In recent years, Democrats have nominated presidential candidates who are far more intelligent that their Republican counterparts. Common sense might suggest that high intelligence is necessary to be president, and conclude that we should applaud such nominations. Election politics, unfortunately, usually punishes the more intelligent nominee. Start with Nixon. Hubert Humphrey had a remarkable mind and while Nixon was no slouch, Humphrey always struck those who knew both men well as way...

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabian leaders made clear Friday they see no reason to increase oil production until their customers demand it, apparently rebuffing President Bush amid soaring U.S. gasoline prices.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - The White House said Friday that Saudi Arabia's leaders are making clear they see no reason to increase oil production until customers demand it. President Bush was in the oil-rich country to appeal to King Abdullah for greater production to help halt rising gas prices in the United States. But his national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, said Saudi officials stuck to their position that they already are meeting demand.

WASHINGTON — President Bush's attempt to win $560 million in aid this year to assist Mexico's anti-narcotics efforts has run into a rebellion from some Texas Republicans worried about corruption, inefficiency and now defections among Mexican police officials. Wednesday's disclosure that three Mexican police chiefs are seeking asylum in the United States prompted the Texans to push Thursday for congressional hearings on the bloody border war among Mexico's drug cartels and a reassessment of U.S. anti-drug assistance to the country. "Our first priority must be to secure our own border and equip our own personnel before we even discuss sending...

President Bush's financial fortunes appear to have declined over the past seven years, with his family assets dropping as low as $6.5 million, according to disclosure forms released yesterday. Bush and his wife, Laura, were worth at least $9 million and as much as $24 million at the start of his term. The Bushes could still be worth as much as $20 million now, according to the financial documents filed with the Office of Government Ethics, which requires assets to be reported only within broad ranges. President Bush's biggest asset is a 1,600-acre family ranch near Crawford, Tex., which is...

The publishing company that owns the Curious George image says it is considering legal action to stop the sale of a T-shirt depicting Barack Obama as the monkey from children's books. The T-shirts are being peddled by Marietta bar owner Mike Norman at his Mulligan's Bar and Grill in Cobb County. They show a picture of Curious Georgie peeling a banana, with the words "Obama '08" underneath. Rick Blake, a spokesman for publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, which owns Curious George, said Wednesday that the company didn't authorize the use of the character's image, but hasn't been in touch with anybody...

After 18 years of a law practice devoted to counseling landowners, home builders and commercial interests affected by the long arm and severe penalties of the Endangered Species Act, I am used to incredulous looks and outraged oaths from clients coming to grips with the Act's incredible burdens on impacted private citizens. "Are you telling me I can't build my Burger King because a Delhi Sands flower-loving fly that has never been seen and is above ground only a few days a year might be near-by?" "I can't build a connector road because the noise from construction might damage the...

If you look a few posts below, you will find the text of President Bush’s powerful and moving speech to the Knesset today. In the course of it, he says something very general: Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: “Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.” We have an obligation to call this...

Pity Party Big picture, May 2008: The Democrats aren't the ones falling apart, the Republicans are. The Democrats can see daylight ahead. For all their fractious fighting, they're finally resolving their central drama. Hillary Clinton will leave, and Barack Obama will deliver a stirring acceptance speech. Then hand-to-hand in the general, where they see their guy triumphing. You see it when you talk to them: They're busy being born. The Republicans? Busy dying. The brightest of them see no immediate light. They're frozen, not like a deer in the headlights but a deer in the darkness, his ears stiff at...

The Clintons lied in 1992 (about Bill's affairs and their phony plans for middle class tax cuts), 1995 (about Newt Gingrich and the Republican Congress), 1998 (about Monica Lewinsky), 2000 (again about the need for tax cuts in light of an upcoming recession), and 2001 (about Bill's pardons of some criminals). Each time after those lies, terrorist attacks against the US or Americans occurred, killing people -- the Twin Towers were bombed, five servicemen died in Riyadh, two African embassies were bombed, the USS Cole was attacked, and the Twin Towers were destroyed while the Pentagon was attacked. Thus, it...

So, Dubya goes before the Israel Knesset for their 60th Anniversary and criticizes appeasement: "Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along," the President said to the country's legislative body, "We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: 'Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.' We have an obligation to call this what it is –- the false comfort of appeasement, which has...

The cynics among us will say that words don't mean much, that talk is cheap, and that the lofty rhetoric US President George W. Bush employed on our behalf in the Knesset Thursday will be forgotten tomorrow. Sometimes, when you're knee-deep in the day-to-day, when you're just struggling to get by, when you're facing forces that seem so much bigger than you, there is a need for someone from the outside - someone bigger and more powerful - to come by, pat you on the back, tell you that you are not alone, and remind you both of your inherent...

When President George Bush went to see Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah in January to plead for higher oil output, he was politely rebuffed. The rematch is likely to be a great deal more strained. If the Saudis deny help once again, they risk incalculable damage to their strategic alliance with Washington. The price of crude has rocketed by over $30 a barrel since that last fruitless meeting, briefly touching the once unthinkable level of $127. Goldman Sachs fears a "super-spike" to $200 a barrel this year. Asked what he would tell King Abdullah this time, Mr Bush said caustically: "the...

Foreign Policy: Barack Obama claims he's not an appeaser. But when President Bush attacked those who "seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists," why was the senator sure he was talking about him?"The lady doth protest too much, methinks" is the famous Hamlet quote referring to pleas of innocence that actually indicate guilt. Did Obama, the near-certain Democratic Party nominee for president, "protest too much" in complaining about Bush's speech to Israel's Knesset on Thursday? Addressing lawmakers in Jerusalem in a special session of the legislature commemorating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the state of Israel, the...

The Bush Administration named the polar bear to the “threatened species” list based on computer predictions of the anticipated loss of sea ice due to global warming Tuesday. “Computer models predict sea ice is likely to recede in the future,” said Department of Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne. “They [polar bears] are in my judgment likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future, in this case 45 years.” Kempthorne used a series of slides showing images of decrease polar sea ice while making his announcement. They are available here. The polar bear’s classification as “threatened” is a step below “endangered”—a classification...

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- In his first address to Israel's parliament Thursday, President Bush reiterated the United States' "unbreakable" alliance with the Jewish state and denounced calls to negotiate with "terrorists and radicals." In a speech before the Knesset, Bush compared calls to talk with unnamed terrorist groups as a "foolish delusion" that was suggested before World War II. "As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared, 'Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided,' " Bush said. "We have an obligation to call this what it is --...

US President George W. Bush's speech at the Knesset on Thursday "is tantamount to a declaration of war on the peoples of the region," MK Muhammad Barakei (Hadash) has said, according to an Army Radio report. "This is the worst speech ever made by a world leader and the most dangerous that can be heard," he said. "I call on all those who believe in peace to unite against the Israeli-American policy which harms the Palestinians and the peoples of the region."

WAHSINGTON, DC – Senator John Kerry made the following statement today, in response to President Bush’s partisan attacks from Israel’s Knesset. “President Bush is still playing the disgusting and dangerous political game Karl Rove perfected which is insulting to every American and disrespectful to our ally Israel. “George Bush should be making Israel secure, not slandering Barack Obama from the Knesset. If George Bush believes engagement with Iran is appeasement, the first thing he should do when he comes home is demand the resignation of his own Cabinet. Secretary Gates and Secretary Rice have both favored negotiations with Iran. “The...

Pelosi: Bush Comments 'beneath The Dignity Of The Office' May 15, 2008(The Politico) Democratic House leaders are calling out President Bush for a speech in Israel in which he seemed to suggest that Sen. Barack Obama wants the United States to "negotiate with terrorists." In his speech, Bush said: "Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along." The White House insists that Bush was "referring to a wide range of people, not any single person." But Obama's campaign says it appeared to be...

And Democrats are outraged!You can usually tell when President Bush hits the bullseye of truth. Democrats erupt into childish fits. They don’t like it when the President points out how little they have learned from the lessons of history and how dangerously misguided liberal policies are.When President Bush told the Israeli Knesset “Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along,” Obama and friends went into attack mode.Obama made a statement stressing the need for tough diplomacy (talk). Nancy Pelosi (whose visit to Syria...

OBAMA Bush Israeli Trying To Start Something Thu. May 15, 2008 "In a particularly sharp blast," Pres. Bush told the Israeli Knesset today that Barack Obama and other Dems are in favor of "appeasement" of terrorists in the same way U.S. leaders appeased Nazis (CNN.com, 5/15). Bush: "Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: 'Lord, if I could only have...

WASHINGTON — The Senate voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to approve a five-year, $307 billion farm bill, sending it to President Bush for what is expected to be his futile veto. The 81-to-15 Senate vote, like the 318-to-106 House vote on Wednesday, attracted broad bipartisan support and received far more than the two-thirds that would be needed to override Mr. Bush’s veto, should he keep his pledge to wield his pen. Mr. Bush has said he wants to sharply limit government subsidies to farmers at a time of near-record commodity prices and soaring global demand for grain. Most legislators were not...

U.S. President George W. Bush lashed out Thursday at those who would negotiate with "terrorists," calling the approach comparable to the "appeasement" of Adolf Hitler before the Second World War, comments that were perceived as a personal attack by Senator Barack Obama. "Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along," Bush said in a speech to Israel's parliament as part of the country's 60th anniversary celebrations. No names were mentioned, but it was widely seen as a criticism of Democratic presidential nomination front-runner...