Free Republic

By the looks of things at Guantanamo no one is shutting the place down. McDonald's this month has advertised a job opening at Gitmo: an assistant manager willing to relocate to the fast-food chain's only outlet on the communist island of Cuba, and one within sight of the razor-ribbon guarding the terror detainees' camp on the 45-square-mile U.S. naval base. In case you're wondering, McDonald's brings in frozen fries and burgers by barge from Jacksonville, Fla., in spite of the lingering U.S. trade embargo with Cuba, and feeds not only military and civilian government personnel stationed there but the 215...

The White House has a curse upon it. It is real. It is powerful. It will not go away until a particular act takes place. The curse came upon the White when President George W. Bush placed the Koran with great aplomb in the White House library.

Dozens of local area workers were left jobless yesterday as the doors closed on their workplace after more than nine years of frisky business. Devastated staff at the "I Hate Bush T-Shirt and Vendor Wear" factory wept as the moment they were dreading finally became a reality: the firm went into bankruptcy in result of sagging orders for their goods and slim prospects for a renewed demand in the future. "The management can say whatever they want, but I personally blame Bush," said Fred Fluger, a longtime employee, as he carried home a storage box filled with "I Hate Bush"...

The labor market improved slightly last month but offered little hope that the economy would soon emerge from its prolonged weakness. American employers added 39,000 jobs in August, roughly in line with the modest growth of recent months, the Labor Department reported yesterday, but the entire gain came from the hiring of new airport security guards and other government workers. Companies remain reluctant to hire until economic growth improves. The unemployment rate fell to 5.7 percent last month, from 5.9 percent in July, but economists at the Labor Department and on Wall Street called the decline almost meaningless. The rate,...

State media heralded President Barack Obama's maiden trip to China as a triumph, but ordinary Chinese were largely shielded by their government from his most critical remarks and activists were disappointed by the measured tone of those they did hear. One blogger even pined for the tough line taken by former President George W. Bush. "Like a star rushing from one show to another, Obama has come and gone, without stirring the slightest ripples," blogger Zhao Dezhu wrote in an online post. Zhao, who writes a popular blog and twitters under the name Hecaitou, said the visit made him miss...

So now Khalid Sheik Mohammed (KSM) and five self-confessed 9/11 co-conspirators are to be tried not as war criminals in a military tribunal but rather in civilian court just blocks from Ground Zero. A civilian format will allow challenges of evidence obtained under duress (ie. water-boarding), question the legality of KSM’s 2003 capture, and even negate confessions extracted without the full protections of the Constitution being first explained to the detainees. And thus do I have a horrible feeling that these trials will degenerate into a case against the Bush Administration as much as the terrorists themselves. As for demonstrating...

An energized George W. Bush laid out plans for his public policy institute – and appointed its first fellows -at SMU today. My colleagues Devin Dwyer and Evan Harris report on a man who didn’t seem to miss flying to the APEC Conference today: “I Went Against My Free-Market Instincts” That’s what former President Bush said today in explaining why he signed off on the bailout for Wall Street…calling the decision “one of the most difficult of his presidency.” The former President made the remarks at the unveiling of the George W. Bush Presidential Center at Southern Methodist University. “I...

It's not just a defensive game; cyber-security includes attack plans too, and the U.S. has already used some of them successfully. In May 2007, President Bush authorized the National Security Agency, based at Fort Meade, Md., to launch a sophisticated attack on an enemy thousands of miles away without firing a bullet or dropping a bomb. At the request of his national intelligence director, Bush ordered an NSA cyberattack on the cellular phones and computers that insurgents in Iraq were using to plan roadside bombings. The devices allowed the fighters to coordinate their strikes and, later, post videos of the...

Former President George W. Bush selects Miller Center’s Presidential Oral History Program to record presidency Scholars at the Miller Center of Public Affairs’ Presidential Oral History Program will soon begin to conduct audio interviews with members of former President George W. Bush’s administration, as well as foreign public officials. The 43rd president selected the Miller Center to document the official oral history of his two terms. As part of the project, University faculty and staff will conduct interviews with members of the former White House Cabinet, representatives of Congress, independent political advisers and foreign leaders — particularly those affected by...

It’s an old joke. The drunk says, “I miss my wife.” His friend asks, “Where did she go?” The drunk replies, “I traded her for a bottle of whiskey.” “You miss her, huh?” “Heck no, I’m thirsty again.” I’m thirsty again, for the sense of security that I felt when George W. Bush was president. After nine months of The One’s narcissism, excessive Congressional spending, and in the aftermath of the horrific Fort Hood massacre perpetrated by a crazed Islamic Jihadist, America’s Obama binge has worn off. Even some noteworthy liberals are wondering if we wouldn’t be better off today...

Unlike girlyman Kerry at Fenway, who stood in front of the mound and bounced it, George Bush threw a strike. This was at a time when Americans came together. It was a time before the Democrats began their retreat. It was a time before a naive man-child would again put this nation in jeopardy. Bush did so many things that made me very angry and disappointed in him, but he understood the nature of evil and that we were at war. THIS IS WHEN WE HAD A PRESIDENT WHO WAS NOT AFRAID TO USE THE WORDS WAR ON TERROR, TERRORISTS,...

Some critics say a civilian trial -- instead of a military tribunal -- for self-proclaimed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his accomplices could end up targeting the Bush administration and its anti-terror policies. The Obama administration, in deciding to try alleged Sept. 11 conspirators in a New York courtroom, has said it is setting its sights on convictions, but some critics say a civilian trial -- instead of a military tribunal -- could end up targeting the Bush administration and its anti-terror policies. One of those five defendants, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, has been at the center of the...

We've all been there: Dining in a restaurant or waiting in a checkout line, when a parent in close proximity to us says, "No," to a toddler, and all hell breaks loose. Time grinds to a halt as we watch with growing frustration while the parent gently attempts to cajole, bargain and reason with the out-of-control child to no avail. As we smugly tell ourselves that we would never tolerate such behavior from our own children, a large part of us — a very large part — wishes the parent would give the kid what he wants so he would...

Liberals refuse to admit Obama's policies look a lot like Bush's. During last year's Republican National Convention, South Carolina GOP leaders were regularly calling in to talk radio station WTMA to provide event coverage. On the day they were supposed to talk to me, I was informed that Republican Party officials did not wish to speak to Jack Hunter. A denouncer of big government and all its works, I never saw any reason to make special exceptions for Republicans, and for my anti-GOP sins I had become persona non grata. Today, everyone is denouncing big government. Since Obama's election, tea...

There is an obvious double standard when comparing the criticism George W Bush took to that of Obama is receiving on actions taken by both Presidents regarding specific issues....

Former President George W. Bush, outlining plans for a new public policy institute, on Thursday said America must fight the temptation to allow the federal government to take control of the private sector, declaring that too much government intervention will squelch economic recovery and expansion. (snip) In his speech, which set out his goals for a new policy institute focused on economic growth, education, human freedom and global health, Mr. Bush said he entered politics because "because I saw society drifting away from the values at the heart of the American Dream."

Here is video of former President George W. Bush today in a speech he gave at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, admitting that he went "against" his "free market instincts" when he decided to move forward with the Wall Street Bailouts in the Fall of 2008. But Bush warned: "History shows that the greater threat to prosperity is not too little government involvement, but too much."That's exactly right. He should have stuck to his principles and instincts. Obama is sticking to his principles and instincts in trying to ratchet up government involvement in everything to the greatest extent possible. Bush...

A new poll by AP-GfK has Obama’s approval rating at 54 percent. I reported a few weeks back on how the poll might be engineered to favor Obama. Today, I have some shocking news as to how the AP-GfK poll was framed when Bush was president. With regard to the new Obama poll, the question immediately preceding Obama’s approval question reads as follows: When you think about how things are going in your life in general, would you say you are very happy, somewhat happy, neither happy nor unhappy, somewhat unhappy, or very unhappy? The results from that question: “Total...

George Bush gave a great speech in Dallas today at Southern Methodist University in Texas. It's refreshing to hear Mr. Bush speak after all this time. Not to mention the quailty of speeches we've been hearing lately. There's a video clip in the post of Mr. Bush joking about being offered a job as a grocery bagger. The full speech is 23 minutes long. Click here to watch.

Democrat Bill Owens delivers his victory speech at his headquarters in Plattsburgh last week. Owens declared victory after Conservative nominee Doug Hoffman conceded the 23rd Congressional District race election night. Now recanvassing shows the special election has narrowed to a 3,000-vote difference, and will be decided by a count of absentee ballots. The Associated PressDemocrat Bill Owens delivers his victory speech at his headquarters in Plattsburgh last week. Owens declared victory after Conservative nominee Doug Hoffman conceded the 23rd Congressional District race election night. Now recanvassing shows the special election has narrowed to a 3,000-vote difference, and will be decided...

Many Americans proclaim that President Bush successfully protected America from terrorism after September 11, 2001. Even though terrorists did not attack U.S. soil again after 9/11, Bush’s policy allowed terrorists to infiltrate and harm America with a strategy that is leading to our cultural self-destruction. Bush’s, “war on terror” . . .

We know absolutely no one in Bush family circles and have never met former President George W. Bush or his wife Laura.

We know absolutely no one in Bush family circles and have never met former President George W. Bush or his wife Laura. If you have been reading us for any length of time, you know that we used to make fun of “Dubya” nearly every day…parroting the same comedic bits we heard in our Democrat circles, where Bush is still, to this day, lampooned as a chimp, a bumbling idiot, and a poor, clumsy public speaker. Oh, how we RAILED against Bush in 2000…and how we RAILED against the surge in support Bush received post-9/11 when he went to Ground...

Former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura secretly visited Fort Hood last night and spent "considerable time" consoling those who were wounded in Thursday's shooting spree, Fox News has learned. The Bushes entered and departed the sprawling military facility in secret, having told the base commander they did not want press coverage of their visit, a source told Fox News. The couple was described as "deeply concerned" about military families on Fort Hood after Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan allegedly opened fire on soldiers and civilians, killing 13 and wounding 38. The Bushes, who have a 1,600-acre property...

It is easy and attractive for those of us on the Right to put the blame for the Fort Hood massacre at the feet of the Obama administration, but it would be wrong. Just as George Bush was not responsible for 9/11, the planning for that began long before he was inaugurated and the failure of our intelligence services was a legacy of the previous administration. But it happened on his watch. How he led the nation in reacting to it is his legacy and his responsibility. Following 9/11 part of the federal government went into full war mode and...

Prior to my first live interaction with George W Bush, I thought of him as an amiable, laidback guy with little in the top storey and the typical Texan's broad brush approach to life with a disdain for detail. I had always rated Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, in that order, as the most cerebral US presidents in a long time and Bush came way down in that pecking order. With no intellectual pretensions and the hate legacy of Iraq, there was pretty little to like about Bush. Except that, from a purely selfish Indian perspective, no US president had...

On November 9, 2009, TV5, the international French TV channel, featured a panel of journalists on the theme of "Barack Obama, and a new vision of the United States in Africa". The Africa's correspondant of the French national newspaper Le Figaro gave a surprising comment : "despite what one can think of George W. Bush's policies, we have to admit that he helped Africa enormously. He had a real plan and vision for this continent. This is not the case anymore with Obama. Obama as no vision for Africa. His speeches are only words." Even the Sudanese journalist agreed :...

No photo ops, no grandstanding, no comments--just a quiet comforting visit from former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura to Fort Hood, Texas. After traveling to the base, which is about 30 miles from their ranch, the former first couple spent about two hours visiting the wounded before slipping away as unobtrusively as they arrived, specifically telling the base commander no press coverage according to Bill Sammon of Fox News. A fine example to set. Except President Obama decided to take a break from passing health care reform and holiday at Camp David. The worst terrorist attack on...

Former President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush made a private visit to Darnall Army Medical Center at Ft. Hood Friday evening. The former president and first lady visited with soldiers wounded in the incident on Thursday, as well as some of their family members.

Much is being said about President Obama's odd initial reaction to the shooting at Fort Hood. The president gave priority to giving a shout-out before commenting on the massacre. Perhaps he should have taken a cue from President Bush. Mr. Bush's statement after the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007 was dignified, presidential, and centered solely around the issue of the shooting a the school. Unfortunately, Mr. Obama's lack of empathy and self-centered nature ruled the day, as he felt the need to give thanks to federal employees and give an odd "shout out" before he even addressed the shooting itself....

Yesterday, 13 of our own troops were killed and 30 others were injured in Fort Hood, Texas at a secure U.S. Army base and the president is nowhere to be seen. This doesn't even surprise us, but for the people who still support Obama, you now further understand why we call you 'idiots.' Signs of Trinity church, Black Liberation Theology, Bill Ayers and Marxist professors? Hmmm.... After all, President Obama seemed to make it to Manhattan last month when Goldman Sachs, his number one Wall Street campaign contributor along with several other shadow banking firms attended an expensive DNC fundraiser...

Last night former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura made a secret visit to the devastated military families at Fort Hood. The Bushes instructed the commander of the mourning military base that they wanted no publicity. With their Secret Service detail, Bush and his wife made the 30 mile trip unannounced from their ranch near Crawford, Texas Friday evening. Fox News broke news of the visit this afternoon. Other sources said the former first couple spent about two hours meeting with the wounded, family and soldiers, talking quietly and at times hugging them as they did in private...

During the election campaign, Barack Obama's cool detachment was a winning quality, the "No Drama Obama" a welcome contrast with the "Mr Angry" John McCain, never mind the hot-headed "I'm the decider" President George W Bush. A year into his presidency, however, Mr Obama seems a curiously bloodless president. If he experiences passion, he seldom shows it. It is often anyone's guess as to whether an event or issue truly moves him. More serious perhaps was Mr Obama's strange disconnectedness over the Fort Hood massacre of 13 soldiers by an Army major and devout Muslim who opposed the wars in...

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....he said his administration was also confronted with a "financial crisis that threatened to plunge our economy into a Great Depression, the worst that we've seen in generations.""We had record deficits, two wars, frayed alliances around the world," Obama added.He said his administration had acted swiftly to save the economy from "imminent collapse." -(http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-43692420091104?sp=true) It seems the Manchild-in-Chief is...

Barack Obama's reaction to bad news is to play it so cool that Americans yearn for a bit more drama - and some even for his predecessor, writes Toby Harnden in Washington. During the election campaign, Barack Obama's cool detachment was a winning quality, the "No Drama Obama" a welcome contrast with the "Mr Angry" John McCain, never mind the hot-headed "I'm the decider" President George W Bush. A year into his presidency, however, Mr Obama seems a curiously bloodless president. If he experiences passion, he seldom shows it. It is often anyone's guess as to whether an event or...

Bush Visits The Families Of The Victims Of Ft. Hood; Obama Still In Washington, Busy Pushing For Socialist Health Care Priorities, priorities...

<p>FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) ― Former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, visited wounded soldiers and their families near the site of the worst mass shooting on an Army post in the United States.</p> <p>The Bushes made their private visit to Fort Hood's Darnall Army Medical Center on Friday night. Bush spokesman David Sherzer said in an e-mail that the couple thanked Fort Hood's military leaders and hospital staff for the "amazing care they are providing."</p>

An open letter to the local daily paper — almost every local daily paper in America: I remember reading All the President's Men and thinking: That's journalism. You do what it takes to get the truth and you lay it before the public, because the public has a right to know. This housing crisis didn't come out of nowhere. It was not a vague emanation of the evil Bush administration. It was a direct result of the political decision, back in the late 1990s, to loosen the rules of lending so that home loans would be more accessible to poor...

FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) ― Former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, visited wounded soldiers and their families near the site of the worst mass shooting on an Army post in the United States. The Bushes made their private visit to Fort Hood's Darnall Army Medical Center on Friday night. Bush spokesman David Sherzer said in an e-mail that the couple thanked Fort Hood's military leaders and hospital staff for the "amazing care they are providing."

Hours after the Fort Hood massacre, a grieving nation looked to the president for consolation and leadership. Instead, it got light banter and a "shout-out" before President Obama read a perfunctory statement. The president has always had a reputation for coolness, but in this case, he was utterly detached. He can't blame the scriptwriter for his astonishing lack of empathy.

WASHINGTON -- The Palestinians had hoped they would see a new day coming after the Bush administration’s eight-year capitulation to all that Israel wanted. But they were wrong. The Obama administration is moving down the same Bush road -- perhaps a little slower -- but nonetheless still enabling the Israelis to continue to violate international law and the U.N. Charter by annexing occupied Arab land. First, the new administration made it clear that U.S. policy opposed new Jewish settlements on the West Bank. This declaration was met with a thumping rejection from the Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu. Then,...

The man can't even attend a baseball game without a bunch of kooks calling for his arrest...

Former president George W Bush thought that the United States could turn Kabul into Peoria, the archetypal American city in the state of Illinois. President Barack Obama thinks that Kabul is just as good as Peoria. America has shed idealist delusion - that imposing the outward form of democracy in Iraq or Afghanistan would implant its content - in favor of an even stranger delusion, which refuses "to elevate one nation or group of people over another", as Obama told the United Nations on September 23. It was mad to believe that America could remake the world in its own...

< The Best American President India's Ever Had Ashok Malik, That's George W. Bush. On Oct. 30 and 31, George W. Bush visited New Delhi and Bombay for meetings with India's political, strategic and business establishment. In the Indian capital, he addressed an audience of federal government officials, parliamentarians, business executives and foreign policy wonks that comprised the most receptive gathering the former American president had encountered in a long, long time. As Bush left the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit--a high-profile conference organized by a leading Indian newspaper--the ambassador of a major country, a NATO ally, could be seen shaking...

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.

A "debate" between former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush has been nixed because the promoter overhyped it as a death-match faceoff between the men, The Post has learned. Clinton spokesman Matt McKenna said the appearance was never slated to be a "debate" and was actually a moderated panel discussion with the 42nd and 43rd leaders of the free world. "This event ... was supposed to be a discussion between the two former presidents, and has been cancelled because it was not being billed as such by an overeager promoter," McKenna said.

There are 29 of 'em. And they can be handily compared with the Newsweek Obama covers (here: http://trackacrat.com/2009/10/09/5007/), which number 30, both in terms of frequency and tone of coverage. I can safely report that the findings conform to the pattern established earlier: namely, that President Bush was consistently treated like a leper, while President Obama receives the all-star treatment. Some choice Newsweek Bush covers include the wonderfully objective titles of, “Bush’s $87 Billion Mess“, “The Price of Denial“, “How Much Power Should They Have?“, “Will Bush Listen?” and the awesomely condescending “Father Knows Best.” Follow the jump for links...

In the video, the Marines exhibit obvious love and respect for President Bush. His visit was not an event that followed closely on the heels of 9/11. This video was taken after the worst days of the war and after the surge created major progress in the region. The president is visiting the troops in Anbar Province, the home of the infamous Falluja and Ar Ramadi killing grounds. This visit took place after the province had been pacified. In other words, the Marines showed their love of Mr. Bush even after the darkest days of the war. The Lejune video,...

CNN) - Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton are set to appear at Radio City Music Hall in February, though if history is any guide the match up is likely to produce few fireworks. The famous New York City venue announced Wednesday the two former presidents will share the same stage February 25, nine months after the ex-presidents shared a similar stage in Toronto, Canada. What Radio City is calling "the hottest political ticket in history" carries a price range $60 to $1,250. Though $1,250 may seem on steep side for the 90 minute event, a VIP ticket...