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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."

Will President Bush ever get the respect President Reagan once received? America knelt in sorrow on June 5, 2004, when Reagan passed away after a decade-long fight against Alzheimer’s disease. The 40th President—the man who revived America’s economy and exorcised the demonic spirit of Soviet communism—was praised throughout the country as a political genius who changed America for the better and a proud leader who rescued the country from cultural and psychological decline. America had a love affair with Reagan, and his passing brought that affair to a cruel end. It is difficult to envision Bush receiving similar praise when...

After U.S. gasoline prices surged to a record high this week, President Bush strode into the Rose Garden to unveil his plans for coping with skyrocketing energy costs: drill for oil in Alaska, add U.S. refineries and build more nuclear plants. Even the White House conceded that the ideas did not have a chance. Democrats howled, Republicans shrugged and Washington moved on. Ignoring the conventions of a lame-duck presidency, Bush is forging ahead with proposals that appear to have little chance of passage during his last nine months, relying on sharp rhetoric and strong-arm tactics in an attempt to influence...

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Welcome to the White House. And I am honored to join you for the National Day of Prayer. I'm sorry Laura is not here -- she's out selling her book. (Laughter.) Shirley, thank you very much for being the Chairman of the National Day of Prayer. Glad you brought old Jim with you. (Laughter.) Dr. Zacharias, thank you for being the Honorary Chairman. I appreciate the members of my Cabinet who are here today, thank you all for coming. It's good to see members of the United States Senate and the House of Representatives. Appreciate you...

Current Events Glad Bush Is Still AroundPaul Johnson 05.05.08, 12:00 AM ET I don't regard George W. Bush as a lame-duck president. Between now and next January all sorts of challenging and unexpected events may take place. We can rely on President Bush to react promptly and decisively to them.We saw this on Sept. 11. The President was as surprised as everyone else, as we grasped from the dramatic photograph of him taken as he was given the dreadful news at an elementary school. But he buckled down quickly to this unprecedented attack on America, determined that such a treacherous...

A pal sent this my way: a fascinating piece on George Bush and Catholicism from the Religion News Service, reprinted in tomorrow's edition of the Washington Post: Shortly after Pope Benedict XVI's election in 2005, President Bush met with a small circle of advisers in the Oval Office. As some mentioned their own religious backgrounds, the president remarked that he had read one of the new pontiff's books about faith and culture in Western Europe. Save for one other soul, Bush was the only non-Catholic in the room. But his interest in the pope's writings was no surprise to those...

President Bush often argues that history will vindicate him. So he can't be pleased with an informal survey of 109 professional historians conducted by the History News Network. It found that 98 percent of them believe that Bush's presidency has been a failure, while only about 2 percent see it as a success. Not only that, more than 61 percent of the historians say the current presidency is the worst in American history. In 2004, only 11.6 percent of the historians rated Bush's presidency in last place. Among the reasons given for his low ratings: invading Iraq, "tax breaks for...

WASHINGTON - President Bush's refusal to let two confidants provide information to Congress about fired federal prosecutors represents the most expansive view of executive privilege since Watergate, the House Judiciary Committee told a federal judge Thursday. Lawyers for the Democratic-led panel argued in court documents that Bush's chief of staff, Josh Bolten, and former White House counsel Harriet Miers are not protected from subpoenas last year that sought information about the dismissals. The legal filing came in lawsuit that pits the legislative branch against the executive in a fight over a president's powers. The committee is seeking the testimony as...

On April 16, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI will mark his 81st birthday with, among other things, a visit to the White House — only the second such visit by a pope in American history. There, he will sit down with President George W. Bush, who will have welcomed him the day before at Andrews Air Force Base. The New York Times and National Public Radio can be expected to run analyses focusing on how this president and this Pope disagree on the war in Iraq, just as they did in every story they ran on President Bush and the late...

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - President Bush won NATO's endorsement Thursday for his plan to build a missile defense system in Europe over Russian objections. The proposal also advanced with Czech officials announcing an agreement to install a missile tracking site for the system in their country. NATO leaders were adopting a communique stating that "ballistic missile proliferation poses an increasing threat to allied forces, territory and populations." It also will recognize "the substantial contribution to the protection of allies ... to be provided by the U.S.-led system," according to senior American officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of...

Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island PHOTO(s) OF THE DAY President George W. Bush shakes hands with troops following his event in Freehold, New Jersey Friday, March 28, 2008, at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. Mrs. Laura Bush and members of her Midland High School class of 1964 welcome President George W. Bush back to the White House Friday afternoon, March 28, 2008, following his trip to Freehold, N.J. ((A sure sign of good, down home, decent folks .... NOT the nasty portrayals made of them by some in the press and our enemies from within.. they're...

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is proposing a sweeping overhaul of the way the U.S. financial industry is regulated. In an effort to deal with the problems highlighted by the current severe credit crisis, the new plan would give major new powers to the Federal Reserve,SNIP The plan would shut down the Office of Thrift Supervision, which supervises thrift institutions, and transfer its functions to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which regulates banks. The plan would eliminate the distinction between banks and thrift institutions. The Fed would become the government's "market stability regulator," given sweeping powers to...

President Bush showed the world that it isn't words, but actions, that truly make a difference. Millions throughout Africa would agree. Mr. Bush recently completed a historic visit to the African continent; a trip he described as "the most exciting, exhilarating, uplifting trip" of his presidency. During his visit, we saw pictures of the president dancing, celebrating and attending ceremonies with heads of state. But the real story is not about just this one trip; it is about the commitment the president made to Africa and what the United States has been quietly accomplishing throughout the continent over the past...

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush said Friday that the flare up in violence in oil-rich southern Iraq and parts of Baghdad presents "a defining moment in the history of Iraq" as the government there seeks to rout out Shiite militias. "It's going to take awhile, but it's a necessary part of the development of a free society," Bush said at a White House news conference with visiting Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. At the same time, the president said the situation in Iraq remains "dangerous and fragile." His comments followed U.S. airstrikes in both the southern city of Basra and...

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryMarch 22, 2008 President's Radio Address   President's Radio Address  Audio  En Español       Easter 2008THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This weekend, families across America are coming together to celebrate Easter. This is the most important holiday in the Christian faith. And during this special and holy time each year, millions of Americans pause to remember a sacrifice that transcended the grave and redeemed the world. Easter is a holiday that beckons us homeward. This weekend is an occasion to reflect on the things that matter most in life: the love of family, the laughter of friends,...

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Deputy Secretary England, thanks for the introduction. One boss may not be here, but the other one is. (Laughter.) I appreciate your kind words. I'm pleased to be back here with the men and women of the Defense Department. On this day in 2003, the United States began Operation Iraqi Freedom. As the campaign unfolded, tens and thousands of our troops poured across the Iraqi border to liberate the Iraqi people and remove a regime that threatened free nations. Five years into this battle, there is an understandable debate over whether the war was worth...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush will acknowledge on Wednesday the Iraq war has been fought at a high cost but will insist a U.S. troop buildup has opened the door to a "major strategic victory" against Islamic militants. "The successes we are seeing in Iraq are undeniable," Bush will say in an upbeat assessment of the U.S.-led campaign in a speech marking the fifth anniversary of the war, according to excerpts released on Tuesday. With less than 11 months left in office and his approval ratings near the lows of his presidency, Bush is trying to shore up...

Bush brings down the house at Gridiron Club By: Andrew Glass March 9, 2008 01:45 PM EST President Bush brought the 123rd annual spring dinner of the Gridiron Club to a rousing close Saturday by donning a tan cowboy hat above his white-tie and tails singing, onstage, a self-parody of a Texas-flavored country-and-western song. “You have just witnessed the first and final performance of Bush and the Busharoos,” the president said, after rendering a final encore of the “Brown, Brown Grass of Home,” the venerable waltz tune, in a voice that did minimal musical justice to Tom Jones’ popular version....

This morning, President Bush attended the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference 2008 at the Washington Convention Center where he gave a speech and toured the exhibits. TRANSCRIPT OF SPEECH U.S. President George W. Bush welcomed Republican Party Presidential nominee John McCain and his wife Cindy to the White House. The President and Senator McCain met reporters in the Rose Garden and President B ush formally ENDORSED SEN. MCCAIN FOR PRESIDENT. The President gave McCain the red-carpet treatment at the White House. He welcomed him at an entrance normally reserved for heads of state and treated him to a West Wing...

ABC News' John Berman and Jennifer Duck Report: Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., who clinched the Republican nomination with clean sweep of wins in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont on Tuesday, will visit the White House on Wednesday. There, according to sources close to the McCain, the Republican Senator will receive the endorsement of President George W. Bush. -snip-

President Bush attacked a key foreign policy stance of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), contending heatedly at a news conference Thursday morning that talking to dictators without preconditions can be dangerous and counterproductive.

The President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, helped President Bush break it down before his return home to the U.S.

W. Bush is the most powerful and controversial man in the world. His every move is watched and critiqued and his every word is avidly transcribed, broadcast, analyzed, mocked and once in a long while even praised. He lives in what could reasonably be considered one of the most all-encompassing media bubbles in the world. But George W. Bush has found a way to get away from it all. He went to Africa.

Senator John McCain’s campaign advisers will ask the White House to deploy President Bush for major Republican fund-raising, but they do not want the president to appear too often at his side, top aides to Mr. McCain said Sunday. After a weekend of strategy meetings at Mr. McCain’s Arizona ranch — in a sense, the first Sedona summit of the Republican Party’s new leadership — the advisers said that much remains undecided about coordinating the campaign with the White House and the party apparatus until Mr. McCain wins enough delegates to be the official nominee. But even as the consensus...

George W. Bush may go down in history as the most successful president the media has ever destroyed. Virtually everything that he has sought to accomplish, with perhaps the exception of immigration reform, has gone his way, whether its the No Child Left Behind Act, Prescription Benefits for the Elderly, Tax Cuts, or the conduct of the war in Iraq. What's remarkable is that his successes continue despite the Democrats controlling both the House and the Senate. The most recent passage of a measure by the Senate to give President Bush exactly what he has wanted in terms of domestic...

Now, What If…? Now, what if our ideals destroy our sense of reality and lead us down the wrong path? What if Bush is really a great president? By Mogens Rukow What if Bush…? What if Islam…? Think, what if the intelligentsia…? What if multicultural…? Think, what if Arafat…? What if my a.. was…? What if you could go on forever? Now, what if there existed the equivalent of contrafactual history writing? What if there were the equivalent of hypothesizing what the world would be like out if history hadn’t turned out the way it did? What if Hitler had...

<p>NPR.org, January 28, 2008 · The following is the full text of President George W. Bush's final State of the Union address on January 28, 2008, as prepared for delivery and provided by the White House.</p> <p>Seven years have passed since I first stood before you at this rostrum. In that time, our country has been tested in ways none of us could have imagined. We have faced hard decisions about peace and war, rising competition in the world economy, and the health and welfare of our citizens. These issues call for vigorous debate, and I think it's fair to say we've answered that call. Yet history will record that amid our differences, we acted with purpose. And together, we showed the world the power and resilience of American self-government.</p>

WASHINGTON - On Monday evening, President Bush will stand before a joint session of Congress and give a speech about the state of the Union – and perhaps about the state of his place in history, as well. This doesn't mean that Mr. Bush's final State of the Union address will be a nostalgia-fest of retrospection. Bush, like his father before him, famously is averse to dwelling on the past. But he's unlikely to unveil bold new initiatives, say experts, given his low approval ratings and the lack of time left in his term. At best Bush might push items...

“The actions of the 110th Congress will affect the security and prosperity of our Nation long after this session has ended.  In this election year, let us show our fellow Americans that we recognize our responsibilities and are determined to meet them.  And let us show them that Republicans and Democrats can compete for votes and cooperate for results at the same time.”On trusting and empowering the American people:“From expanding opportunity to protecting our country, we have made good progress.  Yet we have unfinished business before us, and the American people expect us to get it done.  In the work ahead,...

WASHINGTON - President Bush, in his last State of the Union message Monday night, will call anew for patience on Iraq, propose a $300 million initiative for children trapped in struggling inner-city schools and suggest termination of scores of federal programs. Previewing some highlights of Bush's primetime speech to Congress, a high-ranking White House official also said the president will announce plans to have the United States host the next hemispheric summit in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans. The administration earlier Monday said that Bush was to use his nationally broadcast address to attack the so-called "earmarks," special projects lawmakers often insert...

Monday night President Bush will make his eighth and final State of the Union address. The president is expected to say little about the past seven years when he addresses both houses of Congress. Instead he will focus on the present and the future. One of the items he's expected to mention is the stimulus package, the proposal to provide tax rebates to 117 million families. The president and House leaders - Democrats and Republicans - have already agreed to the plan. But the Senate wants its own input and that could bog down the bill. Henry Paulson, Treasury...

As President Bush prepares to deliver his last State of the Union address tomorrow night, a legion of pundits, politicians and, yes, historians is already assigning the 43rd president his final place in history. These commentators, and especially those who confidently assert that Bush is the "worst president in history," would do well to remember the British historian C.V. Wedgwood's observation: "History is written backward but lived forward. --snip-- Three reasons help explain why it's folly to rate a sitting president. First, history isn't written by a single person or school of academic thought

What should President George W. Bush, currently visiting the Middle East, expect to achieve during his last year in office, even as the American people choose his successor? The answer could not possibly be objectively clearer, yet subjectively more obscure. The gap between the real Middle East versus how it is perceived by all too many people in Washington and in the academic-journalistic elite is far too wide. Three quick examples are useful to underline this point: First, the Annapolis summit was hailed throughout America and the West as a big success. In the region, however, less than one-fifth of...

A Day in the Life of President Bush (with photos): 1-05-08 Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island PHOTO OF THE DAY ... from snugs' retrospective earlier this week, a photo I particularly like. QUOTE(s) OF THE DAY January 5, 2008: President's Radio Address ~~ Fact sheet .. In Focus: Middle East (excerpt)THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. On Tuesday, I will board Air Force One and depart for a trip to the Middle East. This is a region of great strategic importance to the United States, and I'm looking forward to my visit. My first stops will be in the Holy...

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryJanuary 5, 2008 President's Radio Address   President's Radio Address  Audio  En Español       In Focus: Middle EastTHE PRESIDENT: Good morning. On Tuesday, I will board Air Force One and depart for a trip to the Middle East. This is a region of great strategic importance to the United States, and I'm looking forward to my visit. My first stops will be in the Holy Land, where I'll meet with Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and Palestinian President Abbas. I will encourage both leaders to move forward with the peace negotiations they began last November in Annapolis....

The following photos may not necessarily be the best photos or the most important but they are chosen because they appeal to me and hopefully to you as well. It maybe because of the content, the expression on the face(s) or just an unusual photo. As there are so many photos I have split this thread into 2 the first one was January - June and this one, the second one July - December 2007 As with the normal Day in the Life Thread I would request that photos are not posted until the all clear so that we have...

Our Worst President Ever? By Victor Davis Hanson From the November/December 2007 Issue The American That’s what some on both left and right are saying about George W. Bush. Don’t count him out yet, VICTOR DAVIS HANSON advises. Bush Geopolitics By October, 15 months before his presidency would end, George Bush’s approval ratings still hovered around 30 percent. His administration will go down, say historians such as Columbia’s Eric Foner and Princeton’s Sean Wilentz, as a disaster. As Wilentz put it, “Many his­torians are now wondering whether Bush, in fact, will be remembered as the very worst president in all...

When Operation Desert Storm ended with a crushing defeat of Iraqi forces in early 1991, many pundits opined that U.S. President George Herbert Walker Bush was assured of re-election. Military success had made the president so popular that it was hard to see what could derail his re-election bid. But Bush's popularity declined rapidly after Desert Storm, and in 1992 he lost the White House to Bill Clinton in an election that had little to do with national security. Today, the former president's son, current U.S. President George W. Bush, seems to be on the opposite political trajectory, at least...

Against all odds, and despite the usual drumbeat of criticism, President George W. Bush has had a very good year. The troop surge in Iraq is succeeding. America remains safe from terrorist attacks. And the Goldilocks economy is outperforming all expectations. At his year-end news conference, President Bush stated with optimism that the economy is fundamentally sound, despite the housing downturn and the sub-prime credit crunch. The very next day, that optimism was reinforced with news of the best consumer spending in two years. The prophets of recessionary doom, such as former Fed chair Alan Greenspan, Republican advisor Martin Feldstein,...

As Americans prepare for the holidays with their families and loved ones, we have many challenges to face but also many reasons to be thankful. We are thankful we live in a nation that is still a land of freedom, hope and opportunity. And we can be thankful that President Bush has kept us safe. Too often our politicians in Washington and on the campaign trail seem to have forgotten this simple fact. It was disheartening when Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) questioned the sworn testimony of General David Petraeus, the troop commander of our forces in Iraq, when he reported...

BUSH: Good morning. I hope you all enjoyed the holiday reception at the White House as much as Laura and I enjoyed it. We took an inventory of the silverware, and this year, only a few pieces were missing. So, like, if you see Gregory, tell him to bring them back. (LAUGHTER) I've decided to come in and visit with you because you're heading off for the holidays and so are we. And we wish you a happy holidays. The -- I think recent days have been a moment that the country can be proud of. In the past few...

WASHINGTON — Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, has called President Bush a loser and a liar and has referred to him derisively as King George. Mr. Reid has also apologized — but only, he likes to point out, for the “loser” line. Mostly, Mr. Reid, Democrat of Nevada, calls the president “this guy,” as in an interview last week, when he said, “I am mystified, dumbfounded about how difficult it is to work with this guy.” In private conversations about Mr. Bush with friends and Senate colleagues, Mr. Reid has even used the word “hate,” though he clarifies that...

Enough bad news coming from enough industries now that it's reasonable to think we're already in a recession (Economists can't pinpoint recessions without the benefit of hindsight, and most usually start while economists are still predicting that we won't have one). Of course, whether we are technically in a recession or not is irrelevant--it's the trend that matters. And the trend is still getting worse. We continue to believe that the growing weakness will eventually hit online advertising, hurting AOL, Yahoo, Google, and others. Last 24 hours: FedEx cuts outlook, blames higher prices and economic weakness. Starbucks has weak quarter,...

  Gordon Brown: I love the USA   By DAVID WOODING Whitehall Editor Published: Today GORDON Brown yesterday quashed fears he wants to break Britain’s links with America — and vowed to make them even stronger. The Prime Minister moved to dispel unease over a minister’s claim that the two nations would no longer be “joined at the hip”.   Malloch-Brown ... isolated He hailed the US as “our most important ally over the years, a country that we share values with”. And Mr Brown added: “The strength of our relationship with America is incredibly important to the future...

This article appears in the "Geopolitics" section of the recent issue of The American. By October, 15 months before his presidency would end, George Bush’s approval ratings still hovered around 30 percent. His administration will go down, say historians such as Columbia’s Eric Foner and Princeton’s Sean Wilentz, as a disaster. As Wilentz put it, “Many historians are now wondering whether Bush, in fact, will be remembered as the very worst president in all of American history.” A new genre in American popular culture has arisen comparing Bush to Hitler — on the Internet, and in fiction, stand-up comedy, and...

The dying months of the disastrous Bush presidency are beginning to resemble the twilight of the Clinton administration. Both presidents have had to plaintively proclaim they were still "relevant" even as their epitaphs were being written. Both presidents belatedly looked for a solution to the perennial Israeli-Palestinian problem to put a feather in their foreign-policy caps. On that score, President Clinton struck out big time and petulantly put all the blame on the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Clinton supported a plan by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak for Palestinian enclaves to be surrounded by Israeli checkpoints, making a...

Despite recent financial turmoil and a dismal housing market, there are key reasons why the economy will continue to expand, albeit at a modest pace, and not go into recession. Businesses are well poised to absorb a period of weaker product demand and are unlikely to significantly alter their hiring and investment behavior. Consumer spending is supported by rising incomes. Exports are strong. And monetary policy is consistent with sustained growth... Strong U.S. exports and less reliance on imports, reflecting healthy economies overseas and the weaker U.S. dollar, are boosting production and job creation here. During the housing boom years...

WASHINGTON — President Bush told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi yesterday that he is going ahead with his promised veto of a major expansion of a children’s health program despite its overwhelming approval by Congress. Pelosi, D-Calif., said she told Bush in a morning phone call that she was praying that he would change his mind. “I think I have to pray a little harder,” she told reporters moments later, at a Capitol ceremony where Democrats celebrated passage of the proposed $35 billion increase in the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. “He said he liked people who don’t give up,” Pelosi...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2007 – Nations of the world must unite against terrorism, which denies fundamental rights, President Bush told the United Nations General Assembly today. Terrorists are a threat to all civilized people, Bush said at the opening of the assembly’s 62nd session. “All civilized nations must work together to stop them by sharing intelligence about their networks and choking off their finances and bringing to justice their operatives,” he said. “In the long run, the best way to defeat extremists is to defeat their dark ideology with a more hopeful vision, a vision of liberty that founded...

George W. Bush ran for the White House as a compassionate conservative. Now he is portraying himself as a conservative of a different stripe — the fiscal kind.... "I don't know what kind of epiphany he had," said Representative Jeff Flake, Republican of Arizona, who fought on Capitol Hill to rein in the federal budget, to little avail. "I'm just glad he had it." It is a conversion, whether driven by newfound principle or changing circumstances, that has undeniable political benefits for a president struggling to reassert his authority when his standing even within his own party is under attack....