George W Bush // Current TV

Jeremy Scahill on Bill Moyer's: Martial Law in the USA

This is an astounding interview. I almost don't beleive my ears, except I know... more

asherp
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Bushism Audio Gallery - Peaceful Coexistence

"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."... more

dankitti
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3 years ago
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The secretive White house meeting talks between Obama and Bush (according to 23/6)

I always wanted to know what was said during the meeting between Obama and Bush on... more

currentlyreading
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3 years ago
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Congress Must Act Before January 20th Or There May Be No Accountability Ever

[visit the link to take action] Congress Must Act Before January 20th Or There May... more

asherp
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Bush: How will History view his presidency?

"With record low approval ratings and intense criticism for his handling of the Iraq war, Hurricane Katrina and the economy, the word most used to label George W. Bush's presidency will be "incompetent," historians say.

"Right now there is not a lot of good will among historians. Most see him as a combination of many negative factors," said Julian Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School.

"He is seen as incompetent in terms of how he handled domestic and foreign policy. He is seen as pushing for an agenda to the right of the nation and doing so through executive power that ignored the popular will," he added.

But like so many presidents before him, Bush's reputation could change with time.

Harvard University political history scholar Barbara Kellerman said when President-elect Barack Obama takes over in January, people may view Bush in a new light. Video Watch Bush address staff about transition of power »

"I think it's possible when people have stopped being as angry at the Bush administration as they are now ... that they will realize that some of this is just ... the luck of the draw."

Kellerman, author of the book "Bad Leadership: What It Is, How It Happens, Why It Matters," noted that Bush has not had luck on his side for the past eight years.

"He [Bush] has been a quite unlucky president. Certain things happened on his watch that most people don't have to deal with -- a 9/11, a [Hurricane] Katrina, the financial crisis, being three obvious examples," she said.

"And yet they happened on his watch. He is being blamed," she said.

And that fact -- coupled with approval ratings around 27 percent, according to CNN's poll released October 21 -- is in large part why Obama and Democrats won big on November 4.

Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian and professor at Rice University, said the country is dealing with a "lame duck president" who will most likely face an uphill battle in getting anything passed through Congress before he leaves office.

"We're dealing with an economic meltdown ... We're dealing with two wars. So everything Obama does now is going to be seen as he is the de facto president," Brinkley said Thursday.

Historians, beginning to examine Bush's legacy, note that the 43rd president could end up with a better reputation down the road.""With record low approval ratings and intense criticism for his handling of the... more

DeliaTheArtist
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3 years ago
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White House dog Barney bites Reuters reporter

Reuters television White House correspondent Jon Decker reports that President... more

dissimulator
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W.'s last night in office

Just like any other night....

dgreene
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Judge orders White House to prove wire-tapping program was legal

A judge has ordered the Justice Department to produce White House memos that provide... more

thedismembermentplan
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3 years ago
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The Revolution WILL Be Televised.

Dancefloor hooligans Coldcut join forces with America's leading audio-visual... more

ThomasGreen
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Election boost for Israel's would-be prime minister, Tzipi Livni.

Tzipi Livni's centrist Kadima party has the upper hand on Netanyahu's right... more

urlspotter
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The Freezing of US-Bolivian Relations

Before the world financial crisis enveloped the world's news media and when news from Latin American actually made it across the Atlantic, there was the episode of diplomatic tit-for-tat tussling that involved the expulsion of US ambassadors from Bolivia, Venezuela and Honduras. Media outlets jumping naturally at the chance to picture yet another fiery anti-imperialist outburst by demagogue Hugo Chávez.

That the flurry of departing ambassadors had its origin in Bolivia is now long forgotten. With the US having retaliated by expelling Bolivia’s ambassador to Washington I would have that would have been that…just let the simmering US-Bolivian hostilities be. Let's just wait until a new US administration can come into the White House and proclaim their ‘good neighbourliness’ towards the region it sort out the mess – but that’s a topic to be discussed in another post further down the line.

But no... George Bush has taken it upon himself to ensure that Bolivia realizes the errors of their ways. Since 1991, Bolivia has benefited from the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPDEA) that allowed certain Bolivian exporters favourable access to the US market. This in exchange for Bolivian cooperation in tackling illegal coca production. Overriding Congress and their decision two weeks ago to extend the agreement, Bush has chosen in a single stroke threaten the livelihood of thousands of Bolivians, by suspending the agreement. A possible 20,000 Bolivians may lose their jobs as companies face closure without access to the lucrative US market.

Here is a video the Bolivian-based NGO, The Democracy Center posted showing the plight of a number of workers face in light of this decision by the Bush administration.

As much as I can sympathise with those who point to Morales' lack of diplomatic finesse in throwing out the US ambassador, I find it hard to agree that this justifies the decision by Bush to, in a single stroke, threaten the livelihood of thousands of Bolivians, especially in the midst of world financial crisis where it will be the Bolivias of the world that will face the direst of consequences. Besides, won't this only legitimise his anti-American stance and worsen legitimate US attempts to tackle coca production? Before the world financial crisis enveloped the world's news media and when news... more

Thomas_21
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3 years ago
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'W.'is an entertaining glimpse at Bush

The short and snappy title W. reflects the style and focus of this entertaining but superficial biopic. Don't "misunderestimate" us, to paraphrase President Bush: The performances are good (some scarily realistic), and the movie is enjoyable to watch. But as a probing analysis of the 43rd president, it falls short.

Though the comic moments are broadly funny, sometimes bordering on campy, the focus on George W. Bush's evolution into a politician leaves questions unanswered. Perhaps director Oliver Stone didn't intend W. to be a serious biopic. But enough moments of melodrama are juxtaposed with the comedy to make you wonder what tone he did want to strike.

It's not enough to go for the easy laugh by highlighting Bush's mangled syntax and malapropisms. Neither is it sufficient to rely on facile pop psychology to explain his motivations and actions.

One is left wondering how much armchair analysis was derived from research and how much was based on the suppositions and speculation of Stone and screenwriter Stanley Weiser. This is not to say it's not good fun, but how close does it come to accuracy?

W. could have benefited from the perspective that comes with time. It might have been a better film had it come out later, when shading and context could have been added. To assess his true character requires knowledge of Bush's final few months in office and how his decisions spill over onto the next presidency.

Stone paints him as the family's black sheep and tries to inspire empathy, or at least understanding, for the man. The younger Bush is portrayed as hellbent on gaining the approval and love of his father, former president George H.W. Bush.

It's entertaining to identify the recognizable Bush administration movers, shakers and advisers and see how accurately they are portrayed, in speech and demeanor. Josh Brolin gives a strong and credible impersonation of George W. and brings the man to life. He nails the vocal cadence and absorbs his look and mannerisms. Richard Dreyfuss does a great Dick Cheney.

Though the reasonably well-informed will not learn anything terribly new about Bush (Fahrenheit 911 covered much of the same ground), unusual anecdotes and factoids capture our attention. The film posits that Cats is W.'s favorite play. That revelation — alluded to while George worries about world affairs with Laura — doesn't provide any great insight into the man, but it is puzzling and oddly intriguing. The movie as a whole has a similar effect. Although clearly not the definitive biography of Bush, W. is absorbing and amusing to ruminate over.The short and snappy title W. reflects the style and focus of this entertaining but... more

TravG73
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Bush Addresses the MVA Awards

The credit crunch claims its next victim, music video directors.

jonbrooks
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zeitgeist movie, part II - addendum

posted online today october 3rd... more

lfm
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Bush shuts Barr out

Tom Bevan at Real Clear Politics notes that Bob Barr apparently requested that... more

unitedliberty
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3 years ago
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Bush defends US debt rescue plan

US President George W Bush has defended a rescue package organised to bail out wall... more

rwylie
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Crisis reveals Bush's shifting ideology

President Bush's decision to shore up the financial markets with massive... more

starr111
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Vermont Candidate to prosecute Bush if elected

BURLINGTON, Vt. - Lots of political candidates make campaign promises. But not like... more

asherp
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Palin, McCain add up to a continuation of Bush policies

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has awesome self-confidence. Chosen by fellow Republicans to be Sen. John McCain's running mate, she told an interviewer: "I'm ready."That confidence reflects her naivete about her role that puts her one heartbeat away from the presidency.

In accepting the nomination as veep, she invoked the greatness of President Truman, based on their small-town origins. But anyone who was around during Truman's era knows there is a world of difference between Palin and Truman. Take, for example, humility.

Truman was vice president for only a short time when on April 12, 1945, he was summoned to the White House and told the stunning news that President Franklin Roosevelt was dead. Truman and FDR were not close and Truman was not deeply familiar with the U.S. military plans for World War II. He also did not know about the atomic bomb.

As the nation's new leader, Truman wanted a few days to move into the White House. He understood the magnitude of his new job. The morning after being sworn in Truman emerged from his Washington apartment to go to work on his first day as president. He took one look at the three wire service reporters who standing in front of his building.

"Boys," he said to the familiar faces, "the moon and the stars fell on me. If you ever prayed before, pray for me."

So when Palin says she is "ready," one thinks of the two U.S. wars under way in Iraq and Afghanistan -- and the devastating market crash on Wall Street.

There is no question that Palin has given a big lift to McCain and helped boost his ratings so that he's now virtually tied with Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee. As a team McCain and Palin are on the same page. Both are pro-guns, and anti-abortion. She is literally a rifle-toting mama, against sex education, and has attempted to ban books she considers immoral from her hometown library.

But Palin's evangelical rigidity on social issues puts her out of step with the modern woman. She is said to be more reactionary than McCain -- if that's possible. Is it any wonder that the activist feminist organizations have come out in support of Obama?

The new Republican ticket seems like the current White House tenant. Neither McCain nor Palin appear to have any significant doubts about President Bush's disastrous policies. Palin's gubernatorial tenure in Alaska is personified by massive firings when she took office. She does not tolerate dissent and shuns the press.

It seems clear to me that we would have another imperial presidency if McCain and Palin win the hearts and minds of the American people in the November balloting. Bob Woodward of the Washington Post has been privy to the workings of the Bush White House and has written four books to prove it. In his latest Book, "The War Within," Woodward depicts Bush as a "man of few doubts" who is "still following his gut, convinced that the path he has chosen is right."

Bush, who has switched from using the word "win" in speaking of Iraq to "succeed," has the gung ho McCain-Palin team behind him. The question is "why?" Woodward also wrote that Bush was intolerant of confrontations and in-depth debate. He said Bush maintained an "odd detachment" in the management of the war in Iraq ... "and too often failed to lead."

Bush has never explained why he invaded Iraq -- a country that had no doomsday weapons and did us no harm. It's doubtful that McCain or Palin could explain Bush's mindless mission in the Middle East if they gained the White House.Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has awesome self-confidence. Chosen by fellow Republicans to... more

BuddyP
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3 years ago
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White House says no more bailouts on the way - Stocks & economy- msnbc.com

The Bush administration signaled strongly on Monday that troubled Wall Street... more

starr111
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3 years ago
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