Awkward! Bush Muffs Dates in Front of Queen

Briefed military last night, will reveal number and other details tomorrow

(NEWSER) - After weeks of deliberation, President Obama has settled on a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan and ordered the military to carry it out. The exact size of the troop escalation has not been announced, but sources put the number in the neighborhood of 30,000 more troops. The president started informing military leaders last night and will explain his plan in detail in a national speech tomorrow from the US Military Academy at West Point. More»

Prez slammed W's national security policy; now he's following it

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s national security policy has been surprisingly close to his predecessor’s—a policy he hammered on the campaign trail. For that, he “owes George W. Bush an apology,” writes Clive Crook in the Financial Times. But his supporters also deserve an apology. His election rhetoric “misled” them: “In office he has found that the issue is more complicated” than he presented it. More»

Phrase on the skids as prez hopes to rewrite US-Muslim relations

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama is rephrasing the "war on terror," the AP reports. As campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan continue—as do broader US efforts to hunt down extremists—Obama is apparently letting the Bush catchphrase go out of style. The new president instead invokes “ongoing struggle” and “twilight struggle” as he seeks to repair relations with the Muslim world. More»

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama is moving to DC this weekend, and he's already got an interesting lunch date lined up next week with some fellows named George Bush (both of them), Clinton, and Carter, ABC News reports. Wednesday's meeting at the White House will bring together the president-elect with all the living former presidents for the first time. More»

The two are 'vilified' for their crusades against terror

(NEWSER) - They actually have a lot in common, the beleaguered president and the superhero currently smashing box office records, writes Andrew Klavan in the Wall Street Journal. In The Dark Knight, Batman, like Bush, is "vilified and despised for confronting terrorists in the only terms they understand." He's also willing to "push the boundaries of civil rights to deal with an emergency," knowing they can be restored when the crisis is past. Under cover of a mask, he writes, the film praises Bush’s “fortitude and moral courage.” More»