Why We Miss George W Bush

His Mideast plan is the same as his predecessor's: Charles Krauthammer

(NEWSER) - Analysts keep looking to define an Obama Doctrine, but after listening to the president's Mideast speech yesterday , Charles Krauthammer thinks it's easy: The Obama Doctrine is the Bush Doctrine, Krauthammer writes in the Washington Post . Bush "made the spread of democracy the key US objective in the Middle East," and Obama is fully on board. He even praised Iraq yesterday as a beacon of democracy for the region. All "hail the Bush-Obama doctrine." More»

But 44 needs to make his case to America

(NEWSER) - When it comes to war, Presidents Bush and Obama really aren’t so different, writes Stephen Carter in Newsweek . While Obama was perceived as the peace candidate, “the office of the presidency, once assumed, transforms the outlook of its holder.” To wit: Obama is essentially recycling Bush's Iraq strategy for Afghanistan, and has expanded the targets in the fight against terror. He's "adopted wholeheartedly what we might call the Bush doctrine's political science" of preemptive strikes. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are "his wars now, nobody else's." More»

After 'yearlong drift,' Obama can't keep passing buck to Bush

(NEWSER) - President Obama loves to blame things on George W. Bush, and on Monday he did it again, referring to the “long years of drift in Afghanistan.” He must be trying to “explain away his own, well, yearlong drift on Afghanistan,” writes Charles Krauthammer . In March, Obama solemnly announced a new strategy following what he called a “comprehensive strategy review.” Now, he obviously wants to switch course. More»

(NEWSER) - All four living former presidents will attend Ted Kennedy’s invitation-only funeral, the Boston Herald reports. President Obama will also be there, breaking off his Martha’s Vineyard vacation to deliver a eulogy. Gordon Brown also plans to attend, as will Irish PM Brian Cowen. “Sen. Kennedy is being honored as though he were a former sitting president,” observed one political scientist. More»

Two-thirds of Americans support Afghanistan 'surge'

(NEWSER) - The 17,000 additional troops President Obama plans to send to Afghanistan will ship out with the support of two-thirds of Americans, a contrast to the public’s poor reception of George W. Bush’s Iraq surge, the Washington Post reports. Polls also show Obama’s troop increase has widespread backing: Four in 10 of those who say the war is not worth the cost nevertheless support the troop increase. More»