Bush's Next Act: Try Congress

(NEWSER) - Former President Bush is gradually reentering life as a private citizen in Texas, Newsweek reports, but he's doing it gingerly and on his own terms. While many Texans agree that Dubya's still the friendly, aw-shucks guy they sent to Washington eight years ago, he's definitely keeping clear of dissent. “He is in home territory for sure,” a Texas historian said. “He doesn't enjoy naysayers and critics and opposition. Never has. And right now, he needs that nurturing cocoon that he is in.” More»

Senate expected to approve subpoenas today in prosecutor firing flap

(NEWSER) - A House panel authorized subpoenas yesterday and the Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to do so today in an effort to force Karl Rove and other top administration figures to testify about the firings of federal prosecutors. With the White House offering only private interviews, not under oath, the scene is set for a head-on constitutional collision. More»

W. says he won't campaign, fundraise, or criticize Obama

(NEWSER) - You won't see George W. Bush hitting the campaign trail in 2012; he's sworn off politics for good, he tells C-SPAN in an interview airing tomorrow night. “I don’t want to go out and campaign for candidates, I don’t want to be used as a perpetual money-raiser, I don’t want to be on these talk shows giving my opinion,” Bush said, in an excerpt spotted by Politics Daily . “Despite the fact that I’m now on TV, I don’t want to be on TV.” More»

First lady felt weight of the world lifted upon return to Texas

(NEWSER) - Laura Bush felt a weight lift when she returned to Texas after 8 years in Washington, free of the rigors of protecting America in the post-9/11 era, the former first lady tells Politico . “I didn’t really realize how stressed we were and how vigilant we were—that hypervigilance—until we came home and I wasn’t so stressed anymore," Bush says. "I almost stood straighter, just without that weight of worry.” More»

Federal meddling will only lead to higher prices and crappy care

(NEWSER) - The states have a handle on health care reform, write Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry, and the federal government urgently needs to take a lesson from them. “Texas, for example, has adopted approaches to controlling health-care costs while improving choice, advancing quality of care and expanding coverage” write the former US House speaker and current Texas governor. But they see a federal initiative failing. More»