Bush Absent For a Reason, But He's OK

Obama 'has no clue,' while Palin isn't 'remotely prepared'

(NEWSER) - George Bush apparently didn't think much of Barack Obama as a candidate. “This is a dangerous world, and this cat isn’t remotely qualified to handle it," he's quoted in a new book as saying. "This guy has no clue, I promise you.” GQ has excerpts of Speech-Less: Tales of a White House Survivor, by speechwriter Matt Latimer, in which Bush also dismisses Sarah Palin as a candidate and John McCain's campaign in general. More»

Also nixes one-term idea in interview

(NEWSER) - John McCain isn’t quite sure how many houses he owns, Politico reports. The presumptive Republican nominee responded to the question in yesterday’s interview with “I think—I’ll have my staff get to you.” He and wife Cindy are estimated to own between four and seven properties. Barack Obama’s campaign was swift to capitalize, producing an ad today capped by a shot of the White House and the narration “Here's ONE house America can't afford to let John McCain move into.” More»

Letterman veers from apolitical-leaning-right to full-on liberal

(NEWSER) - The most telling thing David Letterman has said in a while may have been a brief comment he made last Monday, as he wrapped up an hour with President Obama: "I can't tell you how satisfying it is to watch you work," the famously crotchety Late Night host said matter-of-factly. George W. Bush lies behind the transformation of Letterman from a Clinton-bashing admirer of Bob Dole and John McCain to an unabashed Obama fan, Brian Lowry writes for Variety. More»

In new book, ex-prez discusses Lewinsky, Yeltsin's drunken caper

(NEWSER) - Between 1993 and 2001, historian Taylor Branch met regularly with then-President Clinton for a series of taped interviews. The transcripts form the basis of a new book, The Clinton Tapes: Wrestling History with the President, to be released next week. USA Today got a look and singles out some highlights:

• Secret Service agents had to corral a drunk Boris Yeltsin trying to hail a cab on Pennsylvania Avenue—wearing only his underwear. The Russian leader, who was bunking at Blair House, told them he wanted a pizza.

Rove, Fleischer, Perino look to set the record straight, combat spin

(NEWSER) - Two months out of office, President Bush rarely warrants mention these days, but his old aides quietly work at rebuilding his reputation, reports Politico. “We’re invited to comment on the events of the day and along the way, we remind people that there was, indeed, good news under President Bush,” says former flack Ari Fleischer. “We believe that history will get it right in the end,” adds Dana Perino. More»