Bush's Failures Show the Need for Pragmatic Prez

We know their styles, but economy is changing too fast for policy specifics

(NEWSER) - We should quit trying to pin the candidates down on policy specifics, writes EJ Dionne in the Washington Post. They’ve given us a “clear sense of who they are and how they would lead,” and that’s all we can ask. The economic crisis is moving so fast that “new ideas could become obsolete in a few days.” More»

George W. Bush, meanwhile, finishes not quite last

(NEWSER) - Two years in, Barack Obama looks like a pretty good president to the nation’s top presidential scholars. The 44th president came in 15th on the all-time list, two spots behind Bill Clinton and three ahead of Ronald Reagan, in a Siena College Research Institute Poll, the New York Daily News reports. Obama got high marks for his intelligence, imagination and communication skills, but lost points for his experience and—what's this? "Family background"? More»

But he doesn't mention Obama by name

(NEWSER) - George Bush has promised to steer clear of criticizing his successor's policies, but he seemed to come awfully close yesterday during a speech at SMU. "As the world recovers, we will face a temptation to replace the risk-and-reward model of the private sector with the blunt instruments of government spending and control," Bush said. "History shows that the greater threat to prosperity is not too little government involvement, but too much." More»

(NEWSER) - Former President George W. Bush is “depressed and paranoid,” even “suicidal,” proclaims the tabloid glossy the Globe. Yes, “insiders fear” that the erstwhile leader of the free world will terminate himself: He’s “boozing up a storm,” and is “terrified of Barack Obama” and—heaven forbid!—“his own wife Laura.” Don’t miss the “blockbuster world exclusive.” More»

President-elect is pragmatic, but his thinking is mysterious

(NEWSER) - Looking at President Bush gets John Dickerson wondering, in Slate, if anything complex is going on behind the simple facade (Answer: Probably not). President-elect Obama prompts a different question: “How much of his true thinking is he actually sharing with us?” Obama, unlike Bush, is deeply self-reflective, and seems to constantly be creating and crafting himself: “Pragmatic is becoming the word of his presidency.” More»