Libby's PR Flop

Former VP says public perception of his old boss is improving

(NEWSER) - George W. Bush and Dick Cheney were best buds again today, giving each other high praise as they shared a stage for the first time since their final tense days in office, reports ABC News . The groundbreaking at Bush's presidential library at SMU also marked a rare appearance by Cheney since his heart trouble earlier this year. He appeared "much thinner" and used a cane, and didn't stick around long after the ceremony, reports the New York Times . More»

Obama, Bush must recognize that demeanor isn't trivial

(NEWSER) - In office, George W. Bush seemed laid back no matter what, while Barack Obama “has not been a happy warrior.” Both men have been true to form in major interviews over the past week, writes Howard Kurtz in the Daily Beast . Obama acknowledged discouragement—a fair point, but not an inspiring one. “If the president is discouraged by 9.6% unemployment, how should the rest of us feel?” More»

President 'wanted to show who was in charge,' he writes in 'Decision Points'

(NEWSER) - George Bush seriously considered ditching Dick Cheney for the 2004 election, he writes in his memoir, Decision Points. Cheney offered to step aside and Bush—seeking "to demonstrate I was in charge"—explored the possibility of replacing him with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist before deciding to ask Cheney to stay, he writes in a copy of the memoir obtained by the New York Times . More»

(NEWSER) - Dick Cheney has decided the "statute of limitations" has expired on some secrets from the Bush era, associates tell the Washington Post. Discussing his memoir-in-progress, the former vice president has made it plain that he felt President Bush was getting soft in his second term, and moved away from Cheney on national security issues purely to pander to public opinion, sources say. More»

(NEWSER) - Dick Cheney pursued a pardon for former aide Scooter Libby so doggedly in his final days in office that he pushed the bounds of his 9-year relationship with George Bush, reports Time. It wasn't so much a political issue as a moral "crusade" for Cheney, write Massimo Calabresi and Michael Weisskopf. He implored Bush not to leave "anyone on the battlefield" and said anything less than a full pardon would tarnish their legacy in the war on terror. "Cheney really got in the president's face," says one source. "He just wouldn't give it up." More»