It's Not Bush's Mess Anymore

He refuses to move to the center, writes Noonan, when that could save him

(NEWSER) - Obama seems to genuinely mean it when he says he'd rather be a really good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president, and that could explain a lot, writes Peggy Noonan. He "equates becoming more centrist with becoming more like George W. Bush," which is why he's refusing to do so. "He seems a man who is certain he is right, in the long term if not in the day-to-day. And if the cost of being right is a single term, then so be it." More»

President extends bill funding care for low-income HIV/AIDS patients

(NEWSER) - HIV-positive individuals will no longer be banned from visiting or immigrating to the US, President Obama announced today. The president discussed the revocation of the ban, which has stood since 1987, at today's signing of an extension of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS bill. That bill provides funding for HIV/AIDS testing and treatment for low-income individuals. 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»

GOP faithful can't fathom why press goes so easy on new president

(NEWSER) - Supporters of George Bush are miffed about the passes the media has given President Obama for trespasses the former president would likely have been excoriated for. “We have a joke about it. We’re going to start a website: IfBushHadDoneThat.com,” former Bush counselor Ed Gillespie tells Politico. Some examples of perceived media bias: More»

(NEWSER) - President Obama's job-approval rating slipped to 50% in Gallup poll results out today, a new low for the 10-month-old administration, the Los Angeles Times reports. The drawn-out health care reform debate apparently is dragging down the number, which hit 69% after the inauguration. The disapproval number is 43%. "It's real easy to stay popular in Washington if you don't do anything at all," a White House rep said. More»