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When asked in 2007 whether they approved of the job performance of the leadership of the United States, strong majorities of self-identified Muslims in Sierra Leone, Mali, Senegal, and Guinea said they did approve. In Chad, Mauritania, and Niger, Muslim residents' approval is lower (50% in each of the three Sahelian countries approve of U.S. leadership). But it is still higher than the median 13% approval rating across 11 countries surveyed in the MENA region in 2007. Within the region, approval ratings range from 7% in the United Arab Emirates and 9% in Saudi Arabia to 55% in Morocco. Among...

The current narrative of the Bush Presidency is that it is a failure (believed by 107 of 109 historians surveyed) and that George W. Bush is the worst President in history (believed by 61% of those surveyed historians). Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said, "The president already has the mark of the American people -- he's the worst president we ever had." That's one narrative. I have another.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2008 – The United States is beholden to servicemembers fighting the war against terrorism and to military veterans who served in past conflicts, President Bush said at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Orlando, Fla., today. “America owes the men and women of the VFW a debt that could really never be repaid,” Bush said to a group that included some of today’s servicemembers as well as veterans of past conflicts. “You fought for our freedoms. And then when you came home, you volunteered to continue to serve this nation.” Bush also thanked and praised...

With all due respect, I'm pretty sure Dubya & Co will continue being the laughing stock of international affairs over here in Europe for a long time (- Hey, I'm aware you Americans have invested him with the highest of US offices, but I wrote "With all due respect" initially, so I won't drone on about how much many of us Europeans actually admire America, our common interests etc, out of sheer courtesy:D). Europe and the US will remain best friends and just like my (personal) best friend since 30 years and I squabble from time to time (I'm 39),...

President George Bush (C), first lady Laura Bush (L) and their daughter Barbara (R) gesture as they watch the swimming events at the National Aquatics Center during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, August 11, 2008. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates (L) shakes hands with U.S. President George W. Bush as first lady Laura (bottom L) and their daughter Barbara (bottom R) look on at the National Aquatics Center during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, August 11, 2008 Secret service agents assist U.S. President George W. Bush as he stumbles in the spectator stands at the National Aquatics Center before the swimming competition...

Full Article at Political Capital Before you read this article, take a couple steps back from your political opinions - because I can already hear the partisan bickering. I want you to approach this and analyze it in an antiseptic, neutral way - regardless of whether you are a Bush lover or Bush hater. I think both camps will find things to love, and hate in this article. But, reserve judgment please - because this is an article about how history will remember George W. Bush, it is not a political judgment on his presidency. Indeed, you will find several...

THE PRESIDENT: I just met with my national security team to discuss the situation in Georgia. I am deeply concerned by reports that Russian troops have moved beyond the zone of conflict, attacked the Georgian town of Gori, and are threatening the Georgia's -- Georgia's capital of Tbilisi. There's evidence that Russian forces may soon begin bombing the civilian airport in the capital city. If these reports are accurate, these Russian actions would represent a dramatic and brutal escalation of the conflict in Georgia. And these actions would be inconsistent with assurances we have received from Russia that its...

via translation - ALERT - Georgia: President Bush will make a statement at 21H15 GMT WASHINGTON - U.S. President George W. Bush will make a statement at 21H15 GMT devoted to the conflict between Georgia and Russia, said Monday the spokesman of the White House Dana Perino.

How odd that President Bush, once a darling of conservatives, will come to be loathed by most of them. Bush's legacy, all but set in stone as his days in office dwindle, will not only be the crippling war in Iraq, which he will leave to his successor to end, but stunning changes in government. He just signed an astonishingly vast housing law, dismaying many conservatives. After threatening a veto, he privately, without the press to record the moment, signed a measure supposed to keep as many as 400,000 homeowners out of foreclosure (although more than 3 million are in...

ABC News' Yunji de Nies reports: President Bush announced this morning that beginning tomorrow, US troop tours in Iraq will be reduced from 15 months to 12 months. "The progress in Iraq has allowed us to continue our policy of return on success," the President said from the Colonnade outside the Oval Office, "We have now brought home all five of the combat brigades and the three Marine units that were sent to Iraq as part of the surge. The last of these surge brigades returned home this month." The President gave a brief status report on the Iraq war,...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: What are...? (interruption) Interrupting for what? THE PRESIDENT: Hello! RUSH: Oh, jeez. The president? THE PRESIDENT: Rush Limbaugh? RUSH: Yes, sir, Mr. President. THE PRESIDENT: President George W. Bush calling to congratulate you on 20 years of important and excellent broadcasting. RUSH: Well, thank you, sir. You've stunned me! (laughing) I'm shocked. But thank you so much. THE PRESIDENT: That's hard to do. RUSH: (laughing) I know, it is. THE PRESIDENT: I'm here with a room full of admirers. There are two others that would like to speak to you and congratulate you, people who consider you...

George W. Bush's overall job approval has dropped to 21% as 76% of American say the national economy is getting worse according to the latest survey from the American Research Group. Among all Americans, 21% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 72% disapprove. When it comes to Bush's handling of the economy, 17% approve and 77% disapprove. Among Americans registered to vote, 22% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 71% disapprove. When it comes to the way Bush is handling the economy, 18% of registered voters approve of...

President Bush honored Columbian Independence Day in the East Room TranscriptPresident Bush traveled to Georgia to attend a Republican fundraiser Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island

Tony Snow: The President's DefenderBy Dr. Paul KengorFrontPageMagazine.com | 7/17/2008 The first time I encountered Tony Snow was through his columns for the Detroit News in the 1980s, when I was an undergraduate subscribing to a forgotten but quite good publication called Conservative Chronicle. His articles were like his later work for Fox News: a combination of reliable research and lively commentary, with the latter grounded in the former, making his arguments cogent and convincing. When you read Tony Snow’s op-ed pieces, you were engaged and learned something; you came away with the assurance that the case you just...

Rising energy prices have prompted President George to rescind an executive order enacted by his father and extended by President Bill Clinton to ban offshore drilling. “The time for action is now,” President George W. Bush said in a Rose Garden speech Monday afternoon. A memorandum signed by the President rescinds former President George H.W. Bush’s 1990 executive order drafted in response to pressure from the environmental lobby after a 3 million gallon oil spill off the coast of California in 1969. The current President Bush argued “advances in technology have made it possible to have the oil production out...

I've seen on FR before a very long list of things President Bush has accomplished. Even with the Democrats in control the past eight years. Has anyone seen that floating around? Thanks!

HOKKAIDO, Japan, July 6 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush was treated to a surprise 62nd birthday party aboard Air Force One en route to the Group of Eight summit in Japan. Bush and his contingent were nearing Japan when First Lady Laura Bush and senior White House staff gathered in the plane's conference room. There, a steward put a single candle on a coconut cake, the lights were dimmed, and when Bush entered the room, the group yelled, "Surprise," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. – President George W. Bush will attend the July 4 event at Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson, the White House has announced. Bush will be the featured speaker at Monticello’s 46th annual Independence Day Celebration and Naturalization Ceremony. He will become the fourth sitting president to participate in Independence Day activities at Monticello, joining Franklin D. Roosevelt (1936), Harry S. Truman (1947), and Gerald R. Ford (1976). “We are truly honored to have President Bush as our featured speaker on July 4, and regard it as a great compliment that he has chosen to spend part of the...

As he leaves the White House at the end of his second term, the President has a poll rating of only 23 per cent, and is widely disliked and even despised. His foreign policy has been judged a failure, especially in view of the long, painful, costly war that he declared, which is still not over. He doesn't get on with his own party's presidential candidate, who is clearly distancing himself, and had lost many of his closest friends and staff to scandals and forced resignations. The New Republic, a hugely influential political magazine, writes that his historical reputation will...

'Bush Believes History Is On His Side' Tim Marshall Foreign Affairs editor Updated:02:04, Monday June 16, 2008 George Bush believes that where the British Empire stumbled, what he calls 'Freedom's March' will succeed. The American President was asked by Sky News about the British and Soviet experiences in Afghanistan. He gave an emotional response which went to the heart of his foreign policy thinking: "This isn't the American Empire, the British Empire or coalition empire; this is freedom's march. And freedom has had a way of taking hold in some of the places where people have never given freedom a...

President Bush's approval rating is at its lowest level ever, according to the latest CBS News poll. Just 25% of Americans approve of the overall job Bush is doing as President. Likewise, 67% disapprove of the job Bush is doing -- the highest such figure in CBS News polls since he assumed office. Only Presidents Nixon (24%) and Truman (22%) have seen polls showing job approval ratings lower than 25% during their presidencies, according to Gallup Polls. President Carter's all-time low was 26%.

President Bush departed the White House late this afternoon to travel to Greenville, South Carolina where he will deliver the commencement address at Furman University. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates attended the second day of the Shangri-la Dialogue Security Summit in Singapore. Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island

With President Bush-bashing still a national pastime, it's notable how much international terrorism has been forgotten, and how little credit the president has received for keeping Americans safe. .... We all waited for terrorism's second shoe to drop, and, seven years later . . . nothing has happened. Other cities around the world became targets: Madrid, Glasgow, London and Bali; the entire nation of Denmark; and, of course, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Here in America, however, the focus moved from concerns over counterterrorism measures and the abuse of presidential authority to the war in Iraq, the subprime mortgage crisis, the...

On Memorial Day, we honor the heroes who have laid down their lives in the cause of freedom, resolve that they will forever be remembered by a grateful Nation, and pray that our country may always prove worthy of the sacrifices they have made. Throughout our Nation's history, our course has been secured by brave Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen. These courageous and selfless warriors have stepped forward to protect the Nation they love, fight for America's highest ideals, and show millions that a future of liberty is possible. Freedoms come at great costs, yet the world has...

The president could not have chosen a friendlier audience for a message that he has been trying for months to plant with the majority of the American public, which polls show stopped supporting the war long ago. Bush addressed thousands of troops of the storied 82nd Airborne Division, some of whom returned from Iraq barely two weeks ago and others who are preparing for a fourth deployment this fall. To fatigue-clad soldiers lined up in formation across a parade ground the size of a football field or more, Bush presented a point-by-point definition of the success he says is coming...

One hundred nine historians already nearly unanimously agree. They call the presidency of George W. Bush a "failure." The History News Network (HNN), who polled the historians, failed to name them or where they work. Wonder why? American Enterprise magazine, in 2002, examined voter registrations to determine the political affiliations of humanities professors at an assortment of colleges and universities, public and private, big and small, located in the North, South, East and West. Of those registered with a political party -- and most were -- historians overwhelmingly belong to a "party of the left" (Democratic, Green or Working Families...

US President George W. Bush's speech at the Knesset on Thursday "is tantamount to a declaration of war on the peoples of the region," MK Muhammad Barakei (Hadash) has said, according to an Army Radio report. "This is the worst speech ever made by a world leader and the most dangerous that can be heard," he said. "I call on all those who believe in peace to unite against the Israeli-American policy which harms the Palestinians and the peoples of the region."

Will President Bush ever get the respect President Reagan once received? America knelt in sorrow on June 5, 2004, when Reagan passed away after a decade-long fight against Alzheimer’s disease. The 40th President—the man who revived America’s economy and exorcised the demonic spirit of Soviet communism—was praised throughout the country as a political genius who changed America for the better and a proud leader who rescued the country from cultural and psychological decline. America had a love affair with Reagan, and his passing brought that affair to a cruel end. It is difficult to envision Bush receiving similar praise when...

After U.S. gasoline prices surged to a record high this week, President Bush strode into the Rose Garden to unveil his plans for coping with skyrocketing energy costs: drill for oil in Alaska, add U.S. refineries and build more nuclear plants. Even the White House conceded that the ideas did not have a chance. Democrats howled, Republicans shrugged and Washington moved on. Ignoring the conventions of a lame-duck presidency, Bush is forging ahead with proposals that appear to have little chance of passage during his last nine months, relying on sharp rhetoric and strong-arm tactics in an attempt to influence...

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Welcome to the White House. And I am honored to join you for the National Day of Prayer. I'm sorry Laura is not here -- she's out selling her book. (Laughter.) Shirley, thank you very much for being the Chairman of the National Day of Prayer. Glad you brought old Jim with you. (Laughter.) Dr. Zacharias, thank you for being the Honorary Chairman. I appreciate the members of my Cabinet who are here today, thank you all for coming. It's good to see members of the United States Senate and the House of Representatives. Appreciate you...

Current Events Glad Bush Is Still AroundPaul Johnson 05.05.08, 12:00 AM ET I don't regard George W. Bush as a lame-duck president. Between now and next January all sorts of challenging and unexpected events may take place. We can rely on President Bush to react promptly and decisively to them.We saw this on Sept. 11. The President was as surprised as everyone else, as we grasped from the dramatic photograph of him taken as he was given the dreadful news at an elementary school. But he buckled down quickly to this unprecedented attack on America, determined that such a treacherous...

A pal sent this my way: a fascinating piece on George Bush and Catholicism from the Religion News Service, reprinted in tomorrow's edition of the Washington Post: Shortly after Pope Benedict XVI's election in 2005, President Bush met with a small circle of advisers in the Oval Office. As some mentioned their own religious backgrounds, the president remarked that he had read one of the new pontiff's books about faith and culture in Western Europe. Save for one other soul, Bush was the only non-Catholic in the room. But his interest in the pope's writings was no surprise to those...

President Bush often argues that history will vindicate him. So he can't be pleased with an informal survey of 109 professional historians conducted by the History News Network. It found that 98 percent of them believe that Bush's presidency has been a failure, while only about 2 percent see it as a success. Not only that, more than 61 percent of the historians say the current presidency is the worst in American history. In 2004, only 11.6 percent of the historians rated Bush's presidency in last place. Among the reasons given for his low ratings: invading Iraq, "tax breaks for...

WASHINGTON - President Bush's refusal to let two confidants provide information to Congress about fired federal prosecutors represents the most expansive view of executive privilege since Watergate, the House Judiciary Committee told a federal judge Thursday. Lawyers for the Democratic-led panel argued in court documents that Bush's chief of staff, Josh Bolten, and former White House counsel Harriet Miers are not protected from subpoenas last year that sought information about the dismissals. The legal filing came in lawsuit that pits the legislative branch against the executive in a fight over a president's powers. The committee is seeking the testimony as...

On April 16, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI will mark his 81st birthday with, among other things, a visit to the White House — only the second such visit by a pope in American history. There, he will sit down with President George W. Bush, who will have welcomed him the day before at Andrews Air Force Base. The New York Times and National Public Radio can be expected to run analyses focusing on how this president and this Pope disagree on the war in Iraq, just as they did in every story they ran on President Bush and the late...

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - President Bush won NATO's endorsement Thursday for his plan to build a missile defense system in Europe over Russian objections. The proposal also advanced with Czech officials announcing an agreement to install a missile tracking site for the system in their country. NATO leaders were adopting a communique stating that "ballistic missile proliferation poses an increasing threat to allied forces, territory and populations." It also will recognize "the substantial contribution to the protection of allies ... to be provided by the U.S.-led system," according to senior American officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of...

Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island PHOTO(s) OF THE DAY President George W. Bush shakes hands with troops following his event in Freehold, New Jersey Friday, March 28, 2008, at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. Mrs. Laura Bush and members of her Midland High School class of 1964 welcome President George W. Bush back to the White House Friday afternoon, March 28, 2008, following his trip to Freehold, N.J. ((A sure sign of good, down home, decent folks .... NOT the nasty portrayals made of them by some in the press and our enemies from within.. they're...

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is proposing a sweeping overhaul of the way the U.S. financial industry is regulated. In an effort to deal with the problems highlighted by the current severe credit crisis, the new plan would give major new powers to the Federal Reserve,SNIP The plan would shut down the Office of Thrift Supervision, which supervises thrift institutions, and transfer its functions to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which regulates banks. The plan would eliminate the distinction between banks and thrift institutions. The Fed would become the government's "market stability regulator," given sweeping powers to...

President Bush showed the world that it isn't words, but actions, that truly make a difference. Millions throughout Africa would agree. Mr. Bush recently completed a historic visit to the African continent; a trip he described as "the most exciting, exhilarating, uplifting trip" of his presidency. During his visit, we saw pictures of the president dancing, celebrating and attending ceremonies with heads of state. But the real story is not about just this one trip; it is about the commitment the president made to Africa and what the United States has been quietly accomplishing throughout the continent over the past...

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush said Friday that the flare up in violence in oil-rich southern Iraq and parts of Baghdad presents "a defining moment in the history of Iraq" as the government there seeks to rout out Shiite militias. "It's going to take awhile, but it's a necessary part of the development of a free society," Bush said at a White House news conference with visiting Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. At the same time, the president said the situation in Iraq remains "dangerous and fragile." His comments followed U.S. airstrikes in both the southern city of Basra and...

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryMarch 22, 2008 President's Radio Address   President's Radio Address  Audio  En Español       Easter 2008THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This weekend, families across America are coming together to celebrate Easter. This is the most important holiday in the Christian faith. And during this special and holy time each year, millions of Americans pause to remember a sacrifice that transcended the grave and redeemed the world. Easter is a holiday that beckons us homeward. This weekend is an occasion to reflect on the things that matter most in life: the love of family, the laughter of friends,...

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Deputy Secretary England, thanks for the introduction. One boss may not be here, but the other one is. (Laughter.) I appreciate your kind words. I'm pleased to be back here with the men and women of the Defense Department. On this day in 2003, the United States began Operation Iraqi Freedom. As the campaign unfolded, tens and thousands of our troops poured across the Iraqi border to liberate the Iraqi people and remove a regime that threatened free nations. Five years into this battle, there is an understandable debate over whether the war was worth...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush will acknowledge on Wednesday the Iraq war has been fought at a high cost but will insist a U.S. troop buildup has opened the door to a "major strategic victory" against Islamic militants. "The successes we are seeing in Iraq are undeniable," Bush will say in an upbeat assessment of the U.S.-led campaign in a speech marking the fifth anniversary of the war, according to excerpts released on Tuesday. With less than 11 months left in office and his approval ratings near the lows of his presidency, Bush is trying to shore up...

Bush brings down the house at Gridiron Club By: Andrew Glass March 9, 2008 01:45 PM EST President Bush brought the 123rd annual spring dinner of the Gridiron Club to a rousing close Saturday by donning a tan cowboy hat above his white-tie and tails singing, onstage, a self-parody of a Texas-flavored country-and-western song. “You have just witnessed the first and final performance of Bush and the Busharoos,” the president said, after rendering a final encore of the “Brown, Brown Grass of Home,” the venerable waltz tune, in a voice that did minimal musical justice to Tom Jones’ popular version....

This morning, President Bush attended the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference 2008 at the Washington Convention Center where he gave a speech and toured the exhibits. TRANSCRIPT OF SPEECH U.S. President George W. Bush welcomed Republican Party Presidential nominee John McCain and his wife Cindy to the White House. The President and Senator McCain met reporters in the Rose Garden and President B ush formally ENDORSED SEN. MCCAIN FOR PRESIDENT. The President gave McCain the red-carpet treatment at the White House. He welcomed him at an entrance normally reserved for heads of state and treated him to a West Wing...

ABC News' John Berman and Jennifer Duck Report: Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., who clinched the Republican nomination with clean sweep of wins in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont on Tuesday, will visit the White House on Wednesday. There, according to sources close to the McCain, the Republican Senator will receive the endorsement of President George W. Bush. -snip-

President Bush attacked a key foreign policy stance of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), contending heatedly at a news conference Thursday morning that talking to dictators without preconditions can be dangerous and counterproductive.

The President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, helped President Bush break it down before his return home to the U.S.

W. Bush is the most powerful and controversial man in the world. His every move is watched and critiqued and his every word is avidly transcribed, broadcast, analyzed, mocked and once in a long while even praised. He lives in what could reasonably be considered one of the most all-encompassing media bubbles in the world. But George W. Bush has found a way to get away from it all. He went to Africa.

Senator John McCain’s campaign advisers will ask the White House to deploy President Bush for major Republican fund-raising, but they do not want the president to appear too often at his side, top aides to Mr. McCain said Sunday. After a weekend of strategy meetings at Mr. McCain’s Arizona ranch — in a sense, the first Sedona summit of the Republican Party’s new leadership — the advisers said that much remains undecided about coordinating the campaign with the White House and the party apparatus until Mr. McCain wins enough delegates to be the official nominee. But even as the consensus...