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Economy: We keep looking for the much-anticipated recession, but it doesn't seem to have gotten here yet. Could it be that many of those expecting a downturn were wrong, and the economy's not going into the tank?Going out on a limb to predict what the economy will do is a tricky business. It's possible, though by no means likely, that the economy briefly lapsed into recession late last year or early this year, based on weak GDP data, falling home sales, rising oil prices and a jump in unemployment. We won't know for sure until months — maybe years —...

<p>Second-quarter GDP revised up to a surprising 3.3% annual growth; initial jobless claims declined last week. More soon.</p>

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.

President Bush declared National Preparedness Month, 2008 Link President Bush declared National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, 2008 Link President Bush condemned the actions take by the Russian President in regards to Georgia Link Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice participated in a joint press conference with Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni Secretary of State Rice participated in a press conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island

Sen. John McCain -- joined by Republican colleagues Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas and David Vitter of New Orleans -- sent a letter to President Bush this week, saying that in light of tensions with Russia, the White House should tell NASA to stop any further dismantling of the shuttle infrastructure for at least a year to keep open the possibility of more shuttle flights beyond 2010. "We believe it is imperative, as NASA continues the transition from the Space Shuttle to the successor vehicles, that the means for producing additional flight hardware and obtaining additional flight engineering and support...

President Bush is sending Vice President Dick Cheney to Georgia and other countries in the region to underscore U.S. support in the wake of Russia's intervention in Georgia. U.S. officials say Russia is still not in compliance with its Georgia cease-fire obligations. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department. The Bush administration is sending the vice president and an inter-agency team of other senior officials to Georgia in the coming days in a show of U.S. support, amid what is seen here as Russian foot-dragging on its cease-fire commitments. The Cheney mission next week will take him to Ukraine...

THE PRESIDENT: I want to thank members of the Coalition for Affordable American Energy for joining me today. We just had a very interesting and informative discussion. I heard from businesses, large and small. They -- these folks are representing a lot of workers, people who are really concerned about the energy situation here in America, a lot of people wondering why their government is not doing something about the supply of crude oil. One of the things that came out in this discussion was there's a lot of folks in our country who understand we could be doing something...

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryAugust 15, 2008 President's Radio Address   President's Radio Address  Audio  En Español       In Focus: Global DiplomacyTHE PRESIDENT: Good morning. For more than a week, the people of the nation of Georgia have withstood assault from the Russian military. The world has watched with alarm as Russia invaded a sovereign neighboring state and threatened a democratic government elected by its people. This act is completely unacceptable to the free nations of the world. The United States and our allies stand with the people of Georgia and their democratically elected government. We insist that Georgia's sovereignty...

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...

WASHINGTON, DC, August 12, 2008 (ENS) - The Bush administration has proposed sweeping changes to the Endangered Species Act, releasing a plan to give federal agencies the authority to decide without expert consultation whether their activities could harm endangered and threatened species. Administration officials contend the proposal will make the law easier to implement, but critics say the plan would undermine federal protection of imperiled plants and animals. Announced Monday by the head of the U.S. Interior Department, the proposed changes would relax the current requirement that federal agencies consult with federal wildlife experts to ensure activities they undertake or...

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.

<p>Vice President Dick Cheney says Russia's military actions in Georgia "must not go unanswered." Cheney spoke on Sunday afternoon with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.</p> <p>"The vice president expressed the United States' solidarity with the Georgian people and their democratically elected government in the face of this threat to Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Cheney's press secretary, Lee Ann McBride, said.</p>

Compared with the flutters and flurries of the near-daily polls in the presidential race, one set of numbers has stayed fixed for months, even years. President George W. Bush now enters his 23rd consecutive month with an approval rating under 40 percent. (It currently stands at 32 percent.) No matter what he does, or what happens in the world, the public seems to have decided that Bush has been a failure. As a result, both candidates are promising a change from the Bush presidency. Barack Obama, of course, promises a wholly different approach to the world. But even Bush's fellow...

Inflationary pressures were subdued, the data showed, with real hourly compensation falling -- a hopeful sign for the fight against inflation, but troubling for economic growth. Productivity in the nonfarm business sector rose a 2.2% annualized rate in the second quarter, a bit slower than the 2.7% rate that economists surveyed by MarketWatch had been looking for. See Economic Calendar. Unit labor costs -- a key gauge of inflationary pressures from labor markets -- rose 1.3% compared with the 1.6% rate expected by economists. Output rose an annualized 1.7% in the quarter, while hours worked dipped 0.5% and real hourly...

A presidential committee explored the ethics of health system reform and plans to release a report later this year. Chicago -- A panel appointed by President Bush that met here in June appears set to endorse some form of societal obligation to provide health care access to all. The meeting was part of the President's Council on Bioethics initiative examining the ethical underpinnings of approaches to reforming the nation's health system and covering the estimated 47 million uninsured Americans. A report is likely to be issued after the November election. Bush established the council in November 2001 to advise him...

Bush warns Pakistan of ‘serious action’ Monday, August 04, 2008 LONDON: The United States has accused Pakistan’s main spy agency of deliberately undermining Nato efforts in Afghanistan by helping the Taliban and al-Qaeda militants they are supposed to be fighting, the Sunday Times reported. President George W Bush confronted Yusuf Raza Gilani in Washington last week with evidence of involvement by the ISI in a deadly attack on the Afghan capital and warned of retaliation if it continues. The move comes amid growing fears that Pakistanís tribal areas are turning into a global launch pad for terrorists. Gilani, on his...

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,...

POLL: What do you think? Bush declares progress in Iraq; says troop reductions may follow WASHINGTON — President Bush declared significant progress in the Iraq war Thursday, saying terrorists "are on the run" and that generally improved security likely will permit further U.S. troop reductions. Standing on the Colonnade outside the Oval Office of the White House, Bush also announced that effective Thursday, the duration of troop tours in Iraq will be cut from 15 months to 12 months. Bush said this reduction "will relieve the burden on our forces and it will make life easier for our wonderful military...

WASHINGTON -- President George W. Bush early Wednesday signed into law the government's most aggressive effort to combat the country's housing crisis, ending months of sometimes bitter fighting over the best way to curb foreclosures and calm financial markets. The White House announced in a statement that Mr. Bush has signed the sweeping housing package, making it law with none of the pomp customary for significant legislation. Spokesman Tony Fratto said the bill was signed in the Oval Office at 7 a.m. EDT as Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and five of the administration's top economic officials looked on.

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

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryJuly 19, 2008 President's Radio Address   President's Radio Address  Audio  En Español THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This is a challenging time for families across our nation. I know many families are worried about rising prices at the pump and declining home values. So this week my Administration took steps to help address both these challenges. To help address the pressure on gasoline prices, my Administration took action to clear the way for environmentally responsible offshore exploration of key parts of the Outer Continental Shelf, or OCS. Experts believe that these areas of the OCS could...

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...

The US federal government on Wednesday said it would open 3.9m acres of land in a designated petroleum reserve in Alaska for drilling as a means to help curb rising petrol prices. “This is welcome news at a time when Americans are paying record prices at the pump,” said C. Stephen Allred, assistant US Secretary for Land and Minerals. “Together with proposed new production from other offshore and onshore areas, these increased supplies will help to stabilise energy costs.’’ The Alaska decision follows one by President George W. Bush on Monday to lift a presidential ban on drilling on the US outer...

Following are the remarks President Bush made at Tuesday's White House news conference about energy issues.To help address the pressure on gasoline prices my administration took action this week to clear the way for offshore exploration on the Outer Continental Shelf. It's what's called OCS. Congress has restricted access to key parts of the OCS since the early 1980s; I've called on Congress to remove the ban. There was also an executive prohibition on offshore exploration. So yesterday, I issued a memorandum to lift this executive prohibition. With this action, the executive branch's restrictions have been removed, and this means...

WASHINGTON -- For a generation, most people accepted the idea that the core of what makes America tick was an economy governed by free markets. And whatever combination of goods, services and jobs the market cooked up was presumed to be fine for the nation and for its citizens -- certainly better than government meddling. No longer. Spurred by the continued housing crisis, turmoil in financial markets, spiking oil prices, disappearing jobs and shrinking retirement savings, the nation and its political leaders have begun to sour on the notion that the current market system is the key to a fair,...

NEW YORK -- "The era of big government is over." So said President Bill Clinton more than 12 years ago in a statement that was never accurate. The government stayed big. And after the recent -- and justified -- interventions to prop up some big U.S. financial institutions, it's appropriate to say the era of government is now bigger than ever. It's going to stay that way for a long while, regardless of who becomes the next president. Neither of the presumptive major candidates -- Barack Obama and John McCain -- is a traditional, hands-off economic conservative. That's a...

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...

US retail sales in surprise climb Consumers spending is the biggest driver of the US economy. US retail sales climbed by the largest amount in six months during May after spending was helped by tax rebates. Sales rose by a better-than-expected 1% in May, the Commerce Department said, the largest rise since November. It also said April's figure had been revised up to a rise of 0.4% against the previous estimate of a 0.2% fall. Economists said the rise indicated that the economy had been given a boost by the stimulus package under which millions of Americans got tax...

WASHINGTON, July 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W. Bush called for Congress on Friday to approve oil drilling in offshore waters and in the Alaskan wildlife refuge to push American through "tough economic times." Bush said at a meeting at the Energy Department that one option to deal with skyrocketing oil price is to tap the vast potential crude oil reserves on offshore waters and in Alaska as well as in the western part of the country. He noted that technological development has made it possible to recover the oil while protecting the environment. The president urged the Democrats-dominant...

As I wrote about a few months ago in an article entitled Why Bush is Quiet on Tibet, Mr. Bush is simply adhering to a foreign policy towards China that was in place long before he was elected to office. Since 1979, when the United States officially switched diplomatic recognition of China from Taipei to Beijing, Washington has seemed to have had a special place in its heart for the Communist giant. The unique and yet often tumultuous relationship that the U.S. and China have shared over the past almost thirty years is not based soley on economic incentives as...

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.

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryJuly 5, 2008 President's Radio Address   President's Radio Address  Audio  En Español       Independence Day THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This weekend, Americans are celebrating the anniversary of our Nation's independence. Two hundred and thirty-two years ago, our Founding Fathers came together in Philadelphia to proclaim that all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The man who wrote those immortal words was Thomas Jefferson. Yesterday, I celebrated the Fourth of July at Monticello, Jefferson's home in Virginia. While there,...

So much for that second-half rebound. Truth be told, that was always more of a wish than a serious forecast, happy talk from the Fed and Wall Street desperate to get things back to normal. It ain't gonna happen. Not this summer. Not this fall. Not even next winter. This thing's going down, fast and hard. Corporate bankruptcies, bond defaults, bank failures, hedge fund meltdowns and 6 percent unemployment. We're caught in one of those vicious, downward spirals that, once it gets going, is very hard to pull out of. Only this will be a different kind of recession --...

President Bush met this morning with President Arroyo of the Philippines in the Oval Room Transcript President Bush met with Prime Minister Dung of Vietnam in the Oval Office Transcript President Bush welcomed the 2007 and 2008 NCAA Sports Champions to the White House Secretary of State attended a Middle East Conference in Berlin, Germany Enoy your visit to Sanity Island

In a historic appointment, President Bush selects Lt. Gen. Ann Dunwoody to direct the Army Materiel Command. WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Monday nominated a top logistics officer to be the first female four-star general in U.S. history, tapping Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody to head the command responsible for supplying the Army with all its equipment. Dunwoody's selection as chief of Army Materiel Command comes nearly 11 years after the first female three-star general was appointed, as head of Army intelligence, and 38 years after the first two female Army one-stars were named. -snip-

Conference Will Explore Initiative's Impact Aiding Millions In Partnership With Nonprofit SectorOn June 26 and 27, President George W. Bush will deliver remarks at the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI) "Innovations in Effective Compassion" National Conference in Washington, D.C.  Attended by members of the President's Cabinet, OFBCI Director Jay Hein, and more than 1,000 public and private-sector leaders, the Conference will explore and expand the ways the Faith-Based and Community Initiative is transforming government's approach to human need, in partnership with faith-based and community organizations, to solve problems from addiction and homelessness to malaria and HIV/AIDS.Conference...

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryJune 21, 2008 President's Radio Address   President's Radio Address  Audio  En Español       In Focus: Energy THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Americans are concerned about the high price of gasoline. Everyone who commutes to work, purchases food, ships a product, or takes a family vacation feels the burden of higher prices at the pump. And families across our country are looking to Washington for a response. The fundamental problem behind high gas prices is that the supply of oil has not kept up with the rising demand across the world. One obvious solution is for America...

The Bush administration has sharply ratcheted up prosecutions of illegal immigrants along the U.S.-Mexico border in the last year, with increases so dramatic that immigration offenses now account for as much as half the nation's federal criminal caseload. In the widening crackdown, administration officials prosecuted 9,350 illegal immigrants on federal criminal charges in March, up from 3,746 a year ago and an all-time high, according to statistics released Tuesday. Those convicted have received jail sentences averaging about one month. The prosecutions are among the most visible steps in a larger effort that includes work-site raids, increased border patrols and the...

U.S. President George Bush has praised Congress for its bipartisan cooperation on domestic surveillance and new war funding. At the White House Friday, Mr. Bush called on the House of Representatives to pass the domestic surveillance legislation Friday. He urged the Senate to take it up quickly. House and Senate leaders agreed on a compromise bill Thursday. The measure, which permits the government to eavesdrop on the communications of suspected terrorists without first obtaining a court's permission, could also protect telecommunications companies from lawsuits stemming from their involvement in the controversial warrantless surveillance. Federal judges could dismiss lawsuits if companies...

The $48 billion in tax rebates sent out to American consumers this spring has helped keep the US economy out of a recession, but analysts believe the impact may only be temporary. The rebates, approved by Congress earlier this year, helped push May retail sales up at twice the expected rate. But consumers are still facing rising gas costs, falling home prices and the struggling job market, so the rise is probably short-term, says Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody's Economy.com. "Come October, there are probably going to be weaker numbers," Zandi said. "People are spending the rebate checks very...

Rather than just griping about things - why not do something? Let President Bush and Vice President Cheney know that you deeply appreciate their efforts to keep us safe and prosperous. comments@whitehouse.gov vice_president@whitehouse.gov While you're at it, send the troops some cheer with a donation to the USO or your favorite support organization: http://www.uso.org/

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%.

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryMay 31, 2008 President's Radio Address   President's Radio Address  Audio  En Español THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Next week Congress will return to Washington after its Memorial Day recess. I hope Members of Congress return rested, because they have a lot of work left on important issues and limited time to get it done. Congress needs to pass a responsible war funding bill that puts the needs of our troops first, without loading it up with unrelated domestic spending. Our troops in Afghanistan are performing with courage and honor, delivering blows to the Taliban and al...

WASHINGTON, May 31, 2008 – With Congress preparing to return from its Memorial Day recess, President Bush used his weekly radio address this morning to urge lawmakers to pass various pieces of pending legislation. Here’s what the president had to say about two defense-related issues: War funding: “Congress needs to pass a responsible war funding bill that puts the needs of our troops first, without loading it up with unrelated domestic spending. Our troops in Afghanistan are performing with courage and honor, delivering blows to the Taliban and al-Qaida. Our troops in Iraq have driven al-Qaida and other extremists...

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...

Sales of new homes rose in April for the first time in six months although the unexpected increase still left activity near the lowest level in 17 years. The Commerce Department reported Tuesday that sales of new homes rose 3.3 percent in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 526,000 units. But the government revised March activity lower to show an even bigger drop of 11 percent to an annual rate of 509,000, which was the weakest pace for sales since April 1991. Economists believe that new home sales will remain weak for some time as the housing industry...

WASHINGTON, May 24, 2008 – President Bush encouraged Americans to remember the sacrifices of servicemembers during this Memorial Day weekend in his radio address this morning. “Kids will be out of school, moms and dads will be firing up the grill, and families across our country will mark the unofficial beginning of summer,” Bush said. “But as we do, we should all remember the true purpose of this holiday – to honor the sacrifices that make our freedom possible.” The president will commemorate Memorial Day on May 26 by visiting Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., where he will...