Tag: George W. Bush

George W. Bush: Immigration is a defining asset of the United States. Here’s how to restore confidence in our system.

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George W. Bush was the 43rd president of the United States.

Next week, I’m proud to publish a new collection of my paintings, entitled “Out of Many, One.” The book may not set the art world stirring — hopefully, the critics won’t call it “One Too Many.”

I set out to accomplish two things: to share some portraits of immigrants, each with a remarkable story I try to tell, and to humanize the debate on immigration and reform.

I hope that these faces, and the stories that accompany them, serve as a reminder that immigration isn’t just a part of our heritage. New Americans are just as much a force for good now, with their energy, idealism and love of country, as they have always been. Continue reading.

Biden to say he won’t pass along ‘responsibility’ of Afghanistan War

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President Biden on Wednesday will say that he is refusing to pass the responsibility of America’s longest war to a fifth president as he lays out his plans to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

Biden will call for an end to the 19-year war while pledging continued U.S. assistance to Afghanistan and support for peace negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

“We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan hoping to create the ideal conditions for our withdrawal, expecting a different result,” Biden will say, according to excerpts of prepared remarks released by the White House. Continue reading.

George W. Bush: ‘Sick To My Stomach’ Watching Capitol Riot

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The former president said in an interview with The Texas Tribune that he hoped rage will “work its way out of the system.”

Former President George W. Bush said he was “disgusted” and “sick to his stomach” as he watched the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol unfold.

Bush made the comments in an interview with The Texas Tribune on Feb. 24 as part of the SXSW 2021 festival, which was streamed online on Thursday.

“I was sick to my stomach … to see our nation’s Capitol being stormed by hostile forces,” the former president said during the interview. “And it really disturbed me to the point where I did put out a statement, and I’m still disturbed when I think about it.” Continue reading.

Democrats keep having to clean up Republican messes. When is our turn to advance America?

A President Biden would face extraordinary damage and repair jobs at home and abroad. Democrats must hammer this home to voters and stop the cycle.

Should former Vice President Joe Biden defeat President Donald Trump in the November election, his victory will cement a pattern that influential Democratic messengers would be wise to exploit savagely in order to change.

Many Americans have not yet grasped that every time they have given Republicans the keys to the White House over the past half-century, they turn to Democrats to extinguish the fire. This arrangement hampers party priorities each time Democrats come to power because their first orders of business are to clean up the ashes. Once the country is sturdy enough, the electorate returns to Republicans to get a little extra walking around cash in the form of marginal tax cuts, and Democratic policy goes back underground.

This pattern began when Richard Nixon and his successor, Gerald Ford, presided over a three-year recession that darkened the outlook for Ford before the 1976 campaign launched in earnest. Democrat Jimmy Carter glided into office on a message of reform, after the country felt betrayed by Watergate and Nixon’s corrupt inner circle, and of recovery from poor GOP stewardship of the economy. Continue reading.

George W. Bush won’t support Donald Trump’s reelection, report says

Former President George W. Bush — and some other prominent Republicans — won’t be voting to reelect Donald Trump, The New York Times reports.

George W. Bush will not support the re-election of Donald Trump, according to people familiar with his thinking, The New York Times reported Saturday.

The paper said the former president and Texas governor won’t vote for Trump’s reelection and that his brother, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, “isn’t sure how he’ll vote.” The paper spotlights several members of the Republican Party who are dissenting from party lines, though Bush was the only prominent Texas politician mentioned. Freddy Ford, a spokesman for Bush, told The Texas Tribune that Bush would steer clear of speaking publicly on his presidential vote and called The New York Times assertion false.

“This is completely made up,” Ford said in an email. “He is retired from presidential politics and has not indicated how he will vote.” Continue reading.

George W. Bush calls out racial injustices and celebrates protesters who ‘march for a better future’

Washington Post logoFormer president George W. Bush addressed the nationwide protests in a solemn yet hopeful statement Tuesday, commending the Americans demonstrating against racial injustice and criticizing those who try to silence them.

Bush closed his statement, which came a day after peaceful protesters were cleared by force to make way for President Trump to come outside, by pointing to a “better way.”

“There is a better way — the way of empathy, and shared commitment, and bold action, and a peace rooted in justice,” Bush said in the statement. “I am confident that together, Americans will choose the better way.” Continue reading.

At War with the Truth

Washington Post logoU.S. officials constantly said they were making progress. They were not, and they knew it, an exclusive Post investigation found.

A confidential trove of government documents obtained by The Washington Post reveals that senior U.S. officials failed to tell the truth about the war in Afghanistan throughout the 18-year campaign, making rosy pronouncements they knew to be false and hiding unmistakable evidence the war had become unwinnable.

The documents were generated by a federal project examining the root failures of the longest armed conflict in U.S. history. They include more than 2,000 pages of previously unpublished notes of interviews with people who played a direct role in the war, from generals and diplomats to aid workers and Afghan officials.

The U.S. government tried to shield the identities of the vast majority of those interviewed for the project and conceal nearly all of their remarks. The Post won release of the documents under the Freedom of Information Act after a three-year legal battle.

Continue  reading

President Trump traveled 250 yards to greet George W. Bush. He used a stretch limo and an eight-vehicle motorcade to make the trip.

President Trump visited with former president George W. Bush and other family members of late George H.W. Bush at Blair House on Dec. 4. (Reuters)

President Trump traversed a wide political chasm Tuesday evening when he personally welcomed George W. Bush, his occasional foil, to Blair House, the presidential guest quarters across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House.

But the actual distance was just 250 yards — a route Trump and his wife Melania traveled in the presidential parade limousine, with a motorcade of at least seven other vehicles.

The Trumps spent 23 minutes visiting with Bush and his wife, Laura, by all accounts a cordial meeting in which the former president exchanged kisses on the cheek with the current first lady at the curb.

View the complete December 5 article by David Nakamura on The Washington Post website here.

Donald Trump may be the best thing that ever happened to George W. Bush

The following article by Roxanne Roberts was posted on the Washington Post website May 13, 2018:

Former president George W. Bush spoke about the perils facing U.S. democracy on Oct. 19, and appeared to weigh in on President Trump’s tenure. (The Bush Center)

George W. Bush received three standing ovations last week, the first for the mere mention of his name.

Bush was in town for the Atlantic Council’s annual fundraiser, where he received the Distinguished International Leadership Award from the influential think tank. More than 800 guests from 70 countries — including former presidents, prime ministers and military leaders — gave the 43rd president a warm, enthusiastic welcome. Continue reading “Donald Trump may be the best thing that ever happened to George W. Bush”

George W. Bush: There’s clear evidence Russia meddled in U.S. election

The following article by Kristine Phillips was posted on the Washington Post website February 8, 2019:

During a Feb. 8 speech, former president George W. Bush said “there’s pretty clear evidence that the Russians meddled” in the 2016 U.S presidential election. (Associated Press)

Former president George W. Bush said he believes Russia meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, departing from President Trump, who has been skeptical of intelligence agencies’ findings that the Kremlin had interfered to help him win.

“There’s pretty clear evidence that the Russians meddled. Whether they affected the outcome is another question,” the 43rd president said at a conference in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. He added: “It’s problematic that a foreign nation is involved in our election system. Our democracy is only as good as people trust the results.” Continue reading “George W. Bush: There’s clear evidence Russia meddled in U.S. election”