Video: Humorous ABC News interview with George W. and Laura Bush

President George W. Bush is a gracious man with the wisdom of one who has observed, listened, and learned along his life's journey. This humorous, light-hearted ABC News interview that was taped after the President and Mrs. Bush returned from their African trip shows the genuine, witty, caring personality of #43, something the other side of the political aisle overlooked in their continual bashing of him during his eight years in the White House.

Because of GWB's gracious nature, and my observation of years of abuse from his political enemies, I have tempered my own public criticism of President Barack Obama, realizing the hurt it causes not only to the Obama family but to his supporters. Too bad the extremists on all sides of the aisle can't tone down the rhetoric and try to work together.

Robin Beres's article in Sunday's Richmond Times-Dispatch, "The expanding legacy of George W. Bush," touched on Bush's just-completed humanitarian trip to Africa, his continued involvement with the Wounded Warrior Project, and his overall giving-back to America during his retirement years:

In an interview with CNN on July 1, Bush was questioned about the Obama administration and accusations about the White House’s invasions into Americans’ privacy. But, as ever, he refused to criticize Obama. “I don’t think it does any good,” he said. “It’s a hard job. He’s got plenty on his agenda. It’s difficult. A former president doesn’t need to make it any harder. Other presidents have taken different decisions; that’s mine.”

The difference in the two men’s political views has always been apparent. Unfortunately, another difference that is obvious is the content of their characters. Despite attacks and accusations by the Obama administration, Bush has kept his silence.

Even as he watched the successful surge in Iraq go for naught and the Middle East fall apart, he said nothing. Even as he stood and listened to Obama’s backhanded compliments at the George W. Bush Presidential Library dedication, he held his peace. He has been the picture of graciousness and tact. These are traits that the self-absorbed Obama should study – and perhaps try to emulate.

GWB brought class to the office of President, something he learned from his parents and that is, sadly, lacking in others. His self-deprecating humor is legendary, and his modesty was ingrained by a strong mother, former First Lady Barbara Bush, who taught her children not be be "braggadociouses."

George W. Bush ... boy, do I miss his leadership.

Cross-posted at LynnRMitchell.com

George W. Bush carries on humanitarian work in Africa

After a week of renovating, President George W. Bush and Mrs. Bush opened the Mosi-Oa-Tunya clinic, a cervical cancer facility in Livingstone, Zambia. The trip demonstrates their continued commitment to the people of Africa through the work of the global health initiative at the George W. Bush Institute. June 30-July 1, 2013

GWB has spent his time traveling the country and the world on behalf of human freedom, global health, education, economic freedom, and AIDs research in Africa, something he began while President. In 2008, he received the Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Award for his work in Africa, and in December 2011 he and Mrs. Bush traveled to Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Zambia in their continued commitment to the people.

Not many are aware of Bush’s humanitarian work in other parts of the world. In the summer of 2011, Bono of the rock group U-2 praised Bush for his fight against AIDs in Africa, a stand that has saved over five million lives during the past eight years.

In addition, human rights activist John Prendegast noted that it was during Bush’s administration and with the help of America’s influence that South Sudan was able to successfully obtain peace with the north. Democratic consultant and Fox News contributor Bob Beckel, co-host on Fox News Channel’s “The Five,” praised Bush’s African work and picked him as one of his two all-time favorite presidents.

The President's tee shirt in this photo is a reminder that on the home front, most of the time he has spent with America’s military members is unknown to the public as he greets solders at airports when they return home from service overseas, reaches out to individual families, and works with injured military veterans and the Wounded Warrior Project including the W 100K mountain bike ride.

More about George and Laura Bush's work in Africa can be seen here and here.

Cross-posted at LynnRMitchell.com

Photos by Paul Morse
For the George W. Bush Presidential Center

WaPost: 'Obama yet to leave a lasting legacy for Africa on the scale of Bush and Clinton'

Laura and George W. Bush in Zambia, June 30, 2013.

The pictures are all over Facebook showing Former President George W. Bush and wife Laura traveling Africa this week as they continue their humanitarian mission that began before leaving the White House four years ago.

Slowly but surely liberals have begrudingly had to admit GWB has played a large role in AIDs relief that has been credited with saving millions of lives. The Bushes have been instrumental in other global health advances, too, and are almost revered in that part of the world.

President Barack Obama? Not so much, and the Washington Post has noticed:

Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush passed innovative Africa initiatives while in the White House and passionately continue their development work in the region in their presidential afterlife. Obama’s efforts here have not been so ambitious, despite his personal ties to the continent.

It must be a tad awkward for Obama to find himself in Bush's shadow after spending the first four years of his administration blaming his predecessor for everything that went wrong in America. The Post notes that Obama is five years into his administration and just now on a major tour of Africa, just the second time while President:

His first major tour of Africa as president is coming just now, in his fifth year, while Bush and Clinton are frequent fliers to Africa. Bush even will be in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, next week at the same time as Obama, although they have no plans to meet. Instead, their wives plan to appear together at a summit on empowering African women organized by the George W. Bush Institute, with the former president in attendance.

The people of Africa had expected more from America's first black president after he told them in his first year in office, "I have the blood of Africa in me."

Meanwhile, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush captured the heart of Africa with work that continues to this day:

Clinton first drew extensive attention to Africa in 1998 when he made the longest trip ever by a U.S. president, with stops in six countries that had never before been visited by any occupant of the Oval Office. Bush’s trip this week is his third in 19 months to promote his Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon partnership to combat breast and cervical cancer in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. On this visit, he and his wife, Laura, plan to help renovate a cervical cancer screening and treatment clinic in Zambia before heading to Tanzania for the African First Ladies Summit advocating investment in programs for women and girls.

After a week of renovating, President and Mrs. Bush opened the Mosi-Oa-Tunya clinic, a cervical cancer facility in Livingstone, Zambia. Their trip demonstrates their continued commitment to the people of Africa through the work of the global health initiative at the George W. Bush Institute. June 30, 2013

Photos from the George W. Bush Presidential Center

Eric Cantor encourages citizen legislators with Cosponsor.gov

 Eric Cantor addresses the crowd at his annual Republican Roundup.

In an effort to make it easier for Americans to be more involved in the legislative process, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-7th) launched a new website on Tuesday called cosponsor.gov.

This latest addition to the Citizen Cosponsor Project provides the opportunity to be citizen legislators by cosponsoring bills they support and track them in a user-friendly way, lessening the bureaucratic maze of Washington, D.C. By using social media, Citizen Cosponsors are updated on the status of their bills through a Facebook app as they move through the various stages of the legislative process.

Anne Sorock at Legal Insurrection praised the Majority Leader's presence in social media:

Noticed the trend of legislators going beyond issuing press releases and fully embracing social media to distribute and market their point-of-view?

Rep. Darrell Issa has been especially active in marketing himself and his committee’s activities, including design-heavy graphics and an active twitter account.

Today Rep. Eric Cantor’s office launched a new website, Cosponsor.gov, which allows anyone to show their support for bills by clicking a link to “cosponsor” a given bill.

Dana Perino commented on Tuesday's Fox News Channel's "The Five" about the new user-friendly tool, noting it was a good way to connect citizens with government. Perino was White House press secretary during George W. Bush's administration.

Marking the launch of the new site, Congressman Cantor noted:

“We live in a digital world. As House Majority Leader, I am committed to exploring new and innovative ways to foster a national conversation and improve communication between the American people and their elected officials.

“The launch of Cosponsor.Gov is a sweeping expansion of our Citizen Cosponsor Project. The new website will now feature every bill and resolution introduced in the House, from Republicans and Democrats. I’m excited that any engaged citizen can voice their support, and track the status of legislation in the House.

“The best part of this new website is it’s accessibility and simplicity. You can search by title, sponsor or bill number or browse issue areas and the tracker shows you exactly where the bill stands.

“Whether you want to support new legislation like the Kids First Research Act or show support for legislation that has already passed the House, like the Working Families Flexibility Act, you can do so here.

“Transparency, open government and engagement should be a key goal of all elected leaders in Washington, and Cosponsor.Gov is one step in that direction. Please visit Cosponsor.Gov and tell us what you care about. We are listening.”

The Citizen Cosponsor Project was developed by the Office of the House Majority Leader and is built on Facebook's Open Graph platform. It uses House #OpenData sets released through the House Majority's #OpenGov initiative.

'The GOP and the Conspiratorial Mindset'

The post, "The GOP and the Conspiratorial Mindset," pulls some current political issues out of the shadows as is typical of writer and DC attorney Doug Mataconis who has never been afraid to face difficult subjects head on. His latest post at Outside the Beltway addresses the split going on within the Republican Party.

He began his post by noting the conspiracy theories that have floated in groups that have moved into the GOP:

Ever since Barack Obama became President, indeed while he was still running for office, there has been a cottage industry of conspiracy theories on the right making seemingly outrageous allegations about the President. They’ve ranged from the now familiar birther conspiracy that, even with the release of the President’s long-form birth certificate, still refuses to die, to claims that the Administration was conspiring to confiscate weapons from legal gun owners. For the most part, though, these conspiracy theories were mostly the province of the Internet and a segment of conservatism that most mainstream Republicans tried as best they could to distance themselves from.

His comment, "Mainstream Republicans tried as best they could to distance themselves from" the constant conspiracy theories, resonates. He then documented that some Republican elected officials have bought into those conspiracies, something that may appease a small but vocal portion of the population.

It reminded of an event in Augusta County in 2009.

In April of 2009, one of the first tea party rallies was held in Gypsy Hill Park in Staunton with a group of about 50 gathering to declare their disapproval of ObamaCare. Immediately following that small gathering, another rally was held at Expoland in Fishersville. The building filled with citizens against one-size-fits-all health care who cheered as speakers talked about fighting against its passage in Congress.

Then the truthers began speaking about 9/11 and accused the U.S. Government of being behind the attacks on the Twin Towers. It was a stunning turning point for those attending. Almost in unison, at least three-fourths of the crowd rose from their seats and began filing toward the doors, many shaking their heads and wondering who had organized the event. The organizers were the Constitution Party, another of the groups that are part of the overall tea party federation. Their conspiracy theories drove a previously enthusiastic crowd, concerned about fiscal responsibility, out the doors.

Mataconis ended his post with this sobering comment:

This isn’t to say that every Republican and every conservative is a conspiracy theorist or a birther, of course. There are plenty of them who aren’t and who have a perfectly rational opposition to the President and his policies that doesn’t include the need to allege that he’s involved in some vast conspiracy to destroy the country. The problem is, as it always has been for the past four years, is that these voices tend to get drowned out by the shrill voices of the Obama Derangement Syndrome crowd, and it’s that crowd that becomes associated in the public mind with the party and the movement. That is the price the GOP is paying for giving these people space to grow rather than denouncing him in the manner that they should have been.

I saw Bush Derangement Syndrome from liberals during the administration of President George W. Bush, and did not like it. Now I see my side of the aisle doing the same to President Barack Obama. Sadly, those loud, angry voices tend to drown out the voices of others who understand that this country can better move forward with rational, pragmatic, bipartisan leadership.

See Pineapple contributor Kurt Michael's latest humorous political cartoon: "Pineapples and Coconuts: Angry Coconuts."

Va Political Pineapple ... there's a new blog in town

There's a new blog in town. You might call it pragmatic. You could call it mainstream. You may even call it compassionate conservative. Whatever you call it, there is a need for civil discussion in the political world and that is sadly lacking these days.

When Governor Bob McDonnell's transportation bill passed the Virginia General Assembly earlier this year with a bipartisan vote, the protests from the far-right side of the Republican Party were discouraging as they turned to personal attacks and vitriolic rantings.

As Political Pineapples, what we believe is in our welcome:

Throughout Virginia's history the pineapple has served as a symbol of hospitality and warm welcome.

Over the last several years we have seen a shift in the political environment with a polarization between far-right conservatives and moderate Republicans. In the likeness of Virginia's Governors Bob McDonnell, George Allen, and Jim Gilmore, and Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling, along with Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, Political Pineapples do not compromise their values and core beliefs. However, they are pragmatic and apply Ronald Reagan's 80 percent rule: "The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally -- not a 20 percent traitor."

Being politically pragmatic, we will strive to move Virginia forward. We invite you to join us as we engage in polite and courteous political discourse while promoting tolerance, open dialogue, and bipartisanship for the good of the Commonwealth.

With regular contributors including Kurt Michael, Bob Kirchman, and Lynn Mitchell, as well as guest posts from pragmatic conservatives such as former Delegate Chris Saxman, the Pineapple will offer a place for citizen journalists to offer civil yet thoughtful conversation about topical issues at hand from a pragmatic and sometimes humorous perspective. Check the in-your-face attitude and personal attacks at the door and come armed with facts for a logical discussion in the vein of Reagan's 80-20 Rule, W's compassionate conservative, George H.W.'s pragmatic look at taxes, and McDonnell, Bolling, Allen, and Gilmore's bipartisan leadership.

Stop by the Pineapple. Look around. We hope you'll make us one of your regular stops.

Cross-posted at LynnRMitchell.com

Today: Dedication of George W. Bush Presidential Center

President George W. Bush was a pragmatic conservative leader....

George W. Bush Presidential Center Dedication - Live Webcast

Watch the webcast on this page live April 25, 2013 at 8 a.m. Central time. The Dedication Ceremony begins at 10:00 a.m. Central time.


On April 25, 2013, President and Mrs. Bush will commemorate the completion of the George W. Bush Presidential Center — home to the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum and the George W. Bush Institute.  As part of the Dedication Ceremonies, President and Mrs. Bush will present the Bush Presidential Library and Museum to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum is located on the campus of Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas, and is the 13th Presidential Library.

President and Mrs. Bush look forward to sharing this historic day with all living Presidents, dignitaries and supporters of the Bush Center. President Barack Obama and Mrs. Michelle Obama, President George H.W. Bush and Mrs. Barbara Bush, President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and President Jimmy Carter and Mrs. Rosaylnn Carter will participate in this special ceremony.

The Dedication will be broadcast live on a number of television outlets, please check your local listings for details.

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Watching the ceremony on television?  Be sure to join the conversation on Twitter.

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Ronald Reagan: "Belief in 'We The People' drove his pragmatism and principles"

At Sunday night's Ronald Reagan dinner held by the Charlottesville Republicans, former U.S. Transportation Secretary Jim Burnley, who served during the Reagan administration, was a keynote speaker along with Karl Rove who worked in the George W. Bush White House.

During his remarks, Secretary Burnley noted that President Reagan was a pragmatic leader, as noted on Bearing Drift:

President Reagan was often pragmatic, willing to compromise with Congress to make progress toward his goals, recognizing that it sometimes came, as he said, “in inches and feet.” But when it came to his principles, he was steadfast.

Pragmatic, principled leadership....