Topic: George H.W. Bush

In Pictures Why America won't raise taxes

The Monitor's View Libya: test case for the 'Obama doctrine'

President Obama was clear and decisive in his speech about Libya. But that does not mean the way ahead is easy. The 'Obama doctrine' of ceding more responsibility to coalition partners has its risks.
03/29/2011 04:36 pm

Geraldine Ferraro: V.P. candidate inspired a generation of women

Geraldine Ferraro, who passed on Saturday, broke political ground when she ran for the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Walter Mondale in 1984. They lost to Reagan-Bush, but she inspired a generation of women to go into politics.
03/26/2011 05:30 pm

No Child Left Behind: Why Congress will struggle to hit Obama's deadline

President Obama wants No Child Left Behind revised by the fall. The Senate is working toward a bipartisan compromise, but House Republicans want to shrink the federal role in education.
03/14/2011 11:10 pm

Why Libya's Qaddafi could survive like Saddam in 1991

Rather than the euphoric victories in Tunisia and Egypt, Libya's conflict now evokes another uprising: Iraqis' 1991 failed bid to overthrow Saddam Hussein, who ruled for another 12 years.
03/08/2011 12:40 pm

Opinion Foreign aid isn't foreign. It's American.

Republicans bent on cutting foreign aid have forgotten their patriotic, moral duty. We better ourselves and bring pride to the US by feeding the starving, healing the sick, teaching the young, housing the exposed, and supporting democracy. And we help prevent terrorism.
03/03/2011 11:17 am

Walter Rodgers As Arab strongmen exit, will democracy really take root?

In Western history, state churches had to be weakened, monarchies discarded, and the 'divine right of kings' forfeited for democracy to grow. Which institutions and traditions are Arab nations prepared to give up? Something more than strongmen have to go if the new is to replace the old.
03/03/2011 09:55 am

Is Obama unbeatable in the 2012 presidential election?

The economy appears to be heading in the right direction, albeit slowly. Add to the mix Obama’s formidable skill as a campaigner, and the 2012 presidential election might tilt his way.
03/01/2011 09:06 am

Can a new 'national civility institute' calm political rancor?

George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton will oversee the National Institute for Civil Discourse in Arizona, sparked by the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. But history shows it faces an uphill battle.
02/21/2011 12:21 pm

Maya Angelou, George H. W. Bush among those who received Medal of Freedom

Maya Angelou and George H. W. Bush were among those to receive the highest civilian honor in the US. President Obama awarded George H. W. Bush, athletes, civil rights activists, humanitarians, and artists such as Maya Angelou the Medal of Freedom.
02/17/2011 12:41 am

In Pictures Mubarak's rule

Reagan's 100th birthday: 10 defining moments

American's 40th president, Ronald Reagan, would have turned 100 on Sunday. He presided during the last legs of the cold war and argued for smaller government. As much of the US political world notes the centennial of his birth, here are 10 things that define Reagan, and through which, he helped define the world.
02/05/2011 09:20 am

The Vote Challenger explosion: How President Reagan responded

A quarter century ago, the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after takeoff. President Reagan's reaction framed the response of the nation.
01/28/2011 12:26 pm

State of the Union: The crafting of a speech

A former White House speechwriter tells what goes into drafting the State of the Union address and how the annual message to Congress has changed since the days of quill pens.
01/24/2011 10:05 am

Monitor Breakfast VIDEO: Senator Lugar asks: 'Who's in charge' of the Chinese military?

Hanging over Chinese President Hu Jintao’s state visit in Washington this week: Does he control the People's Liberation Army?
01/18/2011 01:40 pm

Gabrielle Giffords case: Second man sought in mass Arizona shooting

Gabrielle Giffords still in critical condition. The motive of the suspect, Jared Lee Loughner, is still a mystery in the shooting of Giffords, a Democrat who supported the health-care bill.
01/09/2011 12:41 pm

Holiday polls add little political cheer to Obama's Hawaiian vacation

President Obama's approval rating after two years in office is higher than President Clinton's was at the same time, but the latest poll ratings are mixed political news.
12/30/2010 01:13 pm

Gallup poll: Top 5 men and women admired by Americans

Gallup released its annual “Most Admired” poll Monday. Since the organization started surveying people about this in 1946, sitting presidents have held the No. 1 spot for men 52 times. How did President Obama fare in the 2010 ranking? Read on to learn who earned the Top 5 spots for both men and women in the Gallup poll.
12/27/2010 05:55 pm

The Vote Obama vacation: What flavor shave ice will he order?

President Obama joined his family in Hawaii late Wednesday, anticipating an 11-day vacation. Forget tax-cut deals and nuclear weapons treaties. The Obama vacation is all about shave ice.
12/23/2010 12:31 pm

New START treaty: Final vote could be Wednesday

The Senate voted 67 to 28 Tuesday to move to a final vote on the new START treaty. Ratification would constitute a big political victory for a president who took a beating in the midterm elections.
12/21/2010 06:49 pm

START debate: 3 things nuclear arms treaty would do, 3 things it won't

On the grand scale of nuclear arms reduction, the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty President Obama signed with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev last April – known in Washington shorthand as New START – is considered a modest document. Yet it has become a lightning rod for contentious debate over related issues like missile defense and US-Russia relations, which the treaty does not directly address. The push is on for the Senate to ratify New START before the lame-duck session ends. The treaty is endorsed by former President George H.W. Bush (R), whose support may offset the suggestion that New START’s ratification would mainly be a foreign-policy boost to a Democratic president whom the Republicans just a month ago had on the ropes. Here’s a look at three things New START would accomplish – and three things it would not.
12/20/2010 07:30 pm

Obama invokes Reagan to push START nuclear arms treaty with Russia

Most national security experts and former arms control officials of both parties favor the START nuclear weapons treaty with Russia. But some Republicans are opposed, and it takes 67 votes.
12/18/2010 01:54 pm

In Pictures Putin's puppy

Bloomberg for president? Nolabels.org could be just the vehicle.

New York's mayor is says he is not – 'no way, no how' – running for president. But his role in the nonpartisan political movement Nolabels.org raises speculation.
12/13/2010 07:16 pm

The Vote Ten years after Bush v. Gore, the fight goes on

Al Gore won the popular vote by more than 500,000. But it was the contentious recount in Florida – halted by the Supreme Court – that gave it to Bush. What that meant still is being argued.
12/12/2010 02:11 pm