George W. Bush on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno

President George W. Bush received a standing ovation when he appeared on Jay Leno last night.  For those who missed the interview, I am embedding the opening and the remaining three segments below the jump.   Bush had a few nice jokes interspersed with comments on 9/11, Sarah Palin and his relationship with Bill Clinton. Bush basically takes a pass commenting on whether Palin will run for President saying he is rooting for his brother to run. He also declines to comment on the midterm results. He jokes that he is not in the political pundit business.

If you are pressed for time, I would suggest watching at least the opening of the first. It was nice to see the warm reception he received. The final section, part 4, has Bush commenting on his desire to have a grandchild which wasn't something I had heard him discuss during the rest of the tour. Enjoy:

Sign of the Times: Hot-selling t-shirt on Martha's Vineyard this year is ...

Remember last year's visit to Martha's Vineyard with the gushing coverage and giddy anticipation of the Obama arrival to an island that barely blinks an eye when mere mortal celebrities visit?  Local restaurants created the "Barack-O-Taco," the "Obamarita" and a new ice cream treat was christened "Barack My World."  T-shirts bearing the slogans "Summer White House ’09,”  “Barackin’ the Vineyard Summer ’09," and "I vacationed with Obama" filled the shops and sold like hot cakes.

My how times have changed.  Gone are the goose bumps that greeted the Obama family last year.  Sure the "Obamarita" is back as are the "I vacationed with Obama" t-shirts.  Nothing says  they're "just not that into you" anymore Mr. President like the number one selling t-shirt on the Vineyard this year:

One barometer of the plunge in excitement has been the sale of Obama-themed T-shirts, which designers had been banking on after the craze of last year. Clothing labeled with the president’s name sold by the thousands, helping to salvage a tough economic year for the island.

But this year’s T-shirt sales are much less brisk, merchants say.

“Last year, Obama gave you goose bumps, but I don’t think you’re going to see that this year,’’ said Alex McCluskey, co-owner of the Locker Room, who sold more than 4,000 “I vacationed with Obama’’ T-shirts last year. But so far this year, he said, his hot item is T-shirts of former President Bush asking, “Miss me yet?’’

Who knew a year later Troglopundit's clever creation would be "Ba-rocking the Vineyard" in Summer '10?   Certainly the Democratic strategists and consultants didn't see this one coming:

The advice from Democratic consultants and strategists is almost unanimous: Run away from the president, and fast. A prominent Democratic pollster is circulating a survey that shows George W. Bush is 6 points more popular than President Obama in "Frontline" districts -- seats held by Democrats that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee sees as most vulnerable to Republican takeover. That Bush is more popular than Obama in Democratic-held seats is cause for outright fear.

It looks as though Obama will be as welcome as snow in July on the campaign trail this year which should free him up for plenty of vacations this fall.  He even has his passport handy.  At this point an unexpected vacation or two seems preferable to his staying in Washington to do more damage to the country.  Maybe he and Rahm can open a t-shirt stand together.

When Leadership was Selfless

Here's a story that will make you reach for your Troglopundit "Miss me Yet" automotivator and a handkerchief as we are given a glimpse into the bygone days when Presidents and First Ladies made us proud.  Former President George W. Bush and Laura Bush made a surprise visit troops arriving home from Afghanistan and Iraq at the USO in the Dallas-Fort Worth airport yesterday.   President Bush chatted and mingled with each of the returning soldiers as he thanked them for their service to the country.  

Photos capturing the surprise and delight of the returning soldiers have been posted on Facebook so be sure to see them all there.  There is a growing list of comments on each of the photos as well as the album itself that are wonderful too.  Here are just a few:

Constance Pagan I have always liked that Man!!!!! And YES I MISS HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Kerri Houston Toloczko God bless him - he still cares loves the troops far more than he cares about the cameras. His love and appreciation for our heroes shows all over his face.

Robert Rowe

There is a warmth and generosity about President George and First Lady Laura Bush which ALWAYS comes through in all circumstances. I will NEVER forget the day he borrowed the bullhorn from the fireman to LEAD AMERICA as long as I live. Even in retirement, President Bush and First Lady Laura give us examples of what LEADERSHIP is ... selfLESSness and Gratitude are it's hallmarks.

From the bottom of my heart I thank President and Mrs Bush ... our nation's men and women at arms and the USO for your continuing service to our country.

 Oh and the pictures are pretty great too:

See the rest on Facebook
More on Memeorandum

What Goes Around Comes Around

Reviews are in on Obama's speech last night and it isn't pretty. Perhaps the most scathing assessment came from Obama's own champion cheerleaders at MSNBC. When you lose Matthews, Olbermann and Fineman Mr President, you've got trouble:

Olbermann: "I don't think he aimed low, I don't think he aimed at all. It's startling."

Howard Fineman: Obama should be acting like a "commander-in-chief."

Matthews: Ludicrous that he keeps saying [Secretary of Energy] Chu has a Nobel prize. "I'll barf if he does it one more time."

Matthews: "A lot of meritocracy, a lot of blue ribbon talk."

 There is a certain poetic justice that the kharmic gods have decided to heap on Obama a disaster that not only exposes his supreme inadequacy but at the same time proves the old adage, "what goes around comes around." The American people were ahead of Matthews and Olbie, however, in tearing back the curtain to see the great wizard was a one trick pony:

Though Obama has yet to reach the historic lows in approval Bush experienced after nearly 8 years, two wars and a financial collapse, the latest Rasmussen Report poll shows him well on his way.  When Bush left office 43% strongly disapproved of his performance.  Obama's latest numbers show him neck in neck with Bush on this count, a full 44% strongly disapprove of his performance:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Wednesday shows that 24% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as president. Forty-four percent (44%) Strongly Disapprove, giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -20 (see trends).

Forty-eight percent (48%) of Democrats Strongly Approve while 75% of Republicans Strongly Disapprove. Among those not affiliated with either major party, 12% Strongly Approve and 52% Strongly Disapprove.

Bush hit his lowest numbers after he attempted immigration reform which cost him support among his base.  I think we are seeing the cracks in Obama's base but the question remains will they rally to support him or have the rats started to abandon ship never to return.  Time will tell

Miss Bush Yet?

Evidently many do miss him as proved in a recent PPP poll.  The left-leaning pollster found Americans pretty evenly divided when asked whether they would prefer to have Bush back in office or if they prefer Obama.    This is startling considering that many Republicans and Independents had turned against Bush by the time he left office:

Bush had atrocious approval ratings for his final few years in office, particularly because he lost a lot of support from Republicans and conservative leaning independents. Those folks may not have liked him but they now say they would rather have him back than Obama. 87% of GOP voters now say they would prefer Bush, a number a good deal higher than Bush's approval rating within his party toward the tail end of his Presidency. Democrats predictably go for Obama by an 86/10 margin, and independents lean toward him as well by a 49/37 spread.

Perhaps that explains the results of a hypothetical match up of President Obama and Ron Paul polled by Rasmussen:

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of likely voters finds Obama with 42% support and Paul with 41% of the vote. Eleven percent (11%) prefer some other candidate, and six percent (6%) are undecided.

Ask the Political Class, though, and it’s a blowout. While 58% of Mainstream voters favor Paul, 95% of the Political Class vote for Obama.

But Republican voters also have decidedly mixed feelings about Paul, who has been an outspoken critic of the party establishment.  Obama earns 79% support from Democrats, but Paul gets just 66% of GOP votes. Voters not affiliated with either major party give Paul a 47% to 28% edge over the president.

 While Paul is not my preferred candidate, there is no doubt I would prefer the libertarian-leanings of Paul to Obama's far left progressive agenda.  Hopefully we find the right mix between now and 2012.  Somehow I think we will.

As always the ever-important race is the one that looms before us in November.  The good news for November comes from Sean Trende at Real Clear Politics:

That said, I think those who suggest that the House is barely in play, or that we are a long way from a 1994-style scenario are missing the mark. A 1994-style scenario is probably the most likely outcome at this point. Moreover, it is well within the realm of possibility – not merely a far-fetched scenario – that Democratic losses could climb into the 80 or 90-seat range. The Democrats are sailing into a perfect storm of factors influencing a midterm election, and if the situation declines for them in the ensuing months, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Democratic losses eclipse 100 seats…

The President’s weakness in these states reveals another problem for his party. Since he is weak in Republican areas and swing areas, and yet doesn’t have horrible approval ratings overall, he must be very, very popular among his party’s base. Some polls have his approval ratings among African Americans at 95%. Even in Massachusetts, Martha Coakley managed to win the First, Seventh and Eighth Districts, which are home to the state’s liberals and minorities.

The problem for the Democrats is that these voters are packed into a relatively few states and Congressional districts nationwide, diluting their vote share. This is why the median Congressional district is an R+2 district. Thus, the President could have a relatively healthy overall approval rating, but still be fairly unpopular in swing states and districts. The increased enthusiasm that Obama generated among minorities, the young and the liberal is useful, but only if it is realized in conjunction with Democratic approval in a few other categories.

Trende is a great analyst so read the rest.  There is a caveat, however, Trende tends to agree with other analysts that the picture could change dramatically should we head into a "V"-shaped recovery which would likely aid in boosting Obama's approval numbers.  The bad news, if you can call a "V"- recovery bad news that is, Larry Kudlow sees just that on the horizon.  I would take my chances that Democrats would still get their hats handed to them in spite of a recovery but Kudlow seems to be cheerleading the news ever since he had dinner with Obama.  There is a long way to go on unemployment and it would take a monster job producing economy to turn unemployment around by November.  The best scenario, in my opinion, the economy comes roaring back once we retake the House and maybe even the Senate too.

Awww, Pelosi's Worried About Her Job

Politico has an interesting 3 page report on a brewing family feud between Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama.  It seems that while she had been praising him in public she had been pushing him up until the Massachusetts election.  Since then, she has become a bit more openly critical as she is becoming increasingly concerned that failures to pass Obama's agenda through the Senate has inadvertently left her majority in peril:

Earlier this month, Pelosi criticized the president’s State of the Union call to exempt defense spending from a budget freeze. And in a White House meeting with leaders of both parties this week, she questioned the effectiveness of his plan to give small businesses tax breaks to hire workers.

“What you’re seeing now in public has been building in private,” said a top House Democratic official. “House members did their work — they did everything the president asked of them. And it gets stuck in the Senate. Or the Senate screws it up.”

Pelosi was able to whip her caucus to pass both Cap and Trade and the House Health Care bill by forcing her so-called moderate Blue Dogs to cast their votes for the unpopular bills.  In effect she forced them to walk the plank only to see things fall apart in the Senate.  There seems to be more at play here than anger at the Senate, however.  Pelosi is sensing the White House may find it to their advantage to have a Republican House to preserve Obama's chances for reelection in 2012: