As we prepare to adios George W. Bush from office, Newsweek wonders whether he's bothered by the mean things John McCain's been saying about him from the stump. Or whether it means anything to Dubya that he'll leave the White House with "the lowest approval ratings of any modern president." Not so much. As in: bummer-free zone. Speaking of. --Robert Wilonsky
Friends say he will likely move back to Dallas, where he and Laura lived before Bush was governor. Texas remains the last frontier of Bush Country. "There is a great deal of affection for the Bush family, and that includes the entire family," says James Francis Jr., a close friend. Francis says Bush will likely write his memoirs and give speeches. But his main focus will be to build his library and a policy institute to promote democracy in the Middle East. Laura Bush, who is said to dislike Washington even more than her husband, is looking forward to reclaiming a more normal life. "She told me she hadn't cooked in 14 years," says Ruth Altshuler, another close Bush family friend. "I really see her taking a few months, if not a year, to get settled and then start slowly to get in the Dallas life," she says. "Everybody is going to want her to be honorary chairman of everything."
