Bush the Gambler

"They will, however, be leaving office, dropping the national tragedies of Katrina, Iraq, and our financial crisis in our laps. Our sacred house of dreams has been abused, looted, and left in a terrible state of disrepair. It needs care; it needs saving, it needs defending against those who would sell it down the river for power or a quick buck. It needs strong arms, hearts, and minds. It needs someone with Senator Obama's understanding, temperateness, deliberativeness, maturity, compassion, toughness, and faith, to help us rebuild our house once again. But most importantly, it needs us. You and me. To build that house with the generosity that is at the heart of the American spirit. A house that is truer and big enough to contain the hopes and dreams of all of our fellow citizens. That is where our future lies. We will rise or fall as a people by our ability to accomplish this task. Now I don't know about you, but I want that dream back, I want my America back, I want my country back."

Chasing the Money

Jennifer Loven writes for the Associated Press: "It took President Bush just 28 minutes to pivot from the nation's economic mess to making up for lost time on the political fundraising circuit.

"Bush signed a $700 billion bill 2:48 p.m. EDT on Friday that was aimed at bailing out tattered Wall Street and getting credit markets across the nation moving again. It was a lightning-fast turnaround between Capitol Hill passage and presidential signature, as the bill had been given Congress' final blessing less than an hour and half before.

"By 3:16 p.m. EDT, the president's motorcade pulled away from the White House on his way out of town, for a weekend of raising money for Republican candidates and relaxing at his ranch in Texas."

Bush Visits Boyhood Home

Dan Eggen writes in The Washington Post from Midland: "Bush returned to this windswept West Texas oil city Saturday . . . hosting a closed-door fundraiser and then, in an unannounced detour, visiting the humble three-bedroom rambler that was, for a while, home to two future presidents.

"Struggling in Washington with two wars, a collapsing economy and record disapproval ratings, Bush seemed a bit wistful after a quick tour of his refurbished boyhood home. Standing on a small patch of front lawn with first lady Laura Bush, the president told reporters that it was a 'heartwarming experience' that reminded him of his vows to never forget his Texas roots."

From the transcript: "[T]his is one of the three homes I lived in, and I kind of remember it. The bedroom -- actually I do remember the wood on the wall that -- in the bedroom."

Bush lived there from age five to nine.

"[I]t's the first time I've been back here since I've been the President, and it's -- it was just a very heartwarming experience.

"You know, I've told my friends here, I said, you know, I'm not going to change as a person because of politics or Washington -- that's what I said when I left. I think they appreciate that. I want them to know that, you know, even though I had to deal with a lot of tough issues, that I'm still the same person that they knew before and that, you know, I'm wiser, more experienced, but my heart and my values didn't change."

The Palin-Cheney Connection

At the vice presidential debate on Thursday, moderator Gwen Ifill asked Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican nominee, about her views on the vice presidency.

Said Palin: "I'm thankful the Constitution would allow a bit more authority given to the vice president if that vice president so chose to exert it in working with the Senate and making sure that we are supportive of the president's policies and making sure too that our president understands what our strengths are."