Laura Misses Obama's First Speech, W Turns Down Hardware Store Job, Bill Gets Vetoed on Test Drive, and Condi Cashes in on Book Deal......

First up today is a recent interview with former First Lady Laura Bush by ABC News. In her first interview since leaving the White House last month, she talked about such topics as life in the private sector, Americans shouldn't give up on Afghanistan, and she forgot to watch Obama's speech to the nation and congress last Tuesday night. If you have 3 minutes to spare, check it out when you get a chance...



In labor news, it was reported in the Wall Street Journal this week that more than 3,000 former Bush-Cheney staff members are contributing to the nation's unemployment numbers - still looking for work. Bush, however, was reported to be offered a part-time job as greeter at a Elliott's Hardware Store in Dallas, Texas. Unfortunately, he turned it down. So he, too, remains jobless. Check out the CNN video...



Bill Clinton was in the news this week. While his wife, Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, travels about the globe, Bill was in Los Angeles eager to test drive the ultra sports car, Tesla Roadster. According to Edmunds.com, the Secret Service, however, acted as the dreaded "cutoff man" in Bill's desire to take the Tesla Roadster for a spin.

General Manager of the Tesla Store in LA, Jeremy Snyder, reports that he was at an event with Bill, who "announced he was eager to take the Roadster for a ride around the block."

"After the event, while others crowded around to take photos, I handed the keys to America's 42nd president and urged him to join in test-driving the coolest car on the planet," wrote Snyder in his Tesla Motors blog. "Unfortunately, at that very moment, the Secret Service told him he had to depart." (Photo courtesy of Tesla Motors.)

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is going to be writing a lot in the next few years. According to the Christian Science Monitor, Condi is cashing in, reported to have signed a $2.5-million, three-book deal with Crown Publishers. Her first book, scheduled for release in 2011, will be a memoir about her years working in the Bush administration.

Condi's other two books will be more personal, as she is planning a memoir about her family. Both those books are scheduled for release in 2012. Rice’s personal story will tell of her childhood in Birmingham, Ala., where she was born in 1954, and attended a segregated school. The memoir will follow on through her adult years as she went on to become provost of Stanford University and then the first black woman to be secretary of state.

That's all for now.
--atg

Hillary Snubs Bill for the New Boss, Gore May Get Sued...

Good day, ATG fans. Our cup runneth over in today's post...

We discovered this entertaining video on YouTube of our new Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, snubbing former President Bill Clinton - her husband! - for a little love from the new boss, President Barack Obama. Guess that's what happens when your glory days are behind you. This event took place a few months ago, so it might be a bit dated. We apologize. But its a prime clip, nonetheless. Also, if you look closely at Obama toward the end of the clip, it seems there's a piece of paper attached to the back of his jacket. Is there a prankster in the midst? Check it out...



In other news, Bill's former second-in-command and environmental megaphone, Al Gore, may be getting sued by 30,000 scientists who don't believe his global warming movement. San Diego's KUSI weatherman, John Coleman, who also founded the Weather Channel, was interviewed by Fox News on this topic yesterday. If you have five minutes, check out the discussion...



And even W is back in the news -- not directly, though. The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at 43 a month or so ago had his day in court to defend himself. According to The Washington Post, here's what Muntadar al-Zaidi had to say in court...

"I did not mean to kill the leader of the occupation forces," Zaidi said, speaking clearly and forcefully from a wooden cage before a packed courtroom. "I was expressing what's inside of me and what's inside the Iraqi people from north to south and from west to east."



Throwing his shoes, fastball style, at the leader of the free world was not, Zaidi argued, a crime.

Zaidi, 30, who is charged with assaulting a foreign head of state, posited that Bush's Dec. 14 trip to Baghdad was not an official visit by a foreign dignitary because he arrived in the country without prior notice and didn't leave the Green Zone, which at the time was still under U.S. control.

Now many Iraqis have created a new tradition and raise their shoes in support of Zaidi. Here's the link to the rest of the article ... http://www.truthout.org/022009N



In the warm and fuzzy news department, it seems that retired Gen. Colin Powell will get an elementary school in El Paso named after him. According to the El Paso Times, local education and civic leaders are honoring the service of the former Secretary of State at a ceremony Friday (today) in Northeast El Paso, where they'll break ground for the new elementary school. This is the fourth Texas public school named for Powell. The other Texas schools named for Powell are elementary schools in Grand Prairie and The Woodlands and an intermediate school in Little Elm.

Ahhh, we feel better, now, ending on that positive note. Thank you, General!
That's all for now.
--atg

Despite Protests, Bill Speaks at San Diego Hyatt...

As promised we have video of the Prop 8 protestors in front of the San Diego Manchester Grand Hyatt, where former President Bill Clinton spoke to the International Franchise Association on Sunday, February 15. At the heart of the issue is Clinton's support for the gay community during his presidency and that very community returning the favor by voting for him for two terms. But now that he spoke at the Manchester Hyatt (owner Doug Manchester supported the "Yes on Prop 8" initiative to ban gay marriages) and not moving his speech to another location, the gay community feels like they were stabbed in the back by Bill. Well, they don't call him Slick Willie for nuthin'. Bill left town without any comment to the media. That's politics. Check out the video below for more details...





It's been well-reported the past couple of days that former VP Dick Cheney is still a bit miffed that former President George W Bush didn't pardon former Chief of Staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby Jr. (pictured) for his illegal activities. (I wonder what the "I" stands for.) Scooter was convicted of four felony counts in March 2007 for obstruction, perjury and lying to investigators looking into the leak of Valerie Wilson’s employment with the CIA. W actually commuted Libby’s sentence, wiping out the 30-month prison term imposed by a judge. But W didn't wipe out the conviction and lesser penalties, which meant Scooter, a once-influential lawyer, can no longer practice. My advice to W, don't go on any hunting trips with Cheney for a while.

Former President Jimmy Carter is still ruffling some feathers - even on his book tour. He told a Phoenix radio station yesterday that he's against Bill Clinton's request for the return of the Fairness Doctrine. The policy, originally introduced in 1949, required that radio and television stations with a broadcast license air contrasting views on matters of public importance. President Ronald Reagan abandoned the doctrine in 1987 because he felt it was unnecessary and unconstitutional. Now Jimmy is supporting that measure as well. We'll see what happens.

Here's a juicy story that's totally meant for ATG. CSPAN conducted a survey of the best to worst presidents ever. Let's give the run down of our past leaders...

1. Lincoln
2. Washington
3. FD Roosevelt
4. Teddy Roosevelt
5. Truman
6. Kennedy
7. Jefferson
8. Eisenhower
9. Wilson
10. Reagan
11. LB Johnson
12. Polk
13. Jackson
14. Monroe
15. Clinton
16. McKinley
17. John Adams
18. George HW Bush
19. John Quincy Adams
20. Madison
21. Cleveland
22. Ford
23. Grant
24. Taft
25. Carter
26. Coolidge
27. Nixon
28. Garfield
29. Taylor
30. Harrison
31. Van Buren
32. Arthur
33. Hayes
34. Hoover
35. Tyler
36. George W. Bush
37. Fillmore
38. Harding
39. WH Harrison
40. Pierce
41. A. Johnson
42. Buchanan

Just because Buchanan was the only president not to be married, doesn't mean he has to bring up the rear - although he did create kind of a mess that sparked the Civil War. As Lincoln succeeded Buchanan as president, how ironic is it that Lincoln is #1 and Buchanan is #42 on this list.

That's all for now.
--atg

Bush Comes Out for a Peek in Canada...

Rising like a Phoenix from his controversial two-term presidency, George W. Bush will pop up in Canada for his first post-presidency speaking engagement. According to ViveLeCanada, Bush is to speak to an anticipated audience of 1,500 at a private event in Calgary on March 17. "W" plans to talk about his take on the world since he left office a month ago.

As for W's First Lady, Laura Bush is getting her own sculpture made. San Angelo (Texas) artist, Scott Susek is creating a life-size sculpture of her to be placed on the steps of a new library near Austin, Texas. Susek was able to meet the First Lady for an hour at her and W's Crawford Ranch. From that meeting he was able to create the life-size statue from clay, sending her photos of its progress and getting feedback from her. The sculpture is essentially finished now but is in the process of being bronzed for the unveiling sometime early this summer. Look forward to those photos.

Guess who's coming to town -- at least for those who live in San Diego? Former President Bill Clinton will step back into the spotlight at the San Diego Manchester Grand Hyatt for a speaking engagement on Sunday, Feb. 15. But wait, he may experience some resistence. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, union officials and gay-rights activists behind a boycott of the Hyatt hotel urged Clinton to cancel his appearance before the International Franchise Association – or at least move to another location. Clinton campaigned against Proposition 8 (same sex marriages which hotel owner Doug Manchester is against) last year and said that if the hotel or owner Doug Manchester had extended the invitation – rather than the trade group – Clinton would not have accepted. But Bill is moving ahead with his speech and will definitely experience a bit of backlash during his visit to America's Finest City. We'll keep you posted and we're sure there will be plenty of video to show.

According to the New York Times, Alan Greenspan, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve, told CNBC in a documentary to be shown tonight (Thursday, Feb. 12) that he did not fully understand the scope of the subprime mortgage market until well into 2005 and could not make sense of the complex derivative products created out of mortgages. Greenspan acknowledged that he could have done something to avert the housing crisis, but he says his hands were tied.

“If we tried to suppress the expansion of the subprime market, do you think that would have gone over very well with the Congress?” Greenspan told CNBC. “When it looked as though we were dealing with a major increase in home ownership, which is of unquestioned value to this society — would we have been able to do that? I doubt it.”

Greenspan said that if he had taken steps to prevent the crisis, the outcome would have been painful.
Hmmm ... could it have been any more painful than what we're going through now? Enjoy your retirement, AG.

Attention: A Jimmy Carter bookstore book signing update! Yes, Jimmy is as busy as ever hawking his "how to" mideast peace book "We Can Have Peace in The Holy Land: A Plan That Will Work." Today the former president stopped in Seattle at the University of Washington Bookstore for a meet and greet - and sign a book or two. He's a busy guy. If you have 9 minutes to kill, check out the video of him in a local Seattle news interview he did during his visit.



And finally, it wouldn't be a complete ATG report without former VP Al Gore receiving an award. So we will not disappoint. The NAACP awarded Gore as an Honoree for his environmental efforts at the organization's 40th Annual NAACP Image Awards Thursday, Feb. 12. Unfortunately, there are no pics for proof, but we'll take their word for it.

That's all for now.
--atg

Gore Gets a Hat Trick...

For being nearly invisible as vice president during the Clinton years, Al Gore has made quite a career for himself as an environmental megaphone. Kind of winning an Academy Award for his "An Inconvenient Truth" documentary (the Oscar actually went to director Davis Guggenheim, Gore gave an acceptance speech) and a Nobel Prize for his global warming efforts (along with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), Gore has managed to add a new jewel to his environmental trophy case - a Grammy. Gore completed his hat trick during last weekend's 2009 Grammy Awards, winning best spoken-word album for the print version of his "An Inconvenient Truth" - thanks to its release as an audio book. Former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, have been in on the spoken-word Grammy in each of the last six years, as well.

Speaking of Jimmy and his post-presidency fame, he his still touring the nation plugging his new book, "We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land", through numerous guest appearances and book signings. Yesterday, the former president was in downtown St. Louis at Left Bank Books for another signing.









Another former VP in the news - it has been reported by Politico that Dick Cheney has already commenced writing his memiors. Like him or not, it should be an interesting read covering his stints as a House member, White House chief of staff, and secretary of Defense - along with vice president for eight years. No release date has been announced.



ATG has just discovered that a plethora of "formers" have been slated to write opinion columns for the The Washington Times. According to the paper, it has launched a new rotating column on its opinion page that will provide essays from conservative voices that include Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush. Now, along with walking the dog, taking out the trash, and mowing the lawn, these three formers will gain a bit more glory in meeting weekly deadlines to turn in their articles - without the paper's editor repeatedly calling and exclaiming, "Mitt, where's your '7 Ways Wastewater Reclamation Can Save Your County Gallons of Cash' article?" Good luck, gentlemen.

Nothing too exciting in this post, but we'll continue to keep a look out for more gems.
--atg

Condi Says "No" to the Pac 10...

Well the former presidents didn't make much news over the weekend, so that means we have to venture out to our "B" list of former diplomats.

Former Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice, who already appeared on ATG earlier, makes a bit of news. According to Sports Biz, Condi was offered the position of Commissioner of the Pac 10 conference. She is an avid football fan and has mentioned in the past that her dream job would be holding the position of NFL Commissioner. Don't think current NFL Commish, Roger Goodell, is going release those reigns any time soon. That said, Condi has turned down the offer and is reportedly returning to teaching at Stanford University - where she previously taught. Sounds like a relaxing gig after relentlessly traveling the globe for nearly a decade trying to put out fires.

In other news, FOX News commentator/shock talker, Glenn Beck has "outed" former Vice President Al Gore as trying to create another Hitler Youth movement. What!? Hold on to your hats for a moment; let's explain - and please don't shoot the messenger. Instead of being Hitler-like and attempting to create a "superior race" (whatever that is), Beck has said that Gore is encouraging kids to become climate storm troopers to further his global warming doctrine. Apparently Gore was recently talking to a group of teens and pre-teens about how the Earth's climate is heating up and adding that they know more than their parents about it. I'm not touching this commentary with a 10,000-ft. weather balloon. But you can check out the following Glenn Beck bit on the YouTube video below. (One side note: Buffalo State College held it's annual national teach in conference on global warming over the weekend. The low temp: -6 degrees. Advice to Buffalo State: Hold this conference in the summer when it's 100 degrees warmer.)



BTW: If you missed it, former President Ronald Reagan's 98th birthday was last Friday, February 6. I know he's not alive, but you gotta say one more "Happy Birthday" to the gipper.

Okay, we here at ATG fell asleep at the wheel regarding the coverage of this juicy story about our former Attorney General, Alberto "Gonzo" Gonzales still being unemployed. According to CNN's Campbell Brown - way back on Feb. 3, it appears that Gonzo is having a bit of a problem finding employment since his days as our country's head lawman. Check out the following clip...



Ok, this next photo has nothing to do with anything - except that it's simply too good not to share: former First Lady Nancy Reagan sitting on Mr. T's lap perhaps around the holidays (Mr. T's Santa suit gives it away). This shot was probably taken back in the day when "The A Team" dominated TV on Tuesday nights. When you dig up something like this, you just gotta do the right thing and share...



Not sure we can top that gem, so we'll quit while we're somewhat ahead.
--atg

"We're gonna be in the Hudson..."

I'm sure many of you know of that powerful quote. Tonight's short post is about a true American hero, Capt. Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot of US Airways flight 1549 that safely landed his plane into the Hudson last month, saving all passengers onboard. Sully, as he's been affectionately called, is still basking in the glory of his miraculous feat -- and rightfully so!

Saw this AP story on YouTube today. Can't resist sharing. Check out the video when you have a moment...



--atg

Gore Takes a Dive with Google...

Not much happening today in the world of past presidents/dignitaries making news. But there was one former leader riding the coat tails of Google today during the company's announcement and release of Google Earth 5.0. This version allows the user to "virtually" dive into the world's oceans for a quick dip -- sans SCUBA gear.

Gore was on hand to help launch the innovative mapping tool at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. At 10AM today Google - and Al - announced how it is using Google Earth to map the world’s oceans, complete with maps of seabeds and underwater imagery that can show the effects of climate change on seas. Right up Al's alley.

Pretty cool stuff.

In other news, former presidential candidate John Edwards' wife, Elizabeth, is writing her memoir entitled "Resilience" -- which will be released in May 2009. In the book, Elizabeth will discuss how she handled her husband's affair while she struggled with cancer. Should be an interesting read.

Going international for this ATG post, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair spoke at Seton Hall University tonight where he spoke about the recent Obama inauguration and looming presidency as a time of inspiration and change. Then proceeded to talk about all the mistakes he made as prime minister during his first few weeks of office. One story goes like this: At a news conference early in his tenure, he said, he answered a French reporter's question about political positions by saying, in bad French, that he "desired the French prime minister in many different positions."

On the lighter side of former political life: According to The Onion, organizers reported Sunday that the 44th White House Carnival was a rousing success, raising a record $800,000,066,845 for the federal government—$800 billion of which came from a dunk tank featuring former vice president Dick Cheney.

According to Secretary of the Treasury and carnival volunteer Timothy Geithner, the 5-foot-deep tank has provided a much-needed boost to the nation's flagging economy.

"We expected a big turn out, but this is unbelievable," said Geithner, adding that it's tradition for the outgoing vice president to work the dunk tank. "More than half the country has already gone, and there's still about 20 million people stretching all the way to Maryland waiting for their chance to sink Cheney. We'll be leaving this booth open for as long as it takes for everyone to get a turn."

For the rest of the story, visit http://www.theonion.com/content/news/cheney_dunk_tank_raises_800.

That's all for now.

--atg

Condoleeza Talks and "W" Gets a Shoe Monument

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers for winning Super Bowl 43 and well done to the Arizona Cardinals for almost pulling off a huge upset. More importantly, it was very cool to see the US Airways pilot and crew being honored before the game. What a great surprise for the crowd and special moment they will always remember. Another surprise was General Patreaus calling the coin toss. Very cool, as well. All of these folks' accomplishments seemed to make the game insignificant -- because that's what it is a game. But it does allow us to escape from reality for a few hours.

So back to the task at hand here at aftertheglory. As stated in the initial blog, we not only take a look at what the former presidents are doing these days, but we're also going to do our best to check out what other past national and global leaders are doing after their glory years. I found a great clip on YouTube of former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, who appeared on The View last Friday (Jan. 30), talking about some highlights and lowlights of her time in the Bush Administration. If you have 9 minutes to spare, she has a few interesting things to say about her time in office. But the most gracious thing she had to say was how grateful she is to her parents for never limiting her in what she could do when she grew up -- especially in the segregated South. Support her or not during her time in office, she has a great story to tell about how she became the nation's first African American female Secretary of State. Only in America! Look forward to her book in a couple of years.

Oh yeah, here is the first half of her interview on The View below. You can catch the second half on YouTube if you have time.

In other atg news, it was reported late last week by AP that Bill Clinton earned more than $6 million in worldwide speaking appearances in 2008. That's what you call "cashing in." These earnings were announced due to Hillary's appointment to Secretary of State. That's some serious bank, though, just for chattin' it up at a few corporate luncheons.

On the lighter side of life in Iraq, a monument to the shoe-throwing journalist who nearly pegged W with both his Hush Puppies during a news conference last month has been erected in his honor outside an orphanage in Tikrit. This no joke! According to The China Daily, the shoe monument, made of fiberglass and coated with copper, consists of the shoe and a concrete base. The entire monument is 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) high. The shoe is 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) long and 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) wide. The orphans helped sculptor al-Amiri build the $5,000 structure.



I don't think we can top this story, so we'll sign off while we're ahead and keep looking for more juicy gems for you.
--atg