| should auld aquaintance be forgot |

At long last, the countdown draws to an end and President George W. Bush leaves the White House for good this Tuesday at noon. There are any number of ways to commemorate this event, but I thought a few choice links gathered over the past few months would be best.

Farewell To All That: An Oral History Of The Bush White House
Vanity Fair’s sometimes frightening collection of memories from Bush administration insiders, spanning the opening days of Bush’s presidency in 2001 to the economic collapse of fall 2008. A must-read.

David Letterman’s Farewell To “Great Moments In Presidential Speeches”
Everyone’s favorite Late Show segment draws to a close in this hilarious compilation of Bushisms over the years.

Keith Olbermann’s “8 Years In 8 Minutes”
A sadder, somewhat necessarily slanted, recollection of the Bush years.

My Dinners With Dubya
Another piece from Vanity Fair, this time an amusing and bizarre twentysomething’s account of hanging out with the first family both before and after 9/11.

Steven Colbert Roasts President Bush
Possibly the most uncomfortable 20 minutes of Bush’s entire presidency.

The Final Days Of The Presidency Of George W. Bush
This New York Times Magazine article was printed during the ‘08 campaign and the first half focuses on Bush’s relationship (or lack thereof) with John McCain. The second half, however, is the more interesting bit and is a fascinating look at the closing months of his presidency.

A President Forgotten But Not Gone
Frank Rich has provided some of the best opinion columns in the New York Times over the last few years. This swan song to the Bush presidency is a fitting close.

| a cup of kindness yet |

I’d be remiss not to share some links that also give us a better look at the upcoming president. One interesting fact is that Obama will take his oath of office on Abraham Lincoln’s inaugural bible and, surprisingly, will be the first to do so since Lincoln himself in 1861.

Barack Obama: How He Did It
Newsweek’s extensive look at the 2008 presidential campaign with insider stories from the people who were there. This impressive 7-part feature covers the Obama, Clinton, and McCain campaigns. A great read.

Six Key Speeches By Barack Obama
Doing what he do. Videos of Obama’s best speeches.

Obama Aides Map First 100 Hours
A peek at what Obama hopes to accomplish in the opening days of his presidency.

White Like Me
Frank Rich (once again) on Obama’s upcoming inauguration and the issues of race still left unsettled more than 40 years after the Civil Rights Movement.

Joe Biden On Iraq War Resolution
When I first started supporting Joe Biden for president in early ‘07, a lot of friends asked me why (most were either supporting Clinton or Obama at the time). This video from 2007 is probably the best short answer to that question and why I like to call him Fightin’ Joe Biden. Obama couldn’t have picked a better VP.