Bush Speaks

Surprising headline from the Washington Times: Bush Takes Swipes at Obama Policies .

Surprising Bush hardly takes a swipe at anything:

"I know it's going to be the private sector that leads this country out of the current economic times we're in," the former president said to applause from members of a local business group. "You can spend your money better than the government can spend your money."

Repeatedly in his hourlong speech and question-and-answer session, Mr. Bush said he would not directly criticize the new president, who has moved to take over financial institutions and several large corporations. Several times, however, he took direct aim at Obama policies as he defended his own during eight years in office.

The tone remains the same throughout; Bush responds to questions, not criticizing Obama but commenting about policies. Sounded pretty civil.

The headline is also surprising because it comes from the conservative The Washington Times. Maybe they're feeding red meat to its readers but you expect this kind of thing from the New York Times or Washington Post, both of which seem to howl at any kind of criticism of Obama.