Mention the name George W. Bush in mixed company, and you're likely to spark a lot of debate and emotion - hot and cold, good and bad. Not a lot of neutral reaction. He was elected in the most controversial contest in American electoral history and governed during one of the most tumultuous decades.

Elections are about the future. And the GOP will not win a campaign focused on the past.

I'm saying it loud: I'm a Republican who supports gay rights.

There's no question that many factors contribute to voters' perceptions about debates and who wins and who loses.

Negativity drove me out of politics in the mid-Nineties.

Contrary to conventional military and game theory, the most effective offense is sometimes a direct attack against your political opponent's greatest strength - not his weaknesses - to place him immediately on the defensive.

Limited government, low taxes, controlled spending and debt, and a restrained regulatory environment make Texas work.