Dwindling Bush Term Hangs Over G8 Summit

WASHINGTON (AP) ― The problems do not get any easier as President Bush attends his final summit with leaders of industrialized democracies. Disputes over global warming, worries about soaring oil prices and uncertainty about Iran and North Korea's nuclear ambitions pose daunting challenges for Bush when he sits down with presidents and prime ministers Monday. There are fewer than 200 days left in his term, and Bush's dwindling presidency is a major factor hanging over the meetings involving leaders from Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canada at a Group of Eight summit in Toyako, on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. With Bush set to depart Washington on Saturday afternoon on a nonstop flight, there is a mix of high challenges and low expectations for the summit. Atop the agenda is reaching a deal that would... [read full story]