Where are they now?

While many Americans are finding themselves looking for new jobs, maybe even new careers, there are some high-profile folks who are having to adjust to unemployment in the public eye. As Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton start to settle in to their gigs, what's going on with the people they replaced?

George W. Bush
"I'm looking for a job," George W. Bush told surprised employees and staff at Dallas' Elliott's Hardware. In a brilliant PR move, the store wrote an open letter to Bush that appeared in local papers, jokingly informing the former leader of the free world that they had an opening as a store greeter. Bush, known for his sense of humor, responded happily with patronage (and, of course, the entourage and press that comes with it).

Flashlights and batteries were on the shopping list that day, the former president told one employee, as he and wife Laura were just moving into their 8,500-square-foot Preston Hollow home — with neighbors like Mark Cuban and T. Boone Pickens. The former president was "nicer than any person you'd ever want to know," one employee told a local TV station.

But Bush certainly has more on his mind than duct tape and paint chips. Don Evans, who served as his commerce secretary, told the Dallas Morning News:

"They're adjusting quickly to this new life, to being out of the White House, and out of the proverbial bubble. ... He's got two or three really important priorities on his mind. One, he has to earn a living ... so he'll be on the speaking tour. He's into writing his book. Thirdly is the importance of building the presidential center, particularly the [policy] institute" at SMU.

Condoleezza Rice
The former secretary of state has certainly done her fair share to stay in the spotlight since leaving her post. She quickly signed on with the William Morris talent agency and made her rounds in a number of exit interviews. A loyal aide to the end, Rice vehemently defended President Bush and the administration. While on "The View," the media-savvy Rice went straight from a question about her love for TIVO'ing "American Idol" to regretting how the Iraq war was based on never-found weapons of mass destruction. She has truly been covering all the bases.

But Rice apparently has more — much more — to say. She just inked a three-book deal with Crown Publishers, which is reported to be worth at least $2.5 million. The first book will be a memoir about her years working in the Bush Administration, the second will be a memoir about her family, and the third will be a young-adult version of the family memoir. While the memoir about her time as secretary of state might sound like the meatier of the two, her own history is far from dull. As AP reports:

She is also seen as having an interesting personal story, rising from a segregated community in Birmingham, Ala., to become provost of Stanford University and eventually the first black woman to be secretary of state.

Dick Cheney
Post-White House life has been anything but quiet for the notoriously tight-lipped former vice president. Dick Cheney wasted no time in knocking the actions of the new White House residents. Blasting the Obama administration's intention to close Guantanamo, Cheney recently told Politico there was a "high probability" that terrorists would attempt a major attack in coming years.

Protecting the country's security is "a tough, mean, dirty, nasty business," he said. "These are evil people. And we're not going to win this fight by turning the other cheek."

David Axelrod, a senior advisor to President Obama, responded just as quickly to Cheney's statements, telling "Meet the Press":

"President Bush could not have been more generous in the transition.... When he left he said, 'I'm rooting for you guys. I hope you do well.' I believe that. Apparently the memo didn't go down the line."

But just as reports of a fly-fishing controversy and battle with former boss Bush over the pardoning (or lack-thereof) of "Scooter" Libby surfaced, Cheney also said he was looking on the bright side for the Grand Old Party. He explained, "I'm not nearly as pessimistic about the party as some of my friends," and said the Republican Party had plenty of up-and-coming leaders to look forward to:

So the pendulum will swing back. It's part of a normal cycle that's probably basically healthy for the country, long term. ... In adversity, there is opportunity.

Karl Rove
Karl Rove may have left the Bush administration in 2007, but "the architect" has found more than a few ways to stay relevant and in the public eye. At the news conference announcing his departure, Rove said, "Mr. President, I'm grateful for the opportunity you gave me to serve our nation. I'm grateful to have been a witness to history." But he's made his own fair share of history since then. During last year's marathon presidential election, Rove was an oft-quoted political analyst for Fox News and election writer for Newsweek. And his Wall Street Journal editorials never failed to ruffle a few feathers.

He's even embracing the Internet age — so much so that Politico named him one of Washington D.C.'s 10 most influential Twitterers. He entertains his thousands of followers with personal musings and political persuasions:

This more transparent, funny side of Rove has taken many Bush bashers by surprise, prompting Daily Beast contributor Rachel Sklar to ask: “Can one of the most divisive men in America actually change his image — 140 characters at a time?" Commenters scoffed. But as the GOP settles into life as an opposition party, Rove’s quick and dirty dispatches could prove useful to Republicans looking for a way back.



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