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Clinton and Bush are set to appear at Radio City Music Hall Wednesday.

(Update 4 pm ET: A Clinton spokesman confirms to CNN the event has now been canceled. Full story)

(CNN) - Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton are set to appear at Radio City Music Hall in February - though if history is any guide, the matchup is likely to produce few fireworks.

The famous New York City venue announced Wednesday the two former presidents will share the same stage February 25, nine months after the ex-presidents shared a similar stage in Toronto, Canada.

A ticket to what Radio City is calling "the hottest political ticket in history" will cost anywhere form $60 to $1,250. Though $1,250 may seem on steep side for the 90 minute event, a VIP ticket includes a pre-show reception with the two former presidents along with the evening's yet-to-be-announced moderator. Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres will also be served and each guest will have a chance to pose with the former commanders-in-chief.

The two were largely chummy during the last joint appearance at the Toronto event in May. At one point, former President Bush joked that his mother, Barbara Bush, told him Clinton "was like a son to her" because of all the time he was spending with Bush's father.

"So brother, it's good to see you," Bush said then.

During that event, at which tickets cost an eye-popping $2,500, Clinton also showered praise on the former president on a host of issues.

"What he did on the AIDS drugs and the diversity in the cabinet … he deserves a lot of credit," he said.

The New York event is likely to be a lucrative one for both former presidents - each usually charge well over $100,000 in appearance fees. But Radio City isn't officially disclosing how much the former president's are being compensated.

Matt McKenna, a spokesman for former President Clinton, made clear the New York event will not be a heated debate.

"Just a moderated conversation...no fireworks," he said.

Follow Alex Mooney on Twitter @awmooneycnn

President Obama says he values the confidence of his predecessors.

(CNN) – Despite their opposing political views, President Obama says he’s kept in touch with former President Bush since moving into the White House.

Asked by CSPAN if he’s had any conversation with Bush since the inauguration, Obama replied, “I have.”

“I think that although I've only been president four months, I think a general policy of keeping confidence with your predecessors is important,” Obama said in an interview aired Saturday.

Just this week, Obama slammed the Bush administration for taking America “off course” in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attack. In a speech on national security Thursday, he said his administration has been forced to deal with “a mess” that was left for them.

Obama told CSPAN that after 9/11, the government “cut too many corners and made some decisions that were contrary to who we are as a people.”

“I think there were adjustments that were made even within the Bush administration to try to deal with some of those mistakes. There are still consequences, though, to some of those earlier poor decisions, and I think Guantanamo was one of them. And it's a messy situation. It's not easy,” he said.

While Bush has largely stayed out of the fray, former Vice President Dick Cheney has been a vocal critic of some of Obama’s policies. Following Obama’s address, Cheney also gave a speech on national security. Cheney stood up for the Bush administration's security record, arguing that Obama has weakened the country's ability to combat al Qaeda and other extremists.

Bush, however, did not watch the dueling speeches. A source close to Bush said the former president was traveling at the time, enroute to New Mexico where he was the keynote speaker at a fund raising dinner for a scholarship program for students at Artesia High School.

Bush raised $100 million for his library, Time Magazine reports.

George W. Bush often has said that historians will vindicate his presidency. And since he left office, he's moving fast to give them the tools.

Longtime financial backers of the 43rd president have raised more than $100 million for a presidential library at Southern Methodist University in Dallas that will house his official papers, sources close to Bush told TIME. Much of the money was collected in the 100 days or so since Bush left the White House, a pace much faster than that of his recent predecessors. At least so far, none of it has come from overseas, the sources said.

The Bush fundraising effort, compared to that of his predecessor, is off to a brisk start. Bill Clinton's library planners had hoped to receive pledges of $100 million within a year of the end of his presidency, but a pardons scandal delayed that achievement for another year, said Skip Rutherford, who chaired the Clinton library committee.

Full story from Time

Obama will travel to Canada on Thursday, his first international trip as president.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – On the eve of President Barack Obama's first trip outside of the United States, a new national poll suggests that Americans think that world leaders have far more respect for him than they did for former President George W. Bush. But the Gallup survey, released Wednesday, indicates little improvement from last year in the number of respondents who are satisfied with America's standing in the world.

President Obama travels to Canada Thursday, where he’ll discuss trade issues and world affairs with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Sixty-seven percent of those questioned in the poll released on the eve of that trip say they think world leaders respect the new president. That compares with just 24 percent who said the same thing about President Bush a year ago.

The results come from Gallup's world affairs survey, which has been conducted each February since 2001.

The poll suggests American believe the president will have to work hard to improve America's international standing. Forty-five percent of those questioned think the U.S. rates favorably in the eyes of the world. That's roughly the same as the 43 percent who felt that way last year, under President Bush. And just 32 percent said they are satisfied with the standing of the United States in the world - barely higher than the 3 in 10 who felt the same way a year ago.

"Americans have a realistic view of what it will take to improve the view of the United States abroad," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "People in other countries didn't like George W. Bush, but they also didn't like his policies. Electing a different president may be step one, but step two won't occur until the new president changes U.S. policy, and that hasn't happened yet."

The Gallup poll was conducted February 9-12, with 1,022 adults questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Laura Bush spoke out about the shoe incident in an interview with 'Fox News Sunday.'

(CNN) - First Lady Laura Bush said that although she “wasn’t amused” when an Iraqi journalist threw shoes at her husband, she sees the incident as a sign that “Iraqis feel a lot freer to express themselves.”

Earlier this month, an Iraqi journalist threw shoes at President Bush during a news conference in Baghdad. Bush ducked, and the shoes, flung one at a time, sailed past his head.

“It was an assault. And that's what it is,” the first lady said in an interview that aired Sunday on “Fox News.”

“And the president laughed it off. He wasn't hurt. He's very quick. As you know, he's a natural athlete. And that's it. But on the other hand, it is an assault, and I think it should be treated that way,” she said.

During the incident, the shoe-thrower - identified as Muntadhar al-Zaidi – could be heard yelling in Arabic: "This is a farewell ... you dog!" Al-Zaidi is an Iraqi journalist with Egypt-based al-Baghdadia television network.

Hurling shoes at someone, or sitting so that the bottom of a shoe faces another person, is considered an insult among Muslims.

Asked if she thinks someone who attacks another person should be released, Bush said, “that’s going to be up to the Iraqis.”

“And they'll do whatever. But I know that if Saddam Hussein had been there, the man wouldn't have been released. And he probably wouldn't - you know, would have been executed.

“So it is - as bad as the incident is, in my view, it is a sign that Iraqis feel a lot freer to express themselves,” she said.

Muntadhar al-Zaidi goes on trial Wednesday (Dec. 31) on charges of assaulting a foreign leader. Conviction could mean a prison sentence of up to two years.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says 'there is no greater honor than to serve this country.'

(CNN) – Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that despite President Bush's low approval ratings, people will soon "start to thank this president for what he's done."

So we can sit here and talk about the long record, but what I would say to you is that this president has faced tougher circumstances than perhaps at any time since the end of World War II, and he has delivered policies that are going to stand the test of time," Rice said in an interview that aired on CBS' "Sunday Morning."

The secretary of state brushed off reports that suggest the United States' image is suffering abroad. She praised the administration's ability to change the conversation in the Middle East.

"This isn't a popularity contest. I'm sorry, it isn't. What the administration is responsible to do is to make good choices about Americans' interests and values in the long run - not for today's headlines, but for history's judgment," she said.

"And I am quite certain that when the final chapters are written and it's clear that Saddam Hussein's Iraq is gone in favor of an Iraq that is favorable to the future of the Middle East; when the history is written of a U.S.-China relationship that is better than it's ever been; an India relationship that is deeper and better than it's ever been; a relationship with Brazil and other countries of the left of Latin America, better than it's ever been ...

"When one looks at what we've been able to do in terms of changing the conversation in the Middle East about democracy and values, this administration will be judged well, and I'll wait for history's judgment and not today's headlines."

Asked by CBS' Rita Braver why some former diplomats say Americans are disliked around the world, Rice said that's "just not true."

Full story

CNN=Politics Daily is The Best Political Podcast from The Best Political Team.

(CNN) – In the latest installment of CNN=Politics Daily, Pulitzer prize-winning author Ron Suskind claims that the White House went to disturbing lengths to justify the War on Terrorism. CNN’s Brian Todd reports on the accusations within the author’s controversial new book.

Will Dick Cheney attend the Republican National Convention in Minnesota? CNN’s Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider takes a look at the GOP’s recent snub of the VP and how McCain’s camp factors into his attendance of the event.

Plus: Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is confronted with the age limit question during a townhall debate. CNN’s Jessica Yellin reports on how the Illinois senator navigated around this “tricky question.”

Finally: Presumptive presidential nominees John McCain and Barack Obama have sharp policy differences on how to deal with the nation’s growing energy crisis—Including their positions on nuclear power. CNN White House Correspondent Ed Henry has the latest on the candidates’ recent attacks on their opponent’s energy policies while on the campaign trail.

Click here to subscribe to CNN=Politics Daily.

President Bush celebrated his birthday on Air Force One with first lady Laura Bush and White House staff members.

HOKKAIDO, Japan (CNN) – It was a birthday celebration in the skies, as President Bush turned 62 aboard Air Force One while en route to Japan where Bush is attending the summit of the Group of Eight industrialized nations.

First Lady Laura Bush and White House staff members gathered in the conference room on Air Force One late Saturday night eastern time, where a steward dimmed the lights as the crowd waited for the birthday celebrant to arrive, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said.

On the table was a "large" coconut cake with a single burning candle and the words "Happy Birthday President Bush" on it.

The crowd called out "surprise" as President Bush walked into the room and then sang Happy Birthday, Perino said.

Bush "dutifully pretended to be surprised" and blew out the candle, Perino said. It was not known whether he made a birthday wish.

After cutting and serving the cake, the health-conscious president ate a "small" piece of birthday cake, she said.

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Actor Kevin Spacey talks about his new movie "Recount" and the 2008 presidential race with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

Gary Hart strongly defended Barack Obama, calling Bush's remarks hypocritical.

(CNN) - Former senator and presidential candidate Gary Hart became the latest Democratic elder to denounce President Bush’s remarks from Israel on Thursday, calling the president’s speech "incredibly hypocritical."

"We all know that the administration has had contact with and is advocating contact with Hamas and other organizations,” Hart told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Late Edition. "So it was incredibly hypocritical."

While speaking to the Israeli parliament at a celebration of Israel’s 60th Anniversary, President Bush said: “Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have heard this foolish delusion before.”

Many Democrats took these comments to be a veiled attack on Barack Obama’s foreign policy. Former presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden, D-Delaware, called the president’s comments “bulls**t“ and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said his actions were “beneath the dignity of the office of president.”

Obama responded to Bush’s comments on Friday by saying that they were “the kind of appalling attack that's divided our country and that alienates us from the world.”

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President George Bush and first lady Laura Bush pose with daughters Jenna and Barbara. (White House Photo)

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Against the backdrop of a stunning Texas sunset, near a lake on the Bush family's 1,600-acre ranch, President Bush walked his daughter, Jenna, down the aisle to her groom, the White House said.

Jenna, 26, married Henry Hager, the son of a well-connected Virginia Republican.

"The wedding was spectacular. It was all we could have hoped for," the president said Sunday before boarding Air Force One.

"We're mighty blessed."

Wearing a white silk organza Oscar de la Renta gown, the bride stood with the groom before a beige-colored cross and altar made of Texas limestone.

Read more here