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Keep Pushing the Freedom Agenda

For what it's worth, this is actually what outgoing President George W. Bush plans to do. In addition to giving some corporate speeches to "replenish the ol' coffers," Bush plans to create what he calls a "fantastic freedom institute" at his library at Texas's Southern Methodist University to promote democracy around the world. How fantastic it actually is, is up to Bush. The institute could just be a retirement community for aging neocons, or it could actually do some good.

Although many in the world now reach for their footwear when they see him coming, there are parts of the world where Bush, and his foreign-policy agenda, remain extremely popular. Iraqi Kurdistan and Georgia for instance. In Kosovo's capital, they've even named a street after him. If these countries ever become successful democracies, Bush will certainly be able to claim some credit, but there's a lot of work left to be done. Georgia's government showed a troubling authoritarian side last year, along with a reckless foreign policy. Kosovo's government seems hopelessly corrupt. And Iraqi Kurdistan? Well, there's still the "Iraqi" part.

These places on Bush's freedom agenda need support if they're going to remain free. Convincing new and fragile governments to allow civil society, a free press, and transparency might be easier for someone they already trust -- Bush.

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Get Immigration Reform Passed

If Bush wants to do the right thing for his country and improve the Republican Party's electoral chances at the same time, he should consider becoming a full-time advocate for comprehensive immigration reform. Bush's support for a plan that would combine tougher border enforcement with a pathway to citizenship for the 12 million illegal immigrants already in the United States is roughly in line with the mainstream of both of the country's major parties. What's needed is someone to convince skeptical voters that immigration can have economic benefits, someone preferably who won't be dismissed as a do-gooder multiculturalist. That's one thing Bush has never been called.

It also couldn't hurt the Republicans to pick up some points in the United States' fastest-growing minority group. By and large religious and socially conservative, Hispanics might be natural Republicans. Bush won 35 percent of them in 2000 and 44 percent in 2004. In 2008, Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain won only 31 percent despite his past support for immigration reform. Clearly, the Republican right's xenophobic backlash to immigration reform had something to do with it.

If Bush wants to do his part to reverse his party's fortunes, becoming a spokesman or, dare we say it, organizer for immigration would be a good start.

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Get the Development Wonks and the Church Folk on the Same Page

Humanitarian work was a good fit for former U.S. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. It might be an even better fit for the deeply religious Bush. The president has shown a strong interest in improving access to medicine in Africa and tripled funding for combating AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. But Bush seems ill-equipped to be just another celebrity spokesperson traveling to African villages for photo ops. For one thing, he's not a very popular celebrity.

Bush could make a substantive difference by combining his connections in Washington with his devout Christian faith and ties to religious groups. Why not start an institute to bring together the most innovative development thinkers from Washington think tanks with the faith-based charity groups that have the resources and personnel to implement their ideas? There's no wall of separation between church and civil society. Secular and religious antipoverty campaigners could be a lot more effective if they worked together more often.

Bush's defenders often claim that his efforts to increase U.S. support for disease control and prevention are overlooked by his critics. If Bush wants to cement this part of his legacy, the work begins now.

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Save Sudan

In the closing days of his presidency, Bush took a step that activists have been advocating for months by authorizing an airlift of supplies and equipment for international peacekeepers in Sudan. By committing to action this late in his presidency, Bush is essentially leaving the project for his successor. Though, in a meeting with South Sudanese President Salva Kiir at the White House, he promised to "absolutely" remain engaged with the troubled country after he leaves office.

Bush could begin by taking a second look at the recommendations from Richard Williamson, the U.S. special envoy for Sudan, which his staff rejected last fall. According to New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, Williamson recommended jamming communications in Khartoum, blockading the ports from which Sudan exports oil, and (most controversially) targeting Sudanese military aircraft that defy a U.N. ban on offensive flights. Susan Rice, President-elect Barack Obama's U.N. ambassador-designate, is a passionate advocate of tougher action against Sudan. Teamed with Bush, she could be a formidable force in pressuring the president and Congress to implement at least some of these proposals.

Bush could also cultivate his already cordial relationship with Kiir. If, as many expect, the South votes to formally secede in 2011, Kiir is in position to become a major regional player. Kiir may be no saint, but it certainly couldn't hurt to have a U.S.-friendly leader in this increasingly dangerous corner of the world.

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Bring America's Pastime to the World

Bush might, however, be a bit tired of politics after his eight years in Washington. The former Texas Rangers owner has an encyclopedic knowledge of baseball and rarely seems as at ease as when he's discussing the game. With Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig stepping down in 2012, Bush might have a shot.

If Bush did take the job, he need not abandon world affairs. The baseball industry has taken some steps to capitalize on the sport's international popularity -- almost one third of Major League players are now born outside the United States -- with events like the World Baseball Classic, but the game still lags in popularity behind basketball in huge markets such as China. Bush clearly had a blast hanging out in Beijing during the Olympics. Why not head back with the Yankees and Red Sox for an exhibition game?

Interestingly, America's pastime is also extremely popular in two of the United States' staunchest hemispheric adversaries, Cuba and Venezuela. If a ping-pong match helped break the ice between China and the United States 38 years ago, perhaps a baseball game could start the ball rolling to open up relations between Cuba and the United States. It would be worth it just to see Bush and Castro talking curveballs and sliders in the owner's box.