Free Republic

During his first week in office President Barrack Obama declared America was no longer a Christian nation. During his 2011 Thanksgiving address to the American people he reflected “how truly lucky we truly are.” Instead of offering thanksgiving to the provision and guidance of the Lord God Almighty, President Obama declared the true meaning of Thanksgiving as “Americans drew strength from each other.” Recently the White House held a two-week early celebration of the Jewish Festival of Lights to “cement America’s support and commitment to the security of Israel.” However, did the President actually use this occasion to once again...

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker resisted pressure from the White House and joined other Republican senators today in blocking President Barack Obama's nominee to lead a new federal agency set up to stop abuses by the financial industry. GOP senators filibustered the nomination of former Ohio attorney general Richard Cordray to be director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The 53-45 vote fell short of the 60 votes needed to overcome the GOP opposition and confirm Cordray for the position. The agency was created under the Wall Street reforms Obama signed into law last year and...

“The Imperial Presidency” was written in 1973 out of Arthur Schlesinger’s concern that the U.S. presidency had exceeded its constitutional limitations. If Schlesinger were merely concerned in 1973, he’d be downright terrified today. According to Trevor Loudon’s blog, New Zeal, an American Caesar has emerged on the political landscape in the form of our current commander-in-chief. New Zeal bases its premise on the Presidential Appointment and Streamlining Act (S. 279), which is stampeding through the Senate with Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., clutching at its reins. Since its introduction, seven Republicans jumped on board in support.The stated purpose of the bill is...

Jon Kyl's sudden retirement announcement has set off a domino effect on the ambitions of several Senate Republicans.  When Senator Kyl retires in 2012, he will be vacating the position of Senate (Majority, most likely) Whip, in addition to his Arizona Senate seat.  Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander (RINO, TN), the 3rd ranking member in the GOP leadership, has announced that he will seek the Whip position.  Senator John Cornyn, the Chairman of the NRSC, will challenge Alexander for that key leadership role.  Also, if Alexander vacates his current position as Conference chair, there will be a race to succeed him....

WASHINGTON —A radio reporter in the classic movie 'Mr. Smith Goes To Washington' dramatically tells his listeners that filibuster action in the U.S. Senate is 'democracy's finest show.' That might have been true in director Frank Capra's world. But in today's ultra-partisan Washington, the show is in danger of being canceled, or at least cut short. A group of Senate Democrats frustrated by Republicans' success in using the filibuster to thwart President Barack Obama's agenda is pushing for new rules to limit the parliamentary tool, which enables a single senator to hold up a piece of legislation by talking on...

Backroom deals won’t do Tennessee much good if America’s national security is compromised. Tennessee Senators Lamar Alexander (R) and Bob Corker (R) must not have considered national security when they decided to vote in favor of ratifying the dangerous New START Treaty. They also failed to research Russia’s alliance with countries like Iran, China, North Korea and Venezuela. It appears the Tennessee Senators were interested in bringing home the pork at the expense of our nation’s security. Zachary Roth’s December 23rd article states: “It will likely include more than $6 billion dollars for a uranium processing facility, to be built...

But the modernization isn't likely to be carried out in anything like a rational, cost-effective way..... It will likely include more than $6 billion dollars for a uranium processing facility, to be built at the Y-12 weapons compound in Oak Ridge, Tennessee..... Indeed, the states' two GOP senators, Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander, both said that money for modernization -- and therefore, in all likelihood, pork for their district -- was a key condition of their support.

Senate Republican Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander will travel Friday to Delaware to campaign for tea party favorite Christine O'Donnell in her uphill Senate race against Democrat Chris Coons. O'Donnell "will help provide a badly needed check and balance on a runaway federal government that has given us too much spending, too many taxes, too much debt and too many Washington takeovers," the Tennessee Republican said in a statement. Alexander is scheduled to attend an event with O'Donnell in the morning, a Republican operative said, although the location and other details were unclear. Alexander and other top Republicans have been criticized...

SNIPPET: "Four of them - German citizens identified only as Tarek Alexander H., Daniel P., Renee Marc S. and Jonas T. - face charges of supporting al-Qaida, al-Qaida in Iraq and Ansar al-Islam, and membership in a criminal organization. Another four face those charges and additionally are accused of trying to recruit members or supporters for al-Qaida or al-Qaida in Iraq. In keeping with German privacy rules, they were identified only as Harun Can A., Salim Mohammed A. and Vivian S., all German citizens; and Emin T., a Turkish national. The key figure in the founding and organization of the...

Tennessee’s U.S. senators are among the richest of the 535-member Congress, according to newly released financial disclosures. U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., added more than $1 million to his wealth in 2009. With a worth last year of at least $18.3 million, he’s the 16th-richest member of Congress, according to an analysis by The Hill, a Washington, D.C., political newsletter. U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., reported no change last year but remained among the wealthiest senators, with a net worth of at least $12.1 million, The Hill reported. Among The Hill’s 50 wealthiest members of Congress, three were from Georgia...

Citing her treatment of military recruiters as dean of Harvard Law School, Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said this morning that he will vote against Solicitor General Elena Kagan for a spot on the U.S. Supreme Court. He joins another senator from the Mid-South, Roger F. Wicker, R-Miss., in expressing opposition to President Barack Obama’s nominee. “I voted against the president’s nomination of Elena Kagan to be Solicitor General and I will vote against her confirmation to the Supreme Court for the same reason: I remain deeply troubled by her aggressive opposition to allowing military recruiters the same access to Harvard...

The Washington Post ombudsman on Sunday chided his newspaper for ignoring the voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party, saying The Post remained "virtually silent" as the story developed in recent weeks. The newspaper carried a full-length news article about the case on Thursday. But ombudsman Andrew Alexander wrote that readers have been contacting him "for months" wondering what was taking so long for The Post to show interest in the controversy. "The Post didn't cover it. Indeed, until Thursday's story, The Post had written no news stories about the controversy this year," Alexander wrote. "That's prompted many...

The rise of the Tea Party movement, the defeat of Bob Bennett, the victory of Rand Paul -- all these have all been driven by a popular backlash against runaway spending in Washington. The Republican Party's hopes of retaking Congress rest on its ability to convince conservative and independent voters that the GOP will restore fiscal discipline if trusted with power this fall. Yet take a close look at the people sitting around the table at the Senate Republican leadership meetings. There are nine senators at that table -- and all but three are members of the powerful and exclusive...

"Russian 'Bin Laden' killed by Moscow's special forces Russia exulted in the death of a terrorist dubbed "the Russian Bin Laden," yesterday claiming it has proof he was behind a deadly train bombing last November that left 28 people dead." By Andrew Osborn in Moscow Published: 7:11PM GMT 07 Mar 2010 SNIPPET: "The FSB intelligence service said a special forces operation had resulted in the death of Sheikh Said Buryatsky, an Islamist convert whose real name was Alexander Tikhomirov."

Today’s healthcare summit at Blair House in Washington D.C. today was simply for in all honesty a COMPLETE FARCE. From start to finish, it was waste of not only the taxpayer’s money, but also of precious tv time that could be better spent on cutting taxes and reducing spending on the government level so that the private sector could begin to produce jobs again.

Alexander's men wore linothorax, a highly effective type of body armor created by laminating together layers of linen, research finds. A Kevlar-like armor might have helped Alexander the Great (356–323 B.C.) conquer nearly the entirety of the known world in little more than two decades, according to new reconstructive archaeology research. Presented at the annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America in Anaheim, Calif., the study suggests that Alexander and his soldiers protected themselves with linothorax, a type of body armor made by laminating together layers of linen. "While we know quite a lot about ancient armor made from...

WASHINGTON — The third-ranking Senate Republican said Wednesday the Obama administration appears to be launching a Richard Nixon-like political strategy of making an “enemies list” of people who disagree with the president. Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, who once worked in President Nixon’s administration, warned the White House that such a “street brawl” approach of attacking political opponents “can get you in a lot of trouble.” Alexander offered no evidence that Obama is developing an actual list, as Nixon famously created for his opponents. But, he said, “I have an uneasy feeling only 10 months into this new administration that...

Sen. Lamar Alexander, (R-Tenn.), from the Senate floor today, likened President Obama's war against FOX News to former president Richard M. Nixon's infamous "Enemies List". Alexander cited numerous recent examples of groups under siege by Obama's White House, including, as left-of center Politico recently put it, attempting to "neuter" the U. S. Chamber of Commerce, similar to Nixon's tactics forty years ago. Alexander should know. He was an aid of Nixon's in the 1970's.

A growing number of conservative talkradio show hosts, including Jim Vicevich have been bringing up that President Obama has set up an "enemies list" just like Richard Nixon has done. Lemar Alexander brings this up in an interview by Neil Cavuto. Well he’s not the first. Krauthammer and Rove said the same thing right here. But this is a Senator who’s been there and seen that so it carries a little more weight. I agree with Rush. I think this does nothing. This doesn’t even give Obama a tingle.

Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Republican Conference Chairman, suggested on the Senate floor this morning that the Obama White House is plotting a political strategy similar to that of ex-President Richard Nixon and may be on the verge of preparing its own “enemies list.” This afternoon, Fox News’ Neil Cavuto interviewed him regarding the comments. (videos below) Alexander, who served in the Nixon White House, offered what he said was a “friendly suggestion” to the White House not to repeat the errors he saw committed by the staff of the disgraced former president. “This behavior is typical of street brawls and...

The third-ranking Senate Republican said Wednesday the Obama administration appears to be launching a Richard Nixon-like political strategy of making an "enemies list" of people who disagree with the president. Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, who once worked in President Nixon's administration, warned the White House that such a "street brawl" approach of attacking political opponents "can get you in a lot of trouble." Alexander offered no evidence that Obama is developing an actual list, as Nixon famously created for his opponents. But, he said, "I have an uneasy feeling only 10 months into this new administration that we're beginning...

Senator urges Obama: Don't start enemies list 25 mins ago WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A top Republican invoked the memory of the scandal-marred Nixon administration on Wednesday to urge U.S. President Barack Obama to "back up" and not "start an enemies list." Senator Lamar Alexander told Reuters he has begun to see the Obama White House adopting an attitude similar to that of the Richard Nixon White House four decades ago, that "everybody is against us and we are going to get them." Alexander cited as examples the Obama administration's suggestion that it may support stripping the insurance industry of its...

October 9, 2009 marks the 75th anniversary of the assassination of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia. This assassination of the Serbian king by a Macedonian terrorist working with Croatian separatists never garnered the notoriety that the June 28, 1914 assassination of Austrian Archduke Ferdinand by Bosnian Serb Gavrilo Princip did. However, the impact of the assassination of King Alexander I and French Foreign Minister Louis Barthou in Marseille, France, though not as “immediate” as the Sarajevo assassination in 1914 that precipitated World War I, was a harbinger of the even greater cataclysm that was coming. Given the climate in Europe...

Two top Republicans sided Sunday with President Barack Obama on his scheduled speech Tuesday to school children. “I have been in communication with Arne Duncan and the team at Department of Education,” former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said on "Fox News Sunday." “I believe this is going to be posted. People are going to see it in advance. It is going be a totally positive speech. If that is what it is, it is good to have the president of the United States saying to young people across America stay in school and do your homework. It’s good for America.”...

There is growing fear among some firearms advocates that anti-gun rights forces are going to push tax hikes on guns and ammunition. Republican Congressman Rodney Alexander says he opposes the idea and has introduced legislation which aims to block any such proposals. The Louisiana lawmaker says there is a quiet movement to slap large tax increases on weapons and bullets as an attempt at backdoor gun control. Such concerns have already led to dramatic increases in ammo sales and concealed weapons permits in Louisiana.

One of the most damaging forces in the study of history in recent years has been revisionism. Revisionist historians have painted Thomas Jefferson as a slave owner who took liberties with his property. Revisionists have tried to make slavery the primary cause of the Civil War. Revisionists have done their damage to figures in the ancient world, as well, with none taking the brunt quite so squarely as Alexander. In his interview with Hannity on Wednesday, Forbes was discussing his most recent book and gave his take on the oft-misunderstood conqueror, calling Alexander one who was given to passions that...

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander is emerging as the spokesman for the Republican Party's message on energy - and he is thinking big on the subject. Alexander late last month said he will call on the federal government to permit the construction of 100 nuclear power plants over the next 20 years. The project presents a tremendous challenge, but the Tennessee Republican believes the nation is up to the task. Alexander's advocacy certainly should gear the nation to dealing with the energy issues facing it. In politics, Alexander's request is defining the difference between the GOP's energy goals and those of...

A Republican senator wants taxpayers to get their share — literally — of the federal government's takeover of two of the nation's biggest automakers. Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, is introducing a bill that would require the government to distribute stock in General Motors and Chrysler LLC to each individual taxpayer.

Sen. Arlen Specter's switch to the Democratic Party is prompting his campaign donors large and small to demand their money back, including several Republican senators whose political action committees gave tens of thousands of dollars to the Pennsylvania lawmaker. Sen. Johnny Isakson didn't waste any time putting himself at the front of the refund line. The Georgia Republican asked Mr. Specter for a return of his leadership political action committee's $5,000 contribution Tuesday on the Senate floor - just hours after Mr. Specter announced he was changing his political stripes. "Senator Specter readily agreed to return the contribution," said Isakson...

Alexander the Great, whose tomb has been missing for nearly 2,000 years, could be buried in Broome in Western Australia, a Perth man says. Macedonian-born Tim Tutungis told ABC Kimberley that he first heard the 'Broomer' from his old mate, Lou Batalis. "We just got onto the subject of Alexander The Great's tomb, and he said, 'They'll never ever find it, no matter where they look, because Alexander the Great is buried in Broome, in Western Australia'," Mr Tutungis said. "Approximately 50 years ago, some guy went into a cave in Broome and he saw some inscriptions in there and...

Alexander Lewis, who has been at Citigroup since 1999 and before that worked at the Federal Reserve, will head to the Treasury "to work on domestic financial issues," said the Citigroup memo, which was sent Tuesday. -WSJ I suppose it is a step up for his career, but I am not so certain it is a step up for America. Citigroup’s chief economist Lewis Alexander just got a new dream job at the Treasury Department. And wow, he also once worked for the Federal Reserve – impressive! He is a professional con-man. Again, the administration is blatantly recycling old crooks...

Inaugural Poem The following is a transcript of the inaugural poem recited by Elizabeth Alexander. Praise song for the day.Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each others' eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues. Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair.Someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons on an...

After Barack Obama, "the first post-racial President", took the oath of office and gave his inaugural speech, he was followed by only two speakers - of his choosing. The first offered a pray and the second a poem. Below (in comment section) are excerpts from both and links for the videos:

For eight years, the president of the United States — the ex-officio socialite in chief — has turned up his nose at the slightest whiff of social aspiration. Now a new generation of Washington socialites has a dream. They see a dashing, young, brilliant president and his equally brilliant wife ushering in an era of inclusive entertaining. Gone is the white-gloved, debutante-loving, Pilgrim-pedigreed culture that still mattered in Kennedy’s Camelot and Reagan’s Hollywood East. Starting Jan. 20, when President Barack Obama and Michelle move into the White House, the “in crowd” will include just about everyone who, since the dawn...

TAMARAC - Tamarac Actor Jason Alexander, the son of a Coconut Creek Democrat, came here this morning to tell a crowd of mostly elderly Democrats what they should say to persuade undecided voters to choose Barack Obama. Alexander, better known as George Costanza from TV's Seinfeld sitcom, spoke to more than 100 residents of the Kings Point community. He said he does not like the role of celebrity spokesman, but he felt compelled to actively support Obama. "I would kick myself if this election went the wrong way, and I didn't do everything in my power to make sure it...

WASHINGTON -- In an economy that appears to favor Democrats and in a year when Republicans are expected to lose seats in the U.S. Senate, one of them almost certainly will not be Tennessee's. Popular two-term governor Lamar Alexander is seeking re-election this year with a low-key campaign reminding voters that he has proposed concrete solutions, sometimes opposed by President Bush, even as he's climbed to the third spot in the Senate's GOP leadership. His opponent, Nashville lawyer Robert D. Tuke, is lesser known and stresses Alexander's partisanship and ties to Bush and, most recently, to an unpopular vote bailing...

U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., joined a group of senators Thursday in a letter asking Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell to allow the Oct. 1, 2008, expiration of current bans on American energy exploration and production. The letter was authored by U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. In addition to DeMint and Corker, the letter is signed by Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and 36 other Republican senators. "We need a balanced approach that will allow us to produce more energy here at home and use less, with a strong emphasis on conservation as we move...

story can't be excerpted due to copyright issues, here's the URL: http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080613/NEWS01/806130316/1001/NEWS This is LA-05, which is basically the eastern half of north Louisiana. Rodney Alexander was a Democrat who switched parties, and the Democrats have never forgiven him, but this is the first time they've been able to recruit a serious candidate to challenge him. This is probably a safe sear (although in this climate who knows) but the GOP will have to play defense in a district that they ordinarily wouldn't have to worry about.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker today accused Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of playing politics by refusing to allow the confirmation of two nominees to the Tennessee Valley Authority's board of directors. Alexander, a Maryville Republican, chided Reid during a speech on the Senate floor for what he called "partisan, playpen politics." Alexander also released a letter from Reid in which he said could not support the nominees - Susan Richardson Williams of Knoxville and Bishop William H. Graves of Memphis - because of "the inadequacy of bipartisan representation" on the board. Reid noted that the...

Alexander the Great's "Crown," Shield Discovered?Sara Goudarzi for National Geographic NewsApril 23, 2008 An ancient Greek tomb thought to have held the body of Alexander the Great's father is actually that of Alexander's half brother, researchers say. This may mean that some of the artifacts found in the tomb—including a helmet, shield, and silver "crown"—originally belonged to Alexander the Great himself. Alexander's half brother is thought to have claimed these royal trappings after Alexander's death. The tomb was one of three royal Macedonian burials excavated in 1977 by archaeologists working in the northern Greek village of Vergina (see map of...

CARSON, CALIFORNIA (TICKER) —The Seattle Seahawks evidently have cut ties with star running back Shaun Alexander. The Seahawks have released Alexander, according to a report Tuesday by the NFL Network. The 2005 league MVP, Alexander has been hampered by a variety of injuries over the last two seasons. Alexander, 30, is recovering from offseason wrist surgery and underwent a physical this week. The all-time rushing leader in Seahawks franchise history, Alexander appeared in 13 games - 10 starts - last season, rushing for just 716 yards and four touchdowns. Those numbers constituted Alexander’s lowest rushing and scoring totals since his...

Former Knox County Clerk Mike Padgett officially opened his campaign for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate Tuesday night with a fist-pounding speech in which he rhetorically told the incumbent, Republican Lamar Alexander, "We can do better, we should do better." The crowd of several hundred packed into a room at Calhoun's on the River responded frequently with loud applause and cheering. Standing behind him as he kicked off his campaign were family members; Knox County District Attorney General Randy Nichols; Knox County Commission Chairman Thomas "Tank" Strickland; former officeholders and seekers; and friends. Padgett said three points will...

WASHINGTON — Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., went from being one of 49 Republicans in the Senate to the third-ranking Republican in the Senate's leadership today when he was elected the GOP conference chairman. The secret balloting pitted Alexander, the two-term governor of Tennessee and former Education Secretary, against another freshman senator, Richard Burr of North Carolina. The vote was 31-16. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who is running for president, did not participate, and neither did Mississippi's Trent Lott, whose imminent resignation occassioned the reshuffling. Lott had been the party's whip. Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona was elected minority whip,...

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Trent Lott’s decision to resign from office may open the doors for U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander to win an influential leadership position in the Senate. Aides to Alexander said today that the Maryville Republican is considering running for the minority whip position currently held by Lott. The minority whip is the Senate’s No. 2 Republican. “Sen. Alexander is looking at all options and will be having conversations throughout the day,” said his spokesman, Lee Pitts. “We’ll be making a decision soon about what, if anything, that he plans to do.” Alexander ran for whip last year...

An aide to U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander has died today from injuries sustained in a Monday night vehicle accident that also killed an assistant Maryville College football coach and seriously injured another man. Jack Heatherly “Trey” Lefler, 25, of Loudon, died Thursday, according to press releases from Alexander and U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, both Tennessee Republicans. Shawn Jeremiah Cody Bowers, 25, of Madisonville, a defensive backs coach at Maryville College, was killed shortly before 11 p.m. Monday when his black 2004 Toyota Tundra slammed into a pair of trees on a curvy, secluded road leading to a college meeting facility...

Alexander, Corker near site of truck bomb attack

The Republican rebellion against the war in Iraq widened over the weekend as more of the party’s senators voiced dissent against President George W. Bush’s strategy. Republican unity on Iraq has shattered in recent weeks, amid mounting pessimism about the ability of US forces to bring stability to the country. Weakening Republican support for the war has left Mr Bush looking increasingly isolated as Congressional Democrats prepare for a fresh barrage of votes aimed at forcing a US withdrawal from Iraq. Three Republican senators have joined the calls for a change of course in Iraq in recent days, adding to...

Anticipating a cloture vote on the immigration bill on Tuesday, U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) today said he will be in opposition. He said, “I plan to vote against cloture on the immigration bill, as I have already done twice during this debate. I believe a better approach would be a more modest bill that focuses on border security, employer identification, and putting systems in place that will put us in a position to actually enforce a new immigration policy. Sen. Lamar Alexander said he will also vote against cloture.

www.wrecradio.com/main.html Mike Fleming is to have Lamar Alexander on today to talk about immigration. Maybe we might find out his stance with both GA and now TX voting "no cloture".

How Alexander the Great used 'Mother Nature' By Roger Highfield, Science Editor Last Updated: 1:45am BST 15/05/2007 Alexander the Great had ''Mother Nature'' on his side when he conquered the island fortress of Tyre in 332 BC, says a study published today. A bust of Alexander the Great Tyre, in present day Lebanon, was then a strategic coastal base in the war between the Greeks and the Persians. Now archeologists have at last worked out how Alexander's engineers managed to build a causeway to enable his army to conquer what had become a bastion of resistance. All previous settlements on...