Free Republic

Poltical conventions were first broadcast on television in 1948 but it wasn't until 1952 that presidential campaign commercials made their appearance on the tube. The first candidate to have his commercials on the air was Dwight D. Eisenhower. One of the first of these commercials was this "I Like Ike" animated commercial above produced by Roy Disney. Although it is rather crude by today's standards, it is catchy in a corny sort of way. Back then, jingles such as this one were quite big and the Eisenhower candidacy was sold on the air with the same repetitive techniques as toothpaste...

WASHINGTON — Pentagon police on Wednesday turned away family members of troops killed in Iraq who wanted to confront Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on the reasons for the war in Iraq. The group of about 20 was stopped before entering Pentagon property by about a dozen officers, who told the protesters they did not have the proper permission to enter the building. Organizers said they have been petitioning for the meeting for weeks, but department officials are ignoring their requests. “The man who was too busy to personally sign the Killed in Action letters these families received is apparently...