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WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama is marking Hanukkah as a story of "faith over doubt." Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden convened a Hanukkah celebration at the White House Thursday in an early celebration of the Jewish Festival of Lights. Obama said the Hanukkah story was about "right over might, faith over doubt." In the Hanukkah story, a small band of Jews rededicating a Jerusalem temple found that a one-day supply of oil kindled a flame instead for eight. The president noted "our unshakeable support and commitment to the security of the nation of Israel."...

At tonight's Hanukkah party at the White House, President Obama seemed to slip a little off script when he told party goers that "we never need an excuse for a good party." All his guests laughed. From the official White House transcript: So while it is not yet Hanukkah, let’s give thanks for our blessings, for being together to celebrate this wonderful holiday season. And we never need an excuse for a good party. (Laughter.)

December 1, 2011 11:19am 331 Comments Obama: My kids will succeed, even if USA doesn't byJoel Gehrke Commentary Staff Writer Follow on Twitter:Follow @jsgehrkejr President Obama believes that Republican leadership of the country would ruin the United States as a land of opportunity, but he's (justifiably) confident that his daughters will have plenty of opportunities, no matter what. "Our kids are going to be fine," Obama told supporters at a campaign event last night. "And I always tell Malia and Sasha, look, you guys, I don't worry about you . . . they’re on a path that is going to...

At a town hall meeting at the Institute of Politics at New Hampshire’s Saint Anselm’s College Tuesday, Rick Perry asked that all of the college students in the crowd who will be 21 by Nov. 12 support his bid for the presidency. Say what? The voting age in the United States is, of course, 18. And the 2012 election will be held on Nov. 6, 2012. (The New Hampshire Republican primary, which brought Perry to the state, will take place on Jan. 10). “Those who are going to be over 21 on November 12th, I ask for your support,” Perry...

The trooper’s radar had Robert Jahns going 119 mph. Not only was he well over the 70-mph speed limit, he was intoxicated and his wife and stepchildren, ages 5 and 16, were in the car, according to the Indiana State Police. The family was driving through Steuben County, heading north on Interstate 69 to Battle Creek, Mich., for a Thanksgiving Day gathering. Another motorist alerted authorities to Jahns’ driving, and trooper Chris Kinsey received a report about 5 p.m. Thursday that a vehicle was traveling at more than 100 mph on the interstate. Kinsey later spotted Jahns’ car, a 2005...

Cement Injections for Butt Enhancement Used by Fake Plastic Surgeon November 21, 2011 09:00 AM EST It doesn't pay to look for a deal when it comes to plastic surgery. A woman who paid $700 for a butt enhancement is recovering from cement injections into her rear. The unnamed woman was referred to Oneal Ron Morris by a friend and Morris pumped cement, mineral oil, and a tire sealant into several sites on her buttocks. The "doctor" was reassuring when the pain became extreme, telling the woman not to worry, "...it all works itself out." The victim went to two...

According to President Obama, his “religious faith” is what helps him continue to believe that Republican lawmakers will eventually raise taxes on wealthy Americans, who, Obama was sure to point out again, need to “pay their fair share.” Speaking to Reverend Al Sharpton following the Super Committee’s monumental failure Monday, the president stated his disappointment in Republicans for being “short-sighted” in not offering any serious revenues. “So the position they’re taking is short-sighted, but it must be my religious fait, reverend, cause hope springs eternal…”

Ron Paul with Sean Hannity discussing the economy and the election. Paul talks about the lack of attention he receives, if he is not ignored altogether. Paul says he and his staff were "annoyed" by the fact that he only received 89 seconds to speak at the last Republican debate. Paul warned his Republican colleagues in the Congress that they better keep their pledge to not raise taxes. He says if they do "capitulate" on taxes then people will make them pay. "I have no intention of doing that," Paul says of a third-party run if he doesn't get the...

<p>“We face the threats from rising powers — China, India, others — that we have to always have sufficient force protection out there in the Pacific to make sure they know we’re never going anywhere,” Mr. Panetta said during a visit to a shipyard in Groton, Conn., where he toured a submarine, the Mississippi, in the final stages of construction.</p>

It spooks you a little when the commander in chief doesn’t seem to know much about military history, or the military itself. [...] How do you, especially if you are running our armed forces, not recognize Khe Sanh and know how to pronounce it? Goodness, you need only have listened to Bruce Springsteen’s anti-America diatribe, “Born in the USA,” to have known how, since he mentions the Battle of Khe Sanh in the song. Look at the veterans at the end of the video. They almost look like they’re scratching their heads. “Key-san? Like, ‘I left my keys on the...

Annual Report to the President on Progress Implementing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (1st) "Predictions at the outset of the Recovery Act warned of the potential for wide spread fraud. To combat this, Congress and the Administration put in place mechanisms to deter this fraud, including enhanced project reviews by agencies and the Office of Management and Budget, oversight of all spending and contracts by a team of 12 Inspectors General who make up the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, and focused work by the Justice Department’s Anti-Fraud Task Force on ‘Recovery Act activities. " " Today, we are...

Covering Rick Perry's devastating inability to recall which third agency of government he'd eliminate, Guy hits it on head in observing that it's so damaging because it crystallizes every negative meme about the Perry candidacy. But even aside from style and/or political appearance points, the gaffe is profoundly worrisome on substance. Having done live TV, I can sympathize with a glitch. But the kind of stumble Perry made last night seems symptomatic of a candidate who is trying to memorize points for debate prep, rather than an off-moment for someone trying to expound on well-integrated personal knowledge or a deeply-held...

ROCHESTER, Mich. (AP) — Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry says he would eliminate three federal agencies. Just don’t ask him to name them. The Texas governor on Wednesday night struggled during a debate with his rivals and said he would nix the Commerce and Education departments. He drew a blank when the moderator asked what the third agency would be. Perry previously has called on the elimination of the Energy Department. Perry is only saying “oops” for drawing a blank on a favorite subject of criticism on the campaign trail. He has struggled at previous debates and although he’s committed...

In part two of my interview with Texas Governor Rick Perry, I asked him about his views on the Super Committee in Washington and what they may or may not do. This led into his views on energy and his position on the Keystone XL Pipeline. Governor Perry​ has some strong opinions on energy independence and some equally strong views on the Super Committee and Barack Obama's failures of leadership. ********** See this segment of the video at the linked article. There is also a link to the first part of the interview for those who are interested. VIDEO LENGTH:...

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Tuesday that he does not believe that the detention center at Guantanamo Bay will close because the Obama administration has not found better options for holding enemy combatants. “I have tried to be as supportive as I know how to be in creating flexibility for the executive branch and not micromanage the war,” Graham told Attorney General Eric Holder, who was testifying at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

VIDEO: Gov. Rick Perry (R-Tx.) on Jan Mickelson (WHO-AM) Length: 33:23

CANNES, France (AP) — Conceding a fragile global recovery and plodding job growth back home, President Barack Obama said Friday he is confident European leaders are fixing their ominous debt crisis, which threatens to undermine the United States and his own shot at a second term. A year shy of the election, Obama said the American economy is growing, but "way too slow." The president capped his role at a brisk G-20 summit essentially where he started it, offering solidarity to his European peers with none-too-subtle signals it was their responsibility to clean up the economic mess in their own...

Don't believe the Mitt Romney ads declaring that Texas is a wasteland of minimum wage jobs provided only for illegal aliens. Here is Mitt Romney endorsing Rick Perry just a little over a year ago. Key takeaway quote from Romney, "What you just saw there was a man [Rick Perry] who led this state [Texas] to greatness at a time when this nation needs models of greatness." What a difference a year makes.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry says America should extend work visas to allow illegal immigrants to move freely between the U.S. and their home countries _ but opposes a path to citizenship.

Well, my dear Mr. President, you’ve been making quite a disagreeable spectacle of yourself lately. You’ve been traveling around campaigning on that big, black, foreign-made bus that looks like a harbinger of death come riding into America’s heartland. And on every stop in every hamlet, you say you want to talk about jobs, jobs, jobs, and jobs. So is this that “pivot to jobs” we’ve all been anxiously awaiting since the failed Mother-Load Stimulus to nowhere and the Auto Stimulus to Unions and the Obamacare Stimulus to Kathleen Sebelius’ queen-hood? Honestly honey, you’ve done the so-called “pivot to jobs” so...

That's right. The "Republican take" was none other than uber-ditz Meghan McCain. TOTALLY! Among her pearls of wisdom: "Mitt Romney is, like, the most experienced candidate. He will be the nominee, and it's time that people learned to just deal with it." "We are going through each nominee one at a time like when you're...speed dating". "Herman Cain has never held public office before, and I find that, like, so disturbing". "Romney...Mitt..Romney...the best...Romney...." (ok I skipped the rest because I couldn't take it)

Obama; wealth gap shows need for fairer approachAlister Bull Reuters 6:06 a.m. EDT, October 29, 2011 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, seizing on a report that showed America's rich getting richer while the rest of the country struggled to get ahead, said on Saturday that Republicans were thwarting a fairer approach. "Republicans in Congress aren't paying attention. They're not getting the message," the president said in his weekly radio and Internet address. Obama, a Democrat, has tried to tap anger at the super-rich, which has sparked Occupy Wall Street protests nationwide, to push congressional Republicans to pass his $447...

Sen. John McCain felt like he was “mugged” by Barack Obama when the Democrat broke a promise to use public financing during the 2008 presidential campaign, according to a top McCain adviser. Trevor Potter, who served as the lead lawyer for McCain’s Republican presidential campaigns in 2000 and 2008, suggested Obama’s move was unprincipled and effectively killed the Watergate-era public-financing program. “What happened to [McCain] was, he — I think he feels he got mugged first by the Democratic nominee, Barack Obama, who walked away from the public financing of the general election, and then by the press, who let...

I'm in the 1%. But I support the 99%Last year, I earned a million dollars on Wall Street, but I'm sick of this society that skews the rewards for work so grotesquely Brad Maher Friday 14 October 2011 12.04 EDT **SNIP** I've chosen this life, of course, and I'm compensated for that financially. But I'm not part of the truly rich for whom taxes are optional, and for whom ever-increasing property prices are a source of entrenching their wealth. Thank God, my earnings permit me to live without the fears of the next energy bill, or phone bill, or medical...

Malone, NY -- A New York man who had abused his ex-girlfriend and then plotted to kill her and make it look like she had been mauled by a bear was sentenced to prison for trying to hire someone to kill her in a staged car crash. Clyde Gardner gave up on his first idea: Kill a bear, skin it and wear the pelt while using its claws to kill the woman as she took out her garbage. The plan included him wearing the bear's paws on his feet so no human footprints would be left behind. When he abandoned...

WASHINGTON, Libya (AFP) — Senator John McCain called Sunday for urgent US medical aid to help thousands wounded in Libya, amid a growing humanitarian crisis as revolutionary forces battle the final vestiges of the Moamer Kadhafi regime. "They've got thousands and thousands of wounded. They say that they've lost 25,000 people killed, 3,000 have been maimed, 60,000 injured. That's their government figures," McCain told CBS television's "Face the Nation" program. "We should be helping them," said the influential US lawmaker, a Vietnam War aviator and prominent voice on US military matters who also was the Republican Party's losing 2008 presidential...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Toby Keith says gay marriage doesn't bother him and trying to stop it wastes time and money. The country superstar tells "CMT Insider" airing Saturday on CMT that he doesn't see the reason behind getting into people's personal lives. He says refusing a marriage license to people because they are gay won't stop them from living together, so it accomplishes nothing. Keith also weighed in on the military's now-repealed "don't ask, don't tell" policy that banned gays serving openly in uniform. He says that anyone with the training and passion should have the right to defend...

The face of kiddie porn SUTHERLIN, Ore. -- Sutherlin police have arrested an Oakland man on child porn charges, after they say he left the electronic device at the Shell station in Sutherlin. Officers arrested Jason Daniel Goodman, 33, after what they say was a six month investigation. An employee of the Shell station found the device back around October of last year. They kept the item at the station waiting for someone to claim it. In February of this year, the employee asked if he could take the iPod home since nobody claimed it. Police say he went home...

Barack Obama joins Open Government Partnership for group photo Rich Shulman writes I don't know much about diplomatic protocols, but I would guess that waving during the group photo is something to avoid.

Mr. Shulman writes: "I don't know much about diplomatic protocols, but I would guess that waving during the group photo is something to avoid."

Obviously there is no logical reason for her unfavorables in the polls to be what they are. Did she do anything like let an intern give her oral sex or get involved in some disasterous scandal ? absolutely not. There is NOTHING on her. They have looked and looked and looked. Nobody has found a thing. She seems to be the kind of leader that the American people are wanting to represent them. They do. I contend to you that her unfavoribles mean NOTHING. It is useless polling data and should have no impact on who wins the nomination in...

(snip) Beyond South Carolina, Graham thinks the GOP should look to all corners of the country, “our pretty deep pool,” for its vice-presidential nominee. The Northeast, he predicts, could be the place to find a leader who balances the ticket. Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, he says, would be excellent. Or, if Republicans were looking to Florida, freshman Sen. Marco Rubio, “a good guy, would obviously be very helpful.” Those two names, I say, are obvious. Graham smiles and floats another: Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor. “I know it would create problems on the social side,” he...

A businessman decapitated himself in his sports car to get back at his younger wife for leaving him, an inquest has heard. Gerald Mellin, 54, taunted his estranged wife Mirrielle, 33, with threats of suicide. He even showed her the rope he was going to use, which he kept in the boot of his open-top Aston Martin DB7....

For a small-government conservative on the presidential campaign stump like Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a new federal regulation forcing farmers to get commercial drivers licenses would make a perfect example of Barack Obama’s Washington run amok. But there is no such regulation. During his debut in Iowa Sunday night in Waterloo, then again at on Monday at the Iowa State Fair Monday, Gov. Perry brought up the phantom “obscene, crazy” regulation in Texan terms. “If you’re a tractor driver, if you drive your tractor across a public road, you’re gonna have to have a commercial driver’s license. Now how idiotic...

Forget all that jive about Obama being some cross between Einstein and Jesus Christ.... evidence continues to mount that this arrogant, unaccomplished nothing isn't exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer...  Can't walk Can't talk Can't think Can't drink No longer grin 'cuz cannot win Yet will not heed... On floor he peed The loafers are light... And he can't even write (!) On November 16, 1990, Barack Obama, then president of the Harvard Law Review, published a letter in the Harvard Law Record, an independent Harvard Law School newspaper, championing affirmative action. ... The response is classic Obama:...

On Friday, former Vice President Al Gore was out spreading the big lie that is Global Warming. Gore was being interviewed by friend Alex Bogusky who was also taking questions via twitter. During the interview, Gore stated “that one day, climate change skeptics will be seen in the same negative light as racists.” Gore went on to describe growing up in the south and seeing Bull Connor turn the hose on civil rights demonstrators. I’m sure Gore didn’t want to bring up discussions from around the family dinner-table since Al Gore Sr. was one of the chief opponents of the...

Link only - Kathleen Parker: Perry's lead points to a battle within the GOP for 'godliest'

(FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - The death of a Milford man, allegedly at the hands of an illegal immigrant, is sparking a call for change, and now a top official in Worcester County is pointing the finger at Governor Patrick.

Many politicians and media pundits who should know better are not thinking very rationally about Governor Rick Perry’s recent critical remarks concerning Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and further additions to the nation’s money supply. It turns out that a constitutional analysis adds weight to Governor Perry’s instructive remarks. As reported, those remarks on August 15th were: “If this guy prints more money between now and the election, I dunno what y’all would do to him in Iowa but we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas. Printing more money to play politics at this particular time in American...

Idiot Obama voter explains how land and water should all be free.. even says in ancient africa electricity was FREE!

Some New York politicians and religious leaders are criticizing Mayor Michael Bloomberg for not offering clergy members a role in the high-profile ceremonies marking 10 years since the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, The Wall Street Journal reported. "This is America, and to have a memorial service where there's no prayer, this appears to be insanity to me," said Rudy Washington, a former deputy mayor under Rudolph Giuliani. "I feel like America has lost its way." A spokewoman from Bloomberg's office told The Journal that the focus, as in past years, will be on the family members of...

No safe havens Back to School Economics and finance have not escaped the onslaught of anti-Christian thought By: Jerry Bowyer Christian students, warned about anti-Christian thought in areas like sociology or psychology, suffer from the illusion that majoring in economics or finance is "safe." Not so, and the work of one of the giants of economics, John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946), is a case in point. Keynes' milieu was that of the "Cambridge Apostles," a once-Christian debate society that changed under Keynes' leadership: "We were, in the strict sense of the term," he wrote, "immoralists." Richard Deacon's history, The Cambridge Apostles,...

I do not know if I have ever read anything so stupid, but what would you expect from Paul Krugman? From Google+: If you aren't an idiot, this is a very clear case of the "Parable of the broken window." Here is the original text outlining the idea. Unfortunately, Mr. Krugman is apparently illiterate or simply a moron: Suppose it cost six francs to repair the damage, and you say that the accident brings six francs to the glazier's trade—that it encourages that trade to the amount of six francs—I grant it; I have not a word to say against...

Arizona Sen. John McCain said the United States must lead the world in providing support to Libya as they begin their post-Gadhafi era. "I think we would be well-served if we make sure that there is not an extremist takeover or hijacking of this revolution," McCain said. McCain appeared on CNN's "The Situation Room", where he said an earlier and stronger showing of power by the U.S. in the air could have shortened the conflict significantly. "The only thing that was holding [Gadhafi] in power was money and fear," McCain said. "Once those are dissipated by military strength, it is...

* Perry threatens Fed chairman, Bachmann also criticizes * Remarks reflect intense political pressure on Fed * White House says threatening Bernanke "not a good idea" (Adds fresh quotes from Bachmann, Obama, economist) WASHINGTON, Aug 16 (Reuters) - The White House denounced Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry on Tuesday for his threatening remarks toward the head of the U.S. Federal Reserve that represented some of the most inflammatory rhetoric of the 2012 election campaign. Campaigning in Iowa on Monday, the Texas governor said he would consider it "treasonous" if Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke "prints more money between now and the...

** Did Perry go too far? A day after appearing to outshine Michele Bachmann on her home turf in Waterloo, albeit with some tough rhetoric aimed at President Obama, Rick Perry might have gone a bit too far in criticizing Obama and even the Federal Reserve while campaigning in Iowa yesterday. For Texans, this is typical Perry. But for Americans who do not know him, it's eyebrow-raising rhetoric. In fact, he sounded more like Trump or Gingrich. "I think the greatest threat to our country right now is this president trying to spend his way out of this debt," Perry...

.....Campaigning in Iowa on Monday, the Texas governor said he would consider it "treasonous" if Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke "prints more money between now and the election" in November 2012 -- a fresh sign of the political heat the central bank faces as it tries to right the stumbling U.S. economy. The White House responded by saying it is important for the central bank to remain independent, and jabbed back at Perry, who on Saturday entered the race for the Republican nomination to face President Barack Obama. "I certainly think threatening the Fed chairman is not a good idea,"...

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Texas Gov. Rick Perry turned his rhetorical fire on Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke here Monday night, saying that the chairman would be committing a “treasonous” act by ordering the printing of more money and said doing so would amount to a political decision to help President Obama win reelection in 2012. “If this guy prints more money between now and the election, I don’t know what you all would do to him in Iowa but we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas,” he said of the possibility of another round of so-called quantitative...

You've heard it before, but it's worth repeating as a reminder of just how puffed-up Barack Obama got back in 2008: I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best...

Calling himself a tea party true believer, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) on Tuesday in the same interview both praised the debt ceiling deal and said he plans to vote against it. Hatch, who faces a looming primary challenge from the right from Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), took to Fox News’s “Fox and Friends” to tout his own tea party credentials. “Look, I think the tea party people deserve a lot of credit,” he said in response to a question about Democrats and Vice President Joe Biden reportedly calling freshman GOP members of Congress terrorists. “We wouldn’t be where we are...