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BERLIN (AP) – Germany's government and the two major opposition parties said Sunday they would jointly nominate former East German human rights activist Joachim Gauck to be the country's next president. Chancellor Angela Merkel said her center-right coalition government, and the center-left opposition rallied behind the Gauck, who was initially proposed by the opposition Social Democrats and Greens.

During a presidential debate in 1984, Ronald Reagan, who was then 73, famously said of his opponent,Walter F. Mondale, who was then 56 and trying to make an issue of Reagan's age: "I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience." The joke turns, of course, on the reasonable assumption that, as a rule, experience is a good thing and inexperience is a bad thing. Mitt Romney started this year's presidential campaign with the same assumption. So did other Republicans. "Inexperienced" was their favorite one-word accusation against President Obama. It is witheringly dismissive without seeming...

ERLIN (Reuters) - Angela Merkel's hand-picked choice for the ceremonial post of president resigned Friday in a scandal over political favors, dealing a blow to the German chancellor in the midst of the euro zone debt crisis. In a curt five-minute statement at the Bellevue presidential palace, Christian Wulff acknowledged that he had lost the trust of the German people, making it impossible to continue in a role that is meant to serve as a moral compass for the nation. "For this reason it is no longer possible for me to exercise the office of president at home and abroad...

BERLIN: Angela Merkel's hand-picked choice for the ceremonial post of president was expected to resign on Friday in a scandal over political favours, dealing a blow to the German chancellor in the midst of the euro zone crisis. Christian Wulff, who has been under fire for months, was to give a statement at 1000 GMT. Merkel abruptly postponed a trip to Rome where she was to hold talks with Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, and scheduled a news conference for after Wulff speaks.

Following the announcement by prosecutors that they would seek to lift his immunity, German President Christian Wulff announced Friday morning he would resign as the country's head of state. The development follows weeks of reporting on allegations the president accepted favors during his tenure as governor of the state of Lower-Saxony. Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed her "deep regret" over the resignation. German President Christian Wulff resigned from office on Friday after prosecutors stated a day earlier they would seek to have parliament lift his immunity. Prosecutors wanted his immunity revoked so they could formally investigate allegations a film producer...

Dave Mustaine, leader of the heavy metal band Megadeth, is ready to rock out for Rick Santorum. "Earlier in the election, I was completely oblivious as to who Rick Santorum was, but when the dude went home to be with his daughter when she was sick, that was very commendable,” Mustaine recently told MusicRadar.com. “... You know, I think Santorum has some presidential qualities, and I'm hoping that if it does come down to it, we'll see a Republican in the White House... and that it's Rick Santorum." Weighing in on the rest of the field, Mustaine called Newt Gingrich...

In April 2009, antiwar activists who helped elect Obama accused him of using the same “off the books” funding as his predecessor George W. Bush when Obama requested an additional $83.4 billion from Congress for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – a provision which Obama had voted against when he was a Senator. In May 2010, it was reported that the Obama administration had selected KBR, a former subsidiary of Halliburton, for a no-bid contract worth as much as $568 million through 2011 for military support services in Iraq, just hours after the Justice Department had said it would...

“Darn tooting.” Back in October when the HHS contraception/abortifacient/sterilization mandate issue was more under the radar than it is now (the announcement on January 20 was far from the first communication about it from the administration), President Obama bragged about it during a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in Chicago. From the White House transcript: And to make sure that those laws are upheld, we appointed two brilliant women to the Supreme Court. (Applause.) We repealed “don’t ask, don’t tell” so that every single American can serve their country, regardless of who they love. (Applause.) And, yes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Each year the Ronald Reagan Legacy Project asks governors from all 50 states to issue a proclamation declaring February 6th “Ronald Reagan Day”. Today, The Ronald Reagan Legacy Project proudly commends the governors -- Republicans and Democrats alike -- who have recognized Reagan’s 101st birthday in their states. “It is wonderful news that thirty-three governors have declared today “Ronald Reagan Day” in their states. It is sad that sixteen Democratic governors place partisan politics above respect for a great President,” said Grover Norquist, chairman of the Ronald Reagan Legacy Project. Governors who have issued proclamations honoring Reagan...

(CNN) -- The Green Party welcomed comedian Roseanne Barr as a presidential candidate Friday, following her Twitter announcement. A spokesman for the grassroots movement said she completed the party's requirements to run under the Green banner and will promote their platform ahead of the 2012 election. Scott McLarty, national media coordinator for the party, said Barr and Jill Stein, the other candidate that met the qualifications, are committed to ending the influence of corporate money on politics and elections and served as active participants in the Occupy Wall Street movement. "She's showing that she really is understanding what the Green...

PRESIDENT REAGAN'S BEST ONE-LINER

Try to guess which party’s nomination she’s running for. Hint: She’s a Truther, her core issue is legalizing weed, and she wants to guillotine rich bankers.No, not the Democratic Party. They don’t support legalizing weed. “The Democrats and Republicans have proven that they are servants — bought and paid for by the 1% — who are not doing what’s in the best interest of the American people,� Barr said…Barr has submitted paperwork to the Green Party for her candidacy. The party’s presidential nominee will be selected at a convention in Baltimore in July…“I will barnstorm American living rooms,� she said...

With just days to go before Nevada Republicans head to the polls to choose who they want to take on President Obama in November, reality show host Donald Trump is injecting himself into the race and endorsing Newt Gingrich. Trump's office announced Wednesday that he would make a major announcement Thursday morning in Las Vegas, without providing details of what he would say. Two sources confirmed to CBS News that the publicity savvy businessman plans to endorse the former House speaker in his bid for the Republican presidential nomination. Nevada holds its caucus Saturday.

IT'S THAT SIMPLE.

NEWT GINGRICH: 'I will ask the Congress to stay in session on the 3rd of January.  I will ask them to repeal Obamacare, Dodd-Frank, and Sarbanes-Oxley.  My request will be to have all three repeals ready so that on the day that I am sworn in, I can sign all three repeals that day, that's a real start.  I will then on the first day have an entire series of Executive Orders, all of which will be published by the 1st of October, so everybody will know what's coming' First Day Exective Orders: 1) Abolish ALL of the White House czars...

Newt's leadership, Congress passed the first balanced budget in a generation, leading to the repayment of over $400 billion in debt. Congress also cut taxes for the first time in sixteen years and reformed welfare, leading to over sixty percent of welfare recipients either getting a job or going to school. In addition, the Congress restored funding to strengthen our defense and intelligence capabilities, an action later lauded by the bipartisan 9/11 Commission.

Everything you wanted to know about Romney and the flip flops throughout the years..this man will say anything to become president. Watch his answers change from abortion,gays to Reagan...

President Obama leaves event promoting clean energy in a motorcade of 22 fossil-fueled vehicles (video)

What does it really take to be a president? Well, we can argue all we want about the relative importance of private sector experience vs. public sector... legislative vs. executive… social issues. vs. economic vs. foreign policy… The one place on which we must agree is the Constitutional requirements in Article II for the president and vice president: each must be at least 35, must be a natural born U.S. citizen, must have lived at least the prior fourteen years as a resident of the USA, and must be from a different state than his runningmate. Doesn’t sound hard, does...

It’s interesting that liberals accuse traditionalists of wanting to turn back the clock. For they themselves live in 1952. To be precise, where those on the right want to resurrect the virtues of ages past, leftists think that vices long buried never died. It’s enough to make me want to bang my head against a wall; only, neurological damage has bad effects like uncontrollable drooling and a desire to read The New York Times. Speaking of which, the Old Gay Lady recently published an opinion piece by one Lee Siegel titled "What's Race Got to Do With It?” Discussing the...

Today, Rush Limbaugh said that Republican voters know now that Conservatism is “in Newt’s heart.” “What we had last night in the Newt portion of the debate alone, was the pure and simple, forceful, passionate articulation of conservative principle and belief, that before last night was missing for whatever reason…we know now that it’s in Newt’s heart, it’s there.”

The link above presents videos where Newt expresses his admiration of FDR - makes me very uncomfortable that we're running to a progressive/means justifies ends from an extreme progressive... [Newt's site under] Praise for FDR When the Japanese sneak attack at Pearl Harbor threw the United States into a global war against Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Imperial Japan, Franklin Delano Roosevelt rose to the challenge. He led the allies in a global war with remarkable skill and built the greatest military in history. Newt believes that without FDR’s leadership as Commander in Chief during World War II, the 20th...

With the New Hampshire primaries behind the GOP and South Carolina on the horizon, Mitt Romney seems the likely presidential candidate. Perhaps surprisingly, Romney’s Mormonism has yet to be a major stumbling block, and as time passes it doesn’t appear that it will become a hindrance. But let’s consider another question. Could America vote for a Muslim? Say a Muslim arrived on the scene with powerful and equitable ideas and challenged the status quo. Perhaps doubts are cast that a Muslim could actually become president, but the same was once said about Catholics and people of color. One stumbling block...

--snip-- CALLER: Oh, yeah, we got bulldoze him. [Romney] He's gotta know there is no safe haven. If he's gonna represent the Republican ticket then he's gonna have to -- RUSH: Let me tell you something I heard him say -- CALLER: All right. RUSH: -- that I don't know that he's said publicly. He said, if he wins, he thinks he'll only last one term. CALLER: Now, are you talking about Obama or are you talking about Romney? RUSH: He says that he is going to roll back all the stuff the left has done. He's gonna ban Obamacare....

Video...

Yesterday I was helping my son study for a test in his Government class, and he asked me if I knew what Secretary of State had become President for about 3 hrs. My best guess is Alexander Haig, when he took control after President Reagan was shot and VP Bush was in his way to Texas. Am I right or has there been another case of a Secretary of State becoming acting President. And, if I'm right, why did he jump ahead of the Speaker of the House and President pro-term of the Senate? These may be very simple questions...

Allen West is so presidential. I wish he was running. Talk about charisma - this guy has it. WEST 2012!!

(This post originally ran in May 2010. We've updated it to include the net worth of the leading Republican presidential candidates). 24/7 Wall St. has examined the finances of all forty-three presidents. This article provides net worth figures for each in 2010 dollars. Because a number of presidents, particularly in the early 19th Century, made and lost huge fortunes in a matter of a few years, the number for each man is based on his net worth at its peak. In the case of each president we have taken into account hard assets like land, estimated lifetime savings based on...

Need Freeper Imput. I read that Romneys Dad was not born in America...........confirmed it in Wikipedia. Question, if Romney is elected to run as the GOP canidate, how is it any different then Obama's eligibility issue every one asks about?

An adviser to Michele Bachmann says the Minnesota congresswoman is ending her bid to win the Republican presidential nomination after coming in last in the Iowa caucuses. Bachmann finished sixth out of six candidates in the first of many contests to pick a Republican presidential candidate. She canceled appearances planned for Wednesday in South Carolina and scheduled a news conference in Des Moines, Iowa, instead. The adviser requested anonymity to speak before Bachmann makes the announcement.

The Iowa Republican caucus was a tie and a blowout. The finish was so close that statistics majors at Iowa State will probably see it as a question on the final. Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum essentially tied at 25 percent, with Ron Paul a breath behind at 21 percent. But when you measure the key question in the Republican campaign: Do you vote for the electable candidate Romney or the candidate who speaks to your heart—Santorum and Paul—it was a 46-25 trouncing for the heart over the head. According to entrance polls, of those voters who wanted a true...

Thomas Jefferson was only 22 years old when the Son’s of Liberty raised the “rebellious stripes” to the top of the Liberty Tree in 1765. Ten years later he would draft the Declaration of Independence defining in timeless prose the rights of all men to be free. But his wisdom may have been even more evident when in his Inaugural Address in 1803 he warned against the redistribution of the fruits of free enterprise. He said “To take from one, because it is thought his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare...

"..........And this, as much as anything else, is why Rick Santorum—a man who was stuck at 4 percent in the local polls as recently as one month ago, and is still stuck at 4 percent nationally—is going to win the Iowa caucuses on Tuesday........

Live thread to cover today's GOP caucus. News, predictions, opinions, totals, and the like. Will be heading out about 4 pm or so to get our site ready and do a final review with the precinct chairs. I expect it to be bigger than 2008 with very heavy turnout and we are preparing for that. We are also ready for disruptions. They simply won't be tolerated. The state party sent us a memo saying if there's any trouble call the cops immediately. Anyone trying to cause problems is going to get a rude awakening. My predictions of the outcome are...

"Okay. It is now officially crunch-time for conservative voters. Time for them to grow-up, stand on principle, admit there is not a perfect candidate, cast aside the pretenders, flip-floppers, and flakes, and unite behind the most genuine traditional values espousing candidate in the field. That being Texas governor Rick Perry."

Las Vegas 1 January 2011 (sic). President Obama has(sic) had a dream run to the White House and hopes to remain there for another term. His chances of re election are diminished by his failure to convince Americans that he is entitled to the office he holds. There are many Americans who are concerned that Barack Obama is not who and what he says he is. Veterans like Robert Laity are frustrated that media outlets have not pressured President Obama into releasing a real authenticated copy of his birth certificate. There appears little doubt that Barack Obama was born in...

"a record turnout will be about 120,000 Iowa caucus goers in this Republican contest and in a multicandidate field that means that one of them could win it with as few as 40,000 votes" -Carl Cameron "every single poll leading up to just before Christmas suggest that more than half of Iowa likely caucus goers have not firmly made up their minds." -Carl Cameron from << http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/oreilly/2011/12/27/ Why, after pointless predictions by pundits like Bill O'Reilly, do we only hear about some real details on the overhyped Iowa Primary a week before the vote? Have the polls done by the...

In the run-up to the 2008 elections, candidate Obama captivated millions of Americans with his “hope and change” rhetoric and the promise of a new and better America. Obama was “cool,” and perceived as the candidate that understood the needs and wants of ordinary Americans. Obama was (wrongly) perceived as the candidate who could get Americans back to work with good-paying jobs. Therefore, candidate Obama became President Obama. Three years later, however, millions of Americans regret their vote for Obama; as his narrow-minded, far-left ideology is destroying good-paying American jobs and the American Dream. The Obama administration is synonymous with...

Michelle and I send our warmest wishes to all those celebrating Kwanzaa this holiday season. Today marks the beginning of the week-long celebration honoring African American heritage and culture through the seven principles of Kwanzaa -- unity, self determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. We celebrate Kwanzaa at a time when many African Americans and all Americans reflect on our many blessings and memories over the past year and our aspirations for the year to come. And even as there is much to be thankful for, we know that there are still too many Americans...

America is being held hostage by the most destructive force in modern history. This malignant force didn't come from Russia or China, but the halls of good old Harvard and a cadre of ultra-left, America-hating higher educational organizations. The end result of this education is Barack Obama, a confused, disorganized, incompetent mentality who can only survive in the fish bowl of the cloistered halls of some Ivy League fairytale world of make-believe. As a nation, we find ourselves spiraling into the abyss led by a clueless narcissist who will stop at nothing to extend his failed regime, without a whit...

Their politically correct holiday card was ridiculed for avoiding the Christmas theme altogether. But the President and First Lady have finally acknowledged the religious origins of the festival. Giving his weekly address from Hawaii where the first family are on holiday, the President was joined by Michelle Obama, as the couple wished America a Happy Christmas. The Obamas were last week mocked for having sent out a Christmas card, featuring their dog Bo, containing no discernible mention of Christmas itself. They also sent out a secular card in 2009. But sitting next to her husband the

WASHINGTON— In this week’s address, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama came together to wish the American people a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, and thanked our troops, military families, and veterans for their service and sacrifice. President Obama and Michelle Obama encouraged everyone to visit JoiningForces.gov to find ways to give back to our brave men and women in uniform and their families during the holiday season as we work together in the spirit of service. Remarks of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama Weekly Address The White House December 24, 2011 THE PRESIDENT: Hi everyone....

Yes, that is correct.The Va. GOP primary ballot will be missing the names of "all" the contenders for the GOP nomination except for two:The establishment's favored Mitt Romney and Ron Paul.Yes, Virginia voters, believe it or not unless there is some sort of sucessfull challenge made to the RPV official results, Romney and Paul will be your only choices listed on the ballot.ONE a certified rino, the other a foreign policy lunatic.But that does not mean that Va. Republican voters won't be able to have an important role in the overall nominating process.For instance, a successful write-in campaign for a true conservative like Michele Bachman could provide her...

CNSNews.com) – Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, says he has no plans to reverse the Obama administration’s repeal of the ban on homosexuals serving in the U.S. military In an editorial meeting in early November with the Des Moines Register, which endorsed him for the Iowa caucuses pending on Jan. 3, Romney was asked, “How do you feel about gays serving openly in the military?” Romney said, “That’s already occurred. I’m not planning on reversing that at this stage.” The reporter followed up, “But you’re comfortable with it?”

It’s so reassuring to have the intellectual elites in our nation’s teachers unions, like Sandy Hughes of Tennessee, looking out for us rubes. Hughes, a local union president, is pitching the idea that school board membership be limited to people who “have worked in the education field,” because the issues at hand are “so complex” and too complicated for average citizens.

Palin says not too late to consider presidential runReuters – 15 hrs ago WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tea Party champion Sarah Palin, who has already ruled out a 2012 presidential run, on Monday attempted to dangle her name anew as a possible Republican candidate, although it's probably too late. In an interview to air on Fox Business Network's "Follow the Money" program, the 2008 Republican nominee for vice president was asked whether she would still consider a run for the White House. "It's not too late for folks to jump in," Palin said. "Who knows what will happen in the future."

In an interview with ABC News, President Obama is asked by Barbara Walters if he will "be a mediocre two-term president." "I want to be a really good two-term president," Obama told Waters. Walters then asked Obama if he feels he has been a really good one-term president.

Despite the country's recent troubles, Newt Gingrich thinks that America's role as "the leading symbol of how humans can work together" isn't going anywhere.