http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/presidents/ en-us Thu, 24 Dec 2009 02:38:37 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414212/posts Former President Bill Clinton came within minutes of being assassinated in the Philippines by terrorists controlled by Osama bin Laden, a new book has revealed. ...Marisa Porges, a former government counter-terrorism advisor and an expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, a US think tank, said the assassination plot, if true, would suggest al Qaeda was more developed than some thought it was prior to 9/11”. Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414212/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 02:38:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402023/posts Introductory Remarks: On December 7, 1941, U.S. military installations at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii were attacked by the Imperial Japanese Navy. Could this tragic event that resulted in over 3,000 Americans killed and injured in a single two-hour attack have been averted? After 16 years of uncovering documents through the Freedom of Information Act, journalist and historian Robert Stinnett charges in his book, Day of Deceit, that U.S. government leaders at the highest level not only knew that a Japanese attack was imminent, but that they had deliberately engaged in policies intended to provoke the attack, in order to draw... The Independent Institute http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402023/posts#comment Mon, 7 Dec 2009 15:25:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2403428/posts ...My thinking in times past is that it was amazing our country could be in such a mess when we have all these supposedly smart people running the show. More recently I have come to the conclusion that things are what they are because of, not in spite of, the geniuses inhabiting the White House and the halls of Congress. We've all seen people with degrees in everything from rocket science to brain surgery who couldn't balance their checkbook or change a flat tire. What we're lacking in Washington is plain old everyday horse sense. If you, Mister or Missus... Burkhart's Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2403428/posts#comment Wed, 9 Dec 2009 03:26:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2401232/posts A letter written by the first US President, George Washington, has sold at auction for $3.2m (£1.9m). The sale, at Christie's in New York, was a record for a letter written by Washington. The four-page letter was written in 1787 to the president's nephew, Bushrod Washington, and urges adoption of the country's new constitution. A partially written poem by Edgar Allan Poe sold for $830,500 - a record for a 19th Century literary manuscript. 'Power of the people' Christie's said the Washington letter had been owned by descendants of Bushrod Washington for more than 100 years. The buyer was not... BBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2401232/posts#comment Sat, 5 Dec 2009 23:46:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2401225/posts An impassioned letter penned by George Washington in 1787 about the strengths of the newly written U.S. Constitution was sold at auction in New York on Friday for a record price of $3.2 million. Christie's had estimated that the letter, written from Mount Vernon, could fetch up to $2.5 million at auction, but some experts doubted it would bring that much in the poor economy. The previous auction record for a Washington document was set in 2002, when one of his military reports fetched $834,500, the auction house said. The letter's "hammer" price Friday was $2.8 million, but the buyer's... The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2401225/posts#comment Sat, 5 Dec 2009 23:32:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-backroom/2400125/posts Here is a list of 2012 candidates. Generally, I am dwelling on the negatives as this is what is going to limit them in their ability to win but will mention any unique positives. Please share your thoughts on these or any other potential candidates. Romney - Romneycare is an albatross. He is a Mormon which impacts appeal. Is popular in Michigan due to his father. Sometimes comes across like a used car salesman. Is probably more conservative than his record and gets a bad rap due to his need to make compromises to get elected in The People's Republic.... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-backroom/2400125/posts#comment Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:49:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398128/posts In the mid-1960’s President Lyndon Baines Johnson agonized throughout his White House years about the War in Vietnam. Like Mr. Obama, he was pursuing an ambitious, controversial, and expensive social agenda, which included Medicare and Medicaid, two of the three programs that currently are bankrupting the country. theFinancialSkinny http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398128/posts#comment Wed, 2 Dec 2009 02:47:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2397389/posts Recently, the new head of the National Endowment for the Arts, Rocco Landesman, gushed that "if you accept the premise, and I do, that the United States is the most powerful country in the world, then Barack Obama is the most powerful writer since Julius Caesar." He skipped right over Calvin Coolidge. The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2397389/posts#comment Tue, 1 Dec 2009 04:51:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397348/posts It is a cliché that if we do not study the past we are condemned to repeat it. Almost equally certain, however, is that if there are lessons to be learned from an historical episode, the political class will draw all the wrong ones – and often deliberately so. Far from viewing the past as a potential source of wisdom and insight, political regimes have a habit of employing history as an ideological weapon, to be distorted and manipulated in the service of present-day ambitions. That’s what Winston Churchill meant when he described the history of the Soviet Union as... Campaign for Liberty http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397348/posts#comment Tue, 1 Dec 2009 02:56:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2397243/posts CBS News Early Show Hot AirPundit http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2397243/posts#comment Tue, 1 Dec 2009 00:17:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2397097/posts CHARLOTTESVILLE -- More than 200 years after they were written, about 5,000 previously unpublished documents of the founders of the United States -- including Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and James Madison -- are now available to the public at no cost. The Documents Compass group of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities at the University of Virginia has spent much of the past year proofreading and transcribing thousands of pages of letters and other papers. The documents are available online for free at the University of Virginia Press' digital imprint called Rotunda. "It's an exciting project," said Penelope Kaiserlian, director... Richmond Times-Dispatch http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2397097/posts#comment Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:38:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395149/posts General Thanksgiving, By the PRESIDENT of the United States of America, A PROCLAMATION. WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the Providence of Almighty God---to obey his will --- to be grateful for his benefits---and humbly to implore His protection and favour; And whereas both Houses have, by their joint committee, requested me " to recommend to the people of the United States, a DAY OF PUBLICK THANSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form... Examiner.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395149/posts#comment Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:30:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2395119/posts Proclamation - Thanksgiving Day, 1863October 3, 1863 BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war... The American Presidency Project http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2395119/posts#comment Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:36:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395063/posts Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor - and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me "to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness. Now therefore I do... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395063/posts#comment Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:32:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395081/posts The real Woodrow Wilson, it turns out, was a far less admirable character than the cardboard hero we learned about in school. In fact, in some ways the boring Midwesterner who succeeded him looks better than him when one compares what the two actually accomplished. Harding famously said he wanted to restore “normalcy” to a nation on the verge of a breakdown at the end of the Great War and set about working to heal the wounds that divided the nation. During the war, Wilson attacked those he called “hyphenated Americans” as disloyal and set about systematically using his power... The Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395081/posts#comment Thu, 26 Nov 2009 20:08:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2394917/posts WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houfes of Congress have, by their joint committee, requefted me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to eftablifh a form of government for their safety and happiness:" NOW THEREFORE, I do... The Massachusetts Centinel http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2394917/posts#comment Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:01:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2394462/posts George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and... The Thanksgiving Story http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2394462/posts#comment Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:57:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2391942/posts It was 46 years ago today, November 22, 1963, that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Here are a series of videos that bring back the events of the day, beginning with the coverage by Walter Cronkite and a local Dallas TV Station. The final two videos are from the extremely graphic Zapruder film showing the assassination itself . . . (VIDEOS) Freedom's Lighthouse http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2391942/posts#comment Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:40:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392053/posts Any new theories? Where do you stand on the old theories? Is the Warren Report conclusion (for all the flaws in its investigation) beginning to worm its way into your heart? Did the assassination change your life? Did it (and successive assassinations) change your vision of America? Your vision of the world? Or is it irrelevant that there’s still doubt warranted (pun intended). Irrelevant in toto? (the Latin word, not Dorothy’s dog). I’ve been thinking about Oswald. I think he fired shots that day. I can’t be sure he was alone, although I haven’t been convinced by any of the... Pajamas Media http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392053/posts#comment Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:32:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2390788/posts President and Mrs. Bush served our country with honor and dignity and remain committed to improving our nation and the world through the George W. Bush Presidential Center. The Center will be located on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, a rising national university in a major metropolitan city in the heartland of America. The George W. Bush Presidential Center uniquely integrates the records of a national archive, the thematic exhibits of a presidential museum, and the intellectual capital of a research-based policy institute to advance ideas based on the core principles of the Bush Presidency: freedom,... George W. Bush Presidential Center http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2390788/posts#comment Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:26:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2390636/posts Forensic investigators have been called in to solve one of the greatest mysteries of US presidential history by discovering what exactly Richard Nixon knew about the Watergate break-in. Thirty-five years after Nixon was forced to become the only US president to resign, government investigators remain determined to find out the extent of knowledge of the raid on the Democratic National Committee's offices in Washington. Investigators appointed by the US National Archives are to analyse notes taken by the White House chief of staff HR Haldeman at a meeting with the late president just three days after Nixon campaign members were... Telegraph (U.K.) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2390636/posts#comment Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:26:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2389056/posts All right, so both Richard Nixon and Barack Hussein Obama went to China. But when it comes to comparing the presidents’ visits – and their leadership and foreign policy skills in general – Nixon trumps Obama hands down. Let’s begin with what is perhaps the least important but symbolic: Nixon and Obama’s trips to The Great Wall. Nixon’s political finesse was sharply refined, even if the liberal press often refused to give him his due. What did he say upon visiting The Wall in 1972? Something that doesn’t sound so sharp – “I think you would have to conclude this... OK, WE'RE RIGHT! http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2389056/posts#comment Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:19:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385491/posts As America debates whether to send tens of thousands more troops to Afghanistan, in the ninth year of a war for ends we cannot discern, a riveting new history recalls times when Americans fought for vital national interests. "A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War, and the Conquest of the American Continent" is Robert Merry's brilliant biography and history of that time. Merry goes far toward righting the injustice done by historians who have denied this great man his place in the pantheon of presidents, because they believe "Jimmy Polk's War" to have been a war... Townhall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385491/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:04:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385217/posts The media gave President Obama credit during the campaign for promising not to raise taxes on the middle class. He was on the trail in New Hampshire when he made a "firm pledge" not to raise taxes on any family "making less than $250,000 a year." Obama is doing his best to break that promise, but the network news media haven't bothered to report it. On Nov. 6 when he endorsed the tax increase-laden health care reform bill that the House of Representatives passed on Nov. 7, Obama violated his pledge. Newsbusters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385217/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:04:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380816/posts Years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev were sitting in a backyard near Stanford, where Shultz was teaching. The two men discussed what they thought was the turning point in ending the Cold War. Gorbachev said it was two leaders — he and President Ronald Reagan — sitting in a room together, talking. Shultz said it was Reagan’s decision to show military might in 1983 by sending missiles to West Germany. “The strength we put on display was never used,” Shultz said. “Strength works hand in... Ventura County Star http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380816/posts#comment Sat, 7 Nov 2009 13:54:59 GMT