Free Republic

Today marks the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address where he spoke eloquently about how our great nation would endure despite the ongoing Civil War. The short speech by Lincoln would go on to become one of the greatest speeches ever in American history and previous presidents have always honored the major anniversaries of this event. But not President Obama. Instead of standing upon the national park grounds of the battle of Gettysburg on the occasion of the 150th anniversary, he is spending the day meeting with editors of the Wall Street Journal and also with Secretary of Defense...

Skip to 3:15 in the video below for the key bit. We’re 50 days removed from launch and Chao’s spent hours upon hours testifying about the website before Congress over the last few weeks. And somehow only now are we hearing about this.Am I awake? It's just mind-boggling. If the payment system isn't even built, how in the world did HHS or the WH think this thing could go live on Oct 1?— Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) November 19, 2013 Two things as you watch. First, note that Chao’s talking about the entire online exchange apparatus here, not the front end...

Years ago, someone said that according to the laws of aerodynamics, bumblebees cannot fly. But the bumblebees, not knowing the laws of aerodynamics, go ahead and fly anyway. Something like that happens among people. There have been many ponderous academic writings and dour editorials in the mainstream media lamenting that most people born poor cannot rise in American society anymore. Meanwhile, many poor immigrants arrive here from various parts of Asia, and rise on up the ladder anyway.

The collapse of ObamaCare is the tip of the iceberg for the magical Obama presidency. From the moment he emerged in the public eye with his 2004 speech at the Democratic Convention and through his astonishing defeat of the Clintons in 2008, Barack Obama's calling card has been credibility. He speaks, and enough of the world believes to keep his presidency afloat. Or used to. All of a sudden, from Washington to Riyadh, Barack Obama's credibility is melting.

<p>A change to the Marine Corps’ uniform hats could take the hard-nosed Leathernecks from the Halls of Montezuma to the shops of Christopher Street.</p> <p>Thanks to a plan by President Obama to create a “unisex” look for the Corps, officials are on the verge of swapping out the Marines’ iconic caps with a new hat that some have derided as so “girly” that they would make the French blush.</p>

<p>BALTIMORE — Tom Clancy, the best-selling author of "The Hunt for Red October" and other wildly successful technological thrillers, has died. He was 66.</p> <p>Penguin Group (USA) said Wednesday that Clancy died Tuesday in Baltimore. The publisher did not disclose a cause of death.</p>

Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., one of the leaders of a GOP "moderate revolt" on Monday, says he can never forgive Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas , for leading an effort to defund Obamacare as part of a budget resolution. "This was a doomed process from the start," King told CNN on Monday. King said he went along with a vote to defund the Affordable Care Act because he was told it would get the ball rolling and prevent the government from shutting down. Urgent: Do You Support Sen. Ted Cruz's Efforts to Defund Obamacare? Vote Here. "It's obvious now there is...

Lois G. Lerner, the woman at the center of the IRS tea party targeting scandal, retired from the agency Monday morning after an internal investigation found she was guilty of “neglect of duties” and was going to call for her ouster, according to congressional staff. Her departure marks the first person to pay a significant price in the scandal, though Republicans were quick to say her decision doesn’t put the matter to rest, and pointed out that she can still be called before Congress to testify.

“She's a redneck boy's dream come true. Theresa Vail is a bowhunter, an M-16 sharpshooter, skydiver, national guard soldier, grease monkey, and also Miss Kansas. She's been a motorcycle racing queen and can skin out a deer with the best of them. And if that wasn't enough to melt your heart, she is also devastatingly beautiful. She is not, to say the least, your typical beauty queen contestant. She will also differ from past and present contestants in another way. She intends to let the whole world see her tattoos, which include the Serenity Prayer and the army's medical insignia....

The Legislative District 26 Republican Party in Arizona has passed a formal rebuke of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) for abdicating GOP principles in helping Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) secure votes to approve several of President Barack Obama’s controversial nominees.

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said a New York Times op-ed on Syria penned by Russian President Vladimir Putin made him want "to vomit" — echoing a sentiment being widely expressed Thursday on Capitol Hill.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wind energy facilities have killed at least 67 golden and bald eagles in the last five years, but the figure could be much higher, according to a new scientific study by government biologists.

His father fled Castro’s Cuba. His mother was born in the USA. No one doubts where Ted Cruz was born — in Calgary, Canada. In order to settle the issue of his citizenship status, the Senator from Texas has released his birth certificate to the Dallas Morning News, but it’s not likely to have much impact on the debate over his eligibility for the presidency: Born in Canada to an American mother, Ted Cruz became an instant U.S. citizen. But under Canadian law, he also became a citizen of that country the moment he was born.Unless the Texas Republican senator...

While U.S. presidents may very well be the most powerful individuals on earth, the operative phrase is “on earth,” but a string of incidents has developed in which Barack is credited with much, much more. The latest is an online video in which a young boy appears to be praying TO Obama. Not for him. Not about him. TO him. “Thank you for all the stuff that you helped us with. Thank you for taking the courage and all the responsibility for everything you have done for us. And God has gave you special powers and you are going to...

Sen. Lindsey Graham’s primary challenger retweeted a tweet that calls him “Nancy boy,” according to the Sunlight Foundation’s Politwoops, which monitors politicians’ deleted tweets.