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WASHINGTON: Behind every successful man there is...oh! you’ve heard that line. No female has ever become US president in the country’s 228 years of modern history, but the influence of political spouses and offspring has never been greater. President Bush's wife Laura is drawing star billing, easily eclipsing Teresa Heinz Kerry. Her popularity — Americans prefer her more than two to one over Teresa — has given Bush a definite edge.

Just as JFK's appeal to a nation's idealism inspired a generation yearning for something more than materialism, George W. Bush's vision of the world that lies beyond the war on terrorism should appeal to a generation drowning in relativism. The partisans and cynics won't see it. But the president who spoke last week to the U.N. General Assembly was a visionary who stood in the midst of chaos and angst to project a boldly clear vision of the course and the destination. It is a striking difference between Bush and the muddled and vacillatory John Kerry, whose positions on Iraq...

With the US Federal Election Campaign in fully swing the polls are predicting a tight finish between George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry. Would you believe there has recently been a strong surge of support for Mel Gibson as President? This site has certainly been inundated with emails promoting Mel as the next leader of the free world. For those of you who don‘t know Mel Gibson is an actor (of Braveheart fame) who also happens to be an Australian citizen. He was however born in Peekskill, NY making him eligible for President. This situation isn‘t entirely without precedent...

On Independence Day, we remember names like Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Franklin --and we honor their courage and vision. We are grateful that our Founders pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to create an independent America. And we are thankful that this Nation under God is still free, independent, and the best hope of mankind. America is a place of freedom and opportunity. We are caring toward neighbors in need and generous to the sick and struggling. We are a strong, decent, and good-hearted country. All of us are blessed to be citizens of the United States...

WASHINGTON, June 11 — Nancy Reagan started her seventh day of mourning Friday bowed over her husband's coffin in the Rotunda of the Capitol. By the time the sun set in California 12 hours later, Mrs. Reagan had attended a state funeral at National Cathedral, a formal send-off at Andrews Air Force Base and, after a cross-country flight aboard an Air Force jumbo jet, Ronald Reagan's burial on a hillside outside Los Angeles. For Mrs. Reagan, it was an exhausting and emotional test of endurance, all the more so for an 82-year-old woman who, as friends noted, for 10 years...

Our culture seems to be decaying from within. The recent “March for Women’s Lives” in Washington DC showed us a glimpse of what our culture has been becoming. Women holding signs about their genitals and screaming about their right to “choose” infiltrated Washington, flooded the streets and won the attention of the national media. But the rhetoric is tiresome. Signs wishing that George Bush’s mother had “choice” available to her and demanding the right to “choose” are worn out and frustrating. Has no one the courage to step forth and say that they want the right to have abortions, and...

Baghdadis hail Bush surprise visit From correspondents in Baghdad 28nov03 ORDINARY Iraqis joined American soldiers today in hailing US President George W. Bush's surprise visit to Baghdad in which he fed 600 soldiers the traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner at the city's airport. "Why wouldn't he come here? He got rid of Saddam for us, we owe him," said Raad Turk Azab, a baker. Sara Hassan who was peddling fruits in downtown Baghdad said she appreciated the US president's visit but echoed feelings shared by most Iraqis seven months after the US-led troops invaded Iraq. He "should bring back security to...

President Bush secretly landed an hour ago and is currently eating Thanksgiving dinner at my undisclosed location. Anticipate a press release after he takes off. ChiefKujo

  National Catholic ReporterThe Independent Newsweekly 1Archives  | NCROnline.org  *Send This Page to a Friend  Today's Take:  NCR's daily Web column Each weekday over the course of a week, a member of the NCR staff offers a commentary on one or more topics in the news.  It's our way of introducing you to some of the people carrying out the NCR mission of faith and justice based journalism. November 17, 2003 Vol. 1, No. 151           Supporting gay and lesbian Catholics By Tom Fox, NCR publisher As a journalist, I avoid joining organizations. However, I recently felt...

Dear Republican,Over the last few months, Laura and I have traveled the country and have been humbled by the enthusiastic support we have been given.Our country has faced many challenges in the last two and half years and we are meeting these challenges at home and abroad. We're defeating the enemies of freedom. And at the same time, we're confronting challenges to build prosperity for our nation and a more compassionate society.Every test has revealed the true character of America. And no one in the world can doubt the spirit and will and strength of the American people.We are...

Today, President Bush attended a fund-raising luncheon at a hotel in Chicago, a meeting with business leaders at the University of Chicago School of Business, and then an evening fund-raiser in Cincinnati. There are a lot of pictures today, so enjoy your Daily Dose of Dubya!

With an election year on the way, candidates are attending picnics and rallies across the nation in celebration of Labor Day. Too many will denounce the rich and pander to the fears and dissatisfaction many workers feel. Work to many, you see, is a necessary evil. The goal in life is putting in enough time to retire and relax. But that attitude and that goal are contrary to a Christian worldview perspective on work. Christians have a special reason to celebrate Labor Day, which honors the fundamental dignity of workers, for we worship a God who labored to make the...

Members of the U.S. military, in San Antonio and everywhere, should be able to wear their uniforms with honor, pride and dignity. But they've been warned against wearing them in public by their own commander, Maj. Gen. Darrel R. Porr.

QUESTION: I want to be successful in my circle of friends. A stand for the King James Bible would be a detriment to my future promotion. What should I do? ANSWER: Either you stand for God's Bible and trust HIM to promote you, or you sell out your integrity and grovel for your peers as a dog does for a bone. The choice is yours.

GENEVA (Reuters) - A tiny stuntman who protested against a French ban on the bizarre practice of "dwarf throwing" has lost his case before a U.N. human rights body which said the need to protect human dignity was paramount. Manuel Wackenheim had argued the 1995 ban by France's highest administrative court was discriminatory and deprived him of a job being hurled around discotheques by burly men. In a statement on Friday the U.N. Human Rights Committee said it was satisfied "the ban on dwarf-tossing was not abusive but necessary in order to protect public order, including considerations of human dignity"....

Mel Gibson is gonna go get himself in trouble! His recent themes of some of his movies have gotten to be just darn near defiant to the culture and society we live in. How dare he. His own industry (Pretendland) has regularly snubbed him since Braveheart, and yet he remains one of the most talented film makers, directors, not to mention leading men today. In "Braveheart", before the insiders could really peg his pattern, he defied almighty Authoritarian rule. In telling the story of William Wallace, which by nature is the story of why freedom is so costly. The short...

A Royal Navy board of inquiry will today fly to Lord Howe Island, 200 miles north-east of Sydney, to discover just why the destroyer HMS Nottingham hit a rock in well-charted seas. Commander Richard Farrington, captain of the ship - which would cost an estimated £250m to replace and has state-of-the-art navigation equipment - said yesterday he had feared the Nottingham would sink. "It hazarded the lives of 250 men and women. We have done significant damage to a major British warship," he said. He added: "This is not a good day for me." Asked what caused the accident, he...

Midge Decter is an author and editor whose essays and reviews, mostly in the field of social criticism, have appeared over the past four decades in a number of periodicals, including Harper's, The Atlantic, The American Spectator, First Things, National Review, The New Republic, and The Weekly Standard. She is a regular and frequent contributor to Commentary. She has published four books: The Liberated Woman and Other Americans; The New Chastity and Other Arguments Against Women's Liberation; Liberal Parents, Radical Children; and An Old Wife's Tale: My Seven Decades in Love and War. She has been the executive editor of...

Tom J Day Founder and President, has performed at over 500 funerals during his career, many of them at no cost to the Veterans survivors and families. What Is Bugles Across America? Bugles Across America got its start in 2000, when Congress passed legislation stating Veterans had a right to at least 2 uniformed military people to fold the flag and play taps on a CD player.Bugles Across America was begun to take this a step further, and in recognition of the service these Veterans provided their country, we felt that every Veteran deserved a live rendition of taps...