Free Republic

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12 - In an atmosphere of optimism, redemption and gleeful gossip - "So who's Bush going to put on the court first?" - nearly 1,000 conservative lawyers gathered here this week at the annual convention of the Federalist Society. Analysts may debate whether President Bush's margin of victory on Nov. 2 constitutes a mandate, but to the members of the society, the election means the promised land is within sight. They are confident, they said, that Mr. Bush's second term will give them what they have yearned for before, only to be disappointed at partial fulfillment. In the...

The XYZ Affair In the wake of the ratification of Jay's Treaty between the United States and England, the French policy of seizing American vessels on the high seas threatened to cripple the American merchant fleet. Unprepared for war and lacking a sufficient naval force to defend American merchant ships at sea, President John Adams dispatched a special commission to France to renegotiate trade treaties with the French Republic. The American commission to France was made up of John Marshall of Virginia, Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts, and South Carolinian Charles Pinckney. While the Americans were negotiating from a standpoint of...

As the Democratic primaries reach a critical stage, partisan spirit is running high, and the presidential campaign is already verging on blood sport. George Washington's birthday today serves as a reminder of how presidents can transcend politics and embody the national spirit. From the time he was recruited as commander in chief in 1775, Washington personified the often tenuous hope of unity among the 13 fractious colonies. With most of the early patriot blood spilled in Massachusetts, the second Continental Congress wanted a Southern general who could lend a national imprint to the struggle. Washington shed his Virginia identity and...

Historical Party Strength in CongressU.S. Senate     Party of Party of     Period Congress Majority Minority Others President 1789-17911791-17931793-1795 1795-17971797-17991799-1801 1st2nd3rd4th5th6th AdFFFFF 171617192019 OpDRDRDRDRDR 91313131213 ------ Washington (F)Washington (F)Washington (F) Washington (F)J.Adams (F)J.Adams (F) 1801-18031803-18051805-1807 1807-18091809-18111811-1813 7th8th9th10th11th12th DRDRDRDRDRDR 182527282830 FFFFFF 1397666 ------ Jefferson (DR)Jefferson (DR)Jefferson (DR) Jefferson (DR)Madison (DR)Madison (DR) 1813-18151815-18171817-1819 1819-18211821-18231823-1825 13th14th15th16th17th18th DRDRDRDRDRDR 272534354444 FFFFFF 91110744 ------ Madison (DR)Madison (DR)Monroe (DR) Monroe (DR)Monroe (DR)Monroe (DR) 1825-18271827-18291829-1831 1831-18331833-18351835-1837 19th20th21st22nd23rd24th AdJDDDD 262826252027 JAdNRNRNRW 202022212025 ---28- J.Q.Adams (C)J.Q.Adams (C)Jackson (D) Jackson (D)Jackson (D)Jackson (D) 1837-18391839-18411841-1843 1843-18451845-18471847-1849 25th26th27th28th29th30th DDWWDD 302828283136 WWDDWW 182222252521 4-21-1 Van Buren (D)Van Buren (D)W.Harrison (W) Tyler...

FELLOW FREEPERS, PLEASE FIRST READ MY COMMENTS BELOW AS A PREFACE Rarely does scholarship anticipate the most dramatic events of the moment. In this timely work Gary Hart does just that, arguing for the restoration of republican virtues and for homeland security as an important first step. The American democratic republic has from its founding been a paradoxical success. Simultaneously attached to state and national power, citizens' rights and citizens' duties, American democracy has uniquely turned its reliance on consent from the governed into a powerful governing of the consenting. In a remarkable political feat, America's founders combined mixed government,...