Free Republic

What’s most amazing is that Lincoln later picked Stanton to become his War Secretary after the resignation of Simon Cameron. At the time of his selection Stanton was still an avowed critic of Lincoln. Lincoln was willing to overlook this because of Stanton’s superb managerial skills. As their relationship matured Stanton became one of Lincoln’s warmest admirers. Standing at the foot of Lincoln’s bed as latter died of a gunshot wound to the head, Stanton proclaimed of Lincoln: “Now he be belongs to the ages.” “I claim not to have controlled event,” Lincoln candidly wrote in 1864, “but confess plainly...

“Even now, I wonder what I might have accomplished if I'd studied harder.”This regretful remark, delivered to Eureka College's graduating class of 1982, inspired uproarious laughter from the audience. Why? Because it came from a sitting president of the United States. Ronald Reagan, despite his admittedly mediocre grades, had already made it just about as far as anyone can.Ideally, college study helps to form the whole person. But to some extent, and for most Americans, it is viewed as a means to an end—a preparation for later accomplishments in life.Today, there still exists a very small, elite world in which...

....Obama will not meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he travels to Washington in March. Spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan says that in keeping with "long-standing practice and principle," the president does not meet with heads of state or candidates in close proximity to their elections. Israel is scheduled to hold elections in mid-March.

Lee possessed every virtue of other great commanders without their vices. He was a foe without hate; a friend without treachery; a victor without oppression, and a victim without murmuring. U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower believed that Confederate General Robert E. Lee should be a Role Model for American youth and they should emulate his qualities. Robert Edward Lee was born January 19, 1807 to Revolutionary War hero Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee III and Anne Carter Lee at Stratford Hall in Westmoreland County Virginia. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point where he graduated 2nd in...

New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson stirs the Facebook faithful with thoughtful and moving post on tumult surrounding the Michael Brown-Officer Darren Wilson case and Ferguson. #Ferguson Fox News: On the Record with Greta Van Susteren

As he has promised to do for months, President Obama launched a broadside against the U.S. Constitution last night, introducing a plan to enact executive amnesty despite having zero legal authority to do so under our founding document’s Article II, Sect. 2 powers governing the Executive Branch. So much for swearing to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.”

House Republicans will have their largest majority since the 1930s next year, but that doesn't mean Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) job will be easy.The House GOP leadership's struggles in keeping members in line over the past four years have been well documented. Some of the incoming freshmen will likely join the ranks of conservatives who frequently oppose leadership initiatives.Among the new freshmen, for instance, is one congressman-elect who has called Hillary Clinton the "anti-Christ," another who has suggested Muslims don't deserve First Amendment rights, and yet another who has declared himself open to the idea of the United States invading...

Election results? We don’t need no stinkin’ election results. If Barack Obama sounded defiant — as well as out of touch with reality — in his post-election press conference, the rest of Democratic leadership hardly sounds any more aware. Nancy Pelosi signaled full steam ahead for another term as leader of the House Democratic caucus, but Politico reports that some members wonder when Pelosi and her clique will take a hint from voters … but probably not enough of them to matter: No Democrat is gearing up to challenge Nancy Pelosi in public, but behind the scenes some Democrats are...

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) said on Friday he doesn't think an overhaul of Democratic congressional leadership is necessary after Tuesday's midterms. But the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee said the party does have a problem with the way it communicates with voters. "We have to get our messaging right,” he said on MSNBC. Democrats, he said, should better convey their positions on issues such as raising the minimum wage and reducing student loan debt. At the same time, he backed Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who have come under...

[SNIP]The Obama of the plague narrative is a dreamer,a narcissist of little practical education and experience who sees the world in simple cartoonlike outlines and acts accordingly. Unable to imagine anything going wrong,incapable of either learning from past errors or responding to unforeseen demands. A man with no plan B. When things go south, he wanders off to the nearest golf course,leaving others to clean up...If this marks the end of the Obama presidency,as a number of observers have suggested,what comes next? We know that his mentality is that of a petulant child constantly striving for adult admiration. What happens...

Part of the allure and fascination of politics is that you don't know what's going to happen until election night is over and all the votes have been counted. It is real-life, high-stakes drama. In the 1970s, it was volunteers who would call in the vote tallies from the precincts. They would be written on the blackboard and the totals calculated as the votes were called in. Nowadays we rely on the Internet to give us information on where the races end up. Unless you know what counties come in first, it's hard to decipher the status of the races....

The title of leader of the free world has traditionally been held by an American President. But since America does not have a suitable candidate for such a title at the moment, which world leaders qualify to be leaders of the free world? These are possible candidates - Stephen Harper (Canada), Angela Merkel (Germany), Benjamin Netanyahu (Israel), Vladimir Putin (Russia), and David Cameron (Britain). Non-Western leaders can include 1. The new right-wing Hindu Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, who passionately opposes Islamic extremism. His party, the BJP, is very pro-Israel. As Chief Minister of Gujarat State, he implemented small...

Fall is in the air. The leaves are changing colors, football season is in full swing and people in battleground states are being inundated by candidates and commercials. In Washington, the GOP is already breaking out the champagne. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is already measuring the drapes in the majority leader’s office. The anticipation is that the Republican Party will sweep the midterm elections. The common wisdom is that the GOP will gain seats in the House of Representatives and more importantly take control of the Senate. But not so fast. Right now there are 45 Republicans in the...

The leftwing New York Daily News blasted President Obama on its cover Thursday morning. Referring to the federal government's appallingly incompetent response to the American Ebola outbreak, the front page headline next to the president's photo read, "For God's Sake, Get a Grip." After three weeks of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) happy talking its Ebola preparedness and wrist-flicking the potential threat, 3 people in America have been infected with Ebola, two nurses and the man they cared for -- who died last week.

This month, I turn fifty years old, which is surprising to me. At twenty-five, I never thought I would see thirty. I also never expected this period of life to be the best – but it is by a long shot. Perhaps that is best explained by the fact that, over the years, I have made some very serious mistakes that have taught me some very important lessons. Among the most important lessons I have learned is that personal happiness is not possible without a concerned effort to focus on two key factors: gratitude and encouragement. If one makes a...

What would President Obama say in such an interview? How would he answer a question like: “What would you say you do here?” This is not an entirely rhetorical question. Obviously being president is an incredibly grueling job that no well-adjusted individual would ever apply for, but looking back on some of the Obama administration’s most noteworthy accomplishments and scandals, what role, if any, did Obama play? And what does it say about his leadership? In his new memoir, Obama’s former defense secretary and CIA director Leon Panetta describes the president’s “most conspicuous weakness” as “a frustrating reticence to engage...

November 19. That's the date a bust of Vaclav Havel is to be dedicated in National Statuary Hall at this country's Capitol, and it's perfect timing -- for November 19 will also be the 25th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution he led and embodied in his native Czechoslovakia. Oh, the euphoria of those days when the Cold War was drawing to a close and the Soviet Union with it, and one after the other its captive nations were breaking their chains -- none more peacefully, successfully and triumphantly than the one this playwright turned dissident led in his little country....

Derek Jeter aka "The Captain" of the New York Yankees played his last game on Sunday. He ended his career with an RBI single in Boston, after ending his career at home in Yankee stadium with a game-winning, walk-off, RBI single. Jeter defines a leader. He has the 6th highest hit total in the history of baseball. He was the captain of five World Championship teams. But his qualities go so much deeper. Jeter never bragged. He never used words like "I." He gave credit to others for his achievements. He never demeaned or denigrated others. He always made the...

Should any Republican step to any microphone and announce he has changed his mind on global warming, the press will hail him as a hero. He has taken new evidence, processed it, and changed his mind. Should any Republican do the same on gay marriage, tax increases or a host of other matters, the same will happen. The media heralds changed minds, particularly when the mind changed is to the right of center and the change moves the person to the left of center. The ability to process new data, reinterpret existing data and reach different conclusions has value to...

"Boast not thyself of tomorrow; For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." Proverbs 27:1. President Obama is a great leader. Really. Just ask him. Seemingly ignored in the coverage of the president's ISIS speech last night was the moment when President Obama claimed that the ISIS threat was being met with "strength and resolve," then boasted that his strategy—and by extension he himself—represented "American leadership at its best." Can anyone imagine truly great American leaders--from Washington to Lincoln to Reagan--feeling the need to brag about "strength and resolve" and claim that their plans represented "American leadership at...