Free Republic

Thank you. I appreciate this very much. As President-elect Obama kindly pointed out during the campaign -- quite frequently, as a matter of fact -- I’ve been on the country’s payroll in one capacity or another for a half century. In the course of my long career as a burden on the taxpayer, I’ve taken a few lumps. But I’ve been more than fairly compensated by the many honors that have come my way over the years whether I deserved them or not. Tonight surely ranks among the more unexpected of them, and the most appreciated. I am very grateful...

The old cliche "politics make strange bedfellows" could not be truer as Obama honored his political rival, Senator John McCain, at an honorary dinner the night before the inauguration. During the 2008 campaign, there were heated exchanges between the two over domestic and foreign policy that were sometimes personal in nature. On Monday night, January 19, 2009, Obama referred to the former Vietnam prisoner as a war hero who understood better than most really matters in politics. Obama called for a new spirit of cooperation in Washington. Obama began the speech saying, "I am here tonight to say a few...

<snip> Still, there were signs that people hope for change. Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina, told NBC that "the Republican Party needs to reach out in a serious way to our Democratic colleagues. We will gain nothing by saying no just blindly."</snip>

U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett has never spoken to Barack Obama. He's seen him campaigning on TV and once saw the former Illinois senator in a crowded hallway in D.C. But as lawmakers, they've never spoken or crossed paths. Still, the Upstate congressman is optimistic about the new man in the White House. "I want my president to succeed," Barrett said ahead of today's inauguration. "I'm an American first, and a Republican second." For the first time in eight years, South Carolina's four Republicans in the House and two in the Senate are dealing with a White House run by the...

Here is video of President-elect Barack Obama speaking at a dinner January 19, 2009, in honor of Sen. John McCain. Obama toasted McCain just hours before his inauguration as President on January 20, 2009. . . . . . (watch video)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama honored his vanquished Republican rival John McCain on Monday, describing the Arizona senator as an "American hero" while the Democrat prepared to assume the office that both men fought bitterly to attain. Obama and McCain clashed repeatedly on the campaign trail over foreign and domestic policy in sometimes heated exchanges that occasionally veered into the personal. But Obama made clear that period had passed even as he predicted the two would not always get along in the future. "John is not known to bite his tongue and if I'm screwing up, he's going to...

Unprecedented inaugural celebrations for President-elect Barack Obama by gay activist groups, social organizations and ordinary citizens suggests many view Obama's election as a signal of a forthcoming sea change for the gay rights movement in America. The Rev. Gene Robinson, a gay Episcopal bishop, will say a prayer at an inaugural event at the Lincoln Monument on Sunday; a gay and lesbian marching band will take its place in the official presidential parade; and a slew of gay parties and inaugural balls will be held in the nation's capital before and after Obama takes the oath of office. But the...

SACRAMENTO (AP) — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger endorsed fellow Republican John McCain for president, but he's not passing up a chance to attend the historic inauguration of Barack Obama. The National Governors Association invited its members, including Schwarzenegger, to attend the swearing-in Tuesday. Schwarzenegger will be joined by his wife, Democrat Maria Shriver, a Kennedy family member who was an early Obama supporter.

NEW YORK – Barack Obama and his message of change will get a ringing endorsement on Inauguration Day from 12 bells at a church near ground zero. "Change ringing is a way that we express the joy of our community, and I think much of the nation is joyous about this inauguration," said Jeremy Bates, a Manhattan lawyer and former Obama campaign worker who will be among the 12 ringers pulling on sturdy ropes in the church's bell tower to mark the historic occasion. Change ringing is far more common outside the United States. Most cathedrals in England have sets...

<p>In what will be a Lincoln-themed inauguration from top to bottom, Obama won't only follow in the footsteps of the former president - he'll also eat like him, it was announced yesterday.</p> <p>Obama's jampacked Abe-apalooza moved into high gear with an announcement from the Congressional Inaugural Committee that it will hold a luncheon next Tuesday following the swearing-in ceremony that's modeled after foods Lincoln enjoyed.</p>

To members of the University community, The coming together of a nation at the same time every four years for presidential inaugurations -- as dictated by the Constitution for noon on Jan. 20 -- is an educational moment that binds us as a nation and a people. Next week we will have the opportunity to witness the Inauguration of Barack Obama as 44th president of the United States. In order to allow our students, as well as other members of our community, to participate in this exercise in democracy, the University will suspend classes between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m....

President-elect Obama plans to honor Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), his general election opponent, at a dinner on the eve of his inauguration. Vice President-elect Biden and former Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell (Ret.) will also be honored in a move to symbolize Obama’s commitment to bipartisanship, his inaugural committee announced Saturday.