Free Republic

MADISON, Wis. (Reuters) - A year after his historic election, President Barack Obama sought to remind Americans on Wednesday the biggest problems he is grappling with -- from the economy to the war in Afghanistan -- are the legacy of his predecessor, George W. Bush. With his approval ratings down from once-lofty levels and Tuesday's Democratic election losses raising questions about his political clout, Obama held no special ceremony to mark the anniversary of his election as America's first black president.

President Barack Obama has been in office just nine months and already he is defending his legacy, pushing back more aggressively against criticism of his record on health care, climate change, closing Guantanamo, reforming immigration laws and financial regulations and managing the war in Afghanistan. For the past two weeks, as he’s jetted across the country to fill Democrats’ 2010 coffers, Obama has been test driving a new speech that sounds a lot like one he’d be giving if he were on the ballot next year: A line-item defense of his record so far, and a sober reminder to supporters...

Michelle Obama decided to go all in. Ever since her husband took office in January, the first lady has been cautious about the causes she embraced. But with her hometown of Chicago vying to host the 2016 Olympics, Michelle boarded a plane to Copenhagen last month to make a personal appeal. She brought along Oprah Winfrey, worked her sleeveless charm on the assembled dignitaries, and even lunched with the Queen of Denmark. Her efforts culminated in a passionate televised speech to the International Olympic -Committee—-perhaps her most high-profile advocacy ever. Then it all fell flat. Rio won the Olympic bid;...

Barack Obama entered office proposing and then passing a Stimulus Plan that was breathtakingly ambitious. This legislation constituted "the greatest increase in government spending in world history". The explicit goal was to halt the serious and precipitous decline of the American economy. One of the central promises of this plan was to slow and then reverse the unemployment rate that had been creeping up at an increasingly alarming rate. Prior to the Stimulus' passage Obama assured a concerned nation that unemployment would go up to 8% and shortly begin a decline.And then the American people, comforted by this assurance, stepped...

U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy went to his deathbed looking forward to a reunion with his assassinated brothers - certain he could proudly tell them he had continued their legacy through the president who will deliver his eulogy today, U.S. Rep. William Delahunt told the Herald yesterday. In a dramatic conversation with Delahunt, the ailing Kennedy “talked about a reunion with his brothers, and I’m confident he could say, ‘I did it. I carried the torch,’ ” said Delahunt. “From Jack to Bobby to the Obama moment, Teddy really was the bridge. He carried the torch and never wavered.” The...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The death of Senator Ted Kennedy dominated front pages across the United States on Thursday with newspapers proclaiming it the end of an era and a huge loss for the Democratic Party. "Final Curtain Falls on 'Camelot' Era," read the headline on the lead article in The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Kentucky. "End of an American Epoch," declared The Washington Post, which devoted another four pages inside its front section to the life and legacy of the Senate legend who died of brain cancer on Tuesday at the age of 77. "Throughout his career he stood by some...

Susan Donaldson James of ABC News nails the true Ted Kennedy legacy: The Real Ted Kennedy Legacy 84rules August 26, 2009

The worlds news organizations will not do it, the Democrats won't admit to it, even the Republicans will join in on the sycophantic praising of the man's life. Well, I propose the we start a list of all the bad and evil things Ted Kennedy has brought upon this planet while he lived. Starting with Chappaquiddick, and on through to the last piece of legislation that was bad for America, and the world. If we don't do it, it will not be done. So let's get our collective minds together and start listing all the evil this man was apart...

July 15, 2009 Note: The recent untimely and controversial deaths of actor David Carradine, mega-star Michael Jackson and football great Steve McNair beg a re-reading of a column posted in October 2003 about Denver businessman Justin Rosen. Stellar professional careers, as well as ordinary lives, can be sullied, overshadowed and devalued by circumstances surrounding our deaths. It’s essential that we end well. In death, Justyn Rosen was caught with his pants down. An alleged adulterous affair erupted and killed him. Few would have suspected his dalliance with Teresa Perez, 40, had she not reacted so murderously when the 79 year-old...

Thinkers in the ancient world sought to plumb the depths of ultimate reality. With that quest for ultimate reality came the birth of the discipline of philosophy. Some philosophers focused on one particular aspect of philosophy called metaphysics (ultimate being). Others focused their attention on epistemology (the science of knowing). Still others stressed in their investigation the basic principles and elements of ethics (the study of the good and the right). And others focused on the ultimate foundations for aesthetics (the study of the beautiful). One philosopher stood out as being deeply involved in the study of all of these...

BET Awards to highlight Jackson's legacyBy Sandy Cohen ASSOCIATED PRESS updated 12:33 p.m., June 28, 2009 LOS ANGELES -- After three days to process the shock and grief, attendees at the BET Awards -- a show thrown into "total overhaul" by the death of Michael Jackson -- were preparing for what was sure to be a spectacular celebration of the "King of Pop," put on by an dazzling collection of the artists he influenced most. Already an affair of major star wattage, Sunday night's show was thrown under a white-hot spotlight in the wake of Mr. Jackson's death, adding attendees...

OC Family Grateful Editor: Saturday, April 25, 2009 was a beautiful day, and it was made even more wonderful by the outpouring of affection expressed toward Captain Robert S. Craig at his Beach Memorial Service. The Craig children and family appreciate all that was done to honor our “Pop,” a man so many in Ocean City have known and loved for so many years. The Beach Memorial was truly memorable and more special than we could have possibly imagined. We have many people to thank for their efforts in making it happen. We learned very quickly that organizing such an...

(At right) Flanked by friends and family members, a wreath is carried down the beach to be released into the ocean in memory of Craig, "founding father" of the Beach Patrol. Carrying the wreath is the current head of the organization, Capt. Butch Arbin, who is flanked by Craig's son, Robert Craig, and grandson, Christopher Craig. (Above) Sean Williams pushes a surf board, carrying the wreath and the ashes of Capt. Craig, toward a Coast Guard boat, which released the wreath farther from the shore.

The rich get richer. Nothing wrong with that. Except in the case of an ex-president who doesn’t need the money, and could rehabilitate his image by donating his government pension to a good cause – say, for the families of Iraqi civilians and U.S. soldiers killed in the war that Bush instigated; or for the continued rebuilding of New Orleans, whose flooding became a symbol of Bush’s presidential ineptness; or for workers laid off in a downturn that started under Bush’s watch. Such benevolence would renew the “compassionate conservative” label that helped galvanize Bush’s base in 2000. Bush would be...

Ted Kennedy’s wife, Vicki, and his nephew, former congressman Joe Kennedy, are getting set for a bruising battle over who will succeed the ailing senator, according to a new book excerpted in the new issue of Vanity Fair magazine. “Vicki is seen by all as an interloper and she is deeply resented by Ted’s children and many of the newphews,” Edward Klein writes in his new book, “Ted Kennedy: The Dream That Never Died,” due in stores next month. “Joe, who sees himself as the only serious heir apparent, particularly loathes her control over his uncle and hence the family....

News Release: April 8, 2009 Memorial Service planned to honor Captain Robert S. Craig Ocean City, MD – A memorial service for Captain Robert (Bob) S. Craig will be held 3 p.m. Saturday, April 25 on the beach at North Division Street. Captain Craig passed away on Saturday, March 28 at the age of 90. Captain Craig joined the Ocean City Beach Patrol in 1935 and served as its captain from 1946 until retiring in 1987. Captain Craig is credited with building the Ocean City Beach Patrol into the professional organization it is known as today. When Captain Craig turned...

(April 3, 2009) The man who not only epitomized the Ocean City Beach Patrol, but also built it into a serious and professional organization, passed away Saturday. When Capt. Robert (Bob) S. Craig turned 90 last July, a competition, dinner and slide show honored him for his 52 years as a town employee and member of the Beach Patrol. Thousands knew Craig from his years guiding the Beach Patrol and taking it from a small, relatively unskilled group of young men to a large group of highly skilled young men and women. Capt. Butch Arbin, the current head of the...

OCEAN CITY – Ocean City lost a treasured icon this week when Captain Robert S. Craig, who shepherded the Beach Patrol through decades of change and inspired his young charges for half a century passed away at the age of 90. Captain Craig, as he was known for decades not only by the thousands of lifeguards who worked with him and for him but also by the countless millions of local residents and visitors to the resort area, passed away last Saturday at the Coastal Hospice in Salisbury at the age of 90. A former schoolteacher and coach, Captain Craig...

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“Never before in our history have Americans been called upon to face three grave threats to our very existence any one of which could destroy us. We face a disintegrating economy, a weakened defense, and an energy policy based on the sharing of scarcity.” - Ronald Reagan Time to Recapture Our Destiny (RNC Address - July 17th, 1980) The story goes that Governor Reagan, while strategizing with his political allies in a Beverly Hills Hotel in early 1980, found the moment opportune (as he so often did) to make a point. Leaning over to Dick Allen, his soon-to-be national security...