Free Republic

George Bush delivers the most philosophical inaugural address ever. "WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE political philosopher?" a group of Republican candidates were asked early in the 2000 race for president. And the frontrunner at the time, a Texas governor named George W. Bush, calmly answered, "Christ, because he changed my life."Well. You could barely hear the other candidates' answers in the crash and clatter of overturned chairs as reporters scrambled to reach the phones and call in the story. Some commentators decided Bush was nakedly pandering to Evangelical voters in a Machiavellian ploy so bold that he should have said his...

www.registerguard.com | © The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon January 21, 2005 Local events highlight division that remains among Americans By Matt CooperThe Register-Guard On a Thursday in which President Bush took office for four more years, critics at the University of Oregon promised change, supporters at a Republican breakfast in Eugene savored victory and Americans, in general, proved similarly divided. A day of anti-Bush speeches on campus ended with a march to the Federal Building downtown, where speaker Jim Rassmann, a Vietnam veteran from Florence and prominent supporter of Sen. John Kerry's presidential bid, blasted Bush for the decision to...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush's search for better relations with Europe in his second term faces an early test next week with a visit by an old ally, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. The Briton is coming ostensibly to say goodbye to Secretary of State Colin Powell, with whom Straw planned war and postwar diplomacy on Iraq, and to greet Powell's designated successor, Condoleezza Rice. In the process, Straw will convey the unsettling message that the Europeans are united on wanting to sell weapons to China. U.S. arms sales to the Asian giant are banned. The Bush administration worries that European...

No Country Left Behind "President Bush's speech was impressive, and also frightening to those who suspect that he really meant it. President Bush stood at the apogee of his life Thursday, and he rose to the occasion. A small man (in our view), who became president through accident of birth and corruption of democracy, he has been legitimized by reelection, empowered by his party's control of all three branches of government and enlarged by history (in the form of 9/11). His second inaugural address was that of a large man indeed, eloquently weaving the big themes of his presidency and...

CNN hemorrhaged more than half their audience from the 2001 Inauguration, overnights show. The troubled news network only averaged 779,000 viewers during yesterday's Inauguration coverage from 10am-4pm with just 168,000 of those viewers landing in the coveted 25-54 demo. Like CNN, MSNBC also suffered major losses, only averaging 438,000 viewers throughout yesterday's coverage (141,000 in 25-54), down a whopping 68% over 2001 and faring even worse in primetime with just 385,000 viewers. In contrast, Fox News averaged 2,581,000 viewers from 10a-4p (up 30% over 2001) and their 25-54 demo average of 705,000 came close to CNN's total coverage ratings yesterday....

January 20, 2005, 2:15 p.m. A Conservative President? It amounted to a thoroughgoing exaltation of the state. By Peter Robinson Aw, gee. He's our guy, I like him, and his performance since 9/11 has proven brave, steadfast, and completely admirable. But this speech? It was well-written - in places actually beautiful - and well-delivered. (I dissent from Jonah Goldberg and others who fault Bush for his delivery on the ground that they're forgetting to multiply his score by the degree of difficulty. Just try standing outdoors, in freezing weather, using a sound system that echoes, and then delivering a speech...

... D.C. Police Chief Charles Ramsey said he is proud of the way his officers performed, but some believe police may have overused pepper spray. "It was handled well, a major success," Ramsey said. "Even though there was a lot of tension between some groups of people, everyone should have left feeling they had their opinions able to be expressed." Ramsey said D.C. police made 79 arrests Thursday. Many of the arrests came after the inauguration, when violence erupted on Columbia Road in Adams Morgan Thursday night. "It was a group of anarchists that decided to break out windows and...

The individual who occupies the White House is almost always at the center of American political life, but Inauguration Day is about the presidency, not the president. So it was fitting that the noontime ceremony in Washington yesterday focused less on George W. Bush himself than the office he has been elected to occupy for another four years. The presence on the Capitol steps of Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton underscored that, as did the bipartisan phalanx of dignitaries. From the solemn oath-taking to the seemingly endless parade of marching bands from red states and blue,...

-snip- Informed by Strauss and inspired by Paine, appealing to Lincoln and alluding to Truman, beginning with the Constitution and ending with the Declaration, with Biblical phrases echoing throughout — George W. Bush's Second Inaugural was a powerful and subtle speech. It will also prove to be a historic speech. Less than three and a half years after 9/11, Bush's Second Inaugural moves American foreign policy beyond the war on terror to the larger struggle against tyranny. It grounds Bush's foreign policy — American foreign policy — in American history and American principles. If actions follow words and success greets...

Hi! I'm the Navy Dr. that was patrolling the Penn ave and 7th area. I met a few of you but I really can't recall the names. I had a pic taken and would love to send you a copy, so drop me a line. I was VERY impressed w your group and all my medics loved ya. I actually had to order them to move around a bit as they perferred to be near you guys!

Bush Inauguration Speech January 20, 2001 GEORGE W. BUSH: Chief Justice Rehnquist, President Carter, President Bush... (APPLAUSE) ... President Clinton, distinguished guests and my fellow citizens, the peaceful transfer of authority is rare in history, yet common in our country. With a simple oath, we affirm old traditions and make new beginnings. As I begin, I thank President Clinton for his service to our nation. (APPLAUSE) And I thank Vice President Gore for a contest conducted with spirit and ended with grace. (APPLAUSE) I am honored and humbled to stand here, where so many of America's leaders have come before...

A chief bugaboo in today's political discourse, and one that President Bush addressed forthrightly in his second inaugural speech, is the concept of sovereignty, a notion that has been analyzed since Hugo Grotius, the Dutch 17th century philosopher. Grotius set the stage for centuries of debate on international law, proclaiming, for example, that there are "open seas" over which nations may not make sovereign claims. He also set forth rules on when nations can use military force, usually in self-defense. A chief complaint against the Bush inaugural speech is that he seems to ignore the constraints of sovereignty, which prevent...

Ok. I'm back. Lots of film. I was on the street in Penn Ave with my SS bud. I'm bruised from a protestor doing the flying zambonie over the fence and I wrstled with a mad horse that bucked his rider and went nuts after all the noise. Dammit Jim, I'm a PEOPLE doctor!!! Full report to follow, although my hand may be in a cast. So typing may be very bad for a while. Big oxymoron: why are peace protesters the most violent and does a belief in socialist idealology (sp) preclude a belief in personal hygine? Finally (after...

This inauguration marks the seventh out of the past 10 in which a Republican president parades down Pennsylvania Avenue. At the Capitol, the procession's starting point, Republicans hold a 10-seat majority in the Senate and a solid grasp, for the 10th year in a row, on the House. The majority of governors, including those of the four largest states, are Republican, and the GOP controls most state legislatures. Most significantly, Americans, by a 3-to-2 margin, identify themselves as conservatives rather than liberals. Over the past quarter-century, U.S. politics has changed dramatically. Republicans, conservatives and free-market advocates have moved from the fringes to center...

Today President Bush attended the 55th Presidential Inaugural Prayer service at Washington's National Cathedral, the Rev. Billy Graham led the gathering in prayer ENJOY YOUR VISIT TO SANITY ISLAND!

Dennis Hopper should be hopping mad, some Hollywood actors said this week. Hopper, who organized The Creative Coalition's Ball after the Ball Thursday night as part of the activities surrounding President Bush's inauguration, apparently got a surprise phone call from the Presidential Inaugural Committee Wednesday night - telling him not to come to his own party. "I feel terrible that the White House inaugural committee that invited Dennis decided to disinvite him," "Sopranos" actor Joe Pantoliano told reporters at the event, where the entertainment - aside from mingling with some of Tinseltown's stars - was singer Macy Gray. Hopper reportedly...

Bush Caught Empty-Handed During Church Offering President Rarely Carries Wallet POSTED: 2:35 pm EST January 21, 2005 UPDATED: 2:49 pm EST January 21, 2005 WASHINGTON -- President George W. Bush, who rarely carries a wallet, is caught empty-handed when the offering plate came around during a church service. It happened during Friday's national prayer service in Washington. Vice President Dick Cheney quickly offered some cash. However, Bush refused and instead accepted help from his dad, former President George H.W. Bush. First lady Laura Bush also produced some cash for the collection plate. According to those close to the president, Bush...

I heard something on the radio today about Condi looking very nice ... I thought the comment was about her being seen at the Inaugural ball, but I may be wrong. Has anyone seen anything like this?

Don't know if this has already been posted. Fox News just reported that a group of radical, anti-male, lesbians were given passes to the Inauguration by Democrat Congress members from New York and California in secret. That allowed them to unfurl anti-Bush banners and make cat-calls within 100 feet of the podium. I have to believe this is a felony in light of the security breach involved. Will the Republicans have the balls to go after these congresspeople, or will they just ignore it?

Jim Angle reported tonight that New York and California Democrats gave prime seats to the protest group Code Pink. This has to be investigated...it is a security breach.