Presidency

It seems that all effort of Hilary Clinton is only waste of time and money, bookmakers are almost sure that Obama is the candidate to face McCain in November. The odds US presidency, next US... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

by Ivan Eland More memos recently have surfaced that were written early in the Bush administration by John C. Yoo from the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel — the man who gave us the administration’s horrifyingly narrow definition of torture. As difficult as it is to believe, the recently released memos are even scarier than [...]

One by one the nails are sealing on a successful presidential run for Hillary Clinton in 2008 (and dare I say McCain). Reuters point out: Obama gathered momentum in his battle with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination with endorsements from seven more senior party figures and a labor union, as well as strong [...]

Despite the fact that the 2008 presidential primaries have been anything but uneventful, in terms of other campaigns across the country, it seems as if everyone else is off to an incredibly slow start. Even though it’s already May, there are still many hot-races that haven’t even come close to moving into full swing. While I find [...]

Yusril Ihza Mahendra, a former key aide of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, has said he is ready to run for the 2009 presidential election. "I have been ready to become a presidential candidate since long time ago, and prepared for competition with other candidates in the upcoming elections," Yusril was quoted Friday by major national newspaper Kompas as saying. The 52-year-old, the founding figure of the Muslim-based Crescent Star Party (PBB), was dismissed from the cabinet last year amid graft probe into the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights that he led in 2001-2004. He has largely withdrawn from politics and recently played a leading role in the making of the Admiral Cheng Ho movie, which hit cinemas this year.Indonesia News Blog:

Cuban-Americans elected George Bush in 2000. This year our Boricua (Puerto Rican) brothers may decide the fate of the free world with their 65 delegates in the Democratic race. I wonder what Jamaica will do to ensure a role in the 2012 election.Powered by b2evolution.

Few (if any) presidential candidates have had the audacity to pledge a war during their bid for the Oval Office, but John McCain never was one for playing his cards close to his chest. In case you had not guessed by now, I am referring to McCains pledge of a War on Poverty. Why are [...]

Few people had heard of former KGB officer Vladimir Putin when he became prime minister in 1999. But with his taciturn, slightly intimidating face, one thing seemed certain: He didn’t look like a comedian.While “fun” is not a word widely associated with Putin, his eight-year run as Russia’s second president has seen its share of the absurd.“Who is Mr. Putin?” a journalist asked in 2000. Since no one knew for sure, they made up the answers.Putin was depicted as James Bond with a heart, the red-blooded leader of a G8 country who bites Shamil Basayev to death in the 2002 novel “President” by Latvian author Alexander Olbik.In the novel, a badly wounded Putin knocks Basayev to the ground and sinks his teeth into his throat. “‘It seems I have the grip of a bulldog,’ was th

God in the White House: A History: How Faith Shaped the Presidency from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush # Author: Randall Balmer# Format:PDF 1.3MB# Page Count: 259# Publisher: HarperCollins (2008)# Language: English# eISBN-10: 0061583294# eISBN-13: 9780061583292How did we go from John F. Kennedy declaring that religion should play no role in the elections to Bush saying, "I believe that God wants me to be president"?Historian Randall Balmer takes us on a tour of presidential religiosity in the last half of the twentieth century—from Kennedy's 1960 speech that proposed an almost absolute wall between American political and religious life to the soft religiosity of Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society; from Richard Nixon's manipulation of religion to fit his own needs to Gerald Ford's quiet

Today's Washington Post has a piece about John McCain that should make the rest of the media wake up and take notice.  The article describes McCain's volcanic temper and inability to let go of a grudge.  There are two especially remarkable things about the story: (1) several Republicans, members of McCain's own party, say that McCain's temper should disqualify him from the presidency and (2) tough guy McCain would not answer questions for this story. Some of the highlights: Former Sen. Bob Smith bluntly says that McCain's "temper would place this country at risk in international affairs, and the world perhaps in danger.  In my mind, it should disqualify him." Sen.  Thad Cochran says the thought of McCain in the White House "sends a cold chill down my spine." Former AZ Republican Pa

The election of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) received a sensational twist yesterday when Maj Gen (retd) Amin Ahmed Chowdhury announced his candidature for the president's post.The announcement put end to talks of a unified panel for the April 28 polls as Kazi Salahuddin, who needs no introduction to football lovers of the country, has already declared that he would contest for the hot seat of the federation.On the other hand, it still remains an enigma whether the incumbent president SA Sultan will compete in the election or not.Yesterday's showdown of the ex-army official however indicates a tough battle for Salahuddin, arguably the best footballer the country has ever produced who quit as vice-president after a dispute with Sultan.Amin Ahmed expressed his desire to contest the po

Student government began at a young age fdor me. In middle school I was on student council and in eighth grade I was the class president. When I moved on to high school I was secretary my sophomore year. At the end of sophomore year I ended up running for president against Chris Flemming [...]

Graphs via The History News Network:The funny thing mentioned in the article linked was that George Bush would have faired worse, but some historians wanted to wait until his presidency was over for some perspective.He are some choice quotes from some of the historians in the poll:“No individual president can compare to the second Bush,” wrote one. “Glib, contemptuous, ignorant, incurious, a dupe of anyone who humors his deluded belief in his heroic self, he has bankrupted the country with his disastrous war and his tax breaks for the rich, trampled on the Bill of Rights, appointed foxes in every henhouse, compounded the terrorist threat, turned a blind eye to torture and corruption and a looming ecological disaster, and squandered the rest of the world’s goodwill. In short, no oth

John McCain: "I got that impression from him watching his interview last night, I got that impression," McCain said laughing on his campaign plane in New Hampshire.McCain refused to hint at just how seriously his campaign is considering Romney for the ticket, though reports earlier this week said some aides to President Bush are pushing the idea of a McCain-Romney ticket, given the Massachusetts Republican's "credentials" with respect to economic issues.As it turns out, if it looks like Willard can help the ticket, I don't think McCain gives a rat's ass about putting him on it.

Bangladesh football legend Kazi Salahuddin promised to bring back the golden days of football in the country if he is elected president of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF).In a written statement, the former vice-president of the game's governing body expressed his desire to contest in the next poll of BFF."I hope the election of BFF will be held as per the roadmap of the game's world governing body. I am hopeful that I can fulfil the dream of the country's football loving people as I have the determination and experience to serve the game," said Salahuddin, who quit from the vice-president post after a brawl with incumbent BFF president SA Sultan."I firmly believe that I can do something special about which people can feel proud if I get the opportunity to become president of the f

While the US presidential campaign is raging, many Indonesians have made up their minds that candidate Barack Obama would make a great president, with his childhood time in the country making him a local favourite. Obama, 46, was enrolled in two primary schools in Jakarta in the late 1960s. "We are very proud to have one of our students being a candidate in the United States presidential race," Kuwadiyanto, headmaster of the SDN (State Elementary School) Besuki, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. SDN Besuki is a highly regarded public school which accepts students from various religious backgrounds. Subjects taught are in accordance with the national curriculum and non-Muslim students receive religious instruction in their own religion in a separate classroom."He was really different from t

I don’t want to hear it anymore. The notion that if Hillary becomes a President, that somehow it will be equally historical as Obama becoming a President is absurd. Sure, if Hillary Clinton wins the general election, she would be the first woman President of this land (the U. S.) Whatever, big deal. America had women (especially white [...]

Marjeta Cotman, Slovenian Minister of Labour, Family and Social Affairs met this morning in Ljubljana the representatives of the European Disability movement Ljubljana, 28 February 2008 – “Preventing discrimination against persons with disabilities is a priority for the Slovenian Presidency”, said this morning Marjeta Cotman, Slovenian Minister of Labour, Family and Social Affairs. “We are committed to support Human Rights of disabled people both at national and European level and we do hope to have EU’s formal engagement to propose measures to fight disability discrimination within this Presidency”, said the Minister. During the encounter, the Minister informed the Director of the European Disability Forum, Carlotta Besozzi, and the President of the Slovenian f

For those who don't know, in the early days of Mixed Martial Arts in America it had alot of problems with angry politicians. I actually wrote an article awhile back on the rise of mixed martial arts that explains McCain's role. Here is what I wrote-Senator John McCain was so adamant about banning the UFC he was successful in making it illegal in all but 3 states. McCain, who is known for having connections in boxing, also had it removed from 90% of pay-per-view providers. Since then the sport has bounced back and is the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. today. Now what we don't know is if McCain still has strong beliefs about this issue. Its not likely that he changed his mind, the question is if he really wants to push the issue if he gets the presidency. I'm not a big supporter o

Will We Recognize This Place By The Time Bushtard Is All Done With It Dollar Sinks Lower And Lower Everyday Crash Is Immenent Our Military Is Depleted, Stuck In A Quagmire, Civil War Bushtard Wants To Go On World Tour, To Give Middle Finger One Last Time And The Right Wing Is Threatening Us With A True Nutcase: Huckabee Earth To Huckabee: Religious Insanity Is Not A Virtue America Can't Afford Another Bushtard In Highest Office Four More Years Of That And We Are Through, Kiss All Your Sorry Asses Good Bye, If You Thought It Was Retarded With Bushtard Imagine More With A Christo-Fascist Like Huckabee, I Have A Theory On This Though: The Religiously Insane Wing Of The Right Wing Is The Bottom Of That Totem Pole, At The Top Of That Food Chain Are Elite Neocons These Two Groups

Romney's Campaign To Mainstream MormonismRepublican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said yesterday that he hopes to convince voters that his Mormon faith is mainstream."I think as people come to know my faith they'll recognize that the values of my faith are — they very much flow from the Judeo-Christian tradition of this country. I believe in God, I believe in Jesus Christ, I believe in the equality of all humankind," Mr. Romney said in an interview with The Washington Times.Mr. Romney has remained mostly mum on the topic; despite his desire to deliver a speech about his Mormon faith, he has accepted the advice of political aides who advise against the move...The candidate's religion, however, threatens to become a very public campaign issue — and a dangerous one. In a recent Gallup survey, just two-thirds of conservatives said they could support a Mormon candidate.Read Article... Romney Republican Politics

I've heard this in "Air Force One," and I've heard it elsewhere. "The Presidency is bigger than any one man." So why do we all blame George W. Bush?It seems like there's much at work behind the scenes that we just don't take into account. On "Inside The Actors Studio," "Tom Cruise" mentioned how when he works on a project, if everything goes very well, he'll give credit to everyone. If the project goes bust, he alone will take the fall. But in our country's case, is it right to focus the blame all on one man?It's possible Bush is merely a cog in a much bigger machine that has been moving toward our present situation for quite some time. I'll bet some people out there would say that is obvious. I've toyed with this idea before in my "Is George Bush Just A Pawn" entry, but only now does it seem to make much more sense.The real danger is in thinking that a new President will solve all the problems the old one helped create. If the problem doesn't lie within that single o

Interview with Bush. Q: "What do you think, looking back, your greatest hit was? Where you really hit one out of the park. And what do you think your greatest error was?"A: "Success, there's been a lot." But he refused to reveal his greatest error.read more | digg story

“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter, and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” Abraham Lincoln I always look forward to the Special Comments that Keith Olbermann occasionally does for his show. You can always count on it being an intense, passionate and emotional critique of the latest cowardly, illegal, unconstitutional or just plain stupid moves Bush or his administration have foisted on the American people. On the November 5th show Keith Olbermann comments on President Bush’s and Michael Mukasey’s response to allegations of waterboarding in the Bush administration. Also, the question is asked… Why was an Acting Assistant Attorney General forced out – just because he had the guts to do what Pres. Bush couldn’t? It is a fact startling in its cynical simplicity and it requires cynical and simple words to be properly expressed: The presidency of George W. Bush has now devolved into a criminal cons

Reminding us that democracy and free speech is over should he become President, Rudy "Benito" Giuliani criticized Hillary Clinton's criticism of the president's foriegn policy;"I think that it's important that we conduct this debate in a way that we don't interfere with the ability of the country to function in a proper way, between the now and (the election)," -I think Mr. Giuliani seems a little bit lost on what a campaign is."The president of the United States is president of the United States. He's going to be president of the United States from now until the time a new president takes over. Until then, he's the only one conducting foreign policy of this country, We can have our political debate in this country. ... But nobody should be creating the specter that we're sending emissaries out around the world before someone is actually sworn in as president of the United States. I think it would be good for the country if Mrs. Clinton, Senator Clinton would correct that statem

For the first time in three decades - since President Jimmy Carter was in office YIKES, home ownership is on the verge of dropping during a presidents tenure.  There is expected to be close to one million less homeowners by the time he leaves office as compared to when he took office.  While there are certainly many reasons, and while I would not consider myself a big proponent of Bankruptcy, the changes in the Bankruptcy code certainly plays a big part of this shift.  And this is not necessarily a good shift to have - downward home ownership.  Hopefully this will be changed and corrected no matter who becomes the next US President!===============================================================================Title companies & mortgage brokers, help your borrowers- arrange to have their loan signed and notarized in their home, at their convenience by a Certified Notary Signing Agent (CNSA)Browse The Rain for a qualified and Certified Notary Signing Agent in

Steve Chapman recently wrote that he thinks McCain's age (71) makes him too old to hold the presidency. He argues and points out that other high stress jobs have limits on age. For example, the FAA recently decided to raise the age limit for pilots from 60 to 65.But should the presidency qualify for an age limit? There isn't one in place, so should we be so bold as to say the people of the United States cannot elect who they want merely because of the candidate's age? Mr. Chapman ends by saying that McCain needs to "do one more service by acknowleding that the presidency is a job for a younger person."I disagree with that. I believe that John McCain would make a very good president if he's elected. The FAA has the age limit because collectively men and women of those ages are unable to handle the pressures of the job. But the President is only one person. While most 71 year olds might not be fit for the office, there will always be exceptions. There are pilots who could fly well pa

Megawati Soekarnoputri, general chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) hailed the wish of Sutiyoso, the outgoing Jakarta governor, to run for the presidency in 2009. Megawati after a fast breaking occasion at her residence said here on Monday evening that anyone has the right to become a nominee for the presidential election, so that there is no question about a competition."I don`t consider him (Sutiyoso) a rival. I have said a long time ago that if Indonesia is consistent to live in a democracy, there would be no problem," Megawati said.Sutiyoso met Megawati a few hours before he announced his wish to run for the presidency.Indonesia News Blog: http://indosnesos.blogspot.com

On August 23, 2007, Barack Obama appeared on “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart. The question of his experience on foreign policy was asked. In the opening of the show there was a piece that Jon did called “Billions and Billions” that perfectly described our past foreign policy blunders in the Middle East and why this “experience” maybe useless. Stewart started out with a news piece announcing that the United States was going to sell $20 billion dollars in weapons to Saudi Arabia to the royal family. Stewart stated that it was ok though because “a full 20 percent of the 9/11 hijackers were NOT from there”.Stewart also pointed out that Saudi Arabia sponsored Hamas in the past by holding a telethon for them. This would cause a problem with Israel but the White House announced that they would increase aid to Israel by 25 percent, nearly 30 billion dollars. “Oh billions of dollars, is there no dispute you can’t solve.” Stewart said.He was quick to also point out

The resignation of Karl Rove has been widely discussed with similar topics coming up repeatedly. These include the ultimate failure of Rove’s policy of division and his ongoing legal problems as his conduct in office is investigated. No matter what you think of the Bush administration, there is one characteristic which both supporters and detractors might agree on. They thought big. Their policies may have been failures, but they sure were big failures. Bush went from speaking out against nation building in the 2000 campaign to seeking to change the entire middle east. The Bush administration didn’t attempt to just whittle away at a bit of what they saw as the welfare state. Their policies were designed to ultimately destroy Social Security and Medicare. Karl Rove also thought big in the area of politics. In an article in The Atlantic, Joshua Green described how Karl Rove wanted to do more than simply getting out the far right to win narrow elections. He had a bigger goal

Two More Leave John McCain's CampaignPresidential hopeful Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., lost two more campaign staffers on Wednesday.According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, media team members Russ Schriefer and Stuart Stevens notified McCain's new campaign manager Rick Davis on Monday that they were quitting. Reportedly the staffers had not been paid.The latest defections follow those of former campaign manager Terry Nelson and chief strategist John Weaver, who bailed out two weeks ago, and more more than a dozen senior staffers now gone from the headquarters in northern Virginia -- as well as state offices in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, according to the report.Read Article... John McCain Politics

Congress Votes to Outsource Presidency, Washington, DC (AP)Congress today announced that the office of President of the UnitedStates of America will be outsourced to India as of July 1, 2007. Themove is being made in order to save the President's $500,000 yearlysalary, and also a record $521 Billion in deficit expenditures andrelated overhead the office has incurred during the last 6 years."We believe this is a wise financial move. The cost savings are huge,"stated Congressman Thomas Reynolds (R-WA)."We cannot remain competitive on the world stage with the current levelof cash outlay," Reynolds noted.Mr. Bush was informed by e-mail this morning of his termination.Preparations for the job move have been underway for some time.Gurvinder Singh of Indus Teleservices (Mumbai ,India) will assume

One of Shimon Peres' political advisers has told him a run for presidency is not a good idea:The presidential campaign adviser to Vice Premier Shimon Peres this weekend told his client not to enter the race.Senior adviser Eyal Arad that Peres that he was unlikely to get the necessary votes in a secret ballot, Haaretz reported, and that a defeat would be disgrace his public and international image. Peres is already branded as a loser among the Israeli public, having lost an unprecedented seven elections for top offices. A further obstacle to a Peres win in the current presidential election would be the candidacy of MK Collette Avital, endorsed by the Labor Party, who would siphon off votes in the first round.And by now, at his age, a run for presidency would be much too comedic for him.

Shimon Peres is showing signs of age in sleepiness, and has also lost Labor's support for him as a presidential candidate:Vice Premier Shimon Peres is by all accounts active for his age, but time may be gaining on the octogenarian.According to the Jerusalem Post, the Labor Party's executive committee voted nearly unanimously to endorse Colette Avital rather than Peres as its choice for Israel's next president. [...]The Vice Premier, who bolted to the Kadima party after losing to Amir Peretz in the race to lead Labor, was not pleased when Channel Ten screened a clip of him falling asleep during a TV interviewer's question about Iran. [...]The interviewer, evidently from an Arab television station, asks Peres whether Israel should see development of nuclear capability in Iran as an "existential threat." The Vice Premier mumbles in response that Iran should feel threatened, and that they would in ten years see the investment in nuclear weapons as a mistake. But by the time the intervi

Sarkozy Defeats LeftistSocialist Segolene Royal France was Monday looking ahead to a new political era after conservative Nicolas Sarkozy took a decisive victory in presidential elections that he claimed as a five year mandate for change.Sarkozy was expected to waste no time in pushing through promised reforms aimed at shaking up France's labor market to revive the country's flagging economy.Sarkozy won with 53 percent of the vote in Sunday's presidential runoff, according to preliminary results issued by the French Interior Ministry. Socialist Segolene Royal took 47 percent of the vote."The president of the republic must love and respect all the French," Sarkozy told cheering supporters at his campaign headquarters. "I will be the president of all the French people.""The French people have called for change. I will carry out that change, because that's the mandate I have received from the French people."Sarkozy added that he wanted to tell his "American friends that they can rely

A quick link that I found quite amusing the other day:Plays for the Presidency is from The Politico, but the blog itself is non-partisan. The bonus? An crafty little political periodic table of common political tactics that all seasoned politicians use--including the, "trial balloon," the "peacock," and the, "crazy ivan." The table also includes what other tactics are good for countering other tactics, as well as risk/reward ratings for each. No assembly required! Have fun watching the first major Democratic debate tonight on MSNBC at 6pm EDT and trying to spot some of the tactics listed on the table. Stay tuned for post-debate impressions as well.

Apparently not idiot proof yet.How close did this country come to having its first women president?thisclose.Mulally told journalists at the New York Auto Show that he intervened to prevent President Bush from plugging an electrical cord into the hydrogen tank of Ford's hydrogen-electric plug-in hybrid at the White House last week. Ford wanted to give the Commander-in-Chief an actual demonstration of the innovative vehicle, so the automaker arranged for an electrical outlet to be installed on the South Lawn and ran a charging cord to the hybrid. However, as Mulally followed Bush out to the car, he noticed someone had left the cord lying at the rear of the vehicle, near the fuel tank."I just thought, 'Oh my goodness!' So, I started walking faster, and the President walked faster and he got to the cord before I did. I violated all the protocols. I touched the President. I grabbed his arm and I moved him up to the front," Mulally said. "I wanted the president to make sure he plugged in

There is a good editorial in favor of a Hagel Presidency at First Call. The piece, "Diamonds Don't Always Lie at the Surface: For a Chuck Hagel Presidency," is by Al Moran. Here are some excerpts:Hagel’s conservative credentials are extremely sound: he has consistently voted against abortion, downplayed the need for even more money to be put into public education programs without organizing the tremendous amount that’s already there, supported reforming Social Security so the nest egg doesn’t dry up in the very-near future, etc....Hagel has responded with the statement that he swore an oath of office to the Constitution, and not one to a party or particular ideology. I greatly admire and respect this; Hagel seems to be a voice of reason in a conservative base that is increasingly straying from its intellectual and traditional roots. He simply wants to question an administration that has erred. We have been involved in Iraq for quite some time now. The administration’s propos

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Josh (from Kansas City, MO) has given his answer to our question: "Why do you want Chuck Hagel to be our next President?"Chuck Hagel represents the utopian Republican right now. He's firm on Repubican morals, and accountability, but he's also willing to hold firm to his beliefs that America can do better in the area of Foreign Policy. No one is satisfied with the current situation in Iraq. What happened in the past is past. Chuck Hagel looks to the future. Instead of the typical Congressman's response of "If we knew then what we know now," Chuck has come up with a viable workable, and more importantly a bi-partisan solution. What more could you ask for? He's a great choice, because he truly represents Republican values, and is a viable option for those moderate Republicans and Independents that aren't yet willing to concede the White House to the Democrats. I hope that Chuck decides to run, if so it's going to be up to us to help him out, and I'm willing to take that ste

Hillary Clinton vs. Barack Obama A CBS News survey this week found Hillary Clinton leading Obama among black voters, 52 percent to 28 percent. Almost identical findings were reported by a Washington Post poll Thursday, leading some to suggest that certain African Americans just don't identify with the Ivy League-educated, bi-racial senator. A new poll out Thursday seems to confirm earlier polls showing lots of African-American voters may have reservations about Sen. Barack Obama's possible presidential campaign. "It does not mean that you have to be on welfare in order to represent the African-American community," said State Senate President Emil Jones. "The mere fact that he's a U.S. Senator, the mere fact that he's a credible candidate running for President, does more for our children and grand-children than all of them combined." "Saying you're not black enough is an attempt to discredit him among black voters," said Professor Timuel Black. The results show Sen. H

Ron Paul is probably the most honorable, decent man in Congress, quite possibly the entire U.S. government.  He understands the economy, its shortcomings and how to fix it.  He understands the weaknesses of our monetary system.  Above all, he values individual liberty.  He poses a grave threat to the status quo.  LibiddyBill believes the obstacles are too great to overcome.  I prefer to believe the obstacles are too great to ignore.  Below are his 5 reasons why Ron Paul can’t succeed, they are my 5 reasons why we must see that Ron Paul succeeds. 1) Ron Paul threatens the shadow government. Anyone paying attention with eyes to see knows that the political process given to us and the political leaders handed to us on a platter, do not control the real power in the country. The president and the political leaders, whether donkey or pachyderm, serve masters that don't visit voting booths. The people who control the money supply make the rules. The

Today we have a post from Peace Tree contributing author W. Christopher Epler.10 Lessons From the Toilet Presidency of George W. Bush: 1. Religious fanatics are now the number one threat to the planet Earth.2. Fundamentalists no more speak for Christianity than ultra right wing Zionists speak for the Jewish community. And clearly it's a desecration to confuse the Prophet Mohammed with psychopathic terrorists.3. Once upon a time, we had political representatives who spoke for our values and truths, but there's more spine in the back of a book than in the DLC (Democratic Leadership Council). In short, WE ARE ON OUR OWN. Practically speaking, this is the most important lesson of all, because so long as we assume we have advocates, we won't take responsibility for saving our children and country.4. We've learned that the American media sells its soul cheap. You can buy television anchors by the gross (the Australian Rupert Murdoch has 10 or 12 of them on his key chain). This can't be

In our continuing series on "Why do you want Chuck Hagel to be our next President?" , we look today at the theme of leadership. Many people have said that his excellent leadership is one of the reasons that they support Chuck Hagel.The Chuck Hagel Myspace Group has as its tagline:"A leader we can be proud of."Ed from Virginia wrote:"We need Hagel's kind of leadership."Linda from Connecticut writes:"A lot of people are looking now for someone to lead us out of this mideast catastrophe. Your words about the origins of the problem are dead on and give me hope that you are that leader . Please run for president."Please continue to email in your responses to the question.

Thank you to those people who responded to my question, "Why do you want Chuck Hagel to be our next President?" Please continue to email in your responses to this question. This is another of the answers I received.Chip states his reason very succinctly:He's not crazy. Thanks Chip!

Thank you to those people who responded to my question, "Why do you want Chuck Hagel to be our next President?" Please continue to email in your responses to this question. This is another of the answers I received.Mark writes:Our foreign policy is taking us into a horrific war against Islam and the East, a war our actions provoked. Hagel has the most perceptive world view and knows the lessons of VietNam and Iraq. He can prevent the coming military draft and expand our influence peacefully instead of shrinking our influence, and population, with a WMD laced VietNam. So I don't have to move to Costa Rica, I'm voting for Chuck Hagel. Thanks Mark!

Thank you to those people who responded to last week's question, "Why do you want Chuck Hagel to be our next President?" Please continue to email in your responses to this question. This is the first of the answers I received.Edward writes: It took courage for Sen. Hagel to speak out against the "sickening slaughter" in the Middle East. May he continue to demonstrate such clarity of understanding even against great odds and the insidious idiocy that seems to rule the day. Hagel for President!!Thanks Ed!

Last week the question was posed: Why do you want Chuck Hagel to be our next President? This week we will be sharing people's opinions as to why they would like to see Chuck Hagel as the next U.S. President. First up are the five primary reasons why I want to see Chuck Hagel in the White House.1.) Foreign Policy - Chuck Hagel's foreign policy views are well thought out and guided by a long term view of what is best for America. He has proven to be right many times and the Republican party and the country need a new direction for foreign policy. Hagel can restore the standing of the United States on the international stage.2.) Social Conservative - Senator Hagel has a consistent voting record as a social conservative.3.) Deficit Hawk - One of the greatest issues facing our nation today is the national debt and the increasing bugdet deficits. Chuck Hagel has long been focused on balancing the budget.4.) Civility - One thing that I don't like about politics today is the divisive and ha

Today we continue in the series on "Why do you want Chuck Hagel to be our next President?" Please feel free email in your responses to this question. This is another of the answers posted over at the Chuck Hagel Google Group.I concur with mbbar, particularly in regard to foreign policy. Senator Hagel, like his friend Colin Powell, is an internationalist and does not view organisations like the UN and NATO as being a hinderance at best, but rather as institutions, vital not only to the well being of our friends and allies, but integral to world order, peace and stability.In regards to Citizen rights/privacy, Senator Hagel recently came at loggerheads with the President over a unilateral decision to abrogate a 1978 law prohibiting wiretapping, which the President has declared outdated and irrelevant. This represents a dangerous trend that students of Constitutional Law call Unitary Executive Theory, meaning that the Legislative and Judicial branches have limited ability to counteract t

This is another in our continuing series on why people would like to see Chuck Hagel as the next U.S. President. This post is from Nathan and was originally posted over at Students for Hagel.At a time when Republicans have lost the Senate and the House, many see our chances of retaining the Presidency in 2008 as slim to none. I, however, remain confident, due to one man: Senator Chuck Hagel. When I say the name, "Senator Chuck Hagel," many people respond, "who?" And that is the biggest problem that we face. As of now, the front Republican runner is considered to be Senator McCain (AZ); however, I remain confident. Senator McCain lacks the support of a major portion of the Republican Party, the hard core social conservatives. With a mediocre (at best) conservative stance on social issues like abortion and gay marriage, Senator McCain will have a hard time winning the nomination from these voters. Senator Hagel, however, can get the support of the social conservatives, while still being

What do we know about Senator Barack Hussein Obama of Illinois ? Unlike Hillary, he wasn't born in Chicago from a Welsh lineage but in Hawaii, from a Kansas - Kenya combo. Unlike Hillary, he still needs to gain the favors of the Afro-American minority. Unlike Hillary, he wasn't raised a Methodist but decided to become a member of the Trinity United Church of Christ. Unlike Hillary, he seems happily married. Anyway, Michelle Obama would be as great a First Lady as Bill Clinton a First Male First Lady.Unlike Hillary, he said "no" to the war in Iraq, but so did Joe Biden.Unlike Hillary, he looks cool, but so does Bill Clinton.Unlike Hillary, he looks kind and good, but so did John Edwards.He has already won (some hearts in) New Hampshire, but so did Wesley Clark.Barack Obama looks too good to be true. Up to now, he was overprotected. A candidate at the Federal level, he must face the ugliest side of politics and media. If he survives the attacks, a nice spot on the Democratic ticket see

The former first lady will take her first step in running for president. Democratic Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to make the announcement today. Democratic officials familiar with the matter says she's expected to disclose plans to form a presidential exploratory committee on her web site. Clinton's planned announcement comes just days after Barack Obama, U.S. Senator for Illinois, announced his bid to become the first black president. Obama and 2004 vice presidential nominee John Edwards are considered top contenders, but Clinton is considered the front-runner. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who is Hispanic, is expected to announce his plans on Sunday. Clinton is the first presidential spouse to pursue the White House. Bill Clinton served two terms from 1993-2001.

Today Sen. Barack Obama announced plans to form an exploratory committee for a presidential candidacy. That's a step saying he seriously believes he has the chops to become President of the United States. I'm not yet convinced, based on his sparse track record. But I had a spirited debate with a friend yesterday who said that the very freshness that Obama brings to the political table makes him formidable. Obama himself says the U.S. is hungering for "a different kind of politics." Here's how you can see what Obama said today on his own website: http://www.barackobama.com