Just crossing many wires within the last half hour. Saddam dead by hanging at approximately 9:05 pm (CT).
From the BBC:
Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has been executed by hanging at an unspecified location, reports say.
Iraqi TV said the execution took place just before 0600 local time (0300GMT). It was witnessed by a doctor, lawyer and officials. It was also filmed.
US troops and Iraqi security forces are on high alert for any violent backlash.
Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death by an Iraqi court on 5 November after a year-long trial over the 1982 killings of 148 Shias in the town Dujail.
Ronald Wilson Reagan
America's 40th President
Friday, December 29, 2006
1 PM (CT) Report: Saddam may hang "within hours"
Cue the Styx song "Renegade", somebody?
Saddam may hang within hours: senior Iraqi source
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein could be hanged within hours, a senior Iraqi source told Reuters on Friday after Saddam's lawyer said U.S. forces had handed over the former president to Iraqi authorities for execution.
"Things have changed in the past three hours. There were some issues ... and now that is resolved so it seems it's possible he may be hanged tonight," the source, who is in a senior position of authority, said after a day of confusion.
Saddam may hang within hours: senior Iraqi source
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein could be hanged within hours, a senior Iraqi source told Reuters on Friday after Saddam's lawyer said U.S. forces had handed over the former president to Iraqi authorities for execution.
"Things have changed in the past three hours. There were some issues ... and now that is resolved so it seems it's possible he may be hanged tonight," the source, who is in a senior position of authority, said after a day of confusion.
Noonan: Ford "decent man [...] we were lucky to have him"
PEGGY NOONAN
Ford Without Tears
He was a decent man, and that was just what the country needed.
Friday, December 29, 2006 12:01 a.m.
One of the greatest things about Gerald Ford as a former president was that he didn't say much. He had no need for the spotlight. He was modest in the old-fashioned way of stepping aside and not getting in the way of the new guy.
He kept a lot to himself. This was in part because he had a self to leave it to.
It must have taken some effort. The man who replaced him, Jimmy Carter, was a kind of non-Ford, offering personal goodness as his main calling card. He carried his own garment bag. He was not imperial. He was awfully proud of his humility. The man who followed him, Ronald Reagan, differed from Ford not so much characterologically as politically, and his success might have grated on his old foe. But it doesn't seem to have. Ford seemed happy when things turned out well for America. That was apparently his primary interest.
He seemed lacking in vanity. There is no evidence that he was obsessed with his legacy. He didn't worry and fret about whether history would fully capture and proclaim his excellence, and because of this he didn't always have to run around proving he was right. He just did his best and kept walking. What a grown-up thing to do. Former, current and future presidents would do well to ponder this approach. History would treat them more kindly. The legacy of a man who spends his time worrying about his legacy is always: He worried about his legacy.
Now we know Ford was not silent but discrete. He granted an interview with Bob Woodward in July 2004, to be released posthumously, in which he shared his views. Mr. Woodward reports Ford told him he would not have gone to war in Iraq based on the public information available at the time. "I don't think I would have ordered the Iraq war. I would have maximized our effort through sanctions, through restrictions, whatever, to find another answer."
This is the authentic voice of the American foreign-policy establishment, and it reminds me, among other things, that establishments are not all bad. They rise for a reason. One is an ability to apprehend reality.
By speaking posthumously, Ford gave his words greater weight. He did not insert himself into the current debate, and because he wasn't in the fight he had nothing to gain or lose, no position to defend or attack. And so he could tell the truth as he saw it.
It is not clear who will speak at his funeral, but it is now unfortunately common practice for politicians to see every eulogy as an opportunity. Invited to reflect on biography, they tend to smuggle in as much autobiography as they can, and advance their personal agendas. If Bill Clinton speaks, one suspects he will laud Ford's personal tolerance. The text: This was a man who did not judge others. The subtext: He wouldn't have voted to impeach me! If George W. Bush speaks he will likely laud Ford as an exemplar of the old bipartisanship. In this way he will attempt to confer the bipartisan mantle on himself. And so on. I don't suppose this is terribly harmful, but it often gives short shrift to the departed. Still, Gerald Ford, a practical man who enjoyed the hit and tackle of politics, would have understood. Would have chuckled, in fact.
There are three points about Ford that I'm not sure can ever be sufficiently appreciated.
The first is that when he pardoned Richard Nixon, he threw himself on a grenade to protect the country from shame, from going too far. It was an act of deep political courage, and it was shocking. Almost everyone in the country hated it, including me. But Ford was right. Richard Nixon had been ruined, forced to resign, run out of town on a rail. There was nothing to be gained--nothing--by his being broken on the dock. What was then the new left would never forgive Ford. They should thank him on their knees that he deprived history of proof that what they called their idealism was not untinged by sadism.
Second, Ford's personal dignity--his plain Midwestern rectitude, his old-style, pipe-smoking American normality, and his characterological absence of bile, spite and malice--helped the nation over and through the great tearing of the fabric that was Watergate. This is often referred to, and yet it is hard to communicate what a relief it was. Whether right or wrong, hopeless or wise, a normal man was in charge. This was a balm, a real gift to the country.
Third, he did not understand, and so was undone by, the rise of the modern conservative movement. He did not understand the prairie fire signaled by the California tax revolt, and did not see it roaring east. He did not fully understand how offended the American public was by endless government spending and expanding federal power. He did not see the growing estrangement between Republicans on the ground and a leadership they saw as tax collectors for the welfare state. He did not fully appreciate the public desire for a fresher, more candid attitude toward the Soviet Union, and communism in general. He was not at all alive to what would prove to be deep national qualms about abortion. He was not aware of its ability to alarm, to waken the sleepy Evangelicals of the South and the urban ethnics of the North, who'd previously been content to go with the Democratic flow. Ford was oblivious to this. He thought in his own stolid way that abortion was pretty much an extension of the new feminist movement, which he supported. How could a gallant fella not?
In all this he proved that it is not enough in politics to be good. You have to have vision. You have to be able to see. If you can't, they can tell, and they'll retire you.
Which Republicans almost did in the great Ford-Reagan primary of 1976, and the electorate did later that fall.
And yet. This must be said and should be said. He was a good man, and that's not nothing--it's something. Gerald Ford fought for his country. He didn't indulge his angers and appetites. He seems to have thought, in the end, that such indulgence was for sissies--it wasn't manly. He was sober-minded, solid, respecting and deserving of respect. And at that terrible time, after Watergate, he picked up the pieces and then threw himself on the grenade.
We were lucky to have him. We were really lucky to have him. Rest in peace.
Ms. Noonan is a contributing editor of The Wall Street Journal and author of "John Paul the Great: Remembering a Spiritual Father" (Penguin, 2005), which you can order from the OpinionJournal bookstore. Her column appears Fridays on OpinionJournal.com.
Copyright © 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Ford Without Tears
He was a decent man, and that was just what the country needed.
Friday, December 29, 2006 12:01 a.m.
One of the greatest things about Gerald Ford as a former president was that he didn't say much. He had no need for the spotlight. He was modest in the old-fashioned way of stepping aside and not getting in the way of the new guy.
He kept a lot to himself. This was in part because he had a self to leave it to.
It must have taken some effort. The man who replaced him, Jimmy Carter, was a kind of non-Ford, offering personal goodness as his main calling card. He carried his own garment bag. He was not imperial. He was awfully proud of his humility. The man who followed him, Ronald Reagan, differed from Ford not so much characterologically as politically, and his success might have grated on his old foe. But it doesn't seem to have. Ford seemed happy when things turned out well for America. That was apparently his primary interest.
He seemed lacking in vanity. There is no evidence that he was obsessed with his legacy. He didn't worry and fret about whether history would fully capture and proclaim his excellence, and because of this he didn't always have to run around proving he was right. He just did his best and kept walking. What a grown-up thing to do. Former, current and future presidents would do well to ponder this approach. History would treat them more kindly. The legacy of a man who spends his time worrying about his legacy is always: He worried about his legacy.
Now we know Ford was not silent but discrete. He granted an interview with Bob Woodward in July 2004, to be released posthumously, in which he shared his views. Mr. Woodward reports Ford told him he would not have gone to war in Iraq based on the public information available at the time. "I don't think I would have ordered the Iraq war. I would have maximized our effort through sanctions, through restrictions, whatever, to find another answer."
This is the authentic voice of the American foreign-policy establishment, and it reminds me, among other things, that establishments are not all bad. They rise for a reason. One is an ability to apprehend reality.
By speaking posthumously, Ford gave his words greater weight. He did not insert himself into the current debate, and because he wasn't in the fight he had nothing to gain or lose, no position to defend or attack. And so he could tell the truth as he saw it.
It is not clear who will speak at his funeral, but it is now unfortunately common practice for politicians to see every eulogy as an opportunity. Invited to reflect on biography, they tend to smuggle in as much autobiography as they can, and advance their personal agendas. If Bill Clinton speaks, one suspects he will laud Ford's personal tolerance. The text: This was a man who did not judge others. The subtext: He wouldn't have voted to impeach me! If George W. Bush speaks he will likely laud Ford as an exemplar of the old bipartisanship. In this way he will attempt to confer the bipartisan mantle on himself. And so on. I don't suppose this is terribly harmful, but it often gives short shrift to the departed. Still, Gerald Ford, a practical man who enjoyed the hit and tackle of politics, would have understood. Would have chuckled, in fact.
There are three points about Ford that I'm not sure can ever be sufficiently appreciated.
The first is that when he pardoned Richard Nixon, he threw himself on a grenade to protect the country from shame, from going too far. It was an act of deep political courage, and it was shocking. Almost everyone in the country hated it, including me. But Ford was right. Richard Nixon had been ruined, forced to resign, run out of town on a rail. There was nothing to be gained--nothing--by his being broken on the dock. What was then the new left would never forgive Ford. They should thank him on their knees that he deprived history of proof that what they called their idealism was not untinged by sadism.
Second, Ford's personal dignity--his plain Midwestern rectitude, his old-style, pipe-smoking American normality, and his characterological absence of bile, spite and malice--helped the nation over and through the great tearing of the fabric that was Watergate. This is often referred to, and yet it is hard to communicate what a relief it was. Whether right or wrong, hopeless or wise, a normal man was in charge. This was a balm, a real gift to the country.
Third, he did not understand, and so was undone by, the rise of the modern conservative movement. He did not understand the prairie fire signaled by the California tax revolt, and did not see it roaring east. He did not fully understand how offended the American public was by endless government spending and expanding federal power. He did not see the growing estrangement between Republicans on the ground and a leadership they saw as tax collectors for the welfare state. He did not fully appreciate the public desire for a fresher, more candid attitude toward the Soviet Union, and communism in general. He was not at all alive to what would prove to be deep national qualms about abortion. He was not aware of its ability to alarm, to waken the sleepy Evangelicals of the South and the urban ethnics of the North, who'd previously been content to go with the Democratic flow. Ford was oblivious to this. He thought in his own stolid way that abortion was pretty much an extension of the new feminist movement, which he supported. How could a gallant fella not?
In all this he proved that it is not enough in politics to be good. You have to have vision. You have to be able to see. If you can't, they can tell, and they'll retire you.
Which Republicans almost did in the great Ford-Reagan primary of 1976, and the electorate did later that fall.
And yet. This must be said and should be said. He was a good man, and that's not nothing--it's something. Gerald Ford fought for his country. He didn't indulge his angers and appetites. He seems to have thought, in the end, that such indulgence was for sissies--it wasn't manly. He was sober-minded, solid, respecting and deserving of respect. And at that terrible time, after Watergate, he picked up the pieces and then threw himself on the grenade.
We were lucky to have him. We were really lucky to have him. Rest in peace.
Ms. Noonan is a contributing editor of The Wall Street Journal and author of "John Paul the Great: Remembering a Spiritual Father" (Penguin, 2005), which you can order from the OpinionJournal bookstore. Her column appears Fridays on OpinionJournal.com.
Copyright © 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Kennedy targeted on 1963 Ireland trip
A brief respite in our coverage on the passing of Gerald Ford, with another bit of history, this time about our 35th president, John F. Kennedy:
Kennedy targeted on 1963 Ireland trip
By SHAWN POGATCHNIK, Associated Press Writer
DUBLIN, Ireland - President John F. Kennedy was the subject of three separate death threats during his visit to Ireland in 1963, according to newly declassified police documents released Friday.
The documents released by the Irish Justice Department said police received two anonymous telephoned warnings in the weeks before the arrival of the United States' first Irish Catholic president. A third threat went to the newsroom of the Irish Independent newspaper.
Kennedy's June 26-29 visit went ahead trouble free as he was greeted by adoring crowds in Dublin, Cork, Galway and at his family homestead in County Wexford, in southeast Ireland.
He was assassinated in Dallas five months later.
One threat claimed a sniper would target Kennedy as his motorcade traveled from Dublin Airport to the residence of the Irish president at the start of his visit. The second warned a bomb at Shannon Airport, in southwest Ireland, would detonate as Air Force One was about to depart.
According to the documents the third threat, phoned to the newspaper, indicated that Kennedy would be attacked at Dublin Airport, although the method wasn't specified.
The documents detailed police security concerns — and also reflected officials' desire to impress both U.S. visitors and onlookers in Britain, Ireland's colonial master until 1922.
In a letter, Commissioner Daniel Costigan, the commander of Ireland's national police force in 1963, described the Kennedy tour as "the most important visit to this country since the establishment of the state, with worldwide publicity.
British journalists are likely to be ready to criticize any fault in arrangements."
He wrote that although unlikely, "we cannot overlook the possibility" of an assassination attempt.
Costigan said his officers would use binoculars to monitor rooftops along the route of the presidential motorcade. He said an unspecified number of police would be armed with handguns, rifles and submachine guns — an exceptional measure in a country with a largely unarmed police force — to engage any would-be sniper.
The documents indicated that 6,404 police officers were on duty the night Kennedy arrived, and 2,690 lined the U.S. president's route from Dublin airport to the Phoenix Park mansion of Irish President Eamon de Valera.
Which leads to one of the favorite mental exercises of historians, which begins with the phrase "what if?" - What if JFK had been assassinated while on this trip? A trival question? The dark day of November 22, 1963 would have come much sooner.
Kennedy targeted on 1963 Ireland trip
By SHAWN POGATCHNIK, Associated Press Writer
DUBLIN, Ireland - President John F. Kennedy was the subject of three separate death threats during his visit to Ireland in 1963, according to newly declassified police documents released Friday.
The documents released by the Irish Justice Department said police received two anonymous telephoned warnings in the weeks before the arrival of the United States' first Irish Catholic president. A third threat went to the newsroom of the Irish Independent newspaper.
Kennedy's June 26-29 visit went ahead trouble free as he was greeted by adoring crowds in Dublin, Cork, Galway and at his family homestead in County Wexford, in southeast Ireland.
He was assassinated in Dallas five months later.
One threat claimed a sniper would target Kennedy as his motorcade traveled from Dublin Airport to the residence of the Irish president at the start of his visit. The second warned a bomb at Shannon Airport, in southwest Ireland, would detonate as Air Force One was about to depart.
According to the documents the third threat, phoned to the newspaper, indicated that Kennedy would be attacked at Dublin Airport, although the method wasn't specified.
The documents detailed police security concerns — and also reflected officials' desire to impress both U.S. visitors and onlookers in Britain, Ireland's colonial master until 1922.
In a letter, Commissioner Daniel Costigan, the commander of Ireland's national police force in 1963, described the Kennedy tour as "the most important visit to this country since the establishment of the state, with worldwide publicity.
British journalists are likely to be ready to criticize any fault in arrangements."
He wrote that although unlikely, "we cannot overlook the possibility" of an assassination attempt.
Costigan said his officers would use binoculars to monitor rooftops along the route of the presidential motorcade. He said an unspecified number of police would be armed with handguns, rifles and submachine guns — an exceptional measure in a country with a largely unarmed police force — to engage any would-be sniper.
The documents indicated that 6,404 police officers were on duty the night Kennedy arrived, and 2,690 lined the U.S. president's route from Dublin airport to the Phoenix Park mansion of Irish President Eamon de Valera.
Which leads to one of the favorite mental exercises of historians, which begins with the phrase "what if?" - What if JFK had been assassinated while on this trip? A trival question? The dark day of November 22, 1963 would have come much sooner.
Detroit News Editorial: "Ford restored our trust and healed the nation"
The Detroit News gets it right in their editorial on the passing of Gerald R. Ford.
Editorial: Ford restored our trust and healed the nation
When the nation needed healing, Gerald R. Ford was the skilled physician who restored its spirit.
President Ford, who died Tuesday at 93, never sought the office, but when it was thrust upon him, he did his job in classic Michigan fashion. He got it done.
For Ford, that job was bringing stability to the nation after more than a decade of tumult that climaxed with the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon. Nixon left office rather than face impeachment and trial on charges of abusing the powers of his office in the Watergate scandal of the mid-1970s. To compound the poisoned atmosphere in the country, Nixon named Ford as vice president after his elected vice president, Spiro Agnew, left office amid charges of bribe-taking and corruption.
Ford, a Grand Rapids area congressman who had spent his career in the House of Representatives, was chosen for his affability and reputation for integrity. But when he was thrust by circumstances into the White House, the man matched the moment. He calmed the nation and restored faith in government.
He was a plain-spoken man of decency who kept the country on an even keel. He rejected the trappings of an imperial presidency and ran a quietly competent administration.
The veneer of affability masked a firm resolve. He could be steely when he had to be -- or wanted to be.
After all, he entered politics after his World War II service as a naval gunnery officer by deposing an incumbent to gain his congressional seat. And when he became dissatisfied with the Republican leadership of the House, he again deposed a congressional veteran to become minority leader.
Within weeks of assuming presidential office, he made one of the most momentous decisions of his career. He gave Nixon an unconditional pardon to spare the country the trauma of a former president facing a criminal trial. The pardon drew a firestorm of criticism -- including the resignation of his newly appointed press secretary, former Detroit News Washington Bureau Chief Jerry ter Horst.
The move may well have cost him the presidency. Many suspected some sort of secret deal between Ford and Nixon when Ford was named vice president. But Ford always denied it, and his denial is credible He simply thought it was the right thing to do. Even in his resignation letter, ter Horst reiterated his admiration for Ford while disagreeing with the pardon.
History now views that pardon as a vital step to pulling the nation out of the bitterness of Watergate.
As president, Ford's resolve manifested itself in his more than 50 vetoes of congressional legislation and spending. Most were not overridden.
And when Communist-controlled Cambodia seized an American merchant ship, the Mayaguez, Ford didn't hesitate to call the move piracy and order its recapture by U.S. Marines. They regained the ship, but with heavy casualties. Twice, he was the target of assassination attempts by disturbed individuals.
Yet he carried on. Ford's administration was also marked by high inflation and a subsequent recession, which also may well have played a role in his narrow defeat for the presidency by then ex-Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter in 1976.
Ford was often caricatured as clumsy and stumbling, and he was not always a glib speaker. But in fact he was one of this nation's most athletic presidents, having been named the University of Michigan football team's most valuable player. He turned down an invitation to join the Detroit Lions to go to law school at Yale. He was a skier and swimmer well past middle age.
When he left the White House, he devoted himself to leisure pursuits and the corporate boardroom, unlike some of his successors, who continue to crave the stage.
What stands out about Gerald Ford is the valuable role he played in restoring confidence and trust in the nation's governing institutions.
He was Michigan's only president, and he made Michigan proud.
Editorial: Ford restored our trust and healed the nation
When the nation needed healing, Gerald R. Ford was the skilled physician who restored its spirit.
President Ford, who died Tuesday at 93, never sought the office, but when it was thrust upon him, he did his job in classic Michigan fashion. He got it done.
For Ford, that job was bringing stability to the nation after more than a decade of tumult that climaxed with the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon. Nixon left office rather than face impeachment and trial on charges of abusing the powers of his office in the Watergate scandal of the mid-1970s. To compound the poisoned atmosphere in the country, Nixon named Ford as vice president after his elected vice president, Spiro Agnew, left office amid charges of bribe-taking and corruption.
Ford, a Grand Rapids area congressman who had spent his career in the House of Representatives, was chosen for his affability and reputation for integrity. But when he was thrust by circumstances into the White House, the man matched the moment. He calmed the nation and restored faith in government.
He was a plain-spoken man of decency who kept the country on an even keel. He rejected the trappings of an imperial presidency and ran a quietly competent administration.
The veneer of affability masked a firm resolve. He could be steely when he had to be -- or wanted to be.
After all, he entered politics after his World War II service as a naval gunnery officer by deposing an incumbent to gain his congressional seat. And when he became dissatisfied with the Republican leadership of the House, he again deposed a congressional veteran to become minority leader.
Within weeks of assuming presidential office, he made one of the most momentous decisions of his career. He gave Nixon an unconditional pardon to spare the country the trauma of a former president facing a criminal trial. The pardon drew a firestorm of criticism -- including the resignation of his newly appointed press secretary, former Detroit News Washington Bureau Chief Jerry ter Horst.
The move may well have cost him the presidency. Many suspected some sort of secret deal between Ford and Nixon when Ford was named vice president. But Ford always denied it, and his denial is credible He simply thought it was the right thing to do. Even in his resignation letter, ter Horst reiterated his admiration for Ford while disagreeing with the pardon.
History now views that pardon as a vital step to pulling the nation out of the bitterness of Watergate.
As president, Ford's resolve manifested itself in his more than 50 vetoes of congressional legislation and spending. Most were not overridden.
And when Communist-controlled Cambodia seized an American merchant ship, the Mayaguez, Ford didn't hesitate to call the move piracy and order its recapture by U.S. Marines. They regained the ship, but with heavy casualties. Twice, he was the target of assassination attempts by disturbed individuals.
Yet he carried on. Ford's administration was also marked by high inflation and a subsequent recession, which also may well have played a role in his narrow defeat for the presidency by then ex-Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter in 1976.
Ford was often caricatured as clumsy and stumbling, and he was not always a glib speaker. But in fact he was one of this nation's most athletic presidents, having been named the University of Michigan football team's most valuable player. He turned down an invitation to join the Detroit Lions to go to law school at Yale. He was a skier and swimmer well past middle age.
When he left the White House, he devoted himself to leisure pursuits and the corporate boardroom, unlike some of his successors, who continue to crave the stage.
What stands out about Gerald Ford is the valuable role he played in restoring confidence and trust in the nation's governing institutions.
He was Michigan's only president, and he made Michigan proud.
George Will: "A Happy, Normal President"
Several passages from Will's column about the passing of President Ford merit attention:
"Those who believe that a kindly Providence keeps a watchful eye on America's welfare can cite the fact of Gerald Ford. On Aug. 9, 1974, at a moment when the nation was putting aside an unhappy, tormented president, and was aching for serenity in high places, to the center of national life strode an abnormality -- a happy, normal man as president."
"Ford was a political sedative for a nation with jangled nerves."
"In 1976 Ford might have won a full term if he had been less statesmanlike: His pardon of Richard Nixon unquestionably hurt him politically, but unquestionably helped with national healing. Ford also might have won if he had stepped out of character and been more adventurous -- if in selecting a running mate he had chosen, as he considered doing, Ambassador Anne Armstrong, a Texan, to be the first woman on a national ticket. Instead he chose a Midwesterner, Kansan Bob Dole, thereby giving a boost to a distinguished career that would produce the party's presidential nominee 20 years later."
"He almost won anyway. A change of 12,791 votes in Ohio and Mississippi would have sufficed. The 1976 presidential election was the only one the Republicans lost between 1964 and 1992. Ford was punished for Nixon's sins: Jimmy Carter won by running as the non-Nixon. "
"Henry Kissinger, who continued as secretary of state through the Ford years, wrote in 1999 a tribute to Ford, the "uncomplicated man'' who came to the presidency in perhaps the most complicated context since the Civil War -- in the aftermath of a disastrous war and as a result of a resignation. Kissinger understood that Ford, with his small-town, Midwestern aversion to histrionics, had perfect pitch for the needs of "a nation surfeited with upheavals.''
"Surely subsequent presidential history has deepened the nation's appreciation of what it had for 29 months."
"Those who believe that a kindly Providence keeps a watchful eye on America's welfare can cite the fact of Gerald Ford. On Aug. 9, 1974, at a moment when the nation was putting aside an unhappy, tormented president, and was aching for serenity in high places, to the center of national life strode an abnormality -- a happy, normal man as president."
"Ford was a political sedative for a nation with jangled nerves."
"In 1976 Ford might have won a full term if he had been less statesmanlike: His pardon of Richard Nixon unquestionably hurt him politically, but unquestionably helped with national healing. Ford also might have won if he had stepped out of character and been more adventurous -- if in selecting a running mate he had chosen, as he considered doing, Ambassador Anne Armstrong, a Texan, to be the first woman on a national ticket. Instead he chose a Midwesterner, Kansan Bob Dole, thereby giving a boost to a distinguished career that would produce the party's presidential nominee 20 years later."
"He almost won anyway. A change of 12,791 votes in Ohio and Mississippi would have sufficed. The 1976 presidential election was the only one the Republicans lost between 1964 and 1992. Ford was punished for Nixon's sins: Jimmy Carter won by running as the non-Nixon. "
"Henry Kissinger, who continued as secretary of state through the Ford years, wrote in 1999 a tribute to Ford, the "uncomplicated man'' who came to the presidency in perhaps the most complicated context since the Civil War -- in the aftermath of a disastrous war and as a result of a resignation. Kissinger understood that Ford, with his small-town, Midwestern aversion to histrionics, had perfect pitch for the needs of "a nation surfeited with upheavals.''
"Surely subsequent presidential history has deepened the nation's appreciation of what it had for 29 months."
Ford: "Profile in Decency"
Profile in Decency
Thursday, December 28, 2006; A27
We were fortunate in 1974, a time of crisis, to have the right person in the right place at the right time. When the country needed healing, reconciliation and restoration of confidence, Gerald Ford provided it.
He was a principled partisan, a GOP leader who worked diligently for Republican causes but who knew the limits of partisanship. He could also count -- and he knew that with Republicans in the minority, if he was to accomplish anything as House Republican leader or as president, he would often need a bipartisan approach.
He was never a person to nurse a grudge. He was willing to admit mistakes. Generally, he had a smile on his face, but he was determined and competitive, though realistic about what he could achieve.
In defeat he was gracious. Notwithstanding a heated 1976 campaign, in a race that went from a 30-point deficit to a cliffhanger, he and President Jimmy Carter became close friends and accomplished many worthwhile things together.
Gerald Ford had never sought the presidency and thus was obligated to no group or individual.
His legacy will be that he stopped the national hemorrhaging over Watergate. A man of courage and integrity, he made the tough choice of pardoning Richard Nixon, which helped heal the nation but very likely cost him the 1976 election. He showed his willingness to put the country's interest first.
-- Bob Dole
The former Senate majority leader was Gerald Ford's vice presidential running mate in 1976.
Thursday, December 28, 2006; A27
We were fortunate in 1974, a time of crisis, to have the right person in the right place at the right time. When the country needed healing, reconciliation and restoration of confidence, Gerald Ford provided it.
He was a principled partisan, a GOP leader who worked diligently for Republican causes but who knew the limits of partisanship. He could also count -- and he knew that with Republicans in the minority, if he was to accomplish anything as House Republican leader or as president, he would often need a bipartisan approach.
He was never a person to nurse a grudge. He was willing to admit mistakes. Generally, he had a smile on his face, but he was determined and competitive, though realistic about what he could achieve.
In defeat he was gracious. Notwithstanding a heated 1976 campaign, in a race that went from a 30-point deficit to a cliffhanger, he and President Jimmy Carter became close friends and accomplished many worthwhile things together.
Gerald Ford had never sought the presidency and thus was obligated to no group or individual.
His legacy will be that he stopped the national hemorrhaging over Watergate. A man of courage and integrity, he made the tough choice of pardoning Richard Nixon, which helped heal the nation but very likely cost him the 1976 election. He showed his willingness to put the country's interest first.
-- Bob Dole
The former Senate majority leader was Gerald Ford's vice presidential running mate in 1976.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
A dog lover
I guess this is one reason I've always been fond of President Ford- so this picture is my small tribute to him- from one dog lover to another.Ford's State Funeral to Begin Friday
Ford's State Funeral to Begin Friday
By CALVIN WOODWARD and LAURIE KELLMAN
WASHINGTON (AP) - Gerald R. Ford will be mourned in the rare and solemn spectacle of a state funeral crafted to honor his reverence for Congress, the institution that launched him to the presidency. Ceremonies begin Friday in a California church, and end five days later with Ford's entombment on a hillside near his Grand Rapids, Mich., presidential museum.
In between, according to funeral details announced Wednesday, Ford's body will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda, offering both dignitaries and the public a chance to pay final respects to the former Michigan congressman who rose to the White House in the collapse of Richard Nixon's presidency.
And in a departure from tradition meant to highlight his long congressional service, Ford's remains will also lie in repose outside the doors of both the House and the Senate for short periods.
"I know personally how much those two tributes themselves meant to President Ford," said family representative Gregory D. Willard, who detailed arrangements in a news conference in Palm Desert, Calif.
The 38th president died Tuesday at age 93. He had been involved in his own funeral planning, as former presidents typically are.
Events begin at St. Margaret's Church in Palm Desert, which Ford and his wife, Betty, frequently attended. A family prayer service will be followed by visitation by friends and a period of public repose.
On Saturday, Ford's body will be flown to Washington in late afternoon, his hearse pausing at the World War II memorial in joint tribute to the wartime Navy reserve veteran and his comrades in uniform.
By CALVIN WOODWARD and LAURIE KELLMAN
WASHINGTON (AP) - Gerald R. Ford will be mourned in the rare and solemn spectacle of a state funeral crafted to honor his reverence for Congress, the institution that launched him to the presidency. Ceremonies begin Friday in a California church, and end five days later with Ford's entombment on a hillside near his Grand Rapids, Mich., presidential museum.
In between, according to funeral details announced Wednesday, Ford's body will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda, offering both dignitaries and the public a chance to pay final respects to the former Michigan congressman who rose to the White House in the collapse of Richard Nixon's presidency.
And in a departure from tradition meant to highlight his long congressional service, Ford's remains will also lie in repose outside the doors of both the House and the Senate for short periods.
"I know personally how much those two tributes themselves meant to President Ford," said family representative Gregory D. Willard, who detailed arrangements in a news conference in Palm Desert, Calif.
The 38th president died Tuesday at age 93. He had been involved in his own funeral planning, as former presidents typically are.
Events begin at St. Margaret's Church in Palm Desert, which Ford and his wife, Betty, frequently attended. A family prayer service will be followed by visitation by friends and a period of public repose.
On Saturday, Ford's body will be flown to Washington in late afternoon, his hearse pausing at the World War II memorial in joint tribute to the wartime Navy reserve veteran and his comrades in uniform.
Ford Museum Exhibits
In July of this year, my family and I traveled to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Here's a link to some of the exhibits we saw: Permanent Exhibits.
ABOVE: Your typist sits in a replica of the White House Cabinet Room as it was during Ford's presidency.
ABOVE: Your typist sits in a replica of the White House Cabinet Room as it was during Ford's presidency.
On State Funeral Traditions
The following comes from The Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region. While this isn't a schedule of President Ford's funeral, it lists state funeral traditions.
STATE FUNERAL CEREMONIAL TRADITIONS
FORT LESLEY J. MCNAIR, D.C. - A state funeral is a funeral conducted by a nation to honor a head of state. Despite the immediate family's personal loss, much of the funeral remains open to the public, which shares in the loss of a national leader. Foreign countries also mourn the loss of a former head of state and their participation generates its own protocol.
Military regulations provide guidance for how the United States conducts a state funeral and all involved ceremonies. While military regulation, tradition and protocol influence state funerals, personalized plans are developed to reflect family desires. Typically, family desires determine the number, location and sequence of public ceremonies and observances consistent with military regulations.
For example, in keeping with the wishes of the family, President Nixon's funeral took place during a two-day period in California from April 26-27, 1994 and included no ceremonies in Washington. President Reagan’s funeral took place over a five-day period from June 6-12, 2004 and included services and ceremonies in Washington and California.
The following list identifies the customary elements of a state funeral.
NOTE: This does not reflect the schedule for the state funeral of former President Gerald R. Ford. The official schedule will be released at a later time.
·Formal notification of demise to all branches of government, foreign countries and the public.
·Repose in home state
·Movement to Washington, D.C.
·Repose at Bethlehem Chapel
·Casket transfer from hearse to horse-drawn caisson at the intersection of 16th Street and Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C.
·Main funeral procession along Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C.
·Lying in State at the U.S. Capitol
·Funeral service in Washington, D.C.
·Movement to place of final rest
·Private funeral service and interment
STATE FUNERAL CEREMONIAL TRADITIONS
FORT LESLEY J. MCNAIR, D.C. - A state funeral is a funeral conducted by a nation to honor a head of state. Despite the immediate family's personal loss, much of the funeral remains open to the public, which shares in the loss of a national leader. Foreign countries also mourn the loss of a former head of state and their participation generates its own protocol.
Military regulations provide guidance for how the United States conducts a state funeral and all involved ceremonies. While military regulation, tradition and protocol influence state funerals, personalized plans are developed to reflect family desires. Typically, family desires determine the number, location and sequence of public ceremonies and observances consistent with military regulations.
For example, in keeping with the wishes of the family, President Nixon's funeral took place during a two-day period in California from April 26-27, 1994 and included no ceremonies in Washington. President Reagan’s funeral took place over a five-day period from June 6-12, 2004 and included services and ceremonies in Washington and California.
The following list identifies the customary elements of a state funeral.
NOTE: This does not reflect the schedule for the state funeral of former President Gerald R. Ford. The official schedule will be released at a later time.
·Formal notification of demise to all branches of government, foreign countries and the public.
·Repose in home state
·Movement to Washington, D.C.
·Repose at Bethlehem Chapel
·Casket transfer from hearse to horse-drawn caisson at the intersection of 16th Street and Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C.
·Main funeral procession along Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C.
·Lying in State at the U.S. Capitol
·Funeral service in Washington, D.C.
·Movement to place of final rest
·Private funeral service and interment
Statements on the Passing of President Gerald Ford
Quotes About Former President Ford
Wednesday December 27, 2006 6:16 PM
By The Associated Press
Comments about former President Gerald R. Ford, who died Tuesday at 93:
``The American people will always admire Gerald Ford's devotion to duty, his personal character and the honorable conduct of his administration.'' - President George W. Bush.
---
``An outstanding statesman, he wisely chose the path of healing during a deeply divisive time in our nation's history. He frequently rose above politics by emphasizing the need for bipartisanship and seeking common ground on issues critical to our nation.'' - Former President Jimmy Carter.
---
``To his great credit, he was the same hard-working, down-to-earth person the day he left the White House as he was when he first entered Congress almost 30 years earlier.'' - Former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
---
``Jerry Ford was, simply put, one of the most decent and capable men I ever met. ... Most of all, I will remember him as a devoted family man and a man of honor who never stopped serving this country he loved so deeply.'' - Former President George H.W. Bush.
---
``History will honor Gerald Ford as a good man who became the respected leader of the Free World in unique times.'' - Patricia Nixon Cox, daughter of former President Richard Nixon.
---
``He was a friend to everyone who met him. He had no enemies.'' - Former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., Ford's 1976 running mate.
---
``Jerry was warm gentle, friendly, pleasant courteous individual. He never used bad language, he loved his family, his kids and above all else he loved Betty.'' - Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., who served with Ford in the House.
---
``Jerry loved his country, his family and his religion. No other man I know of had so much affection for his family.'' - Former Defense Secretary Melvin Laird.
---
``I worked in President Ford's Justice Department and was struck by his steady leadership, honesty, and sense of responsibility to his country. He was a true profile in courage.'' - Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
---
``Thirty-two years ago, he assumed the nation's highest office during the greatest constitutional crisis since the Civil War. In that troubled era, America needed strength, wisdom, and good judgment, and those qualities came to us in the person of Gerald R. Ford.'' - Vice President Dick Cheney.
---
``Our country was fortunate to have such a man dedicated to public service who performed his responsibilities with distinction. President Ford was a unifier, a statesman, and more importantly, he was an everyman instead of a typical Washington politician. He was one of us.'' - House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.
Wednesday December 27, 2006 6:16 PM
By The Associated Press
Comments about former President Gerald R. Ford, who died Tuesday at 93:
``The American people will always admire Gerald Ford's devotion to duty, his personal character and the honorable conduct of his administration.'' - President George W. Bush.
---
``An outstanding statesman, he wisely chose the path of healing during a deeply divisive time in our nation's history. He frequently rose above politics by emphasizing the need for bipartisanship and seeking common ground on issues critical to our nation.'' - Former President Jimmy Carter.
---
``To his great credit, he was the same hard-working, down-to-earth person the day he left the White House as he was when he first entered Congress almost 30 years earlier.'' - Former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
---
``Jerry Ford was, simply put, one of the most decent and capable men I ever met. ... Most of all, I will remember him as a devoted family man and a man of honor who never stopped serving this country he loved so deeply.'' - Former President George H.W. Bush.
---
``History will honor Gerald Ford as a good man who became the respected leader of the Free World in unique times.'' - Patricia Nixon Cox, daughter of former President Richard Nixon.
---
``He was a friend to everyone who met him. He had no enemies.'' - Former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., Ford's 1976 running mate.
---
``Jerry was warm gentle, friendly, pleasant courteous individual. He never used bad language, he loved his family, his kids and above all else he loved Betty.'' - Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., who served with Ford in the House.
---
``Jerry loved his country, his family and his religion. No other man I know of had so much affection for his family.'' - Former Defense Secretary Melvin Laird.
---
``I worked in President Ford's Justice Department and was struck by his steady leadership, honesty, and sense of responsibility to his country. He was a true profile in courage.'' - Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
---
``Thirty-two years ago, he assumed the nation's highest office during the greatest constitutional crisis since the Civil War. In that troubled era, America needed strength, wisdom, and good judgment, and those qualities came to us in the person of Gerald R. Ford.'' - Vice President Dick Cheney.
---
``Our country was fortunate to have such a man dedicated to public service who performed his responsibilities with distinction. President Ford was a unifier, a statesman, and more importantly, he was an everyman instead of a typical Washington politician. He was one of us.'' - House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.
Obituary: Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr.
From the Financial Times:
"Gerald Rudolph Ford, who died on Tuesday at the age of 93, may not have been the first American to have the presidency thrust upon him by act of man or god. But he was the first to become president without ever having actively sought the office in a long career in politics.
The twin circumstances of his accession were his 1973 appointment, under the 25th amendment to the constitution, to succeed Vice President Spiro Agnew, who had resigned in disgrace; his elevation to the Oval Office occurred a year later, on August 8, 1974, when Richard Nixon also resigned in the face of impeachment for Watergate offences.
History has tended to look quite kindly on the 895 day Ford presidency, as did his countrymen at the time by nearly returning him to office in 1976 against Jimmy Carter. It was felt, then and now, that he had restored a degree of dignity and decency to a besmirched White House, an achievement that helped offset the accurate public perception that he was far from the smartest president on record."
"Gerald Rudolph Ford, who died on Tuesday at the age of 93, may not have been the first American to have the presidency thrust upon him by act of man or god. But he was the first to become president without ever having actively sought the office in a long career in politics.
The twin circumstances of his accession were his 1973 appointment, under the 25th amendment to the constitution, to succeed Vice President Spiro Agnew, who had resigned in disgrace; his elevation to the Oval Office occurred a year later, on August 8, 1974, when Richard Nixon also resigned in the face of impeachment for Watergate offences.
History has tended to look quite kindly on the 895 day Ford presidency, as did his countrymen at the time by nearly returning him to office in 1976 against Jimmy Carter. It was felt, then and now, that he had restored a degree of dignity and decency to a besmirched White House, an achievement that helped offset the accurate public perception that he was far from the smartest president on record."
Gerald R. Ford, 93, Dies; Led in Watergate's Wake
Gerald R. Ford, 93, Dies; Led in Watergate's Wake
By J.Y. Smith and Lou Cannon
Special to The Washington Post
Wednesday, December 27, 2006; 10:18 AM
Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr., 93, who became the 38th president of the United States as a result of some of the most extraordinary events in U.S. history and sought to restore the nation's confidence in the basic institutions of government, has died. His wife, Betty, reported the death in a statement last night.
"My family joins me in sharing the difficult news that Gerald Ford, our beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather has passed away at 93 years of age," Betty Ford said in a brief statement issued from her husband's office in Rancho Mirage, Calif. "His life was filled with love of God, his family and his country."
Ford died at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday (PST) at his home in Rancho Mirage, about 130 miles east of Los Angeles, his office said. No cause of death was given. Ford had battled pneumonia in January and underwent two heart treatments -- including an angioplasty -- in August at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Funeral services will take place in Washington and Grand Rapids, Mich., his boyhood home, the Associated Press reported, and public viewings will be held in California, Washington and Grand Rapids. Details had not been announced as of this morning.
By J.Y. Smith and Lou Cannon
Special to The Washington Post
Wednesday, December 27, 2006; 10:18 AM
Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr., 93, who became the 38th president of the United States as a result of some of the most extraordinary events in U.S. history and sought to restore the nation's confidence in the basic institutions of government, has died. His wife, Betty, reported the death in a statement last night.
"My family joins me in sharing the difficult news that Gerald Ford, our beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather has passed away at 93 years of age," Betty Ford said in a brief statement issued from her husband's office in Rancho Mirage, Calif. "His life was filled with love of God, his family and his country."
Ford died at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday (PST) at his home in Rancho Mirage, about 130 miles east of Los Angeles, his office said. No cause of death was given. Ford had battled pneumonia in January and underwent two heart treatments -- including an angioplasty -- in August at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Funeral services will take place in Washington and Grand Rapids, Mich., his boyhood home, the Associated Press reported, and public viewings will be held in California, Washington and Grand Rapids. Details had not been announced as of this morning.
President Bush's Statement on the Passing of President Ford
6:56 A.M. CST
THE PRESIDENT: My fellow Americans, all of us are saddened by the news that former President Gerald R. Ford passed away last night. I spoke with Betty Ford. On behalf of all Americans Laura and I extend to Mrs. Ford and all President Ford's family our prayers and our condolences.
President Ford was a great man who devoted the best years of his life in serving the United States. He was a true gentleman who reflected the best in America's character. Before the world knew his name, he served with distinction in the United States Navy and in the United States Congress.
As a congressman from Michigan, and then as Vice President, he commanded the respect and earned the good will of all who had the privilege of knowing him. On August 9, 1974, he stepped into the presidency without ever having sought the office. He assumed power in a period of great division and turmoil. For a nation that needed healing and for an office that needed a calm and steady hand, Gerald Ford came along when we needed him most.
During his time in office, the American people came to know President Ford as a man of complete integrity who led our country with common sense and kind instincts.
Americans will always admire Gerald Ford's unflinching performance of duty and the honorable conduct of his administration, and the great rectitude of the man himself.
We mourn the loss of such a leader, and our 38th President will always have a special place in our nation's memory.
President Ford lived 93 years, and his life was a blessing to America. And now this fine man will be taken to his rest by a family that will love him always, and by a nation that will be grateful to him forever.
May God bless Gerald Ford.
THE PRESIDENT: My fellow Americans, all of us are saddened by the news that former President Gerald R. Ford passed away last night. I spoke with Betty Ford. On behalf of all Americans Laura and I extend to Mrs. Ford and all President Ford's family our prayers and our condolences.
President Ford was a great man who devoted the best years of his life in serving the United States. He was a true gentleman who reflected the best in America's character. Before the world knew his name, he served with distinction in the United States Navy and in the United States Congress.
As a congressman from Michigan, and then as Vice President, he commanded the respect and earned the good will of all who had the privilege of knowing him. On August 9, 1974, he stepped into the presidency without ever having sought the office. He assumed power in a period of great division and turmoil. For a nation that needed healing and for an office that needed a calm and steady hand, Gerald Ford came along when we needed him most.
During his time in office, the American people came to know President Ford as a man of complete integrity who led our country with common sense and kind instincts.
Americans will always admire Gerald Ford's unflinching performance of duty and the honorable conduct of his administration, and the great rectitude of the man himself.
We mourn the loss of such a leader, and our 38th President will always have a special place in our nation's memory.
President Ford lived 93 years, and his life was a blessing to America. And now this fine man will be taken to his rest by a family that will love him always, and by a nation that will be grateful to him forever.
May God bless Gerald Ford.
Facts about President Ford
Gerald R. Ford - Facts and Favorites
Note: Information drawn from Gerald R. Ford Library staff knowledge and the Library's Vertical File.
Born: July 14, 1913, Omaha, Nebraska.
Moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1914.
Ancestry: English
Religion: Episcopalian
Grade Schools:Madison Elementary School; East Grand Rapids Elementary School. Boy Scouts: Attained rank of Eagle Scout. High School:Grand Rapids South High School, Class of 1931. Member of National Honor Society, Varsity Letter Club, Glee Club, Student Council, Latin Club and Hi-Y (High School YMCA). Participated in football, basketball, and track. Earned all-city and all-state honors in football.
College:University of Michigan, Class of 1935. Majored in economics and political science. Member of Michigamua (senior men's honor society), Sphinx (junior men's honor society), Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, Interfraternity Council, and Student Council. Played center and linebacker on U-M football team. Started at center and named team MVP in senior year. Played in East-West College All-Star game and Chicago Tribune College All-Star game. Did not earn All-America honors as popularly believed. Received contract offers from the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions (which Ford turned down in favor of law school).
Assorted Summer and Miscellaneous Jobs: Filled and cleaned paint cans in family paint business; mowed lawns; handled concessions at an amusement park; washed dishes and grilled hamburgers in a restaurant; Park Ranger, Yellowstone National Park; washed dishes in college fraternity house.
Law School:Yale University Law School, Class of 1941. Member of Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity. Served as assistant football coach and freshman boxing coach.
Occupation: Attorney.
Military Service: During attack on Pearl Harbor Gerald Ford was in Grand Rapids working as an attorney. He joined the US Navy in 1942 and remained on active duty until 1946. Ford served aboard the USS Monterey and was discharged with the rank of Lt. Commander. He remained in the Naval Reserves until 1963.
Marriage: Elizabeth Bloomer Warren (b. April 8, 1918), October 15, 1948.
Children: Michael Gerald (b. March 14, 1950), John (Jack) Gardner (b. March 16, 1952, Steven Meigs (b. May 19, 1956), Susan Elizabeth (b. July 6, 1957).
Congress: Served Grand Rapids and Kent County in United States House of Representatives, 1949-1973. House Minority Leader, 1965-1973.
Vice President: Succeeded Spiro Agnew as Richard Nixon's Vice President following Agnew's resignation. Confirmed on December 6, 1973.
President: Sworn-in as President (at the age of 61 years, 26 days) following Richard Nixon's resignation on August 9, 1974. Selected Nelson Rockefeller as his Vice President. Left office on January 20, 1977, following general election loss to Jimmy Carter.
Presidential Pets: Liberty, Golden Retriever; Misty, Golden Retriever (Liberty's off-spring); Shan Shein, Siamese Cat.
Note: Information drawn from Gerald R. Ford Library staff knowledge and the Library's Vertical File.
Born: July 14, 1913, Omaha, Nebraska.
Moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1914.
Ancestry: English
Religion: Episcopalian
Grade Schools:Madison Elementary School; East Grand Rapids Elementary School. Boy Scouts: Attained rank of Eagle Scout. High School:Grand Rapids South High School, Class of 1931. Member of National Honor Society, Varsity Letter Club, Glee Club, Student Council, Latin Club and Hi-Y (High School YMCA). Participated in football, basketball, and track. Earned all-city and all-state honors in football.
College:University of Michigan, Class of 1935. Majored in economics and political science. Member of Michigamua (senior men's honor society), Sphinx (junior men's honor society), Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, Interfraternity Council, and Student Council. Played center and linebacker on U-M football team. Started at center and named team MVP in senior year. Played in East-West College All-Star game and Chicago Tribune College All-Star game. Did not earn All-America honors as popularly believed. Received contract offers from the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions (which Ford turned down in favor of law school).
Assorted Summer and Miscellaneous Jobs: Filled and cleaned paint cans in family paint business; mowed lawns; handled concessions at an amusement park; washed dishes and grilled hamburgers in a restaurant; Park Ranger, Yellowstone National Park; washed dishes in college fraternity house.
Law School:Yale University Law School, Class of 1941. Member of Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity. Served as assistant football coach and freshman boxing coach.
Occupation: Attorney.
Military Service: During attack on Pearl Harbor Gerald Ford was in Grand Rapids working as an attorney. He joined the US Navy in 1942 and remained on active duty until 1946. Ford served aboard the USS Monterey and was discharged with the rank of Lt. Commander. He remained in the Naval Reserves until 1963.
Marriage: Elizabeth Bloomer Warren (b. April 8, 1918), October 15, 1948.
Children: Michael Gerald (b. March 14, 1950), John (Jack) Gardner (b. March 16, 1952, Steven Meigs (b. May 19, 1956), Susan Elizabeth (b. July 6, 1957).
Congress: Served Grand Rapids and Kent County in United States House of Representatives, 1949-1973. House Minority Leader, 1965-1973.
Vice President: Succeeded Spiro Agnew as Richard Nixon's Vice President following Agnew's resignation. Confirmed on December 6, 1973.
President: Sworn-in as President (at the age of 61 years, 26 days) following Richard Nixon's resignation on August 9, 1974. Selected Nelson Rockefeller as his Vice President. Left office on January 20, 1977, following general election loss to Jimmy Carter.
Presidential Pets: Liberty, Golden Retriever; Misty, Golden Retriever (Liberty's off-spring); Shan Shein, Siamese Cat.
President Ford bio from the Ford Presidential Library and Museum
Here's President Ford's bio from his presidential foundation:
Gerald Rudolph Ford, the 38th President of the United States, was born Leslie Lynch King, Jr., the son of Leslie Lynch King and Dorothy Ayer Gardner King, on July 14, 1913, in Omaha, Nebraska. His parents separated two weeks after his birth and his mother took him to Grand Rapids, Michigan to live with her parents.
On February 1, 1916, approximately two years after her divorce was final, Dorothy King married Gerald R. Ford, a Grand Rapids paint salesman. The Fords began calling her son Gerald R. Ford, Jr., although his name was not legally changed until December 3, 1935. He had known since he was thirteen years old that Gerald Ford, Sr., was not his biological father, but it was not until 1930 when Leslie King made an unexpected stop in Grand Rapids that he had a chance meeting with this biological father. The future president grew up in a close-knit family which included three younger half-brothers, Thomas, Richard, and James.
The rest of the bio can be found here.
Gerald Rudolph Ford, the 38th President of the United States, was born Leslie Lynch King, Jr., the son of Leslie Lynch King and Dorothy Ayer Gardner King, on July 14, 1913, in Omaha, Nebraska. His parents separated two weeks after his birth and his mother took him to Grand Rapids, Michigan to live with her parents.
On February 1, 1916, approximately two years after her divorce was final, Dorothy King married Gerald R. Ford, a Grand Rapids paint salesman. The Fords began calling her son Gerald R. Ford, Jr., although his name was not legally changed until December 3, 1935. He had known since he was thirteen years old that Gerald Ford, Sr., was not his biological father, but it was not until 1930 when Leslie King made an unexpected stop in Grand Rapids that he had a chance meeting with this biological father. The future president grew up in a close-knit family which included three younger half-brothers, Thomas, Richard, and James.
The rest of the bio can be found here.
Biography of President Ford from Whitehouse.gov
This is President Ford's bio courtsey of whitehouse.gov
"When Gerald R. Ford took the oath of office on August 9, 1974, he declared, "I assume the Presidency under extraordinary circumstances.... This is an hour of history that troubles our minds and hurts our hearts."
It was indeed an unprecedented time. He had been the first Vice President chosen under the terms of the Twenty-fifth Amendment and, in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, was succeeding the first President ever to resign.
Ford was confronted with almost insuperable tasks. There were the challenges of mastering inflation, reviving a depressed economy, solving chronic energy shortages, and trying to ensure world peace.
The President acted to curb the trend toward Government intervention and spending as a means of solving the problems of American society and the economy. In the long run, he believed, this shift would bring a better life for all Americans.
Ford's reputation for integrity and openness had made him popular during his 25 years in Congress. From 1965 to 1973, he was House Minority Leader. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1913, he grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He starred on the University of Michigan football team, then went to Yale, where he served as assistant coach while earning his law degree. During World War II he attained the rank of lieutenant commander in the Navy. After the war he returned to Grand Rapids, where he began the practice of law, and entered Republican
politics. A few weeks before his election to Congress in 1948, he married Elizabeth Bloomer.
They have four children: Michael, John, Steven, and Susan.
As President, Ford tried to calm earlier controversies by granting former President Nixon a full pardon. His nominee for Vice President, former Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York, was the second person to fill that office by appointment. Gradually, Ford selected a cabinet of his own.
Ford established his policies during his first year in office, despite opposition from a heavily Democratic Congress. His first goal was to curb inflation. Then, when recession became the Nation's most serious domestic problem, he shifted to measures aimed at stimulating the economy. But, still fearing inflation, Ford vetoed a number of non-military appropriations bills that would have further increased the already heavy budgetary deficit. During his first 14 months as President he vetoed 39 measures. His vetoes were usually sustained.
Ford continued as he had in his Congressional days to view himself as "a moderate in domestic affairs, a conservative in fiscal affairs, and a dyed-in-the-wool internationalist in foreign affairs."
A major goal was to help business operate more freely by reducing taxes upon it and easing the controls exercised by regulatory agencies. "We...declared our independence 200 years ago, and we are not about to lose it now to paper shufflers and computers," he said.
In foreign affairs Ford acted vigorously to maintain U. S. power and prestige after the collapse of Cambodia and South Viet Nam. Preventing a new war in the Middle East remained a major objective; by providing aid to both Israel and Egypt, the Ford Administration helped persuade the two countries to accept an interim truce agreement. Detente with the Soviet Union continued. President Ford and Soviet leader Leonid I. Brezhnev set new limitations upon nuclear weapons.
President Ford won the Republican nomination for the Presidency in 1976, but lost the election to his Democratic opponent, former Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia.
On Inauguration Day, President Carter began his speech: "For myself and for our Nation, I want to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land." A grateful people concurred.
"When Gerald R. Ford took the oath of office on August 9, 1974, he declared, "I assume the Presidency under extraordinary circumstances.... This is an hour of history that troubles our minds and hurts our hearts."
It was indeed an unprecedented time. He had been the first Vice President chosen under the terms of the Twenty-fifth Amendment and, in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, was succeeding the first President ever to resign.
Ford was confronted with almost insuperable tasks. There were the challenges of mastering inflation, reviving a depressed economy, solving chronic energy shortages, and trying to ensure world peace.
The President acted to curb the trend toward Government intervention and spending as a means of solving the problems of American society and the economy. In the long run, he believed, this shift would bring a better life for all Americans.
Ford's reputation for integrity and openness had made him popular during his 25 years in Congress. From 1965 to 1973, he was House Minority Leader. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1913, he grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He starred on the University of Michigan football team, then went to Yale, where he served as assistant coach while earning his law degree. During World War II he attained the rank of lieutenant commander in the Navy. After the war he returned to Grand Rapids, where he began the practice of law, and entered Republican
politics. A few weeks before his election to Congress in 1948, he married Elizabeth Bloomer.
They have four children: Michael, John, Steven, and Susan.
As President, Ford tried to calm earlier controversies by granting former President Nixon a full pardon. His nominee for Vice President, former Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York, was the second person to fill that office by appointment. Gradually, Ford selected a cabinet of his own.
Ford established his policies during his first year in office, despite opposition from a heavily Democratic Congress. His first goal was to curb inflation. Then, when recession became the Nation's most serious domestic problem, he shifted to measures aimed at stimulating the economy. But, still fearing inflation, Ford vetoed a number of non-military appropriations bills that would have further increased the already heavy budgetary deficit. During his first 14 months as President he vetoed 39 measures. His vetoes were usually sustained.
Ford continued as he had in his Congressional days to view himself as "a moderate in domestic affairs, a conservative in fiscal affairs, and a dyed-in-the-wool internationalist in foreign affairs."
A major goal was to help business operate more freely by reducing taxes upon it and easing the controls exercised by regulatory agencies. "We...declared our independence 200 years ago, and we are not about to lose it now to paper shufflers and computers," he said.
In foreign affairs Ford acted vigorously to maintain U. S. power and prestige after the collapse of Cambodia and South Viet Nam. Preventing a new war in the Middle East remained a major objective; by providing aid to both Israel and Egypt, the Ford Administration helped persuade the two countries to accept an interim truce agreement. Detente with the Soviet Union continued. President Ford and Soviet leader Leonid I. Brezhnev set new limitations upon nuclear weapons.
President Ford won the Republican nomination for the Presidency in 1976, but lost the election to his Democratic opponent, former Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia.
On Inauguration Day, President Carter began his speech: "For myself and for our Nation, I want to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land." A grateful people concurred.
"Character Above All" - An Essay About Gerald R. Ford
"Gerald R. Ford became President not because he was popular with the American public, not because he campaigned for the job, but because of his character.
More than any other president of this century, Ford was chosen for his integrity and trustworthiness; his peers in Congress put him in the White House because he told the truth and kept his word. He was nominated for Vice President after Spiro Agnew was forced to resign to avoid indictment for accepting bribes. Ford was confirmed by a House and Senate that expected him to replace a President who was also facing indictment for crimes.....
Ford personified what Nixon was not. Ford was honest. He could be trusted. Throughout twenty-five years in the House of Representatives, Ford had proved himself to be a man of integrity. It was for that integrity that the highest powers of Congress, Democratic and Republican, chose Ford to be Vice President, knowing that Nixon's presidency was doomed...... "
For the rest of the essay, click here.
More than any other president of this century, Ford was chosen for his integrity and trustworthiness; his peers in Congress put him in the White House because he told the truth and kept his word. He was nominated for Vice President after Spiro Agnew was forced to resign to avoid indictment for accepting bribes. Ford was confirmed by a House and Senate that expected him to replace a President who was also facing indictment for crimes.....
Ford personified what Nixon was not. Ford was honest. He could be trusted. Throughout twenty-five years in the House of Representatives, Ford had proved himself to be a man of integrity. It was for that integrity that the highest powers of Congress, Democratic and Republican, chose Ford to be Vice President, knowing that Nixon's presidency was doomed...... "
For the rest of the essay, click here.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
"Clinton, Obama Clearing The Field"
In light of Senator Edwards' decision, Dan Balz of the Washington Post writes of Clinton and Obama "beating back would-be rivals." He points to Senator Evan Bayh's recent decision not to run in 2008, among other things. So the question is this: is the Democratic field for '08 quickly becoming a two candidate field?
Clinton, Obama Clearing The Field
Without Declaring, They Beat Back Would-Be Rivals
By Dan Balz Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 24, 2006; Page A01
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), trading on star power, the capacity to raise tens of millions of dollars with relative ease and an ability to dominate media attention, are rewriting the script of the 2008 Democratic presidential campaign, driving potential rivals to the sidelines and casting a huge shadow over all others who may run.
What once shaped up as a sizable field of Democratic candidates is now shrinking. Sen. Evan Bayh (Ind.) announced on Dec. 16 that he would not seek the Democratic nomination, a surprising decision that came just days after he witnessed firsthand the megawatt voltage of Obama's drawing power in New Hampshire. As Bayh drew small crowds on his seventh trip to the Granite State, Obama enjoyed sold-out audiences and saturation coverage on his first.
Bayh became the third Democrat to quit the race before Clinton or Obama have taken formal steps to enter. Former Virginia governor Mark R. Warner and Sen. Russell Feingold (Wis.) abandoned their bids after lengthy periods of exploration. All chose not to run for their own reasons, but Obama's sudden emergence creates a significant obstacle to those hoping to become the alternative to front-runner Clinton in the Democratic nomination contest.
"Simply put, it's the Obama factor," said Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart. "Obama's entry into the presidential race essentially raised the ante. Candidates who used to do careful exploration with the hope that they could catch fire in Iowa and New Hampshire and move from there recognize that there's no oxygen left out there for their candidacies."
Clinton, Obama Clearing The Field
Without Declaring, They Beat Back Would-Be Rivals
By Dan Balz Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 24, 2006; Page A01
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), trading on star power, the capacity to raise tens of millions of dollars with relative ease and an ability to dominate media attention, are rewriting the script of the 2008 Democratic presidential campaign, driving potential rivals to the sidelines and casting a huge shadow over all others who may run.
What once shaped up as a sizable field of Democratic candidates is now shrinking. Sen. Evan Bayh (Ind.) announced on Dec. 16 that he would not seek the Democratic nomination, a surprising decision that came just days after he witnessed firsthand the megawatt voltage of Obama's drawing power in New Hampshire. As Bayh drew small crowds on his seventh trip to the Granite State, Obama enjoyed sold-out audiences and saturation coverage on his first.
Bayh became the third Democrat to quit the race before Clinton or Obama have taken formal steps to enter. Former Virginia governor Mark R. Warner and Sen. Russell Feingold (Wis.) abandoned their bids after lengthy periods of exploration. All chose not to run for their own reasons, but Obama's sudden emergence creates a significant obstacle to those hoping to become the alternative to front-runner Clinton in the Democratic nomination contest.
"Simply put, it's the Obama factor," said Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart. "Obama's entry into the presidential race essentially raised the ante. Candidates who used to do careful exploration with the hope that they could catch fire in Iowa and New Hampshire and move from there recognize that there's no oxygen left out there for their candidacies."
John Edwards: "The Big Decision"
Now that the word has been out for a week or two- that former Senator and '04 Dem VP nominee John Edwards will run for president again, his email list received this on Sunday from the former senator:
Dear Friend,
For the past two years, we've worked together to build an America that lives up to its promise -- one where we all share in prosperity at home and one that shows real moral leadership around the world. I'm proud of our successes fighting poverty, supporting working families, and standing up for what we believe.
Now, we have a big decision to make -- and I do mean we. I'm getting ready to take this effort to the next level - to bring Americans together in all fifty states to tackle the big challenges facing our country, from poverty and lack of health care, to energy and global warming. But this is our effort, and we can only succeed if we're all in it together. So before I make a final decision, I need to hear from you: Are you ready? If you're ready to take this to the next level, and launch a renewed national effort to change America, send me a note and let me know: JohnEdwards@readytochangeamerica.com
If you have friends or family who share this vision, I want to hear from them too. Please forward this on to anyone you know who might want to join this big new effort. I believe we can run a totally new kind of endeavor -- one that puts our ideals into action, and puts the hopes and dreams of the American people above the personal ambition and play-it-safe strategy of traditional politics. I can't promise you where this will ultimately lead. But I can promise you this: if you're on board, we'll launch a renewed commitment to change our country from the bottom up. We'll always speak from the heart. And together, we'll reach out to millions of people to let them know it's still okay to dream big dreams, and do everything we can to make them real --because that's what America is all about. So the only question is: Are you ready? If you want to take this effort to next level, send me an e-mail and let me know: JohnEdwards@readytochangeamerica.com
Stay tuned: I'll let you know what we decide early next week. Happy holidays, and may it be a bright new year for all.
Your friend,
John
This is a good gimmick by Edwards- to make others think they have a say in a decision that's already been made. But it makes them stakeholders- allows them to think they "own" part of his effort at the White House. In a way, I guess that they do.
Oh, and launching the campaign from New Orleans allows him a powerful backdrop to talk about liberal boilerplate issues.
For the past two years, we've worked together to build an America that lives up to its promise -- one where we all share in prosperity at home and one that shows real moral leadership around the world. I'm proud of our successes fighting poverty, supporting working families, and standing up for what we believe.
Now, we have a big decision to make -- and I do mean we. I'm getting ready to take this effort to the next level - to bring Americans together in all fifty states to tackle the big challenges facing our country, from poverty and lack of health care, to energy and global warming. But this is our effort, and we can only succeed if we're all in it together. So before I make a final decision, I need to hear from you: Are you ready? If you're ready to take this to the next level, and launch a renewed national effort to change America, send me a note and let me know: JohnEdwards@readytochangeamerica.com
If you have friends or family who share this vision, I want to hear from them too. Please forward this on to anyone you know who might want to join this big new effort. I believe we can run a totally new kind of endeavor -- one that puts our ideals into action, and puts the hopes and dreams of the American people above the personal ambition and play-it-safe strategy of traditional politics. I can't promise you where this will ultimately lead. But I can promise you this: if you're on board, we'll launch a renewed commitment to change our country from the bottom up. We'll always speak from the heart. And together, we'll reach out to millions of people to let them know it's still okay to dream big dreams, and do everything we can to make them real --because that's what America is all about. So the only question is: Are you ready? If you want to take this effort to next level, send me an e-mail and let me know: JohnEdwards@readytochangeamerica.com
Stay tuned: I'll let you know what we decide early next week. Happy holidays, and may it be a bright new year for all.
Your friend,
John
This is a good gimmick by Edwards- to make others think they have a say in a decision that's already been made. But it makes them stakeholders- allows them to think they "own" part of his effort at the White House. In a way, I guess that they do.
Oh, and launching the campaign from New Orleans allows him a powerful backdrop to talk about liberal boilerplate issues.
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Former Vermont Sen. Stafford dies at 93
If you've had college loans like I have, the last name will be familar to you.
Former Vermont Sen. Stafford dies at 93
By ROSS SNEYD, Associated Press Writer
MONTPELIER, Vt. - Former Sen. Robert Stafford, a staunch environmentalist and champion of education whose name is familiar to countless college students through a loan program named for him, died Saturday. He was 93.
Stafford, who had been in declining health, was surrounded by family at a Rutland nursing home when he died at 9:30 a.m., said Neal Houston, his former chief of staff.
Stafford served two years as governor, 11 years in the House and 17 in the Senate before retiring in early 1989.
As ranking Republican on the Senate's environment committee, Stafford repeatedly defended the Superfund program to clean up contaminated sites and shepherded bills combating acid rain and automobile pollution.
In 1988, Congress renamed the Federal Guaranteed Student Loan program the Robert T. Stafford Student Loan program. The low-interest loans are now known almost universally as Stafford loans to the millions who qualify for them each year.
According to the federal Education Department, about 14 million Stafford loans were given to postsecondary students in 2006.
Former Vermont Sen. Stafford dies at 93
By ROSS SNEYD, Associated Press Writer
MONTPELIER, Vt. - Former Sen. Robert Stafford, a staunch environmentalist and champion of education whose name is familiar to countless college students through a loan program named for him, died Saturday. He was 93.
Stafford, who had been in declining health, was surrounded by family at a Rutland nursing home when he died at 9:30 a.m., said Neal Houston, his former chief of staff.
Stafford served two years as governor, 11 years in the House and 17 in the Senate before retiring in early 1989.
As ranking Republican on the Senate's environment committee, Stafford repeatedly defended the Superfund program to clean up contaminated sites and shepherded bills combating acid rain and automobile pollution.
In 1988, Congress renamed the Federal Guaranteed Student Loan program the Robert T. Stafford Student Loan program. The low-interest loans are now known almost universally as Stafford loans to the millions who qualify for them each year.
According to the federal Education Department, about 14 million Stafford loans were given to postsecondary students in 2006.
Poll: Most Brits Believe Religion Does More Harm Than Good
Britain has been a "post-Christian" culture for sometime. The result of this poll seems only to confirm this.
Most Britons believe religion does more harm than good: poll
Dec 23 1:55 PM US/Eastern
An overwhelming number of Britons believe religion does more harm than good while non-believers outnumber believers by nearly two to one, an ICM poll suggested.
Eighty-two percent of the 1,006 adults questioned for the left-leaning Guardian newspaper in the run up to Christmas said they saw religion as a cause of division and tension between people compared to 16 percent who disagreed.
At a time when Britain's multi-cultural, multi-faith model, their outward symbols and culture are under the microscope after last year's home-grown Islamist extremist suicide bombings, 63 percent said they were not religious.
Some 33 percent said they were religious. Older people and women were the most likely to believe in a god: 37 percent of women said they were religious compared to 29 percent of men.
But there was still good news for Christian leaders who complain that the true meaning of Christmas is being increasingly eroded by the forces of consumerism and consumption.
Fifty-four percent of Christians questioned said they planned to attend a religious service over the festive period.
Most Britons believe religion does more harm than good: poll
Dec 23 1:55 PM US/Eastern
An overwhelming number of Britons believe religion does more harm than good while non-believers outnumber believers by nearly two to one, an ICM poll suggested.
Eighty-two percent of the 1,006 adults questioned for the left-leaning Guardian newspaper in the run up to Christmas said they saw religion as a cause of division and tension between people compared to 16 percent who disagreed.
At a time when Britain's multi-cultural, multi-faith model, their outward symbols and culture are under the microscope after last year's home-grown Islamist extremist suicide bombings, 63 percent said they were not religious.
Some 33 percent said they were religious. Older people and women were the most likely to believe in a god: 37 percent of women said they were religious compared to 29 percent of men.
But there was still good news for Christian leaders who complain that the true meaning of Christmas is being increasingly eroded by the forces of consumerism and consumption.
Fifty-four percent of Christians questioned said they planned to attend a religious service over the festive period.
CT Editorial: "Look at All the Lonely People"
An interesting take on the increasing "loneliness" of our culture.
Look at All the Lonely People
A radically old way to reach out to a friendless culture.
A Christianity Today Editorial posted 11/14/2006 08:21AM
In Norman Rockwell's classic 1943 painting, "Freedom from Want," an extended family is gathered around the table to celebrate a holiday feast. Fast-forward 63 years to Thanksgiving 2006 and—while lack of food is still a problem for too many in this land of plenty—you are much more likely to find want of a different kind. More and more Americans are starving for significant relationships.
Earlier this year, the American Sociological Review published a disturbing study, "Social Isolation in America: Changes in Core Discussion Networks over Two Decades." Researchers Miller McPherson, Lynn Smith-Lovin, and Matthew E. Brashears reported a "remarkable drop" in the size of people's core network of confidants—those with whom they could talk about important matters.
As of 2004, the average American had just two close friends, compared with three in 1985. Those reporting no confidants at all jumped from 10 percent to 25 percent. Even the share of Americans reporting a healthy circle of four or five friends had plunged from 33 percent to just over 15 percent.
Increasingly, those whom we consider close friends—if we have any—are household members, not people who "bind us to community and neighborhood." Our wider social connections seem to be shriveling like a turkey left too long in the oven.
"You usually don't expect major features of social life to change very much from year to year or even decade to decade," Smith-Lovin, a sociologist at Duke University, told the news media.
Some may contend that the trend is no big deal, because the population is growing older and more racially diverse, and these demographic groups usually have smaller networks where friendships form. However, the nation's increasing level of education, the study says, should more than offset those factors (because, it argues, education often brings more social contacts). Yet our isolation has increased, leaving us at higher risk for a host of physical, social, and psychological ailments.
Certainly, the pressure to isolate ourselves is longstanding in our increasingly fragmented society based on the radical autonomy of the individual. Perhaps the same thing that is sabotaging marriage is undermining friendship: our increasing unwillingness to commit to relationships that require sacrifice, mutual accountability, and a generous share of humility. That refusal is often not so much willful as fearful. Back in the '60s, cultural critics Simon and Garfunkel noted the temptation to what is now innocuously called cocooning: "I've built walls, a fortress deep and mighty, that none may penetrate. I have no need of friendship; friendship causes pain. It's laughter and it's loving I disdain."
Well, yes and no. People may fear the commitment friendship entails, but they remain fascinated with it. The long-standing popularity of TV programs such as Cheers, Friends, and now Grey's Anatomy—which portray the lives of people in multilayered friendships—signals that fascination.
One wonders what it would take for the church, the new community, the friends of Jesus (John 15), to hold equal fascination for our lonely culture. To draw our culture to Christ, evangelical churches spend enormous amounts of money on slick marketing materials, enormous amounts of creative energy crafting "authentic" worship, and enormous amounts of intellectual capital on postmodernizing the faith. We're not convinced these strategies get to the heart of our cultural malaise.
Perhaps another "strategy" is in order. What if church leaders mounted a campaign to encourage each of their members to become friends, good friends, with one unchurched person this year?
Oh, but that would require so much commitment, sacrifice, and humility!
Exactly.
Copyright © 2006 Christianity Today.
Look at All the Lonely People
A radically old way to reach out to a friendless culture.
A Christianity Today Editorial posted 11/14/2006 08:21AM
In Norman Rockwell's classic 1943 painting, "Freedom from Want," an extended family is gathered around the table to celebrate a holiday feast. Fast-forward 63 years to Thanksgiving 2006 and—while lack of food is still a problem for too many in this land of plenty—you are much more likely to find want of a different kind. More and more Americans are starving for significant relationships.
Earlier this year, the American Sociological Review published a disturbing study, "Social Isolation in America: Changes in Core Discussion Networks over Two Decades." Researchers Miller McPherson, Lynn Smith-Lovin, and Matthew E. Brashears reported a "remarkable drop" in the size of people's core network of confidants—those with whom they could talk about important matters.
As of 2004, the average American had just two close friends, compared with three in 1985. Those reporting no confidants at all jumped from 10 percent to 25 percent. Even the share of Americans reporting a healthy circle of four or five friends had plunged from 33 percent to just over 15 percent.
Increasingly, those whom we consider close friends—if we have any—are household members, not people who "bind us to community and neighborhood." Our wider social connections seem to be shriveling like a turkey left too long in the oven.
"You usually don't expect major features of social life to change very much from year to year or even decade to decade," Smith-Lovin, a sociologist at Duke University, told the news media.
Some may contend that the trend is no big deal, because the population is growing older and more racially diverse, and these demographic groups usually have smaller networks where friendships form. However, the nation's increasing level of education, the study says, should more than offset those factors (because, it argues, education often brings more social contacts). Yet our isolation has increased, leaving us at higher risk for a host of physical, social, and psychological ailments.
Certainly, the pressure to isolate ourselves is longstanding in our increasingly fragmented society based on the radical autonomy of the individual. Perhaps the same thing that is sabotaging marriage is undermining friendship: our increasing unwillingness to commit to relationships that require sacrifice, mutual accountability, and a generous share of humility. That refusal is often not so much willful as fearful. Back in the '60s, cultural critics Simon and Garfunkel noted the temptation to what is now innocuously called cocooning: "I've built walls, a fortress deep and mighty, that none may penetrate. I have no need of friendship; friendship causes pain. It's laughter and it's loving I disdain."
Well, yes and no. People may fear the commitment friendship entails, but they remain fascinated with it. The long-standing popularity of TV programs such as Cheers, Friends, and now Grey's Anatomy—which portray the lives of people in multilayered friendships—signals that fascination.
One wonders what it would take for the church, the new community, the friends of Jesus (John 15), to hold equal fascination for our lonely culture. To draw our culture to Christ, evangelical churches spend enormous amounts of money on slick marketing materials, enormous amounts of creative energy crafting "authentic" worship, and enormous amounts of intellectual capital on postmodernizing the faith. We're not convinced these strategies get to the heart of our cultural malaise.
Perhaps another "strategy" is in order. What if church leaders mounted a campaign to encourage each of their members to become friends, good friends, with one unchurched person this year?
Oh, but that would require so much commitment, sacrifice, and humility!
Exactly.
Copyright © 2006 Christianity Today.
Obama, Edwards tied in Iowa...
...while on the GOP side, it's McCain and Guiliani neck and neck.
Here's the particulars:
Check out the results of the new Iowa poll, conducted by Research 2000 for KCCI-TV from December 18 through December 20:
Democrats:
John Edwards 22%
Barack Obama 22%
Tom Vilsack 12%
Hillary Clinton 10%
Al Gore 7%
John Kerry 5%
Undecided 11%
Republicans:
John McCain 27%
Rudy Giuliani 26%
Mitt Romney 9%
Newt Gingrich 7%
Condi Rice 4%
Undecided 22%
A couple of observations here: 22% of GOP respondents are "undecided". Does this reflect the want of a conservative candidate? Two, Obama's surge is evident due to the fact that Edwards is very strong in Iowa, having spent a lot of time there since 2004.
Here's the particulars:
Check out the results of the new Iowa poll, conducted by Research 2000 for KCCI-TV from December 18 through December 20:
Democrats:
John Edwards 22%
Barack Obama 22%
Tom Vilsack 12%
Hillary Clinton 10%
Al Gore 7%
John Kerry 5%
Undecided 11%
Republicans:
John McCain 27%
Rudy Giuliani 26%
Mitt Romney 9%
Newt Gingrich 7%
Condi Rice 4%
Undecided 22%
A couple of observations here: 22% of GOP respondents are "undecided". Does this reflect the want of a conservative candidate? Two, Obama's surge is evident due to the fact that Edwards is very strong in Iowa, having spent a lot of time there since 2004.
Novak: Obama "unequivocally committed" to run in '08
Robert Novak cites a source close to the Illinois senator stating Obama is running for president in '08. Prediction: The Democratic primary will quickly become a two candidate race between Obama and Hillary Clinton.
Inside Report: Obama Runs
By Robert Novak
Contrary to reports that Barack Obama is still trying to make up his mind whether to seek the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, sources close to the first-term senator say he is unequivocally committed to making the race.
The word has spread through political circles that Obama's wife, Michelle, is resisting the campaign out of fear for her husband's physical safety as an African-American candidate for president. But an Obama insider dismissed that as a problem. "We took care of that last summer," he told this column.
A footnote: Obama advisers were surprised how much the prospect of his campaign has shaken front-running Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. For the first time, she has asserted that she would have voted against going to war in Iraq if she knew then what she knows now.
Inside Report: Obama Runs
By Robert Novak
Contrary to reports that Barack Obama is still trying to make up his mind whether to seek the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, sources close to the first-term senator say he is unequivocally committed to making the race.
The word has spread through political circles that Obama's wife, Michelle, is resisting the campaign out of fear for her husband's physical safety as an African-American candidate for president. But an Obama insider dismissed that as a problem. "We took care of that last summer," he told this column.
A footnote: Obama advisers were surprised how much the prospect of his campaign has shaken front-running Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. For the first time, she has asserted that she would have voted against going to war in Iraq if she knew then what she knows now.
Friday, December 22, 2006
AP: Romney Set for Presidential Announcement
Governor Romney set to jump in...
Romney Set for Presidential Announcement
By GLEN JOHNSON Associated Press Writer
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is poised to announce his campaign for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination in two phases early next month, a top adviser told The Associated Press on Friday.
The Massachusetts chief executive is expected to file paperwork as early as Jan. 2 with the Federal Election Commission, establishing a presidential campaign committee and permitting himself to begin raising money for his race on the first business day of the new year. Romney will leave office on Jan. 4.
As soon as the week of Jan. 8, Romney will hold a ceremony to officially declare his candidacy, said the adviser, a top aide who spoke on condition of anonymity in advance of the official filing.
The timing is somewhat dependent on when Sen. John McCain of Arizona makes an expected announcement about his own campaign for the GOP nomination, the Romney aide said. McCain has formed a presidential exploratory committee but held off declaring his candidacy.
Romney Set for Presidential Announcement
By GLEN JOHNSON Associated Press Writer
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is poised to announce his campaign for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination in two phases early next month, a top adviser told The Associated Press on Friday.
The Massachusetts chief executive is expected to file paperwork as early as Jan. 2 with the Federal Election Commission, establishing a presidential campaign committee and permitting himself to begin raising money for his race on the first business day of the new year. Romney will leave office on Jan. 4.
As soon as the week of Jan. 8, Romney will hold a ceremony to officially declare his candidacy, said the adviser, a top aide who spoke on condition of anonymity in advance of the official filing.
The timing is somewhat dependent on when Sen. John McCain of Arizona makes an expected announcement about his own campaign for the GOP nomination, the Romney aide said. McCain has formed a presidential exploratory committee but held off declaring his candidacy.
Romney Faces Questions, Skeptics in New Hampshire
The MA governor and presidential candidate faces questions about his "evolving" beliefs.
Romney defends shift on issues
Faces questions at N.H. event
By James W. Pindell, Globe Correspondent
December 22, 2006
MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Governor Mitt Romney defended his conservative bona fides yesterday before an audience of skeptics and supporters curious about his rightward shift on several hot-button social issues as he readies for a run for president.
In what was billed as a friendly holiday get-together organized by his political committee, Romney faced questions about his evolving views following reports in the Globe and other publications that examined his positions on abortion, stem cell research, and gay rights.
Some audience members walked away from the encounter still uncertain of his conservative credentials.
"When I first heard his answer about his journey of becoming prolife, I began to feel better about the questions being asked of him lately," said Shannon McGinley of Bedford, N.H. "After talking with him in person, though, it is hard to figure out what he does believe."
The questions reflect the doubts some conservatives have about Romney and other top Republican presidential contenders, including Senator John McCain and Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor.
Romney defends shift on issues
Faces questions at N.H. event
By James W. Pindell, Globe Correspondent
December 22, 2006
MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Governor Mitt Romney defended his conservative bona fides yesterday before an audience of skeptics and supporters curious about his rightward shift on several hot-button social issues as he readies for a run for president.
In what was billed as a friendly holiday get-together organized by his political committee, Romney faced questions about his evolving views following reports in the Globe and other publications that examined his positions on abortion, stem cell research, and gay rights.
Some audience members walked away from the encounter still uncertain of his conservative credentials.
"When I first heard his answer about his journey of becoming prolife, I began to feel better about the questions being asked of him lately," said Shannon McGinley of Bedford, N.H. "After talking with him in person, though, it is hard to figure out what he does believe."
The questions reflect the doubts some conservatives have about Romney and other top Republican presidential contenders, including Senator John McCain and Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor.
Wash Times on Rudy, Social Conservatives
Don't underestimate Giuliani.
Star power of Giuliani may win over conservatives
By Ralph Z. Hallow
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published December 22, 2006
Social conservatives -- contrary to conventional wisdom -- will seriously consider supporting the Republican presidential aspirations of Rudolph W. Giuliani even though he's a pro-choice, anti-gun New Yorker, political analysts and operatives say. Republicans in the early primary states in the South and the West may disagree with Mr. Giuliani's stance on abortion and gun control, but they admire his response to the September 11 attacks and, more importantly, they think he can win in November.
Scott Malyerck, executive director of the Republican Party in South Carolina, an early primary test, said voters recognize Mr. Giuliani as a strong, decisive leader and a decision maker.
"John McCain and Mitt Romney have been working hard in South Carolina over the past year," Mr. Malyerck said. "Even though Rudy Giuliani has not formally gotten his campaign up and going, he has been treated like a rock star across the state at rallies and fundraisers alike."
Mr. Giuliani leads every other Republican -- including Mr. McCain, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and outgoing Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney -- in national and many state presidential preference polls of Republican voters.
Star power of Giuliani may win over conservatives
By Ralph Z. Hallow
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published December 22, 2006
Social conservatives -- contrary to conventional wisdom -- will seriously consider supporting the Republican presidential aspirations of Rudolph W. Giuliani even though he's a pro-choice, anti-gun New Yorker, political analysts and operatives say. Republicans in the early primary states in the South and the West may disagree with Mr. Giuliani's stance on abortion and gun control, but they admire his response to the September 11 attacks and, more importantly, they think he can win in November.
Scott Malyerck, executive director of the Republican Party in South Carolina, an early primary test, said voters recognize Mr. Giuliani as a strong, decisive leader and a decision maker.
"John McCain and Mitt Romney have been working hard in South Carolina over the past year," Mr. Malyerck said. "Even though Rudy Giuliani has not formally gotten his campaign up and going, he has been treated like a rock star across the state at rallies and fundraisers alike."
Mr. Giuliani leads every other Republican -- including Mr. McCain, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and outgoing Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney -- in national and many state presidential preference polls of Republican voters.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Bad Weather in Denver...
The recent winter weather event in Denver, one of the worst in the city's history, prompted this comment from a late night comic:
"It snowed so hard in Denver, the Nuggets had to punch their way through the snow to their cars."
The comic of course was refering to Denver's basketball team the Nuggets, and their recent brawl with the New York Knicks.
"It snowed so hard in Denver, the Nuggets had to punch their way through the snow to their cars."
The comic of course was refering to Denver's basketball team the Nuggets, and their recent brawl with the New York Knicks.
Now Mark Sanford?
From Real Clear Politics comes this piece from Joel Mowbray about South Carolina governor Mark Sanford and his possible entry into the White House derby:
December 21, 2006
Mark Sanford: The Right Man for 2008?
With the implosion of George Allen, movement conservatives no longer have a candidate in the presidential mix that looks and acts like one of them. Even though the field contains several heavy hitters, such as John McCain and Rudy Giuliani, the GOP grassroots has no one that is a natural fit.
If a small but growing number of conservatives have their way, however, a candidate that could truly excite the base might enter the fray: my old boss and current South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford.
On paper, a Sanford candidacy seems Quixotic. Entering the White House derby at this point would actually be late in the game, he's little-known outside South Carolina and Washington, D.C., and his main foil the past four years has been the GOP-dominated legislature.
But if Republican primary voters decide that the 2008 standard-bearer needs to bring the party back to its Reagan roots, Sanford could be the dark horse to watch. The recently re-elected governor could capture conservatives' imagination with his unrelenting adherence to core principles. Unlike most GOP governors who either pushed their state parties to the left or simply acquiesced to tax or spending increases passed by legislatures of either party, Sanford has battled profligate Republicans at every turn.
December 21, 2006
Mark Sanford: The Right Man for 2008?
With the implosion of George Allen, movement conservatives no longer have a candidate in the presidential mix that looks and acts like one of them. Even though the field contains several heavy hitters, such as John McCain and Rudy Giuliani, the GOP grassroots has no one that is a natural fit.
If a small but growing number of conservatives have their way, however, a candidate that could truly excite the base might enter the fray: my old boss and current South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford.
On paper, a Sanford candidacy seems Quixotic. Entering the White House derby at this point would actually be late in the game, he's little-known outside South Carolina and Washington, D.C., and his main foil the past four years has been the GOP-dominated legislature.
But if Republican primary voters decide that the 2008 standard-bearer needs to bring the party back to its Reagan roots, Sanford could be the dark horse to watch. The recently re-elected governor could capture conservatives' imagination with his unrelenting adherence to core principles. Unlike most GOP governors who either pushed their state parties to the left or simply acquiesced to tax or spending increases passed by legislatures of either party, Sanford has battled profligate Republicans at every turn.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Chuck Todd: Fifty Lessons For The Political Soul
National Journal's Chuck Todd chimes in with an interesting piece on this election year past.
By Chuck Todd, NationalJournal.com
© National Journal Group Inc.
Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006
Trying to come up with a final column of the year to sum everything up is never easy. Sometimes, I've gone the "awards" route, and in other years, I've looked to the future. But this year, I thought I'd experiment with a tribute of sorts to Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" with the twist, "50 ways I learned from 2006."
If this column was a bit too much to digest, realize that you have an extra week to read it.
Attention media elitists: Alabama may be home to former state Supreme Court judge Roy Moore, but that doesn't mean state Republicans bring God with them to the voting booth.
Alaska wanted change, but not the past -- former Democratic Gov. Tony Knowles. It wanted the future -- Republican Gov.-elect Sarah Palin. A lesson for legacies running in '08?
Although Arizona is filled with swing voters, they won't buy into a candidate who says he's "independent" but whose previous job was state party chair.
Democrats should still believe in a place called Hope, because Arkansas is still bluer than the rest of the South.
It's a pretty simple formula for statewide success in California: The moderate Democratic general-election nominee will always triumph. Congrats to Arnold Shriver.
Democrats ought not get cocky in Colorado. Their recent success has everything to do with the party nominating more centrist candidates.
Sen. Joe Lieberman's (I/D) victory wasn't so surprising. In the end, he became an outsider -- and in Connecticut, just like everywhere else, voters deemed the outsider more interesting.
To paraphrase the great ‘90s philosopher Wayne Campbell, "Hi, this column is now stuck in Delaware." Sorry, I couldn't find much wisdom in Beau Biden's (D) victory in the attorney general's race.
When will Democrats ever learn re: Florida? By writing it off in '06, they've only made winning the state in '08 close to impossible.
Watch out, South Carolina. Georgia may very well be the reddest state in the South by the end of '08.
Imagine if outgoing Rep. Ed Case (D) had run for the Senate as an independent? Hawaii general election voters probably would have sent Daniel Akaka (D) into retirement.
Republicans looking to figure out their libertarian issues ought to study Idaho before it's too late even there.
Sometimes a party's problem in a state is self-fulfilling. The GOP's troubles in Illinois aren't nearly as bad as the recent results indicate -- the party just needs to purge itself of its current elected leaders.
Although Indiana may have lost a favorite son in the presidential race with Sen. Evan Bayh's (D) decision, GOP Gov. Mitch Daniels had better hope he didn't gain a new, tough, potential foe.
As Republican pollster Glen Bolger told us months ago, when Republicans have a cold nationally, Iowa Republicans usually have the flu.
What's changed more: Kansas' ideology or the Republican Party's?
What if it isn't just the grass that's blue in Kentucky?
We'll know in 10 months just how many Democrats Louisiana lost.
If outgoing Sen. Linc "My Name Is Gold" Chafee (R) couldn't survive in Rhode Island, how is someone like Sen. Susan Collins (R) supposed to in Maine?
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend is proof positive that a Democrat literally has to run a campaign into the ground in Maryland to lose.
The two biggest signs that this country has moved beyond race: Tennessee Rep. Harold Ford Jr.'s (D) surprising 48 percent in his Senate race and incoming Bay State Gov. Deval Patrick's (D) ability to carry South Boston. What Jim Rice wouldn't give to wear a Red Sox uniform in this century's Massachusetts.
One state Democrats haven't lost since '88 will be more in play than ever before in '08: Michigan.
Since outgoing Rep. Mark Kennedy's showing was the worst for a Senate-seeking Republican in Minnesota in a half-century, GOP Sen. Norm Coleman might want to see if he still has Democratic credentials stashed away in storage somewhere.
Not only can I spell Mississippi without any eyes, but I can still spell it without any "D"s.
I've been a believer that Missouri was on its way to permanent red status, but given the current governor's '08 vulnerabilities and the effective populist message incoming Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) sold, the state showed me it's still the country's bellwether.
Attention White House Democrats: Looking for one way to make liberal bloggers swoon? Propose Montana's Gov. Brian Schweitzer as a running mate.
Does Sen. Ben Nelson's (D) blowout win prove the more conservative candidate always wins in Nebraska?
When will Senate Majority Leader-to-be Harry Reid (D) make it his responsibility to rescue the Nevada Democratic Party from its current funk?
Is New Hampshire simply a suburb of Boston now? Sen. John Sununu (R) says no, but we'll find out in 2008.
It's going on 20 years since the last time a Republican presidential candidate received more than 50 percent in New Jersey.
The most underrated swing state in the country is New Mexico.
Incoming Gov. Eliot Spitzer has toned down his Wall Street bashing, which is odd since that's now all the rage in the Democratic Party. Spitzer will be an interesting non-player in these New York-heavy presidential sweepstakes.
Just asking: Could a populist like John Edwards get elected in the new economy-succeeding North Carolina?
Some day I'll understand exactly what happened in the Dakotas that caused the North and South to split.
While Missouri may be in play for '08, Democrats should examine those House race losses in the 1st and 15th districts and realize Ohio will be no easier to win in '08 than it was in '04.
The sooner we finish this sentence on Oklahoma, the faster we'll finish this column.
Someday Republicans will figure out why they can't win anymore in Oregon.
You read it here first: Republicans will not seriously contest Pennsylvania in 2008.
I'm already tired of the Whitehouse-White House jokes in Rhode Island.
South Carolina is getting so conservative that it may just pull a Kansas. What does that mean? A Democrat will only win statewide when the GOP nominates someone too far to the right.
South Dakota is determined to be the center of our congressional-control universe.
Tennessee is not racist for not electing Harold Ford Jr.; they just elected the candidate that most reflected their values. If Ford gets married, he'll be a senator.
Most underreported story of 2006: the surprising weakness of the GOP brand in Texas.
For you "Fletch" fans out there, the story is Utah, Frank.
Do you realize that no Democrat has held the Senate seat Bernie Sanders (I) is about to hold in Vermont... ever?
On Nov. 8, 2006, the Commonwealth of Virginia officially seceded from the Confederacy.
As long as the war is the issue, the Washington GOP ought to go on sabbatical.
How do the Democrats get their populist gene back and then not seriously contest West Virginia's lone GOP house seat?
If there's one state John Kerry won in 2004 that is teetering more than Wisconsin in '08, I don't know what it is.
Wyoming? Why not.
Thanks for indulging me this year. If this column was a bit too much to digest, realize that you have an extra week to read it. See you in January.
By Chuck Todd, NationalJournal.com
© National Journal Group Inc.
Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006
Trying to come up with a final column of the year to sum everything up is never easy. Sometimes, I've gone the "awards" route, and in other years, I've looked to the future. But this year, I thought I'd experiment with a tribute of sorts to Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" with the twist, "50 ways I learned from 2006."
If this column was a bit too much to digest, realize that you have an extra week to read it.
Attention media elitists: Alabama may be home to former state Supreme Court judge Roy Moore, but that doesn't mean state Republicans bring God with them to the voting booth.
Alaska wanted change, but not the past -- former Democratic Gov. Tony Knowles. It wanted the future -- Republican Gov.-elect Sarah Palin. A lesson for legacies running in '08?
Although Arizona is filled with swing voters, they won't buy into a candidate who says he's "independent" but whose previous job was state party chair.
Democrats should still believe in a place called Hope, because Arkansas is still bluer than the rest of the South.
It's a pretty simple formula for statewide success in California: The moderate Democratic general-election nominee will always triumph. Congrats to Arnold Shriver.
Democrats ought not get cocky in Colorado. Their recent success has everything to do with the party nominating more centrist candidates.
Sen. Joe Lieberman's (I/D) victory wasn't so surprising. In the end, he became an outsider -- and in Connecticut, just like everywhere else, voters deemed the outsider more interesting.
To paraphrase the great ‘90s philosopher Wayne Campbell, "Hi, this column is now stuck in Delaware." Sorry, I couldn't find much wisdom in Beau Biden's (D) victory in the attorney general's race.
When will Democrats ever learn re: Florida? By writing it off in '06, they've only made winning the state in '08 close to impossible.
Watch out, South Carolina. Georgia may very well be the reddest state in the South by the end of '08.
Imagine if outgoing Rep. Ed Case (D) had run for the Senate as an independent? Hawaii general election voters probably would have sent Daniel Akaka (D) into retirement.
Republicans looking to figure out their libertarian issues ought to study Idaho before it's too late even there.
Sometimes a party's problem in a state is self-fulfilling. The GOP's troubles in Illinois aren't nearly as bad as the recent results indicate -- the party just needs to purge itself of its current elected leaders.
Although Indiana may have lost a favorite son in the presidential race with Sen. Evan Bayh's (D) decision, GOP Gov. Mitch Daniels had better hope he didn't gain a new, tough, potential foe.
As Republican pollster Glen Bolger told us months ago, when Republicans have a cold nationally, Iowa Republicans usually have the flu.
What's changed more: Kansas' ideology or the Republican Party's?
What if it isn't just the grass that's blue in Kentucky?
We'll know in 10 months just how many Democrats Louisiana lost.
If outgoing Sen. Linc "My Name Is Gold" Chafee (R) couldn't survive in Rhode Island, how is someone like Sen. Susan Collins (R) supposed to in Maine?
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend is proof positive that a Democrat literally has to run a campaign into the ground in Maryland to lose.
The two biggest signs that this country has moved beyond race: Tennessee Rep. Harold Ford Jr.'s (D) surprising 48 percent in his Senate race and incoming Bay State Gov. Deval Patrick's (D) ability to carry South Boston. What Jim Rice wouldn't give to wear a Red Sox uniform in this century's Massachusetts.
One state Democrats haven't lost since '88 will be more in play than ever before in '08: Michigan.
Since outgoing Rep. Mark Kennedy's showing was the worst for a Senate-seeking Republican in Minnesota in a half-century, GOP Sen. Norm Coleman might want to see if he still has Democratic credentials stashed away in storage somewhere.
Not only can I spell Mississippi without any eyes, but I can still spell it without any "D"s.
I've been a believer that Missouri was on its way to permanent red status, but given the current governor's '08 vulnerabilities and the effective populist message incoming Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) sold, the state showed me it's still the country's bellwether.
Attention White House Democrats: Looking for one way to make liberal bloggers swoon? Propose Montana's Gov. Brian Schweitzer as a running mate.
Does Sen. Ben Nelson's (D) blowout win prove the more conservative candidate always wins in Nebraska?
When will Senate Majority Leader-to-be Harry Reid (D) make it his responsibility to rescue the Nevada Democratic Party from its current funk?
Is New Hampshire simply a suburb of Boston now? Sen. John Sununu (R) says no, but we'll find out in 2008.
It's going on 20 years since the last time a Republican presidential candidate received more than 50 percent in New Jersey.
The most underrated swing state in the country is New Mexico.
Incoming Gov. Eliot Spitzer has toned down his Wall Street bashing, which is odd since that's now all the rage in the Democratic Party. Spitzer will be an interesting non-player in these New York-heavy presidential sweepstakes.
Just asking: Could a populist like John Edwards get elected in the new economy-succeeding North Carolina?
Some day I'll understand exactly what happened in the Dakotas that caused the North and South to split.
While Missouri may be in play for '08, Democrats should examine those House race losses in the 1st and 15th districts and realize Ohio will be no easier to win in '08 than it was in '04.
The sooner we finish this sentence on Oklahoma, the faster we'll finish this column.
Someday Republicans will figure out why they can't win anymore in Oregon.
You read it here first: Republicans will not seriously contest Pennsylvania in 2008.
I'm already tired of the Whitehouse-White House jokes in Rhode Island.
South Carolina is getting so conservative that it may just pull a Kansas. What does that mean? A Democrat will only win statewide when the GOP nominates someone too far to the right.
South Dakota is determined to be the center of our congressional-control universe.
Tennessee is not racist for not electing Harold Ford Jr.; they just elected the candidate that most reflected their values. If Ford gets married, he'll be a senator.
Most underreported story of 2006: the surprising weakness of the GOP brand in Texas.
For you "Fletch" fans out there, the story is Utah, Frank.
Do you realize that no Democrat has held the Senate seat Bernie Sanders (I) is about to hold in Vermont... ever?
On Nov. 8, 2006, the Commonwealth of Virginia officially seceded from the Confederacy.
As long as the war is the issue, the Washington GOP ought to go on sabbatical.
How do the Democrats get their populist gene back and then not seriously contest West Virginia's lone GOP house seat?
If there's one state John Kerry won in 2004 that is teetering more than Wisconsin in '08, I don't know what it is.
Wyoming? Why not.
Thanks for indulging me this year. If this column was a bit too much to digest, realize that you have an extra week to read it. See you in January.
"Obamamania"
If something is going around the workplace, chances are it may be more than the flu. "Obamamania" is sweeping the land, as evidenced by his #1 book, recent tour of New Hampshire, and face time on Monday Night Football and Oprah. Russ Smith of the "Baltimore City Paper" writes of the newest political rock star:
Obamamania
by Russ Smith
Most Republicans are reacting to the cultural phenomenon known as Barack Obama by dismissing the public and media adulation as mere hype or citing his short political résumé. There have been some dumb statements made about the first-term Illinois senator this month, but none tops that of Al D'Amato, who lunched at Manhattan's Four Seasons last week with Hillary Clinton and Ed Koch. D'Amato, defeated in 1998 in a bid for a fourth U.S. Senate term, is loyal to the GOP but counseled his colleagues that Clinton is a "very focused, energetic, organized, articulate, bright" senator who'd wage a vigorous presidential campaign in 2008.
He might have added that Clinton will have the advantage of an extraordinary fundraising network, the political chits she's accumulated over the years, and her husband's popularity in the Democratic Party. But then D'Amato, according to The New York Times, brushed off Obama, saying, "You always have a flavor-of-the-month candidate--at one point it was [former] Governor Warner of Virginia, now it's what's-his-name, Obama--but that's not going to hold up to a campaign by Senator Clinton."
It's doubtful either Clinton, desperate for a return to the White House, is so sanguine about the reality of Obama's bandwagon.
Obamamania
by Russ Smith
Most Republicans are reacting to the cultural phenomenon known as Barack Obama by dismissing the public and media adulation as mere hype or citing his short political résumé. There have been some dumb statements made about the first-term Illinois senator this month, but none tops that of Al D'Amato, who lunched at Manhattan's Four Seasons last week with Hillary Clinton and Ed Koch. D'Amato, defeated in 1998 in a bid for a fourth U.S. Senate term, is loyal to the GOP but counseled his colleagues that Clinton is a "very focused, energetic, organized, articulate, bright" senator who'd wage a vigorous presidential campaign in 2008.
He might have added that Clinton will have the advantage of an extraordinary fundraising network, the political chits she's accumulated over the years, and her husband's popularity in the Democratic Party. But then D'Amato, according to The New York Times, brushed off Obama, saying, "You always have a flavor-of-the-month candidate--at one point it was [former] Governor Warner of Virginia, now it's what's-his-name, Obama--but that's not going to hold up to a campaign by Senator Clinton."
It's doubtful either Clinton, desperate for a return to the White House, is so sanguine about the reality of Obama's bandwagon.
CNN Poll: Clinton, McCain, Giuliani in dead heat
A recent CNN poll has Hillary even with McCain at 47%, and topping Giuliani 48%-46%.
"Clinton's pollster, Mark Penn, said the numbers are no fluke. It's really a function of what you see with Sen. Clinton having such a strong win in New York, with her really seen as a leader in the Democratic Party, and she is seen as the most admired woman in America as well," Penn said.
The rosy surveys come at a key time.
Clinton is set to announce her presidential plans soon, and advisers have told the Daily News the key issue for her is whether she thinks she can win. That also has been the big hurdle for Democratic voters, who often wonder the same.
"I do think the electability issue is crumbling," Penn said. "If she's competitive or leading, let's take that issue off the table."
But skeptics abound, and some say any known Democrat would poll as well these days, thanks to the national mood that gave Democrats control of Congress in last month's election. "The Democratic wave has not crested," said University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato.
Sabato is right. With the recent takeover of Congress and low approval numbers for President Bush, a Democrat should be beating a Republican right now. But the election isn't right now.
"Clinton's pollster, Mark Penn, said the numbers are no fluke. It's really a function of what you see with Sen. Clinton having such a strong win in New York, with her really seen as a leader in the Democratic Party, and she is seen as the most admired woman in America as well," Penn said.
The rosy surveys come at a key time.
Clinton is set to announce her presidential plans soon, and advisers have told the Daily News the key issue for her is whether she thinks she can win. That also has been the big hurdle for Democratic voters, who often wonder the same.
"I do think the electability issue is crumbling," Penn said. "If she's competitive or leading, let's take that issue off the table."
But skeptics abound, and some say any known Democrat would poll as well these days, thanks to the national mood that gave Democrats control of Congress in last month's election. "The Democratic wave has not crested," said University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato.
Sabato is right. With the recent takeover of Congress and low approval numbers for President Bush, a Democrat should be beating a Republican right now. But the election isn't right now.
Virginia Republican for President
National Review's Jonathan Martin writes of a recent conversation with former Virginia governor Jim Gilmore about his possible 2008 run here.
Virginia Republican for President
Jim Gilmore wants to fill the slot George Allen’s defeat left open.
By Jonathan Martin
Not a few conservatives take a look at the current presidential field and ask, “Is that it?” Surely, they say, there is a candidate in the wings sans the personal or ideological baggage that each of the prospective hopefuls seems to carry.Jim Gilmore, the former Virginia governor and chairman of the Republican National Committee, is one of these not-fully-satisfied Republicans.
“There is a need for a conservative who’s electable,” Gilmore argues emphatically in a conversation with National Review Online at his Georgetown law office. And Gilmore has somebody in mind who could fit that bill. Jim Gilmore.“I’m considering a national candidacy,” he says bluntly.
He’s been to Iowa four times, South Carolina twice in just the last month, and was in California in August to speak to their state party’s convention. He’s also reached out to longtime GOP activists in some of these key states, sounding them out about a potential White House bid. To Gilmore, nobody else in the presidential mix has his credentials: Army intelligence officer, local prosecutor, state attorney general, governor, national party leader, and chairman of a terrorism and homeland-security commission that predated 9/11.
Virginia Republican for President
Jim Gilmore wants to fill the slot George Allen’s defeat left open.
By Jonathan Martin
Not a few conservatives take a look at the current presidential field and ask, “Is that it?” Surely, they say, there is a candidate in the wings sans the personal or ideological baggage that each of the prospective hopefuls seems to carry.Jim Gilmore, the former Virginia governor and chairman of the Republican National Committee, is one of these not-fully-satisfied Republicans.
“There is a need for a conservative who’s electable,” Gilmore argues emphatically in a conversation with National Review Online at his Georgetown law office. And Gilmore has somebody in mind who could fit that bill. Jim Gilmore.“I’m considering a national candidacy,” he says bluntly.
He’s been to Iowa four times, South Carolina twice in just the last month, and was in California in August to speak to their state party’s convention. He’s also reached out to longtime GOP activists in some of these key states, sounding them out about a potential White House bid. To Gilmore, nobody else in the presidential mix has his credentials: Army intelligence officer, local prosecutor, state attorney general, governor, national party leader, and chairman of a terrorism and homeland-security commission that predated 9/11.
Jim Gilmore Explores White House bid
In what would be the entry of a bona fide conservative into the 2008 GOP field, the New York Times reports former Virginia governor Jim Gilmore's interest in a 2008 bid (note: a "Draft Gilmore" movement exists, its web site being found here.)
Gilmore, Courting Conservatives, Explores 2008 Bid
By Adam Nagourney
James S. Gilmore III, a former Virginia governor and chairman of the Republican National Committee, announced today that he would form a committee to explore a presidential bid in 2008, saying the Republican field lacked a “committed conservative” capable of making a credible campaign for the White House.
“A void exists,” Mr. Gilmore said in an interview. “There is just no conservative right now who can mount a national campaign.”
Mr. Gilmore, 57, was governor for one term, all that Virginia allows. He also served one year as chairman of the Republican National Committee before being forced out by the White House after clashing with Karl Rove, the president’s chief political adviser.
While Mr. Gilmore is not particularly well-known nationally, he and his associates argued that there might be a path here for a little-known candidate who could corral support of the party’s critically important conservative wing.
Gilmore, Courting Conservatives, Explores 2008 Bid
By Adam Nagourney
James S. Gilmore III, a former Virginia governor and chairman of the Republican National Committee, announced today that he would form a committee to explore a presidential bid in 2008, saying the Republican field lacked a “committed conservative” capable of making a credible campaign for the White House.
“A void exists,” Mr. Gilmore said in an interview. “There is just no conservative right now who can mount a national campaign.”
Mr. Gilmore, 57, was governor for one term, all that Virginia allows. He also served one year as chairman of the Republican National Committee before being forced out by the White House after clashing with Karl Rove, the president’s chief political adviser.
While Mr. Gilmore is not particularly well-known nationally, he and his associates argued that there might be a path here for a little-known candidate who could corral support of the party’s critically important conservative wing.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
McCain Seeks Reversal in South Carolina
This piece, from the AP, highlights Senator McCain's hard work in South Carolina in advance of the state's important primary in 2008. McCain, who lost the state's 2000 primary to eventual nominee George W. Bush, wants a different result this time.
In South Carolina, McCain seeks reversal
By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Once a loser here, Republican Sen. John McCain desperately wants to avoid the same fate in this Southern state's primary — a shellacking that marked the beginning of the end of his first presidential campaign. The Arizona senator who ran six years ago against party favorite George W. Bush now is positioning himself as the establishment candidate and building a campaign he hopes will ensure victory in South Carolina, mindful that the state's GOP primary winners have always become the nominee.
"He obviously has learned from that experience," said the state's House Speaker Bobby Harrell, a Bush backer in 2000 who so far is unaligned for 2008. "He has been in South Carolina probably more than anybody else over the last year, and has been trying to line up folks who were the key Bush supporters."
In South Carolina, McCain seeks reversal
By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Once a loser here, Republican Sen. John McCain desperately wants to avoid the same fate in this Southern state's primary — a shellacking that marked the beginning of the end of his first presidential campaign. The Arizona senator who ran six years ago against party favorite George W. Bush now is positioning himself as the establishment candidate and building a campaign he hopes will ensure victory in South Carolina, mindful that the state's GOP primary winners have always become the nominee.
"He obviously has learned from that experience," said the state's House Speaker Bobby Harrell, a Bush backer in 2000 who so far is unaligned for 2008. "He has been in South Carolina probably more than anybody else over the last year, and has been trying to line up folks who were the key Bush supporters."
Another Gov. Bill?
From National Review online comes this piece on New Mexico governor Bill Richardson and his chances in '08. With Evan Bayh stepping aside, there may be room for a 'centrist' Democrat, especially one with Richardson's pedigree.
Another Gov. Bill to the White House?
Could Richardson do it?
By Jonathan Martin
If there were a presidential candidate available who had deep experience in both state and federal government, the executive and legislative branch, and foreign and domestic affairs, would he be rated among the top of the field? How about if the same candidate had the retail political skills to match his policy experience and came from a bellwether state in a battleground part of the country? And what if this person had the sort of national contacts that are a must to raise the significant sums necessary for a run for the White House. And did we mention he’s part of the nation’s fastest-growing ethnic group, is bilingual, and has a record of getting crossover votes?
We speak, of course, of Democratic New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
Another Gov. Bill to the White House?
Could Richardson do it?
By Jonathan Martin
If there were a presidential candidate available who had deep experience in both state and federal government, the executive and legislative branch, and foreign and domestic affairs, would he be rated among the top of the field? How about if the same candidate had the retail political skills to match his policy experience and came from a bellwether state in a battleground part of the country? And what if this person had the sort of national contacts that are a must to raise the significant sums necessary for a run for the White House. And did we mention he’s part of the nation’s fastest-growing ethnic group, is bilingual, and has a record of getting crossover votes?
We speak, of course, of Democratic New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Obama Mania
Sen. Barack Obama couldn't have had a better weekend. Not only did he take New Hampshire by storm, as evidenced here by speaking to a crowd of some 2,200 Democrats, but he also kicked off Monday Night Football (no kidding). The age-old question that was asked in 2003 of Howard Dean and has been asked about candidates with early momentum applies here: is he peaking too early? Dean did. One things for sure though: Obama, if he wins the Democratic nod in '08 or not, is not Howard Dean.
The early money says Obama gives Hillary all she can handle. Advice for Obama? Don't let this guy introduce you at the convention.
The early money says Obama gives Hillary all she can handle. Advice for Obama? Don't let this guy introduce you at the convention.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Reyes Bombs Pop Quiz
From the CNN Political Ticker:
Incoming House intelligence chief botches easy intel quiz
from Alexander Mooney-->
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rep. Silvestre Reyes of Texas, who incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tapped to head the Intelligence Committee when the Democrats take over in January, failed a quiz of basic questions about al Qaeda and Hezbollah, two of the key terrorist organizations the intelligence community has focused on since the September 11, 2001 attacks.
When asked by CQ National Security Editor Jeff Stein whether al Qaeda is one or the other of the two major branches of Islam -- Sunni or Shiite -- Reyes answered "they are probably both," then ventured "Predominantly -- probably Shiite."
That is wrong. Al Qaeda was founded by Osama bin Laden as a Sunni organization and views Shiites as heretics. Reyes could also not answer questions put by Stein about Hezbollah, a Shiite group on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations that is based in Southern Lebanon. Stein's column about Reyes' answers was published on CQ's Web site Friday evening.
In an interview with CNN, Stein said he was "amazed" by Reyes' lack of what he considers basic information about two of the major terrorists organizations."If you're the baseball commissioner and you don't know the difference between the Yankees and the Red Sox, you don't know baseball," Stein said. "You're not going to have the respect of the people you work with."While Stein said Reyes is "not a stupid guy," his lack of knowledge said it could hamper Reyes' ability to provide effective oversight of the intelligence community, Stein believes.
Incoming House intelligence chief botches easy intel quiz
from Alexander Mooney-->
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rep. Silvestre Reyes of Texas, who incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tapped to head the Intelligence Committee when the Democrats take over in January, failed a quiz of basic questions about al Qaeda and Hezbollah, two of the key terrorist organizations the intelligence community has focused on since the September 11, 2001 attacks.
When asked by CQ National Security Editor Jeff Stein whether al Qaeda is one or the other of the two major branches of Islam -- Sunni or Shiite -- Reyes answered "they are probably both," then ventured "Predominantly -- probably Shiite."
That is wrong. Al Qaeda was founded by Osama bin Laden as a Sunni organization and views Shiites as heretics. Reyes could also not answer questions put by Stein about Hezbollah, a Shiite group on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations that is based in Southern Lebanon. Stein's column about Reyes' answers was published on CQ's Web site Friday evening.
In an interview with CNN, Stein said he was "amazed" by Reyes' lack of what he considers basic information about two of the major terrorists organizations."If you're the baseball commissioner and you don't know the difference between the Yankees and the Red Sox, you don't know baseball," Stein said. "You're not going to have the respect of the people you work with."While Stein said Reyes is "not a stupid guy," his lack of knowledge said it could hamper Reyes' ability to provide effective oversight of the intelligence community, Stein believes.
Kucinich in '08: Why Would Anyone Else Bother?
OK, so I'm more than a little struck that my madien post on this blog is about Congressman Dennis Kucinich's decision to run for president again. Oddities aside (and there are plenty with this guy), I'm sure this move will send shockwaves through Democratic circles. Obama will be rocked, Hillary will be shocked. Yes, Dennis Kucinich, the only '04 presidential candidate to enjoy the support of Willie Nelson and Bonnie Raitt at the same time, is seeking the White House again.
To honor Rep. Kucinich's second bid at the White House, check out the end of this "You Tube" video, from 3:13-on.
To honor Rep. Kucinich's second bid at the White House, check out the end of this "You Tube" video, from 3:13-on.
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