Republican leaders are feeling bullish about their chances of getting Democrats in the Senate to back off their filibuster of a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security. And while the next 10 days will bring plenty of drama in the fight to roll back President nObama’s temporary executive amnesty for illegal immigrants, the hardline approach is good news for at least one Republican presidential hopeful: Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Cruz, who has also continued to add key staff members and build out what might be a formidable fundraising machine, seems to have so far avoided a shooting war with his own party on the issue. That truce has helped the conservative favorite move to his highest ranking yet in the Fox News First 2016 GOP Power Index. And making his debut on the list is Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio, another fiscal hawk. He will make his first visit to the early primary state of South Carolina on Wednesday. [And before you tell us why Kasich can’t win, we would offer you this riddle: What’s round on both ends and “hi” in the middle… and is the most important state every presidential election?]
Yemen: Update. Italy, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar evacuated their embassies since Friday. Press services reported thousands of Yemenis participated in anti-Houthi protests on Saturday and Sunday. In a clash in al-Bayda Governate on the 14th, 16 Houthis and 10 Sunni tribesmen and militants died. Houthi militiamen also fired on a crowd of protestors in Ibb.
Nigeria-Boko Haram: On the 14th, Boko Haram fighters traveling in a convoy of 24 Toyota Hilux vans attacked the northeastern town of Gombe, the capital of Gombe State. Nigerian troops, with combat air support, beat back the attack. Local residents told the press that Boko Haram fighters warned them against voting in next month's elections. No official source commented on casualties. On Sunday, 15 February a female suicide bomber killed at least 10 people and injured 30 when she blew herself up at a bus station in Damaturu in Yobe State. An angry mob prevented rescue workers from evacuating the remains of the bomber and set her body parts on fire.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/16/world/cia-is-said-to-have-bought-and-destroyed-iraqi-chemical-weapons.html?_r=0
President's Day - February 16, 2015(factsnotfantasy.blogspot.com) - I won’t be around to see it, but I have little doubt that future historians and others will conclude that President Barack Hussein nObama was the worst President ever to serve in that office. The reason is simple enough. His decisions on domestic and foreign affairs have already demonstrated his astonishing incompetence. His major contribution may in fact be to ensure that the voters elect conservatives in the next two or more elections to come. If he is remembered for anything it well may be the emergence of the Tea Party movement whose influence has been seen over the course of two midterm elections. One cannot help but think of such things as President’s Day, February 16, reminds us of Washington and Lincoln, both of whom were born during this month. For most it is just a day on which there are a variety of sales pegged to it. For all of us, however, it acknowledges the two Presidents without whom there would not be a United States of America. Presidents Washington, Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt are routinely ranked at the top of the lists of those judged to have been of greatest service to the nation and, not incidentally, all three presided over wars that led to and maintained America’s sovereignty. When I have read about Washington’s life, I am always impressed by the man and, not surprisingly, so were his contemporaries, the men he commanded over the long course of the Revolutionary War. The Americans of his time had the highest regard for him. It was Washington who set the pattern of only serving two terms. When the American artist, Benjamin West, told England’s King George III of Washington’s decision, the king said, “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.” In his 1796 farewell address, Washington said, “Of all the dispositions and habits, which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity.” Imagine a modern politician talking of religion and morality as the basis of political prosperity—least of all nObama who has disparaged Christianity and protects Islam. America was particularly blessed and fortunate in its earliest years to have a succession of men who demonstrated extraordinary intelligence, courage, and moral integrity. Following Washington there was John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and John Quincy Adams. Few nations have been so blessed as ours. One can only examine Lincoln’s life with a sense of wonder as he rose from humble beginnings to the role of keeping the Union intact in the face of the secession of southern states and the horrendous war that followed. Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered on April 9, 1865 and on April 14 Lincoln was assassinated by an actor, John Wilkes Booth. His death was the occasion of the first American national funeral as cities and towns did their best to out-do one another to honor him. It took his death for people to realize the magnitude of what he had achieved. The advice Lincoln offered in his time is just as important, if not more so, in ours:
Franklin D. Roosevelt and, earlier, Theodore Roosevelt, are also highly ranked among the Presidents. Both men shared a zest for the job, enjoying it. Teddy regretted announcing that he would not run for a third term (which he did with the Bull Moose Party) and FDR ran and won four times! He did so during the Great Depression and World War II. Two other families played a role in the presidency, the Adams and, in the modern era, George H.W. Bush was the 41st President and George W. Bush was the 43rd. It is popular to disparage both men, but history may come to another judgment. President nObama has brought nothing to the presidency except his Marxist theology. He was the least prepared in terms of experience in the workplace and his elections have been more about the manipulation of public opinion and his two terms have been an endless succession of lies. His signature legislation, nObamaCare, has undermined the nation’s healthcare system. His solution to the Great Recession added more debt in his six years in office than the combined debt of every previous President up to Clinton and did not stimulate the economy as promised. His ignorance of history and of current events is vast. Google "what does nObama know?" and you will find many articles that document this. He has been protected by a liberal mainstream media, but the voters have seen through that and have turned political power in Congress over to the Republican Party. One thing is for sure. On future President’s Days, nObama will barely be noticed when Americans look back on those who did much to address the great issues and challenges of their times. http://factsnotfantasy.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-worst-us-president-ever |
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