Help Mitt Beat Obama!

You can tell this perturbed the Obama folks [is this the general election already?] who within 24 hours set up TwoTermFund.com [I refuse to link to it] and told their minions that Mitt Romney was out to replace their master. This evolved into a all out battle between thew two camps. Much of the back and forth took place on twitter and in emails to their respective donor lists (see tweets below).

The battle continues & Mitt needs your help!

The fact that Obama’s team is even engaging with Mitt this long before the general election shows you how afraid these chumps are of our man, Mitt. We need to step up and offer some backup. Everyone please reach into your wallet, and send some support to our guy!

And please let everyone know that the President of the United States has singled Mitt Romney out and started an all out war with the people that want him out of office!

DONATE NOW TO HELP MAKE OBAMA A ONE TERM PRESIDENT!

In the 24 hour news cycle, the story of the day has been Mitt’s comments to CNN in the early morning after his Florida win. While I think even the most ardent Romney fan would admit that this could and should have (and will be) phrased more adeptly, the liberals have taken and run with the partial quote that he’s “not concerned with the very poor” … It looks worse in print that in the context of the interview:

Mitt cares deeply about the poor, and his actions speak louder than words. How many “journalists” have bothered to mention that Mitt has given over $7,000,000 (SEVEN FREAKING MILLION!) to charitable organizations in just the last two years? Records from before then show the Romney’s consistent giving millions upon millions to organizations that care for the poor. By contrast, Joe Biden gave only $3690 to charity in an entire decade … that’s PROOF of someone that doesn’t care about the poor. From 2001-4, the Obamas made nearly a million dollars, but donated LESS THAN 1% of that income to charity.

Or what about when Mitt gave cash out of his pocket to the lady in South Carolina who said God guided her to follow Romney’s campaign bus to find help to keep her lights on? The EXACT SAME CNN REPORTER (Soledad) even reported about that a couple of weeks ago … does she have no memory?

Mitt doesn’t care about poor people? Demonstrably false and easy to debunk (and this is without even delving into fact that Mitt, as a Mormon Bishop for several years, dedicated much of his time to caring for the poor in a very “hands on” fashion). If Obama and team push this theme it will come back to bite them. Mitt’s done more to care for the poor than any snarky reporter or any of his political rivals.

Recall Vic’s post from a couple days back that highlighted Romney’s life of service and included the following YouTube:

Additionally, Brit Hume on Fox News today adroitly argued that anyone who wants to “make hay” or be offended by this out-of-context quote wouldn’t be voting for a GOP candidate anyways. I’d have to agree.

If Newt’s gonna stick around in this race, we are going to keep calling him out on his shameless, desperate, and dishonest tactics. The RoboCall yesterday in Florida was absolutely unexcusable. Here’s the text of the call:

As governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney vetoed a bill paying for kosher food for our seniors in nursing homes. Holocaust survivors, who for the first time, were forced to eat non-kosher, because Romney thought $5 was too much to pay for our grandparents to eat kosher. Where is Mitt Romney’s compassion for our seniors? Tuesday you can end Mitt Romney’s hypocrisy on religious freedom, with a vote for Newt Gingrich. Paid for by Newt 2012.

Can’t you just see Evil-Mitt shoving that pork down the throats of Holocaust survivors despite their pleas for mercy?!?!

Gingrich was peddling the same smears on the stump the last two days in Florida as well . . . but then denied knowing anything about the RoboCall.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said three times, speaking to reporters as he left Fred’s Southern Kitchen. “Can’t comment on something I don’t know about.” … Then he added, “You might check and see whether the accusation is true.”

Right, Newt … playing dumb when the RoboCall repeats a more shocking version of what you’ve been saying on the stump and ending with “Paid for by Newt 2012″?

Of course, there is absolutely NOTHING to this claim. Romney vetoed an increase in funding to Nursing homes that wanted to have dual kitchens (Kosher and non-Kosher) on site instead of shipping in Kosher meals. Not one person was ever “forced” to eat non-Kosher … EVER.

Some Jewish community groups opposed the plans to bus in food, and instead requested additional state government funding in 2003 to help the kitchens operate. At the time, Massachusetts was struggling with a budget crisis, and Romney was trying to rein in costs by blocking additional spending. The kosher food bill that he vetoed would have provided an additional $600,000 in funding to nursing homes.
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In the end, the veto was overridden by the Massachusetts state legislature, and the facilities kept their kosher kitchens after all. But Romney’s decision was not, as Gingrich claims, a choice to “eliminate kosher food for elderly Jewish residents under Medicare.” First of all, it was a choice made by the nursing homes themselves, not the Massachusetts government. Second, it was never actually going to prevent kosher residents from accessing kosher food. And third, Romney’s decision wouldn’t have cut anything – he simply vetoed additional funds, keeping funding at the status quo during a budget crisis year. Which means Gingrich’s comments have little basis in reality.

Yep … the RoboCall was a complete lie. Thanks Newt. What’s that saying about trials revealing character more than building it? Hmm…

Oh yeah, and Newt has never had the grace to call and congratulate Mitt on any of his 3 wins (revised to 2 now) while Mitt did call and congratulate Newt on his SC win. Class, thy name is Mitt, not Newt.

I hope you will pardon my temporary departure from the normal fare of writing in this forum. Since the election of Barack Obama as President, I have watched closely his behavior and actions related to our service men and women in the armed forces. The office of the President of the United States carries with it the sacred duty of Commander-in-Chief under the U.S. Constitution. I harbor strong opinions about Obama who became President without any real leadership experience, but I will here stick to the facts related to his responsibility as commander-in-chief, as I have observed. Mr. Obama lost almost all of my respect following the raid to kill Bin Laden, but not because of its outcome.

Obama Publicly Disclosing Mission

The hunting and killing of Bin Laden was impressive, as was the rescue last week of Americans in Somalia by our special operations personnel. I credit the leadership of Admiral William H. McRaven and other service personnel with these successes over any leadership provided by Obama. As a boy, I grew up near the El Toro Marine base and I have lived most of my adult life near the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and Camp Pendleton. Those who protect our nation are truly a special breed — I know them well. All of them serve with honor, dignity, and with a team mentality.

Every aspect of a military operation, especially those involving special operations personnel, can and should be kept strictly secret before, during, and after every mission. It is the responsibility of the commander-in-chief to prevent leaks of any kind that could endanger future missions. Obama broke that trust last year and I believe he is exploiting our service personnel to promote his political fortune by allowing details of highly classified military missions to be leaked. In my opinion, President Obama has broken a sacred trust that, in fact, has endangered the lives of many Americans who have spent years training to be the best of the best.

Yesterday, former Navy SEAL officer, Leif Babin wrote an article in The Wall Street Journal that is outstanding, titled “Obama Exploits the Navy SEALs.” In classic disciplined, military form, Mr. Babin’s writing is measured and muted, masking what I believe is disgust with the Obama administration. I am most grateful to Mr. Babin for his service to my country and my family and for his courage to write this article and articulate what I have felt for so long:

America’s premier Special Operations force is once again in the headlines after a team of Navy SEALs rescued two hostages from captivity in Somalia last week. Elite U.S. forces have carried out such operations periodically over the past decade, always with skill and bravery. The difference in recent months is that the details of their work haven’t remained secret. On the contrary, government officials have revealed them for political gain—endangering our forces in the process.

The floodgates opened after the raid that killed Osama bin Laden last May, and the Obama administration’s lack of discretion was on display again at last week’s State of the Union address. As President Obama entered the House chamber, in full view of the cameras, he pointed to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and exclaimed: “Good job tonight, good job tonight.” Clearly something had happened that he wanted the world to know about.

There was no hesitation by the Obama administration to publicly expose details of this latest operation, as with the Bin Laden mission:

Sure enough, shortly thereafter, the White House announced the successful rescue of the hostages in Somalia by U.S. Special Operations forces. Vice President Biden appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America” to highlight the success the next morning, and Mr. Panetta also publicly praised it. Then came the “anonymous U.S. officials” to provide extensive details of who conducted the raid and how. As with the bin Laden operation, the top-secret unit that carried it out was again front-page news, as were its methods and tactics.

Our special operators do not welcome this publicity. In fact, from conversations I’ve had in recent days, it’s clear they are dismayed by it.

To save space, I am editing out much of this outstanding article by Mr. Babin.

It’s difficult for military leaders to enforce strict standards of operational security on their personnel while the most senior political leadership is flooding the airwaves with secrets. The release of classified information has also opened a Pandora’s box of former and retired SEALs, special operators, and military personnel who have chosen to violate their non-disclosure agreements and discuss intricate details of how such operations are planned and executed.

We’ve already begun seeing specific examples of strategic harm from the post-bin Laden leaks. In June, Pakistan arrested several individuals who allegedly provided information to the CIA in advance of the raid. One of those charged with treason was a Pakistani doctor, Shakil Afridi. This Sunday, Mr. Panetta confirmed to “60 Minutes” that Dr. Afridi had provided “very helpful” intelligence to the CIA. That may have condemned Dr. Afridi to death or life imprisonment.

Such disclosures are catastrophic to U.S. intelligence networks, which often take years to develop.

Proof of the complete disregard of honored military discipline as commander-in-chief (vis-a-vis Obama’s staff):

A week after the bin Laden raid, then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates expressed dismay about Washington’s loose lips, telling a town hall meeting of U.S. Marines at Camp Lejeune: “Frankly, a week ago Sunday, in the Situation Room, we all agreed that we would not release any operational details from the effort to take out bin Laden. That all fell apart on Monday—the next day.”

Do the president and his top political advisers understand what’s at stake for the special-operations forces who carry out these dangerous operations, or the long-term strategic consequences of divulging information about our most highly classified military assets and intelligence capabilities? It is infuriating to see political gain put above the safety and security of our brave warriors and our long-term strategic goals. Loose lips sink ships.

[emphasis added]

It is difficult for me to express how upset I am with the current occupant of the White House and his administration. He has within his power of authority to maintain strict secrecy of every aspect of any and all classified military operations. The fact that he allows details of select missions to leak out and then expresses no concern whatsoever at their disclosure is nothing short of despicable. Not only does the man lack any real leadership ability or experience, he has broken the sacred trust of all Americans.

President Obama is responsible — for this alone in my opinion, President Obama must be soundly defeated this year and he must relinquish his duty as our commander-in-chief.

Thank you to Mr. Babin for your service to our nation.

“Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.” — Colin Powell

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CONGRATULATIONS out to all those who worked so hard in Florida for yesterday’s great win! What do we call that? “People Power” I think is the term Mr. Gingrich likes to use! Congratulations to Governor Romney and his team at all levels for bringing it! A stunning victory no matter how it is measured — THANK YOU to the countless volunteers in Florida and across America who made phone calls and got out the vote in old fashioned grassroots fashion.

Before I write what I had intended below, I have to point out an addition piece of evidence of the character of the man Newt Gingrich. Following Governor Romney’s decisive victory in Florida yesterday, Gingrich never congratulated Governor Romney privately or publicly. In fact, following Gingrich’s self-elevating speech, he was asked point-blank several times about this conspicuous omission and he ignored the reporters who pressed repeatedly. Class? There is none. Had the roles been reversed, Governor Romney would have graciously congratulated Gingrich as he has done before. Character matters.

In fact The Washington Post reported this about the end of Gingrich’s speech:

He obnoxiously ended by pledging: “My life, my fortune, my sacred honor.” But he’s not doing any of that. And it’s quite an insult to American patriots who have said that and meant it.

Much has been written and discussed these past few weeks about integrity of character and whether fidelity in marriage matters in a President of the United States. In yesterdays WSJ, a reader left this brief letter in response to a previous snippet about past presidents that had been unfaithful to their wives:

Historian Victor Davis Hanson, in Notable and Quotable (Jan. 24), may know the facts but comes to the wrong conclusion in proposing that fidelity is not essential in a leader. Simply listing a number of well known, and by some measure, effective leaders who did not embrace marital fidelity does not translate into a case to ignore infidelity.

The issue is not about fidelity but integrity, in simply making one’s actions consistent with one’s knowledge of right and wrong. Without integrity we have Bernie Madoff. Surely somewhere along the way he had heard that “Thou shalt not steal.” We have learned the hard and expensive way that we must demand integrity in our financial arena. Does anyone really doubt we need integrity in the political arena as well?

And which of the presidents Mr. Hanson lists were elected after their infidelity was made public? The American citizen has always considered fidelity a crucial component of integrity, and while the “inner circle” may not care, the American voter prays for integrity in their government leaders and is terrified at the thought of one in which it is lacking. (by Mary Seaman — Salt Lake City)

[emphasis added]

Could this be the reason so many married women voted for Governor Romney in Florida?

Married women, who made up 33 percent of the electorate, also came out in droves for Romney. Among married women, six percent voted for Paul, 28 percent came out for the thrice-married Gingrich, 51 percent voted Romney and Santorum got 13 percent.

This past week we have seen Gingrich describing Governor Romney as a liberal, liar, anti-Jew, pro-abortion, fundamentally dishonest, etc. Had the Florida primary not occurred, we would expect to hear Gingrich dream up other more outrageous ways to label Governor Romney. This is one of those examples where what a person says about another is far more revealing of the character of the person speaking. Asked about this last night, Mrs. Romney said,

“It’s been funny to me. What’s next, a communist? I don’t know, it’s been humorous,” she said with a laugh during an interview with CNN moments before the network called the state for Mitt Romney. “We are looking forward to a win tonight.”

Ann Romney said that she knew where Mitt’s true beliefs lay.

“I know where his values are on a personal level. He is a conservative guy. I know how he has governed from a conservative point of view, and I know how he will govern, which is from a conservative place to rein in the spending, and help the country,” she added.

Ann Romney said that her husband was a consummate fixer at a time when the United States needed one.

“I think that people are hoping that Mitt, once he gets to the right job, can actually do something about turning this economy around, and I have seen him do it. I have seen him do the turnarounds time and time again, and when institutions get in trouble, whether it is the Olympics or the state of Massachusetts or businesses, he is a turnaround guy — he fixes things,” she said.

ASIDES:

Governor Romney will start to receive Secret Service protection beginning this week:
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CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING…

UPDATE: Bolstered by the huge win the Florida, Mitt Romney has launched the first official money-bomb of this campaign!

We’ll be here all night with updates… To borrow a line from the Black Eyed Peas, I’ve got a feeling that tonight’s gunna be a good good night

[Chat has moved back to the side bar ---->]

Full Delegate Count so far…

Also, Newt’s robocall may have sucked any last shred of credibility he has. Hot Air takes Newt to task and I imagine Newt won’t be able to live this one down. Newt has likely mobilized the Ron Paul army against him with this pathetic situation.

While you’re chatting with us later tonight, there will be a special edition of the Mitt Romney Radio show following the primary election in Florida from 9-11 ET. In addition to the show’s guests, they’d like to hear from you, too. Listen live, call in or catch the podcast later.

UPDATE 1: Networks are reportedly going to call the race for Mitt the moment the final polling places close at 8:00.

UPDATE 2: Ann Romney will be on CNN around 8:00 and we’ll post the interview here as soon as it’s available.

UPDATE 3: Mitt wins!

In yesterday’s Commentary Magazine, Peter Wehner provides outstanding insight into why Mr. Gingrich’s message does not ring true. He and Sarah Palin would have everybody believe that “the establishment” is against him since Governor Romney has all of the endorsements (pre-voting votes). This is just one more of those pesky ironies associated with Mr. Gingrich. He is the establishment. He helped create the establishment and he has been a part of Washington ever since! Peter Wehner writes:

The reality is that conservative/”establishment” opposition to Gingrich generally falls into three categories. One is that if he won the nomination, he would not only lose to Barack Obama, but he would sink the rest of the GOP fleet in the process. A second area of concern is that Gingrich is temperamentally unfit to be president –he’s too erratic, undisciplined, and rhetorically self-destructive. A third area of concern is the suspicion that the former House speaker is not, in fact, a terribly reliable conservative, that he is not philosophically well-grounded (see his attachment to Alvin Toffler for more).

Some of these criticisms may be appropriate and some of them may be overstated or miss the mark. But to pretend the criticisms of Gingrich — expressed in varying degrees by commentators like George Will, Charles Krauthammer, Charles Murray, Michael Gerson, Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, Bob Tyrrell, Pat Buchanan, Mona Charen, Mark Steyn, Michael Medved, Hugh Hewitt, Bill Bennett, Karl Rove, Ramesh Ponnuru, Rich Lowry, Elliott Abrams, John Podhoretz, John Hinderaker, Jennifer Rubin, Ross Douthat, David Brooks, Yuval Levin, and the editorial writers at the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Examiner, to say nothing of a slew of conservative members/former members of Congress who worked with Gingrich in the 1990s –are rooted in their fear of “genuine change” is simply not credible.

[emphasis added]

As Mr. Gingrich continues to complain, his surrogates will join him in whining that it isn’t fair that Governor Romney has all the endorsements, organization, effectiveness, infrastructure, and money. Yada, yada, yada….

There is no question that the administration of a President Romney would be far more organized and effective than the administration of a President Gingrich. And President Romney will absolutely make sure all the ducks are in a row when it comes to issuing waivers to states regarding ObamaCare (reference to Gingrich’s inability to get certified in his own home state of Virginia for the primary ballot in March).

Gingrich is not an executive. He does not know how to execute. He is an ideas guy (moon colonies, etc.).

Yes, organization does matter.

Yes, character matters.

What We Missed While The Site Was Down

Gingrich’s despicable robocall claims Romney forced Holocaust survivors to eat non-kosher…President Obama wouldn’t lie this badly because it’s so ridiculous that it wouldn’t even help in the long run.

Mitt Romney Florida Supporters Feel The Momentum: ‘I just really want to see some hope restored in America,’ one voter tells MTV News a day before Florida primary.

Romney picks up endorsement from Memphis Tea Party.

Mitt Hits McDonalds: Behind the Scenes with the Romney Bus in Florida

The Daily Show uses Mortal Combat to illustrate how Mitt Romney destroyed Newt Gingrich this week. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING…

Many long-time (and even newer) Mitt fans have a hard time watching TV news without verbally abusing the screen. I know it’s human nature for everyone to “pull for” their guy and view criticism in an over-sentitive fashion. However, when a University-based non-partisan group performs research and ends up concluding that we are correct in our estimation that Mitt is very unfairly treated by the media, it needs to become common knowledge.

Frontrunner Mitt Romney is getting by far the most negative press of the GOP field, according to a new study of television news coverage by the Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University. The study also found that the campaign horse race is getting over six times as much coverage as the candidates’ positions on policy issues. According to CMPA director and George Mason University professor Robert Lichter, “The media love a horse race and hate a frontrunner.”
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Bad News for Romney Mitt Romney was the only major candidate to receive a majority of negative evaluations by sources and reporters, on both the broadcast network nightly news and FOX “Special Report.”

We all know that the media, in general, will favor Obama over any GOP nominee, and it’s encouraging to see that Romney has risen to the top throughout this process DESPITE the constant negativity from the TV media. This trend is not isolated to TV media either. What Mitt has done in this process is nothing short of remarkable … he has become the presumptive GOP nominee despite being the main focus of criticism of the TV, print, conservative talk-radio, his GOP opponents (he’s stood in there for 20 debates and in EVERY one he’s received more fire from his opponents than anyone else on the state), AND the DNC/Union/Occupy-Wall-Street crowds. He was vetted HARD 4 years ago as well. He IS Titanium Mitt!

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Mitt’s early voting lead in Florida is VERY encouraging! Based on the simple average (non-weighted for sample sizes) of the 4 most recent Florida polls (here, here, here and here) Mitt has a SIZABLE lead over his opponents.

Mitt 47%
Newt 31.5%
(Santorum and Paul around 14% and 9% respectively)

Sure he’s got a lead here folks . . . but all Floridians need to get out and vote for Mitt and get your friends/family/co-workers out to vote for him too. The size of his victory could change the whole complexion of this race overnight. MAKE IT SO FLORIDIANS!

Put your predictions in the comments thread! Here’s mine:
Mitt 48%
Newt 28%
Rick 14%
Ron 10%

CNN’s Political Ticker, Rachel Streitfeld reported this from Florida yesterday:

The former Massachusetts governor, who polls show widening his lead over his rival in Florida, accused the former House speaker of “finding excuses everywhere he can” and likened him to President Barack Obama.

“He’s on TV this morning going from station to station complaining about what he thinks were the reasons he thinks he’s had difficulty here in Florida,” Romney told an audience of roughly 2,000 at an outdoor rally. “But you know, we’ve got a president who has a lot of excuses, and the excuses are over, it’s time to produce.”

Gingrich, lacking any important surrogates to get out on the campaign trail with him to promote him and defend him, is relying on the surrogate whiners. Fred Thompson has joined Sarah Palin as one of Gingrich’s best complainers as reported by Epstein at Politico Live:

Former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) on Sunday attacked Mitt Romney for “unseemliness and overkill” in his aggressive campaign against Newt Gingrich, the candidate Thompson has endorsed.

Romney’s “modus operandi, basically, is to play Mr. Nice Guy until somebody gets close to him,” Thompson said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “And then he unleashes his attack machine. And that’s what happened in Iowa and it’s what’s happening in Florida.”

Gingrich has to be in his hotel room tonight thinking to himself, “Is this the best Fred can do for me? Come on Fred! Get out here on the campaign trail and drive home my message! Help me get some votes!”

Fred is only doing what Newt is doing: Whining and complaining.

I followed the Fred Thompson presidential campaign closely four years ago. He was constantly criticized in the press for appearing to be lazy. Think about it. What do lazy people do? They complain and they whine all the time.

Finally, I could list 50 ironies surrounding Newt Gingrich. Let’s just take a few here. What happens when Gingrich passes Governor Romney in the polls or wins a primary? Gingrich gloats and tells the world he is going to be the nominee. Governor Romney stays on message, works even harder, and drives forward.

What happens when Gingrich falls behind? Governor Romney stays on message, works even harder, and drives forward. Gingrich complains and whines as if he is about to cry.

And who is dishonest? Romney immediately corrects those who misrepresent his record. Gingrich tells the world that he offered up “mutual friends” to ABC to show that he never wanted to be a swinger in his marriage and then later quietly admits that he lied and that there never were any such friends (which, by the way, CNN did not call him out on in the very next debate! — he gets another pass by the liberal MSM). Last week he ran a Spanish language ad that lied about Governor Romney’s immigration policy and Gingrich was forced to pull it when Senator Rubio publicly demanded it. I could list many more of these Gingrich character flaws and his serial lying — space does not allow. Who is dishonest?

George Will – that conservative intellectual that you know Gingrich would love to have in his brilliant back pocket, right? Here is what George had to say about Gingrich yesterday on ABC’s “This Week” (click here to watch the 56-second video clip) — I just love poetry!

“I don’t know if you have ever told Longfellow’s nursery rhyme to your 4-year-old daughter, Alice,” Will said to Tapper, reciting:

There is a little girl
Who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead,
When she was good,
She was very good indeed,
When she was bad,
She was horrid.

“We’re at the horrid stage with Newt Gingrich,” Will concluded.

Gingrich is unable to support or defend his own history — his own record — his own rhetoric — his own policies. So what does Gingrich do? Deflect!

Deflection by flattery (“Wolf, you and I have been friends for many years and now I am going to slam you . . .”). Deflection by lying and hope nobody checks the facts. Deflection by complaining. Deflection by whining. Deflection by filibuster (changing the subject by pontification). Deflection by lecture (“I will tell you how it really was”).

Irony: Gingrich slams capitalism, shoulder to shoulder with the Occupiers.

And my last two ironies for now:

The Sarah Palin Lackey: Gingrich wants us all to think he is so smart. Ironic. Need I say more?

Herman Cane Endorsement: The ultimate irony. Need I say more?

“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan – to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.” — Abraham Lincoln (March 4, 1865 – Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address)

ASIDE: Secret Service Secrets Video
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