By PETER FENN

After 30 years, it was time to give a speech few such long serving senators want to give.  Even if you are going on to bigger and better things, as is John Kerry, who will head the State Department.

As he stood for the last time at the small wooden desk used by his predecessors from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy, his emotions took over and he could hardly speak.  That is rarely a senator’s problem!

[See a photo gallery of Ted Kennedy.]

His speech was a tribute to him and to the Senate he loves.  It brought out the best in John Kerry, someone who has fought for his country and fought for what he believed in his whole life.

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By PETER FENN

President Obama gave a truly American speech yesterday. It resonated from the opening reference to “all men are created equal with certain unalienable rights,” to his constant refrain of “we, the people.”

It was in many ways a stronger speech than four years ago, more resolute, more seasoned, more ready to ensure that America lives up to the words expressed in the Declaration of Independence. It was a speech for a modern era, acknowledging the rapid change of the 21st century.

Go to:

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/Peter-Fenn/2013/01/22/obamas-inaugural-address-was-a-modern-speech-steeped-in-history

The new TV ad from the NRA proves they have gone off the deep end.

They attack President Obama and his children. They intersperse images of guns as they refer to the protection that the president’s daughters receive. They call the president an “elitist hypocrite.”

Sick. Disgusting. Repugnant. Terrifying. All words used on “Morning Joe” to describe the ad and the NRA.

Watch the ad. Judge for yourself. Can anyone in his or her right mind justify a spot like this?

What were the NRA leaders thinking when they created such a shameful spot?

The facts are clear: All children of presidents are protected by the Secret Service. No one has ever, as far as I know, objected to this practice. (Except maybe the children, who would like a little privacy!) No one has ever thought it a good idea to leave the president, the first lady or their kids vulnerable.

The NRA is clearly deranged by airing an ad like this — clearly so hateful and so filled with venom and so out of control that one must question their mental stability.

What possible purpose can it serve to help solve the problem of gun violence in our society? The clear answer: NONE.

Stir up the base, anger the members, pour gasoline on a fire — despicable tactics that reflect more on the NRA than they can ever know.

This ad and this organization’s behavior convinces me that they are in serious need of drastic mental health help.

Joe Biden and Mitch McConnell Saved America From Fiscal Cliff

January 2, 2013 RSS Feed Print

Vice President Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have known each other in the Senate for nearly 30 years. They have served together under five presidents. They know and understand one another. They know what makes the other tick.

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/Peter-Fenn/2013/01/02/joe-biden-and-mitch-mcconnell-saved-america-from-fiscal-cliff