George H.W. Bush narrates 'It's a Wonderful Life' for the visually impaired on Christmas Eve

George and Laura Bush Visit Billy Graham, Friend and Spiritual Mentor
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Make that four presidents who have traveled to the Billy Graham Library. On Monday, President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura Bush, met with the Evangelist and his son, Franklin Graham, before signing copies of their books for a waiting crowd. Bush's father, George H.W. Bush, joined former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton to attend the 2007 library dedication. On Saturday, hundreds stood in a wet, nasty chill to reserve copies of "Decision Points," Bush's best-sell...

George H. W. Bush and "Voodoo Economics"
Sam Houston State University historian, writing on the Forbes web site, has a very odd blog post this morning. He criticizes MIT Economist Simon Johnson for attributing the term "voodoo economics" to George H.W. Bush. Domitrovic calls it a "myth" that the elder Bush ever uttered those words. "You'd think there'd be a scrap of evidence dating from 1980 in support of this claim. In fact there is none," he says. Perhaps down in Texas they don't have access to the Los Angeles Times. If one goes to t...

Inner circle swayed George W. Bush, says friend and former Texas state Rep. Paul Sadler
Inner circle swayed George W. Bush, says friend and former Texas state Rep. Paul Sadler 06:41 AM CST on Thursday, December 23, 2010 By WAYNE SLATER / The Dallas Morning News [email protected] AUSTIN - George W. Bush once said a presidency ought to be "consequential." His was. The 9/11 Terrorist Attack, two wars, a Financial Crisis - the consequences of all three are still with us, as Bush Recounts in his memoir, Decision Points. Long before Bush wrote his book, fo...

Facebook testing new filters for News Feed
Over the weekend, Facebook began testing new filters that allow users to sort their News Feed (friends’ status updates, photos, links, and wall posts) in various new ways. Users may have noticed the new filters in the top bar amongst “Top News” and “Most Recent”. While Facebook has previously offered individual sorting options in past iterations, the new set of filters seek to give you an unprecedented control over your News Feed. Included are filters for “Gam...

Man detained near George W. Bush's home: reports
WASHINGTON | Thu Dec 23, 2010 2:53am EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. authorities detained a man for driving onto the lawn of former President George W. Bush's Dallas-area home on Wednesday night, News Media reported. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush were in their home when the unidentified man drove his Plymouth Barracuda muscle car erratically into their yard, NBC Television Station KXAS said, citing officials. The couple were unharmed and never in any danger, the unnamed officials said...

Man detained near George W. Bush's home: reports
WASHINGTON | Thu Dec 23, 2010 2:53am EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. authorities detained a man for driving onto the lawn of former President George W. Bush's Dallas-area home on Wednesday night, News Media reported. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush were in their home when the unidentified man drove his Plymouth Barracuda muscle car erratically into their yard, NBC Television Station KXAS said, citing officials. The couple were unharmed and never in any danger, the unnamed officials said...

Man detained near George W. Bush's home: reports
Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush were in their home when the unidentified man drove his Plymouth Barracuda muscle car erratically into their yard, NBC Television Station KXAS said, citing officials. The couple were unharmed and never in any danger, the unnamed officials said. The man told investigators he was visiting a friend in Bush's gated neighborhood and lost control of the car after its gas pedal became stuck, KXAS said. Ed Donovan of the U.S. Secret Service said the man was authoriz...

Last Minute Christmas Gift Ideas
If you waited until the last minute to do your Christmas Shopping, you’re not alone. According to retail analysts,  1 in 5 consumers waited until Wednesday to hit the stores in search of Christmas gifts for friends and family. Not to worry, CBSNewYork has ideas for your last minute Santa needs. At Nordstrom.com you can order before 3 p.m. today for a pre-Christmas delivery. Cashmere sweaters are available for as low as $65 for men and $59 for women . You’ll also find a selection...

Rest Does the Knicks Plenty of Good
The year isn't quite over yet, but it's safe to say that 2010 will go down as a mighty memorable one in the life of Landry Fields. It started on a high when he was named Pac-10 Player of the Year on Stanford then seemed to crater when he fell to the second round of the NBA Draft. Worse than that, he was picked by the Knicks whose fans and media slammed him mercilessly as unworthy of a spot on the team. Fields earned a spot in the Starting Lineup on Opening Night, something that many took to mean...

Christmas Books: 7 Of The Funniest Books About Christmas (PHOTOS)
Christmas brings with it presents, eggnog and time off of work ... and, well, lots of Headaches. To get through the all the family gatherings and arguments, you'll need lots of laughs. And what better way to keep the laughs flowing than with funny books about Christmas itself? Here's a collection of 7 of the funniest books about Christmas. Do you love any others? Let us know in the comment section below. ...

The Zadroga Bill Becomes Reality, But What Does That Mean To First Responders
After a long legislative struggle, the 9/11 Health Bill is ready for President Obama?s signature. In a Press Conference Wednesday, New York Senators Schumer and Gillbrand called it a Christmas miracle. The bill will cost a total of 4.3 billion dollars over a five-year period. Katy Tur gets reactions from 9/11 First Responders. After a long legislative struggle, the 9/11 Health Bill is ready for President Obama?s signature. In a Press Conference Wednesday, New York Senators Schumer and Gillbrand ...

George Clooney's Girlfriend Dons Revealing Bikini (PHOTOS)
TMZ.com: While on Vacation in Mexico on Wednesday, George Clooney got the best early Christmas gift ... girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis in an itty bitty Bikini. Read the whole story: TMZ.com Get HuffPost Entertainment On Twitter and Facebook! Know something we don't? E-mail us at [email protected] ...

Busy Holiday Hustle and Bustle Prompts Humble Plea to Take 5 to Give $5
Matthew has returned to YouTube during the busy Holiday Season! He & the AHC kids are asking everyone to "Take 5 to Give $5" to help raise $25,000 by the end of December, 2010, to fund expensive treatment for relief from the often painful symptoms of AHC. "Many families either cannot get the drugs or simply can't afford them," says Jeff Wuchich, Matthew's father and AHCF President. Treatment options are limited. Flunarizine, which helps some patients, is not FDA approved; US Insurance compan...

USS Bush decked out for the holidays
The carrier USS George H.W. Bush is all decked out for the holidays. The nuclear-powered flattop has taken first place in a holiday display competition among other ships stationed at Naval Station Norfolk. The ship is adorned with 6.2 miles of holiday lights. It also has a 25-foot wreath and a life-size Santa sleigh decked out in lights. An F/A-18 trainer jet stands in for Santa's reindeers. Va. watermen turned away on harvest extension Va. watermen turned away on harvest extension What would ...

Realist GHW Bush dealt with the shock of his sons neoconservatism by joking
Did you read Michael Kinsley's review of Bush's memoir in the Sunday Times yesterday? I thought this part-- Speaking of a sense of humor and the Middle East, when Bush called for a new Palestinian leadership, Barbara Bush the elder (“Mother,” he invariably calls her) rang up to say, “How’s the first Jewish president doing?” Maybe I’m deficient in humor, but I don’t see why this is funny, as her son clearly believes it to be. I might even find it alarming if Bush d

Richard Klass: Questions about Questions about New START
Listening to GOP Senators raise questions about the New START agreement raises some questions for them. ·Why does Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) complain that the treaty is being rushed when there will be more time on the Senate Floor than spent in total on START I, START II and the Moscow treaty (SORT)? ·Why did Sen. John Kyl (R-Az) say New START was acceptable if modernization was agreed and then reverse course? ·Is Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) simply implementing his top pri

Obama on vacation: same old, same old (Politico)
HONOLULU – For Ronald Reagan it was riding horses on his California ranch. For George W. Bush it was clearing brush and biking around his Crawford, Texas, estate. For Barack Obama, the signature image of his presidential vacationing, so far, is him eating shave ice, the Hawaiian version of a snow cone. After wrapping up his official business in Washington, Obama headed to his regular holiday destination Wednesday evening: a beachfront compound in Hawaii. Like many Americans, the president...

What if we all emulated selfless soldiers?
Christmastime has most definitely arrived here in Rochester, and for most of us it's the best time of the year. We get together with family and feast, listen to music that reminds us of happier times, and the smell of cookies and spices lies heavy in the air as usually slightly naughty children pay extra attention to their manners as they wait for the jolly fat one to arrive. For our brothers and sisters in arms, however, Christmas can often be the saddest time of the year as they find...

Well, Mr. Potter, In My Book He Died A Much Richer Man Than Youll Ever Be
Sixty-five years ago on Christmas Eve, George Bailey was at the end of his rope and was about to jump off a bridge in Bedford Falls, New York. So began the beginning of the end of It’s A Wonderful Life, a movie that I never tire of seeing this time of year. Even when I was at my most cynical, It’s A Wonderful Life was never corny. On one very lonely Christmas Eve, it helped me through a long night, while with every passing year its message — considered too simplistic by the movie̵...

Congress OK’s $4.2b to aid 9/11 responders
WASHINGTON — After a last-minute Compromise, Congress passed Legislation yesterday to provide up to $4.2 billion in new aid to survivors of the September 2001 Terrorism attack on the World Trade Center and responders who became ill working in its ruins. The House passed the bill on a 206 to 60 vote yesterday about two hours after the Senate cleared it on a voice vote as lawmakers raced to wrap up their work before Christmas. President Obama has said he is eager to sign the measure, though...

Elijahs Plate
Last year, after 29 Christmases with my Jewish, tree-decorating, stocking-stuffing, carol-singing in-laws, I realized I’d be alone for Christmas. These things happen, my friend Zena, the Euripides scholar said. (If you want the long view, ask a classicist.) The last time I was alone for Christmas, I had to be told it was a problem. It was 1979, and I was living in a cold, damp flat in West London, earning a pittance in publishing. When a colleague asked about my plans for Christmas, I said...

Dairy Queen stunt not too en-deer-ing
If Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer finds his way to a Dairy Queen on Christmas Eve, the Holiday Season’s craziest advertising stunt could also bring a pack of angry animal-rights Activists down on the fast-food chain. Dairy Queen is holding a promotion that offers free Reindeer Bites Blizzards — Ice Cream mixed with marshmallows and brownie bits — to customers who bring a “real, living, breathing reindeer’’ to any of their 4,600 U.S. stores tomorrow from 1 to ...

Snowstorm Threat Shifts South...
Hold everything! The latest indications are the cross-country storm will shift farther south, raising concerns for substantial snow in places that rarely get it. Based on the behavior of the storm Tuesday and Wednesday around California, AccuWeather.com meteorologists now believe the cross-country storm will track farther south into the eastern third of the nation, and do so at a slower pace. Interestingly, a more southern track and push of cold air raises the "possibility" of some snow for Sout...

Classic TEMS: Kerry Picket, Steven Crowder
Unfortunately, I had to cancel today’s Ed Morrissey Show. I’m under the weather, but we should be back to normal tomorrow with Andrew Malcolm. In the meantime, enjoy this Classic TEMS episode from last Thursday, with Kerry Picket and Steven Crowder! ...

Clearing the Browser Tabs Show Prep Tuesday Edition
I have more than the usual number of links today. There were plenty of interesting stories, but I didn’t have much time to write. I spent most of the day making sure I wouldn’t have much work to do the rest of the week. I know, I probably should have saved a little for later, but I feel better knowing the work is done and behind me. In case something pops up. And it gives me more time to write and do show prep for tonight’s Podcast in the long run. I’m also working on a S...