First Things First

Obama & The Nobel Peace Prize

Geir Lundestad, Secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, explains why President Barack Obama's creation of a new climate in international politics closely fulfills the statues of Alfred Nobel's will.

Republicans: Whatever It Is, I'm Against It

Groucho Marx certainly never had the current Republican leadership in mind when he sang this tune in 1932. But the lyrics certainly do correlate to the politics of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky), Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), and Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA).  

To capture today's spirit, the "Party of No" needs a new theme song. What tune could be more suitable than Groucho's "Whatever It Is, I'm Against It!"

And, one more thing ... what better way to dramatize Republican opposition to the "politics of hope" and the optimistic beat of the Democratic theme song, "Happy Days Are Here Again!"

Apple Quits Chamber of Commerce

Apple today notified the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that it had decided to resign its membership effective immediately due to the strong stand the Chamber has taken against the EPA's effort to limit greenhouse gases.  The letter of notification follows:

The Right Is Simply Wrong

America's Best Idea: The National Parks

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Obama: I Was Black Before The Election

On the David Letterman Show last night, President Barack Obama had an interesting comment about whether racism was behind the vitriol and unsavory behavior exhibited recently at the Town Hall Forums. Obama said: "It's important to realize I was black before the election."
Watch CBS Videos Online

The Amazing Act of Kissing

Acrimony sometimes suffuses the air.  But we witness marks of affection as well.  At The Big Picture, there are 33 inspiring photos of kisses, each of which bring forth the gentle, loving side of our nature.

Frank Schaeffer: A Subculture of Insanity

"We Must Think Anew and Act Anew"

On December 1, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln sent a long and passionate message to Congress detailing the State of the Union and his plan for the remunerative emancipation of slaves. In its concluding three paragraphs, Lincoln wrote some of his most famous words. He said:

"I do not forget the gravity which should characterize a paper addressed to the Congress of the nation by the Chief Magistrate of the nation. No do I forget that some of you are my seniors, nor that many of you have more experience than I, in the conduct of public affairs. Yet I trust that in view of the great responsibility resting upon me, you will perceive no want of respect yourselves, in any undue earnestness I may seem to display.

"Is it doubted, then, that the plan I propose, if adopted, would shorten the war, and thus lessen its expenditure of money and of blood? Is it doubted that it would restore the national authority and national prosperity, and perpetuate both indefinitely? Is it doubted that we here -- Congress and Executive -- can secure its adoption? Will not the good people respond to a united, and earnest appeal from us? Can we, can they, by any other means, so certainly, or so speedily, assure these vital objects? We can succeed only by concert. It is not "can any of us imagine better?" but, "can we all do better?" The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present.  The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion.  As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.

"Fellow-citizens, we cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration, will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance, or insignificance, can spare one or another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation. We say we are for the Union. The world will not forget that we say this. We know how to save the Union. The world knows we do know how to save it. We -- even we here -- hold the power, and bear the responsibility. In giving freedom to the slave we assure freedom to the free -- honorable alike in what we give and what we preserve. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth. Other means may succeed; this could not fail. The way is plain, peaceful, generous, just -- a way which, if followed, the world will forever applaud, and God must forever bless."

Eighty years later, Aaron Copland used excerpts from these paragraphs -- and the Gettysburg Address -- in his evocative A Lincoln Portrait. In the following performance, actor Gregory Peck narrates Lincoln's words.

Though written for another time, Lincoln's inspiration bears heavily on the circumstances we as a nation face today. Let us hope that Congress and the Executive can discover within themselves the qualities necessary to lead this great country towards a more perfect realization of its sacred promises.

Happy New Year!