Headzup: Bush's Final Thanksgiving Address

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President(-Elect) Obama's Thanksgiving Day Address

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Good morning.

Nearly 150 years ago, in one of the darkest years of our nation’s history, President Abraham Lincoln set aside the last Thursday in November as a day of Thanksgiving. America was split by Civil War. But Lincoln said in his first Thanksgiving decree that difficult times made it even more appropriate for our blessings to be – and I quote – "gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American people."

This week, the American people came together with families and friends to carry on this distinctly American tradition. We gave thanks for loved ones and for our lasting pride in our communities and our country. We took comfort in good memories while looking forward to the promise of change.

But this Thanksgiving also takes place at a time of great trial for our people.

Across the country, there were empty seats at the table, as brave Americans continue to serve in harm’s way from the mountains of Afghanistan to the deserts of Iraq. We honor and give thanks for their sacrifice, and stand by the families who endure their absence with such dignity and resolve.

At home, we face an economic crisis of historic proportions. More and more Americans are worried about losing a job or making their mortgage payment. Workers are wondering if next month’s paycheck will pay next month’s bills. Retirees are watching their savings disappear, and students are struggling with the cost of tuition.

It’s going to take bold and immediate action to confront this crisis. That’s why I’m committed to forging a new beginning from the moment I take office as President of the United States. Earlier this week, I announced my economic team. This talented and dedicated group is already hard at work crafting an Economic Recovery Plan that will create or save 2.5 million new jobs, while making the investments we need to fuel long-term economic growth and stability.

But this Thanksgiving, we are reminded that the renewal of our economy won’t come from policies and plans alone – it will take the hard work, innovation, service, and strength of the American people.

I have seen this strength firsthand over many months – in workers who are ready to power new industries, and farmers and scientists who can tap new sources of energy; in teachers who stay late after school, and parents who put in that extra hour reading to their kids; in young Americans enlisting in a time of war, seniors who volunteer their time, and service programs that bring hope to the hopeless.

It is a testament to our national character that so many Americans took time out this Thanksgiving to help feed the hungry and care for the needy. On Wednesday, I visited a food bank at Saint Columbanus Parish in Chicago. There – as in so many communities across America – folks pitched in time and resources to give a lift to their neighbors in need. It is this spirit that binds us together as one American family – the belief that we rise and fall as one people; that we want that American Dream not just for ourselves, but for each other.

That’s the spirit we must summon as we make a new beginning for our nation. Times are tough. There are difficult months ahead. But we can renew our nation the same way that we have in the many years since Lincoln’s first Thanksgiving: by coming together to overcome adversity; by reaching for – and working for – new horizons of opportunity for all Americans.

So this weekend – with one heart, and one voice, the American people can give thanks that a new and brighter day is yet to come.

For Thanksgiving: A Navajo Prayer

For Thanksgiving: A Navajo Prayer:
This is the final section of a lengthy shaman's prayer, when the spiritual man and the physical man are united. It seems appropriate, given how much we've talked about abstract concepts like "hope" and the "future," ideas we seem to have neglected for the better part of a decade. Chant this over your turkey and look to 2009:

To my feet I have returned,
To my limbs I have returned,
To my body I have returned,
To my mind I have returned,
To the dust of my feet I have returned,
To my saliva I have returned,
To my hair I have returned.

My feet are restored to me,
My limbs are restored to me,
My body is restored to me,
My mind is restored to me,
The dust of my feet is restored to me,
My saliva is restored to me,
My hair is restored to me.

The world before me is restored in beauty
The world behind me is restored in beauty
The world below me is restored in beauty
The world above me is restored in beauty
All things around me are restored in beauty
My voice is restored in beauty
It is finished in beauty
It is finished in beauty
It is finished in beauty
It is finished in beauty

Thanksgiving By The Numbers, 2008 Edition

From DailyKos:

Thanksgiving is always a wonderful time of year, but this year for the first time in a long time we've got a lot to be thankful for on the political level.

Here's just some of the things worth celebrating today:

• 67 million: The number of votes cast for Barack Obama
• Less than 8: The number of weeks left in the Bush Presidency
• 140,000: The number of American troops serving in Iraq who can begin looking towards the day they will return home.
• $700 billlion: The size of the FDR-style stimulus plan being considered by some Senate Democrats
• 66%: Percentage of young voters who supported Obama
• 42: The maximum number of Republican Senators
• 255: The minimum number of Democratic Representatives
• 29: The number of Democratic governorships
• 6.5 million: The number of donations made online to Barack Obama's campaign
• $80: The average size of those donations.
• Half a billion dollars: The amount of money raised by the Obama fundraising juggernaut
• At least 6: The number of solo national TV interviews conducated by Sarah Palin since the election.
• 3: The number of solo national TV interviews conducted by Palin before the election.
• 0: The number of press conferences held by Sarah Palin during the campaign.
• More than 0 but less than 1: The number of press conferences held by Sarah Palin since the campaign ended.
• 4: My favorite excuse in Dave's top 10 list of Sarah Palin's turkey slaughter excuses.
• Infinite: The amount of laughter Sarah Palin's post-election foibles have brought to America.
• 35%: Percentage of CT voters who say they would re-elect Joe Lieberman in 2012.
• 4 out of the last 5: Presidential elections in which the popular vote was won by the Democratic candidate.
• 4 out of last 4: Days in which the stock market has gone up
• 4 out of last 4: Days in which Barack Obama has made a major economic policy announcement.
• 13 out of 24: Seats held by women in New Hampshire's state senate
• 27: Number of state legislatures in which Democrats control both chambers
• 0: The number of turkeys pardoned by this post.
• 0: The number of turkeys slaughtered by this post.
• 54: The number of days until Barack Obama is President of the United States Of America

Happy Thanksgiving...and add to the list!

20: The number of votes away from a 75-75 tie in the Texas House of Representatives.