Free Republic

BAGHDAD, Nov. 14, 2007 – Coalition officials are taking advantage of a decline in insurgent violence to jumpstart a transition into long-term stability operations, a U.S. commander said in Baghdad. With the effects of the U.S. troop surge bearing positive fruit in the form of reduced attack numbers, reduced casualties, and an increase in weapons cache finds, U.S. forces can pay more attention to capacity building in Iraq’s towns and provinces, Army Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, commander of Multinational Division Center, told reporters in the International Zone on Oct. 11. “(Iraqi) civilian casualties since the 1st of July are down...

VATICAN CITY, SEP 25, 2006 (VIS) - This morning in the Apostolic Palace at Castelgandolfo, Benedict XVI received Cardinal Paul Poupard, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, and representatives from Muslim-majority countries that maintain diplomatic links with the Holy See. Participating in the meeting were heads of mission from Kuwait, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Ivory Coast, Indonesia, Turkey, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Lebanon, Yemen, Egypt, Iraq, Senegal, Algeria, Morocco, Albania, the Arab League, Syria, Tunisia, Libya, Iran and Azerbaijan. Also present were 14 members of the Islamic Council of Italy and representatives from the Italian Islamic Cultural Center and the Office of...

Since when does a nation get its undies in a bunch over filibustering judges and cranky diplomats? This is the best part (for me, and apparently millions of others) of the success and the emergence of new media. Now, my opinion is Rush Limbaugh gets the lions share of credit for this. His show blazed the trail for Fox News, Free Republic, The Weekly Standard, Real Clear Politics, Sean Hannity, Lucianne.com, etc... Rush made politics cool-- especially conservative politics and he did this post Watergate, Viet Nam and Reagan! The Old Media was in its prime and loaded for bear....

Per Fox News...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

As the MSM have so subtly hinted, we Republicans should be reaching out to heal the wounds. Suggest that the President's first such concession to our blue opponents be the appointment of Sen. John Kerry as Ambassador to France. The mind reels pondering the logic and the benefits: 1. The French obviously like him. 2. JFK's familiar with Paris having visited there, often at his own expense (feel free to expand on meaning). 3. JFK would then have an opportunity to prove his mettle in sweet-talking his amis et amies into supporting the U. S. in the war on terror....

'When ya gettin' rid of him?' Tony Blair has become an embarrassment to Labour's natural allies across the Atlantic - the Democrats Mark Seddon Friday August 20, 2004 The Guardian Out on the stump in Brooklyn with Democrat Congressional hopeful Frank Barbero came a chance to talk to the footsoldiers in an election that all agree is the most important in decades. America is polarised between red and blue - or, as some Democrats whisper, between progressive America and a revived Confederacy. With George, the Vietnam vet turned transit worker, and Jeff Gold, the eternally optimistic full-time organiser, we leafleted...

Around 50 retired US diplomats have written to US President George Bush to complain about America's policy towards the Middle East. The letter is similar to one written by 52 former British diplomats to UK Prime Minister Tony Blair last week. The former US diplomats complained that President Bush's approach is losing the US "credibility, prestige and friends". They criticised what they say is Washington's unabashed support for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. The American diplomats said they were deeply concerned by Mr Bush's endorsement last month of Mr Sharon's plan to withdraw unilaterally from Gaza. 'Great danger' They were...

"UK diplomats launch mass attack on Blair policy" was the title covering the letter published by 52 former British ambassadors criticising the Prime Minister's policy in Iraq and alleged subservience to the United States. Other jubilant headlines proclaimed this as the "Revolt of the Establishment". The fact that the letter was not signed by a couple of hundred other former ambassadors, including this one, was thought scarcely worthy of mention. This was because most of us have an allergy to acting as if we were members of a trade union. For that and other reasons, we have never been tempted...

Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom urged Egypt and Jordan on Wednesday to return their ambassadors as a result of the progress in relations with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. "Significant progress has been made in the peace process," Shalom said in the Knesset, noting that Abbas was hosted at Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Jerusalem office on Tuesday. He said that Egypt and Jordan would send a "positive signal" to the Palestinians and the rest of the Arab world by restoring ambassadorial relations. Shalom also called on Morocco, Tunisia, and Qatar to restore interest offices here to help the peace effort....

Kairat Abdrakhmanov, the new ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan, presented his credentials on Thursday to President Moshe Katsav. Given that of all the Muslim countries with which Israel has diplomatic ties, Kazakhstan is arguably the most friendly, and her President Nursultan Nazarbayev the most well disposed towards Israel, the year-long delay in appointing a successor to previous ambassador Byrganym Aitimova seems irregular. Abdrakhmanov, however, said that it was simply diplomatic procedure. Abdrakhmanov joined his country's Foreign Ministry 10 years ago, and this is his second posting abroad and his first in the capacity of ambassador. He was previously minister-councilor...

Egypt and Jordan have refused Israel's request to return their respective ambassadors, saying that the time was not yet right for the return of ambassadors. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher delivered Egypt's response to Israel's request to Sylvan Shalom when the two met at the World Economic Forum at the Dead Sea on Sunday afternoon. Egypt recalled its ambassador to Israel in November 2000 in protest of Israel's actions in the Palestinian Intifadah. Shalom had earlier met with Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher (a former ambassador to Israel), and the latter told him that a first agreement between Israel and...