Free Republic

The reason why Bush is in the mess he is in comes down to communication and passivity. Team Bush has a lousy, lousy communication staff. McLellan is laughable. He is no Lyn Nofziger or a Mike McCurry. Bush should have a teflon, tough as nails Press Sec or a teflon, smoothie with a surplus of witty retorts to lob back at the Dem Shills in the Press Room. Instead he has a guy who always looks like he has sh*t in his pants.. This is not good. Dan Bartlett is another mediocre dude-- looks too prissy. He ain't no Ed...

HOUSTON - The leader of the largest branch of American Judaism blasted conservative religious activists in a speech Saturday, calling them "zealots" who claim a "monopoly on God" while promoting anti-gay policies akin to Adolf Hitler's. Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the liberal Union for Reform Judaism, said "religious right" leaders believe "unless you attend my church, accept my God and study my sacred text you cannot be a moral person." "What could be more bigoted than to claim that you have a monopoly on God?" he said during the movement's national assembly in Houston, which runs through Sunday. The...

LITTLE ROCK (AP) -- Former Arkansas congressman and U.S. Homeland Security undersecretary Asa Hutchinson has been named chairman of a private Washington law firm's homeland security practice but will be moving him family to Little Rock. Hutchinson told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he took the position at Venable LLP in Washington because the firm allowed him to make his primary residence in Little Rock and establish his own consulting firm, Hutchinson Security Strategies, in Arkansas. "Venable gave me an opportunity to head up their homeland security practice in a way that's consistent with me pursuing personal and...

THE THIN BLUE IRAQI LINE The young men and women line up everyday to join the thin blue line. They know that one of the noblest professions is one in law enforcement. Protecting the weak and the innocent against the forces of evil and bringing law and order where none existed. After training these courageous individuals place their lives on the line everyday trying to do a job that most people will not or could not do.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The spokesman for militant Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr tempered threats to continue fighting Monday, saying his movement only planned to wage "peaceful resistance" against the interim government. Al-Sadr issued a statement Sunday from his office in the Shiite holy city of Najaf calling the new interim Iraqi government "illegitimate" and pledging "to continue resisting oppression and occupation to our last drop of blood." But Sadr's spokesman in Baghdad, Mahmoud al-Soudani, called a news conference Monday to clarify that the statement was not a call to arms. He said that many of al-Sadr's supporters in Baghdad had begun...

<p>It is 17 months before the next national elections, and Republicans already smell victory in the air. In Capitol Hill watering holes and the halls of congressional office buildings, members and aides are whispering about the prospects of a major power shift in favor of the GOP come November 2004. Senate strategists are daring to predict a possible six- or even seven-seat pickup, which would strengthen the majority party's currently undependable 51 votes. More Republican senators would make significant changes in policy possible exponentially, and prevent legislative logjams, such as the stalling on President Bush's tax cuts. At this early date, however, it is prudent to keep in mind that everything would have to go right to bring about such a lopsided outcome. Providing fuel for GOP optimism is the list of senators up for reelection. The Democratic Party has four more Senate seats to defend than do Republicans, and 10 of the 19 in play are reasonably possible turnovers. Particularly exciting to Republicans is the opportunity to knock off Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle with former Rep. John Thune, who lost by only 524 votes to Sen. Tim Johnson last year. As South Dakota's only House member, Mr. Thune was elected statewide three times, and a recent poll has him leading Mr. Daschle by two points. Democratic recruiters already are considering presidential candidate Bob Graham's seat vacant because Florida law prevents him from running two races at once, and he seems intent on seeking national office. Homeland Security Department undersecretary Asa Hutchinson, a former House member, is said to be eager to take on Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas, which should worry her. Geography can play an important role in horse races. As National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Dan Allen told us, "Many of the competitive races fall in Bush country, where the president was strong in 2000, which bodes well for our candidates in 2004." Ten of the contested Democratic seats are in states Mr. Bush won in the close 2000 race. For example, Bush-Cheney won North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia by 13, 15 and 17 points respectively. Georgia's Zell Miller announced his retirement in January, and South Carolina's Ernest Hollings isn't raising any money and is expected to announce that he's stepping down too. Numerous polls have shown that first-term North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, whose attention is focused on running for president, would get beaten by Mr. Bush by between 15 and 20 percentage points in his own state, and would face an uphill battle defending his seat. Perhaps the most intriguing rumor is that Louisiana Sen. John Breaux is increasingly dissatisfied as a moderate in an increasingly liberal party — and might duck out of a reelection bid. Mr. Bush won the state by 13 points in 2000. A few insecure Republican seats pore a little rain on the party's parade. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who was appointed to fill her father's post when he was elected governor of Alaska, is below 50 percent in some statewide polls. Peter Fitzgerald will be hard to replace in Illinois — where the GOP is not very solid — Pennsylvania's Arlen Specter faces a potentially damaging primary fight and the Democrat Senatorial Campaign Committee considers Sam Brownback a worthwhile target in Kansas. Otherwise, the Republicans' 15 contestable seats are relatively safe. President Bush is not leaving anything to chance, and is on track to raise more campaign contributions than ever before in history. If his popularity remains high, much of the funds will be available to distribute to close races — an advantage Democratic candidates aren't likely to receive from their ticket. At the start of 2003, the Democratic Party was $5.5 million in debt. Extra cash for ads and get-out-the-vote drives can be the deciding factor coming down the stretch. We try not to encourage irrational exuberance, especially with an economy impossible to predict. But the chessboard looks promising for the Grand Old Party.</p>

Former Rep. Asa Hutchinson (R-Ark.) has signaled to the White House that he will challenge Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D) if asked, knowledgeable GOP sources said Tuesday.

Arkansas Republicans are growing increasingly desperate to find a challenger to take on Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln next year. For months, Little Rock Republicans pinned their hopes on either Gov. Mike Huckabee or Asa Hutchinson, a former congressman and now a Department of Homeland Security undersecretary. But Hutchinson says he’s not running. And Huckabee, who’s been embroiled in a series of highly charged budget and education debates at the state Legislature, says he hasn’t made up his mind. So Republicans are turning to a raft of possible second- and third-tier candidates with limited political experience and no statewide elections under...

Former Rep. Asa Hutchinson (R-Ark.), the undersecretary of Homeland Security for border and transportation security, is scheduled to make a handful of appearances in the Razorback State over the next month, fueling speculation that he may be weighing a challenge to Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D).

Surge in Sex Cases at Air Force Base 4 Instructors, 1 Student Court-Martialed and Punished at Training Facility By Bradley Graham Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, March 13, 2003; Page A02 An Air Force base in Texas responsible for training intelligence specialists and firefighters experienced a surge in cases last year involving sex between instructors and students, resulting in court-martial proceedings against four instructors and one student, according to Air Force officials. Air Force regulations prohibit sexual relationships between instructors and students, considering them bad for what the military calls "good order and discipline." The disclosure of the violations at...