Free Republic

Maybe those Bar-B-Q’s for the press really do work. It looks like the media really is trying to help McCain out, but Matt Drudge seems to really like Obama and isn’t going to let McCain get off easy...

What is the ages old misconstruction of Shakespeare? "First kill all the lawyers." Well, one might excuse bloggers if they might wish to add the officers of the courts to that death sentence, at least if the experience of the bloggers at New York's "Room 8" blog are concerned. For Ben Smith and his fellow "Room 8" bloggers, the world got a bit topsy-turvey not long ago when he was served with a grand jury subpoena by state prosecutors demanding that the identities of anonymous posters on his website be revealed. Worse, the court wouldn't inform Mr. Smith exactly why...

When Netroots Nation organizers were considering New Orleans as the host site of their convention devoted to the Internet as an instrument of the political left, Texas Netroots members made a convincing case that Texas is at the center of the blogging culture driving the political discussion for liberals. In an online vote conducted by Netroots Nation, a Web site for liberal bloggers to exchange ideas, the nation overwhelmingly chose Austin for this year's conference, said Vince Leibowitz, a blogger from Tyler. So on Thursday, more than 3,000 bloggers are expected to fill the Austin Convention Center for the four-day...

I would like to inform the readers that I now will be using my real name Christopher Logan instead of Exposing Islam. When I first started researching and speaking about the problems that Islam brings to the world, I used Exposing Islam just as an Internet nickname. Most of you know, but not all, that I was an administrator and moderator at Jihad Chat since the board was opened. For more....

Does Google Inc. violate the same "neutrality" principles that it wants mandated for Internet providers like Comcast Corp.? That's the argument being made by some who accuse the search behemoth of hypocrisy when it comes to free speech on the Internet. Here's the deal: Mountain View, Calif.-based Google recently drew the ire of several authors of anti-Obama blogs, hosted on the company's Blogger platform, whose posting rights were temporarily suspended after Google identified as them "potential spam blogs." "You will not be able to publish posts to your blog until we review your site and confirm that it is not...

Iran's parliament is set to debate a draft bill which could see the death penalty used for those deemed to promote corruption, prostitution and apostasy on the internet, reports said on Wednesday. MPs on Wednesday voted to discuss as a priority the draft bill which seeks to "toughen punishment for harming mental security in society," the ISNA news agency said. The text lists a wide range of crimes such rape and armed robbery for which the death penalty is already applicable. The crime of apostasy (the act of leaving a religion, in this case Islam) is also already punishable by...

A bunch of anti-Obama blogs were apparently shut down on Google’s Blogspot as suspected spam. They say that Obama fans reported them as spam to get rid of them. I have no idea what the truth is. The fear online has been that false information could be spread. It’s another fear that speech can be silenced. (I suppose I should make clear that I don’t think any official Obama campaign effort is remotely behind this if it’s true. The point, instead, is that rogues can cause trouble. This would seem to be a variation on Swiftboating but rather than try...

Is anyone aware of an attack on the American Spectator web site? Upon attempting to access the site (using Windows 2000NT with a Firefox 3 browser) I received the following warning: Looking up the site in Google, I found the following at the top of the entry list: I have sent an email to the editor's attention, but was curious as to whether anyone else has had the same problem. I wonder whether the Kos Kids or the MoveOn Morons have been at work here....

More bloggers than ever face arrest for exposing human rights abuses or criticising governments, says a report. Since 2003, 64 people have been arrested for publishing their views on a blog, says the University of Washington annual report.

The Associated Press, one of the nation’s largest news organizations, said that it will, for the first time, attempt to define clear standards as to how much of its articles and broadcasts bloggers and Web sites can excerpt without infringing on The A.P.’s copyright. The A.P.’s effort to impose some guidelines on the free-wheeling blogosphere, where extensive quoting and even copying of entire news articles is common, may offer a prominent definition of the important but vague doctrine of “fair use,” which holds that copyright owners cannot ban others from using small bits of their works under some circumstances. For...

This column will probably get Barack Obama in trouble, but that’s not my problem. I cannot tell a lie: Many Egyptians and other Arab Muslims really like him and hope that he wins the presidency. I have had a chance to observe several U.S. elections from abroad, but it has been unusually revealing to be in Egypt as Barack Hussein Obama became the Democrats’ nominee for president of the United States. While Obama, who was raised a Christian, is constantly assuring Americans that he is not a Muslim, Egyptians are amazed, excited and agog that America might elect a black...

There are bloggers who present their calumny under the guise of “allegations,” applying evasive constructs like “some people are saying” or “it has been alleged.” Such writers are often well educated (sometimes with a law background), skilled at parsing words in order to avoid culpability for legal defamation. In this they rely for protection on the high standard of proof required to bring a libel action. Others recognize the evil in calumny, but see it as a compromise that must be made for the sake of a noble cause. They hope that by destroying an opponent’s reputation they will de-legitimize...

As anybody with high-speed Internet knows, MyDD and Daily Kos sit at the top of the liberal Netroots movement, which over the last five years has made astonishing strides in its campaign to transform the Democratic Party into a hard-fighting, proudly liberal, and, most importantly, victorious entity. Though their websites offer distinct communities and commentaries, and though they have very different personalities, MyDD founder Jerome Armstrong (a former astrologer) and Kos's Markos Moulitsas (a former Army man) have always gotten along--the two co-authored a 2006 book, Crashing the Gate, about the rise of their movement. Their bond has been rooted...

John McCain's campaign is using their campaign website to encourage supporters to post supportive comments on political blogs, including the most well-known liberal site in the blogosphere. And to make things easier, they're including talking points with which sympathizers can use to get out the McCain message. "Select from the numerous web, blog and news sites listed here, go there, and make your opinions supporting John McCain known," instructs the page. McCain supporters are asked to send the details of their comment to the campaign, which in turn will verify it and then reward the supporter with "points" (assumedly to...

Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign is trying to tap a new audience of potential voters by taking his campaign message straight to liberal and nonpolitical issues-based blogs, which reach millions of readers but don't often delve into conservative politics. The strategy was in full swing yesterday when Mr. McCain invited non-conservative bloggers to join his regular blogger conference call, just hours after he delivered a major speech previewing his war strategy and other priorities for a first presidential term. It already has started a war among liberal bloggers over how to react to Mr. McCain's overture. In answering the first...

The 25 Most Influential People On The Right According To Conservative Bloggers Right Wing News emailed more than 235 right-of-center bloggers and asked them to send us a list of whom they considered to be the most influential people on the right. Representatives from the following 54 blogs responded... Aaron's CC, David All Group, All American Blogger, Atlas Shrugs, Baldilocks, The Baseball Crank, Betsy's Page, BitsBlog, BizzyBlog, Blonde Sagacity, Bookworm Room, Cassy Fiano, Dr. Melissa Clouthier, Conservative Grapevine, Argghhhh!, Ed Driscoll, Election Projection, Cara Ellison, Eternity Road, Exurban League, Elocutio, Euphoric Reality, Fetching Jen, Five Feet Of Fury, Fraters Libertas,...

The New York Times has a blog called "A Papal Discussion" covering Pope Benedict's trip: http://thepope.blogs.nytimes.com/ What is notable about this development is the panel of contributors they have invited: Alejandro Bermudez is the director of Catholic News Agency, which provides fine coverage of things Catholic. I've been using their material extensively for years.Colleen Carroll Campbell works for the Ethics and Public Policy Center, which is a good outfit, and wrote "The New Faithful: Why Young Adults Are Embracing Christian Orthodoxy."Rev. James Martin, S.J. is an associated editor of America. I can't say that I particularly agree with most...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A majority of Americans do not read political blogs, the online commentaries that have proliferated in the race for the U.S. presidency, according to a poll released on Monday. Only 22 percent of people responding to the poll said they read blogs regularly, meaning several times a month or more, according to the survey conducted by Harris Interactive. Political blogs, in which writers, pundits and other participants voice opinions in online forums, burst into the spotlight in the 2004 and 2008 presidential campaigns. Some of the most high-profile blogs are influential on campaign strategies, media coverage...

Let's see if I'm missing something... NYT has a Baghdad bureau that is supposed to be collecting stories, sending in items to the paper for publishing, whether it's for the print or electronic editions.  So, recently they decided to start up a blog.  Now, here is where I get confused- I thought blogs (at least, in todays terms) were needed because 'traditional' news sources were  incomplete.  So why would a news 'source' (and I use that term loosely) need a blog?  Why not just add more stories into the mix?  Especially in the electronic edition.  I can see a limit...

The International Olympic Committee has deigned to allow athletes at the 2008 Beijing Olympics to blog. However, the IOC wants to make sure that athletes know the rules beforehand. They cannot post pictures, audio, or video of the events because the IOC does not recognize blogs as a form of journalism: The IOC has set out guidelines for blogging at the Beijing Games to ensure copyright agreements are not infringed. They include bans on posting any audio or visual material of action from the games themselves. ... "The IOC considers blogging... as a legitimate form of personal expression and not...

CNN has fired producer Chez Pazienza after the network brass realized he had been blogging at his own left-wing site and several others over a period of years: In a phone interview this morning, Mr. Pazienza, 38, said he joined CNN as a senior producer in January 2004 and has consistently received positive performance evaluations of his work. He spent his first year at CNN at the network’s headquarters in Atlanta, then moved to New York to work on “CNN Daybreak,” which has since been canceled, then “American Morning,” which is shown Monday through Friday, from 6 to 9 a.m....

In many ways, South Carolina has the future of the Republican Party in its’ hands. Up until now, the Republican primaries have only flirted with defining what the Republican Party wants. Independents in New Hampshire helped push McCain to victory in a small state with little Republican presence. Michigan rescued Romney and was the most populace stage for a Republican primary yet. However, even that win comes with an asterisk in a largely Democrat state with a fair share of activists who were urged to muddle with the Republican primary by fringe left leaders. But his margin of victory should...

If you're not making money off your blog, 2008 might be the year. As more people see potential in earning money off the Internet, there is a quickly expanding array of advertising services and tools for bloggers that go well beyond the standard pay-per-click text ads or display ads. Many of the most widely used programs are adding features to allow users to customize the appearance and placement of ads on their sites. Some also are introducing newer money-making mediums such as audio and video ads. "There's going to be a lot of new business models in 2008 that are...

Below are some sites that will give you more information about Senator Fred Thompson. He has had a long political career and, though checked as much as the other candidates have been, had no political skeletons found! He is the real deal. A true lifelong conservative! He has been criticized for not having fire in his belly and that is true. Fire in the belly is a longtime desire for something, a desire that make you do anything or say anything to get that. No, that is not Fred Thompson. His fire to win is in a much better place....

The liberal Web site Daily Kos is encouraging Democrats in Michigan to cross over and vote for Mitt Romney in Michigan Tuesday primary. Apparently, the thinking of the liberals encouraging the crossover vote is that a Romney victory there will further muddle the Republican presidential picture and help the Democrats win the White House in November. Fox News reports that “it’s a classic dirty trick, but perfectly legal. And while Machiavellian political ploys of this sort rarely work, the author’s logic is thus: ‘A Romney victory in Michigan will keep him in the presidential race. And the more candidates slugging...

Update: Even Hugh Hewitt, devoted worshipper of Mitt Romney, says Fred won! Wow! Thompson came out of the gate swinging tonight! He went for the jugular on Huckabee exposing him as the tax raising liberal he is to the entire Nation. Huckabee definitely got taken to the woodshed. McCain is the one that is ahead right now in South Carolina and he got the pass. Fred will need to contrast himself from McCain as well. Other than that, Fred took the stage! Michelle Malkin is on the same page: The debate is finished. Fred will be declared the clear winner....

At 9:00 pm ET Fox News will broadcast the Republican Presidential debate from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. As usual, I’ll be liveblogging it on the Fred File. Hope to see you then.

Politico.com an upstart (but seemingly well-funded) political blog has been sticking it to Fred Thompson for weeks. So Friends of Fred are Sticking it to Politico (dot com). Please visit the site.

Marc Ambinder declares Fred the winner: On points, Fred Thompson won the debate. Every answer was thoughtful and well-crafted; his tone matched the tone of the question; he wisely refrained from interjecting in the back and forth squabbling. He very deftly reminded viewers that he served on key Senate national security panels and is bringing his experience to bear. Even his insults were subtly and gently constructed In some ways, Thompson did McCain’s bidding. You skeptical readers can tell me that if Thompson had finished a solid fourth in Iowa, I might not be writing about Thompson at all, that...

Quin Hillyer is a conservative, but not a Fred Thompson lackey. His observations? I am firmly convinced that Fred Thompson still has a real shot at the nomination...I watched him with Wolf Blitzer just an hour or so ago and he came across very very well indeed. He really is hitting on ALMOST all cylinders now, more so every day since beginning to really engage about December 1. ...it is also worth noting that the utterly scurrilous Politico story yesterday almost certainly depressed Thompson's vote in Iowa. As I said on Fox News yesterday, for a news outlet to publish...

I won’t go as far as Nathan in actually asking people to vote for Fred Thompson in Iowa, but I will say that I hope they vote for him. While I have a few areas of substantial disagreement with him, I tend to agree with him on Social Security, national security, taxes, budget reform, and the second amendment. To be honest, I like the campaign he’s running. I know I probably won’t get a lot of agreement on that, but let me say it again: I like the campaign that Fred Thompson is running. I like that he has put...

Well, that's the rumor from Zogby polling. Musing on the Thompson campaign, there was an interesting post earlier this week by Paul Marks at Samizdata: "Fred Thompson: Too Sane to Be President?" Marks writes that the media equates a passion for campaigning with a passion for governing and serving one's country -- I'd note that "Campaign Carl" Cameron of Fox News has been particularly derisive of Thompson in this regard -- but that they're actually two different things. Marks: "But what sort of person is passionate about the political process? Not getting things done - but the process of gaining...

Mike Huckabee pulled a move this afternoon that was too cute by half: he called a press conference to announce he was pulling a negative anti-Romney campaign ad, and then showed the ad to the assembled press -- obviously hoping he would get mileage out of the ad while taking credit for being a "nice guy." As I mentioned in a comment at Holy Coast earlier today, I was curious about a Jonathan Martin article posted yesterday at Politico which include the news that blogger Joe Carter has left the Huckabee campaign. Carter joined the campaign to much fanfare just...

While Fred Thompson is not leading the polls, Thompson does have a msjority of endorsements from prominent conservative bloggers.

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Anyone with dreams of being a talk radio star -- ranting about sports and politics, chatting with callers, sharing recipes or car-buying tips -- can play host on their own show, right on the Web. BlogTalkRadio, Talkshoe and Skypecasts are among the Web sites that have become popular for would-be radio jocks, and all it takes is a computer and a telephone. "You can create a show within five minutes and be on the air within 15 minutes," said Alan Levy, the CEO of BlogTalkRadio, a site he started shortly after his father fell ill...

Finditt, an online portal providing news and press release distribution and video uploading opportunities among its many services, has invited the Fred Thompson campaign and its supporters to upload presidential campaign videos to the site. As a means of gaining added exposure and spreading the Fred Thompson campaign message supporters can utilize the services of Finditt as an effective platform to reach voters prior to the upcoming Republican primaries. One of the benefits of uploading videos through Finditt is that the video can be included inside a press release distributed through Finditt and TransWorldNews sites. This provides the Fred Thompson...

In blogger poll, after blogger poll it has been Fred Thompson hands down, despite the efforts of Ron Paul bots. Most conservative bloggers I know have either came out and endorsed him, or are rooting for him. Below are just a handful. John Hawkins of Rightwing News, Erick Erickson of RedState.Com, Pejman of RedState, Eugene Volokh of Volokh's Conspiracy, Polipundit of Polipundit, Ala from Blonde Sagacity, Beth at My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, Kender at Kender's Musings, Gribbit at Gribbit's Word, Bill Quick of Daily Pundit, Misha of Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiller, Bob Krumm, Brandon at Conservative Superiority, Curt at Flopping Aces,...

Mike Huckabee campaigns as religious Baptist. Yet how religious is Huck? Robert Novak, in the Washington Post, questions the depth of Huckabee’s Baptist support: More than personality explains why not all his Baptist brethren have signed on the dotted line for Huckabee. He did not join the “conservative resurgence” that successfully rebelled against liberals in the Southern Baptist Convention a generation ago. Ann Coulter goes farther, and questions both Huckabee’s intelligence and sincerity of his supposed religous convictions. Hat Tip: Allah Pundit: Hot Air, Huckabee is a liberal Arkansas politician, who would be a democrat, if the party was not...

I have made my choice. I will share it in a moment. It was not as simple as analyzing the numbers. There is (or should be) an emotional response to the candidate, at that’s what makes this year’s contest a little different. I will break down my emotional thoughts on all of the remaining candidate, in no particular order. I think most of us have a strong emotional attachment to Rudy Giuliani. He helped Sheppard New York through 9/11. People remember a steady hand and strong leadership. They remember seeing him at the scene. It helps his supporters ‘forget’ about...

In my last post, I said there were a couple things in Thompson’s interview with the news staff of the Waverly (Iowa) Democrat newspaper worth more thought. Here’s one of them. KD: Tell me, why do you want to be president of the most beautiful, most powerful, most unique country in the world? FT: To keep it that way. That’s every generation’s obligation, to keep it that way. And I think we’re at a crossroads right now. I think we have got to come to terms with our position in the world, for the 21st century. We know what our...

Seven major pollsters issued new national numbers for mid-December, after the last Republican debate in Iowa, which was hosted by the hostile Des Moines Register which is for the record, endorsing the Hillary Clinton campaign. An overall average of these seven polls is below. With Fred Thompson running 5th with only 11.3% support nationally, can Thompson really win the RNC nomination and if so, how? Can Fred Thompson Surge? The "front-runners:" Mayor Giuliani has been running the longest. He has peaked in the 20’s several times now, only to slide in the polls immediately after. He should be running strongest...

SoCalPundit.com endorsed Fred Thompson for the Republican nomination not because he was the candidate raising the most money or the candidate with the most name recognition (though in a national election I think he would) but because he is the true conservative candidate in the GOP field. All due respect to Alan Keyes of course. After a shaky start to a late campaign, it looked like Fred was dead in the water. But a Google search for the candidate today reveals some indication that Fred is catching up in Iowa and other early primary states where Fred must make a...

I finally decided to come out and support a candidate, all the way. I've always leaned toward Thompson ever since I heard he was thinking of running, but decided to give the other guys due diligence. I have, and I am a bigger Thompson supporter because of it. I should list the reasons when I have more time, but it came down to four issues of equal importance: National Security, Illegal Immigration, Gun Rights, and Judicial Nominations. The rest was icing on the cake, Fred is a fiscal conservative willing to cut spending, even the political hot potato called entitlement...

I want to marry Fred Thompson and bear his children. I'm not pledging him my vote in the New Hampshire primary, though -- I'm not quite ready for that level of commitment. I've said numerous times that I think one of the key elements in winning the presidency has to be a sense of humor. The American people seem to prefer to vote for the candidate who comes across as warmer, funnier, more ready to laugh at themselves and with people than one who is not. That trend has held true in every election since 1980, and (once you skip...

As regular VC readers know, I am one of several conspirators who is supporting Fred Thompson's campaign for President. I cannot speak for the others, but my reasons for supporting Thompson include his commitment to federalism, his candor on important issues other candidates would prefer to avoid (e.g. entitlements), and his record on regulatory reform and government oversight over the past thirty years. For National Review's pentultimate issue (the one before they endorsed Mitt Romney), I authored an article making the conservative case for Thompson. For those without subscriptions to the print magazine, here is an excerpt: Sen. Fred Thompson...

A quick note about my various Huckabee postings. As many (most) readers know, I am supporting Fred Thompson in the Republican primary (and wrote an article explaining why in NRODT). This is not the reason why I have been posting so much that is critical of Huckabee, however. Rather, I find Huckabee's record and various positions to be particularly problematic, far more so than any of the other candidates. (Note I have not been posting items critical of the other candidates, even though I prefer Fred.) In my view, Huckabee is a big government populist liberal, not a conservative. In...

For those of you who spend a lot of time online and hang out at community-driven web sites like Real Clear Politics and Digg.com, you’ve seen how left-wing “swarms” can overwhelm online votes and comment boards. That is why we are creating a new email action list at FreedomSwarm.com — so that we can match the liberals with targeted online campaigns of our own. If you join the FreedomSwarm you’ll receive an email once or twice a week with an action list. It should be interesting and a lot of fun, and you can unsubscribe at any time. Go ahead...

If you thought there was something odd about CNN's YouTube Republican presidential debate you are correct. As it turns out, at least nine of the “undecided Republican voters” have subsequently been identified as Democrats who have taken stands in support of one or another of the current Democratic presidential candidates. CNN President Jonathan Klein was quick to defend loading the questions in this fashion. “Who better to show the unsuitability of these Republican candidates than knowledgeable Democrats?” Klein asked. “The American people deserve to see these poseurs exposed to critical scrutiny. Our only disappointment is that the revelation of the...

Like noxious bugs swarming over a crumbling tenement, followers of Ron Paul have invaded the blogosphere. Their target is anyone who dares to criticize their hero. Bloggers have dealt with them in various ways. Some have tried banning them outright. Others allow readers to engage them in back-and-forth debates that can easily take a thread to several hundred responses. I used to find the Paulites annoying, but recently I had a revelation: Far from being scorned, Paul’s rabid fans should be welcomed and encouraged. We should do everything we can to make certain they keep pushing their man, sending him...

It was the Republican presidential candidates' turn to take questions from the great unwashed, and they didn't seem to have as much fun as the Democrats did. And it's not just because there was no talking snowman or Jackie Broyles and Dunlap. --snip-- Marc Ambinder (3) graded the candidates, and he proved to be pretty generous. "McCain's mix of resigned sighs, sober mien and sense of humor went over well with a crowd that seemed predisposed to be wary of him. ... Giuliani had a an 'eh' to 'poor' night. He seemed deflated. A little defensive. ... Thompson: He gets...