Free Republic

A new website -- FireDavidGregory.com -- debuted today calling on NBC to oust its chief White House correspondent, David Gregory. The website includes a petition that outlines two recent incidents involving Gregory that propelled him into the national spotlight. The first was a boisterous encounter with White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, and the second was Gregory’s odd behavior yesterday on Don Imus’ program. “These two episodes illustrate serious breaches in journalistic integrity,” the petition reads. “Mr. Gregory has done damage to NBC News' reputation and the reputation of journalism as a whole. “Journalists should report the story, not become...

As the challenging midterm elections approach, House conservatives recognize that you cannot beat a national trend without a national agenda. As the majority of the majority, House conservatives believe that the remainder of the 109th Congress should be dedicated to affirming our commitment to limited government, fiscal discipline and traditional moral values and the Republican Study Committee Top 10 is designed to do just that. While this is not an exhaustive list, the fiscal and social policy reforms included in the RSC Top 10 comprise the nucleus of issues that minted this majority. Acting on the RSC Top 10 is...

George Orwell's classic dystopian novel 1984 opens with a surveillance helicopter chopping its blades menacingly through London, peeking inside apartment buildings. The protagonist, a conscience-stricken state worker with no way to blow the whistle, goes home to a "telescreen" watching and reporting his every word, move and even mood. The totalitarian state apparatus of Orwell's bleak vision was patterned after the world's Communist parties. But many of today's 21st-century Democrat and Republican politicians see no problem with the kind of permanent police dragnet envisioned in the novel. While Orwell's homeland of the United Kingdom is still the most-surveilled on Earth,...

Vice President Cheney received a standing ovation for his remarks Thursday night at the Conservative Political Action Conference, but those clapping for the veep may have been doing so out of respect for the person rather than for what he had to say. Cheney’s speech, typical of a stump speech for a friendly audience, left out two major domestic policy issues on the minds of conservatives -- illegal immigration and the Federal Marriage Amendment -- and avoided any mention of two red-hot foreign news stories -- the Muhammad cartoons and Hamas elections. The conference’s attendees couldn’t avoid discussion of illegal...

With the Senate about to finally address immigration reform and President Bush renewing his call for a guest-worker program in last week’s State of the Union, Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R.-Ariz.) tells HUMAN EVENTS he foresees a troubling scenario that will result in an amnesty plan being “shoved down the throats” of the American people. Buy Now Save 29% Hayworth, author of the new book Whatever It Takes: Illegal Immigration, Border Security, and the War on Terror, said Senate Republicans are poised to tinker with an already weak House immigration reform bill and bow to Bush’s demands to include a guest-worker...

That demagogues and agitators are exploiting those cartoons of Mohammed to advance a war of civilizations and expel Europeans from the Middle East seems undeniable. But that does not excuse the paralyzing stupidity of that Danish paper in running those cartoons -- or the arrogant irresponsibility of European newspapers in plastering those cartoons all over their front pages. The storm first broke last September, when Jyllands-Posten published 12 caricatures of Mohammed, including a lampoon of the Prophet with a terrorist bomb as a turban. In the Islamic faith, any depiction of the face of Mohammed is forbidden. The Danish paper...

"The road of isolationism and protectionism may seem broad and inviting, yet it ends in danger and decline," railed President Bush in his State of the Union. Again and again, Bush returned to his theme. "America rejects the false comfort of isolationism. ... "Isolationism would not only tie our hands in fighting enemies, it would keep us from helping our friends in desperate need. ... "American leaders from Roosevelt to Truman to Kennedy to Reagan rejected isolation and retreat." Why would a president use his State of the Union to lash out at a school of foreign policy thought that...

The activity du jour for Business Week’s Capitol Hill correspondent Eamon Javers seems to be systematically “outing” conservative columnists as corporate shills. On January 13, BusinessWeek’s web edition ran an article by Javers deceptively titled, “A Columnist Backed By Monsanto.” The article begins, “Michael Fumento's failure to disclose payments to him in 1999 from the agribusiness giant has now caused Scripps Howard to sever its ties to him.” What Javers is talking about is that the Hudson Institute, the conservative organization that employs Fumento as a senior fellow, received a book grant of $60,000 from Monsanto in 1999. The “payment”...

The Associated Press is reporting that House Republicans failed to elect a new leader on the first ballot of voting today. Acting Majority Leader Roy Blunt (R.-Mo.) fell seven votes short of the 117 needed and will now face Rep. John Boehner (R.-Ohio) in a runoff.Here are the totals, according to the AP: Rep. Roy Blunt: 110 votes Rep. John Boehner: 79 votes Rep. John Shadegg: 40 votes Rep. Jim Ryun: 2 votes Stay tuned for more details.

Maverick Republican Sen. John McCain today endorsed his fellow Arizonan, Rep. John Shadegg -- throwing a new quirk in the race for House majority leader, which will be decided tomorrow in a private meeting among Republicans. Although McCain has at times bucked the GOP (most notably on campaign finance reform), Shadegg welcomed the endorsement from his home-state senator. (HUMAN EVENTS first reported on January 12 that Sen. Jon Kyl would support Shadegg.) "I appreciate having Sen. McCain's support today because he is a long-time advocate of reform in this area," Shadegg said. "Neither of us discovered this issue in the...

As President Bush prepares to deliver his State of the Union address this evening, HUMAN EVENTS is asking its readers to vote for the issue they want Bush to make his top priority. Click here to vote for your choice. You can view results to previous surveys at the HUMAN EVENTS Polling Place on HumanEventsOnline.com.

A conservative group supporting Samuel Alito’s confirmation will launch TV ads in North and South Dakota this weekend that ask moderate Senate Democrats to “stand with mainstream America, not Ted Kennedy.” The Coalition for a Fair Judiciary is spending $100,000 on the TV ads. Two Democratic senators, Kent Conrad (N.D.) and Tim Johnson (S.D.), are targeted in the 30-second commercials. Both remain undecided about Alito's confirmation. Conrad has the most to lose if he chooses to cast a "no" vote. He is up for re-election in November and hails from a conservative state that President Bush easily carried in 2000...

So Hillary Clinton thinks the House of Representatives is being "run like a plantation." And, she added, "you know what I'm talking about." First of all: Think about what a weird coincidence it is that Hillary would have made these remarks in a black church in Harlem on Martin Luther King Day. What are the odds? Did she even know it was a holiday? Bravely spoken, Senator. I haven't been this surprised since finding out Hollywood likes a movie about gay cowboys. As Hillary explained, the House "has been run in a way so that nobody with a contrary view...

Yesterday, HUMAN EVENTS encouraged Rep. John Shadegg (R.-Ariz.) to get into the race for House majority leader. And now that Shadegg is in the race, there is no question he is the conservative candidate for the job. In the last five years, the Republican Party has drifted from its commitment to limited government. During this time, the two biggest mistakes Republicans in the House made were to approve the No Child Left Behind education law and the Medicare prescription drug entitlement. Both increased federal spending and federal power, reducing the autonomy of states and individuals. Representatives John Boehner (R.-Ohio) and...

Sen. Dick Durbin (D.-Ill.) made news Thursday when he told the Associated Press he didn't know if Democrats had the numbers to sustain a filibuster of Samuel Alito confirmation. "When you consider the numbers involved, it is unlikely," Durbin said. But how unlikely is it really? You can cast your vote in today's AlitoBlog.com poll. At least one moderate Democrat, Sen. Bill Nelson (D.-Fla.), and at least one Republican, Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R.-R.I.), said publicly Thursday they had not yet made up their minds on Alito. In Nelson's case, he'll decide after meeting with Alito. Chafee simply remains unsure how...

After days of grumbling by conservatives about the candidates for House majority leader, conservative Rep. John Shadegg (R.-Ariz.) announced this morning he was throwing his hat in the ring. "For the past several days, I have spoken with members all across our Conference," Shadegg said. "Based on those conversations, I believe that a majority of Republicans in the House understand the need for real, thorough reform. We must renew our commitment to the principles that won us a majority in the first place: fiscal discipline, smaller government, lower taxes, a strong national defense, returning power to the states, and greater...

Rep. John Shadegg (R.-Ariz.) hasn’t yet decided if he’ll run for House majority leader, but if he does, he can count on the support of two Republicans from his home state. Two members of Congress from Arizona, Shadegg’s home state, threw their support behind him as conservatives seek an alternative to Representatives Roy Blunt (R.-Mo.) and John Boehner (R.-Ohio), the two declared candidates seeking the post. In separate interviews, both Sen. Jon Kyl (R.-Ariz.) and Rep. Trent Franks (R.-Ariz.) said they would support Shadegg in a leadership election. “I would hope that his colleagues would see a real potential leader...

With the decision by embattled Rep. Tom DeLay (R.-Tex.) to step down as House majority leader and the resulting fierce contest for succession between Republican Representatives Roy Blunt (Mo.) and John Boehner (Ohio), a number of conservatives in the Republican House majority are saying they want to see Rep. John Shadegg (R.-Ariz.) enter the race. These conservatives were looking for a candidate not only committed to advancing the conservative agenda but also, unlike Blunt and Boehner, free of extensive ties to the high-powered lobbying networks that often have been linked to DeLay. For many, Indiana Rep. Mike Pence, chairman of...

Judge Samuel Alito has endured two rounds of questioning -- some of it brutal -- from Judiciary Committee members. As Democrats attempt to prolong the question-and-answer portion of the hearing, how do you think Alito is performing? Polls show a majority of Americans want him confirmed, but do you think he's doing as well as Chief Justice John Roberts did at his hearings last year? Cast your vote now.

Senate Judiciary Committee members had their first crack at questioning Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito today. Now you can vote for the worst question posed by a liberal at Tuesday's session. Check back tomorrow at AlitoBlog.com for the results.