Free Republic

GIULIANI TIME: by David Greenberg With Rudolph Giuliani all but officially in the presidential race, I'd like to issue a preemptive plea to journalists: Can we please not describe him as a "moderate"? To show this reputed moderation, journalists point to their two pet issues: abortion and gay rights. This weekend, the Times ran another article on Giuliani's stand on abortion. Like most such stories, it focused on his rhetoric. But rhetoric is a poorer predictor of future behavior do than is previous public behavior. And almost everything Giuliani has done, as prosecutor and mayor, oozes authoritarianism, contempt for civil...

Mayor Giuliani Announces Theodore Olson as Chair of Justice Advisory Committee New York, Mar 1 - The Rudy Giuliani Presidential Exploratory Committee today announced that former Solicitor General Theodore Olson will chair the Mayor’s Justice Advisory Committee. In supporting the Mayor’s candidacy, Olson said Giuliani has the strength and conviction to lead the country. “I’ve known Rudy Giuliani for over 25 years and I trust his principles and his judgment. Since our days working together in the Reagan Administration, I’ve been able to see firsthand Rudy’s strength of character and demonstrated leadership. I am confident Mayor Giuliani is the proven...

Yes, I know it is very, very early to begin thinking about the 2008 election, but there are two good reasons why the campaign is already under way and why it's worth paying a little attention early on. First, 2008 will be an unusual election year. Because President Bush can't run for office again, and because Dick Cheney won't run, this is a rare election in which there is no presumptive candidate for either party--which raises the stakes and means an earlier contest on both sides. The candidates are already trying to hone their message and image, and it is...

Renowned Economic Advisor Michael Boskin Joins the Rudy Giuliani Presidential Exploratory Committee New York, Feb 26 - The Rudy Giuliani Presidential Exploratory Committee today announced that former chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers, Dr. Michael J. Boskin, will join the Committee as a Senior Policy Advisor. Currently a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Boskin will serve as Mayor Giuliani’s lead advisor on all economic matters. Dr. Michael J. Boskin said, “I am volunteering to join Rudy’s team because, in a talented field of qualified candidates, Rudy Giuliani stands out for his rare blend of intelligence, highly successful...

Rudy Giuliani Presidential Exploratory Committee Announces Bill Simon To Join Team As Director of Policy New York, Feb 26 - The Rudy Giuliani Presidential Exploratory Committee announced today that Bill Simon, co-chairman of William E. Simon & Sons, LLC and former California Republican gubernatorial nominee, has joined the team as Director of Policy "I am pleased my good friend Bill Simon has joined our campaign team,” Mayor Rudy Giuliani said. “Bill and I have long shared a vision for the future." Mr. Simon has a long and distinguished career in law, business and public policy. He is co-chairman of William...

Rudy Giuliani's Conservative Credentials Record of leadership Historian Fred Siegel's book of Rudy Giuliani's record as mayor, The Prince of the City, describes the holistic dysfunction that greeted Giuliani. • New York City’s jobless rate was 10.2 percent. The previous four years, NYC lost 235 jobs – every day! Financial expert Felix Rohatyn complained, “virtually all human activities are taxed to the hilt.” • In 1993, 1,946 New Yorkers were murdered, down from a peak of 2,262 in 1990, but still a spectacular level of carnage. Social pathologies fueled disorder and lawlessness. Vagrants relieved themselves on trash-strewn sidewalks. Mental patients...

Giuliani's fight of his life Paul Harris MIAMI 25-Feb-07 IN POST 9/11 America, seeing Rudy Giuliani in the flesh can feel like meeting a living saint. That day in early September 2001 is sacrosanct in the national psyche and Giuliani is the holy symbol of American resilience; American defiance; American courage. As Giuliani walks on to a stage in front of a business crowd in Miami Beach it is impossible not to think back to the fall of the World Trade Center. Not that Giuliani lets his audience forget. He is in Miami to lecture on the principles of leadership....

The latest political species sighted on the landscape is the Neo–Culpa, a rapidly propagating breed that once supported the Iraq invasion, but has now bailed out. Conveniently, the Neo-Culpas made their first appearance just before the election, prominently surfacing in Vanity Fair excerpts (vanityfair.com/politics/features/2006/12/neo cons200612), where Richard Perle, Kenneth Adelman, David Frum, and Michael Rubin blasted the Bush Iraq policy. Just two days earlier, in USA Today (blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2006/11/post_6.html), Ralph Peters threw in the towel. Of course, the war critics screamed with delight that several high-profile stalwarts had, as Margaret Thatcher said, "gone wobbly."

In the last couple of years, a number of conservative writers have urged conservatives to embrace Darwin's theory of evolution. Some of these "Darwinian conservatives" have even argued that Darwinism will help rescue conservatism. I happen to think that that the Darwinian conservatives are wrong, and in a new book to be released this month, I explain why. The book is titled Darwin's Conservatives: The Misguided Quest, and it is being published this month by Discovery Institute Press. Below is an excerpt from the book's introduction. * * * * * * *DARWIN'S CONSERVATIVES: THE MISGUIDED QUEST INTRODUCTION The debate...

NEW ORLEANS - They're separated by more than 20 years, they come from opposing political parties, and one evicted the other from the White House. But Bill Clinton and George Bush act like a team, a pair of touring comedians with a well-honed act. The two former presidents even have their entrance down pat, striding in with arms aloft, music pounding, lights flashing, the crowd standing and going wild. The pair addressed more than 25,000 people attending the National Association of Realtors convention on Saturday, drawing at least six standing ovations and almost continuous applause. Bush and Clinton thanked the...

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- The Oakland Athletics swept away years of first-round futility. Milton Bradley homered and threw out Torii Hunter in a disputed play at the plate as the A's snapped a stretch of nine straight losses in potential playoff clinchers, beating Minnesota 8-3 Friday to reach the AL championship series for the first time in 14 years. The A's never trailed in finishing off the Twins in three games and will face either the Detroit Tigers or New York Yankees starting Tuesday night. Marco Scutaro doubled twice and tied an Oakland postseason record with four RBI and Eric...

A's take second game against the Twins, in Minnesota, 5-2. Breaks went A's way: Torii Hunter missing the ball and having it roll all the way to Wilmar allowing Kotsay to score on an inside-the-parker; Joe "Pride of the Giants" Nathan wild-pitching Switcher in to score in the 9th.

From ESPN's summary wrap-up: Minnesota rookie Boof Bonser will start against Oakland's Esteban Loaiza in Game 2 Wednesday afternoon. Guess Twinks were betting on winning Game 1. Closer Huston Street gave one back to the Twins after a leadoff triple by Michael Cuddyer was lost in the ceiling by right fielder Milton Bradley. D@mn Dome! Outside of Tampa Bay, that has to be the worst place to play baseball. Thomas went 3-for-4 with two homers One-man wrecking crew. Thank you Billy Beane! The favorite to win his second AL Cy Young, Santana hadn't lost at the noisy Metrodome since Aug....

Giants owner Peter MagowanIf Barry Bonds is back with the San Francisco Giants next season, and that still seems to be a big if, owner Peter Magowan said the slugger will not be the centerpiece of the roster any longer. "I think we need to go in a new direction," Magowan said Monday after the club announced manager Felipe Alou's contract would not be renewed. "We have for a long time had a strategy that has worked well until the last two years, when it hasn't worked so well. The strategy has been one of having a great player —...

“Talk-Like-a-Pirate Day” is observed on September 19th. On “Talk-Like-a-Pirate Day,” everyone talks as if they were a pirate. For instance, instead of saying something like this: “The committee has decided to reallocate your time to the filing group. We look forward to the exciting new synergies between these departments.” ...you would say this: “Aye matey, those scalawags in their fine breeches want ye' to move o'er with the scurvy dogs yonder. If ye' don't come back with some fine booty, we be keelhaulin' you next morn!” While not as popular as Christmas or Arbor Day, “Talk-Like-a-Pirate Day” is a...

Authors to Debate Darwinism vs. Design Mark your calendars for 1pm PST tomorrow (Friday, Sept. 15). You won't want to miss this one. Biologist Jonathan Wells will debate blogger Chris Mooney on the science behind Darwinism and intelligent design. They will be the guests on The Michael Medved Show from 1-2pm PST. Visit Medved's station finder page to find the station in your local area. The program is broadcast live all over the country, so if you want to ask questions, the call-in number for Medved's show is 1-800-955-1776.

David Copperfield says he's found Fountain of Youth By Jane Sutton Tue Aug 15 The man who made the Statue of Liberty appear to vanish may soon claim to do the same for unsightly bags and wrinkles. Master illusionist David Copperfield says he has found the "Fountain of Youth" in the southern Bahamas, amid a cluster of four tiny islands he recently bought for $50 million (26.4 million pounds). One of his islands in the Exuma chain, Musha Cay, is a private resort that rents for up to $300,000 a week and the other islands serve as buffers to keep...

Katrina victims blamed for Houston crimeBy PAUL J. WEBER, Associated Press Writer A letter to inmate No. 1352951 and a cell phone bill for $76.63, both found in a soggy New Orleans duplex ruined by Hurricane Katrina, led Louisiana bounty hunter James Martin to Texas. Again. It marked the seventh time since Katrina that Martin, whose pursuit of bail jumpers often begins with clues salvaged from abandoned New Orleans homes, has followed a trail to Texas. "I don't think Texas really knows what they got," Martin said. Katrina sent a lot of bad guys to Texas, as Houston is finding...

With the investigation still on-going regarding the thwarted terrorist attack on Britain-to-US flights, we've received a security travel advisory from our company. It includes a link to a Federal Transportation Safety Agency list of allowed and prohibited items on commercial flights. Not to make light of the heightened security, but I would file the TSA list under “No Brainers.” Here’s a quick list of some of the things you CANNOT take on board a commercial airplane: Box cutters Ice picks Meat cleavers Sabers Hockey sticks (extremely dangerous item in the wrong hands) Spear guns Ammunition Starter pistols Hatchets Cattle prods...

"Culture war" in America may be overblown: poll The so-called culture wars rending America over such issues as abortion, gay marriage and stem cell research may be overblown, based on a U.S. poll released on Thursday. "Despite talk of 'culture wars' and the high visibility of activist groups on both sides of the cultural divide, there has been no polarization of the public into liberal and conservative camps," the Pew Research Center said, commenting on its poll of 2,003 American adults. Best illustrating the willingness of Americans to consider opposing points of view is that two-thirds of poll respondents supported...