Free Republic

It was fun while it lasted. The guaranteed election of a non-conservative President on November 4th represents the end of the conservative movement in America. Neither Barack Obama nor John McCain stands for Reagan principles in any way, shape, manner or form—and after twenty years of non-conservative Presidents, it’s obvious that the Reagan era will never, ever return. The conservative movement has been in the hospital for nearly two decades. Once George H. W. Bush—a good, moral man, but not a true conservative—entered the White House, conservative principles slowly but surely began to leave. Yes, he gave us a victory...

Senator Barack Obama's campaign is steering the candidate's wealthy supporters away from independent Democratic groups, calling into question what had been expected to be the groups' central role in this year's Democratic offensive against Senator John McCain. Obama's national finance chairwoman, Chicago hotel mogul Penny Pritzker, told supporters at a national finance committee meeting in Indianapolis May 2, and in other conversations, not to give money to the groups, people familiar with her comments said. "From the beginning of this race Obama has told supporters that if they want to help his effort, they should do so through his campaign,"...

Barack Obama's campaign hopes it will. They're putting out the word that they hope to announce on the night of May 20, after the results come in from the Kentucky and Oregon primaries, that their candidate has the 2,025 votes needed for the Democratic nomination. That would mean that the nomination would be settled before the May 31 rules committee meeting on the status of the disqualified Michigan and Florida delegations; this would deprive Clinton of a grievance but would not deprive Obama of the nomination. The June 1 primary in Puerto Rico, in which it seems possible Clinton could...

What is surely undeniable is the imperative need to defeat Hezbollah, and that America and Britain will either help bring that about -- or will help strengthen it instead through continuing to pursue their lethally misguided strategy of appeasing Syria and Iran.

Presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), looking to shore up support with the once-hostile National Rifle Association (NRA), used his speech to the group’s national convention to blast Democratic front-runner Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.). Seizing on what has come to be known as Obama’s “bitterness” comments, McCain on Friday said the Second Amendment “isn’t some archaic custom that matters only to rural Americans who find solace in firearms out of frustration with their economic circumstances.” In his prepared remarks, McCain also hit Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), though to a noticeably lesser degree. McCain said Democrats will dress up...

Hey sweetie, are you bitter? Pittsburgh Tribune-Review By Salena Zito Perfect Sen. John McCain bumper sticker: Hey sweetie, are you bitter?

Say what you want about President Bush. No president has ever been able to do as much to advance the cause of racial harmony and a color blind agenda. He did this the logical and old fashioned way, by appointing prominent and competent people of all races and creeds, thereby exposing the idiocy of racial prejudice for what it is. Enter Rev. Jeremiah Wright and some of Bill Clinton’s more scorched earth supporters. After eight years of unprecedented unity among people of all races, at a time when racism was exposed as a bankrupt philosophy by the straightforward reality of...

The Clintons lied in 1992 (about Bill's affairs and their phony plans for middle class tax cuts), 1995 (about Newt Gingrich and the Republican Congress), 1998 (about Monica Lewinsky), 2000 (again about the need for tax cuts in light of an upcoming recession), and 2001 (about Bill's pardons of some criminals). Each time after those lies, terrorist attacks against the US or Americans occurred, killing people -- the Twin Towers were bombed, five servicemen died in Riyadh, two African embassies were bombed, the USS Cole was attacked, and the Twin Towers were destroyed while the Pentagon was attacked. Thus, it...

I suppose it is fitting that the news media and the super delegates are ignoring the significance of a thrashing of monumental proportions.  After all, this campaign is being brought by to us by a media that gives new life to a traditional proverb satirist Jonathan Swift's once cited that there are none so blind as those who will not see.  Swift may have been a product of the Enlightenment, but he anticipated the relationship that much of the modern media political narrative has to the concepts of reason and truth. What I saw Tuesday that caused my eyes to go wide was Fox flashing exit polling results showing that while 63% of West Virginia Democrat primary voters found Hillary Clinton honest and trustworthy, less than...

I've posted a few times in the last two days about female supporters of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton who are angry -- at the Democratic Party, at the Obama campaign, or at the general situation that sees their candidate facing tough times, in their view, in part because of sexism. Just talked to a 55-year-old Columbus, Ohio resident named Cynthia Ruccia, a spokesperson and organizer for a group calling itself "Clinton Supporters Count Too." She said the group -- numbering in the hundreds, and organized in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Michigan -- stands ready to boycott the Democratic Party if...

A federal jury has found Los Angeles private detective Anthony Pellicano guilty of racketeering and conspiracy. The verdict, which could mean a penalty of eight to 10 years in federal prison, effectively brings to a close the career of the most infamous private eye in Los Angeles -- a man who insinuated himself into the loftiest legal and entertainment circles in town and even consulted on law enforcement cases, until he became the subject of one. Pellicano sat grinning and looking around room before the verdicts were read. But when he realized the jury had found him guilty, he crossed...

For the past several months Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have been locked in a death struggle that involves trying to convince the American people which one of them is qualified to be the President when some anonymous phone rings at 3 AM. While I will happily concede that both of these politicians are perfectly qualified to answer a phone, neither has the background, experience, or cognitive abilities to be the President for the other 23 hours and 59 minutes of the day. After doing some checking on a number of job sites to see what corporate America is looking...

What about Al? There is a rumor among those close to the Obama camp that this weekend will bring a big endorsement for the Illinois Senator. We can scratch John Edwards off that list, he is yesterday's news. Probably the only thing 'bigger' than Edwards would be former Vice-President Al Gore -- who will be in Pittsburgh this Sunday (May 18) to give the commencement speech at Carnegie Mellon University. Gore, after his unsuccessful run for president in 2000, took an environmental path, rather than political, and has become a cult-like figure among the left and environmentally correct.

NORTH BEND, Wash. - John McCain on Tuesday cast Democratic rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton as latecomers to the environmental battle, saying he would be willing to debate the issue with either of them in the general election to underscore his experience with the issue. "People will trust my stewardship not only because of my background and knowledge, but also my vision for the future," he told reporters during a news conference at a nature center in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. "They have never, to my knowledge, been involved in legislation nor hearings nor engagement on...

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton arranged to meet with uncommitted superdelegates following her lopsided victory in the West Virginia primary, as her supporters argued that her appeal to some traditional Democratic voting blocks may change opinions despite the long odds against her... Governor Ed Rendell of pennsylvania, a Clinton supporter, said in an interview on CNN on Wednesday that "superdelegates have to have second thoughts" after West Virginia... The number of white Democratic voters who said that race influenced their choice Tuesday was among the highest recorded in voter surveys in the Clinton-Obama nomination fight. Two in 10 white West Virginia...

What would Michelle Obama do if she were called sweetie? WWMD? TRIBUNE-REVIEW By Salena Zito A tip of the hat to Ben Smith over at Politico for reporting that Sen. Barack Obama referred to a female reporter in Detroit as "sweetie" when answering her question. Actually, when not answering her question. Kind of makes you wonder how wife Michelle would feel if she were referred to as "sweetie"?

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. Navy has denied Chelsea Clinton permission to campaign for her mother on a former bombing range on a small Puerto Rican island. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign wanted to use the land Wednesday as a setting to discuss the candidate's clean up plan for the region and call to give some areas to local residents. But Navy spokeswoman Lt. Lara Bollinger said no one is allowed to campaign on federal property. Chelsea Clinton is making her second campaign visit to Puerto Rico in the last three weeks. The U.S. territory has 55 delegates...

There was a time when Democrats were seen primarily as populists, declaring their allegiance to the “common man” and to the “general welfare,” but those days are long past. Now, in the early days of the 21st century, the Democratic Party has become little more than a noisy propaganda machine, open and available to any and all special interests that come to the table with enough cash and/or “reliable” votes to make it worth their while. They’ve captured the construction trades, public school teachers, public employees, minorities, illegal aliens, radical environmentalists, radical feminists, trial lawyers, gays, lesbians, a sizable chunk...

"Barack Obama's failure to campaign in West Virginia past some stopping by appearances was not so much a gift to Hillary's campaign as it was a very calculated step to not show his lack of appeal to white blue collar workers. The roll over of 28 delegates to Hillary was an in your face statement that he's about to win as well as a middle finger to the residents of that state that after he wins he won't be needing them or visiting them. It is reverse racism masquerading as efficient politics. I'm from West Virginia. I grew up there...

Let’s see: Obama beat Clinton in North Carolina by 20 points and that seals her fate. Clinton beats Obama by 41 points in West Virginia and it makes no difference. The fact is it probably doesn’t in term of who get the Democrat nomination. Cokie and John Roberts point out that being Black in the Democrat party is an asset. But at this time, in this party, being black is an enormous asset. Given America's long, torturous path toward racial justice, many Democrats simply cannot imagine denying the nomination to the first serious African-American candidate for president.

Last week Typical White Person Sen. Hillary Clingin' made an appeal to the bitter nature of her base, the HillAryan Nation. She talked about "how Sen. Obama's support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me. I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on. . . . There's a pattern emerging here. . . . " Yes, Your Thighness, you do have a much broader base, as your poor pantsuit will attest. And yes, there is a pattern emerging here:...

CBS/AP) Hillary Rodham Clinton has defeated Barack Obama in the West Virginia primary, CBS News projects. CBS News exit polling shows that Clinton could win the state by a sizable margin. West Virginia Results Obama conceded defeat in advance in the state as he looked ahead to the Oregon primary later in the month and the campaign against Republican John McCain. Clinton won with nearly every demographic group, according to exit polls, including men, women, young voters, older voters, people earning less than $50,000 a year and those earning more than that. (See more exit poll analysis.) Obama won the...

A string of polls conducted by the Suffolk University Political Research Center over the past month--in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and, now, West Virginia--show that roughly 20 percent of Democratic primary voters are ready to vote for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in November if their choice candidate isn't the nominee. The latest survey, which questioned 600 likely voters in Tuesday's West Virginia Democratic presidential primary, shows Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) trouncing Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), the national front-runner, by 36 points in West Virginia, 60 percent to 24 percent. Obama may be his party's presumptive nominee, but the Suffolk University poll...

Hillary Rodham Clinton's Rose Law Firm billing records, found in the White House residence in January 1996 two years after they had been subpoenaed by government regulators, disappeared shortly after the first lady was warned that the firm's billing problems were "very serious" and the then-ongoing Whitewater investigation could result in criminal charges, newly obtained records show. More than 1,100 pages of grand jury testimony, investigative reports, memos, charging documents, chronologies, narratives and draft indictments, previously undisclosed but now being "processed" at the Library of Congress, say Mrs. Clinton knew considerably more about the firm's billing problems and their potential...

How did a freshman nobody senator from Chicago, with little more on his résumé than a 20 year membership in an anti-American church of racism, derail the Clinton juggernaut to become the undeniable front-runner for the Democrat Party Presidential nomination? Who is funding Obama? - Who is voting for him and why? – What does he really believe in? - And why do Hillary Clinton supporters swear they will never support him in a general election? Is Obama an unstoppable locomotive or a train wreck barely clinging to its track? Answers to all of these questions exist. But do any...

Harlem was once the only place in the nation where Hillary Rodham Clinton could count on black support. Now it's hard to find any Clinton backers there, even in the shadow of her husband's 125th Street office.

Back in Februrary Barack Obama gave a speech about race that some called his Lincoln Moment. At the time,I called it Obama's "I am not a crook" moment since it was more than anything else, an attempt to deflect attention from his 17 year relationship with Wright and to seek political absolution for his failure to disassociate himself with Wright's racially inflammatory and divisive views. Of course Obama eventually did cut his ties to Wright. The candidate who has campaigned as the one with the judgement to be ready on day one, cut his ties to Wright but it took...

CLEAR FORK, W.Va. - Hillary Rodham Clinton Monday compared her underdog quest for the White House to John F. Kennedy's 1960 campaign -- while her top strategist likened Barack Obama's sky-high confidence to George W. Bush's infamous "Mission Accomplished" declaration. A Suffolk University poll Monday showed the former first lady leading Barack Obama by 36 points ahead of Tuesday's West Virginia primary -- which would be her biggest victory margin of the campaign. But analysts say a win tonight is likely to do little to erode Obama's lead in delegates, or stem the steady trickle of undecided superdelegates to the...

Obama campaign seeking resumes TRIBUNE REVIEW By Salena Zito In search of a few good men and women, here's more proof that the Barack Obama campaign is entering a general election mode:

Do you know who I am? I'm the big rubber clown doll you had as a kid, and every time you hit it, it bounces back. That's me--the harder you hit me, the faster I come back up. Bill Clinton to Newt Gingrich, Winter 1995 The Clintons find themselves victimized and under siege. The presidency is being stolen from them. The press is out to get them. They deride elites and champion the masses. They live in a constant state of emergency. But they will endure any humiliation, ride out any crisis, fight on even when fighting seems hopeless. That...

Hillary & Obama: Peaches & Herb? TRIBUNE REVIEW By: Salena Zito Perhaps if you had been in an isolation chamber since the day before Sen. Hillary Clinton's first loss in Iowa, you would think that the poll for tomorrow's contest in West Virginia made sense. Until that moment she was inevitable. Now, not so much. Still the numbers are the numbers and here is what they say about Tuesday's West Virginia primary and next week's contest in Kentucky:

New polls Monday predicted landslide wins for Hillary Clinton in two looming primaries, despite pressure for her to cede to Barack Obama's mathematical stranglehold on the Democratic White House race. The former first lady, who is vowing to battle on even as Obama turns his sights on Republican presumptive nominee John McCain, led her foe by 36 points in the latest poll out of West Virginia, which votes Tuesday. In Kentucky, which holds its primary on May 20, Clinton was up 58 to 31 percent, in another poll suggesting Obama faces an uncomfortable two weeks. Huge wins for Clinton in...

I would've used another title for said article, but that's just me. Basically, what it states is that Chelsea Clinton will be in Puerto Rico starting tomorrow Tuesday, 5/13 through the end of the week, and Michelle Obama will be on the Island on Wed., 5/14 and Thurs., 5/15. This is Chelsea Clinton's second trip to the Island since April 30th. Bill Clinton was in Puerto Rico for a day and a half at the beginning of April. No word yet on whether Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama will visit the Island. 63 delegates are at stake in Puerto Rico....

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., pressed her campaign ahead of Tuesday's West Virginia primary as Democratic Party leaders warned her not to do or say anything that could hurt Democratic front-runner Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., in November. Clinton is considered likely to win West Virginia's primary, perhaps by as many as 30 percentage points, but the victory in the small state is not expected to shake Obama's apparent hold on the party's nomination. What Democrats fear could have a lasting impact is what Clinton might say about Obama that could split the party or be gleefully reused by Republican John McCain...

Excerpt - The bitterness Susan McDougal held toward special counsel Kenneth Starr, who headed the Whitewater real estate investigation, has been replaced with g ratitude, she said Friday at the Women’s Action for New Directions Mother’s Day luncheon. “The judge looked over at the independent counsel’s table and thanked them for their prayers, as if God had something to do with our convictions,” McDougal said about the trial that ended in her conviction. McDougal was convicted in 1996 of four counts of felony fraud and conspiracy relating to illegal loans obtained through the Small Business Administration. In September 1996, U....

A hilarious must-see You Tube video: Hillary's Downfall quesney posted the video yesterday, but it's worth repeating for those who haven't seen it yet. Lots of cursing (be warned), but one of the funniest things I've seen. Play with the sound up and full screen. Enjoy!

TALLAHASSEE -- For a sign of Florida Republicans' all-out effort to attract black voters, look no farther than the glossy full-colored The Black Republican magazine that launches broadsides like these: The KKK was the ''terrorist arm of the Democratic Party.'' Democrats, in addition to waging ''war on God,'' are still mired in sex and financial scandals. That's all tucked in the back of the Sarasota-based National Black Republican Association's 60-page mag, the first half of which touts Republican Gov. Charlie Crist's civil rights record and the Republican Party of Florida's minority outreach efforts that the association has helped coordinate. The...

She once described herself as "the most famous person you know very little about." But as she careens across the country in a desperate attempt to rescue her campaign, America is coming to know Hillary Clinton all too well. The tenacity that even critics praised suddenly looks tawdry. The persistence against impossible odds appears anything but noble. Long after the party is over, Clinton's refusal to go home is taking on the trappings of a sad spectacle. Her inability to accept defeat is not, it seems clear, about public service or even politics. It is merely personal. With Barack Obama...

Bill Clinton stands on a small stage in this tiny town, torrential rain beating on the rooftop, his all-white crowd of coalminers, schoolteachers and union members cheering him on. “Don’t let them tell you she can’t win this thing,” he hollers, his voice hoarse after another day of campaigning. “I’m telling you, she can win this thing, because of people like you, and places like this.” There is huge affection for Mr Clinton in West Virginia, where his wife faces her next primary contest with Barack Obama on Tuesday. The former First Lady holds an overwhelming 25-point lead among one...

I have been working with clients in DC the last few days and as always, rumors, gossip and backstabbing are three of the main products produced within the District. This is the latest rumor/suspicion/supposed plan here in the Capitol. Word of it comes from some well-placed sources. They are in a position to know this information and they have been reliable sources in the past. Story is as follows… Hillary is many things, but she is no fool. She realizes 2012 was never an option for her, as she will be 65 and “used.” Any afterglow of Clinton 42 will...

Broadcasters on cable TV shows used to pride themselves on their efforts to be objective, or at least not overt in their biases. -- snip --As Hillary Clinton wrestles with a way to continue her underdog fight against Mr. Obama, she is said to be seething about the kid-glove coverage he was accorded for so long. What she forgets is that back in 1992, when Bill Clinton and she were the new kids on the political block, they too benefited from glowing coverage that pushed off close analysis of their many problems until after 1992 election was over.

Updated WOODBURN, Ore. – Senator Barack Obama said today that he would not rule out the possibility of helping Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton retire her campaign debt to bring her into the fold and unify Democrats. But he said no discussions have taken place yet. “Obviously, I’d want to have a broad-ranging discussion with Senator Clinton about how I could make her feel good about the process and have her on the team moving forward,� Mr. Obama said. “But as I said, it’s premature right now. she’s still actively running and we’ve still got business to do right here...

Hillary Clinton's decision to lend her presidential campaign $6.4 million from assets she holds jointly with her husband is rekindling questions about millions of dollars that Bill Clinton has been paid for speeches and other work since he left the White House. In tapping some of that cash, ''the Clintons have effectively bypassed campaign finance reform in a manner that's ingenious -- using Bill Clinton effectively as a front for the fundraising,'' said Lawrence Jacobs, a University of Minnesota political science professor. Beginning days after he left the White House in 2001, the ex-president has been crisscrossing the globe, speaking...

Even as she faces pressure from some to call her White House bid quits, Hillary Clinton holds a commanding lead in West Virginia, according to a new poll released Friday. Clinton has a 43-point advantage over Obama, 66 percent to 23 percent, according to a new survey from the American Research Group.

Kennedy: No soup or VP slot for you TRIBUNE-REVIEW By Salena Zito Apparently, Sen. Ted Kennedy does not think Sen. Hillary Clinton has "real" leadership qualities or "is in tune with his appeal for the nobler aspiration(s) of the American people."

It's fun to think about, but there are so many obstacles, and Ted Kennedy isn't buying, he said on Bloomberg Television's "Political Capital With Al Hunt," which airs this weekend. "I don't think it's possible," he told Hunt of the joint ticket, continuing that: Obama should choose a running mate who "is in tune with his appeal for the nobler aspirations of the American people," Kennedy said. "If we had real leadership — as we do with Barack Obama — in the No. 2 spot as well, it'd be enormously helpful." Ouch.

Elite opinion on the Democratic race has congealed around the idea that it is over. Clinton has no chance whatsoever to win the nomination now. There is a minority of analysts out there - maybe 5%, maybe even less - who see her path to the nomination as much narrower than it was four days ago, but who still see a path. I'm with the minority on this one. I think she is nearly finished, but not quite yet. As those who know me in personal life can attest, I am a contrarian. For better or worse, when I see...

Now comes news that George McGovern has called for Hillary Clinton to withdraw from the Democrat’s primary race. Pardon me for my raised eyebrow but how much of a fool would someone have to be to take campaign advice from the man who got slaughtered by Richard Nixon? Losing an election by a landslide really shouldn’t qualify someone to dispense political advice unless it’s how to deliver a concession speech without looking bitter. The facts, as they present, make it abundantly clear to anyone not blinded by political emotionalism, anyone not hoodwinked by the bumper-sticker gotcha games of this election...