http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/defeatocrats/ en-us Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:06:13 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038286/posts Click to view images froma patrol in Northeast Baghdad. Photos by Bill Murray. BAGHDAD, IRAQ: It’s near noon on a Friday in Northeast Baghdad and the neighborhoods the U.S. military calls Muhallahs 535 and 734 are quiet. It’s the weekend, and many adults are at the local mosques for worship, leaving the streets filled with dozens of adolescent boys, yelling, kicking and raising minor havoc on bicycles, soccer balls and the unlucky stray dog. As U.S. Army Specialist Luis Garza and 2nd Lieutenant Jonathon Logan patrol the neighborhoods, they remember these streets during a less docile time. Both men... The Long War Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038286/posts#comment Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:06:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032760/posts Obama advisers say bin Laden can appeal to U.S. civilian courts Barack Obama has expressed support for the Supreme Court’s decision in favor of civilian prosecution of terrorism suspects, and his advisers said Tuesday that if Osama bin Laden were captured, he too should face civilian prosecution. – AP Bill Sammon, The Examiner 2008-06-18 07:00:00.0 Current rank: # 13 of 6,452 WASHINGTON - Barack Obama’s foreign policy advisers said Tuesday that Osama bin Laden, if captured, should be allowed to appeal his case to U.S. civilian courts, a privilege opposed by John McCain. Responding to questions from The Examiner, Sen.... Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032760/posts#comment Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:21:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030396/posts WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. John Kerry today made the follow statement in response to the Supreme Court’s recent decision that foreign detainees held at Guantanamo Bay may challenge their detention in U.S. courts: “Today, the Supreme Court affirmed what almost everyone but the Administration and their defenders in Congress always knew. The Constitution and the rule of law bind all of us even in extraordinary times of war. No one is above the Constitution. The historic writ of habeas corpus endures. This is a major rebuke of the Administration’s post-9/11 policies that have divided us at home, alienated and isolated... Senator John Kerry http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030396/posts#comment Fri, 13 Jun 2008 04:42:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029515/posts -By Warner Todd Huston Congressional Democrats announced early in May that they wanted to make "military propaganda" illegal. To achieve this goal they passed new legislation that strengthened previous legislation that is supposed to ban the Pentagon from indulging in "propaganda" for the military. This bill is supposed to stop the military from sending "any form of communication in support of national objectives designed to influence the opinions, emotions, attitudes or behavior of the people of the United States in order to benefit the sponsor, either directly or indirectly." In other words, the military is not allowed to talk to... Publius' Forum http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029515/posts#comment Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:54:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1999743/posts Five years ago this week, American soldiers and Marines liberated Baghdad from Saddam Hussein’s Republican Guards and the foreign "fedayeen" who had flooded into the despot’s capital. For those of us who were there, it was an unforgettable event. But, as Ambassador Ryan Crocker so cogently noted this week while he and General David Petraeus were testifying before Congress, "the euphoria of that moment evaporated long ago." The assembled lawmakers, perched on their raised daises, barely noted the anniversary, while subjecting the warrior and the diplomat to a 16-hour-long spectacle. For the general and the ambassador, it had to be... Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1999743/posts#comment Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:23:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1999541/posts Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker trooped up to Capitol Hill this week to deliver their second Iraq progress report. It was all fascinating -- encouraging, really, if you're not invested intellectually or politically in American defeat there -- but you have to wonder why certain lawmakers bothered showing up. "Iraq progress report," for them, appears to be a contradiction in terms. There can be no progress there because (a) we've already lost or (b) they're convinced we can never succeed. Poor Petraeus and Crocker. They come all the way from Baghdad to appear at congressional hearings that they... The Oregonian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1999541/posts#comment Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:08:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1998601/posts US Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) listens to US Commander in Iraq General David Petraeus and US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker testify about the state of the war in Iraq before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington April 8, 2008. REUTERS/Jim Bourg (UNITED STATES) Commander in Iraq General David Petraeus and Democratic presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) speak before the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 8, 2008. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) US Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton (C) speaks with Commander in Iraq General David Petraeus... Yahoo News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1998601/posts#comment Tue, 8 Apr 2008 19:44:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1998381/posts Data from the Defense Intelligence Agency indicates that enemy-initiated attacks on U.S. troops, Iraqi security forces and Iraqi civilians peaked in October 2006, the month leading up to the U.S. midterm elections. At the time, Vice President Dick Cheney said the insurgents were "very sensitive to the fact that we've got an election scheduled" and were trying to "break the will of the American people." Democrats, who cast the 2006 midterm election as a referendum on Iraq, ended up taking control of both the House and the Senate. The DIA data shows that between November 2006 and May 2007, attacks... CNS News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1998381/posts#comment Tue, 8 Apr 2008 12:39:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1995572/posts With Army Gen. David Petraeus set to return to Washington next week, congressional Democrats are rethinking their so far unsuccessful strategy of pushing for a timeline for troop withdrawals. Instead, party leaders may opt to focus on politically safer diplomatic alternatives and “troop-friendly” initiatives such as improved education benefits and more time for training and time at home between overseas tours. Iraq policy remains a point of friction within the party. The Democrats’ ultimate direction on the war remains an open question that will be decided by some familiar voices in Congress — and some hoping to get there. A... Politico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1995572/posts#comment Wed, 2 Apr 2008 17:15:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1991033/posts Researchers at Harvard say that publicly voiced doubts about the U.S. occupation of Iraq have a "measureable effect" on insurgents there. Periods of intense news media coverage in the United States of criticism about the war, or of polling about public opinions on the conflict, are followed by a small but quantifiable increases in the number of attacks on civilians and U.S. forces in Iraq... The increase in attacks is more pronounced in areas of Iraq that have better access to international news media, the authors conclude in a report titled "Is There an 'Emboldenment' Effect? Evidence from the Insurgency... Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1991033/posts#comment Tue, 25 Mar 2008 01:24:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1974009/posts Barack Obama sure can talk. No, I'm not going to weigh in on the plagiarism charges now hurled at the orator/senator. Our first topic today is transparency in government. He's all for it. Indeed, he says he has the ability to work across party lines "on opening up and creating more transparency in government" so government spending is "posted on a searchable database" for all to see. Sounds nifty. Even if you favor congressional earmarks (funding items not requested by the president but written into spending bills by lawmakers), it's hard to oppose letting the public know what earmarks they've... The Oregonian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1974009/posts#comment Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:25:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1964723/posts A year after the American troop surge in Iraq began, its success is clear, even to Newsweek, the Washington Post, and Rep. John Murtha. As Wesley Morgan details in the current issue of National Review, violence is way down, American troop levels are decreasing, tribal leaders are casting their lot with America, and a tattered al-Qaeda is on the run. Yet most leading Democrats sound like they haven’t heard the news. On the anniversary of the surge, Harry Reid wrote that “as President Bush continues to cling stubbornly to his flawed strategy, Al Qaeda only grows stronger.” After Bush’s State... NRO http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1964723/posts#comment Mon, 4 Feb 2008 16:59:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1960905/posts It seems like only yesterday. In 1990, I first entered politics in Oklahoma. I ran for a seat on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, the agency tasked with regulating public utilities and our oil and gas industry. The nine-year incumbent against whom I was running gave me an issue that was like a gift from Santa Claus. One of our major utilities had overcharged ratepayers to the tune of almost $30 million, and he had voted to let the offending public utility keep the windfall to upgrade its infrastructure. I felt the ratepayers deserved their money back, whether it was $50... The Pahrump Valley Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1960905/posts#comment Mon, 28 Jan 2008 19:01:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1954460/posts IIn the movie “Die Hard 2,” a terrorist is laying out his nefarious plans to the air-traffic control chief — played by one Sen. Fred Thompson — at Dulles International Airport. “Dammit, you can't do this!” an aghast Thompson tells the terrorist character. “I am doing this!” snarls the terrorist. With similar melodramatic aplomb, the Iranians played a potentially deadly game of chicken just as all eyes were fixated on Thompson and the rest of the New Hampshire hopefuls. As Iranian speedboats confronted U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf, a radio transmission intoned in the speaker's best Darth Vader English,... The Day http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1954460/posts#comment Wed, 16 Jan 2008 08:54:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1943107/posts It has been more than a year since the first group of Democratic hopefuls announced their candidacy for President of the United States. Seventeen debates or forums have been staged, and more than $150 million has been spent on advertising, polling and other campaign expenses. Pundits have pronounced their conventional wisdom, so easily reversed, on who is most "electable," "presidential" or "inevitable." Celebrities and surrogates have rung their appeals, and the deforming machinery of electoral money and math has whirled into place. And yet despite all this, something remarkable, almost magical in its resilience, will take place on January 3.... The Nation http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1943107/posts#comment Sat, 22 Dec 2007 05:34:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1939218/posts NEWARK — The fourth annual American Muslim Voice peace convention brought many speakers of various backgrounds to provide a blueprint for protecting civil rights in the post-Sept. 11, 2001, era. Visitors at the Chandni Restaurant in Newark on Sunday evening cheered and listened to guest speakers, such as anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, Muslim convert Brandon Mayfield and Ron Takaki, an ethnic studies professor at University of California,Berkeley. The conventions theme was building a beloved community, which included topics such as Fighting for the American Constitution and America, One Nation under God? These topics were discussed by a group of panelists... The Oakland Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1939218/posts#comment Fri, 14 Dec 2007 02:37:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1936802/posts I had to look up the word "conniption." I wasn't sure how to spell it, but I'm sure that the likes of Code Pink, MoveOn, and other far left anti-war groups had a collective conniption fit last week. One of their poster boys, John Murtha, quit toeing their line. Surely what followed were the same fits of rage I've seen them have before. In September at a Washington D.C. rally as Senator Joe Lieberman began to address a group of pro-mission vets and Gold Star Families, several members of the anti-war groups charged toward the stage with seemingly unrestricted fury,... The Grand Island Independent http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1936802/posts#comment Sun, 9 Dec 2007 02:35:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1935864/posts Washington - Looking to the post-Bush era in American politics, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is attempting to enlist leading presidential candidates to support his renewed push for a settlement with the Palestinians. When Olmert was in the United States for the Annapolis, Md., peace summit, he took the opportunity to call each of the leading presidential candidates to brief them on the plans for engaging in final-status talks with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. “I found that all the candidates had a lot of good will toward Israel,” Olmert said later in a press briefing. “They were all very friendly... The Jewish Daily Forward http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1935864/posts#comment Fri, 7 Dec 2007 00:46:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1935380/posts December 5, 2007 08:04 PM EST Vice President Cheney warned in an interview Wednesday that a premature withdrawal from Iraq would invite “further attacks” against the United States and said he has been surprised by the weakness of the Democratic Congress. Most striking were his virtually taunting remarks of two men he described as friends from his own days in the House: Democratic Reps. John Dingell (Mich.) and John P. Murtha (Pa.). In a 40-minute interview with Politico, he scoffed at the idea of two men who spent years accruing power showing so much deference to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi... The Politico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1935380/posts#comment Thu, 6 Dec 2007 01:14:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1934353/posts As we've discussed before, everything that happens, anywhere in the world is now being described a "a defeat for George Bush." Two such "defeats for George Bush" came to light this past week - and I'm not even counting West Virginia's loss to Pittsburgh which helped vault LSU and Ohio State into the BCS title game in January. First came the news that John Murtha (D-Pa) who has been mentor to, and ally of, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca) had changed his mind on Iraq. For years Murtha has been among the most outspoken critics of the war in Iraq. According... Townhall http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1934353/posts#comment Tue, 4 Dec 2007 06:44:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1933729/posts President Bush said Congress must act quickly to approve a bill to fund troops in combat before members break for the holidays. “Congress’ first priority should be to provide the funds and flexibility to keep our troops safe and help them protect our nation,” Bush said during his weekly radio address yesterday. The president said he has submitted detailed requests to fund operations in the war on terror beginning in February, and he noted that troops have been waiting on the needed funds for months. “The funds include money to carry out combat operations against the enemy in Afghanistan and... DoD http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1933729/posts#comment Sun, 2 Dec 2007 23:11:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1932100/posts Bow, NH—No longer satisfied with having an upbeat tone, John Edwards is ready to draw blood on the campaign trail, flogging any opponent that gets in his way. During his campaign, he plans to punch harder, especially when addressing Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, talk show radio host Rush Limbaugh, and big oil. "Hillary continues to defend a system that does not work, that is broken, that is rigged, and is corrupt," Edwards said. “And if you think I’m going to let an emasculating woman become President of the United States, then you’re out of your mind." Critics say that he... The National Ledger http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1932100/posts#comment Thu, 29 Nov 2007 05:13:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1930660/posts Democrats in Washington just can't seem to help it. Even when great opportunities arise that would allow them to look like patriots, they sponsor yet another bill to cut off funds for our troops in Iraq. Last week, Democrats in the House of Representatives voted yet again to fix a firm deadline to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. It was their 40th such vote. Luckily, their motion died in the Senate, where the Party of Surrender failed to muster enough votes to survive a presidential veto. Also last week, House Democrats passed a measure, inappropriately titled the RESTORE Act... Frontpagemag.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1930660/posts#comment Mon, 26 Nov 2007 16:47:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1929516/posts This past summer during one of the last episodes of HBO's mega-hit "The Sopranos," A.J., the whiny suicidal son of the show's mafia boss anti-hero, was heard to worry about what he saw as the certain bombing of Iran by President Bush. "You don't know that," his mafia princess sister responded. Though this stray snippet, which was widely noted in reviews of the show, did not offer any clues as to the fate of the fictional leaders of the North Jersey mafia, it may have heralded the beginning of a new twist on what it means to be "anti-war" in... Jewish World Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1929516/posts#comment Fri, 23 Nov 2007 08:22:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1929505/posts The Democratic presidential candidates had the perfect opportunity this week to demonstrate sincerity in their "we really do support the troops, we just want them to Columnlose" positioning. It would of course be more appropriate to say you support the troops and therefore want them to achieve success in their missions, but these are Democrats we're talking about – and remember they weren't too supportive of victory for the U.S. military during the Cold War or Vietnam War, either. In Cambridge, Mass., city officials banned the Boy Scouts from conducting a troop care package drive – they went so far... Worldnetdaily.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1929505/posts#comment Fri, 23 Nov 2007 06:22:22 GMT