Free Republic

Ted Cruz showed remarkable fighting spirit in the Republican presidential debate last night, lacing Donald Trump with the same kind of brilliant and witty lines that he's used in his fights against Mitch McConnell. When Trump's bogus charges against Cruz's eligibility to be president were raised, Cruz turned the tables on him, remarking that Trump had no problems with his eligibility several months earlier, giving this incredible one liner: Since September, the Constitution hasn't changed, but the poll numbers have.Trump looked very uncomfortable at that. But Cruz was just beginning. He even pointed out that Trump's own mother was not...

Donald Trump frequently tells crowds that he went to Wharton, as a credential to prove that he is intelligent: "I went to the Wharton School of Business," he noted several times. "I'm, like, a really smart person." "Why do you have to tell us all the time that you went to Wharton?” moderator Chuck Todd asked. "People know you're successful." "They know it's a great business school," Trump replied. You might be forgiven for thinking from this, as I did, that Trump has an MBA from the Wharton School of Business. He doesn't. He actually has an undergraduate degree for...

Betting and prediction markets say that Marco Rubio is most likely to be the Republican nominee.  There.  Now how much are you willing to put down on Marco's candicacy?  I personally will have to look into some of these markets to see if there is a way to short them. It’s official: Jeb Bush is no longer the leading contender to become the Republican candidate for president. Instead, prediction markets now rate Marco Rubio as far more likely to get the nod. One broad measure of the betting markets puts Mr. Rubio’s chances at 34 percent versus Mr. Bush’s...

Bush has been warned that Bin Laden was planning to attack the US On Aug. 6, 2001, President George W. Bush received a classified review of the threats posed by Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network, Al Qaeda. That morning’s “presidential daily brief” — the top-secret document prepared by America’s intelligence agencies — featured the now-infamous heading: “Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.” A few weeks later, on 9/11, Al Qaeda accomplished that goal. In the aftermath of 9/11, Bush officials attempted to deflect criticismthat they had ignored C.I.A. warnings by saying they had not been told when...

In Revenge of the Sith, the emperor replaces Count Dooku, his elderly apprentice played by Christopher Lee, with a younger, more vigorous apprentice with puppydog eyes named Anakin Skywalker. It looks like GOP insiders and the Chamber of Commerce crowd have done much the same thing. Bush was supposed to be their anointed candidate but is faltering, and their backup candidate, Chris Christie, seems stuck in the polls. So they have chosen a new and more powerful apprentice for Bush, in the form of John Kasich. Kasich is starting to gain traction in New Hampshire, which is filled with refugees...