Free Republic

Even his allies feel let down by the president’s lack of progress both in Asia and at home. even one previously friendly newspaper noted dismissively: “Obama goes to China, brings home a T-shirt.” Nor was the steady decline in the president’s approval ratings ... The real problem may be Obama’s friends — or rather, those among his formerly most enthusiastic supporters who are now having second thoughts. The doubters are suddenly stretching across a broad section of the Democratic party’s natural constituency. ... anti-war liberals depressed by the debate over troops for Afghanistan; and growing numbers of blue-collar workers who...

Sen. John McCain says he has no doubt that "political correctness" played a role in preventing concerns about the alleged Fort Hood gunman from reaching the right people. Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan is accused of killing 13 and wounding more than 30 on Nov. 5 at the Army post in Texas. Colleagues reportedly viewed Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, as belligerent and argumentative in frequent discussions of his Muslim faith.

The lodge where I stay in Kabul was badly damaged on Oct. 8 when a suicide car bomb exploded 80 meters down the road near the Indian Embassy. Seventeen Afghans working in photocopy shops near the embassy were killed and another 60 wounded. The Indian diplomats were unharmed. No apologies were offered by the perpetrators for the killings. Nobody was hurt at my lodge, but 75 windows were blown out. The next day I was talking with the owner, who, for the third time in three years, had to fork out $3,000 to fix his windows. I asked him what...

A crowd that had to be several thousand strong came out to Borders bookstore on South Dale Mabry in Tampa this morning to meet and greet (quickly) conservative icon Glenn Beck. The radio and cable television personality sandwiched Tampa in between two other Florida stops on Saturday. He began the day in Lee County, came (late) to Tampa, arriving at about 12:15 p.m., and then went to the Villages, where he made his much hyped announcement that he had been teasing his listeners and viewers about in recent days. According to Orlando television station WOFL: He also said he plans...

Senator Landrieu and Senator Lincoln have announced they would give their vote to Senator Reid and the White House to allow ObamaCare to the Senate floor. For the group of U.S. Senators up in 2010 — the ones facing the independent voters that turned 2:1 against the Democrats in the New Jersey and Virginia elections — they will each be tagged all election cycle with providing the one vote needed for ObamaCare to come before the Senate. They could have stopped it, but they did not. The vote on cloture on the motion to proceed needs 60 votes, and therefore...

Sen. Mary Landrieu holds off on taking health care stand, while pressing for aid for Louisiana WASHINGTON (Nov. 20) -- Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., remained mum Thursday on whether she will deliver a crucial vote Saturday night to enable the Senate to debate health-care reform when it returns from the Thanksgiving holiday. But Landrieu has already succeeded in adding a provision to the 2,074-page Senate version of the health care bill unveiled this week that would provide Louisiana between $100 million and $300 million in Medicaid funding in fiscal 2011. "Look," said [Louisiana secretary of health and hospitals] Alan Levine,...

Note: The following text is a quote: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/readout-vice-president-biden-s-call-georgian-president-saakashvili Home • Briefing Room • Statements & Releases The White House Office of the Vice President For Immediate Release November 19, 2009 Readout of Vice President Biden’s Call to Georgian President Saakashvili Vice President Biden called Georgian President Saakashvili on November 18, 2009, to discuss democratic reform in Georgia and to reiterate the United States’ strong support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Vice President underscored the importance of sustaining the commitment to democratic reform to fulfill the promise of the Rose Revolution. He also emphasized that all parties should live...

Folks, this is cool. Mark Stein, singer/keyboardist for 60s supergroup "Vanilla Fudge" has a song that isn't all that flattering to the Messiah. Check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5LLKs7oW_Q

(Excerpt) WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. - Call it Freedom of Speech. A billboard recently erected in Wheat Ridge compares President Barack Obama to a terrorist and questions his U.S. citizenship. The billboard, located at 4855 Miller Road, shows two cartoonish images of Obama wearing a Muslim turban and reads "PRESIDENT or JIHAD?" It also says "BIRTH CERTIFICATE - PROVE IT!" alluding to the conspiracy theory which claims Barack Obama was born in Kenya rather than Hawaii, which would disqualify him for the office of President. The words "WAKE UP AMERICA! REMEMBER FT. HOOD!" appear on the bottom of the billboard. (more...

Democrats on Saturday clinched the votes needed to advance the Senate's version of President Obama's health care overhaul to the floor for a historic debate scheduled to begin shortly after 8 p.m..

In response to Senator Lincoln's decision to vote in favor of cloture, Governor Palin tweets the following: Not sure I can convince Sen. Lincoln to vote no - but will do everything in my pwr to convince my friends in Arkansas to vote against her.,/u>,/b> Senator Lincoln is up for re-election in Arkansas in 2010. Only 29% of Arkansans support Obama's healthcare plan.

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) said she’d deliver the deciding vote to push forward with a sweeping health reform plan in the Senate Saturday, ending days of speculation over whether President Barack Obama’s signature priority would proceed to the floor or suffer a debilitating blow. As with several centrists before her, Lincoln’s yes vote to start debate came wrapped in series of serious concerns about the current bill – and she said it would require major revisions before she could cast a similar vote in favor of final passage. "I'm prepared to vote against moving to the next stage of consideration...

When Obama wrote a book and said he was mentored as a youth by Frank, (Frank Marshall Davis) an avowed Communist, people said it didn't matter. When it was discovered that his grandparents, were strong Socialists, people said it didn't matter. When he admittedly, in his book, said he chose Marxist friends and professors in college, people said it didn't matter. When he sought the endorsement of the Marxist Party in 1996 as he ran for the Illinois Senate, people said it doesn't matter. When he finally completed his transformation of America into a Socialist State, people finally woke up,...

As the Republican Governors Association gathers in Austin this week, there is a real sense among conservatives that the Obama Bubble is about to burst. And all eyes are on the assembled governors to see who might do the bursting in 2012. Ever since his 2002 election, I've kept close tabs on Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota. As governor, Pawlenty coined the phrase “Sam’s Club Republican,” which Ross Douthat and I later used to refer to a strain of Republicanism that aims to meet the needs of working and middle class voters. In an interview with the Ripon Society, a storied...

Hundreds of private e-mail messages and documents hacked from a computer server at a British university are causing a stir among global warming skeptics, who say they show that climate scientists conspired to overstate the case for a human influence on climate change. The e-mail messages, attributed to prominent American and British climate researchers, include discussions of scientific data and whether it should be released, exchanges about how best to combat the arguments of skeptics,... --snip-- In several e-mail exchanges, Kevin Trenberth, a climatologist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and other scientists discuss gaps in understanding of recent...

Another e-mail from info@barackobama.com hit my inbox yesterday. The subject: Sarah Palin. It begins: "Right now, Sarah Palin is on a highly publicized, nationwide book tour, attacking President Obama and his plan for health reform at every turn." The mail goes on to say "It's dangerous. Remember, this is the person who coined the term "Death Panels" -- and opened the flood gates for months of false attacks by special interests and partisan extremists.""Whatever lie comes next will be widely covered by the media, then constantly echoed by right-wing attack groups and others who are trying to defeat reform." "So...

Healthcare Bill Gains In U.S. Senate Test By REUTERS November 21, 2009 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A broad healthcare overhaul moved closer to clearing its first U.S. Senate hurdle on Saturday when one of two wavering Democrats said she would vote to begin debate on the landmark legislation. Senator Mary Landrieu ended days of uncertainty when she said she would support a procedural motion on Saturday to allow debate to begin on an overhaul the $2.5 trillion healthcare system -- the bill's first crucial test vote. The healthcare overhaul, President Barack Obama's top domestic priority, would expand coverage to millions of...

Texas Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison have agreed to a debate before their hotly contested Republican gubernatorial primary next spring. Officials at KERA-TV (Channel 13) said Friday that both candidates accepted a Jan. 14 debate in North Texas. The primary is March 2. KERA says Hutchison might ask for the debate to be reset if it conflicts with a Senate vote on health care reform. The hourlong debate will include an audience and questions from journalists. It will be distributed to all TV and radio stations in the state.

The obesity bubble is in no danger of bursting. While lawmakers like to vilify insurance and pharmaceutical companies for driving up health-care costs to make fat profits, obesity is actually a far bigger reason for ballooning costs. Call it the obesity bubble, and a study out this week shows that it's in no danger of bursting. Obesity is defined as having a body-mass-index (BMI) of 30 or greater. For example, a person who is 5'8 and weighs 200 pounds has a BMI of 30 and would be considered obese. According to the study's author and the executive director of the...

U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is pledging to fight health care reform efforts as the Senate prepares to hold its first full-chamber vote on health reforms Saturday. The Obama administration and Democrats want to create a government-run system as a public option to offer insurance to uninsured and operate alongside private providers. McCain and U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., oppose the public option. In an e-mail to supporters, McCain pledged to fight the public option, saying it would drive up costs for consumers and widen the federal deficit.

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia -- U.S. Sen. John McCain says he enjoyed reading Sarah Palin's new memoir and says the tension between his campaign aides and hers is no big deal. But McCain likened the tension of a campaign to combat in an interview Saturday with The Associated Press on the sidelines of the Halifax International Security Forum.

They always say Hispanics do jobs that other Americans won’t do. Believe it. You even see it in Congress. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) is getting ready to do something that none of his non-Hispanic colleagues are the least bit anxious to do: introduce a bill calling for comprehensive immigration reform. Why the hesitation? Simple: grabbing hold of this thorny issue is a sure way to lose friends and infuriate people. Here are three things to keep in mind about the legislation: (1) It will likely be the template for what Gutierrez recently predicted would be a rebooting of the immigration...

C-SPAN 2 is carrying the Senate floor debate live this afternoon.The Democrats control the floor right now. Earlier, Republican Senators Judd Gregg, Kit Bond, Jeff Sessions and David Vitter gave good speeches and dialogues on the budget-busting effects of ObamaCare.Maria Cantwell is speaking now. Mary Landrieu is excpected to speak shortly.The cloture vote is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST tonight.

Reid targets Washington Post columnist in floor speech By Jordan Fabian - 11/21/09 10:38 AM ET Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) Saturday morning criticized a Washington Post columnist who called Democratic healthcare bills "budget-busters." "Now, Madam President, to focus on an editorial written by a man who has been retired for many years and writes a column once in a while is not where we should be," he said in his speech on the House floor. In his column this week, the Washington Post''s David Broder said that the Congressional Budget Office's score of the House and Senate healthcare...

Tough Lessons For Obama On Mid-East Peace The BBC's Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen considers how the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians has taught US President Barack Obama hard and humiliating lessons. Nearly 500,000 Jewish people live in settlements built on occupied territory. The land between the river Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea has great sunsets. One the other day turned the sky from deep blue to pink, then angry orange, and flaming red. The fading light glowed on the roofs of the expanding and illegal Jewish settlements that run, like little fortresses, along the mountain spine of the West...

November 13, 2009 at 1:09 pm On local Houston radio 2 days ago a private from Ft. Hood called into the AM talk show on 950AM. Since then the host has verified just to be sure that the man was indeed an injured soldier so as not to be fooled. Anyway, the private was with some others that were not critically hurt in a ward. He called in to offer the “difference” between the visit from President Bush vs the visit from President Obama. As you stated, no one knew President Bush was coming, he just showed up. WITH NO...

King Solomon said in the Book of Ecclesiastes there’s nothing new under the sun. Women have killed or attempted to kill their unborn babies throughout human history, way before 1973, when the Supreme Court found a long-hidden, deeply buried “right of privacy” in the U.S. Constitution to have abortions. Roe v. Wade made the act legal and culturally acceptable. This Generation X-er can’t recall a time when abortion was as high-profile as it’s been in 2009. This year, a nut murdered George Tiller, a man nationally known for performing partial-birth abortions. Several months later, another nut murdered pro-life activist Jim...

This is a prime example of the government interjecting into the private health care decisions of U.S. citizens. It is also a prelude to the notorious "death panels" which Sarah Palin exposed this past summer. Government run health care will eventually lead to exactly what Palin warned us about.

Earlier this week, I was invited to be Benjamin Rockwell’s guest on Digital Computer Talk, to record a segment for an episode of his nationally syndicated broadcast radio show (prior episodes here). The subject was “smart gun” technology and the discussion centered around whether an implementation of that technology could have stopped or minimized the carnage in the Fort Hood terrorist attack or any of the other mass shootings that have taken place in recent years. A hypothetical “what if” version of events was assumed, where civilian firearms — including Major Hasan’s FN pistol — had been enabled with smart...

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Saturday shows that 27% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty percent (40%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -13 (see trends). Voters continue to see deficit reduction as the top Presidential priority with health care reform a distant second. In a state-by-state look at the 2010 Senate races, Larry Sabato concludes “It will be surprising if the GOP doesn't make some progress in whittling down the large Democratic majority.” However, he cites a wide range...

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder continued the federal government's campaign to reach out to local Arab Americans, saying last night in Detroit that civil rights must be respected even as the country deals with security threats. "For the last nine months, I've heard from Muslim and Arab Americans who feel uneasy about their relationship with their government, who feel isolated and discriminated against by law enforcement," Holder said, according to the Detroit Free Press. "It is inconsistent with what America is all about." Holder spoke at the Detroit Marriott as part of the Advocates and Leaders for Police and Community...

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living HOPE through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 1 Peter 1:3 It seems the Olympic suicide flu is spreading through Chicago. Michael Scott another dirty political partner of Valerie Jarrett decides to blow his brains out. We all know the Daley motto, dead men tell no tales and Scott won’t be talking. Of course we also know that suicide in Chi-town is like going for a swim w/lead sneakers in NJ. This is...

Many of us had no idea the Republican Party had it in them, but to devise and implement such a plan was ingenious. Think about it; party leadership acting totally inept while a charismatic young Democrat presidential candidate captures the imagination of the normally lethargic youth vote, captures the senior vote, women, and even sends a thrill up the leg of the media. And within a few short months after attaining the presidency, he conducts himself in a manner (personally and in office) that had not only invigorated his political opponents, but has them so energized they take to the...

Believe it or not, he’s not just spinning here. He’s sincerely criticizing Obama for some of his dopier decisions lately; he just can’t help letting his admiration for The One get in the way and filter it as a matter of excess virtue. None of the problems he cites are necessarily — or actually — the product of too much deep thinkin’. Obama’s bow to Akihito was, in fact, stupid since it had the opposite intended effect. His deliberations on Afghanistan are fine, but should have been conducted six months ago given McChrystal’s warning that the war would be lost...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20--President Carter would easily defeat either former Gov. Ronald Reagan of California or former President Gerald R. Ford if the election were held today, according to the Gallup Poll.

In response to the Columbia Journalism Review’s accusing me of “blackmailing” the Attorney General of the United States, I must take notice that the mainstream media as a journalistic establishment IS paying attention to the ongoing ACORN scandal. Good. I thought so. (snip) There will be consequences if there isn’t an investigation into ACORN. The videos will be shown and at a particular moment.

I've been labeled everything from a tool of the international Zionist conspiracy to Israel's best friend to "the Arabian Knight" to "a righteous gentile." I am asked to speak to more Jewish audiences, including many chapters of the B'nai Brith, both in the U.S. and Canada, than Christian audiences, even though I am an Arab-American Christian.

A Sikh who claims that Islam is based on “deception, fraud and surprise attack” is set to become the first non-white member of the British National Party. Rajinder Singh, 78, who emigrated from the Punjab region of India in 1967, said yesterday that he would be honoured to become a member of the BNP because it is the “only party who has the guts to say the word Muslim”. “It’s a natural process in the Muslim psyche, to take over. The fear of Islam is well founded, well justified,” he told The Times. “I don’t hate Muslims. By definition a...

What was expected to be a boring congressional hearing erupted into high drama yesterday as an unnerved Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner sparred with frustrated lawmakers calling for his head over his handling of the economy. Clearly rattled by a fusillade of attacks from Republican members of the Joint Economic Committee, the usually reserved Geithner lashed out, laying blame for the current economic mess at the feet of the GOP and rejecting suggestions that he resign. Republicans "gave this president an economy falling off the cliff," Geithner fired back at Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), one of the Treasury secretary's harshest critics...

Once considered a shoo-in for reconfirmation, Ben Bernanke may not want to get too comfortable in his seat as Federal Reserve chairman. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, yesterday told a small group of reporters that Bernanke's Senate confirmation for a second term isn't guaranteed. "Not necessarily, not necessarily," he said in response to a question about whether Bernanke getting a second term was a foregone conclusion. "We'll see how members react." He went on to say, "I'm inclined to be supportive. I think he's done a far better job over the last couple of years...

The Boy Scouts' motto is: Be prepared. Who knew it meant preparing to de fend themselves against union thuggery? Kids, pay attention: This is a teachable moment for all of you on power, politics and Big Labor's culture of corruption. At last week's City Council meeting in Allentown, Pa., a top official of the local Service Employees International Union chapter ranted about 17-year-old Scout Kevin Anderson's park-cleanup work. To earn an Eagle Scout badge, Anderson devoted some 200 hours to picking up trash and helping clear a 1,000-foot walking path with fellow members of Boy Scouts Troop 301 of Center...

Fascinating NYT articles from the late 70s about the same things we see today. The GOP needs to be more moderate, reach out to independents, they're too conservative, Reagan is bad news, too extreme, etc... Things never change. Here's some highlights: From 10/3/77: Mr. Ford drew a warm but not particularly enthusiastic response when he told the Republicans that their party's future lay in avoiding idealistic extremes and in attracting non-aligned voters..."In my judgment the radical liberal or idealistically pure conservative policies will not in the long run attract the independent voter". It was a remark that some listeners interpreted...

Ottawa's plan to spend its way out of a recession is winding down. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said yesterday he'll refrain from any new major spending programs and look to cut his own government's spending if necessary down the road. "When the economy recovery is clear and entrenched, and if it's necessary, we will determine the amount of spending growth restraint to balance the budget," Flaherty said in a major speech to a business audience in Toronto. "If we have to restrain growth in spending when the times come we will find that restraint in the remaining $100 billion of...

Notice Filed Hollister v Soetoro I. JURISDICTIONAL STATEMENT A. The Basis for the District Court’s Subject Matter Jurisdiction The District Court had jurisdiction pursuant to the Federal Interpleader Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1335. Alternatively Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 22 and diversity under 28 U.S.C. § 1332 existed. In addition, in a proposed amended complaint the plaintiff Hollister asserted jurisdiction also for a direct violation of the constitutional requirement in Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 concerning the eligibility of an individual to be President of the United States if he is not, as is there stated, a “natural born...

The movie Pirate Radio is loosely based on the true story of a collection of renegade disc-jockeys that broadcast rock and roll from a ship on the open seas after that music was banned from the airwaves by a repressive British government during the mid-1960s. The trailer for the comedy depicts two ominous moments interspersed among a number of hilarious scenes. The first occurs when government official Sir Alistair Dormandy (played by actor Kenneth Branaugh) responds to a colleague's suggestion the broadcasters no longer violate any laws by saying: "That's the whole point of being in government. If you don't...

The Obama administration's absurd, unnecessary and dangerous decision to prosecute 9/11 terrorists in a civilian court is plumbing the depths of what Charles Krauthammer has labeled, "Bush Derangement Syndrome" (BDS): the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency -- nay -- the very existence of George W. Bush. If they can convict some terrorists in the process, get ready for double fist-bumps all around. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, (KSM) the confessed mastermind of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack and four co-conspirators face in a military tribunal at the detention center at Guantánamo Bay,...

2010 California Governor: Brown 41%, Whitman 41% State Attorney General Jerry Brown is the only major Democrat still running for governor of California next year, and now he’s tied with Republican hopeful Meg Whitman at 41% each in the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state. Three percent (3%) of California voters favor some other gubernatorial candidate, and 14% are undecided. In late September, Brown was ahead 44% to 35% in a hypothetical match-up with former eBay executive Whitman.

As the U.S. Senate prepares to vote on ObamaCare Saturday, medical professionals across the country will speak out against the government's takeover of health care. The Million Med March is taking place in state capitols and major cities across the U.S. this weekend. The events are being organized by a group called Doctors U.N.I.T.E.

A folder containing documents, data and emails purportedly "hacked" from Britain's Climate Research Unit (CRU) may be smoking gun proof of a worldwide conspiracy to exaggerate the existence, causation and threat of global warming.  And the list of apparent conspirators includes many of the world's leading climate alarmists -- the very scientists on whose work the entire anthropogenic global warming theory is based. In a Friday interview with Investigative Magazine's TGIF edition, CRU director Phillip Jones confirmed [PDF] that the incriminating documents, which have been widely disseminated online, are in fact genuine. Accordingly, whether indeed the labor of hackers, or...