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Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) said Tuesday that he regrets making a commercial with then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on the need to address climate change. Gingrich, who partnered with Pelosi while she was Speaker for the 2008 ad, said the spot was "misconstrued," and for that reason, he wouldn't do it again. "I was trying to make a point that we shouldn't be afraid to debate the left, even on the environment," Gingrich said on WGIR radio of the 30-second television commercial. "Obviously it was misconstrued, and it's probably one of those things I wouldn't do again." That commercial...

The marriage proposal was apparently a rather romantic affair. On Christmas Eve, the couple watched a late-night movie together and then exchanged gifts: for him a framed photograph of their King Charles Spaniel, for her an engagement ring. ‘She burst into tears,’ he revealed on Twitter at the weekend. ‘This is the happiest Christmas in memory.’ ‘The most memorable Christmas ever,’ she tweeted in agreement. ‘I love him.’ All of which might be rather more touching if the ­prospective groom was not Playboy tycoon Hugh Hefner who, at 84, is 60 years older than his fiancée, a platinum blonde model...

U.S. Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Mullen prefers dialogue with Iran, believing that a military strike would only delay, not halt, its nuclear plans. The United States needs to be realistic about its efforts to engage Iran, whose leaders are lying about Tehran's nuclear program and are on a path to building nuclear weapons, the top U.S. military officer said. Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in comments released on Friday that the U.S. military has been thinking about military options on Iran "for a significant period of time" but added that diplomacy remained...

Is that a rock on Bristol's finger?

(CNN) -- SNIPPET: "The charge centers around a one-way ticket that authorities allege Abdel Hameed Shehadeh purchased from Queens, New York, to Islamabad, Pakistan. Shehadeh originally told investigators that the purpose of his trip was to visit an Islamic university and attend a friend's engagement party. But he later admitted to FBI agents in Hawaii that he bought the ticket in order to join a fighting group such as the Taliban, according to a criminal complaint unsealed in New York Monday."

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is greeting foreign diplomats at a White House reception, hailing a "new era of engagement in the world." Said the president: "We're doing together what none of us can achieve by ourselves." Scores of ambassadors and other foreign officials were invited to the East Room on Tuesday for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres at an annual diplomatic corps reception.

When Matt Cawley popped the big question to girlfriend Stacey Scanlon, it's fair to say it could've gone better. "Just another chapter in the book," said Cawley. "I was like 'Here we go!'" "I feel like it's a story that'll be passed along in our families forever," added Scanlon. They're talking about the loss of a $9,000 diamond engagement ring -- a family heirloom. Cawley's plan was to surprise Scanlon with the ring during a romantic walk along Lighthouse Jetty in South Yarmouth on Monday morning. He tied it to a big sand dollar with some string, slipped it onto...

The most amazing real-life soap opera of our times has taken a new twist: Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston are engaged. Make that two twists: They apparently shared the news with US Weekly before her mom. There they are on the magazine's cover, holding their 18-month-old son Tripp and explaining how they got back together after the most famous teenage breakup ever. Engaged during her mother's vice-presidential campaign, they parted shortly after their son's birth, and the split quickly turned tabloid-ugly. But they said they bonded again while trying to work out a custody plan three months ago. "I really...

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) on Sunday said that the U.S. military’s rules of engagement have hurt troop morale in Afghanistan and said that he hoped the new top commander there, Gen. David Petraeus, will clarify them as soon as possible. The previous commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, placed restrictions on U.S. air strikes and artillery in Afghanistan, limiting the circumstances that allow troops under fire to call for fire support. Those rules of engagement have cut down on civilian casualties, but have been strongly criticized by American troops who say those rules have made the fight more dangerous.

SNIPPET - quote: Obama's Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism speaks out against "Islamophobia" If Hannah Rosenthal really wants to end "Islamophobia," here is an easy way. She can call upon Muslims to: 1. Focus their indignation on Muslims committing violent acts in the name of Islam, not on non-Muslims reporting on those acts. 2. Renounce definitively not just "terrorism," but any intention to replace the U.S. Constitution (or the constitutions of any non-Muslim state) with Sharia even by peaceful means. In line with this, clarify what is meant by their condemnations of the killing of innocent people by...

If she takes up swimming again, she won't be able to wear her engagement ring in the pool - she'd surely sink. Prince Albert of Monaco has proposed to South African former swimmer Charlene Wittstock - giving her a ring that more than makes up for his reputation as an eternal playboy. The royal palace said in a statement that the engagement was announced today between the 52-year-old prince and 32-year-old Wittstock.

The following text SNIPPET is a quote: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-10-1084A1.pdf PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 445 12thSt., S.W. Washington, D.C.20554 News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 DA 10-1084 Released: June 16, 2010 MEDIA BUREAU ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF REQUESTS FOR QUOTATION FOR MEDIA OWNERSHIP STUDIES AND SEEKS SUGGESTIONS FOR ADDITIONAL STUDIES IN MEDIA OWNERSHIP PROCEEDING MB Docket No. 09-182 Suggestions for Additional Studies Deadline:July 7, 2010 Requests for Quotation for Media Ownership Studies. As part of the Commission’s 2010 Quadrennial Media Ownership proceeding,1the Commission is commissioning nine economic studies to evaluate the current marketplace and the state of...

"STOCKHOLM -- Princess Madeleine of Sweden has broken off her engagement with attorney Jonas Bergstrom, the Royal Court announced Saturday. "The reasons for the break up were not disclosed, but Norwegian magazine Se og Hoer published an interview this week with a woman named Tora Uppstroem Berg who claimed she had spent a night with the princess' fiance at a popular Swedish skiing resort last year."

Join General Paul Vallely(ret'd) and Bill Roggio of the Long War Journal for vital conversation on the Long War and Rules of Engagement. Chill those brewsky's break out the cigars, and put on your slippers for some great computer side chat. The Long War Journal consistently provides original and accurate reporting and analysis of the Long War (also known as the Global War on Terror). LWJ accomplishes this through embedded reporters, news aggregation, podcasts, and other media. Bill Roggio is retired Army and has embedded with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Long War Journal has become the go-to site...

Iranian despot Ahmadinejad said it back in May but it is obvious that he still believes it. At a joint press conference with the Syrian President, Ahmadinejad boasted that “those who one day called Iran and Syria part of the axis of evil now want to develop relations with Iran and Syria. Circumstances are changing rapidly in our favor,we are on the road to victory." At the very least he is on the road to making President Obama look foolish again. Obama made a proposal to start talks between Iran and the west. The proposal covered many issues but Iranian...

Is Obama's 'let's talk' diplomacy failing? The US has scored no big wins under his policy of talking with the enemy. Doubts that it can are rising. By Howard LaFranchi | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Washington President Obama may be willing to talk to America's adversaries abroad, but six months into his tenure hardly anyone is returning his call – a situation that is prompting restiveness in Congress and a round of "we told you so's" by diplomatic hawks. In one sign of impatience with Mr. Obama's approach, the US Senate in late July unanimously urged the...

"The situation today is that the Americans are begging Iran for dialogue - in very disrespectful language, like uncultured cowboys. Because of their arrogant nature, they have not yet learned that asking for dialogue with someone you need requires a certain politeness - and that desperate battle cries, shouting, and screaming are not considered a sign of strength. We return, therefore, to the starting point - that is, to the American reevaluation of its dialogue strategy following the Iranian elections. With its refusal to cease or even slow down nuclear development, Iran has basically answered President Obama's offer of dialogue...

Growing up we all believe what we want to. For years my son believed that there were monsters under his bed at night, my daughter believed that a unicorn would show up for her to ride away. Both of them believed in the tooth fairy (OK to be honest there was one of those, it was their father in a closet, but that's a story for another day.). Part of the growing process is that we realize that these childish myths are not real by any means. Surprisingly, there is one childish myth that many otherwise intelligent adults cling on...

Every administration has its version of fixers, kitchen Cabinets, fellow travelers, and advisers who may never have to endure Senate confirmation hearings or show up on the government's payroll, yet can wield wide influence on an administration. The highest title that can be bestowed on such a person would be that of an eminence grise (French for "grey influence") who is a powerful advisor operating behind the scenes or through like-minded acolytes whom he has helped to place in positions of power. That man for the Obama administration in the realm of foreign policy toward Iran and the rest of...

Is Barack Obama "losing Walter Cronkite"? Following a Walter Cronkite editorial report during the Tet Offensive that the Vietnam War was unwinnable, President Lyndon Johnson is reported to have said, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost middle America." Today one of President Obama's "propaganda arms, the Washington Post, wrote an editorial about President's "outreach to Iran." It warned that the President's promise to talk while Iran is libeling Israel, and imprisoning Americans is nothing short of appeasement. Wow the Washington Post disagreeing with Obama. Is this President Obama's "losing Uncle Walter" moment? Or has it begun to snow in hell?

On March 30th DEBKA reported DEBKAfile’s Washington sources report that the Obama administration is on the threshold of a major rapprochement with Tehran, a reversal of US policy dramatic enough to block out international sanctions. Iran will be allowed to keep its nuclear program, including military elements and enriched uranium stocks, up to the point of actually assembling a weapon. [..] The US president is willing to ditch Israel as a friend. This will be brought home to Jerusalem when he makes his big speech on April 7 appealing for a grand US-Muslim global reconciliation. The US president is preparing...

President Obama has begun his promised engagement with the Syrian regime. The American objective is to pry Syria away from Iran, which is unlikely to happen. For Syria it is an opportunity to alleviate the international pressure on Damascus. The "engagement" with Syria comes at a particularly sensitive time, just a few months before the Lebanese elections, where the present government faces stiff competition from Syrian puppet Hezballah.Of course the contact will serve to weaken Washington steps to shore up the opponents of the terrorist group. With recent history as a guide, there is little reason to be optimistic that...

Iran is the Number two oil producer in the world, its economy is totally dependent on what used to be called "Texas tea." 85% of its revenues come from crude oil. The operative word is crude. What Iran doesn't have is the infrastructure to refine that crude into usable gasoline and other petroleum products. Kind of like being on a raft in the middle of the ocean without a canteen; "water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink." Last week, the President has reached out to Iran, and they replied with a spit in his face. Here is an...

President Obama has already begun his promised engagement with the Syrian regime. The American objective is to pry Syria away from Iran, which is unlikely to happen. For Syria it is an opportunity to alleviate the international pressure on Damascus. The "engagement" with Syria comes at a particularly sensitive time, just a few months before the Lebanese elections, where the present government faces stiff competition from Syrian puppet Hizbullah. The timing may serve to weaken Washington steps to shore up the opponents of the terrorist group. As part of the negotiations Syria may convince Washington to take on an enhanced...

SARAH Palin's teenage Bristol has broken off her engagement to Levi Johnston two months after the birth of their child. The 18-year-old daughter of the Alaskan Governor told the Associated Press (AP) she was "devastated" by the split. "Unfortunately, my family has seen many people say and do many things to 'cash in' on the Palin name," she said in a statement. "Sometimes that greed clouds good judgment and the truth." Mr Johnston, 19, told AP the pair had mutually decided to end their relationship. Bristol Palin's pregnancy was announced last summer days after her mother was named John McCain's...

> The most exciting aspect of this new annealing process is the unlimited size of the crystals that can be treated. The breakthrough will allow us to push to kilocarat diamonds of high optical quality” says coauthor Ho-kwang Mao. Because the method does not require a high pressure press, it promises faster processing of diamonds and more types of diamonds to be de-colored than current high-pressure annealing methods. There is also no restriction on the size of crystals or the number of crystals, because the method is not limited by the chamber size of a high pressure press. The microwave...

German special forces had an important Taliban commander in their sights in Afghanistan. But he escaped -- because the Germans were not authorized to use lethal force. The German government's hands-tied approach to the war is causing friction with its NATO allies. The wheat is lush and green in the fields of northern Afghanistan this spring. A river winding its way through the broad valley dotted with walled houses completes the picturesque scene. Behind one of these walls, not far from the town of Pol-e-Khomri, sits a man whose enemies, having named him a "target," would like to see dead....

Hajji, of Hackney, east London, had concealed a 6,000-pound engagement ring inside a helium balloon. The idea was that she would pop the balloon as he popped the question. But as he left the shop, a gust of wind pulled the balloon from his hand and he watched the ring -- and quite possibly the affections of his girlfriend -- sailing away over the rooftops.

Change in North Korea? So far, there's little sign of it. Saturday, October 13, 2007; Page A18 THE BUSH administration and the South Korean government are behaving as if they expect a remarkable transformation in North Korea within the next few months. The administration is quietly preparing to remove the regime of Kim Jong Il from the list of state sponsors of terrorism -- essentially reversing and repudiating President Bush's description of Pyongyang as part of an "axis of evil." For his part, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun -- like Mr. Bush, an unpopular lame duck -- showered Mr. Kim...

Jenna Bush Ducks Iraq, Talks EngagementIn Book-Promoting Interview, First Daughter Avoids Iraq Questions, Discusses Her Romantic Engagement Story The recently engaged Jenna Bush, daughter of President Bush and first lady Laura Bush, walks across the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007, as she arrives with her parents from New York where the president attended the the annual United Nations General Assembly. In August the White House announced Jenna's engagement to Henry Hager of Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/Scott Applewhite) (AP) WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2007 Jenna Bush said her "boyfriend" - she doesn't like the word...

Sgt. 1st Class Mark Dengate, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, examines an Iraqi baby brought to a cooperative medical engagement in Baghdad’s Karkh District, Sept. 20. Photo by Spc. Alexis Harrison, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs. BAGHDAD — Normally in a support role, you support ongoing operations with maintenance and logistics. You hardly ever get out in the streets to perform first-hand operations.Troops from the Forward Support Company D, 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, recently spearheaded a cooperative medical engagement involving several Coalition...

1. Norman Hsu Gave to Kennedy, Kerry, Obama, Others Already posted separately on the forum. 2. Hillary Fundraiser Curses Out GOP When Florida’s Republican Party attacked Hillary Clinton for enlisting a fundraiser once accused of racketeering, the fundraiser responded with a profanity-laced tirade — and later apologized. Former Hialeah, Fla., Mayor Raul Martinez was brought up on federal corruption charges nearly two decades ago. He was convicted but successfully appealed, and two more trials ended in hung juries, the Miami Herald reported. After the Democrat hosted a Clinton fundraiser at his home on Monday, Sept. 10, Republican Party of Florida...

Last week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's team of senior environmental advisors ended a trip to Europe with executives from Chevron, PG&E and other corporations. The trip was designed to study Europe's efforts to curb global warming, but it also spotlighted how the Schwarzenegger administration sometimes deals with the companies it regulates. It's called "constructive engagement" - treating corporations under regulatory control as partners rather than enemies to be beaten into submission. The agency that regulates California workplaces, Cal-OSHA, often relies on cooperative agreements with company owners rather than threats of huge fines to improve conditions. CalPERS also has attempted to use...

This movie is moving around the country. They are sometimes having discussions after it. I think that anyone who thinks they know what happened at Waco has another thing coming.

The mission to help Iraqis build a free and prosperous Iraq is at a critical juncture. In order to reduce the unacceptably high levels of violence, the president has recently set forth a new strategy that increases the number of troops patrolling the streets of Baghdad and Anbar province. Although some Americans have concerns about this new strategy, they are united in their desire that our troops have the best training and equipment possible in order to achieve success. Americans also want to ensure that our leaders are sending our forces into combat with rules of engagement that permit them...

Ok, I want to propose. I dont know how to go about a ring. I want something cheap but nice. She is the nicest, most understanding woman on the planet, but I dont want to look like a cheapskate. I am not that rich. going into my life savings for this. any freepers have any advice. I would like to propose on Canadian thankgiving in Oct. She lives in Toronto. plan to be moved in with her by Christmas *smile*

BEIT LAHIYA, Gaza Strip - Israeli forces on Thursday took over the remains of three abandoned Jewish settlements in the northern Gaza Strip and entered a nearby Palestinian town, creating a temporary buffer zone to prevent Palestinian militants from firing rockets at Israel. The army last week launched its largest operation in the coastal area since it withdrew from the territory a year ago. The operation, which followed the capturing of an Israeli soldier, was expanded overnight after militants from the ruling Hamas group fired two homemade rockets at the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, which used to be out...

Last week John Kerry revealed his plan to "redeploy" U.S. forces from Iraq. This plan is different from fellow Defeaticrat Jack Murtha's plan to "redeploy" U.S. forces from Iraq to Okinawa, which Congressman Murtha seems to think is in the general neighborhood of Iraq. Iraq's in the Middle East, Okinawa's in the Far East: C'mon, how far can it be to get from the Far to the Middle? After all, the distance between the farthest fringe of the kook left and the center of the Democratic Party seems to be closing up every week. Anyway, Sen. Kerry doesn't want to...

Francis Fukuyama's recent essay in the New York Times, "After Neoconservatism," isn't just a call for neo-realism in lieu of neoconservatism. It's a call for nothing in lieu of something. Admittedly, sometimes doing nothing is the best policy. But after 9/11, as we survey the threat of Islamic terror and rogue states, should we really settle for so little? After excoriating the real and imagined sins of neoconservatism, Fukuyama offers the following plan for reforming our foreign policy: 1) "In the first instance, we need to demilitarize what we have been calling the global war on terrorism and shift to...

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - If the wedding is off, the engagement ring must be returned, Pennsylvania state law states but a broken engagement and ensuing legal battle over a $35,000 ring may change that. Mario Mele, 64, a former county commissioner who owns a dental insurance agency, met Janet Grace, 46, of Philadelphia, a construction manager, in December 2004. Last spring, he gave her a 2 1/2-carat, princess-cut diamond set in hand-crafted platinum. Less than two months later, he asked for it back. Grace, who had designed the ring, refused, sold the diamond and replaced it in the setting with a...

A Marine who's planning to marry a Texan got an early Christmas present: A fellow shopper picked up the tab for a $3,000 diamond engagement ring after the two struck up a conversation in a jewelry store. The 54-year-old Dallas woman who paid for the 1-carat, princess cut diamond ring wants to remain anonymous, Helzberg Diamonds spokeswoman Stacey McBride told The Associated Press on Friday. The woman's father was in the military, her brother was a Marine who died in Vietnam and her nephew just got back from Iraq, McBride said. Marine James Lynaugh, 28, of Patuxent River, Md., was...

WASHINGTON - Pakistan's president on Sunday defended his recent attempts to engage Israel's government, saying most Pakistanis support his policy. Gen. Pervez Musharraf, whose foreign minister recently met for the first time with his Israeli counterpart, said he enjoyed widespread support for the diplomatic breakthrough. Both sides have said it was the result of Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. "When we are talking to the Israelis and the Israeli foreign minister, or I address the Jewish congress, I am very clear that this is the strategic direction that Pakistan needs to take," Musharraf said on CNN's "Late Edition." "The...

Nations use four basic instruments of power to manage strategic events and shape global situations—diplomacy, finances, information and military. Senator Kerry’s philosophy, as was Mr. Carter’s, is to use these instruments in a linear manner—one at a time—subject to the veto of other nations. This doctrine trivializes and employs military at a disadvantage. The failure of this doctrine has been obvious in recent history. Other nations easily rebuff each predictable move, and these applications are then turned to the detriment of the United States. Examples include double digit inflation, military obsolescence, and rouge nation emboldenment. The Bush doctrine, by contrast,...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Fellow journalists accused U.S. troops of negligence in the shooting death of a a Reuters cameraman, saying he was clearly identified as a newsman when a tank opened fire at him. Mazen Dana, 41, was shot and killed by U.S. soldiers Sunday while videotaping near a U.S.-run prison on the outskirts of Baghdad. The U.S. Army said its soldiers mistook his camera for a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. The film Dana shot showed a tank driving toward him. Six shots were heard, and the camera appeared to tilt forward and drop to the ground after the...

Presidential Nephew and first bachelor George P. Bush wont be single much longer. The son of Governor Jeb Bush who was #4 on People Magazines list on the countrys most eligible bachelors last year, told the magazine that he and fiancee Amanda Willams want to start a family 'as soon as possible.'But first a little family business: Bush will work for his uncles re-election campaign efore the nuptials.Bush, 27, graudated from the University of Texas Law School and plans to take the bar in Texas. He said he met Williams in a law school class when he paased her a...

Subject: Military Rules for the Non-Military Personnel Dear Civilians, We know that the current state of affairs in our great nation have many civilians up in arms and excited to join the military. For those of you who can't join, you can still lend a hand. Here are a few of the areas we would like your assistance with: The next time you see an adult talking (or wearing a hat) during the playing of the National Anthem ... kick their ass. When you witness firsthand someone burning the American Flag in protest... kick their ass. Regardless of the rank...

Voluntary Alternatives to Taxation Stuart K. Hayashi Most Americans believe paying taxes is a patriotic duty. Yet this very nation was founded upon people evading taxes in 1776. When individuals don’t pay taxes, the government goes after them with guns, even though they haven’t used force on anyone else. Thus, taxation is an initiation of physical force against the individual’s right to life, liberty and property. Because taxation is forcible extortion, it violates your right to property. If you don’t pay taxes, you can be jailed, hence depriving you the right to liberty. And if tax “evaders” fight tax...

I would just like to announce that on Saturday, August 31, FReeper lurker menmy38 asked LibertyGirl77 (yours truly) to be his wife. We will be married on October 11, 2003. I am so excited that I just had to share my news with FReepers!

Well, we all know that Free Republic has been the source of, or a conduit for, several romances, engagements, and weddings over the years. Tigerseye and .30carbine, LoneGreenEyeShade and DeadCultureWatch, Lazamataz and technochick99, DarthSidious and Lisa (FR name?), Slip18 and CyberLiberty, and probably many others who might be too modest to share their stories. Tonight, slugbug and I have the pleasure of sharing the announcement of our engagement with all of our friends, family, acquaintances, and fellow FR addicts.