Free Republic

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) on Thursday sent a letter to Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte urging him to reconstitute immediately a Central Intelligence Agency unit responsible for hunting down Osama bin Laden. Kerry, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a presidential hopeful, was reacting to a story published by The New York Times on Tuesday that reported that the CIA unit known as Alec Station was disbanded late last year and its analysts reassigned within the CIA Counterterrorist Center. "This unit should be reconstituted immediately and given all resources necessary to finish the job of...

'We have to get angry, and organize around that," he told the audience of about 800 students at Brown University, deviating from his prepared text. ...And while Kerry's speech was part of an annual political lecture series at Brown, it had the air of a major political moment. The senator was surrounded by family members including his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, daughter Vanessa, and brother Cameron -- each a key member of his inner circle and each in a position to advise him on whether to make a 2008 run. They and the senator's aides scrutinized his performance from the...

SEATTLE, Washington (AP) -- Sen. John F. Kerry told state legislators Friday the Democratic Party doesn't need to undergo an extreme makeover, saying "the last thing America needs is a second Republican Party." After blistering Republicans on everything from Iraq to health care, Kerry said Democrats have an opportunity to rebuild nationally by simply addressing the concerns that affect people's daily lives -- energy, transportation, health care and security. "We have to go out and fight for the real issues that make a difference in the lives of the American people and we don't need some great lurch to the...

Senator says it is his turn 'to collect' on an election-night promise SAINT-ETIENNE, France – Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) watched Lance Armstrong win Saturday's 20th stage and says he's at the Tour to collect on a promise of a ride with the six-time winner. Kerry said the promise was made election night, when Armstrong and girlfriend Sheryl Crow were in Boston to support the Democratic presidential candidate. "I'm going to collect on my ride with Lance," Kerry joked. "Lance came to Boston on the night of my election. Lance and I promised each other a ride during the campaign,...