Free Republic

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (CNN) — John McCain the presidential candidate suddenly sounded like the John McCain of 2005 on Monday, touting two pet issues that have generated considerable heartache among grassroots conservatives: the “Gang of 14” compromise and comprehensive immigration reform. McCain brought up the “Gang of 14” saga unprompted at a town hall here, in advance of a major speech on judicial appointments he is set to deliver tomorrow in Winston-Salem.

The McCain camp says their candidate will get a "major endorsement" today in Greenville, South Carolina. MSNBC is reporting that Senator Tom Coburn will endorse John McCain. Don't get me wrong. It's a solid endorsement, but I don't know if you would consider it a "major endorsement." To be a major endorsement, a person really has to have national name recognition. If you line ten people up, nine out of ten probably couldn't tell you who Coburn is. Having said that, Coburn is a nice feather in the cap. He's known for shaking up Washington because of his fights against...

Are a Nominee's Views Fair Game? As High Court Battle Nears, Parties Parse the Senate Filibuster Deal But several Senate Democrats who co-authored that deal countered that ideology is a legitimate line of inquiry and potentially a reason to block a nomination. "In my mind, extraordinary circumstances would include not only extraordinary personal behavior but also extraordinary ideological positions," said Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.), a moderate the White House has been hoping to enlist to give bipartisan backing to the nominee.

The Senate will debate whether to apologize for its role in blocking federal intervention in the quaint Southern tradition of lynching, in part by using the filibuster to block legislation making such vigilante murders a federal civil-rights offense. The Washington Post digs into its archives to reprint part of an 1894 report of the lynching of Stephen Williams, accused of "manhandling" a white woman -- the usual but hardly the only excuse for such murders -- and then notes that the Senate had three explicit opportunities to stop the practice: At the time, there was no federal law against lynching,...

"Extraordinary Circumstances"By Ben JohnsonFrontPageMagazine.com | May 25, 2005 The Left’s latest bid to overturn the seven-month-old presidential election has partially succeeded. Late Monday night, a coalition of seven moderate Republicans agreed to give the Democratic Party the right to permanently obstruct any nominee deemed unacceptable by its activist base. In return for preserving their inalienable right to abuse the filibuster through the end of this Congressional term, the Democrats agreed to stop wielding it against three of the president’s ten judicial nominees. The bi-partisan coalition of fourteen legislators – including Robert Byrd, Harry Reid, and John McCain – further agreed,...

The three nominees that the RINOS allowed through are the most telegenic nominees, the ones that the Rats fear the most because they cannot make the 'Republicans are about being white' claim. Losing them as the faces of the filibuster is a complete sellout by the RINOS so that the Rats get their way and shut down the other appointees. They also keep the filibuster in place for the Supreme Court nominations to follow. Those of you who miss the fact that this is really about p.r., and see this as a victory, are too busy celebrating minor battles won...