http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/handwringers/ en-us Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:27:52 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048241/posts This is the week that the Democratic party ran up the white flag when it comes to the surge in Iraq. Leading the surrender was none other than Barack Obama, the Democratic party's presumptive nominee for president and among the most vocal critics of the counterinsurgency plan that has transformed the Iraq war from a potentially catastrophic loss to what may turn out to be a historically significant victory. On Monday, Obama wrote a New York Times op-ed in which he acknowledged the success of the surge. "In the 18 months since President Bush announced the surge," Obama wrote, "our... weeklystandard.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048241/posts#comment Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:27:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046461/posts Where will you be in five years? Many claim the American dream has died. Earnings have supposedly stagnated, even while corporate profits boom and health coverage disappears. Most Americans believe the economy is in a recession. Pick up any newspaper, and it seems the days when most Americans could work hard and expect to get ahead are over. But look more closely at the polls. They show most Americans think it's harder for other Americans to get ahead, but that they personally will be better off in the future. How can most Americans believe opportunities are vanishing for others but... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046461/posts#comment Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:50:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2045366/posts Why is it that with every bump in the road, some people in the Democratic Party immediately assume the “kiss my behind goodbye position” illustrated on aircraft seat cards? When they’re not depressed over the war that the USA won in Iraq, and the larger ongoing successes against terrorism, they’re bracing themselves for the party itself to implode - for the ground to break under their feet and swallow them. Cross Action News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2045366/posts#comment Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:48:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043970/posts The United States appears to be on a downward spiral from which there is no apparent escape. Our very way of life is being severely threatened in the interest of fairness, multiculturalism and liberalism in general. Tradition, culture and national identification mean nothing anymore because so-called progressives -- the new term for liberals -- are bent on molding this country into an unidentifiable glob of feel-good socialism. One need only look at recent events in order to verify my concern. The country is flooded with illegal aliens who have no fear of apprehension or deportation and in fact are aided... The Mississippi Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043970/posts#comment Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:30:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038179/posts Repeal the 2nd Amendment June 27, 2008 No, we don't suppose that's going to happen any time soon. But it should. The 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is evidence that, while the founding fathers were brilliant men, they could have used an editor. A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. Chicago Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038179/posts#comment Sun, 29 Jun 2008 16:12:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037364/posts So much for that second-half rebound. Truth be told, that was always more of a wish than a serious forecast, happy talk from the Fed and Wall Street desperate to get things back to normal. It ain't gonna happen. Not this summer. Not this fall. Not even next winter. This thing's going down, fast and hard. Corporate bankruptcies, bond defaults, bank failures, hedge fund meltdowns and 6 percent unemployment. We're caught in one of those vicious, downward spirals that, once it gets going, is very hard to pull out of. Only this will be a different kind of recession --... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037364/posts#comment Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:15:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2034721/posts Picture Generals Obama, Reid and Pelosi standing a foot deep in snow at Vally Forge: Quartermaster reports: "The soldiers are freezing, shall we search for more firewood?" The Generals: "No! Impose a tax on all the firewood suppliers!" Forgotten source from the '70's http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2034721/posts#comment Sun, 22 Jun 2008 14:59:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029302/posts NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams pleaded with graduates from Ohio State University in Columbus to repair America during a commencement speech Sunday. "I come here today with a request for the Class of '08: We need you to fix the country – and I'm sorry to ask this of you," Williams said, suggesting that the U.S. is broken. "And I'm deadly serious and we really do. I am 49 and on behalf of my generation, I'm so sorry …" The news anchor, who was awarded an honorary Doctor of Journalism degree from the university, said the Internet has distracted... WorldNetDaily.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029302/posts#comment Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:50:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028077/posts Party of Defeat: How Democrats and Radicals Undermined America's War on Terror Before and After 9-11 By David Horowitz and Ben Johnson FrontPageMagazine.com | Friday, April 11, 2008 The following [link] is the introduction from the new book Party of Defeat by David Horowitz and Ben Johnson. The introduction lays out the book's thesis: that the opposition to the war in Iraq has crossed a troubling boundary. For the first time, a large number of national leaders have not merely opposed a war; that would be their inalienable right under the U.S. Constitution. Instead, they have actively sabotaged an ongoing... several sources http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028077/posts#comment Sun, 8 Jun 2008 23:54:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028103/posts Nearly 60 House Democrats yesterday urged the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to examine whether top Bush administration officials may have committed crimes in authorizing the use of harsh interrogation tactics against suspected terrorists. In a letter to Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey, the lawmakers cited what they said is "mounting evidence" that senior officials personally sanctioned the use of waterboarding and other aggressive tactics against detainees in U.S.-run prisons overseas. An independent investigation is needed to determine whether such actions violated U.S or international law, the letter stated. The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028103/posts#comment Mon, 9 Jun 2008 00:45:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2014002/posts Groom, many guests of one wedding will be on call for another - that of the president's daughter Saturday, May 10, 2008 WEST — Nora Bartosh has been waiting for her wedding, scheduled for today, for the past six years. Now, the 34-year-old West drugstore clerk is worried that a president's daughter could steal her groom and thus her special day. The groom, all eight groomsmen and about 150 of the guests work in McLennan County law enforcement. That leaves Bartosh hoping that everything goes smoothly in and around President Bush's Crawford-area ranch today as first daughter Jenna says her... Austin Pravda http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2014002/posts#comment Sat, 10 May 2008 12:41:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2013719/posts It’s a popular upgrade for new homes, but could your granite countertop actually be a hazard to your health? The family who agreed to have their granite countertop tested for radiation wants you to know the answer to that question. They asked that their identity not be revealed, but they would like to share what was found at their home. “We’re living in a world that has radiation in it. And there’s nothing that you can do to stop it. However, that’s above background. That is an enhanced source of radiation,” said Bill Llope. Llope is a Rice University physicist.... Texas Cable News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2013719/posts#comment Fri, 9 May 2008 19:13:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2013344/posts SPIEGEL ONLINE: Mr. Kaplan, in a recent publication, the US National Defense University described the Iraq War as a "major debacle." According to the latest statistics, 500 insurgent attacks are still taking place each week. Still, you are convinced that there is a "learning curve" for the US Army in Iraq. What exactly has been learned? Kaplan: One attack is one too many. But a while ago there were 500 attacks a day. So empirically, the situation has improved -- whether measured in terms of Iraqi cilivans killed or American soldiers attacked, insurgents captured or the number of intelligence tip-offs.... Der Spiegel http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2013344/posts#comment Fri, 9 May 2008 00:10:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2011198/posts ...They are not only tired of nation-building in Iraq and in Afghanistan, with so little to show for it. They sense something deeper — that we’re just not that strong anymore. We’re borrowing money to shore up our banks from city-states called Dubai and Singapore. Our generals regularly tell us that Iran is subverting our efforts in Iraq, but they do nothing about it because we have no leverage — as long as our forces are pinned down in Baghdad and our economy is pinned to Middle East oil. Our president’s latest energy initiative was to go to Saudi Arabia... NYT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2011198/posts#comment Sun, 4 May 2008 22:54:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2000452/posts <p>Tribal leaders in southern Iraq are starting to push back against Iranian-supported militias in Basra, cracking their hold over the economically crucial province, Gen. David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker said yesterday at two separate roundtable interviews with reporters. Continues...</p> Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2000452/posts#comment Sat, 12 Apr 2008 07:21:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1999294/posts The outcome of the Iraq war may still be in the balance but U.S. President George W. Bush has already won the war about the war in Washington. In November 2006 elections, Bush's Republican Party lost control of both houses of Congress largely due to public anger about Iraq. Democrats pledged to end the war that started in March 2003 and bring the troops home. But testimony to Congress this week by the top commander on the ground, Army Gen. David Petraeus, indicates there will be about the same high level of U.S. troops in Iraq when Americans elect Bush's... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1999294/posts#comment Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:56:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1997183/posts Sen. Biden: Troop buildup is failure 16 minutes ago A leading Democrat on Saturday declared last year's troop buildup in Iraq a failure. Sen. Joe Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the military push didn't succeed because U.S. troops remain committed there in large numbers and political reconciliation has not been achieved. "The purpose of the surge was to bring violence in Iraq down so that its leaders could come together politically," said Biden, D-Del., in this week's Democratic radio address. "Violence has come down, but the Iraqis have not come together." He later added, "There is... Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1997183/posts#comment Sat, 5 Apr 2008 15:39:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1994563/posts Hagel: Who says we have to win Iraq? Sat, 29 Mar 2008 19:19:47 Republican Senator Chuck Hagel says some of the top politicians in Washington hold regrettable views on how the Iraq war should end. In a Thursday interview with CNN, Hagel criticized Republican nominee-in-waiting John McCain for framing the situation in Iraq as one that the US must 'win'. "John (McCain), the President and the others have put the Iraqi situation in the wrong context. This isn't a win or lose," said Hagel. "We shouldn't frame this up as a win-or-lose because, when we do that - and this... Press TV, Iran http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1994563/posts#comment Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:38:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1992848/posts 5 Ex-Chief Diplomats: Close Guantanamo Mar 27 08:46 PM US/Eastern By GREG BLUESTEIN Associated Press Writer ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - Five former U.S. secretaries of state on Thursday urged the next presidential administration to close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp and open a dialogue with Iran. The former chiefs of American diplomacy, who served in Democratic and Republican administrations, reached a consensus on the two issues at a conference in Athens aimed at giving the next president some bipartisan foreign policy advice. Each of them said shuttering the prison camp in Cuba would bolster America's image abroad. "It says to... Brietbart http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1992848/posts#comment Fri, 28 Mar 2008 01:12:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1992580/posts President Bush on Thursday defended the slow pace of progress in Iraq, asserting "it is not foot-dragging" as Iraqi politicians try to reach agreement on political, security and economic goals. Bush derided calls from Congress for troop withdrawals or deadlines so that the military could focus more on the anti-terror battle elsewhere. "This argument makes no sense," he said. Bush offered his assessment of the war in a speech before a military audience of more than 1,000 people at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton. Within weeks, Bush is expected to endorse the recommendations of... Breitbart http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1992580/posts#comment Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:07:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1990759/posts Top Democrats on Monday reacted to the 4,000th U.S. death in Iraq by calling for a change in policy.Democratic presidential frontrunner Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) called the event a “grim milestone” and advocated a new course on Iraq. “It is past time to end this war that should never have been waged by bringing our troops home, and finally pushing Iraq's leaders to take responsibility for their future,” Obama stated.His rival for the nomination, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), said at the onset of a speech on the economy that the news of the 4,000th U.S. death in Iraq is... The Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1990759/posts#comment Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:39:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1987551/posts #It is no real surprise to learn that while John McCain is visiting our troops in Iraq, Hillary Clinton is back in America declaring that Iraq is a war that "we cannot win." She says that McCain's course of action would leave us in Iraq for another 100 years, compared to Hillary's plan to get us out by 2009. On McCain and George Bush, Hillary says, "They both want to keep us tied to another country's civil war, a war we cannot win ... That in a nutshell is the Bush/McCain Iraq policy. Don't learn from your mistakes, repeat them."... NEALZ NUZE http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1987551/posts#comment Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:07:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1978616/posts   Angelina Jolie Makes More Sense than the Democrats on Iraq February 29, 2008 BEGIN TRANSCRIPT <SNIP> Everybody today is raving about a piece in the Washington Post by Angelina Jolie in which she just got back from Iraq. She says, "We have finally reached a point where humanitarian assistance, from us and others, can have an impact."  Her point is to stay, help the Iraqis, especially those who are out of the country, want to come back home, the time is right now, and that the surge is working.  Now, if you read the piece by Angelina Jolie... Rush Limbaugh http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1978616/posts#comment Sat, 1 Mar 2008 02:58:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1978293/posts Be careful what you wish for... Democrats wanted power in 2006, and vowed to end the war if they got it. They got power, and showed that they had no clue how to end it, and no intention of doing so in any event. There was talk of cutting funds for the war, and they could have done that, but instead chose to push their party agenda rather than make concessions needed to pass a funding cut measure in a bi-partisan way. Instead they tell their constituents that the Democratic Party needs more power. They need enough power to override... Flopping Aces http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1978293/posts#comment Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:15:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1976796/posts WASHINGTON -- Democrats, facing rejection today of a proposal co-sponsored by Wisconsin's Sen. Russ Feingold to cut off money for the Iraq war, are planning to shift their emphasis to the war's toll on the American economy to rebuild anti-war momentum.In recent months, violence in Iraq has declined, and the Baghdad government has made small steps toward political reconciliation, including plans to hold provincial elections on Oct. 1. While Democratic voters remain largely against the war, the security improvement has helped to cool anxiety among Republicans and stave off legislation demanding that troops start coming home. The Senate was expected... Madistan.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1976796/posts#comment Wed, 27 Feb 2008 01:07:00 GMT