Free Republic

Here’s what Barack Obama told Time’s Karen Tumulty and David Von Drehle earlier this week, when asked what we would learn about him from his vice presidential pick:

SNIP Mr. Obama touched down in Kabul about noon, according to a statement released by his aides. His trip has been cloaked in secrecy, which advisers said was due to security concerns set forth by the Secret Service. SNIP The governor of Nangarhar province, Gul Agha Shirzai, a burly former mujahedeen commander with a brutal past but who is favored by the United States as someone who gets things done, was the only Afghan official to meet Senator Obama and Senators Chuck Hagel, Republican of Nebraska, and Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island, at Jalalabad airfield along with the United...

Sen. Barack Obama is heading to Iraq later this month with two Senate colleagues, Republican Chuck Hagel and Democrat Jack Reed, according to two sources familiar with the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee's plans. The sources said the official Congressional delegation trip, known as a CODEL, will occur around the time Obama heads overseas for a previously-announced campaign trip to France, Germany, Great Britain, Israel, and Jordan to help beef up his foreign policy credentials. Officials are keeping the precise dates of Obama's trip under wraps, however, for obvious security reasons. The inclusion of Hagel on the official portion of the...

·11250 Waples Mill Road ·   Fairfax, Virginia 22030    ·800-392-8683   Renewed Attack on Privacy of Gun Buyers   Friday, May 02, 2008   This week, anti-gun U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) registration legislation that would invade the privacy rights of law-abiding gun owners.Cosponsored by like-minded Sens. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Carl Levin (D-MI), Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Charles Schumer (D-NY), S. 2935 would, among other things, require the FBI to retain records of cleared firearm transactions for at least 180 days.  Current law requires...

<p>In one of the shortest session in its history, the Senate's final session of the year lasted a total of 12 seconds Monday.</p> <p>Only one senator, Democrat Jack Reed of Rhode Island, was in the chamber to gavel open the Senate and adjourn it until January 3.</p>

As Senate Democrats continue to search for common ground on a way to alter the course of the Iraq war, Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) said he would not push for a vote on his measure calling for troops to be pulled out by next spring, if a weaker measure introduced by Senators Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) is supported by a majority of the body. Feingold -- who has been one of the fiercest critics of the war -- said his desire to see a change in Iraq strategy outweighed any concerns he had over the Levin-Reed measure....

WASHINGTON - A senior Democrat said Tuesday it was obvious the Iraqi government has made no progress and the only way to propel it was to begin pulling out U.S. troops. ADVERTISEMENT In a countermove, President Bush's national security adviser Stephen Hadley and war adviser Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute arrived on Capitol Hill to consult with members. Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, proposed legislation with Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., that would order President Bush to begin pulling out troops in 120 days and end combat by April 30, 2008. The measure would allow for some troops...

Senators of both parties yesterday said Congress would provide President Bush with legislation to deal with the terror suspects detained at the U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, following a Supreme Court decision that limited the White House's authority in dealing with the detainees. Some Republicans said they hoped to have legislation in place by September, with influential liberal Democrats saying they expected to give Mr. Bush the necessary tools for handling the issue and not obstruct the bills. "I would hope Congress would have hearings about what to do in light of this decision," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, South...

Weekend Talk Show *Preview* for 7/1 and 7/2/06 (not the live thread)The main message is the Sunday Shows.  Message 1 will be the Saturday Shows and message 2 will be the show guest links post.  Then I'll post the ping list.ABC This Week (George Stephanopoulos) Meme: Bush was wrong on all the issues McCain is right onThe Supreme's smack down the Bushies (who cares if it endangers the country, it's NEWS!!!) Topics: Hamdan, Immigration, and Iraq Guests Senator John McCain, Republican - Arizona He's BAAAAACKMcCain's back and Georgie's got himIt's such a tragedy that President Bush didn't listen to Saint...

Weekend Talk Show *Preview* for Saturday, June 10th and Sunday, June 11th, 2006 (not the live thread)The main message is the Sunday Shows on 6/11/006.  Message 1 will be the Saturday Shows and message 2 will be the show guest links post.  Then I'll post the ping list.ABC This Week (George Stephanopoulos) Meme: Yeah, yeah, a minor annoyance was murdered by the ruthless US military and Bushitler.  So what?Did you get a look at the hunk, Al Gore, with Steponallofus last week?  Talk about Presidential! Topics: Amb. L. Paul Bremer on al-Zarqawi's death and the fight for IraqRep. Reynolds vs....

The Talk Shows Sunday, June 4th, 2006 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del.; former U.N. chief weapons inspector Hans Blix. FACE THE NATION (CBS): Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. THIS WEEK (ABC): Former Vice President Al Gore; author John Updike. LATE EDITION (CNN) : Rice; Blix; Sens. George Allen, R-Va., and Carl Levin, D-Mich.

Weekend Talk Show *Preview* for 6/3 - 6/4/06 (not the live thread)The main message is the Sunday Shows.  Message 1 will be the Saturday Shows and message 2 will be the show guest links post.  Then I'll post the ping list.ABC This Week (George Stephanopoulos) Meme: Everything wrong on the planet is the fault of the United States (George W. Bush)Anyone who doesn't bow down before the god of Global Warming must be burned at the stake crucified (burning at the stake would add to the greenhouse gasses)Al Gore is the once and future President (we was robbed... a Kennedy...

The Talk Shows Sunday, March 19th, 2006 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa. FACE THE NATION (CBS): Vice President Dick Cheney. THIS WEEK (ABC): Sens. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., and Jack Reed, D-R.I.; Olympic speed skater Joey Cheek. LATE EDITION (CNN) : Sens. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., and Joseph Biden, D-Del.; Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Chalabi; Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah; former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

The hefty -- and growing -- bill for the war efforts may be getting some new auditors. Over the past three years, Congress has approved $320 billion for military spending over and above the regular Department of Defense budget, which itself has risen about 40% since 2001. But "oversight was lax," contends Senator Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island, who sits on the Armed Services Committee. As Pentagon officials head to Capitol Hill next week to start defending this year's $70 billion request for Iraq and Afghanistan, there's new scrutiny of where all the cash is going. The Department of...

WASHINGTON Both Democrats and Republicans say the special counsel looking into the C-I-A leak should investigate Vice President Dick Cheney if he had any role in the case. According to court documents disclosed last week, Cheney's former chief of staff told a federal grand jury he revealed the contents of a classified National Intelligence Estimate in July 2003. The special counsel says Lewis Libby revealed he was authorized to leak the information by his superiors -- as part of the Bush administration's defense of intelligence used to justify invading Iraq. Republican Senator George Allen tells "Fox New Sunday" he doesn't...

Senators: Cheney Should Be Probed in Leak 12 minutes ago Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald should investigate Vice President Dick Cheney and others in the CIA leak probe if they authorized an aide to give secret information to reporters, Democratic and Republican senators said Sunday. Sen. Jack Reed (news, bio, voting record), D-R.I., called the leak of intelligence information "inappropriate" if it is true that unnamed "superiors" instructed Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, to divulge the material on Iraq. Sen. George Allen (news, bio, voting record), R-Va., said a full investigation is necessary. "I don't think anybody...

Tribal Clients And Associates Of Jack Abramoff Have Contributed Over $3.1 Million To Democrat Party Interests Between 1997 And 2004. (Campaign Finance Analysis Project Website, www.campaignfinanceanalysisproject.com, Accessed December 2005; Political Money Line Website, www.tray.com, Accessed December 2005) National Democrat Party Affiliated Committees Received Over $1.2 Million From Indian Tribe Clients And Lobbying Associates Of Jack Abramoff. (Campaign Finance Analysis Project Website, www.campaignfinanceanalysisproject.com, Accessed December 7, 2005; Political Money Line Website, www.tray.com, Accessed December 7, 2005; Internal Revenue Service Website, www.irs.gov, Accessed April 21, 2005) The Democrat Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) Received Over – $430,000 The Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC)...

December 15, 2005 Warner, Levin, Reed lead Iraq visits By Kipp Lanham and Bob Cusack Sens. John Warner (R-Va.), Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) have visited Iraq more than any other senator, while at least 21 senators have not traveled to the Middle Eastern country since the war started, according to a survey of Senate offices conducted by The Hill. As lawmakers become more vocal about the Bush administration's handling of Iraq, their hands-on experience in the country could add to, or detract from, their credibility on the matter. James Thurber, professor of political science and director at...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush has failed to outline an effective strategy for winning the war in Iraq, Sen. Jack Reed said Saturday in the Democratic Party's weekly radio address. ''The American people are eager to hear the president's plan for success in Iraq, rebuilding the country and bringing our troops home,'' Reed said. ''Instead, the president continues to offer vague generalities and rhetoric with no specifics about what needs to be done.'' The Rhode Island senator, saying the current course in Iraq is a mistake, called on Bush to offer a more candid appraisal of how the war-ravaged nation...

George Bush plunges in the polls. His presidency is a tragic mix of hard-line ideology, incompetence and indifference. After discussing the situation at length last week with Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee and Democratic Sen. Jack Reed, I am more troubled than ever. Reed, of course, is a partisan. But he also has a good grasp of history and an ability to size people up. Sure, President Bush's policies long ago turned him off, but so did something else: the president seemed "remarkably detached" and "insulated." Reed says, "You've got to raise questions constantly. You've got to challenge your advisers. I...

U.S. Sen. Jack Reed Weds Julia Hart Ceremony Held At West Point POSTED: 9:22 am EDT April 17, 2005UPDATED: 9:30 am EDT April 17, 2005 WEST POINT, N.Y. -- U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., married Julia Hart on Saturday in a ceremony at the United States Military Academy, which Reed, a former Army Ranger, attended. Reed, 55, and Hart, 39, were wed in a ceremony at the academy's Catholic Chapel of the Most Holy Trinity. Rev. Raymond Malm, pastor of St. Michael's Church in Providence, officiated. The couple's attendants included eight of their nieces, as well as other family and...

Reader Allen O'Donnell from Wayne, Nebraska has comiled an analyzed the list of Senators voting against the confirmation of Dr. Condoleeza Rice as Secretary of State. It is well worth reading: Senators who voted against confirmation of Dr. Rice for Secretary of State Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. John Kerry, D-Mass. Carl Levin, D-Mich. James Jeffords, I-Vt. Jack Reed, D-R.I Mark Dayton, D-Minn. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii Evan Bayh, D-Ind. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa Richard Durbin, D-Ill For me, the only surprise is Evan Bayh of Indiana. I figured he had his eye on the...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 - President Bush on Tuesday bestowed the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, on three of the central architects and executors of the war in Iraq, one of the president's strongest efforts yet at putting a formal stamp of success on a war whose outcome is still a question. The recipients were Gen. Tommy R. Franks, the overall commander of the invasion of Iraq; L. Paul Bremer III, the chief civilian administrator of the American occupation of the country; and George J. Tenet, the longtime director of central intelligence who built the case for...

Follow is a list of the US Congressmen and Senators that officially acted to intimidate, threaten, and suppress the broadcast of Stolen Honor by Sinclair Broadcasting. They, along with their agents who threatened advertisers, sued shareholders, and ginned up false 'public outrage', and with the deafening SILENCE of the corrupt liberal media, succeeded in suppressing the free speech of decorated war veterans.

Washington, Mar. 26 (CWNews.com) - The US Senate yesterday passed a bill that will make criminals punishable for harm done to unborn children in the course of a violent crime. Ten Catholic senators voted against the bill, which was opposed by abortion providers. The legislation which the Senate approved on March 25 has already been passed by the House of Representatives. It now needs only the signature of President George W. Bush in order to become federal law. The President has indicated that he fully supports the measure, and is likely to sign it promptly. The measure passed despite the...

<p>Only two of the U.S. Army's 10 active-duty divisions will be at full strength for any new conflict next year as battle-weary soldiers return from Iraq, military officials say.</p> <p>The four Army divisions currently serving in Iraq will need about six months to rest, retrain and repair equipment when they return from Iraq early next year. With three divisions set to rotate into Iraq and another into Afghanistan as replacements, about 80 percent of the Army's fighting strength will be either on the mend or on duty fighting terror and stabilizing the two countries.</p>

Is that - travels or travails with, Hillary?? Senator Jack Reed (L), D-RI; Afghan President Hamid Karzai (C) and New York Senator and former first ladyHillary Rodham Clinton in Kabul on November 27, 2003. U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, center right,with Sen. Jack Reed, center left, flanked by U.S. soldiers...

<p>WASHINGTON -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will spend Thanksgiving in Afghanistan before traveling to Iraq with a former Army paratrooper turned senator to meet with soldiers and ask questions about the United States' ongoing nation-building efforts.</p> <p>The former first lady and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., have both been critical of the administration's handling of post-combat problems in the war on terrorism, particularly after major military operations ended in Iraq.</p> <p>Clinton and Reed said Tuesday they were concerned about the current efforts to win the "hearts and minds" of Iraqis.</p>

They Said It Considering the treatment President Bush's judicial nominees have received from Senate Democrats, I thought you might find it interesting to read what they had to say about the Senate's constitutional duty of "advice and consent" concerning judicial nominations when their president was making nominations. You may have seen these in my daily First Look column this week, but here they are again, for good measure. --Sen. Patrick Leahy (D.-Vt.): I hope we will have a chance to vote on them, not just in committee . . . but on the floor of the Senate. That is what...

Nine members of the Senate's committees on Armed Services and Intelligence will travel to Iraq and the surrounding region next week to assess U.S. operations amid concerns of growing Iraqi resistance to the occupation. Sen. John Warner, a Virginia Republican who chairs the Armed Services Committee, in a statement on Thursday, said the trip will focus on U.S. military and reconstruction missions after the war that ousted Saddam Hussein. It is to include the threats forces are facing from Iraqi resistance and the ongoing search for weapons of mass destruction. Also going on the trip are Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat...

Filed at 6:26 p.m. ET WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Democrats dealt defeat Wednesday to President Bush's call for permanent repeal of the estate tax, and Republicans signaled plans to turn the vote to their advantage in the fall campaign for control of Congress. The vote was 54-44, six short of the 60 required under Senate rules to approve the measure, which Republicans said represented simple fairness and Democrats derided as a giveaway for the super-rich. ``Strip it all away, this is a tax relief for billionaires when we have a very big deficit and we have other priorities,'' such as...