Free Republic

Sarah Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Hillary Clinton. She is Phyllis Schlafly, only younger. Here's the good news: Women have become so politically powerful that even the anti-feminist right wing -- the folks with a headlock on the Republican Party -- are trying to appease the gender gap with a first-ever female vice president. We owe this to women -- and to many men too -- who have picketed, gone on hunger strikes or confronted violence at the polls so women can vote. We owe it to Shirley Chisholm, who first took the "white-male-only" sign off the White...

Anyone who thinks the media have been balanced and unbiased during the current election simply hasn't been paying attention. Barack Obama has benefitted from adoring coverage, a lack of journalistic rigor, and a sizeable advantage in media coverage. In short, everything in the media seems to break his direction. Large parts of the American public already recognize this. According to a recent study by Rasmussen Reports, 50 percent of independent voters and even 27 percent of Democrats believe that the media are trying to help Obama win. Just 12 percent of independents said the media were helping John McCain. This...

It made no sense when Barack Obama left the country on his nine-day overseas tour for some of my fellow columnists to describe it as a high-risk venture. Foreign leaders, who can read the polls as well as anyone, would go out of their way not to embarrass a man who may, six months from now, be president of the United States. Obama prepares thoroughly for the big occasions. He is almost always well-briefed, and he was traveling in sharp company — with Sens. Jack Reed and Chuck Hagel — so you knew he would be thoroughly ready for these...

You read that right. The leader of the Bill Clinton Impeachment Team in the House says Bush is SO much worse than Clinton ever was. Check it out in this fascinating MobLogic.tv video. Barr also talks about the history of his mustache, civil liberties, privacy and other important topics. (video link- http://www.moblogic.tv/video/2008/06/20/bob-barr/)

I'll never forget a frigid morning in Springfield: Sen. Barack Obama, elegantly Lincolnesque in a long wool coat, launching his presidential candidacy in the shadow of the old Illinois State Capitol. The echoes of history were almost deafening—not just of Abraham Lincoln, who, like Obama, had been a legislator there, but of the argument over slavery and race that Lincoln had joined there. On that sunny February day in 2007, Obama seemed to radiate uplift and glorious possibility. He was making a statement: that his candidacy would be the exclamation point at the end of our four-century-long argument over the...

Chelsea Clinton was in town Friday night, and boy did she have a fabulous time! And why not: She hit all the gay bars in Center City, along with Ed Rendell and Rob Reiner. She even went to Tavern on Camac and Sisters! (Her pub crawl also included Woody's and Bump. What, no Uncle's?) When Chelsea was little, Rush Limbaugh called her ugly and everybody got mad at him. But nobody's calling Chelsea unattractive now. "Chelsea, the gays love you," shouted one gay person. "We love your highlights -- you're gorgeous baby!" said another, which prompted bisexual hottie Anne Dicker...

When you do battle with the mainstream media that is wearing a phony mask as "non-partisan," it can be somewhat interesting. Viveca Novak, who "mutually agreed" to have her job with TIME MAG terminated, did an unapologetic hit piece. When they got caught, of course, they would not back down. I will at least give them credit for publishing my response. I was informed by NEWSWEEK that it would also be published on its site. I expect to see more of this nonsense, as those wearing the kneepads and drinking the Kool-Aide do all they can to protect the criminal...

Even as the words were leaving his mouth, Joe Scarborough acknowledged that he was going to get "killed by conservative bloggers." And being the obliging sorts we are here at NewsBusters . . . Joe's interview of Hillary Clinton on today's "Morning Joe" was one long paean to her greatness coupled with a mea culpa for the wrongs that he and other Republicans visited on her during the '90s. View video here. Excerpts: When you talk about "two Americas," and John Edwards has been talking about two Americas, two Americas, and my Republican friends say, "oh, it's class warfare," I...

Dan Rather might have left CBS under a cloud, but his star still shines brightly -- at least among some on the distaff side of the NBC networks.Rather was a scheduled guest on today's "Morning Joe," and neither Erin Burnett, reporting in from CNBC, nor MSNBC newsreader Mika Brzezinski, could curb her enthusiasm.Burnett was first to confess. CNBC'S ERIN BURNETT: You know who I had a crush on? . . . Don't you have Dan Rather coming on in a couple of minutes? Alright, so, when I was little, I thought I was going to marry Dan Rather. I watched...

Al Gore to Jon Stewart: ‘Facts Play Less of a Role in the Way we Make Decisions’ Posted by Noel Sheppard on May 26, 2007 - 17:42. The Global Warmingist-in-Chief was Jon Stewart’s guest on “The Daily Show� Thursday evening. And, right out of the starting blocks, soon-to-be-Dr. Al Gore made a statement that marvelously epitomized his career: Yeah, logic, reason, facts play less of a role now in the way we make decisions in America. Granted, in his typically smug manner, Gore was pointing fingers at others. However, as veracity has never been his strong suit, this was clearly an inconvenient truth...

There is an ugly cynicism to the attack on Jimmy Carter that has been launched by Americans who well recognize that the former president's new book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," says nothing that has not already been said about the Middle East conflict by Israeli politicians and commentators. So why is Carter, a longtime friend of Israel and the Jewish people, being smeared as an anti-Semite for suggesting that the occupation by Israeli forces of Palestinian territory inspires troubling comparisons with the apartheid system that white South Africans once imposed on their country's black majority? One of Israel's most prominent...

Looks as if Nancy Pelosi has found a rooting section at ABC. As we detailed here yesterday, Charley Gibson fawned over Nancy Pelosi's baby-clutching photo-op. This morning, Cokie Roberts joined the claque. Appearing on This Week, she enthused: "Great images, you're absolutely right. And completely natural. . . That baby knew that grandmother even though it's only a few weeks old. All those other children were completely comfortable with her. And it was, it was just, fun. It wasn't in any way stilted and awful." View video here.Pelosi, completely natural and comfortable? Not nearly as natural and comfortable as was...

The DUmmie implosion is proceeding apace as you can see in this THREAD titled, "The RoadMap to Impeachment: 'Violence' is The Answer." DUmmie author, Senator, placed "Violence" in quotes since he means the DUmmies should get "violent" not in the physical sense (which would get him arrested for publicly advocating it) but in the ANNOYING sense. Yes, DUmmie "genius" Senator wants the DUmmies to act incredibly ANNOYING in order to draw attention to their lost cause of impeachment. Ironically, by following DUmmie Senator's RoadMap advice, they are just harming their dopey cause even more since such tactics would only...

Twelve hours after arriving in New Zealand, former United States president Bill Clinton has already made one woman incredibly happy after he sauntered out of his hotel yesterday afternoon wearing her clothing label. Peri Drysdale, the chief executive of Christchurch-based wool brand Untouched World, said she had "engineered" for one of her shirts to be waiting on Mr Clinton 's bed after his speech at the Global Business Forum at Auckland's Sky City yesterday morning. Ms Drysdale, who is staying in the same hotel, said a person, who she wanted to remain anonymous, called her to say Mr Clinton had...

I see Hollywood is cramming this down my throat and claiming a huge success, but who in the hell is watching this thing?

Rep. Curt Weldon: 2 weeks before the attack on the USS Cole and then again 2 days before the attack on the USS Cole, saw through their analysis that a major event was going to occur in Yemen. They told the Navy not to bring the Cole into Yemen harbor and it went in and was attacked. That information was also compiled and the analysis was done by Able Danger. That story has not been told. These people will testify to that story as well.

A draft proposal floating behind closed doors would reconstitute and improve upon a former Army data-mining program called Able Danger. Able Providence, as the new program has been dubbed, would establish “robust open-source harvesting capabilities” to give military and law enforcement agencies the information to take the initiative in the war on terrorism—that is, to be able to plan and execute offensive measures—in addition to continued defensive actions. In addition, the program would be driven by a presumption that use of weapons of mass destruction within the United States is possible. As a result, Able Providence would need to detect,...

I did not take the story to the media first when I was told about Able Danger in June. I'd been working on datamining with the Army's LIWA (Land Information Warfare Assessment) facility for six years, since 1999...When I first found out about Able Danger three months ago, I went to the House floor after I investigated this. I went to two 9/11 commissioners, a Democrat and a Republican. And John Lehman told me I should pursue this publicly. He said, "Curt, if you don't, nobody else will." I went to the House floor and did a speech, and no...

Louis Freeh: No I disagree with that. And you know, while we're on the subject of the 9-11 Commission, I'm very interested and I know the country is in the Able Danger report. We have now very honorable military officers telling the United States, Tim, that in 2000 not only had Mohammad Atta been identified, by photo and name, but was earmarked as an Al Qaeda operative in the United States...

One of the biggest names of the conference never even uttered a word. Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer is the military intelligence operative who recently went public with a controversial claim that a year before September 11, his top-secret task force "Able Danger" was able to identify the man who later turned out to be the lead hijacker as being connected to al Qaeda. Shaffer is a veteran of top-secret operations against terrorists, including some in Afghanistan, and several of his DIA colleagues have come out publicly to confirm that they remember Mohamed Atta being identified in 2000 as part of...

Rep. Curt Weldon, Pennsylvania Republican, correctly asserts the terrorist attack on America on September 11, 2001, could have been averted. The assertion was based on his efforts as early as 1999 to create a national collaborative or fusion center. It would data-mine vast amounts of information from U.S. intelligence and law enforcement to confront such asymmetrical threats as terrorism, proliferation, illegal arms trafficking, espionage, narcotics and information warfare and cyber-terrorism. It was a process that produced, among other things, the Able Danger open-source analysis that reportedly revealed hijacker Mohamed Atta as a potential terrorist before the attack. Mr. Weldon first...

"It really does raise the question about where the [Armed Services] committees are on this," Zaid said. He emphatically states that the two Armed services have "done nothing, at least with respect to contacting Able Danger team members." Shouldn't these two panels at least have some curiosity about what information the DoD had about al Qaeda prior to 9/11? Everyone else seems to want answers--except those closest to the Pentagon. And Zaid wants Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer to be allowed to supply them. It's extraordinary that the Armed Services committees would continue to act as wallflowers while the Pentagon they...

The Senate Intelligence Committee has taken closed-door statements in an inquiry that could clear up whether the intelligence program Able Danger identified September 11 hijacker Mohamed Atta a year before the attack. A spokesman said yesterday that the committee likely will release a report or a statement in the next two weeks that makes conclusions, or at least determines the facts. Most of the attention on Able Danger has come from the Senate Judiciary Committee, which already has conducted one public hearing on the intelligence-collection program. It is now asking the Pentagon to allow personnel associated with Able Danger, such...

After the love (for Bill) is gone THE WAY WE WERE Writer recalls the betrayal that ended their political affair I BROKE up with Bill a long time ago. It's always hard to remember love — years pass and you say to yourself, was I really in love or was I just kidding myself? Was I really in love or was I just pretending he was the man of my dreams? Was I really in love or was I just desperate? But when it came to Bill, I'm pretty sure it was the real deal. I loved the guy. As...

This is my first post on this blog and I want to use this opportunity to comment on something that I find to be very important, and that is the issue of LTC Shaffer's security clearance. The AP story that was issued Friday entitled "Pentagon revokes clearance of 'Able Danger' officer" was replete with many errors and unfortunate omissions that portrayed my client, who the reporter never interviewed, in a false light. I would like to set the record straight so that everyone knows the situation. I set up the story so that a full and balanced portrait could be...

The purported photo of Atta was later reproduced on a chart that had the names of up to 60 suspected terrorists that Mr. Weldon says he gave to Stephen J. Hadley in 2001, when he was White House deputy national security adviser. Frederick Jones, an NSC spokesman, said that Mr. Hadley does not recall ever seeing the chart with the Atta photo, but does not rule out the possibility that he was given the photo by Mr. Weldon. The photo was purchased from the woman by Orion Scientific Systems Inc., a government contractor that was involved in an early phase...

Information unearthed The Washington-based FBI agent who was Shaffer's liaison has recalled, in interviews with her superiors, that Shaffer told her his group had unearthed important information on suspected Al Qaeda operatives with links to the U.S., but without mentioning Atta's name. When Shaffer, who is also a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, asked to whom at the FBI that information should be communicated, the agent gave him the name and phone number of an official at FBI headquarters, according to the senior FBI official. Shaffer explained in a telephone interview that although Able/Danger never had knowledge of Atta's...

Curt Weldon: So, what I've had to do is to fight with both of them, both the 9-11 Commission and the [Bush] administration, who I think neither of whom wants this information to be put out to the American people. Now, what bothers me is that the bulk of the information in Able Danger acquired was open-source information; it wasn't classified. To deny these military officers, who are very dedicated, loyal Americans, to tell their story not only flies in the face of everything this country stands for, but it is also a personal attack against them. It also flies...

As I wrote yesterday, Shaffer is pretty lonely in his recollections. Of some 80 people interviewed by the Defense Department as part of its Able Danger internal investigation, the Pentagon says that three additional workers remember seeing either a chart with a photo or a reference to Mohamed Atta.

First, to debunk the myths: As best as I can determine, having spent tens of hours talking to military sources involved with the issue, intelligence analysts did not identify anyone prior to 9/11, Mohammed Atta included, as a suspect in any upcoming terrorist attack. It is not even clear that a "Mohammed Atta" was identified, let alone that it is the same Atta who died on 9/11. No military lawyers prevented intelligence sleuths from passing useful information to the FBI. Able Danger itself was not an intelligence program. As a representative of U.S. Special Operations Command said at a special...

Rather deserves respect By Ray Richmond There was a telling moment in a telephone interview I conducted with Dan Rather a little more than a year ago in conjunction with the 75th anniversary of CBS. "I'm not a large part of the legacy (of CBS)," Rather offered. "But whatever part of it that I am and have been, I'm very proud of. At the same time, I'm humbled by the fact that I know that I'm undeserving. I know that I'm still working to be worthy of it." Anyone who knew Rather will tell you this wasn't false modesty. He...

At the dedication of the Clinton library last week in Little Rock, Karl Rove and President Bush received separate tours of the dramatic building, a glistening silver, suspended boxcar filled with light and with a panoramic view of the Arkansas river. Flung across the river stands an old railroad bridge - and to Clinton watchers, bridges represent "the bridge to the 21st century", the former president's re-election slogan in 1996...[snip] ...Then, when the presidents were announced, Bush tried to push his way past Clinton at the library door to be first in line, against the already accepted protocol for the...

NEW YORK - If President Bush (news - web sites) wins re-election on Tuesday, you'll see Patti LaBelle with reddened eyes on Wednesday. The R&B diva, an ardent supporter of Democratic nominee John Kerry (news - web sites), said she "can't even think about it" happening. "I'm going to cry a lot, but I know that's not going to happen, because too many people have come out of the sleep that they've been in," LaBelle told The Associated Press last week. She acknowledges that she was in a sleep herself, as far as voting was concerned, for years. "I've not...

LANSING, Mich. - Some Michigan voters have received phone calls falsely claiming that Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) would make gay marriage legal, Kerry's Michigan campaign said Monday. Both Kerry and his running mate, Sen. John Edwards (news - web sites) of North Carolina, oppose gay marriage and say marriage should be limited to a man and a woman. Kerry has said he supports civil unions. In a recording of a phone call played for The Associated Press, a young woman says: "When you vote this Tuesday remember to legalize gay marriage by supporting John Kerry....

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Sen. Clinton built life on faith BY JANE FULLERTON SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE Posted on Sunday, August 8, 2004 As Hillary Rodham Clinton builds the public record she began as Arkansas’ first lady, continued as the nation’s first lady and is now expanding as New York’s junior senator, her views on religion remain central to her outlook on life and her position on issues. Although she doesn’t go out of her way to publicize her religious views, neither does she shy from discussing them. Indeed, those who know Sen. Clinton believe her Christian faith has been the motivation for many...

<p>I hate to wade back into the culture wars forced upon us by Bill Clinton's unjustified impeachment, but since many right-wingers have leapt to pummel the former president on his book tour, those of us not blinded by hate, ideology and a lust for power should at least pitch in with a rebuttal. To that end, here's a short list of better ways to think about Clinton's tenure. Post it on the fridge for handy reference.</p>

NEW YORK — Following the screening of a documentary about his presidency, Bill Clinton told the audience that he became an enemy of right wing America in an attack led by Whitewater prosecutor Kenneth Starr. "The Hunting of the President," a movie about what filmmakers Harry Thomason and Nickolas Perry call a political smear campaign against Clinton, was show to a crowded New York University theater Wednesday. The documentary premiered in Little Rock, Ark., on Tuesday. Clinton, who addressed a group of about 1,000 people, said Starr was "the instrument of a grand design." He said the roots of...

LOS ANGELES - Hundreds of pieces of memorabilia from Barbra Streisand’s career will be auctioned off June 5, with proceeds going to charities that the Streisand Foundation supports. ...[snip] The auction, dubbed “Her Name is Barbra,” will feature famous items that trace the career of the singer and actress from the early 1960s to today, ...

You'd think the political media as well as operatives for the Democratic and Republican parties would have learned two valuable lessons from Bill Clinton's election victories: 1. Sexual high jinks, real or alleged, do not necessarily doom a candidate. In 1992 and in 1996, tens of millions of Americans probably agreed with the GOP assessment of Clinton as a horny, rutting pig -- and yet they voted for him anyway, because they didn't think his sexual habits had that much relevance to his strengths as a world leader. 2. Military history (or the lack thereof) probably won't be the determining...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Bill Clinton (news - web sites) won a Grammy Award on Sunday, but not for his famed saxophone playing. Clinton was honored in the spoken word album for children category for a project he worked on with fellow winners, former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev and Italian screen siren Sophia Loren (news). None of them was at the ceremony to pick up the award for "Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf/Beintus: Wolf Tracks." Clinton's wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton (news - web sites), was nominated in the spoken word album category for the audiobook version of...

Click on the thumbnails for a full-size picture In a shocking display of partisanship on a campus already known for its left-wing bias, Lehigh University has placed an exhibit of 5 full-sized wall photographs depicting President Bush and his cabinet in compromising situations in the home of its History and Political Science departments. One of the photos depicts President Bush in a drunken stupor fondling a woman's breasts, while another depicts a group of whores, one of whom represents Dr. Condoleezza Rice, surrounding a table displaying numerous elephants, the Republican Party symbol. The artist, Larry Fink, draws a connection...

Dear Saddam, Remember when we first met on that magic night in Baghdad in 1983? You were gassing those wacky Iranians with chemical weapons and having a grand old time, but Ronnie and I just said hey, 'dictators will be dictators' - know what I mean?!! Hahaha. It's a good thing we sold you all those weapons and military equipment that you used in crushing your own people. Lord knows what might have happened if we hadn't stepped in to help you out. What a time it was too! We sold you all kinds of fun things - anthrax, VX...

HANOVER, NH -- The morning of Wednesday, Nov. 12 started out like any other Wednesday. My alarm went off at 5:50 a.m., I hit the snooze button, and then heard that dreaded chirping sound 5 minutes later. I dragged myself out of bed, threw my clothes on, and headed to morning swim workout expecting to hear a familiar "you're late" from Coach Jim Wilson. Instead, as we lifted weights that morning, our coach announced that General Wesley Clark would be joining us in the pool in a little less than an hour. Excited, but confused as to why a presidential...

<p>I would like to say a kind word about George W. Bush: He's usually not as dumb as he pretends to be.</p> <p>Acting dumb is Bush's style. He likes to sandbag people. He plays dumb, people underestimate him and, all of a sudden -- wap! He nails them.</p>

I ran across this at Borders, and nearly lost it. It's a book in the science fiction section and...Well, here's the promotional text for the damned thing:A masterful blend of political satire and edgy social commentary, here is a wildly entertaining trip through recent American history and into the impending future. An incisive look at how we love and hate our political leaders, and how they love and hate us back, The X President touches the very heart of what it means to be president—and what a president means to America. It is the year 2055 and America is entangled...

Are You Going To Get Mad? It is now about as clear as it's going to get that Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction. Secretary of State Colin Powell even contradicted himself (in his U.N. speech) by admitting recently that there is no evidence of any link between Saddam and al-Qaida. Prior to the Iraq War, the Bush administration asserted as fact that Saddam had huge quantities of chemical and biological weapons and was actively pursuing nuclear weapons. Administration members ridiculed people who expressed any doubts. Today, after spending millions of dollars looking for the weapons, they haven't...

He left office nearly three years ago as one of the most successful Presidents ever, and Bill Clinton, the youngest ex-president in modern times, is still the go-to guy in Democratic politics. All of the party's major candidates for president say they call on Mr. Clinton for advice. They say the former president always seems eager to talk politics, and one says the former president sometimes seems to relish the calls as an excuse not to work on his memoirs. "He said to me once, `I shouldn't be spending this much time, I've got to be writing my book,' "...

<p>Okay, so I thought that I could at least have civil debate with INTELLIGENT conservatives, but after posting under a different name, not only were the responses the equivellant of "UH-UH," but I was denied my rights as a citizen of this great country. It appears to me that Free Republic is not interested in FREE SPEECH! I do love the U.S., I just disagree with the jingoism that followed 9/11. I disagree with our leaders purposfully lying to their citizens in order to go to war. I disagree with going to war against the express directions of the UN which was made to council the nations on these issues. I disagree with the nation's presidency being stolen from the rightful owner, the man who truly won the election. I disagree with that stolen presidency being handed to a C average student who has a criminal record and went AWOL when he was supposed to be serving in the military. I disagree with corporations running the government in the new era of pay to play politics. I disagree with the same corporations that run the country, run the news media. I disagree with conservatives instead of listening to what a liberal has to say, they resort to attacking them with (sometimes) drastic immaturity. I disagree with using religion to get votes. I disagree with religion. I disagree with history being written by the victors. I disagree with with the USA PATRIOT Act not only because anyone can be detained for any reason for any amount of time without a trial with a jury of twelve peers. I disagree with the fact it is called the "Patriot Act" and yet there is nothing patriotic about it. I DO agree with the quote "If you are willing to sacrifice freedom for for security, you deserve neither." I disagree with the civilians in this country not standing up and calling for an impeachment for a president that has done far worse than getting a blow job in the oval office. He has LIED, CHEATED, AND MURDERED. I disagree with everyone being angry at Bill Clinton for smoking marijuana but no one criticizes George W. Bush for DRUNK DRIVING and COCAINE use. I disagree with George W. Bush saying in a nationally televised broadcast, "If you aren't with us, you're with the terrorists." This hurt the feelings of about 60% of New York citizens because they not only lost friends and family in the World Trade Center on 9/11, but they also opposed going to war with Iraq. You can imagine the deranged ultimatum this put on those poor Ameericans who had to choose between those who killed their friends and family and the their better judgment to wait for a UN resolution. I disagree with a $350 billion tax that goes directly to the 1% minority of the wealthy. I disagree with the "No Child Left Behind" policy. Standardized tests don't teach children anything but how to memorize test questions. As a teacher, I can only describe it as leaving every child behind. I disagree with arch conservatives on this website saying that I have AIDS because I am liberal and am into homosexual activites. To clear up your mislead statements of slander. I am heterosexual, I do not have AIDS. I have two healthy children that are beautiful and will be entering school in a year. I love my wife and my country. I don't agree with you...but that doesn't mean I hate you or your thoughts. I encourage them. But please stop reacting to someone that you disagree with in an angry passion of blind ignorance. It doesn't solve anything.</p>

<p>December 10, 2003 -- HOW is it possible that a president of the United States ends up on E!'s "True Hollywood Story"? Maybe the question really is how in the world did a president's genitals end up as serious discussion within the Justice Department - and how did we the people end up paying $40 million to end up with an impeachment based on a report that reads like a romance novel by Jackie Collins?</p>