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WASHINGTON (AFP) – The number of Americans who believe that climate change is real has declined in the last year, but a majority do see convincing evidence of global warming, according to a new poll. The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found 57 percent of Americans see "solid evidence of warming," compared to 71 percent in April 2008, and 77 percent in August 2007. The poll, which surveyed 1,500 people between September 30 and October 4, also found a decline in the number of Americans who think global warming is a very serious problem. Just 35...

OSLO — Three of the five members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee had objections to the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to US President Barack Obama, the Norwegian tabloid Verdens Gang (VG) reported Thursday. "VG has spoken to a number of sources who confirmed the impression that a majority of the Nobel committee, at first, had not decided to give the peace prize to Barack Obama," the newspaper said. In a surprise move last Friday, the Nobel committee attributed the Nobel Peace Prize to Obama less than nine months after he had taken office. The committee, appointed by the Norwegian...

A poll released Sunday revealed that despite the massive amounts of aid directed toward Pakistan in this administration, Pakistanis peg the U.S. as a far greater threat than the Taliban and even archenemy India. The poll of more than 2,500 Pakistanis, conducted across rural and urban areas at the end of July by Gallup Pakistan for Al-Jazeera, found that 41 percent favored their government's military operation against the Taliban, while 22 percent claimed neutrality and 24 percent opposed.

Majority back Obama on health care reform: pollTue Aug 4, 2:23 pm ET WASHINGTON (AFP) – A majority of Americans are in favor of having a public, or government-run, option in the US health care system as proposed by President Barack Obama, a poll showed Tuesday. Fifty-two percent of 2,276 US adults surveyed online by Harris Interactive between July 9 and 13 said they were in favor of a government-run health plan, while just 30 percent were against. Obama has pledged to overhaul the US health care system. He and most Democratic lawmakers want to introduce a public coverage option,...

The Secretary of State's office has given the green light to begin gathering signatures for a ballot initiative to lower the vote requirement for passing a state budget or increasing taxes from two-thirds to a three-fifths supermajority. The man behind the initiative, Berkeley-based attorney and editor Robert Denham, says he figures that a three-fifths majority would prevent gridlock over the budget but still be palatable to voters wary of dropping the requirement to a simple majority. "I thought voters are more likely to sign off on something that doesn't make it too easy," said Denham, a Democrat. "That sort of...

Caution: political-party purists may be miffed by this article; but I call ‘em like I see ‘em. Adolf Hitler was a poor student of mathematics, but he got the hang of it sufficiently to figure how to take over the German government. A “majority,” Hitler reasoned, consisted of 51 per cent of the votes necessary to control 51 per cent of the seats in the legislature – - 26 per cent of those voting, in other words. Unfortunately, the majority of Americans now find themselves victims of the same political calculation. Polls indicate that the liberal Democrats now in charge...

Gallup Poll: Majority of Americans Pro-Life on Abortion, Highest Levels in 15 Years Washington, DC -- A new Gallup poll shows that the majority of Americans self-identify as pro-life on the issue of abortion for the first time in 15 years. The Gallup survey shows the percentage of Americans saying they are pro-life at its highest point since 1995 and those saying they are "pro-choice" at its lowest. The Gallup survey, conducted May 7-10, finds 51% of Americans calling themselves pro-life and just 42 percent saying they are "pro-choice" and supporting legal abortions. Full story and graphs at: http://www.LifeNews.com/nat5053.html

I always try to look for a silver lining on a cloud. I try to see both sides of the coin, and to be positive. That's a lot harder today, BUT it is not impossible! Senator Specter is switching from a Republican to a Democrat, and this gives the Democratic Party absolute power in Washington DC. They now have full control of the White House and both Houses of Congress as well as a filibuster-proof majority. That means they can pass and do anything they want, and no one can stop them except themselves. Therein lies the silver lining. It's...

This is great prep for an argument with a liberal. Feel free to highlight your favorite sections: Chapter XV: Unlimited Power Of Majority, And Its Consequences—Part II Tyranny Of The Majority How the principle of the sovereignty of the people is to be understood—Impossibility of conceiving a mixed government—The sovereign power must centre somewhere—Precautions to be taken to control its action—These precautions have not been taken in the United States—Consequences. I hold it to be an impious and an execrable [execrable: extremely bad or unpleasant] maxim that, politically speaking, a people has a right to do whatsoever it pleases, and...

District of Columbia when it became the nation's capital two centuries ago would be granted under legislation the Senate passed Thursday. Congress is "moving to right a centuries-old wrong," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid shortly before the 61-37 vote. The House is expected to pass the measure with a strong majority next week and President Barack Obama, a co-sponsor when the bill failed to clear the Senate two years ago, has promised to sign it. The measure is likely to face a court challenge immediately after becoming law; opponents argue that it is unconstitutional because D.C. is not a...

Not on web site yet. Just heard on Fox News that Judd Gregg (R-NH) is nominee for Commerce Sec. That would tip the senate wouoldn't it?

Small changes can have dramatic consequences. The electorate shifted about 4 points toward the Democrats in between the 2004 and 2008 elections--from 48.3 percent of the popular vote four years ago to 52.5 percent today. But those 4 points gave Obama the largest share of the vote since 1988, the best showing by a Democrat since 1964, the first black president, the first non-southern Democratic president since John F. Kennedy, and likely larger Democratic majorities in Congress than when President Clinton took office in 1993. In a closely divided America, a swing of four votes in a hundred can mean...

Washington, meet Barack Obama. Barack Obama, remeet the Republican senators who are now going to help define your presidency. Democrats won big on Tuesday but not big enough. The voters' rebuke of the GOP was brutal, though not so cruel as to hand Mr. Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid the 60 votes they needed to grease a sweeping agenda. The GOP still owns a filibuster, and that is as big a factor in this new "era" as is our president-elect. Democrats, who now officially own 55 seats, are still salivating over that distant 60. But Alaska Sen. Ted...

    They will do anything to destroy Sarah Palin. They will do anything to elect Obama President — the most leftwing candidate in history. Only you can stop them.Dear Fellow American:As I write this letter, the far Left — the Obama campaign, the Democratic Party headed by Howard Dean and the major (liberal) media—are all working in overdrive to destroy and smear Sarah Palin. They believe if they can destroy this courageous young woman and popular governor, they will end John McCain’s bid for president. Just this week, commentator Bill Maher ridiculed Sarah’s baby son who has Down's...

I just heard speculation on FOX that Lieberman might take the opportunity, while speaking at the Republican Convention, to change party affiliation. My question, would this not give the majority back to the Pubbies? What are the ramifications?

Ethnic and racial minorities will comprise a majority of the nation’s population in a little more than a generation, according to new Census Bureau projections, a transformation that is occurring faster than anticipated just a few years ago. The census calculates that by 2042, Americans who identify themselves as Hispanic, black, Asian, American Indian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander will together outnumber non-Hispanic whites. Four years ago, officials had projected the shift would come in 2050. The main reason for the accelerating change is significantly higher birthrates among immigrants. Another factor is the influx of foreigners, rising from about 1.3...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. stock market would fare better in the first year after a victory by Republican presidential candidate John McCain than by his Democratic rival Barack Obama, according to a majority of economists at U.S. banks and research groups polled by Reuters. But the survey of 29 firms taken alongside a regular Reuters economic poll also found that economists had mixed views on the two candidates' economic plans. On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being "very good," 12 economists gave McCain's proposals higher marks, while nine rated the two candidates equally and eight preferred...

THE GIPPER “[W]e are currently in the midst of a re-ordering of the political realities that have shaped our time. We know today that the principles and values that lie at the heart of conservatism are shared by the majority. Despite what some in the press may say, we who are proud to call ourselves ‘conservative’ are not a minority of a minority party; we are part of the great majority of Americans of both major parties and of most of the independents as well.” —Ronald Reagan

** EXCERPT ** Conservatives have won an absolute majority with at least 163 of the 290-seats in Iran's parliament and reformists opposing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have 40 so far, state-owned Press TV reported on Sunday. Iranians voted on Friday in an election that was expected to keep conservatives in control of the assembly after many reformists, the staunchest critics of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, were barred from running. The English-language satellite channel said four seats had gone to independents. Thirty seats were to be decided in run-off elections after candidates failed to secure enough votes for an outright win. Press TV...

Republicans must forget about John McCain and move on to far bigger issues! American conservatives are fed up beyond the level of 2006, when they allowed Democrats to take back control of congress in protest to liberal and moderate Republican policies coming from the Bush Administration and the Republican National Committee controlled congress. I know, because IÂ’m one of them. They are threatening to guarantee a Democrat White House in 2008 by way of these three equally ill-advised strategies...and Democrats appreciate all three. â–ª Staying home on Election Day in protest â–ª Supporting a non-viable Third Party alternative â–ª Writing...

White Sulphur Springs, W. Va. — House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) challenged House Republicans to make a few sacrifices in the next year that will help the GOP sell their agenda to voters in the fall elections. The Republican leader is scheduled to lead his members in a broad, potentially rancorous debate over lawmaker-requested projects Friday during their annual retreat here. The reform proposals include a one-year moratorium on earmarks for all Republicans, the creation of a special panel to review the process, including the abuses that have occurred, and a litany of smaller guidelines to curtail wasteful...

(IsraelNN.com) As Israel enters its 60th year, the American-Israel Demographic Research Group (AIDRG) provides some good news: The ground is being prepared for a major Jewish demographic boost, beginning in 2025. The Arab birthrate is down, while the Jewish birthrate - especially in the hareidi and religious sectors - is increasing. The effects are currently merely arithmetic, but these are expected to begin multiplying geometrically within a generation. At present, the Jewish majority is hovering around 80%, with the religious and hareidi populations each representing slightly over 10% of this amount. Latest Central Bureau of Statistics numbers show that there...

While researching a story about a city council race for a local newspaper, I came across one of the most disturbing and disgusting phenomena I’ve yet seen come onto the scene in American politics. We all know about the parade of far-Left freaks that includes MoveOn.org, George Soros, Peter Lewis, David Geffen and their ilk, who are using their vast resources to propagandize the American public into voting us incrementally toward being a morally bankrupt, internationally castrated nation. We’ve heard the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) referred to as “the most dangerous organization in America” due to its support for...

Just when it seems the darkest in Iraq, the people there seem to believe otherwise. I admit, like many other Americans, to being war-weary. And who could blame Americans for getting tired of seeing the daily carnage in Iraq, like today's chlorine gas attack? Yet three articles from the Times Online today show that, from an Iraqi perspective, removing Saddam was the right thing to do, and that Bush's troop surge should be given a chance to work. These articles confirm my belief that the top leadership of the Democratic Party, not necessarily the rank and file, want to see...

ATLANTA (Reuters) - Jimmy Carter defended his new book on the Middle East on Thursday against sharp criticism from Jewish groups and said a majority of U.S. citizens including many Jews supported its main proposals. Letters he received since the publication in November of "Palestine: Peace not Apartheid" were largely supportive and included support from many readers who described themselves as U.S. Jews, said the former president. Jewish groups have expressed outrage at the book, arguing that its title and contents could undermine perceptions of Israel's legitimacy. Carter, 82, was addressing a forum at Atlanta's Emory University in which he...

I know the Republicans lost; it is time for sole searching, etc. etc. The fact is, however, if 3,615 votes in Virginia and 1,423 votes in Montana had gone the other way, the Dems would have no Majority. My point? The Dems will not be the “Permanent Majority” for too long. Here is the math: Web in Virginia won with a 7,231-vote margin – Half of it is 3,615. In Montana, Jon Tester won with a 2,847 margin – half of it is 1,423. 3,615 + 1,423 = 5,038.

About 46 years ago, with no previous immediate family or personal involvement in politics, I began to study our government and the elective and judicial processes. As a local Jaycee president and eventually vice president of the Missouri Jaycees, through Jaycee programs I became aware of Americanism and the threat by outside ideologies to our freedoms. Even though I had an uncle who was a Democratic state senator in Arkansas and an active grandfather in that overwhelmingly Democratic state, neither my father, his associates nor myself and friends had even been politically involved until my Jaycee days. However, through study,...

SAN FRANCISCO A majority of California voters may cast absentee ballots in the Nov. 7 election, a milestone that's forcing politicians to rethink campaign strategies and prompting registrars to streamline ballot-counting procedures. The growth of absentee voting in the most populous state echoes a nationwide trend that's most pronounced in the West. Oregon has used mail-in ballots almost exclusively for a decade. More than half of all votes are absentee in Washington, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas. Marin County, just north of San Francisco, has sent ballots to 54 percent of its nearly 147,000 registered voters. And registrar Elaine Ginnold...

  Democrats named their party after democracy. They used to think it was a good way to run things.There has been debate on the right for years about whether President Bush’s promotion of democracy in the Middle East as an integral part of the GWOT is perhaps too naively Wilsonian. Democrats are largely silent or dismissive on the issue. Woodrwo Wilson was, of course, a Democrat.The once fervent support for democracy among Democrats from Wilson through Truman has been ebbing over decades. The one time elections in much of the old colonial world in the sixties most often led to...

"We must share the benefits of our wealth" beyond the privileged few." - Nancy Pelosi, discussing plans for the first 100 hours of democrat control of the House of Representatives in November 2006. "From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs." -Karl Marx 1875

I don't think this will shock anybody. I spoke with an old pal today who works on the Hill. My pal informed me that the majority of Congress critters, their Chiefs of Staff (the person who really calls the shots in the Congressional office), and other staffers on the Republican side have already written off keeping the majority in the House. My pal mentioned that many staffers were told as far back as last January that it was highly likely that Republicans would lose the majority. HOW PATHETIC IS THAT???? Word from the Hill is that as of Friday, the...

Jim Geraghty on "Voting to Kill"October 2, 2006 BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: I'd like to welcome to the program Jim Geraghty from National Review Online. He has a blog called The Kerry Spot, TKS. It's just a brilliant body of work. During the campaign of 2004 it was cited often by me -- not stolen by me, but cited often by me -- on this program. Jim has a book out called Voting to Kill. It's been out since September 19th. He went out and interviewed a number of Americans about the issues on their minds as the midterm elections come...

BAGHDAD — Iraqi Interior Ministry forces have reached 92 percent of a planned strength of 188,000 troops, the commander of the Coalition's Civilian Police Assistance Training Team said Monday in the capital. The Iraqi police are 90 percent trained and 83 percent equipped, according to Army Maj. Gen. Joseph Peterson, speaking to reporters from Baghdad Monday with Army Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, spokesman for Multi-National Force – Iraq. Members of the Iraqi National Police, formerly called special police, are 98 percent trained and equipped, the general said. The Interior Ministry also controls the Department of Border Enforcement. Its...

Tories sense coming of Harper-led majority Party members show confidence in PM despite gripes over management style Toronto Globe and Mail Monday, July, 17, 2006 GLORIA GALLOWAY OTTAWA -- Yes, they are governing in Ottawa but Conservatives across the country want more. They want a majority. And they see Stephen Harper as the man who will give it to them. Last summer, Mr. Harper was battling image problems and the threat of mutiny. He was described as too staid, too serious and too angry to charm Canadian voters. Some members of his own party were calling for his resignation,...

There's probably no way congressional Republicans can lose this fall, no matter how unpopular President Bush is or how unhappy the voters are with the war in Iraq. That's the prevailing view in Washington today. But it's wrong. If history is any guide, we're heading into a major political storm. And that means we could see a national tide in November that will sweep the Democrats back into the majority. Virtually every public opinion measure points to a Category 4 or 5 hurricane gathering... But many analysts have noted the absence of strategic behavior on the part of the Democrats,...

Robert McDowell was sworn in on June 1 as a member of the Federal Communications Commission, giving Republican Chairman Kevin Martin his first partisan majority since taking office 14 months ago. McDowell, a telephone association executive until joining the commission, could cast major votes on media ownership and cable carriage rules at his initial FCC monthly meeting, on June 15. Until June 1, Martin has contended with a commission split 2-to-2 between Democrats and Republicans, and for a few months was even the sole Republican on the agency. Now, Martin is asking commissioners to reverse last year’s FCC decision limiting...

WASHINGTON--DEMOCRATS are all but breaking out the Champagne. Republicans are divided and disheartened; President Bush's poll numbers seem to be in free fall. Many Democrats are talking not only about victory in November but about what they will do once Congress is in their hands. Such talk may well be premature. Election Day is six months away, and the party has lost many a winning hand. But here is a slightly heretical question, being asked only partly in jest right now: Is it really in the best interest of the Democratic Party to win control of the House and Senate...

Rallying the troops with a timid cry April 14, 2006 Good men always rally to the battle cry when the issue stands in doubt: "We have not yet begun to fight." Or this one: "Rally to the Virginians, boys, there stands Jackson like a stone wall." Or this one: "Remember Pearl Harbor." But nobody rallies to this one: "Every man for himself." The congressional Republicans have scattered now for two weeks, to return to their districts to convince skeptical constituents that they're still not as bad as the Democrats -- or even as bad as the president, if that's what...

Without winning a single Toronto seat, Prime Minister Stephen Harper could secure a majority in the next election. Mathematically, the possibility has always been there. Toronto has just 23 of the 308 seats in Parliament. What wasn't initially clear was whether Harper would try to build a winning coalition without Toronto. The emerging consensus: Yes. Political insiders at city hall, Queen's Park and on Parliament Hill expect the Prime Minister to make Quebec his top priority. The Conservatives now hold just 10 of the province's 75 seats. As a secondary thrust, Harper will target ridings his party lost by a...

Boehner Aide Tied to Trip Set by Abramoff By DAVID HAMMER ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) - A White House aide who was once chief of staff to House Majority Leader John Boehner helped plan a 1996 trip to the Northern Mariana Islands that was organized by fallen lobbyist Jack Abramoff, billing records from Abramoff's firm show. Barry Jackson, now chief deputy to White House adviser Karl Rove, accepted an invitation to travel to the island of Saipan in April 1996 but later decided not to go, White House spokeswoman Erin Healy said Tuesday. The government of the U.S. Commonwealth of...

In between sessions today Republican Study Committee Chairman Mike Pence told reporters that RSC members - who believe in fiscal discipline, limited government and traditional moral values - were the majority of the Republican majority. Pence's statement is important because given current Republican woes it is easy for grassroots conservatives to wonder if there are any good guys left in Washington. As Pence points out, there are. But Pence's statement is also important for another reason. If, as Pence says, the majority of the majority believes in conservative principles of limited government and traditional values, then why has government spending...

Hamas' victory in Palestinian parliamentary elections is already being sanitized by the politically correct, despite the terrorist group's bloody track record and its fallacious and dubious historical claims to the land of Israel. Thankfully, some Western leaders are condemning the selection of murderers by Palestinians for their government. At the top of a BBC article yesterday regarding the Hamas terrorist group winning Palestinian elections: The win poses problems for efforts to restart peace talks with Israel, say analysts. Israel insists it will not deal with an authority including Hamas. So this is all just Israel's problem/fault because the majority of...

WASHINGTON--As readers of this page know all too well, excessive government regulation, taxation and spending strangle economic growth as frequently as runaway litigation and soaring health-care and energy costs do. What politicians say about these issues does not matter much, but what we do about them does. I'm proud of what House Republicans have accomplished on this front over the last several years, but I know that much remains to be done. House Republicans have cut the tax rate on capital gains and dividends, substantially lowered personal tax rates, and set in motion a plan to eliminate the death tax...

With The Tories Closing In On A Majority, Their Leader Becomes The Target Election front-runner Stephen Harper faced a gang-up yesterday as his political rivals moved to reverse Conservative momentum, especially in Quebec. The Tory Leader, now boasting a double-digit lead according to some polls, was forced to absorb criticism from all fronts as Liberal Leader Paul Martin moved to win back federalist votes bleeding to Mr. Harper's party, while Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe accused Conservatives of being part of the Option Canada issue. The French-language debate was the last chance the four leaders had to face each other...

This weekend, Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) announced that he would not seek to regain his post as Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives. DeLay was forced to step down temporarily from his leadership position because he is currently under indictment by Texas Democrat District Attorney Ronnie Earle. DeLay has not been convicted of anything, but the rules for the Republican Caucus in the House are different from those of the Democrats, and the mere indictment is sufficient for a Republican member to step aside from a leadership role. Unfortunately for DeLay, the Republican Party has once again shown...

That is because Tom Delay has now been indicted by a Democratic District Attorney in Texas. From Fox News. Rep. Tom DeLay said he would temporarily step down as House majority leader on Wednesday after he and two political associates were charged by a Texas grand jury with conspiracy in a campaign finance scheme. House sources said Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill, would recommend Rep. David Dreier of California to take over DeLay’s majority leader duties. There is some talk that the Republican leadership in the House has been preparing for this eventuality. Probably not what Tom Delay was hoping for…to...

Minority Rules! Who Will Protect The Majority From The Minority? According to most encyclopedias, a Republic is a "state or country having a government whose political power depends solely on the consent of the people governed." The Constitution, if interpreted with common horse sense, dictates that the majority of the people should have at least some input into how the United States is governed. Liberal manipulation, however, has effectively dissolved the influence and vote of the majority and has displaced Majority Rules with Minority Rules. An overwhelming majority of Americans do no not approve of Partial Birth Abortion in which...

Robert Novak reports Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) "has informed" Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) "that Federal Appeals Court Judge Priscilla Owen will be filibustered if President Bush names her to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court. "Republican senators are divided on whether former Texas Supreme Court Justice Owen is vulnerable because she underwent a filibuster for the appellate seat and was confirmed under the compromise agreement. Frist is known to believe Owen can be confirmed in the face of a filibuster. "Republican Senate strategists believe Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is the only possible Bush nominee...

It’s time to throw out the traditional playbook and be bold as you plan for the 2006 elections. There is a real possibility that next year’s contest will be a landslide for Democrats and you need to be prepared to win. Specifically, Emanuel and Schumer should file candidates for every single Congressional seat and ever single Senatorial seat in the country, even those that have traditionally been Republican. And the DNC should be encouraging state legislative leaders throughout the country to take similar action on the state house and senate levels. (Excerpt) Why do I think big Democratic gains loom?...

Ariel Sharon had evidently reached the conclusion that a military victory was needed, and since he was incapable of directing or unable to order a military victory over the Palestinians, he ordered a military victory over the Jewish "settlers". Israelis opposed to Ariel Sharon's unilateral "disengagement plan" had something in common with those who backed the plan. Neither group had any idea at all of why Sharon was implementing it. Those who opposed the plan, the "Orange Banner" camp, unsurprisingly had trouble understanding what benefits Sharon could possibly think would come from the "disengagement". But the supporters of the plan...