Free Republic

Are Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Elton John breaking U.S. laws by allowing the British pop singer, a foreign national, to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for Mrs. Clinton's presidential campaign by performing a concert on her behalf? That's the question Inside the Beltway put to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) yesterday, which does not rule out the possibility. First, some background supplied by the FEC: The goal of the 1966 Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) was to "minimize foreign intervention" in U.S. elections by establishing a series of limitations on foreign nationals. In 1974, the prohibition was incorporated...

Are Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Elton John breaking U.S. laws by allowing the British pop singer, a foreign national, to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for Mrs. Clinton's presidential campaign by performing a concert on her behalf? That's the question Inside the Beltway put to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) yesterday, which does not rule out the possibility. First, some background supplied by the FEC: The goal of the 1966 Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) was to "minimize foreign intervention" in U.S. elections by establishing a series of limitations on foreign nationals. In 1974, the prohibition was incorporated...

Fasting eternal The late terrorist mastermind Abu Musab Zarqawi is doing more than pushing up daisies. He's fasting, too. Yes, that's Zarqawi -- or at least his ancestral tribal name -- along with his hometown of Zarqa, Jordan, listed on Code Pink's roll of protesters who are "fasting" in hopes that U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Iraq. And how did the once-notorious terrorist's name wind up on the peace and social justice group's list, among celebrity fasters like the ice-cream-licking Cindy Sheehan? It was submitted by a merry prankster from the D.C. chapter of FreeRepublic.com, we've learned, a conservative...

The Washington Times Inside the Beltway By John McCaslin Published June 28, 2006          Murtha missionaries     Just in time for the 2006 midterm elections, we learn that supporters of the 2004 Swift Boat Veterans for Truth campaign against Sen. John Kerry are starting "Murtha Lied" -- with a Web site "and all the accouterments of a hotshot political campaign," says the guiding force, retired Navy SEAL Capt. Larry W. Bailey of North Carolina.     Capt. Bailey informs fellow veterans in a memo we obtained that he's just opened a bank account in the name of "Vets for Truth," as "we're going...

    Right restored     The National Rifle Association this week delivered once again on its role of upholding the Second Amendment, as Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco signed into law the NRA-backed Emergency Powers Protection Act.     The law prevents governments in her state from confiscating firearms during a state of emergency, as took place in New Orleans last year.     "The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina became the proving ground for what American gun owners have always feared: the day that government bureaucrats throw the Bill of Rights in the trash and declare freedom to be whatever they say it is," says NRA chief...

Did you shoot your Thanksgiving turkey this year? Word is more wild turkeys are to be had in North America - and more Americans are hunting them. The National Wild Turkey Federation says with Thanksgiving upon us, there's no better time to celebrate the comeback of the wild turkey. As recently as the early 1900s, it says, turkeys like certain other wildlife "teetered on the brink of extinction." In those years, the wild turkey population in North America hovered around 30,000. But now, thanks to federal and state conservation measures, wild turkeys have steadily increased in number and expanded their...

A new low Americans are obviously split when it comes to rating the on-the-job performance of George W. Bush. The president, himself, acknowledges as much. But if there ever came a time when one stooped too low, it is now. "Demgurl" is the online pseudonym of a popular veteran contributor to the partisan Web site DemocraticUnderground.com. Last week, the Democrat disclosed that she was on her way home and encountered a minivan beside a freeway offramp. "There was a lady standing next to the van, and in her arms she held her child. I can only assume her minivan had...

Rep. Charles B. Rangel, New York Democrat, says "the destruction of the black family" today can be traced to a single man from England who purposely paid a visit to Virginia during the early 18th century. "In 1712, British slave owner Willie Lynch was invited to the colony of Virginia to teach his methods of keeping slaves under control to American slave owners," Rangel says. "Almost 300 years later, the techniques that he prescribed seem to have not only been successful in controlling slaves, but lasting as a means of weakening and destroying the black family." Rangel explains that in...

Inside the Beltway By John McCaslin August 17, 2005 B-grade Gipper We're here to report a rather bizarre, if not disturbing incident combining Hollywood and Washington, specifically this month's special film-industry screening of "The Killers," a 1964 movie starring Ronald Reagan in his final big-screen role. On hand in Hollywood for the Aug. 4 event was a prestigious crowd of actors, actresses, writers, reviewers, scholars, researchers and film preservationists -- including "L.A. Confidential" director Curtis Hanson -- that actually erupted in cheers when Mr. Reagan "the actor" was shot and killed. Absent the applause, it was already an eerie scene...

It's the hope of those who knew and worked alongside Rick Rescorla that the former security chief of Morgan Stanley be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Tomorrow evening, at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, top officials of Morgan Stanley will join Mr. Rescorla's widow, Susan, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author James B. Stewart -- who recounts Mr. Rescorla's heroism from the Vietnam War to September 11 in the book "Heart of a Soldier" -- in recognizing the Rick Rescorla Foundation, which promotes everything from patriotism to a scholarship fund for children of fallen members of the armed forces....

Let's hear it for empires - or so we will hear at an intriguing book forum Tuesday at the American Enterprise Institute, as economist Deepak Lal has written "In Praise of Empires: Globalization and Order." Lal argues that empires have played a decisive role throughout history in providing the political stability essential to economic and social progress. "If the U.S. public does not recognize the imperial burden that history has thrust upon it, or is unwilling to bear it, the world will continue to muddle along as it has for the past century - with hesitant advances, punctuated by various...

CNN has another new network president, its fifth in four years. Jonathan Klein's mission: take back the million-plus viewers CNN has lost to Fox News Channel in fewer than four years. Take ever-important prime-time numbers (7 to 11 p.m.), as examined by Nielsen Media Research -- CNN: 775,000 viewers (Anderson Cooper, Larry King, Paula Zahn, Aaron Brown); Fox: 2 million viewers (Shephard Smith, Sean Hannity & Alan Colmes, Bill O'Reilly). Mr. Klein's assessment of his competition? "They've tapped into an outrage that's lurking among a certain small segment of the population, mostly angry white men, and those men tend to...

Andrew Breitbart – long the number two man at the Drudge Report – is rumored to be working behind the scenes with Arianna Huffington's new Webzine, the Huffington Report, according to Washington Times "Inside the Beltway" columnist John McCaslin. The Huffington Report is scheduled to launch sometime this month, and will cater to the radically chic. Its liveliest feature promises to be a group blog where movie stars, New York media mavens, Hollywood film moguls and other wealthy proponents of class struggle and proletarian solidarity can sound off on politics (see "Arianna Huffington Launches Group Blog for Celebrity Leftists"). In...

"Patriots up in arms...Chaired by former Rep. Bob Barr, Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances, a national network of organizations from across the political spectrum, will begin its educational efforts today in Washington...The group plans to teach Americans about provisions of the Patriot Act that are supposedly out of line with the Constitution and violate Fourth Amendment freedoms, including the right to privacy...Other "patriots" besides the Georgia Republican include Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform; David Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union; Laura Murphy, director of the Washington legislative office of the American Civil Liberties Union; Paul...

Atlanta-based author, pundit and media consultant Phil Kent, former president of the Southeastern Legal Foundation, tells this column that he's hosting a party on the evening of March 9 in the Buckhead section of the city to honor popular Internet blogger "Buckhead" - otherwise known as prominent Atlanta lawyer Harry MacDougald. "Harry is the bathrobe-clad guy - literally - who 'outed' Dan Rather and CBS less than four hours after they broke the phony Bush National Guard papers" story, Kent says. Rather, who will relinquish his anchor chair after 24 years next week, is accused by conservative critics of being...

Rather party Atlanta-based author, pundit and media consultant Phil Kent, former president of the Southeastern Legal Foundation, tells this column that he's hosting a party on the evening of March 9 in the Buckhead section of the city to honor popular Internet blogger "Buckhead" — otherwise known as prominent Atlanta lawyer Harry MacDougald. "Harry is the bathrobe-clad guy — literally — who 'outed' Dan Rather and CBS less than four hours after they broke the phony Bush National Guard papers" story, Mr. Kent says. Mr. Rather, who will relinquish his anchor chair after 24 years next week, is accused by...

This Valentine's Day, Sen. Tom Harkin, Iowa Democrat, encouraged the romantic sweethearts in his party not to buy chocolates from three of the nation's biggest chocolate producers: Hershey, Nestle and Mars. After all, he warned, all three are "red" companies — purportedly supporters of President Bush and his policies. It's not just Hershey's Kisses that Democrats were asked to give up. Outback Steakhouse is similarly a target of the left, as are hundreds of Wal-Mart stores that are "not so blue." And Democrats are pumping Hess "blue gasoline" these partisan days. "You may have voted blue, but every day you...

What's become of Teresa Heinz Kerry? Preceding its Women Who Make a Difference Awards Dinner on March 1, the National Council for Research on Women is featuring "a conversation with Teresa Heinz," chairwoman of Heinz Family Philanthropies and, up until Election Day, the highly visible better half of Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry. "Teresa Heinz will speak to her commitment to women's economic security, including Social Security and retirement," writes the council, not bothering to mention her married name in several references. "I just checked, and she no longer uses her [entire] last name; only during the [presidential] campaign did she...

Paris on the Potomac Next May through September, the National Archives will present the exhibition "Paris on the Potomac," spotlighting Americans whose encounters with France have affected diplomatic, political, military or cultural life at pivotal moments in U.S. or world history. "Diaries, journals, photographs and film from the National Archives illustrates how these individuals felt about Paris or how Paris felt about them," says a sneak preview of the exhibit sent to Inside the Beltway. Since he is still serving his first of what will be two terms as president, and his official -- and unofficial -- correspondence with France...

'Freeper' sued President Bush's 60-million-vote re-election triumph might have helped Inside the Beltway readers forget those 36 days in late 2000, when it seemed that Al Gore's squads of lawyers might deprive Mr. Bush of his narrow victory in Florida. Providing moral support for Mr. Bush during the Florida recount nightmare were members of FreeRepublic.com. The "Freepers," as they call themselves, staged pro-Bush demonstrations across the country, from Palm Beach County to Washington, D.C., — where their chants of "Get out of Cheney's house" reportedly were loud enough to rattle Mr. Gore's nerves inside the vice presidential residence at the...

Tonight on Booknotes Washington Times columnist, John McCaslin, brings his unique and successful column to a full-length format in this collection of Washington’s funniest, strangest, and most touching stories. For more than a decade, John McCaslin has covered the Beltway beat for the Washington Times, in his extremely popular, widely quoted, award-winning column. Now, in his new book, McCaslin explores a vast array of little-known political tidbits, using humor, touching stories, and exclusive inside details to show readers exactly how the political game is played, revealing the humanity (for better or worse) of today’s biggest politicos. With his characteristic blend...

Walking U.N. [. . .] excerpt. . . New research by Burke's Peerage reveals that Mr. Kerry is the only presidential candidate in U.S. history who has genealogical descent from Muslims, Jews and Christians. "Senator Kerry ... is a virtual walking United Nations," says Harold Brooks-Baker, publishing director of Burke's. Mr. Kerry is kinsman of the Shi'ite shahs of Persia (the most famous was Shah Abbas I, who reigned from 1587 to 1629), as well as the Muslim kings of Tunisia, all of whom — Democratic presidential nominee included — descend from the prophet Muhammad.

Perhaps Sen. John Kerry does have an advantage after all over President Bush in understanding the complex political issues of the Middle East. New research by Burke's Peerage reveals that Mr. Kerry is the only presidential candidate in U.S. history who has genealogical descent from Muslims, Jews and Christians. "Senator Kerry ... is a virtual walking United Nations," says Harold Brooks-Baker, publishing director of Burke's. Mr. Kerry is kinsman of the Shi'ite shahs of Persia (the most famous was Shah Abbas I, who reigned from 1587 to 1629), as well as the Muslim kings of Tunisia, all of whom —...

During a 1997 debate on CNN's "Crossfire," Sen. John Kerry, now the Democratic presidential nominee, made the case for launching a pre-emptive attack against Iraq. So reveals Rep. Peter King, New York Republican, who appeared with Mr. Kerry on the program.Mr. King says the U.N. Security Council had just adopted a resolution against Iraq that was watered down at the behest of the French and the Russians. Yet the candidate who now criticizes President Bush for ignoring French and Russian objections to the Iraq war blasted the two countries, claiming that they were compromised by their business dealings with Baghdad.

During a 1997 debate on CNN's "Crossfire," Sen. John Kerry, now the Democratic presidential nominee, made the case for launching a pre-emptive attack against Iraq. So reveals Rep. Peter King, New York Republican, who appeared with Mr. Kerry on the program. Mr. King says the U.N. Security Council had just adopted a resolution against Iraq that was watered down at the behest of the French and the Russians. Yet the candidate who now criticizes President Bush for ignoring French and Russian objections to the Iraq war blasted the two countries, claiming that they were compromised by their business dealings with...

Coloring our world If anybody cares to send Inside the Beltway a George W. Bush coloring book, we'd be delighted to color it. In the meantime, pass the crayons, as we delve into "A Child's-Eye View of John Kerry," by Dougie's Books of Upland, Calif.Our favorite page shows Mr. Kerry standing next to his SUV, explaining that he doesn't own the gas-guzzling vehicle, his family holds the title. But let's start from the beginning. "John Kerry has lots of big houses everywhere that his wife bought," children read. "They go in their own jet and don't have to sit next...

In an article today on fox & friends written by John McCaslin , John McCaslin said that Kerry submitted a report saying he had a dog who was blown off the boat from a bomb, but no veterans remember seeing a dog, this could lead to uncover more lies by John Kerry.

August 25, 2004 Posted at 12:30 PM, Pacific DID THE DOG GO INTO CAMBODIA? DID THE DOG BARK AT THE CIA MAN, THUS PROMPTING THE CIA MAN TO GIVE KERRY THE HAT? WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DOG? This Washington Times story by John McCaslin raises a host of new questiosn for John Kerry: "VC surfaces A new four-legged angle -- actually a dog named "VC" -- has suddenly materialized surrounding Sen. John Kerry 's swift boat service in Vietnam. In a 2004 presidential candidate questionnaire for Humane USA, Mr. Kerry was asked whether any pets have had an impact on...

VC surfaces A new four-legged angle — actually a dog named "VC" — has suddenly materialized surrounding Sen. John Kerry's swift boat service in Vietnam. In a 2004 presidential candidate questionnaire for Humane USA, Mr. Kerry was asked whether any pets have had an impact on his life. "I have always had pets in my life, and there are a few that I remember very fondly," Mr. Kerry replied. "When I was serving on a Swift Boat in Vietnam, my crewmates and I had a dog we called VC. "One day as our Swift Boat was heading up a river,...

I just caught the tail end of an interview with a columnist whose name I didn't catch, who said that John Kerry answered a written question about his favorite dog with yet another lie about his four months on the swift boats. I remember reading that Kerry's answer to the question began, "When I was in Viet Nam..." Well, he said they had found a dog in VN and named him VC. Now, the story goes, VC was on the swift boat with them when the boat hit a mine. The dog was thrown from the boat, flew through the...

    Hold the bacon     Apart from Hurricane Charley, we've been following a most intriguing story out of Orlando, Fla., where a woman says she was fired from her job because she ate a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich at work, offending Muslim employees.     According to the Orlando Sentinel, Lina Morales has filed a religious-discrimination lawsuit against Rising Star Telecommunications, saying she lost her administrative position because she violated a policy banning pork and pork products from the workplace.     She says the rule "constitutes religious discrimination because it is based in Islamic law for the benefit of some Muslim employees who were...

The Beltway Beat has confirmed that an "incident" is under investigation at the Alexandria Detention Center involving accused terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui and his reported use of a personal cell phone belonging to a jail employee. A source close to the Alexandria Sheriff's Department tells this column that he was told yesterday that the phone belongs to a sheriff's deputy who has guarded Moussaoui, the so-called "20th hijacker" being held under otherwise-tight security. "He (the deputy) is accused of allowing Moussaoui to use his cell phone to make personal calls," says our source, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "The guard...

Inside the Beltway By John McCaslin Bush 1, Kerry 0 Louise R. Kilcullen knew the end was near, so the 86-year-old Alexandria woman, who died last Wednesday, made sure she voted by absentee ballot in the 2004 presidential election (we have it on good authority she cast her vote for President George W. Bush). "She was kidding around ... in the hospital that she wouldn't be around on November 2, and she wanted to make sure she voted before she died," the Rev. Dennis Kleinmann, pastor of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Old Town Alexandria, tells Inside the Beltway. "I'm...

<p>The family of U.S. Air Force Maj. Gregory Stone was shocked to learn that video footage of the major's Arlington National Cemetery burial was included by Michael Moore in his movie "Fahrenheit 9/11."</p> <p>Stone was killed in March 2003 by a grenade that officials said was thrown into his tent by Sgt. Hasan K. Akbar, who is on trial for murder.</p>

Dismayed by "deepening divisions" in America and specifically the South, a dozen prominent white Southerners - historians and academics alike in cahoots with former President Jimmy Carter - have set out to retake the country. "Of course, other good books dissecting the Bush regime have appeared, but ours will be the first critique of the government coming out of the South's white liberal tradition, a segment usually lost in the overwhelming tide of the region's conservatives," Mildred Inge Wakefield, publicist for "Where We Stand: Voices of Southern Dissent," tells this column. The launch of this 12-essay anthology - penned by...

<p>U.S. travel visas, far more difficult to obtain since the September 11 terrorist attacks, were a hot topic of discussion when Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski met at the White House with President Bush earlier this year.</p> <p>"To improve the ease and safety of such travel, the United States will establish in Warsaw a program to pre-screen visitors traveling from Poland to the United States," Mr. Bush assured the visiting head of state, who had made clear that "millions and millions" of law-abiding Poles and Polish Americans were counting on improvements in the visa process.</p>

<p>It's been exactly one month since Brian J. Kennedy, communications director for the House Resources Committee, suspected that the Democratic Party was nearing completion of a four-part strategy to obfuscate simple supply and demand principles and obstruct passage of President Bush's national energy policy.</p>

Bush Country Ketchup Pretty Funny - their Top Ten is great and the talking points on Kerry is pretty much the campaign. CONSERVATIVE KETCHUP Former college roommates Patrick Spero and Chris Cylke, the latter a Republican staffer on Capitol Hill, are the brains behind "Bush Country Ketchup." "While dunking our (french) fries in ketchup a few months ago, we came to a sudden realization," explains one. "With each drop of ketchup we ingested - bottled by a company whose single largest individual shareholder is the wife of Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry - we were indirectly making his wallet fatter."...

Pretty Funny - a Conservative alternative to Heinz - Bush Country Ketchup - their Top Ten is hilarious. CONSERVATIVE KETCHUP Former college roommates Patrick Spero and Chris Cylke, the latter a Republican staffer on Capitol Hill, are the brains behind "Bush Country Ketchup." "While dunking our (french) fries in ketchup a few months ago, we came to a sudden realization," explains one. "With each drop of ketchup we ingested - bottled by a company whose single largest individual shareholder is the wife of Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry - we were indirectly making his wallet fatter." So, the pair took...

Pretty Funny - a Conservative alternative to Heinz - Bush Country Ketchup - their Top Ten is hilarious. CONSERVATIVE KETCHUP Former college roommates Patrick Spero and Chris Cylke, the latter a Republican staffer on Capitol Hill, are the brains behind "Bush Country Ketchup." "While dunking our (french) fries in ketchup a few months ago, we came to a sudden realization," explains one. "With each drop of ketchup we ingested - bottled by a company whose single largest individual shareholder is the wife of Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry - we were indirectly making his wallet fatter." So, the pair took...

Ever since 2000, Slate has poked fun at George W. Bush for his "torture" of the English language, saying its "Bushisms" collection "captures the president's ignorance, incuriosity, laziness and thoughtlessness expressed in frequent gaffes." Democrats, meanwhile, say they have a candidate who speaks more clearly than Mr. Bush. Does he? "Now that Democrats have settled on a presumptive presidential nominee," Slate's editors write, "it's time to cast a cold eye on the pomposity and evasiveness of John Kerry." They even explain "how to read a Kerryism," presenting one new caveat each day (or until such time the likely Democratic presidential...

Actress Drew Barrymore is filming a documentary aimed at persuading young people to vote. She recently happened upon members of the D.C. chapter of FreeRepublic.com, the conservative grass-roots network, as they conducted a Washington protest. "Can I ask you guys a question?" Miss Barrymore said. "You come out and you protest. Do you feel that it makes a difference? Do you feel that you reach people?" Group leader Kristinn Taylor answered: "We used to do this down at the White House every Saturday for a couple years when Bill Clinton was there. It goes like this" — and here Mr....

Earlier we wrote about Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's unique vernacular being turned into a book of poetry. Now, as the Pentagon boss alluded to recently while lecturing the nation's newspaper editors, he's become music to a composer's ears. Actually, a half-dozen composers from around the United States. "Rummy Music," spun coast-to-coast by countless radio stations and from New York last week by CNN correspondent Jeanne Moos: Rumsfeld: "There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we now know we don't know."

<p>"Chilling day today," writes an Army officer deployed to Iraq from the Pentagon. His letter to Washington, which he's given this column permission to reprint, provides a personal glimpse into last week's escalation of fighting by Iraqis that killed dozens of U.S. troops....</p>

<p>Given her many years surrounded by neckties, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice should have no trepidations when testifying today before the September 11 commission.</p> <p>She was barely 35 when she toiled for the previous Bush administration as its "top Sovietologist." Yet during the 1990 U.S.-Soviet Summit, Miss Rice stood out in the crowd of international negotiators, a young black woman whom Soviet diplomats once thought too pretty to be serious.</p>

<p>Rep. Michael C. Burgess, Texas Republican, wasn't "quick enough" to the TV dial Sunday night at the conclusion of the NCAA basketball game and "was exposed to a 20-minute infomercial that was passed off as a news interview."</p> <p>He was referring to the CBS "60 Minutes" interview with Richard A. Clarke, a former top terrorism official in the previous three administrations (he was demoted by President Bush) who says it is outrageous that Mr. Bush is running for re-election based on national security.</p>

Money will buy anything these days - including an imaginary foreign leader who will not only support your presidential candidacy, he will lie for you. On the heels of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry insisting that numerous foreign leaders (whom he declines to name) have endorsed his bid for the White House, a politically motivated entrepreneur, who appears to be from India, has placed himself on the EBay auction block as the imaginary "leader of a foreign nation that supports your candidacy for president of the United States until the elections in November." "I'll play along with you with whatever...

<p>It's not every day that a graphic artist finds his work cited as a major issue in a presidential campaign.</p> <p>Richard Taylor isn't exactly happy that John Kerry's spokesman, David Wade, named him as an example in support of Mr. Kerry's assertion that Republicans are the "most crooked ... lying group I've ever seen."</p>

One thing that has become apparent within the Bush White House is that not everybody agrees with everybody all the time. Heck, even President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have their differences. Take the hot-button issue of same-sex "marriage." Tuesday, on CNN's "Wolf Blitzer Reports," Cheney was reminded of his previously stated position that such untraditional marriages should be regulated by the states rather than "federal policy." "So you still believe that?" Blitzer asked. "The president's made a decision, partly because of what's happened in Massachusetts and San Francisco, that the administration will support a constitutional amendment. And, uh,...

<p>A glimpse of the softer side of Donald H. Rumsfeld unexpectedly pops up on page 131 of "Rumsfeld's War," the new book on the tough-minded defense secretary by Rowan Scarborough, defense and national security reporter for The Washington Times.</p> <p>Mr. Scarborough writes that Mr. Rumsfeld surprised his wife, Joyce, on her 70th birthday Sept. 18, 2002, with a book about her consisting of photographs that he compiled and a narrative that he wrote. He called it "Joyce Rumsfeld: A Joy to the World," had it printed in brown hardcover and gave copies to the couple's three children and other family members.</p>