Free Republic

Of all the distortions, misstatements and outright lies in Joe Biden’s truly appalling performance in the Vice Presidential debate, no passage counts as more perplexing than the following utterly addled recollection: “When we kicked – along with France, we kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon, I said and barack said, ‘Move NATO forces in there. Fill the vacuum, because if you don’t know--- if you don’t, Hezbollah will control it.’ “Now what’s happened? Hezbollah is a legitimate part of the government in the country immediately to the north of Israel.” I defy any rational observer to explain what, precisely, Biden was...

On Michael Medved show, Biden said Hillary Clinton may be more qualified than him to be VP, and might have been a better pick than him.

A Los Angeles man is suing conservative Talker KRLA-AM/Los Angeles claiming the station, and parent Salem Communications, misrepresented their broadcast license by serving the interest of the Republican Party rather than the public reports the Glendale News Press. David Birke filed the complaint on August 27 against seven talk hosts, Salem and Salem President/CEO Ed Atsinger, claiming that they use the public airwaves to push a Republican agenda. Syndicated hosts Laura Ingraham, Dennis Prager, Michael Medved, Hugh Hewitt, Dennis Miller, Mike Gallagher and Kevin James are listed as defendants. According to the complaint, "Salem Entities and Atsinger had no intention...

When the McCain and Palin families assembled together on stage at the conclusion of the Republican Convention in Minnesota, I felt profoundly encouraged about the future. There are seven McCain children, and five Palins—for a total of twelve offspring for the ticket. Among the Democrats, Senator Obama has two children, and Senator Biden has three – for a total of five. Meanwhile, in an interview scheduled for broadcast this Monday, Michelle Obama told TV host Ellen DeGeneres “I’m done” when asked if she wanted another child. “This campaign is that child,” she said. Of course, it’s possible that some of...

Why do conservatives and liberals respond so differently to the current war in Georgia? The answer to that question exposes the great political divide separating left and right, Democrats and Republicans, in today’s America. The stark contrast between Barack Obama and John McCain at this weekend’s televised Civil Forum at California’s Saddleback Church further underlined the vast gulf in worldviews when it comes to injecting moral standards or arguments into politics. Conservatives approach every challenge with a determination to approach the question (as far as possible)as a choice between right and wrong, good and evil. Liberals, on the other hand,...

Democratic strategists loudly insist that the tawdry sex scandal consuming John Edwards will do no damage to the Obama campaign. Despite the very public embraces between the former North Carolina senator and the presumptive nominee, Obama apologists (can we coin a new term-- "Obamapologists"?) dismiss the Edwards case as an irrelevant distraction. After all, they say that their man never seriously considered his former rival as a potential running mate or even for a major cabinet post, so the unfolding disgrace of a one-time elected official bears no connection to Barack's visionary campaign of hope, change, and global redemption. For...

Last November, radio host Michael Medved was made a Senior Fellow at the anti-evolution “think tank” known as the Discovery Institute, and he has some rather interesting things to say about “intelligent design:”

Most Americans remain utterly ignorant of this nation’s first foreign war but that exotic, long-ago struggle set the pattern for nearly all the many distant conflicts that followed. Refusal to confront the lessons of the First Barbary War (1801-1805) has led to some of the silliest arguments concerning Iraq and Afghanistan, and any effort to apply traditional American values to our future foreign policy requires an understanding of this all-but-forgotten episode from our past. The war against the Barbary States of North Africa (Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli—today’s Libya) involved commitment and sacrifice far from home and in no way involved...

Barack Obama isn’t just conducting a political campaign; he’s launching his very own religious cult. Under the headline “Obama Supporters Take His Name as Their Own,” the New York Times reported on a bizarre fad among the candidate’s enraptured acolytes: across the country, they’ve begun adopting his middle name, Hussein. “The result is a group of unlikely sounding Husseins,” writes reporter Jodi Kantor, “from Jaime Hussein Alvarez of Washington, D.C., to Kelly Hussein Crowley of Norman, Oklahoma, to Sarah Beth Hussein Frumkin of Chicago.” One of the key elements in many religious cults involves a name change – like transitioning...

As standard-bearer of the Democratic Party, Barack Obama has ended the white-male monopoly on presidential nominations while extending recent domination by an even smaller, more elite minority — holders of Yale and Harvard degrees. Among the 12 nominees of the two major parties in the past 20 years, Obama (Harvard Law, '91) becomes the 10th to have graduated from one of the nation's two oldest, most prestigious major universities. All winners since 1988 have held a degree from Yale (George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush) while their opponents featured a mix of more Yalies (Bush Sr., John Kerry)...

A British artist has produced what she calls a "photo-fit" of the Yeti based on "potentially explosive" new evidence of the elusive creature's existence. Wildlife painter Polyanna Pickering was shown what is believed to be a 100-year-old yeti scalp at a remote monastery in the Himalayas. The sketch was produced with the help of eyewitness accounts At least one expert believe it could be the most important proof yet that the giant apelike beast is more than mere folklore. Ms Pickering was gathering material for a new exhibition in the remote Bhutan region of the Himalayas when she made her...

John McCain obviously wants the country to begin thinking and talking about his selection of a running mate – otherwise, why did he invite three leading V.P. possibilities (Governors Mitt Romney, Charlie Crist and Bobby Jindal) to his home in Sedona, Arizona for a Memorial Day barbeque?

Advocates for same-sex marriage should feel embarrassed by current efforts to recycle the three most discredited ideas of the “Free Love” Revolution of the 1960’s. Most Americans look back at the radical notions of that rebellious and drug-soaked era with skepticism and discomfort, if not outright regret. The sweeping changes in intimate relationships may have provoked excitement some forty years ago, but those alterations produced so many painful costs in terms of shattered families, degraded culture and proliferation of sexually transmitted diseases that even the most enthusiastic revolutionaries have come to reconsider the advisability of encouraging copulation without consequences or...

Despite the recent spate of major bestsellers touting the virtues of atheism, polls show consistent, stubborn reluctance on the part of the public to cast their votes for a presidential candidate who denies the existence of God...

Michael Medved has hurled the ultimate insult at Rush Limbaugh -- that he's acting like a liberal. According to Medved, Rush is thinking with his emotions, not his mind, when it comes to his criticism of of John McCain. McCain supporter Medved appeared on Tucker Carlson's MSNBC show this evening. View video here.

John McCain heads into Tuesday's Florida primary facing resistance from not only his fellow candidates, but also from the leaders of conservative talk radio, who some suggest have put their reputations on the line, as well. Talk radio pioneer Rush Limbaugh said that if McCain or Mike Huckabee are nominated, "it's going to destroy the Republican Party." Mark Levin calls the senator "John McLame." On Monday, Laura Ingraham said she was "concerned about the mental stability of the McCain campaign" and had cuckoo-clock sound effects accompany his words. "Sen. McCain is a great American, a lousy senator and a terrible...

LIE #1: John McCain isn’t a loyal Republican. TRUTH: McCain has been a stalwart Reagan Republican since he first entered politics in 1981. Republican presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., right, speaks with former New York Sen. Alfonse D'Amato at his side after D'Amato endorsed McCain during an appearance in New York, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2008.(AP Photo/Kathy Willens) He has never backed Democratic candidates for president or lesser posts – other than supporting his friend Joe Lieberman in his Independent campaign for US Senate in 2006. Over the years, he has campaigned tirelessly for Republican office-holders in every corner of...

Whatever the final results of Tuesday’s New Hampshire Primary, the Republican Party endured four damaging days in the run-up to that climactic confrontation. The two debates over the weekend (Saturday night on ABC TV, then Sunday evening on Fox News) showed our candidates at their worst..... The problem wasn’t the performance of one candidate, but the negative and niggling tone of all of them – especially in contrast to their Democratic rivals. A few more weeks of this nit-picking, negative nonsense and we will turn a difficult general election campaign into an impossible one...... LOOK TO THE FUTURE, NOT THE...

Movie List: Best and Worst, 2007 Posted by: Michael Medved BEST OF YEAR: 1. ATONEMENT - Keira Knightly, James McAvoy 2. AMAZING GRACE - Ioan Gruffudd, Albert Finney (The story of William Wilberforce) 3. THE KITE RUNNER - Based on the best-selling novel, and from the director of "Monster's Ball" and "Finding Neverland" 4. RATATOUILLE - Animated film with voices of Peter O'Toole, Brad Garrett, and Patton Oswalt 5. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD - Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck 6. GONE BABY GONE - Casey Affleck, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris (Directed by Ben Affleck) 7....

Despite his current standing in the polls, Mike Huckabee remains an under-funded and chronically disorganized long-shot when it comes to actually winning the GOP Presidential nomination. While easily the most gifted TV communicator in the field, the former Arkansas governor displays some serious vulnerabilities as a candidate for the White House and his innumerable critics and rivals have attacked these weaknesses with gleeful ferocity. Even if he fails to win a place on the national ticket, however, Huckabee’s startlingly strong campaign provides potent benefits for both his party and his country. In the two weeks remaining before the Iowa Caucuses...

Michael Medved says 'The Golden Compass' movie is a very complicated thing. It is based on the novel, Northern Lights (later renamed 'The Golden Compass'), which is the first in the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman.   Michael says this movie is good enough to drive kids to read the books. It is very entertaining and well-done. However, people must really question the message it is sending, which is an attack on the church. Michael says the message will probably go over the heads of the young children that see the movie, but older teens and adults should be...

Michael Medved is discussing the upcoming film "Golden Compass" now. I'm not familiar with the book, but I've seen that there is controversy about it being anti-Christian. He says people should be concerned and is explaining it now.

Why is Mike Huckabee surging in the polls? He’s not only moved into a five point lead in Iowa (according to the latest Des Moines Register Poll) but he’s also in second place in Florida and within striking distance of the lead in South Carolina (which is virtually a four way tie). Some voices in the Romney camp suggest that the recent strength of the former Arkansas governor derives from religious bigotry. According to this logic, Evangelical Christians who can’t accept Mitt’s Mormonism, have rallied to the Baptist Pastor, Huckabee. Romney’s scheduled speech on Thursday at the George H. W....

"It’s been slightly more than 24 hours since the two-hour CNN/You Tube GOP debate finally sputtered and wheezed to its conclusion (appropriately, with a silly question to Rudy Giuliani about why, as a fanatic Yankee fan, he rooted for the Red Sox in the World Series). Conventional wisdom suggests that this flashy show with its quirky, often frivolous questions will have scant influence on the electoral outcomes in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida and other early, crucial states in the nomination process. For two reasons, I suspect the conventional wisdom is wrong, and televised extravaganza could profoundly and immediately...

The United States has displayed a remarkable and long-standing tendency not only to tolerate, but to honor and reward, those who decry the nation’s morality and predict its imminent and inevitable doom. Consider Pat Buchanan’s new bestseller, “Day of Reckoning: How Hubris, Ideology and Greed are Tearing America Apart.” This magnum opus follows his similarly cheerful (and successful) releases, “State of Emergency” and “The Death of the West.” In the opening pages of the most recent book, “Pitchfork Pat” dramatically declaims: “Truly, America faces an existential crisis… It is the belief of the author and the premise of this book...

"It could be the worst movie I've ever seen" ... "[T]he out and out worst, most disgusting, most hateful, most incompetent, most revolting, most loathsome, most reprehensible cinematic work I have ever encountered." ... "It portrays the members of our Marine Corps in the most disgusting way imaginable." ... "This film is an atrocity. It is zero stars." ... "I honestly was close to vomiting when I saw the film." ... "It is a slander on the United States of America." ... "Everyone associated with this film ought to be ashamed." ... "Will it inspire future terrorists? Of course it...

The persistent American fascination with third parties and fringe candidates defies every lesson of history, logic, human nature and common sense. No minor party candidate has ever won the presidency or, for that matter, even come close. For the most part, these ego-driven “independent” adventures in electoral narcissism push the political process further away from their professed goals, rather than advancing their agendas or ideas. Nevertheless, a clear majority of Americans (58%) in September, 2007, told the Gallup Poll that the two major parties “do such a poor job that a third major party is needed”, while only 39% agree...

Though activists attempt to corral presidential candidates, such as Rudy Giuliani, into a specific camp, beliefs today are much more nuanced. It’s no longer a black-and-white debate. The battle for the Republican presidential nomination might serve to clear away prevailing confusion and contradictions about public opinion on abortion. Rudy Giuliani seeks the White House by reaching out to that majority of Americans who say they are pro-choice — and anti-abortion. To most pro-lifers, this position represents an absurd contradiction. Along with their militant counterparts on the opposite side of the abortion issue, they've reduced the controversy to a simple, black-and-white...

Though activists attempt to corral presidential candidates, such as Rudy Giuliani, into a specific camp, beliefs today are much more nuanced. It’s no longer a black-and-white debate. The battle for the Republican presidential nomination might serve to clear away prevailing confusion and contradictions about public opinion on abortion. Rudy Giuliani seeks the White House by reaching out to that majority of Americans who say they are pro-choice — and anti-abortion...

Bala Cynwyd - Radio talk show host and Philadelphia native Michael Medved spoke to hundreds at Bala Cynwyd Middle School Tuesday evening to debunk what he considers calumnies against Israel. Mr. Medved, a staunch defender of Israel and a well-known conservative scholar of politics and culture, made his speech before members of the Jewish congregation Chabad Main Line. "The subject tonight is very personal for me, as it is for all of you," Mr. Medved said. The Philadelphian first addressed pointedly the "lie" that the Israeli state was formed as a "consolation prize" for the Holocaust. He said he found...

Those who want to discredit the United States and to deny our role as history’s most powerful and pre-eminent force for freedom, goodness and human dignity invariably focus on America’s bloody past as a slave-holding nation. Along with the displacement and mistreatment of Native Americans, the enslavement of literally millions of Africans counts as one of our two founding crimes—and an obvious rebuttal to any claims that this Republic truly represents “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” According to America-bashers at home and abroad, open-minded students of our history ought to feel more guilt than...

Senator John McCain’s recent comments about America’s heritage as a “Christian nation” ignited an ill-tempered blast of self-righteous condemnation – a reaction that highlighted the widespread misunderstandings, distortions and downright ignorance surrounding the nation’s founders and their view of religion’s role in society. Asked a question about a recent poll that showed 55% of the public believing that “the Constitution establishes a Christian nation,” McCain responded: “I would probably have to say yes, that the Constitution established the United States of America as a Christian nation. But I say that in the broadest sense. The lady that holds her lamp...

Who says politicians can’t move swiftly and decisively to block an imminent threat to public decency? Consider the courageous work of most of our state legislatures and, potentially, the Congress of the United States, to put an end to the shameful scourge of internet hunting. Since 2005, 33 states have outlawed the cruel, unsportsmanlike practice, and when the governor signs an Illinois bill that’s already passed both houses that will make 34 states that have taken action to put an end to the slaughter. As the Humane Society of the United States declared in a mailing that went out in...

Everybody knows that one of the familiar definitions of insanity involves doing the same thing over and over again but somehow expecting a different result each time. By that standard, Senator Sam Brownback and Congressman Duncan Hunter ought to reaffirm their sanity by withdrawing from the Presidential race. Both these veteran Republicans count as distinguished, thoughtful public servants and admirable patriots. They’ve both compiled formidable records on Capitol Hill. And they’ve both been running for President for several months, participating in all televised debates and, particularly in the case of Duncan Hunter, impressing many observers with their articulate and accomplished...

Critics on the left are constantly complaining that right-leaning radio talkers are getting their daily programming straight from the talking points of the Republican Party. This is one of the main reasons why they're so eager to implement the 'Fairness Doctrine' and either silence talk radio or force an artificial balance on broadcast content so that their message gets equal time. Their argument is that every word that Rush Limbaugh or Bill O'Reilly utters is essentially a free political commercial for the GOP, their policies and their candidates. How much more troubled they must be by this week's developments in...

A Wartime President Hugh Hewitt President Bush invited ten talk hosts into the Oval Office for an hour of conversation today --Glenn Beck, Bill Bennett, Neal Boortz, Scott Hennon, Laura Ingraham, Lars Larson, Mark Levin, Michael Medved, Janet Parshall and me. This was an off-the-record conversation, and so I won't be quoting the president. I will say on today's show that I am confident about the course of the war and about the momentum in Iraq, as well of the president's absolute commitment to doing right by the troops and his concern for every lost and wounded soldier and their...

On Saturday in Jerusalem, I participated in a moving religious service to honor one of Israel’s most celebrated heroes from last summer’s war against the Hezbollah terrorists. Lieutenant Eli Kahn, 23, led a unit of elite Paratrooper Commandos advancing against heavily defended Hezbollah positions in the Southern Lebanon town of Maroun al-Ras in the early days of the fighting. The Israelis, hoping to knock out Katyusha rockets that had already taken a bloody toll on civilian targets, drew unexpectedly intense fire from the enemy and sustained heavy casualties. While tending to one of his wounded paratroopers, Lt. Kahn saw a...

Ted Sorensen’s service to John F. Kennedy (as both US Senator and President) earned him legendary status as the most celebrated speechwriter in US history. Sorensen crafted the famous “Ask not…” phrase in the inaugural address, and wrote JFK’s stirring “New Frontier” acceptance speech when he won the Democratic nomination in 1960. Last week, Sorensen (now 79) wrote another speech intended to inspire the Democratic hordes who scent victory in another watershed election. He wrote a proposed “Acceptance Speech” which he means to offer to whichever candidate prevails in the nomination fight. Some of the carefully crafted language reads like...

Fred Thompson’s imminent entry into the Presidential race is good news for the GOP and for the country—not just because it provides another plausible conservative alternative, but because it greatly increases the likelihood of an “open convention” for the first time in 56 years. Conventional wisdom says that the accelerated schedule of primaries and caucuses will yield a clear winner earlier than ever before, but with four strong, determined candidates—Giuliani, McCain, Romney and now Thompson—it’s just as likely that they’ll split available delegates four ways. Very few states have “winner take all” provisions, and with delegates often distributed by Congressional...

Mitt Romney’s increasingly credible Presidential campaign raises urgent but uncomfortable questions about his Mormon faith. Does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints constitute a benevolent, mainstream religion or a dangerous cult with a deranged and bloody past? Polls suggest that as many as one-third of voters rule out supporting a Mormon candidate due to negative impressions of his religious faith and one Florida televangelist (Bill Keller) has already declared to his audience of more than two million that “A vote for Romney is a vote for Satan!” In more temperate terms, one of my prominent talk radio...

When it comes to the issue of gay marriage, the Jewish Theological Seminary blinked and gave way to society’s shifting mores. So one must ask the question: Should we guide religion, or should religion guide us? The ongoing battle over redefinition of marriage threatens to shatter a long-standing, popular approach to personal faith and biblical morality. For several generations, most Americans have embraced what could be described as the Goldilocks attitude toward religion: affirming faith choices that seemed not too soft but not too hard, not too hot but not too cool. Majorities viewed easy-going moderation and comforting compromise as...

Medved will be interviewing Condi LIVE in a few minutes. Hopefully they will be taking calls.

Biblical Liberation from Liberalism By Michael Medved Wednesday, April 11, 2007 With the arrival of the eight day Passover Festival on Monday night, I was preparing some material for our family-reunion Seder meal (Diane and I will be together with all three of our children, plus my visiting father from Jerusalem) when I stumbled across one of the most important of all verses in the Hebrew Scriptures. Leviticus 19:15 declares: "You shall not commit a perversion of justice: you shall not favor the poor and you shall not honor the great, with righteousness shall you judge your fellow." About fifteen...

In addition to all our other problems in the bitter aftermath of dispiriting electoral defeat, conservatives in 2007 face major challenges of self definition. Who are we, and what issues remain essential, irreducible elements of our political identity? Do we need to reconsider our approach to some of the key controversies of the day in order to recapture majority support? And how do we resolve some of the apparent conservative contradictions? — We want smaller government and fewer public employees at the same time we want to hire more soldiers, cops and border patrol agents. — We favor choice in...

...For most people, the big question is whether The 1/2 Hour Comedy Hour, which debuts this Sunday night, February 18, is worth thirty minutes of your time? After watching the first two episodes of the show, my answer is an unequivocal "Yes" -- it's worth watching, worth supporting, even if the project is very much a work in progress which, along with a few laughs, delivers a few moments of embarrassing, unfunny, ineptitude...

Michael Medved is one of my favorite radio hosts. His knowledge and insight on any given issue, and his ability to articulate his positions, give Rush Limbaugh and Laura Ingraham equal competition for top spot of my favorite host. My reason for posting is to find out if anyone here knows where I can find audio of Michael Medved's radio theme. I managed to narrow it down to the movie Silverado (which is in keeping with Michael's love of the American west spirit) but I just ordered the soundtrack off eBay, and the music is not on it. Wondering if...

Michael Medved is one of the most astute and persuasive hosts on conservative talk radio. Occasionally, individuals call into his show to champion hopeless third party candidacies—usually on “disagreement day”. These conversations are always good for a chuckle as Michael lays into the callers and disparages them as members of the “Losertarian” or “Constipation” parties. As Michael rightly points out, these parties are generally populated by cranks, weirdos, and guys who like to pretend to be part of the process by doing the political equivalent of “playing house.” As a result, votes cast for third party candidates are wasted, Medved...

Two days ago, in blogging about the abortion records of the serious GOP Presidential prospects (McCain, Giuliani, Romney), I provoked a great deal of anger by writing off the other current contenders (Huckabee, Brownback, Tancredo, Ron Paul, Gilmore, Thompson, Duncan Hunter) as "lesser" candidates who stand no realistic chance of winning primaries or grabbing the nomination. No matter how much you may admire these people, their candidacies are irrelevant – more a bid for attention, or a preparation for future races, than a realistic bid for power... When, in the last 60 years of Presidential politics, did any obscure underdog...

Join Michael Medved live from beautiful Sisley Italian Kitchen in Sherman Oaks, Thursday, February 8th from 12noon - 3pm. Don't miss your opportunity to see Michael as he does his nationally syndicated show live and enjoy the fantastic cuisine of Sisley Italian Kitchen. Seating is limited and may be standing room only. Valet parking is available and the restaurant will validate for up to 90 minutes... Sisley Italian Kitchen 15300 Ventura Blvd Sherman Oaks, CA 91411 (818) 905-8444

On Tuesday, January 16th, 2007, the American people awoke to startling and disturbing news: for the first time ever, the majority of women in the country were living without a husband. All the TV networks, radio news broadcasts, pundits, talk show hosts and leading newspapers reported on the devastating milestone, and saw it as yet another indication of the ongoing collapse of the traditional family. Some commentators hailed this development as an encouraging sign of newfound freedom, while others decried it as a reflection of decadence and dysfunction. With all the debate and pontification about the new minority status of...