Free Republic

(IsraelNN.com) A top advisor to PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, considered to be a “moderate” and a peace partner by the U.S. government, has charged that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is a “liar” who is being bribed by “Zionists.” Omar Hilmi Al-Ghul, and advisor to Fayyad and a columnist for a PA daily made the comments in an article translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). Under the headline, "Clinton, Why Must You Lie?" he wrote, "Why is Mrs. Clinton lying to herself, to the American people, and to [other] world nations by twisting the truth...

The taxpayer-funded PBS sandbox knows how to keep looking down their nose at their competitors in conservative talk radio and TV. Once again, on Friday night’s NewsHour, the supposedly opposing duo of Mark Shields and David Brooks offered their shared revulsion of any Republican spokesman to the right of Sen. Lindsey Graham. It started when NewsHour anchor Judy Woodruff asked their reaction to former Vice President Dick Cheney accusing Obama of "dithering" on Afghanistan. Sheields called Cheney a "gift." Brooks lamented that the Republicans lack leaders that sound exactly as moderate as he is

A White House effort to undermine conservative critics is generating a backlash on Capitol Hill — and not just from Republicans. “It’s a mistake,” said Rep. Jason Altmire, a moderate Democrat from western Pennsylvania. “I think it’s beneath the White House to get into a tit for tat with news organizations.” Altmire was talking about the Obama administration’s efforts to undercut Fox News. But he said his remarks applied just the same to White House efforts to marginalize the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a powerful business lobby targeted for its opposition to climate change legislation. “There’s no reason to gratuitously...

George Pataki will be in Iowa next month to raise money for local Republicans. The former New York governor will be the headline speaker at a fundraising event on November 10th, according to Brian Kennedy, finance director for the Scott County Republican Party. The visit could boost speculation that Pataki is planning to run for the Republican party nomination in the 2012 election. Other potential GOP candidates, such as Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, will be at an event in Des Moines three days prior. Pataki spent time in Iowa during the 2008 presidential election; however, he did not seek the...

In the depths of the financial crisis last year, people like Morgan Stanley's John Mack, BlackRock's Larry Fink, Greg Fleming (then of Merrill Lynch), JP Morgan's Jamie Dimon and Goldman Sachs' Lloyd Blankfein were telling everyone that candidate Barack Obama was a "moderate," and moderation was what this country needed. What a difference a year makes. They won't admit it in public -- but in private conversations, the top guys on Wall Street are feeling burned. The guy who seemed like such a steady voice -- vowing to curb runaway spending and restoring order to the banking system and the...

As the 2010 gubernatorial race unfolds in Texas, battle lines are clearly drawn between two candidates -- Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison: both of whom are Republicans, but only one of whom is a conservative. Perry is known as being pro-gun, pro-life, pro-traditional family, and the longest serving governor in the state’s history, while Hutchison is pro-gun (most of the time), pro-choice, and one of the Republican senators who went against the Bush Administration and the CIA in supporting Sen. John McCain’s 2005 Anti-Torture Amendment -- the amendment Rush Limbaugh correctly described as “the terrorists’ bill of...

In the movie “Mr. Smith Goes To Washington,” the Montana Governor has a difficult time trying to pick a US Senate to appoint. He tries flipping a coin to decide. The coin lands upon its side. Picking a Senate nominee may seem like that for Republicans. The last two election cycles have not been kind to the GOP. Not only did the party lose its clear majority, but it seems in danger of losing its ability to filibuster legislation. And the 2010 cycle may not be kind to the GOP, either, given the electoral map and the need to defend...

Conservatives outnumber liberals in nearly every state, but not in D.C. PRINCETON, NJ -- The strength of "conservative" over "liberal" in the realm of political labels is vividly apparent in Gallup's state-level data, where a significantly higher percentage of Americans in most states -- even some solidly Democratic ones -- call themselves conservative rather than liberal. The most conservative states are found primarily in the South, led by Alabama and Mississippi...

[Excerpt] Their arguments amount to “the beehive will make more money under our system than theirs.” Like the Democrats, their positions all proceed from the belief that the “needs of society” or the “greater good” outweigh the rights of the individual. If anyone doubts this, then they should take a few moments to read a transcript of John McCain’s acceptance speech upon receiving the Republican nomination for president last year. The correct argument against all of President Obama’s programs is that they violate the individual rights that government is supposed to protect. Government is an institution of justice, not economics....

While strong recoveries sometimes follow deep recessions, historically recoveries following financial crises have been slow and painful. The specter of massive future tax hikes and inflation is worsening the outlook. We need a better, more coherent policy path back to a strong market economy—not to a European style social-welfare state, permanent government lifelines and stagflation.

“All I know is my gut says maybe.” - The President of the Neutral Planet from Futurama One of the most common misconceptions about Moderates is that they are neutral, appeasing, weak, indifferent, apathetic, or a host of other soft-sounding adjectives. Perhaps when one thinks of a Moderate, they immediately imagine someone who doesn’t take a stand on any issue. Perhaps they think of one more concerned about being liked than about doing what is right. Perhaps they think of one who is easily swayed by the changing winds of public opinion. If you found yourself agreeing with any of...

I just can’t help being fascinated by government and politics. Despite the many flaws inherent to any political system, I love observing how people choose their leaders, and how those leaders in turn design and promote policies and programs which, in theory, exist to promote the general welfare. It is also intriguing to watch how people react to these policies. We are all aware that public reaction to political issues is seldom pretty. No matter the policy, there is some group which takes offense. Every issue has an extreme application, and to adapt the words of Sir Isaac Newton: “for...

President Obama’s campaign manager, David Plouffe, said that Governor Huntsman makes him a "wee bit queasy.” He is referring to Huntsman supposedly being a legitimate challenger to President Obama in 2012/2016. After Plouffe’s comment Huntsman got a lot of media play, which has intensified with him being picked as the new ambassador to China. The Democrats know exactly what they are doing placing a moderate-squishy Republican in the limelight. I guess the Dems apparent fear is supposed to make us start screaming to have Huntsman as the Republican nominee in 2012. They media think the message from his ambassadorship is...

BREAKING NEWS — A moderate earthquake rocked the Los Angeles region late Sunday that was felt by many people, but there were no immediate reports of any major injuries or damage. The magnitude-5.0 quake hit at 8:39 p.m. (0339 GMT), about 10 miles southwest of downtown Los Angeles, near Inglewood, according to a preliminary report by the U.S. Geological Survey. At least two aftershocks shook the area minutes later, including the largest at magnitude-3.1. The quake jiggled the greater Los Angeles region and was felt as far south as San Diego, said USGS seismologist Susan Hough.

Is Dick Cheney right that it would be a mistake for the GOP to "moderate"?

Meghan McCain, daughter of former Republican presidential candidate John McCain, said the GOP is going to have to become more inclusive if it wants to rebuild. “I just wish that moderates like myself — more moderate Republicans and more socially liberal Republicans — weren’t looked at as, ‘Get rid of the dirty moderates. Get rid of them,’” the 24-year-old told CNN affiliate KTAR radio in a joint interview with her father.

An ongoing debate is taking place throughout state and local municipalities and in Washington D.C. There is a great battle of ideologies raging for the heart and soul of America. With their liberal morality and socialistic, big-government/ nanny-state ideology, the Left says, "We are right!" With their compromise of core values and lack of rooted principles, the Moderates say, “We are right!" With their morally conservative principles and small-government philosophy, the Right says, "We are right!"

After Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, they rebelled against God and were made to wander aimlessly in the desert for 40 years on a needlessly roundabout journey to the Promised Land. God kept the coveted prize out of reach until that rebellious generation passed. Today we find an improvident Republican Party lost in the political wilderness. As the GOP seeks to find its own Promised Land – a return to majority leadership – it has, to its own detriment, rebelled against the core conservative principles solemnized within its own party platform. In a “big tent” effort to be...

Sen. John McCain's daughter continued her all-out media tour with a stop on CNN's "Larry King Live" Tuesday night, voicing support for her father's campaign opponent, President Obama, but none for her Republican critics. Meghan McCain, a columnist for TheDailyBeast.com, also tried to take the high road after conservative radio host Laura Ingraham had joked about the 24 year-old's weight last week. "As far as I'm concerned with what's going on with Laura Ingraham, on my end, it's over," McCain told King. "There are nine million women in this country suffering from eating disorders. And I'm not going to be...

With the braying of 328 yahoos — members of the House of Representatives who voted for retroactive and punitive use of the tax code to confiscate legal earnings of a small unpopular group — still reverberating, the Obama administration Monday invited private-sector investors to become business partners with the capricious and increasingly anti-constitutional government.

[LOL! Must see VIDEO of Biden once again, doing "his thing"] Whew, what a relief! A whopping 95% of the Taliban we are fighting in Afghanistan are not “incorrigible.” In an update to our story Tuesday, Obama may reach out to “moderate” Taliban, we have a clip of Joe Biden clarifiying what Obama meant by “moderate Taliban.” We think his boss is, once again, not thanking ol’ Joe for his help.

Here’s the formula: Conservative gives an interview and the media picks every answer to pieces. Liberal gives an interview and even the most ludicrous statement goes unquestioned. Take, for example, last weekend’s interview with President Obama in the New York Times. Here’s how Reuter’s adoringly reported it: “U.S. President Barack Obama is open to the idea of reaching out to moderate elements of the Taliban.”

Muzzammil “Mo” HASSAN, the founder and chief executive officer of Bridges TV Muzzammil “Mo” HASSAN, the founder and chief executive officer of Bridges TV, a Buffalo, NY based Islamic television Network he helped pioneer in 2004 amid hopes that it would help portray Muslims in a more positive light, reportedly admitted to police that he beheaded his wife at the television station yesterday afternoon.The victim was identified as Aasiya Z. Hassan, 37, who just last month, filed for and received an order of protection against her husband. According to police, HASSAN walked into the Orchard Park police station shortly after...

The election of Michael Steele as the new chairman of the Republican National Committee is a ray of hope in what has been a pretty dark and dreary season. I am a long time Steele fan with high expectations, but I realize there is only so much one man can do. Republicans have some serious problems and one person is not going to be able to wave a magic wand and make everything better, but I believe Steele can make a big difference and can re-energize the party. He brings with him a confidence and a freshness Republicans have been...

Michael Steele emerged victorious in the election for chairman of the Republican National Committee Friday, and proclaimed a fresh start for a party that faces a long road back to political power. “This is the dawn of a new party,” Steele said at a press conference following his victory. “There is not one inch of ground we’re going to cede to anybody.” Steele, a former Maryland lieutenant governor, is the first African American to win the office of RNC chairman. He vowed to dispel public perceptions that the GOP is “a party unconcerned about minorities, a party that’s unconcerned about...

This is great news, but I still wonder what took the FBI so long. "FBI Cuts Off CAIR Over Hamas Questions," by Mary Jacoby for IPT News, January 29 (thanks to Jeffrey Imm): The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has cut off contacts with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) amid mounting concern about the Muslim advocacy group's roots in a Hamas-support network, the Investigative Project on Terrorism has learned. The decision to end contacts with CAIR was made quietly last summer as federal prosecutors prepared for a second trial of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF),...

The GOP needs to look inward and into the past during this new era of soul searching. A return to conservative values, unwavering support from the RNC, and a candidate the base can get excited about, should be a good place ti start.

Now what? The Republican Party -- nationally and in Pennsylvania -- lies in tatters. Having lost the White House to Barack Obama, suffered historic losses in congressional elections, been almost shut out in statewide races and experienced further erosion in the state House, there is no doubt the GOP has hit rock bottom. It is, most significantly, a loss for so-called moderate Republicanism. Party moderates have opined time and again that a more middle-of-the-road presidential candidate could win Pennsylvania. McCain was touted as that candidate. It was a double-digit trouncing.

Sarah Palin's allies are pushing back against a stream of accusations leaking out of John McCain's campaign, and Palin herself has called her critics "cowardly." Palin insisted she never asked for the expensive wardrobe purchased for her use on the presidential campaign. "I never asked for anything more than a Diet Dr. Pepper once in a while," Palin said as she returned to the governor's office from her two-month odyssey as the GOP vice presidential nominee. Her comments follow FOX News' reports that McCain aides anonymously claimed the Alaska governor was incompetent during the run-up to the election. Palin spokeswoman...

Republicans might want to consider a lesson from the last 40 years of presidential elections: When we nominate a conservative, we win: 6 out of 6 times. (1968, 1972, 1980, 1984, 2000, and 2004). When we nominate a moderate, we lose: 4 out of 4 times. (1976, 1992, 1996, and 2008). The only time a moderate won was when he was perceived as a conservative (1988 - Bush 1 as Reagan's heir). Can we learn from this?

How would the pro-lifers around here effectively articulate the pro-life position to those who are ambivalent about the issue? How do we make the case in favor of pro-life to those who are not particularly religious. This is not to say they are anti-religious, but they are people who do not typically attend church. I have a group of friends who are conservative on nearly every issue, however they do not care about social issues, in particular abortion and gay marriage. Many of them have expressed sentiments that the GOP needs to quit focusing on these issues. I, of course,...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday said Sarah Palin hit a home run with her acceptance speech for the Republican vice presidential nomination. The former actor says he was impressed with the Alaska governor's delivery before her largest audience ever. "I think it was fantastic," Schwarzenegger said during a news conference in Burbank, where he was discussing the state's ongoing budget impasse. "She hit the ball out of the park." Palin's speech Wednesday night was filled with jokes about being a hockey mom and criticism of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. She worked up the convention audience in St. Paul, Minn.,...

John MCain intoned some things in his speech last night conservatives need to be very weary of. His tone and talk about "not working for any party" was a little shot at republicans and conservatives alike. We all understand McCain is not a conservative, but he is within the party and if he doesn't think conservatives and the republican party work for the people of this county then he needs to be kicked out of this party! Partisanship is a boon to this country. You have to argue vehemently to get your points across and hopefully convince a majority of...

It was not quite a Roger Mudd moment, but it was close. Mudd, you might recall, posed a simple question to Ted Kennedy in 1979: "Why do you want to be president?" Kennedy's vague, unprepared answer raised serious questions about his candidacy. Recently, Jake Tapper of ABC News asked a similarly blunt question of Barack Obama: "Have you ever worked across the aisle in such a way that entailed a political risk for yourself?" Obama's response is worth quoting in full: "Well, look, when I was doing ethics reform legislation, for example, that wasn't popular with Democrats or Republicans. So...

For years those who have repeated the simple truth that while there are Muslims who are moderate, there is no moderate Islam, have been vilified as bigots and “Islamophobes,” and marginalized in the same way by Beltway analysts and the mainstream media (both liberal and faux-fearless conservative) in favor of those who were determined to “engage moderate Muslims.”

Conservatives remain scarce in the news media landscape. Only 6 percent of the national press corps describe themselves as "conservative" in a population that includes reporters, editors and producers from major television and radio networks, daily newspapers, news wires and online sources. Those who consider themselves "very conservative" amount to just 2 percent, according to a wide-ranging survey of 585 journalists and news executives released yesterday by the Project for Excellence in Journalism. In contrast, 36 percent of the overall population generally consider themselves conservative. There are more conservatives in broadcast than print — 10 percent and 2 percent, respectively....

The prospect of overturning Roe v. Wade may be only incentive powerful enough to turn a disillusioned conservative into a motivated McCain voter this November. After the betrayals of the Bush era, many on the Right still point to the ascendance of John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court and proclaim, “It was worth it.” Campaigning across the country, McCain promises conservative audiences, “We’re going to have justices like Roberts and Alito.” And Sen. John Cornyn told the New York Times that judges “are the one issue that cuts across all aspects of the Republican coalition,” saying that...

The world's Muslim countries warned Wednesday that an "alarming" rise in anti-Islamic insults and attacks in the West has become a threat to international security. The Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) called on Europe and America to take stronger measures against 'Islamophobia' in a report prepared for a summit of the group's 57 members in Dakar on Thursday and Friday. The report by a special OIC monitoring group said the organisation was struggling to get the West to understand that Islamophobia "has dangerous implications on global peace and security" and to convince western powers to do more. Islamic leaders...

Being a moderate gets you no respect. If you’re a middle-of-the-road Democrat, you may as well be a Republican to more liberal party members. If you’re a progressive Republican – and not pining for a Ron Paul ReLOVEution – you are probably used to getting sideways glances at church. Being a centrist is actually more enlightened than die-hards would have us. It seeks to strike balance, acknowledging the political needs of all those affected. Liberals, in their fondness for diversity, are quick to cut a corner or two to leave no minority behind. That’s unless that minority is the 47...

Ever since his first post-9/11 speech summoning the nation to a war against terrorism, President Bush has stressed that “our war is against evil, not against Islam.” Indeed, his administration has branded the terrorists as “traitors to their own faith”—outlaws who are “trying, in effect, to hijack Islam itself.” There is no reason to doubt the sincerity of such pronouncements. But they also reflect a strategic imperative—namely, to prevent the jihadists from attracting wide support in the Muslim world. The goal of Bush’s policy is, rather, to call forth the Muslim majority against the acts and ideology of the terrorists....

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Jan. 12 -- Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee touted his candidacy Saturday as a chance for evangelical Christians to lead the Republican Party rather than just support its candidates. "I don't presume that you automatically support me because of a common faith," Huckabee told a group of more than 100 conservative pastors. "I know I have to earn that. But I also recognize that there is a unique kind of opportunity. For a long time, those of us who are people of faith are asked to support candidates who would come and talk to us. But rarely...

Moderate Exercise Yields Big Benefits ScienceDaily (Jan. 4, 2008) — What’s the key to looking and feeling better and enhancing your health? Exercise. Moderately strenuous exercise, about 30 minutes a day, can lead to enormous benefits in terms of your mood, health, weight and the ability to live an independent and fulfilling life. The exercise doesn’t need to be athletic or difficult. Studies have shown that simply walking at a brisk pace for 30 minutes or more on most days can lead to significant health improvements. Add simple strengthening exercises two or three times a week and the benefits are...

"Moderate Unicorns," huffed a reader, responding to my recent plea that Western states bolster moderate Muslims. Dismissing their existence as a myth, he notes that non-Muslims "are still waiting for moderates to stand and deliver, identifying and removing extremist thugs from their mosques and their communities."It's a valid skepticism and a reasonable demand. Recent events in Pakistan and Turkey, however, prove that moderate Muslims are no myth.In Pakistan, an estimated 100,000 people demonstrated on April 15 in Karachi, the country's largest city, to protest the plans of a powerful mosque in Islamabad, the Lal Masjid, to establish a parallel court...

“I am already against the next war,” read the bumper sticker on a car ahead of me. I long to tell the driver: the next war is already here; Islamists are waging it in every corner of the globe and the “moderate Muslims” are either actively supporting them, placing the blame on the West, or simply looking the other way. This war aims to wipe out everything that free people cherish, including the right of expressing their sentiments. Banishing war has been the perennial dream of mankind’s best, while its worst have been frustrating its realization. To renounce war unilaterally...

Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC's "Hardball," will moderate the May 3 GOP presidential debate at the Reagan Library, officials announced Tuesday. The same evening, Matthews will air a "Hardball" program from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum with analysis of the debate, the first debate of its kind in Ventura County. "Debates put presidential candidates on the same stage. That's the way voters like to see them, squaring off, testing their wits, competing with ideas," Matthews said in a news release. "It's an honor to be moderating the first Republican debate." The 10 candidates who have confirmed they will...

John McCain (R.I.N.O. - AZ) is a self-professed "moderate". But in whose opinion? There is nothing moderate about a sitting United States Senator conspiring with other Senators to circumvent the will of the overwhelming majority of Americans by rewarding millions of foreign criminals with coveted US citizenship. Last spring, Senators Kennedy (D-MA) and McCain tried to shove an immigration bill down our throats that would have doomed this nation. Now, they're set to try again. When I researched the Senate's previous attempt at so-called "comprehensive immigration reform", I admit I was cynical about what I would find. But nothing could...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older men who drink moderate amounts of alcohol may function better physically than either those who abstain completely or those who abuse alcohol, a new study suggests. Moderate drinkers tend to be healthier in general than teetotalers or problem drinkers, Dr. Peggy M. Cawthon of California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco and colleagues note. There is also evidence that moderate drinking may reduce inflammation. Cawthon and colleagues compared functional limitations, physical performance and drinking history for 5,962 men aged 65 or older who were classified into 5 categories. Men who consumed 5 or more...

Giuliani touts experience, but personal life may be an issue BY CRAIG GORDON Newsday Washington Bureau January 28, 2007 MANCHESTER, N.H. - Rudolph Giuliani argued yesterday that his record of cutting taxes, improving security and guiding New York through 9/11 are proof that he could do the same as president - offering his strongest signal yet that he's serious about a White House bid. [...snip] Giuliani is trying to bat down questions from top Republicans about whether his White House ambitions are a popularity-fueled dalliance or something more serious. His speech laid out a point-by-point rationale for his possible candidacy,...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger asked the federal government Tuesday for disaster aid because of an ongoing cold snap that has destroyed nearly $1 billion worth of California citrus, and industry officials said shoppers will feel the sting through higher prices for oranges, lemons and other produce. Visiting a Fresno orange grove, Schwarzenegger said he was asking the U.S. government for disaster status, which would allow California to seek aid from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Small Business Administration to offset losses to growers and other businesses. "This is not just about the crop this year. It could also have a...

RUSH: Stan in San Francisco. (You note that I'm delaying playing these Ted Kennedy bites because I really don't want to hear them. I'm struggling here with: I've got the duty to play them to you and do I want to sit through 'em and listen to them, and I will probably opt to play some of them.) Anyway, Stan in San Francisco, you're up, sir, welcome to the program. CALLER: Thank you, Rush. Greetings from one of the 99 conservative Republicans in her speakership's district. RUSH: (Laughing.) CALLER: There were a hundred of us until it was clear she...