Free Republic

BARACK Obama wrote a book about hope and be came president promising it. So why's he doing everything in his power to snuff it out? Think about it: In Obama World, what are we supposed to "hope" for? Certainly not vast riches. What would be the point? His budget swipes massive amounts of wealth from top earners. Consider, too, his resentful rhetoric toward them. Recall his despicable failure to block the House from moving to rip up private contracts and confiscate past earnings via a 90 percent, retroactive tax. Really, in this climate, who can muster enthusiasm for personal fortune-building?...

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean called the campaign tactics of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Senator John McCain (Ariz.) “sleazy.” “I know this is a harsh accusation, but let’s look at the facts,” Dean urged. “First and foremost, McCain admits that he’s running against Senator Obama. This sets a starkly negative tone to his campaign. It’s as if he saying that Obama is an inferior option for America. To me, calling an African-American candidate inferior smacks of racism.” “And need I point out that McCain has been openly critical of Obama’s positions on the economy and the war,” Dean went...

As I continue to think about the lessons of the Pennsylvania primary, and their relevance to the races ahead, I found myself thinking about the hours I spent last Saturday watching CNN's "Ballot Bowl" -- long live clips of John McCain, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton out on the campaign trail, rarely mediated by cable chatterers. I was also reading angry letters about my post on the ABC debate and recovering from three college visits in a week with my daughter. I share that TMI because the context was important. I was tired and a little bit cranky (I know,...

Researchers at Harvard say that publicly voiced doubts about the U.S. occupation of Iraq have a "measureable effect" on insurgents there. Periods of intense news media coverage in the United States of criticism about the war, or of polling about public opinions on the conflict, are followed by a small but quantifiable increases in the number of attacks on civilians and U.S. forces in Iraq... The increase in attacks is more pronounced in areas of Iraq that have better access to international news media, the authors conclude in a report titled "Is There an 'Emboldenment' Effect? Evidence from the Insurgency...

Journalism: Last fall, when the jobless rate hit a five-year low of 4.4%, Vice President Cheney was asked by ABC's George Stephanopolous why the administration didn't get more credit for it. "Well," said Cheney, "you guys don't help." So much for the understatement of 2006. Cheney, of course, was referring to the now-obvious fact that even when there's good news about the economy, it's played down — or turned upside down — by the mainstream media. Coverage of that unemployment report, coming just before the congressional elections, was just one of many cases in point

Theodore Roosevelt had this to say about criticism: "It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows,...

Can’t a guy take a vacation without the nay-sayin ninnies of negativity taking over this place? As the self-appointed optimist of this forum, I must say that I am more than a little P-Od over what I have been reading coming from the scared keyboards of some of you folks. You act as if someone stole your little Republican cookies and ate them in front of you. Look, I know it’s not the best of times for Conservatives if you are concerned about spending or the protection of the borders. However, it escapes me why it seems impossible for some...

God, to listen to the Democrats, you’d think the United States was a fascist juggernaut, while the so-called Iraqi insurgents and their al Qaeda cohorts were brave freedom fighters seeking to liberate their precious homeland from a force more evil than Darth Vader. I am beginning to wonder if people like Howard Dean, Richard Durbin, Patrick Leahy, Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton are attempting to establish a government in absentia with their constant proclamations about how the U.S. is guilty of crimes against humanity or some such tripe. The fact is the U.S. is at war and for a sitting...

I spent the last week with my Modern Liberal relatives in New York. It was excruciating. What I found was cynicism beyond belief -- and beyond all rational (in fact any rational) thought. The correct answer to all things was whatever the worst interpretation of America and Americans could be. This was typified in discussions about the Michael Jackson jury who my relative was convinced would come back with a quick verdict because "they just want to go home" and, when that proved untrue were only delaying the announcement of their verdict to increase the "excitement" making the book they...

As I watched the ABC news last Sunday night, I was reminded of how the TV news networks seemed to be so anxious to tell us all the bad things that have happened in Iraq or at Gitmo. “Four more of our soldiers were killed today in Iraq, making a total number of X hundred this year,” the anchor solemnly announced. I could not help but wonder how many Americans were also killed today in Detroit, New York, Chicago or Los Angeles, and how many that would add up to in one year. I think of media as trying to...

I constantly hear liberals decry the policies of George W. Bush, using catch phrases like “out of the mainstream” and “dangerously irresponsible” to describe them. Apparently, if you repeat something often enough, using the same carefully crafted terminology, and applying to it with the same condescending tone each time, it magically becomes the truth... at least in the minds of leftists. And, of course, the primary policy target of left-wingers in Congress remains the war in Iraq, even though nearly all of them supported it initially. As recent polls show support for the war waning, liberals all over the country...

The other day I entered a business establishment and overheard the following comments contained in a vitriolic, rabidly anti-American discussion. If I hadn’t known better I would have thought I was somewhere in “old Europe.” “They only did it for the oil...they don’t have an exit strategy...I have kids who are Draft age... this is really a mess.” If one hadn’t heard the same from Kerry (who was the other guy?) during the recent Democrat election debacle, the discussion might have come as a shock, but it didn’t. Still, it is incomprehensible that adult Americans, apart from blind stupidity or...

Much has been written recently about the fact that Democrats, arguably with malicious intent, mercilessly attack Republican positions, programs, and political appointees without offering any positive alternatives of their own. This has been ascribed variously to their hatred of George W. Bush (which is certainly a factor), to the fact that a significant percentage of the Democrat base and their elected representatives are unrepentant '60s-style liberals (this, too, plays into the current scenario), even, as Michael Medved has put it, to "an internal contradiction deep within the liberal soul." The bottom line is that, no matter how we might characterize...

There is no doubt in my mind every time I see the anti-American and ever hateful Cristian Amanpour(sp?) do a piece on CNN or any other network it is done in a way that starts with US failure and ends with Iraq worse off. While I think she and others do it on purpose and are part of the help that the terrorist insurgents want I would like all here to post examples of the obvious bias the press all over the world has in their utter hope of failure for democracy in Iraq all in an effort to help...

Accentuating The Negative By Robin Mullins Boyd January 28, 2005 The rhetoric from the Left has ramped up as we move closer to the Iraqi Elections. The mantra of "Illegal and Unjust War" has risen a few decibels. Our soldiers have been accused of inciting the violence of the insurgents. Worst of all was the Bush-bashing disguised as genuine vetting of the nominee for secretary of state. While doing some research online, I wandered over to the Department of Defense website. I came across an article titled "Iraq Year in Review - 2004 Fact Sheet". What I read in that...

Everybody knows strep throat is as common as backpacks among school children, but one of the surprises in a new study of Pittsburgh students is that it isn't even more common. Elementary students "are sitting in a sea of strep," said Dr. Judith Martin, an infectious disease specialist at Children's Hospital who led a four-year study of the prevalence of group A Streptococcus bacteria in a Pittsburgh private school. The researchers report in this month's issue of the journal Pediatrics that six out of every 10 students tested positive for strep at least once during a school year. But just...

'Ownership Society's' bogus balance sheetAssets go to the rich 10%, liabilities left for other 90% By Paul B. Farrell, CBS.MarketWatch.com Last Update: 8:29 PM ET Aug. 31, 2004 ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (CBS.MW) -- You're going to hear a lot about America's new "Ownership Society" and the "Investor Class" between now and the election. Too much. But you gotta admit, those slogans have great marketing pizzazz, like "The Great Society" or "The New Deal." Unfortunately there's a slight problem folks: The "Ownership Society's" balance sheet is all hype, bogus, focused on assets, with little talk about the massive liabilities! Karl Rove's...

Lion's Gate up on Moore film deal By William Spain, CBS.MarketWatch.com Last Update: 1:25 PM ET June 2, 2004 CHICAGO (CBS.MW) -- Shares of Lion's Gate Entertainment rose Wednesday on word that the company will be a part of a "fellowship" formed to distribute "Fahrenheit 9/11," the latest documentary from director Michael Moore. The film, which had been seeking a distributor since a nervous Walt Disney Co. gave it pass, will roll nationally with the help of the so-called Fellowship Adventure Group, a venture formed just for the purpose by Miramax chiefs Harvey and Bob Weinstein that also will include...

"President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney answered questions before the 9/11 commission ... They did not testify under oath, there was no videotape, no audiotape, not even a stenographer writing down the questions or the answers; there's no record of any kind; kind of like President Bush's National Guard service." —Jay Leno "President Bush and Vice President Cheney went before the commission investigating what exactly happened on 9/11. The President is weird...afterwards, he told reporters he 'enjoyed' it. What? You can say many things, but you can't 'enjoy' it. We kicked back, talked about 9/11, there were cookies —...

Is the War in Iraq becoming like the War in Vietnam once was? No, if you look at the facts on the blood cost of the war. Yes, if you’re still stuck in the tie-died mind set of Woodstock. To explain: A number of apparently reputable media outlets in the United States have fostered the equation of Iraq equals Vietnam by breathlessly reporting of late that “US casualties in Iraq have reached levels not seen since Vietnam.” This demonstrates both historical ignorance and political bias. The bias is intended to promote the “quagmire” merchants. But the facts are far easier...

It didn't take long for the rigors of the campaign trail to sour first lady-in-waiting Teresa Heinz, who fumed yesterday that "can't believe" she moved to America and married an American politician. "I can't believe my family left Africa and came to this country," Heinz Kerry complained to the New York Post's Cindy Adams. "I can't believe I ever even married an American." "A politician's wife has a hard life," she said. "To become more of a 'thing' and less of a person is terrible." Teresa's tirade continued, "I can't believe I married a second politician." Then referring to her...

(AP) - Once again, President Bush misspoke on a weapons issue, telling the nation that 50 tons of mustard gas were found in Libya - twice the amount actually uncovered. The White House moved quickly Wednesday to correct the record, with press secretary Scott McClellan seeking out reporters to point out the mistake. The president should have said in his Tuesday night address and press conference that 23.6 tons of mustard gas were found in Libya, instead of 50 tons, McClellan said.Bush used the 50-ton figure twice.The first time, he was making the case that his decision to go to...

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Surely you're not surprised that the Bush White House is beginning to move into high campaign mode. What should surprise you is that it took them so long. Waiting until now has cost the president some popular support and has led to a spate of polls suggesting that Democratic frontrunner John Kerry would win the White House if the election were held today. That's all insanely speculative, of course. But there is evidence to suggest that Democrats have done some significant damage to the president's position. In a Gallup poll released this week, which found Bush's job approval rating to...

<p>The capture of Saddam Hussein was praised by the Democratic presidential candidates yesterday, but most took the opportunity to reiterate what they see as President Bush's failed Iraqi policy or take shots at front-runner Howard Dean, who opposed the war.</p>

Okay, folks, here is our chance to record - for all time - the dimwitted comments made by leftwingers in the U.S. regarding the fall of the evil dictator, Saddam Hussein. Imagine that you are in occupied Europe in 1945, and it's your duty to get collaborators commentary out - written down on your trusty Underwood. It's our duty and our privilege. Write on. Here's a sampling of what I've found: Washington (com)Post writer Robin Wright, "this isn't going to transform the situation" Time's Joe Klein, "another terrorist attack on America would completely change this dynamic." Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich,...

<p>At first I thought I was dreaming. I was half asleep and only turned on the TV for a weather report. Snow and an accompanying "wintry mix" had been forecast for the Washington area, and I was concerned about not being able to shop for family Christmas presents.</p>

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of more than two dozen House of Representatives Democrats on Monday said they had introduced a resolution urging President Bush to fire Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. "This resolution would make official what so many members of Congress already believe -- that the soldiers in Iraq and America's foreign policy would be helped greatly if Donald Rumsfeld would leave," Rep. Charles Rangel of New York said in a statement. Rangel said he so far had 25 co-sponsors to the resolution who were "willing to stand up and say what so many policy makers know, that the...

Al Franken is literally breathless. He's talking a mile a minute and sounding like a kid who's just arrived home victorious after a schoolyard brawl. And in a way, he has. Franken's just learned that his book, the controversial, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right, has unseated Bill O'Reilly's tome atop the best-seller list of The New York Times. "We're very, very happy here today. I was No. 1 for the first five weeks and then he had it last week - for that one bright, shining moment of Camelot,"...

I guess you're right: There is no liberal media bias -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: October 8, 2003 1:00 a.m. Eastern © 2003 Universal Press Syndicate In a recent interview with Al Franken conducted by Edward Nawotka for Publisher's Weekly, after suggesting that some readers might want Franken to run for president, the interviewer proceeded to ask Franken hardball questions such as: "It's got to be a little grating to see your book on the same New York Times best-seller list as the Ann Coulter book." "You fact-checked Ann Coulter's book and found a lot of inconsistencies, outright lies and quotes that are...

Why A Naked Bike Ride? Every day we are bombarded with countless messages demanding our obedience to the corporate dictates of a consumption dependent society. Little regard is paid to the future of our planet and generations left with a legacy of waste and environmental contamination. How many countless times each day do our media masters spin the same message: Unless you buy this, you are not worthy. Unless you look like this you should be ashamed. By cruising naked down the spending frenzy capitals of the world, we are saying.NO! ...a fancy new car is not a mark of...

First, the pertinent excerpt: ABC News' Raddatz reporting, "Last month, President Bush said the United States had the security situation under control, and enough forces to fight. "'There are some who feel like the conditions are such that they can attack us there,' the president said on July 2. 'My answer is "Bring 'em on." We got the force necessary to deal with the security situation.' But officials may now have to look at adding troops to the nearly 150,000 already there." (ABC News, Raddatz, 8/18/03) Here's the rest of the article: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/World/unbombing030819.html New Fears U.N. Bombing Raises Concern in...

<p>In New York -- which has reported about 70,000 violent crimes a year since 1998 -- police reported four burglaries in the entire city overnight, and said they had made arrests in all four.</p> <p>Three deaths overall have been reported that were tied to the outage.</p>

King is interviewing that expert in electricity managemnet, Gray Davis, and Hillary Clinton (by phone). She basically said that this country needs to put a priority on upgrading the power distribution backbone and the Bush administration had un-done all of the good work that had gone on in the Clinton administration under Bill Richardson. Unbelievable...blaming Bush for this crisis. She has no shame.

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - One month before the second anniversary of the Sept. 11 tragedy, the broadcast networks seem set to change the tone of their coverage of that event from focusing on the event itself and the memorials to looking more at policy issues in the aftermath of the attacks. The exact extent of the coverage is still uncertain as the networks await to hear from New York, Washington and Shanksville, Pa., on their plans for the day, but it is highly unlikely that ABC, CBS and NBC News will repeat their 2002 menu of broad live coverage...

<p>Is President Bush the Iraq war's "useful idiot"? The phrase was coined by Vladimir Lenin to refer to Communist sympathizers who believed what they were told - and what they were told was mostly lies. It could be somewhat the same with Bush. He may well be the last person to believe the Iraq war was waged virtually in self-defense. He believes that dictator Saddam Hussein was on the verge of obtaining nuclear weapons, and other weapons of mass destruction, and was linked to Osama Bin Laden.</p>