Free Republic

As a rule, the press is the scourge of presidents. They’re expected to endure unending scrutiny, mistrust, and badgering—plus hostility if they’re Republicans—by a hectoring herd of reporters and commentators in the mainstream media. But there’s an exception to the rule: President Obama. It’s counterintuitive, but Obama has been hurt by the media’s leniency. Both his presidency and reelection prospects have suffered. He’s grown lazy and complacent. The media have encouraged him to believe his speeches are irresistible political catnip, though they aren’t. His overreliance on words hasn’t helped. The kind of media pressure that can cause a president to...

An alleged Georgia militiaman arrested on federal charges in what authorities describe as a scheme to seize the Monroe County courthouse and make a series of citizen's arrests for treason has been freed pending trial. U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Guyton on Friday ruled that Darren Wesley Huff, 40, of Dallas, Ga., can remain free but under a number of restrictions. Huff must possess no firearms, wear an electronic monitoring device, have no contact with any potential witnesses or co-defendants, and adhere to several other conditions. The judge set trial for Aug. 2 and scheduled a pre-trial conference for July 27...