Free Republic

Rick Perry entered the Republican presidential race like a jackrabbit bounding out of the West Texas prairie. He quickly hopped past longtime leader Mitt Romney, who was deliberately, step by step, inching his way toward the nomination he felt was his to win. Now, Romney's strategists are hoping that the former Massachusetts governor plays the tortoise to Rick Perry's hare, slowly and steadily working to win the long race, and that Perry fades in the stretch. But presidential contests are not fables, and it'll take a lot more than hope to make Romney finish first.... [snip] Some of the contrasts...

Texas Governor Rick Perry has been among the most vocal critics of President Obama’s health care reform initiative, and of Mitt Romney’s preceding health care program in Massachusetts. But in 1993, while serving as Texas Agriculture Commissioner, Perry praised the efforts of then-first lady Hillary Clinton to reform health care, a precursor to Obama’s health care reform efforts. In a letter to Clinton, who is now U.S. Secretary of State, Perry wrote: “I think your efforts in trying to reform the nation’s health care system are most commendable.” “I would like to request that the task force give particular consideration...

Following the Sarah Palin playbook of never admitting error, the ex-governor’s minions are busy flooding the Internet with ’proof’ that Palin did not misspeak when suggesting that Paul Revere warned the British that they would not be taking arms from the colonists during his ride where he, apparently, rung bells and fired muskets. The effort to back up Palin is based on taking bits and pieces of facts surrounding the historic event that, when cut and pasted together, work to make Palin look a little less befuddled than her actual statement would indicate. While I give them credit for the...

Rick Santorum the senator didn’t shy from controversy. Apparently, neither will Rick Santorum the presidential candidate. The former senator from Pennsylvania speaks and acts like a man working diligently to become a dark-horse favorite for president. Dark is the operative word: During an hour-long interview with National Journal last week at a busy coffee shop just blocks from the Capitol, no one appeared to recognize the potential presidential candidate. Santorum is making up for his low profile by taking aim at better-known potential rivals: former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. In a race where nobody...

Sarah Palin, 55 percent unfavorable poll ratings notwithstanding, is a political phenomenon the likes of which American public life rarely has seen. There's something distinctive, something deeply personal, about the way her legions of strong supporters rush not just to defend her but to counter-attack any and all of her critics. Palin has a way of establishing a sense of connectedness with her backers -- such a strong, attitudinal sense that she is not just like them but one of them -- that she has created what amounts to a one-woman, conservative "identity politics" writ very, very large. Yet if...

I don't know what it is going to take to clean the elitists and the sexists out of our party. But I have a pretty good litmus test. Sarah Palin. Odds are if you see a Republican trashing her or keeping their distance from her, they are really bad news. We need to make sure every candidate in any upcoming primary is on the right side of this. Those who dislike Sarah Palin tend to either support abortion, hate evangelicals or they have a problem with a female President. There are very few in betweens. We have to clean the...

I cannot tell how much of this outrage about Sarah Palin's endorsement of McCain is feigned by those who do not wish her well. It is not principally to those folks that this post is directed. To those conservatives who are genuinely disappointed by Sarah Palin's decision to support McCain, let me say that I think Rush and Mark Levin understand it and have said that it is a question of loyalty and that loyalty is a virtue. That makes sense to me and, personally, I would be a little put off if she did otherwise, since it would look...

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is helping out her former running mate with a high dollar fundraiser at the Arizona Biltmore. Palin will be courting contributions for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) – the GOP’s 2008 presidential nominee – on March 23 as part of her swing through Arizona to aide his re-election campaign. For $2,500, McCain donors can attend an hour-long reception with the former GOP vice presidential nominee and get a chance for a picture with Palin. Those not attending the reception can pay $500 each for a two-hour dinner, or $1,000 for preferred seating. Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.),...

Sarah Palin will not only help to re-launch Jay Leno’s second stint as The Tonight Show host but will serve as an example for other conservatives and those leaders in the Tea Party Patriot movement that late night can be a welcome home for its supporters and viewers. There are of course the naysayers on the left coast who believe that Jay Leno’s booking of Sarah Palin on The Tonight Show in such a high visibility slot only gives credence and support for a possible positioning of a run for the presidency in 2012 as well as a confirmation, of...

A new Rasmussen survey shows that President Barack Obama is tied with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in a hypothetical 2012 matchup. The poll of 800 likely voters also suggests that a third-party presidential candidate - in this case former CNN broadcaster Lou Dobbs - would help Obama.