Free Republic

The incoming chief of staff winning praise from Congressional Republicans for openness, accessibility. Gave Senators his personal e-mail address and cell phone number, promised to return any communication in 24 hours. Returned a call from Sen. Kyl in 10 minutes: "They are getting off to a good start in terms of reaching out."

When Barack Obama began taking questions during today’s economic press conference, reporters quickly realized that raising one’s hand wouldn’t lead to getting called on. That's because news outlets were selected beforehand. President-elect Obama, according to an aide, went in with “a game plan” of who to call on, time-permitting. Today, he took questions from reporters with three wire services and three major papers. Only the Associated Press and Reuters have asked questions at both post-election briefings, the first of which was held on Nov. 7. Otherwise, it’s been a mixed bag. For instance, the NY Times got an opportunity during...

I have a couple of questions that I need help with before I take off for Kissimmee, Florida, tomorrow morning to see Sarah Palin, the next Vice President of the United States. 1. I have a very nice Canon digital SLR camera I'd like to take so that I can get some really good pictures. Will I be allowed to take this in to the rally site? 2. The email I received from the McCain campaign says "For security reasons, bags and signs are not allowed inside the venue". However, on TV at all the rallies, there are many people...

Are YOU SMARTER THAN a 7th Grader? Question #1….. If a company has 6 employees and their average annual gross pay is $45,000 annually…..what is the chance they will get TAXED under Obama’s plan???? (Obama has stated no one who “makes” over $250,000 will see an increase in taxes.) ANSWER: 6 x 45,000 = $270,000….which is over $250,000 and, that’s only PART of what a CEO (leader of a company that earns money) has to “make” in sales/receipts in order to be in business. (Remember, there are gross sales, and net sales, but, who knows what Obama is talking about…..seen...

Damn people, Reporting 101, you would think they would be camped outside of his home. If Ayers’ wife had disappeared wouldn’t Fox News and Greta/Geraldo be pitching a tent in his backyard. I mean Fox News is supposed to be conservative leaning, get someone over there and get Ayers on the record right now. What is your current relationship with Obama? What was your role in Obama getting on the Annenberg project board? How closely did you work together in the use of the 50 million dollars that Annenberg gave you? Did you know Obama when he was at Columbia...

There are no pictures for libs, so you'll have to listen. Before you go into Republican bashing mode, you might want to realize that the speaker in the video is a libertarian/conservative as I am who opposes the big government of the Bush administration just like most libertarian/conservatives. They abhor the kind of politics the Republicans resort to in the name of populism, like the housing bailouts. They also stand against socially conservative government, because it is just another form of socialism. However, the Left (progressives, liberal Dems, whatever you want to call yourselves), blind in its opposition to free...

"How do I love thee, Barack Obama?" his media maids and man-servants coo: "Let me count the ways." 1. In your toasted anti-Iraq speech of 2002, you proclaimed that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction - but has any of us reminded you of that? 2. In declaring Saddam armed but not dangerous, have we asked you how that could be? 3. You preach that "Iran's President Ahmadinejad's regime is a threat to all of us" - but did we probe into how Ahmadinejad unarmed was a threat while Saddam armed was not? 4. When Bill Clinton stated that Saddam...

As Congress last week headed into the Memorial Day recess, the Senate held yet another hearing to “get to the bottom of high energy prices.” One after another, Judiciary Committee members grilled oil company executives “on their roles” in the rising cost of fuel for their constituents. The Institute for Energy Research (IER) submitted the following ten questions for Judiciary Committee members who participated in the hearing: 1. Do you understand the fundamental economic principle of supply and demand for commodities pricing in the oil market? 2. Oil is a global commodity, bought and sold on the world market. Given...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is hoping to raise $15 billion to jump-start a rainy day budget reserve by borrowing against future state lottery revenue, although administration officials bristle at the notion that the plan amounts to borrowing. "The governor's proposal is not to borrow from the lottery," Schwarzenegger press secretary Aaron McLear said Wednesday. "The proposal is to sell, outright, a portion of future lottery profits. This is a big difference." Schwarzenegger's lottery proposal is a key piece of his plan to erase California's $15.2 billion budget deficit and balance spending and revenue for the fiscal year that begins in July....

So far, because the mainstream media is smitten with him, Barack Obama has been able to get by running a campaign based on hope, change, unity, love, and rainbows made of cuddly kittens. However, before we get around to coronating Barack as our new President/Cult of Unity Leader, there are a few questions he should have to answer before America starts drinking his Kool-Aid. Granted, many members of our esteemed press seem to consider it crass to expect Obama to actually answer questions about unimportant things like his agenda, his character, and what he actually wants to do when he...

WASHINGTON - Supreme Court justices questioned Wednesday whether a state should be able to prohibit employers from using state money to influence employees' views on unions in their workplace. The Chamber of Commerce and the Bush administration argue that California is trying to silence employers from weighing in on union organization efforts. They say that position isn't permitted by federal labor law, which allows employers to be involved as long as they don't threaten reprisals. The outcome of the case could affect attempts by other states to restrict use of state money for unionization-related activities. California contends that its law...

TORONTO - Prime Minister Stephen Harper's chief of staff said someone in Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign gave Canada back-channel assurances that her harsh words about the North American Free Trade Agreement were for political show, according to a report by the Canadian Press. The report comes just days after a Canadian government memo stated Barack Obama's senior economic adviser told Canadian officials that the Illinois senator's own comments about NAFTA were for "political positioning." The release of that memo helped Clinton defeat Obama decisively in Tuesday's Democratic primary in Ohio, where the trade treaty is unpopular. On Wednesday, the Canadian...

The Politico is asking why there isn’t more attention being paid to the Rezko trial: Four lonesome television cameramen lounged on folding chairs, read newspapers and idly chatted on cell phones in the sprawling marble lobby of the federal courthouse here, hoping to catch the players in the just-underway trial of former Barack Obama fundraiser Antoin “Tony” Rezko.The scene was quite a contrast from the circus atmosphere they recalled in the same lobby during the early stages of two other recent high-profile trials — those of former Illinois Gov. George Ryan and newspaper magnate Conrad Black. The main reason they...

WASHINGTON - Two years and 144 cases have passed since Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas last spoke up at oral arguments. It is a period of unbroken silence that contrasts with the rest of the court's unceasing inquiries. Hardly a case goes by, including two appeals that were argued Monday, without eight justices peppering lawyers with questions. Oral arguments offer justices the chance to resolve nagging doubts about a case, probe its weaknesses or make a point to their colleagues. Left, right and center, the justices ask and they ask and they ask. Sometimes they debate each other, leaving the...

What Would You Ask the GOP Presidential Candidates? Friday, January 04, 2008 E-Mail Print Respond Digg This! del.icio.us FOX News wants to know what you would ask the Republican presidential candidates when they debate in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Thursday, Jan 10. Please e-mail your question to debate@foxnews.com. Include your name, town, state and contact number for verification. Please keep your question sharp, brief and to the point. And let us know which candidate you'd like us to ask. Watch the debate live on FOX News Channel at 9 p.m. ET on Jan. 10 to see if your question was...

A friend of mine from the GOE did some research, and it appears that almost ALL the questioners at last nights debate were plants!!

DURHAM, N.C. - Here's one way to get a presidential candidate to change his mind: If you're a 5-year-old, shed a few tears. That's how Hadassah Jones, of Durham, got Barack Obama to answer questions Thursday after the campaign initially denied such requests from reporters. Crouching to the ground after a rally with 4,000 supporters, Obama briefly outlined for Hadassah his plan to provide health insurance for everyone and to improve schools. He also suggested to the first-grader that wealthier people should help those who are less fortunate. "We've got to make sure that people who have more money help...

DENVER, Oct. 24, 2007 – Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen yesterday heard some hard truths when he asked hundreds of soldiers about their service. “All I want to do is start a family, buy a house and have some stability,” an Army captain ready to leave the service to better meet the needs of his family said in Fort Sill, Okla. “We need something better. That’s just not good enough,” another captain said of the 12-month home-station time between deployments. Still another young officer said he was planning to end his military service,...

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Democratic presidential hopefuls struggled Monday night to answer questions posed by young, Internet-savvy voters who challenged traditional political labels and the candidates' own place in a broken political system. "Wassup?" came the first question, from a voter named Zach, after another, named Chris, opened the CNN-YouTube debate with a challenge to the entire eight-candidate field: "Can you as politicians ... actually answer questions rather than beat around the bush?" The answer was a qualified yes. The candidates faced a slew of blunt questions and, in some cases, responded in kind. To Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois: Are...