http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/rats/ en-us Wed, 1 Jul 2009 17:10:10 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283380/posts CBS' Chip Reid and Helen Thomas double teamed Robert Gibbs today at the daily press briefing on the "tightly controlled" town hall meeting President Obama will hold on health care. Gibbs kept saying lets have this discussion AFTER the meeting. Helen Thomas accused the White House of "controlling the press." She said almost all White House/Obama events are "prepackaged." She accused the White House of not "having any answers." Real Clear Politics http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283380/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 17:10:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282959/posts Madoff Sentenced to 150 Years, Waxman and Markey Remain FreeJune 29, 2009 BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Bernie Madoff, 150 years. One-hundred-fifty years for Bernie Madoff means he'll be out by next spring, probably. While Bernie Madoff gets 150 years, Waxman and Markey weren't even cited in their scheme, their rip-off, this climate bill. Do you realize there was not even a bill? There was not even a copy of the bill in the well of the House, which is standard. It wasn't even written. These people voted on this bill -- not read it, it wasn't written, they couldn't have read... Rush Limbaugh .com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282959/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 02:10:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281440/posts Candidate Palin has character problemGREGG ERICKSON Last Modified: June 27th, 2009 06:42 PM **SNIP** That's why it was so refreshing when Sarah Palin, a woman who had stood up against corruption in the Murkowski administration, made openness and transparency in state government a central theme in her 2006 campaign for governor. In November 2006 Palin defeated Murkowski. As Palin's first Juneau press conference as governor was breaking up, she called my wife and me aside. With apparent sincerity she asked us why we had had so much trouble getting public records from previous governors: "Why wouldn't they want you to... Anchorage Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281440/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 02:29:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281421/posts The New Culture of CorruptionDemocrats step up their corruption game By ROBERT A. GEORGE Updated 7:45 PM EDT, Fri, Jun 26, 2009 New joke going around Washington: "Republicans hike the Appalachian Trail; Democrats hike your taxes. Either way, someone's getting screwed." As, the old saying goes -- some of the truest things are said in jest. Washington Republicans -- more in the minority than they have been in decades -- are somewhat haplessly hoping that the Democrats mess up their own policies, rather than figure out how to stop them themselves. So, in the meantime, they keep themselves busy by... NBC Philadelphia.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281421/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 01:27:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280203/posts WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama had been playing his cards cautiously on the political turmoil in Iran -- until conservatives goaded him to escalate his rhetorical condemnation of the uprising. Obama had tried to steer clear of any public comment about the disputed reelection of Prime Minister Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the massive protests by supporters of the opposition candidate and the government crackdown on the protesters. At a news conference Tuesday, Obama caved in to those right-wing columnists and political hawks who wanted him to hit the Iranian mullahs harder. These are the same critics who pushed the American people into... TheBostonChannel.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280203/posts#comment Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:00:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278727/posts Democratic congressional leaders are vowing to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill this year that would give amnesty to an estimated 11 million immigrants living and working the United States illegally. The votes are there, they say. All they need now is time to push it through. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday that he has the votes to pass such legislation, which also would create a new guest-worker program for employers. The stumbling block is persuading senators to deal with such a politically charged issue, he told reporters. newsmax.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278727/posts#comment Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:56:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278366/posts The Legislature is poised to vote today on a nearly $24 billion budget-balancing plan that Republicans vow not to support and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger pledges not to sign. The Democratic proposal appears dead on arrival, setting the stage for tense negotiations as the state wrestles with a huge budget hole that threatens to leave it unable to pay its bills next month. Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg hailed his party's budget plan as a compromise that would ease the fiscal emergency without devastating the safety net for vulnerable Californians. "I cannot say that we have a deal," Steinberg said.... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278366/posts#comment Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:00:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2274685/posts WASHINGTON -- A universal health-care system based on the single-payer model appears to be a bridge too far for politically attuned President Barack Obama. A single-payer system -- such as Medicare for everyone -- would solve the problem of out-of-control costs and would provide health care for all. President Lyndon B. Johnson had the courage to weigh in with all his political clout to win passage of Medicare and Medicaid, star accomplishments of the Great Society. President Franklin D. Roosevelt put all his chips on the table to win passage of the Social Security Act that makes the elderly more... TheBostonChannel.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2274685/posts#comment Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:12:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2273283/posts Byrd aides studying mountaintop removal miningby The Associated Press Tuesday June 16, 2009 CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Aides to Sen. Robert C. Byrd are in southern West Virginia for what they call a three-day fact-finding tour about mountaintop removal mining. **SNIP** But the West Virginia Democrat issued a statement Tuesday saying his aides will see mountaintop mining operations firsthand. They will meet with coal industry officials, environmentalists and citizens. They'll also inspect flood recovery efforts and talk to people about fears that mining may have made the damage from the spring floods worse. Byrd says the Obama administration's plan to increase... Daily Mail http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2273283/posts#comment Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:03:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1031537/posts XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX SUN NOV 30, 2003 20:42:05 ET XXXXX HOLLYWOOD DEMS GATHER FOR 'HATE BUSH' MEETING AT HILTON **Exclusive** Top Hollywood activists and intellectuals are planning to gather this week in Beverly Hills for an event billed as 'Hate Bush,' the DRUDGE REPORT has learned! Laurie David [wife of SEINFELD creator Larry David] has sent out invites to the planned Tuesday evening meeting at the Hilton with the bold heading: 'Hate Bush 12/2 - Event' The message reads: "This is the most important meeting you can attend to prevent the advancement of the current extremist right wing agenda.... Drudge Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1031537/posts#comment Mon, 1 Dec 2003 15:00:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2270946/posts Your tax dollars paid the salaries of Cuyahoga County officials who prosecutors say swapped government contracts for a free gambling junket to Las Vegas. Your tax dollars paid for government leaders to lounge at a secret Flats condo and rake in tens of thousands of dollars in cash and gifts from contractors looking to land county business, according to prosecutors. And that tax levy you passed last year for the poor, elderly and sick? Prosecutors say one of your leaders suggested using some of it to reward a halfway house that flew him first-class to Las Vegas. The first major... cleveland.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2270946/posts#comment Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:59:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2270863/posts Obama tells GOP to offer a better health care planBy PHILIP ELLIOTT Originally published Friday, June 12, 2009 at 12:00 AM The Associated Press GREEN BAY, Wis. — President Obama challenged Republican critics Thursday to offer alternative plans for overhauling U.S. health care, saying he's "happy to steal people's ideas" but doing nothing about out-of-reach costs and uninsured Americans is not an option. "What else do we say to all those families who spend more on health care than on housing or on food?" Obama said at a town hall-style meeting. "What do we tell those businesses that are choosing... Seattle Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2270863/posts#comment Sat, 13 Jun 2009 03:03:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2270850/posts The "O" in SocialismThe Nation – Fri Jun 12, 3:48 pm ET Just recently, things were looking up for socialism. In April, a much-discussed Rasmussen poll reported that only 53 percent of Americans expressed a preference for capitalism. The poll didn't define either system, so one could surmise that the right's desperate strategy of branding a popular Democratic president as a "socialist" had backfired: If Obama's a socialist, then a good number of the 69 percent of Americans who viewed the President favorably were apparently ready to sign up. Perhaps this new openness to alternatives wasn't deep, but it seemed... Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2270850/posts#comment Sat, 13 Jun 2009 02:24:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269092/posts WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama scored big with his eloquent speech to the Muslim world last week. Now he has to put up or shut up. That’s the price of raising hopes that solutions can be found to tough issues, including the long festering Israeli-Palestinian crisis. His task there is complicated by the new hard-line Israeli leadership personified by Benjamin Netanyahu. Of course, Obama also has several critical foreign policy problems bequeathed by his predecessor. Among them are the deteriorating Pakistani-Afghanistan turmoil and nuclear ambitions in Iran and North Korea. Obama’s uplifting rhetoric has raised expectations that he is a... TheBostonChannel.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269092/posts#comment Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:07:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2268972/posts Karl Rove takes on Maureen Dowd. Hope For America http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2268972/posts#comment Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:00:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2265784/posts WASHINGTON -- Is Supreme Court justice-designate Sonia Sotomayor going to have to eat her words and forget her past to win a seat on the high bench? That would apparently appease some of her right-wing critics, who are grasping at straws in their campaign to try to derail the Hispanic woman’s nomination -- or, at least, try to rough her up a bit. Does she have to be a narrow constructionist and interpret the law their way? Let’s hope not -- conservative jurists have had their way for too long on the high court. If she wins Senate confirmation, Sotomayor... TheBostonChannel.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2265784/posts#comment Fri, 5 Jun 2009 20:41:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2263495/posts Top 10 Cities for New GradsAs Class of 2009 feels pinch, job searches expand By Kate Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com editor Nate Torvik has mixed feelings about his upcoming graduation from Purdue University. While there's relief that classes are over, exams have been taken and term papers turned in, what lies ahead is an extremely challenging and competitive job market. "I feel like the wind has been taken out of my sails," says Torvik, who received a bachelor's degree in mass communication. "There is so much pride and happiness that comes with graduation, but as soon as I step off that stage... MSN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2263495/posts#comment Wed, 3 Jun 2009 04:10:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2261091/posts The female brain reacts differently to stressful situations, distress and depression than the male brain. Research in psycho-pharmacology - the study of drug-induced changes in mood and behaviour - however, is primarily done with male lab animals and therefore provides a distorted picture, Dutch researchers say. Gert ter Horst, a professor of neurobiology at the University Medical Centre in Groningen , and his colleagues have examined the way male and female rats deal with stress. They published their findings in the scientific magazine Physiology & Behavior. "Gender differences have become a booming field of research only recently," they write. "We... NRC Handelsblad (Netherlands) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2261091/posts#comment Sat, 30 May 2009 08:43:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2259889/posts LOS ANGELES — Even as he conceded there is still much hard work to do, President Obama was in a boastful mood Wednesday night, telling a star-studded crowd at a fundraising dinner that he "would put these first four months up against any prior administration since FDR." The president, speaking to a dinner that included Hollywood A-listers like Kiefer Sutherland, Marisa Tomei, Jamie Foxx, Ron Howard and Steven Spielberg, lauded the legislation he has signed since taking office but added that he is "not satisfied." The Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2259889/posts#comment Thu, 28 May 2009 15:46:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2259495/posts WASHINGTON -- Former Vice President Dick Cheney is tossing verbal grenades at his successors. Maybe he just can’t stand the loss of power. Pitiful. He is acting like a man who is one step ahead of the sheriff. Actually, that could be the case. The true story of Cheney’s manipulations and deceptions during his eight years in the White House is yet to be told. Right now he sees that his best defense is offense. He has accused President Barack Obama of "recklessness" and weakening national security. Cheney should be grateful to Obama for not throwing the book at him... TheBostonChannel.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2259495/posts#comment Thu, 28 May 2009 02:21:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2258962/posts WASHINGTON – The top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee said Wednesday he can't imagine a filibuster against Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, even though GOP lawmakers want to closely scrutinize her legal philosophy. "The nominee has serious problems," Sen. Jeff Sessions said in a nationally broadcast interview. "But I would think that we would all have a good hearing, take our time, and do it right. And then the senators cast their vote up or down based on whether or not they think this is the kind of judge that should be on the court." "I don't sense a... ap http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2258962/posts#comment Wed, 27 May 2009 12:33:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2258928/posts Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, who switched from the GOP to the Democratic Party two months ago, praised President Barack Obama’s selection Tuesday of Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court. Specter not only praised Obama's choice of Sotomayor, but also urged the Senate to give her a full and fair confirmation process, according to a statement on his Web site. "I applaud the nomination of Judge Sotomayor to the Supreme Court,” Specter writes. “Her confirmation would add needed diversity in two ways: the first Hispanic and the third woman to serve on the high court." Specter added: "While [Sotomayor’s] record... newsmax.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2258928/posts#comment Wed, 27 May 2009 11:34:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2255833/posts WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got together officially this week for the first time, but their talks failed to win agreement on how to solve perennial Middle East problems. They managed to agree on a common concern that Iran is secretly developing nuclear weapons. In meeting with the hawkish Netanyahu, Obama agreed that a nuclear-armed Iran was unacceptable. He warned that the diplomatic talks he was initiating to halt Iran’s program would not continue forever, and he roughly set a one-year deadline for the dialogue. The president also said he wouldn’t foreclose "a range... TheBostonChannel.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2255833/posts#comment Thu, 21 May 2009 21:55:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2255112/posts Contending that U.S. borders are more secure than ever, Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer said Wednesday it's time for the White House and Congress to overhaul immigration laws to stem the number of people coming into and living illegally in the U.S. "We can pass strong, fair, practical and effective immigration reform this year," said Schumer, D-N.Y. President Barack Obama plans next month to meet with a small bipartisan group of Senate and House leaders to discuss immigration with the intention of beginning debate on the issue later this year, according to an administration official who requested anonymity because the White... newsmax http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2255112/posts#comment Thu, 21 May 2009 00:11:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2255070/posts It isn’t so much that Dick and Rummy are back. It’s that they never left. They had no intention of turning America’s national security over to the Boy Wonder. The two best infighters in Washington history weren’t yielding turf to a bunch of peach-fuzz pinkos who side with terrorists. Let W. work out at the S.M.U. gym in Dallas, waiting for history to redeem him; Dick and Rummy are leaning forward into history, as they always do. Cheney is tawny with TV makeup; there’s no point taking it off. The gigs are nonstop, and he has a big Obama-bashing speech... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2255070/posts#comment Wed, 20 May 2009 23:21:55 GMT