Free Republic

President Bush travels to Europe in February -- stopping first in the old continent's pint-sized capital city. Why Brussels, instead of London or Paris or Warsaw? Not for the chocolate. A small but increasingly prominent cluster of foreign-policy thinkers -- call them bipolarists -- believe they know the answer: Whether Bush likes it or not, there are two superpowers in the world, and the other is Europe. Unlike communism, the E.U. seems to represent not an enemy of liberal capitalism, but a new and possibly improved version of it. In 2002, Charles A. Kupchan, a professor of international relations at...

Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn has raised at least $11,000 for a legal-defense fund in response to investigations of "pay-to-play" contracting in his administration -- a sign, his opponents said, that the mayor is deeply worried about the joint local and federal probes. Hahn established the fund on Nov. 18 without fanfare and raised $1,000 each from 11 donors through Dec. 31, according to City Ethics Commission records. In creating the fund, Hahn is tapping many of the same donors who have contributed to a separate legal-defense account to pay a $53,523 fine over violations in his 2001 mayoral campaign....

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Having backed the loser over a fellow Democrat the last time, the county Democratic Party is pondering again which way to throw its support in the March 8 mayoral election primary. Although Los Angeles elections are nonpartisan, the endorsement brings financial support from the party as well as symbolic weight in a heavily Democratic city. But it is no guarantee of success, as the 2001 election showed when the party's anointed candidate, former state Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa, lost in a runoff to City Attorney James Hahn. The current primary pits Hahn, now the mayor, against...

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Battling for re-election, Mayor Jim Hahn will appear for the second time with his four major rivals Tuesday in a debate that will focus on air quality and other environmental issues facing the city. The first face-off on Dec. 2 turned into a roundtable on allegations of corruption in the Hahn administration, while the mayor promoted his record on public safety and declared, "I've always been about honesty." Tuesday's taped debate, sponsored by the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters, could provide a respite for Hahn from questions about suspect fund-raising and other accusations of ethical...

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The four major candidates seeking to oust Mayor James Hahn depicted his administration Thursday as paralyzed by ethical conflicts and lapses, and alleged he stood by while campaign contributions and favoritism opened the doors to City Hall. Hahn largely avoided addressing ongoing investigations that have placed a cloud over his administration, but argued in an hour-long debate that he was leading the city toward a brighter, safer future. Voters "know who Jim Hahn is. I've always been about honesty," Hahn responded. In making the case against giving Hahn another four-year term, his rivals argued that new...

John F. Kerry returns to the Senate today basking in his national profile, but once again laboring in the long shadow cast by fellow Bay State Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. Political insiders will be scrutinizing the delicate post-election political dance unfolding between Kennedy and Kerry with great interest. The pair are friendly rivals, but their staffers have clashed in the past as their divergent ambitions collided. Kennedy was miffed when Kerry profusely thanked his campaign staffers but failed to mention him during the Faneuil Hall concession speech, sources said. Some Kerry insiders, meanwhile, have privately grumbled about Kennedy's failure to...

The French government plans to merge Airbus parent company EADS with defence company Thales to create a new European giant to rival US Boeing, it was reported today. Finance Minister Nicolas Sarkozy would not comment on the report in Les Echos of an impending government-backed takeover of Thales by European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, his spokesman said.

WASHINGTON - Former presidents, one-time rivals, military veterans and family members will help tell the story of Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites) as he prepares to accept his party's presidential nomination at the national convention in late July. "We will use those four days in Boston to introduce to America John Kerry and John Edwards (news - web sites), talking about their backgrounds and their strengths," Democratic Chairman Terry McAuliffe said Tuesday. The opening night of the July 26-29 convention will feature former Presidents Carter and Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore (news - web sites). Ron...

<p>He's come to the wrong place with the wrong plan.</p> <p>"We're all scratching our heads over why the president would attempt to use the 'Aspen' fire as a political stage for his Healthy Forests Initiative," said Brian Segee of the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity.</p>

Lieberman's attack on anti-war rivals shows deep divide within Democrats By Rupert Cornwell in Washington 29 July 2003 The deep divisions on Iraq among the Democratic presidential contenders burst into the open yesterday when the senator Joseph Lieberman, a strong supporter of the conflict, accused his more critical rivals "of not knowing a just war when they see it". Mr Lieberman said the Bush administration had failed to draw up adequate plans for the aftermath of the war and had not moved quickly enough to secure Saddam Hussein's suspected illegal weapons facilities. But his most significant words were aimed at...

<p>Recall elections notwithstanding, chalk one up for Attorney General Bill Lockyer in early psychological skirmishing over a possible 2006 gubernatorial race.</p> <p>Lockyer's lawyers two weeks ago won a legal case against megadeveloper Angelo Tsakopoulos. The Sacramento developer is a key financial backer of state Treasurer Phil Angelides, thought to be Lockyer's chief rival for the 2006 Democratic nomination.</p>

I was watching my trusty and sacred Fox News tonight. As I was getting a chuckle viewing liberals make panicked attempts to try and get their views out, I noticed something. During The Fox Report I saw, back-to-back, a commercial for our local CBS news station with the statement, "At six, switch to News4," then, "Turn to Colorado's news team. 9News (NBC)." It was at this point that I saw something odd, so I broke out my little pen and pad and started recording. From the last 20 minutes of The Fox Report all the way until the last commercial...

Former President Bill Clinton publicly criticized his former Labor Secretary Wednesday and said he never encouraged Robert Reich to run for governor of Massachusetts - as Reich claimed. Appearing with his friend (and Reich's opponent) Steve Grossman Wednesday, Clinton further shocked Democrats by failing to endorse Grossman, who was standing at his side. Instead, Clinton heaped praise on another Grossman opponent in the governor's race -- Shannon O'Brien. According to a report in Thursday's Boston Herald, even Shannon O'Brien (the state treasurer) was surprised by the unsolicited Clinton endorsement. He called her "a very impressive woman," and he even offered...