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A personal report. Last night (Wednesday, 11/4/2009) I attended a discussion with former senator Tom Daschle, now advisor on health care to President Obama. The event was held at the Reagan Library in California. What was unique about this event was that the audience was largely comprised of insurance agents who market and service health insurance in California. Also represented at the event were the major insurance companies selling health insurance to Californians, Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna, Kaiser Permanente, Humana, Health Net and others. I am sure that a transcript of the event will be made public, but in general...

Imagine this dilemma: you are a completely incompetent boob whose solitary talent in all the world is reading a script out loud. If you try to actually speak on your own, using your own words and presenting your own ideas, people would be able to tell that you are really an imbecile. How on earth could you possibly become the President of the United States? Just like this: Obama's safety net: the TelePrompter By CAROL E. LEE | 3/5/09 AP Photo: Barack Obama is reflected in the teleprompter as he campaigns at the Seagate Convention. The textbook-sized panes of glass...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Venus Williams won her 40th singles title Saturday, defeating Virginie Razzano of France 6-4, 6-2 in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championship. During the trophy presentation, Williams spoke about Shahar Peer, the Israeli player who was denied entry into the United Arab Emirates for the tournament because of what organizers called security concerns. "I felt like I had to talk about her," Williams said. "I thought it was brave of her to come here and try and play despite knowing that it is not going to be easy for her. My dad grew...

(IsraelNN.com) IDF soldiers managed to capture hundreds of terror suspects during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. One of them, 20-year-old Mohammed Amazi, was revealed to be one of Hamas' more senior fighters. Parts of Amazi's interrogation were published this week by the Hebrew-language Maariv. Amazi told security forces that he was recruited by Hamas at age 12 as he left a mosque in his hometown of Jabalia. At first his participation in the group consisted only of daily Koran classes, he said. However, at age 13 he was officially sworn in to the terrorist group, and soon began actively supporting...

SANTA FE, N.M. - Former astronaut Harrison Schmitt, who walked on the moon and once served New Mexico in the U.S. Senate, doesn’t believe that humans are causing global warming. "I don’t think the human effect is significant compared to the natural effect," said Schmitt, who is among 70 skeptics scheduled to speak next month at the International Conference on Climate Change in New York. Schmitt contends that scientists "are being intimidated" if they disagree with the idea that burning fossil fuels has increased carbon dioxide levels, temperatures and sea levels.

FReep this Digg!!! (We need FReepers to FReep the Vote over at Buzz too! Any volunteers???) Post your own links exposing ObamaNation on Digg, Buzz, Reddit, etc. Saturate these boards. They're massive and they are crawling with independents and undecideds. And don't post them all in one category, like politics or elections. Finally, repost your links on FR to we can put a protective FReep around them :o) For examples of how to do this, see my history. Let's use our combined FReeperPower to FREEP THE VOTE!!!

HORMIGUEROS, Puerto Rico - Hillary Rodham Clinton on Sunday offered a spiritual defense for continuing her presidential campaign, as she sought to put to rest the uproar over her comments about the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. Speaking to a full congregation at the Pabellon de la Victoria evangelical church, Clinton spoke in measured terms about faith in the face of adversity. "There isn't anything we cannot do together if we seek God's blessing and if we stay committed and are not deterred by the setbacks that often fall in every life," Clinton said. Clinton is campaigning for Puerto Rico's...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI6XXCfPMn4

RENO, Nev. - Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani defended Newt Gingrich, who has admitted having an extramarital affair as he pursued President Clinton's impeachment after the Monica Lewinsky affair. Giuliani, speaking to reporters during a campaign stop late Saturday afternoon in Reno, said the episode shows no one is perfect and the former House speaker can learn from it. "I think the American people realize, and I'm speaking for myself now, we've made a lot of mistakes, and hopefully we've done some good things in our lives and it's probably always been that way," he said. "The American people have...

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J., July 14, 2006 – Sharon Serio said her son, Matt, was a lot like her. Both middle children, they liked to go out and have a good time. Sharon Serio, an American Gold Star Mother from Rhode Island, talks with Feisal Amin al-Istrabadi, Iraq's permanent deputy representative to the United Nations, after a ceremony at the New Jersey Vietnam Memorial on July 9. Serio's son was killed April 5, 2004, during operations in Iraq. Photo by Samantha L. Quigley  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. "We got along great together, him and I," the Rhode Island...

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said Latinos can be a unifying force in the national immigration debate, but they need to acknowledge concerns about national security, the rule of law and the fear of lowered wages. Clinton spoke Saturday at a "Cafe con Clinton" breakfast meeting at the start of the National Council of La Raza's annual conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, the council is hosting a four-day event expected to draw at least 20,000 people. Clinton said the immigration debate in Washington, D.C., is...

LOS ANGELES Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, on a mission to remind voters that he is not beholden to the party of President Bush, told a group of gay Republicans on Thursday that no one should be judged by their sexual orientation. "In politics, I believe we need to address problems rather than attacking people," the governor said at a fundraising dinner for the Log Cabin Republicans, a group that has supported him since the 2003 recall election. "Whether you're gay or straight, everyone needs someone to love." The governor's decision to appear at the fundraiser, although it drew television cameras, did...

Bill Clinton speaks against 'demonizing' political leaders6/17/2006, 7:26 p.m. ET By PEGGY HARRIS The Associated Press LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton said Saturday that, if he returns to the White House in 2008 because his wife becomes president, his role would be to "do whatever she wants" because that's what a good citizen would do. Clinton said he didn't know if U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, a Democrat from New York seeking re-election this year, would run for president in two years as some have speculated, but he predicted a woman could win the most powerful office...

Last year, Sadr City got fresh drinking water for the first time in over eight years. Since that time, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has finished many other water projects for the city. (GRD Photos) Sadr City Before: Broken water and sewer pipes allowed both untreated and sewage water to inundate the streets. Streets were unpaved and mounds of garbage and debris were piled up in most of the neighborhoods of the city.(GRD Photos) The Al Tahreer Company of Baghdad has the $941,350 contract funded through the Commanders Emergency Response Fund (CERP). This contract includes the repavement of 5,300 meters...

Zachariah Anani, an Ex-Muslim militant who grew up in Lebanon hating the state of Israel, has since become one of Israel’s most staunch supporters. Anani, along with two other former Muslims, plans to address an audience at Princeton University next month to voice his controversial views. "I was brought up to hate Jews and Israel. That was my first raising, my first attitude," Zachariah Anani told Israel National Radio's Tovia Singer. Anani describes the circumstances that prompted him to make the decision to turn his life around. "In the 70's I became a Christian, but even as a Christian, Jews...

FORT HUACHUCA — America’s heroes were honored at a special event on Wednesday, including the many who now live in this community. The annual Bring A Vet To Lunch, presented by the Greater Sierra Vista Area Chamber of Commerce and its Military Affairs Committee, saw more than 180 people fill the Thunder Mountain Activity Center. Among them were veterans aged 80-plus, as well as active-duty soldiers still in their teens, and community and military leaders. But the special guest was retired Lt. Col. Barry Bridger, an Air Force veteran who spent more than six years as a prisoner of war...

With the first-ever Constitution Day being held Saturday, students and bystanders on campus shared their opinions on - and knowledge of - the U.S. Constitution. Constitution Day exists because of a federal statute signed into law last December by President Bush. The day is required to be celebrated by all federally funded institutions, according to www.constitutionday.com. Saturday was chosen to commemorate the signing of the Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787. Q: What are your reactions to Iowa State celebrating Constitution Day tomorrow? "I honestly have no idea what Constitution Day is." - Paul Armenakis, sophomore in pre-computer science "I support...

Clinton speaks before Hispanic civil rights conference From The Morning Call -- July 18, 2005 Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-NY, gestures while giving an address on the challenges of education for the nation's growing Hispanic community, Monday, July 18, 2005, at the annual meeting of the National Council of La Raza, in Philadelphia. (PA Photo/Joseph Kaczmarek) The Morning Call Speaking to the nations' largest Hispanic civil rights organization, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., received a standing ovation Monday when she vowed her support for legislation that would allow illegal immigrant high school students to attend college. Clinton made her remarks...

Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg will never forget her appearance on the popular television show "Art Linkletter's House Party" when she was a young child. She told Linkletter, whose show was built on the premise that kids "say the darndest things," that she and her older brother sometimes baby-sat themselves. Their parents would pay them the money that otherwise would have gone to a baby sitter, she said. Linkletter, caught off guard, quipped: "Oh my God, my parents owe me a fortune!" Decades later, Goldberg continues to surprise, serve as a left-wing lightning rod, and evoke reactions ranging from applause to laughs...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Rev. Jesse Jackson on Tuesday spoke at the Florida school where a 5-year-old girl was handcuffed and a 6-year-old boy was hit by a car, calling the incidents "acts of terrorism against citizens." Jackson said he intended to sue officials at Fairmount Park Elementary School on behalf of the children's families. A spokesman for the school board could not be reached for comment. Jackson said he had counseled the mother of E'Traveon Johnson, who was hit by a car last month and has remained in a coma. Jackson said poor supervision led to the accident....

. NEVER FORGET TERRI can breath unassisted. TERRI can eat food thru her mouth, food that MICHAEL has been stopping her from having for years. TERRI can SPEAK. TERRI is NOT the Living Dead. TERRI is capable of being re-hab'ed. TERRI rehabilitation that her "Husband" MICHAEL has been preventing for years as he continues to make babies with his lover. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette quotes one of TERRI's nurses saying in a Court Affidavid that: "TERRI spoke on a regular basis, sayng such things as 'Mommy' and 'help me.'" When she put a washcloth in TERRI's hand to keep her...

United States still faces obstacles after tackling many security issues By Adam Hines Staff Writer The United States has hit and destroyed the terrorist beehive, but there are still bees left to kill, said a former national security adviser. Sandy Berger, who served with the Clinton administrations, said that America has made a lot of strides when it comes to homeland security and the war on terror, but it’s not done yet. "To me the great danger is the complacency we have fallen into three and a half years after 9/11," she said. Berger was part of a cast that...

People from all walks of life keep asking me the same question: “Are there moderate Muslims?” I know myself that there are, but… Many of the moderates are faced with intimidation by militant Muslims (“Islamists”). Muslims also have to contend with their own old cultural habits, hateful religious leaders, a bigoted press, and schools that teach hatred and homicide bombings. As usual, just as things seem the darkest, I happen upon something that brightens my spirit -- at least a little. Last week, FOXNews mentioned the organization “Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism” (FMCAT). I immediately went to their website, and...

LANGUAGE CAUTION! WHAT WOULD GENERAL PATTON SAY? If General Patton was alive today, what do you think he would say about the world situation? Interesting thought so I am going to speculate on what I think he might say.

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Bill Clinton ripped into President Bush and Republicans during a fundraiser Sunday night for carrying out a misguided foreign policy and promoting irresponsible tax cuts that have hurt the poor. The former president told about 350 people at the off-Strip Rio hotel-casino that they would not recognize America "if you let these people have the Congress, courts and the White House for four more years. You're country is on the line." Clinton said that the Democrats have to win Nevada and its five electoral votes to regain the White House. Nevada is considered a battleground state...

Kennewick Man speaks Kennewick Man has held onto his secrets for more than 9,000 years and now, finally, scientists will get a chance to be his voice. This week, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals pushed the truths resting within the bones at the Burke Museum closer to the light with its decision that scientists can study them. The appeals court affirmed a lower-court decision that the Interior Department erred in its decision to give the bones to the Native American tribes that claim them as those of an ancestor. The government might appeal to the Supreme Court. But the...

<p>Washington -- INDIANA SEN. Evan Bayh asked a simple question, but the answer is not simple. At a meeting of the centrist Democratic Leadership Council, Bayh asked fellow Democrats, "Do we want to vent or do we want to govern?"</p>

<p>PHILADELPHIA - The head of a political group that helped Bill Clinton become president in 1992 said Democrats need to claim more credit for military victories in Afghanistan and Iraq if they are to win the White House in 2004.</p>

WASHINGTON - Former President Clinton said Thursday that neither the Iraq situation nor the war on terrorism should interfere with efforts to strengthen the economy and fix a health care system that leaves 41 million people uninsured. "No one really thinks these terrorists are going to win a military victory over us, even if God forbid we see another terrible incident or two in our country," Clinton said. "The only way that we can be vanquished is if we respond to this in a way that compromises the future of our children and the character of our nation." Speaking to...