Free Republic

If there's one person in the NBC news stable who combines solid political analysis with a commitment to fairness, it could be political director Chuck Todd. Proof thereof comes from no less a certified conservative source than Tom DeLay. Appearing on this evening's Hardball just after Todd had offered his breakdown of the electoral map, DeLay allowed that he "can't dispute" any of Todd's analysis, prompting Chris Matthews to exclaim "that's a development for us here: objective truth for you!" So what was that Todd analysis that DeLay didn't dispute? There was much to it, but for present purposes let's...

Ridge for VP? The Benefits 1. Pennsylvania. For once, conventional wisdom is right. In Pennsylvania, where perhaps a few thousand votes could mean the difference between 0 and 25 electoral votes, Ridge’s brand is well-regarded among the voters, especially women voters, that Sen. McCain absolutely needs to keep from turning overwhelmingly to Sen. Barack Obama. Think about dispatching Ridge to the Philadelphia suburbs where he’d go toe-to-toe with Gov. Ed Rendell. I know you are worried about the Philly suburbs, and you know that Ridge will help you there more than just about any candidate. 4. He will not make...

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Ridge for VP, Cont'd Mike Goldfarb is right that Tom Ridge will be among those John McCain's seriously considers as his runningmate. As Goldfarb notes, Ridge is from the electorally important state of Pennsylvania. McCain not only respects him, but he considers him a friend, and he was happy to have Ridge with him for a spell on the road during the primaries. But there are other reasons Ridge would be a surprising choice. The fact that both would be perceived to have strong national security credentials would argue against a McCain-Ridge ticket. In some ways, they're too much alike,...

The first secretary of the Homeland Security Department says waterboarding is torture. "There's just no doubt in my mind — under any set of rules — waterboarding is torture," Tom Ridge said Friday in an interview. Ridge had offered the same opinion earlier in the day to members of the American Bar Association at a homeland security conference. "One of America's greatest strengths is the soft power of our value system and how we treat prisoners of war, and we don't torture," Ridge said in the interview. Ridge was secretary of the Homeland Security Department between 2003 and 2005. "And...

Since announcing my support of Sen. John McCain's candidacy for president recently, the most curious question I have received is "why now?" The simplest answer is "why not now?" Candidates are beginning to emerge. The '08 gates have opened, and now is the time to help a friend who I believe is the most able, proven leader in our midst to be the next president of the United States. What compels me to speak out now about the many reasons I believe my friend of 25 years is the right person to lead this country? Because I believe that John...

HELENA - Tom Ridge, the former and first head of the federal Department of Homeland Security, took after Democratic Senate candidate Jon Tester on Wednesday, saying his call to repeal the federal Patriot Act is "ludicrous." Ridge, who said he was asked by former Republican Montana Gov. Marc Racicot to share his views with Montana reporters, said Tester's recent call to repeal the Patriot Act is "unfathomable, almost inexplicable." Tester, a Big Sandy farmer and current president of the Montana Senate, is challenging U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont. In a debate with Burns in Butte on Saturday, Tester said he...

Ridge urges GOP to unite behind Swann By Mike Wereschagin TRIBUNE-REVIEW Wednesday, May 31, 2006 Former Gov. Tom Ridge urged Republicans to put aside their misgivings about Lynn Swann and unite behind him in his bid to unseat Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell.

Ridge to join Swann's campaign By David M. Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Republican gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann hopes to get a boost by adding former Gov. Tom Ridge, a heavy hitter in Pennsylvania politics, to his campaign team.

...........A federal judge who outlawed the teaching of "intelligent design" in Dover science classes told graduates at Dickinson College that the nation's founders saw religion as the result of personal inquiry, not church doctrine. U.S. District Judge John E. Jones gave the commencement address Sunday to 500 graduates at Dickinson College, his alma mater............... "The founders believed that true religion was not something handed down by a church or contained in a Bible, but was to be found through free, rational inquiry," said Jones, who was thrust into the national spotlight by last years court fight over the teaching of...

Massachusetts Bishop Refuses to Present Award to Pro-Abortion HonoreeHOLYOKE, Massachusetts, March 3, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell, of Springfield Diocese, has said he will not present an award for distinguished achievement to a recipient who is pro-abortion.  In long-standing tradition, Bishop McDonnell presents an annual award, on behalf of the St. Patrick’s Parade Committee, to honor someone of Irish descent for distinguished achievement.This year, the John F. Kennedy Award will be presented to a recipient who is pro-abortion, and the Bishop has expressed his objection. Thomas J. Ridge was selected by the Committee to receive the award on...

ERIE, Pa. - Laura Ridge, the mother of former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, died Tuesday. She was 82. Ridge died at Saint Mary's Home of Erie after an extended illness. Tom Ridge stepped down as governor in 2001 to become head of the U.S. Homeland Security Department. The Ridge family emphasized education - her other son, David Ridge, is an attorney and daughter Vikki Ridge is director of human resources at Princeton University. But she always saw them first as family. After her son was elected governor in 1992, she said, "I'll always be Laura Ridge, no matter what Tom...

Twenty Years after TWA 847, No Lessons Learned By Debbie Schlussel Twenty years ago, this week, Hezbollah terrorists hijacked TWA Flight 847, and trampled Navy Diver Robert Stethem to death. Stethem's only crime was being American. The hijacking and murder was among the first televised Islamic terror attacks against Americans, unfolding on TV screens over 17 days. Twenty years later, disturbing kowtowing to Hezbollah terrorists shows we've learned nothing from Stethem's brutal murder at the hands of Islamic terrorists. On September 11, 2021, will it be worse? On June 15, 1985, Hezbollah hijackers seized the TWA flight in Athens. Identifying...

A few weeks ago I posted the question regarding Newt as a potential Presidential candidate.This week, as the result (or consequence) of a brief conversation with a scale master in Pennsylvania, the idea of Tom Ridge for 2008 was developed.He left Gov. of Pa. in relatively good graces ... he has (as far as I know) good paper ... he had a successful? stint as the first Homeland Security Director ... Marine (notice I did not say ex-marine ... Semper Fi!) ...And now the time comes to throw this out into (out into?) FreeRepublic.I'm inclined to like Ridge as a...

ATLANTA - Tom Ridge, the former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and former governor of Pennsylvania, was named to Home Depot Inc.'s board of directors, the home improvement retailer announced on Thursday. "Tom Ridge served his country with great distinction, and we are honored to have him join our board, where we expect that his unique global experience and perspective will make a profound contribution to our company and our shareholders," said Bob Nardelli, chairman, president and CEO. The appointment of Ridge brings the number of directors on Home Depot's board to 13. This includes 12 outside directors,...

No issue, not one, threatens to do more damage to the Republican coalition than immigration. There's no issue where the beliefs and interests of the party rank-and-file diverge more radically from the beliefs and interests of the party's leaders. Immigration for Republicans in 2005 is what crime was for Democrats in 1965 or abortion in 1975: a vulnerable point at which a strong-minded opponent could drive a wedge that would shatter the GOP. President Bush won reelection because he won 10 million more votes in 2004 than he did in 2000. Who were these people? According to Ruy Teixeira —...

WASHINGTON (Talon News) -- Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) issued a statement on Thursday blasting soon to be former Homeland Security Sec. Tom Ridge after reports that funding for 2,000 additional border patrol agents mandated by the recently passed intelligence reform bill would likely not be included in the DHS budget proposal. "I'm disappointed but not surprised as Mr. Ridge has never taken border security too seriously," said Tancredo, head of the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus. "It's equivalent to denying a crime ridden city more officers for protection, it simply makes no sense." Tancredo also expressed concern that three years after...

WASHINGTON - Americans' fingerprints should be added to their passports, outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said Wednesday, hoping to include the United States in a growing global security standard but risking a privacy fight at home. Ridge said passports could ideally include biometric finger scans — for all 10 fingers — to help customs officials quickly and accurately identify U.S. travelers. He offered no details on how the plan might deal with privacy concerns or guard against international identity theft. "If we're going to ask the rest of the world to put fingerprints on their passports, we ought to...

Tuesday: The president talked about Social Security reform, laying more groundwork for understanding among the citizenry and their Congressional representatives. Bush nominated Judge Michael Chertoff to replace Tom Ridge, outgoing Homeland Security director. President Bush granted The Washington Times an extensive and exclusive interview: Bush: 'I don't see how you can be president without a relationship with the Lord' Today: President Bush spoke at J.E.B Stuart High School in the Washington suburb of Falls Church, VA, to promote his second-term education agenda under the No Child Left Behind law. Inaugural dress and gowns info found here! I get my wish...

(Washington-AP, Jan. 6, 2005 4:03 PM) _ U.S. intelligence monitors are picking up less terror threat talk than a year ago, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said Thursday. A variety of factors could be contributing to the lull, Ridge said, and he warned that terrorists "are strategic actors and long-range planners" who could be merely lying low before striking again. "There certainly is a diminution, reduction in the amount of intelligence, and the decibel level is lower," Ridge told reporters, comparing information picked up over the past several months to the similar period a year ago. Ridge offered no single...