Free Republic

War without end Gene Lyons One of the enduring oddities of American foreign policy debate is that asking the most obvious questions is all but forbidden. For example, how does Afghanistan pose a threat to the United States? Certainly not in any military sense. The impoverished, largely illiterate Afghans have no army apart from the one U.S. and NATO forces, with very limited success, are trying to train, no air force, no navy, no offensive military capacity whatsoever. From the U.S. perspective, Afghanistan is the absolute end of the earth. Indeed, it’s not a nation at all. The idea that...

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham made a quick entrance and an even quicker exit at Monday’s Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce annual legislative luncheon. But it was his determination to get back to work, not a reluctance to speak his mind, that had him on such a tight schedule. In between his coming and going, Graham told his audience of his hopes for improvements in health care and his belief that average Americans have to make their opinions known to the people they elect. “What we get is the government we elect,” he said. “In Washington, we talk among ourselves, we...

This is a 5-minute video of MythBusters learning, and demonstrating, the Japanese art of "dorodungo" -- how to take real animal poo, and with a lot of work, make a high-gloss ball a few inches in diameter. In other words, they show how to "polish a turd". The political implications of this process, especially with regard to how the media spin-meisters treat recent administration screw-ups and related events, were inescapable...

Who's poised to lead the Republican party out of the woods? John McCain seems convinced that one GOP notable is not the person for the job, someone he's quite familiar with - his former running mate. On Monday's "Tonight Show," Jay Leno asked the Arizona Senator to name the new guiding lights of the Republican party, and McCain was quick to rattle off a list of "young, dynamic" governors around the country. Palin wasn't one of them. McCain singled out Lousisana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Florida Gov. Charlie Christ, Minnesota's Tim Pawlenty, and Mitt Romney, McCain's chief rival for the Republican...

Sen. John McCain's daughter continued her all-out media tour with a stop on CNN's "Larry King Live" Tuesday night, voicing support for her father's campaign opponent, President Obama, but none for her Republican critics. Meghan McCain, a columnist for TheDailyBeast.com, also tried to take the high road after conservative radio host Laura Ingraham had joked about the 24 year-old's weight last week. "As far as I'm concerned with what's going on with Laura Ingraham, on my end, it's over," McCain told King. "There are nine million women in this country suffering from eating disorders. And I'm not going to be...

Sens. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Wednesday dusted off the reform mantle and formally launched their latest crusade: significantly curbing the use of earmarks in appropriations.

WASHINGTON (CNN)—Arizona Senator John McCain is adopting a major 2008 campaign slogan for a new political action committee designed to support not only his own planned re-election run in two years, but help him put his stamp on the rebuilding of the Republican Party. The formation of the “Country First” PAC is to be announced Wednesday, two sources familiar with the plans tell CNN. One of the sources called it the “first official step” of the GOP Senator’s re-election campaign. McCain made it clear not long after losing the presidential election that he intended to seek re-election to the Senate...

It's one of those things that sneaks up on you in politics, a sense of things happening not quite as you expected. It started in April when our Times colleague Louise Roug called with a quote from Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Remember the John McCain that many Arizonans grew to like over the years - the one who stuck by his principles but was not politically dogmatic or doctrinaire, and instead tried to represent the interests of people in general? Well, that John McCain seems to be back after a long journey into the dark jungle of presidential politics where he seemed to veer from his familiar middle-of-the-road approach to politics - an approach that a lot of Arizonans prefer, based on their long support for him.

The undocumented Irish in the United States were discussed at Shannon airport last night when the Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea TD met former US Republican presidential candidate senator John McCain. After the meeting, Mr O'Dea said: "We met for about 40 minutes and it was very productive and cordial. Senator McCain has committed to raising the issue of the undocumented Irish with president-elect Obama on his return to the US." Mr McCain's aircraft made a refuelling stop at Shannon on his way back to the US after spending the past week on a regional tour with two other members...

Former Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani has told Sky News the election of Barack Obama will make America "an honest nation and not a hypocritical one". Even though Mr Giuliani became a supporter of John McCain after seeing his own bid for the presidency fail, he acknowledged the President-elect would improve his country's image abroad. Mr Giuliani, whose reputation was forged while he was mayor of New York, particularly at the time of the September 11 attacks, now gives lectures on leadership skills and is in the country attending the Leaders in London conference. He says Mr Obama has...

A Democrat tells ABC News that in a phone call late this afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., told Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., that it would NOT be helpful for him to come back to Washington, DC, to work on the Wall Street bailout bill. McCain this afternoon suspended his campaign and said he would skip the first presidential debate in order to return to Capitol Hill to work on the log jammed Bush administration legislation, which as of Wednesday afternoon was in peril. When contacted, the McCain campaign did not have any comment.

To show the empty "logic" that Jack Cafferty of CNN employs in his political commentary all one need do is check out his September 16 Political Ticker blog post on why the race for the White House is so tight in the polls. Reason: the country is filled with racists.

A giant inflatable dog turd by American artist Paul McCarthy blew away from an exhibition in the garden of a Swiss museum, bringing down a power line and breaking a greenhouse window before it landed again, the museum said Monday. The art work, titled "Complex S(expletive..)", is the size of a house. The wind carried it 200 metres (yards) from the Paul Klee Centre in Berne before it fell back to Earth in the grounds of a children's home, said museum director Juri Steiner. The inflatable turd broke the window at the children's home when it blew away on the...

WASHINGTON, July 27 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., Sunday defended presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama from recent political attacks. Hagel said during an appearance on CBS's "Face the Nation" that U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the likely GOP nominee, was pushing the ethical envelope by questioning the Illinois senator's motivations for opposing the Iraq war. "I think John is treading on some very thin ground here when he impugns motives, when we start to get into, 'You're less patriotic than me' and 'I'm more patriotic.' I admire and respect John McCain; we talk often. John's better than...

There was a remarkable exchange on the floor of the Senate this past Thursday between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. It offers pretty stunning evidence of how personally petty Reid is, as well as his penchant for defining “partisanship� as anything that keeps him from getting his way. The particulars here aren’t terribly important, but what happened was this: The Senate was voting on a Medicare bill bloated with new spending. The bill was also an attempt to prevent cuts in payment rates to doctors who treat seniors on Medicare, and Democrats wanted to...

Richard Carroll asked my opinion of General Tony McPeak, and his current support of the far, Socialist-Left. He is co-chairman of Obama’s National Election Committee. I have been asked the same question by many others. Rich wrote this and asked for as much coverage as possible, so I am sending it to everyone on my list. I consider this a weak version of how I really feel about Wesley Clark, Tony McPeak, the traitor Army Generals, and the rest of their ilk who are supporting the far-left in this election. Most, if not all, waited until they thought there was...

An employee of an Auburn nursing home called firefighters for help because the toilets were exploding with steam...

LONDON - An artist is inviting Londoners to come face-to-face with the wretched labour of one of India's lowest castes - by filling an art gallery with 21 big blocks of human excrement. The monoliths are the brainchild of Santiago Sierra, whose previous work includes pumping a former German synagogue full of poisonous car exhaust (visitors wore gas masks) and an attempt to write the word "Submission" in giant, flaming letters near the U.S.-Mexico border. Elena Crippa, curator at the Lisson Gallery where the work is being displayed, said the Spanish-born artist's intention is to confront audiences with the horror...

Cure for killer bug - but there's a catch KATE FOSTER IN THE annals of medical history, this could go down as one of the most effective but stomach-churning treatments ever devised. Scientists seeking a cure for a deadly superbug have successfully treated patients using human faeces. Trials in a Scottish hospital have shown patients suffering from the Clostridium difficile bug can be cured using 'donor stool' administered via a tube through the nose into their stomach. Clostridium difficile was last week at the heart of a damning report into cleaning failures at the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust...

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul contends that the federal government has overreacted by limiting personal freedom in the wake of terrorist attacks six years ago, noting more people die on U.S. highways in less than a month’s time compared to the number who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. “We have been told that we have to give up our freedoms in order to be safe because terrorism is such a horrible event,” Paul said today to more than 1,000 supporters who attended a rally at a downtown Chicago hotel ballroom. “A lot fewer lives died on 9/11 than...

WASHINGTON - The Senate passed an energy bill late Thursday that includes an increase in automobile fuel economy, new laws against energy price-gouging and a requirement for huge increases in the production of ethanol. ... The White House said the president would be urged to veto an energy bill that includes the price-gouging measure, arguing it amounts of price controls. The president also repeatedly has said he opposes Congress mandating a specific mileage number for auto fuel economy. Bush believes the Transportation Department should be given increased flexibility to set a standard. ... Republicans blocked a $32 billion tax package...

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez is trying to bring what he calls a social revolution to his country. One of his most far-reaching experiments toward that goal is the institution of community councils, which could reshape the way government operates in Venezuela. Thousands of the councils have been formed nationwide, and they have made decisions on everything from trash collection to school construction. Chavez calls the councils the fifth engine in his campaign to transform the world's seventh-biggest oil exporter into a socialist state. At first glance, they may appear like neighborhood watch groups. But the councils have government funding, thanks...

'They won't be able to continue. They won't be able to do the deployment. They won't have the equipment, they don't have the training and they won't be able to do the work. There’s no question in my mind.” – John Murtha

WASHINGTON — A powerful Democrat and Iraq war foe said he intends to introduce legislation in the coming weeks that would effectively end President Bush's plans to send 21,500 more troops into Iraq by setting limits on which troops can be sent. Using an unusual medium — a recorded interview posted on the Internet — Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., said his bill would prevent troops from being sent back to Iraq too soon or too poorly equipped. Troops being sent back to Iraq for another tour would have to stay in the United States at least one year before being...

Last update: 2/14/2007 1:03:00 PM More Than 1200 Movie Night Events Nationwide Thursday Members Will Watch Film, "Ground Truth" and Petition Members of Congress WASHINGTON, Feb 14, 2007 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Congressman John Murtha will deliver a videotaped message to tens of thousands of MoveOn members across the country this Thursday night in an effort to help block President Bush's attempt to escalate his failed policy in Iraq. The action will coincide with the viewing of the new film, "The Ground Truth" -- a powerful documentary told through the eyes of veterans of the Iraq war. The movie reminds...

John Kerry Slams His Own Country At Davos Jan 27 2007 7:52PM http://sayanythingblog.com/index.php Here’s John Kerry speaking while sitting just a few feet away from Mohammad Khatami, the former President of the Iranian terror state. Kerry was asked about whether the U.S. government had failed to adequately engage Iran’s government before the election of hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005. Kerry said the Bush administration has failed in addressing a number of foreign policy issues. “When we walk away from global warming, Kyoto, when we are irresponsibly slow in moving toward AIDS in Africa, when we don’t advance and live up...

See Video

I don't track Keith Olbermann's descents into mean-spirited bad taste systematically enough to definitively proclaim that he has charted a new low. Let's just say that he has once again indulged his proclivity to traffic for political purposes in the worst of ill-will.Readers will recall during that during the 2004 presidential campaign, both members of the Dem ticket went clumsily out of their way to alert voters to the fact that Dick and Lynne Cheney have a gay daughter, Mary. In that same mean spirit, on tonight's Countdown Olbermann acidly observed: "the Vice-President is about to become a grandfather for...

THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- Former President Bill Clinton on Thursday endorsed the idea of talks with Iran and Syria to help ease the bloodletting in Iraq, saying it would also be in Tehran's interests. Clinton spoke in the Netherlands the day after the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan panel that included senior officials from his administration, proposed engaging the two Middle Eastern countries -- and U.S. foes -- in the search for peace in Iraq.

<p>If you'll take your "conservative values" blowhard off the air, I promise to vote for whatever right winger gets nominated in 2008.</p> <p>This turd is embarrassing. It's the same thing every show. Some person with an onvious flaw -- so obvious the person themseles always recognize it -- gets paraded out and this phony, arrogant blowhard pretends to "fix" things. Who knows if anything gets fixed, but if it does, it has nothing to do with baldy.</p>

In an especially contentious exchange on this evening's Hannity and Colmes (Friday February 3, 2006), cantankerous cartoonist Ted Rall, a guest on the program, unbelievably declared, "We do not owe our liberties to the military." The topic was the recent Washington Post cartoon by Tom Toles that has outraged many. The cartoon prompted a letter to the editor (linked at Michelle Malkin) from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who tagged the the work as "beyond tasteless." Needless to say, Rall (who himself has created bigoted trash in the past) defended Toles' cruel piece. Here's the relevant exchange (audiotape on file,...

Morning Edition, November 21, 2005 · I believe that there is no God. I'm beyond Atheism. Atheism is not believing in God. Not believing in God is easy -- you can't prove a negative, so there's no work to do. You can't prove that there isn't an elephant inside the trunk of my car. You sure? How about now? Maybe he was just hiding before. Check again. Did I mention that my personal heartfelt definition of the word "elephant" includes mystery, order, goodness, love and a spare tire? So, anyone with a love for truth outside of herself has to...

Now on display at Alperts in Seekonk with other high school art, the student's work is causing some controversy. Jeffrey Eden devised his award-winning project less than 30 minutes after his high school art teacher asked him to express a thought or two in a three-dimensional way. The award-winning artwork by high school student Jeffrey Eden compares President Bush's war policies with Adolf Hitler's pillage of Europe. So, in the wake of last year's polarizing election and the war in Iraq, the 17-year-old built an abstract scene comparing President Bush's war policies with Adolf Hitler's pillage of Europe. The student's...

<p>We hope Secretary of State Colin Powell was privately embarrassed when, two days into a catastrophic disaster that hit 12 of the world's poorer countries and will cost billions of dollars to meliorate, he held a press conference to say that America, the world's richest nation, would contribute $15 million. That's less than half of what Republicans plan to spend on the Bush inaugural festivities.</p>

<p>I feel ashamed that the republican were able to cheat once again? Is this democracy? I think not! I know, without a shadow of a doubt that the election was rigged, because there aren't enough idiot in this country to vote the god danged BUSH into office, ONCE, not to mention TWICE. We should pull together, and fight the oppression. FIGHT THE POWER, and the evil republicans, before it's too late, and we are relieved of all our precious rights. Soon we will all be imprisoned, and figuratively speaking, forced to finish our pees before we are aloud to leave the dinner table. For SHAME... SHAME ON THE US of A, a potentially fantastic country.</p>

Something I was thinking today. Could bush be elected again? I was thinking he was appointed by the Supreme Court in 2000 and this time he was elected. So technically he was only elected once. So could he run again? Im sure Bush wont run again Im not saying that at all. Just something I was curious about.

New South Park Episode TONIGHT! 10:00 PM / 9 Central! See website for details!

CANNES, France (Reuters) - Michael Moore (news)'s controversial anti-Bush documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" won the Palme d'Or best film award at the Cannes film festival (news - web sites) on Saturday.

What's up with all these Kerry football throwing pics?

Are People banned from this site? Are opposing views not welcomed? Why, YES.....Over the past 5-6 years I have had to change my log-in several times..Due to a "Banning". I have received over 132 e-mails from "Freepers" that were also banned. I enjoy reading most of the postings...I start my morning on this site. But I have learned not to reply or post any opposing views...until now. I'm sure this posting will vanish and once again I will be "banned". Until another screen name my friends.