Free Republic

President Barack Obama‘s visit to Saudi Arabia this week with a heavy-duty delegation was a smart move. But nobody should have any illusions that this quick stop will fix what’s troubling U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia or other key allies in the region. These days, the United States’ two oldest and most important friends in the Middle East–Israel and Saudi Arabia–seem to have more in common with one another than they do with Washington. Throw Egypt into the mix and you have an unusual threesome–a Jewish state, a monarchy, and a military-controlled phony republic–that have, as a practical matter, aligned...

The usually grim-faced media mogul practically swooned in his seat. Moments after Jeb Bush delivered what many in the audience described as an unremarkable talk at a conference in Washington, Rupert Murdoch turned to his seatmate, Valerie Jarrett, the White House adviser, to gush over its content and tone. Mr. Murdoch was pleased that Mr. Bush, the former governor of Florida, had listed the economic benefits of overhauling the nation’s immigration system, confiding in Ms. Jarrett that Mr. Bush, a likely Republican presidential candidate, had said all the right things on the fraught issue, according to three people with firsthand...

Not my favorite way to wrap up a road trip: it’s going to be a snowy trip through the mountain passes today. So I’ll just wrap up my thoughts on this pea thing, that I can’t seem to get off my brain, and leave you all to sort it out. I sure hope it isn’t something I ate. As a member of the humble legume family, the pea is well known for it’s ability to create “alternate energy” in the form of *ahem* carbon producing gas (thanks for that insight, Lantern). Therefore one could argue that it serves as a...

JANUARY 11, 2015 6:00 PM Valerie Jarrett, Obama’s ‘Berlin Wall’ The woman insiders describe as the president’s “real chief of staff” keeps out bad news and new ideas. By John Fund It’s high time the news media paid more attention to Valerie Jarrett. An old Chicago friend of both Barack and Michelle Obama’s, she exercises unusual influence in the White House as a “senior adviser.” Many in Washington believe that she is at the heart of the disappointment the Obama administration has become. They are unwilling to say so in public. But the evidence keeps piling up. One who is...

Illinoispaytoplay.com (IP2P) has learned that Daniel S. Mahru, former business partner of Antoin "Tony" Rezko, made a deal with the Department of Justice (DoJ) for his silence. IP2P is the first to report that on, October 4 2012, Daniel S. Mahru will receive probation at his sentencing hearing. IP2P has also learned that this is being done to insure Mahru will not speak of crimes, of which he has knowledge, that implicate Barack Obama, Valarie Jarrett, Allison Davis, Tony Rezko and others. (Remember Tony recently saying he committed crimes for which Fitzgerald did not charge him.) IP2P is also investigating...

It’s worse than we thought; even the Wons are frequent victims of racial injustice according to People magazine - The Obamas: How We Deal with Our Own Racist Experiences. In the article, Big Guy claims he’s been mistaken for a valet and Lady M said he has also been mistaken for a waiter.Some say he’s been mistaken for a President:Rock star? President? Whatever.Butt I think we all know who the real president is around here: Although undocumented and forced to live in the shadows, Val is de facto el Presidente. And it’s not just BO who has to deal with...

If you had to imagine the communications between the two of them over the last few months what do you suppose they are up to? Leave you ideas in the comments.Three pieces were linked at the Drudge Report today on the rising Idol of the progressive political cult, first by Michael Goodwin at the New York Post: “Elizabeth Warren poses a challenge to Hillary in 2016“: The polls say it’s Hillary’s turn, but I’m starting to believe 2016 could be 2008 all over again, with Warren taking the nomination from her the way Barack Obama did. As Mark Twain said,...

See the attached photo to understand that we don't have two parties. We have one party with two propaganda wings - one for Right and one for the Left. Ha ha ha.

Thanksgiving weekend marks the official kickoff of the holiday season and it’s always a busy one. Today for example Raj, Little Mo, DeweyFromDetroit and I traditionally go see the Nutcracker.  No, not Val Jar or Lady M – White House entrance to Val-Jar’s officeThe Nutcracker I’m talking about is Tchaikovsky's ballet. Neither of our Big White nutcrackers enjoy the music, greatly preferring the beat and lyrics of a good Beyoncé song and dance to that of classic ballet. Odd, as Bey has been known to “borrow” from the ballet art form. And I’m not just talking about the ballerina heels...

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon adamantly denies that the White House pressured him to resist sending in the National Guard in response to violent protesters unhappy with the Michael Brown shooting decision. It is clear, however, that Nixon has been in close contact with President Obama's senior advisor Valerie Jarrett as the chaotic situation unfolded. According to the White House, Jarrett spoke with Nixon the first night of the protests as well as the morning after. Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz confirmed that Jarrett received “updates” from Nixon, “promising to stay in close touch” as the situation continued. “Valerie spoke to...

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) requested that President Barack Obama avoid making a “very public push” on immigration during the midterm primaries, according to White House Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett.

After the past week's political upheavals in Washington and around the country, we are reminded that certain things remain constant in politics. Unfortunately, one of those things is the sexism leveled at any woman who rises to power in the White House -- under presidents of either party. No sooner was the hunt on for a fall guy for the Democratic midterm losses than some in the press predictably went after a fall gal -- President Barack Obama's senior adviser, Valerie Jarrett. Reporter Carol Felsenthal in Politico and others have decided that the best way to address Democratic losses is...

The media have identified the problem with the Obama presidency and want her tarred and feathered. Or just fired. Or sidelined. Or made an ambassador to some faraway land. Her name is Valerie Jarrett. White House aide and longtime Chicago pal of Barack and Michelle Obama has been a target roughly from the day she stepped foot in Washington. But now, in the wake of the Democrats’ midterm wipeout, the press is really unloading on her. She has become the scapegoat-in-chief. The notion that a single staff person is responsible for most of the administration’s shortcomings over the last six...

In the Barack Obama presidency, no name brings out conspiracy theorists as much as Valerie Jarrett. Perhaps Noam Scheiber at The New Republic intended his Jarrett profile to dispel the common perception of Jarrett as a Machiavellian figure, or even a Svengali. If so, Scheiber has missed the mark somewhat. Jarrett comes across as manipulative, both for Obama’s benefit but most definitely her own, and ruling the White House by fear, intimidation, and strategic acts of kindness (via Instapundit): Even at this late date in the Obama presidency, there is no surer way to elicit paranoid whispers or armchair...

Having left everything in capable hands here at home,Big Guy departed from Andrews Air Force Base last night for a week abroad in China, Myanmar (sometimes called Burma), and Australia. He thinks they still idolize him over seas. Somebody probably should have briefed him on China’s current sentiment: Obama always utters "Yes, we can," which led to the high expectations people had for him. But he has done an insipid job, offering nearly nothing to his supporters. US society has grown tired of his banality. Bush, who dared to do everything, and Obama, who dares to do nothing, come from...

There’s obvious and then there’s painfully obvious. And in the case of Al Sharpton declaring that Tuesday’s resounding defeat for his party was not the fault of an unpopular president nor inept candidates, but of Hillary and Bill Clinton, it’s painfully obvious where the activist/host/liaison is getting his marching orders are coming from: Valerie Jarrett. As he’s enjoyed mentioning in the past, Sharpton has a direct line to the White House. He’s visited numerous times, trades daily emails with Ms. Jarrett. So when the Democrats went down in flames three days ago, guess who President Obama met with the next...

Almost since the start of Barack Obama’s presidency, people who have actual, real duties in the West Wing of the White House—the working, executive part of the government, that is—have been urging him to do something about Valerie Jarrett. Push her into the East Wing, where she can hang out with Michelle Obama and the White House social secretary, or give her an ambassadorship—or something—but for Pete’s sake get her out of the way of the hard work of governing that needs to be done. Now it’s really time to do it. Let’s stipulate right away that it would be...

<p>President Obama reportedly penned a secret letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last month discussing their shared interest in fighting the Islamic State -- a development one congressional source told Fox News "f***s up everything."</p> <p>The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that, according to people briefed on the letter, Obama wrote to Khamenei in the middle of last month and stressed that any cooperation on dealing with the Islamic State, or ISIS, was tied to Iran striking a deal over its nuclear program. The U.S., Iran and other negotiators are facing a Nov. 24 deadline for such a deal.</p>

Get rid of your Rasputin, Mr. President. Whole tea plantations in Nepal will now be stripped bare to supply all the leaves needed to read President Barack Obama’s strategy in response to this Republican wave election. Will the president negotiate in earnest for tax reform and immigration? Will he finally come out of his hermit crab shell and engage in the hard, squalid and frustrating business of sitting down with members of Congress to hash out compromises? Or will Obama seem to do these things, while positioning himself to exploit the ideological divisions within the GOP in a continuing effort...

Voters will not see "Barack Obama" on the ballot on Tuesday, and the president might count himself lucky. A record low 44 percent of Americans report a favorable impression of him in a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Today's six-point unfavorable-favorable margin matches the worst since Obama rose to the national stage. Tuesday's electorate is likely to be even less fond of the president: 53 percent of likely voters see Obama unfavorably, while 43 percent give him favorable marks. The poll finds those with strongly held views of Obama are most likely to turn out to vote.