Free Republic

Sarah Palin said she wasn't surprised at Rick Santorum's success in Iowa, and warned that the GOP should not take Ron Paul's supporters lightly. Speaking on Fox News before Iowa's final numbers were in, she called Santorum "spot-on" with his policies toward Iran and praised his "social conservative" positions. Her strongest comments came for Paul, however, saying "the GOP had better not marginalize Ron Paul and his supporters after this" because "a lot of Americans are war-weary and we are broke" and Paul has reached that constituency well. She warned that the GOP "better work with them."

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - For Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, vital to getting the edge in military service-oriented but war-weary Pennsylvania is figuring out how to pull U.S. forces out of Iraq without dragging the flag in the process. Trailing in delegates, Clinton has staked her candidacy on a strong showing in Pennsylvania's April 22 primary. Obama has eroded Clinton's lead in several state polls and an upset could irrevocably damage her candidacy. Both candidates promise to end the war, but in a state with a remarkable history of venerating military service, how that end should be achieved weighs...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - After six hard years of war, the United States is awakening to the idea that "soft power" is a better way to regain influence and clout in a world bubbling with instability. And nowhere is the change in thinking more advanced than in the US military, which is pushing for greater diplomacy, economic aid, civic action and civilian capabilities to prevent new wars and win the peace in Iraq and Afghanistan. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates caught the spirit in a much praised speech at Kansas State University last month, calling for a dramatic increase in spending...

Wearied by war, Americans paused Wednesday night to listen to President Bush's plan to send 21,500 more U.S. troops to Iraq — some responding with frustration, others with renewed hope and some with outright puzzlement. In a prime-time address to the nation, the president said he would boost the U.S. presence in Iraq to more than 150,000 troops, and said he had made a mistake by not ordering more troops there last year. "He's still apologizing for what's going on so far and almost apologizing in advance for what's going on afterwards," said Dave Berndt, 48, an office manager from...