Free Republic

Upon his return from his Martha's Vineyard vacation, a trip cut short so he could be photographed pretending to exercise some hidden capability to temper Irene's fury, Obama announced he wanted to give a speech to a joint session of Congress upon its return to D.C., on a night and at time which not coincidentally was already scheduled to be the night of the first Republican candidates' debate. Obviously the white House brain trust figured they'd steal attention from the debate and look presidential because, in their sophomoric calculations, if the Republican Speaker of the House turned down this imperious...

"President Obama is joined by Senior Advisors David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on a tour of the Sultan Hassan Mosque in Cairo."

Mexican marijuana cartels use pesticides, herbicides that pollute US parks, forests National forests and parks — long popular with Mexican marijuana-growing cartels — have become home to some of the most polluted pockets of wilderness in America because of the toxic chemicals needed to eke lucrative harvests from rocky mountainsides, federal officials said. The grow sites have taken hold from the West Coast's Cascade Mountains, as well as on federal lands in Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia. Seven hundred grow sites were discovered on U.S. Forest Service land in California alone in 2007 and 2008 — and authorities say the...

PARIS (AFP) — Wall Street's sickness and its contagiousness for the world economy are bad news for the already faltering effort to craft a new pact to tackle climate change. Tighter budgets, shrinking corporate profits and worries about jobs could crimp manoeuvering room at upcoming UN talks on toughening curbs on greenhouse-gas emissions, sources say. But -- so far, at least -- the crisis does not appear to be having an impact on investment in clean technology, say these sources. Indeed, some are confident that spending on wind, solar and other renewables may even rise.

McCain, Obama, Lieberman, and Biden have voted for the bailout. No word yet on Graham.

My interest was piqued, but the dark time lived on until my faith in others was renewed on Jan. 4 in the Iowa state primary. Obama had beat out squeaky clean southern boy John Edwards and former first lady and next in the line of political succession Hillary Clinton. I was in shock. And then I came to Jesus/Obama. I donated to the campaign. I followed every primary with bated breath, and muttered my prayers to the political gods while proselytizing the miracle of my new prophet. I got a car magnet, I bought a t-shirt; a pin and bumper...