Free Republic

NEW YORK -- Two Brooklyn men have been arrested in connection with an alleged plot to bomb a subway station in midtown Manhattan, sources said early Saturday. At least one of the men may have an affiliation with a terrorist organization, according to two law enforcement sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The sources said the group in question was not believed to be al-Qaida.

Fringe elements are hoping to spark major disruptions at the Republican National Convention with a series of sneaky tricks - including fooling bomb-sniffing dogs on trains bound for Penn Station, the Daily News has learned. Internet-using anarchists are telling would-be troublemakers to decoy specially trained Labrador retrievers with gunpowder or ammonium nitrate-laced tablets in a bid to halt trains or even spur the evacuation of Madison Square Garden. Top cops are girding against the attempt to foil strong anti-terrorist strategies aimed at protecting conventiongoers - including President Bush - as well as peaceful protesters during the Aug. 30 to Sept....

I pointed out last year how the 2004 GOP convention date would give President Bush a huge boost in his re-election campaign; but many Democrats are only just beginning to understand: Pop quiz: If the Democrats are going to stand a chance of beating George W. Bush in 2004, they are going to have to put tremendous effort and creativity into winning over which of the following groups of voters: a) gay men and lesbians or b) people (gay, straight, whatever) who currently think that the post-September 11 United States is just somehow more secure in Republican hands? Yes, the...

Tampa Bay Would Be Wise Choice For GOP Convention The Tampa Tribune Editorial Published: Dec 12, 2002 If the Republican National Convention comes to the Tampa Bay area in 2004 to renominate George W. Bush for the presidency, Karl Rove will be pronounced brilliant - again. Rove, the political genius who orchestrated the GOP's historic successes in November, must know that Florida is an essential element in the party's strategy for the big race two years hence. But there are no guarantees. Voter registration is about equally divided in the Sunshine State, as was demonstrated memorably in 2000, and it...

Cities Pitch A Grand Old Party By KEITH EPSTEINkepstein@tampatrib.com May 2, 2002 WASHINGTON - Imagine: The Ice Palace, festooned in red, white and blue, balloons and politicos everywhere. Cruise ships, tying up near The Florida Aquarium, disgorging delegates and partisan partygoers. Tropicana Field, exploding in a frenzy of Republican spectacle. The entire Bay area catching the attention of a nation and world, and perhaps a pretty penny or two. Now imagine the cost: $40 million to $65 million, $12 million of it from local governments and taxpayers. Tampa Mayor Dick Greco, Hillsborough County Commissioner Chris Hart and a cast of...