Free Republic

HAMPTON, N.H., Jan. 6 -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, slipping further behind her chief rival in the Democratic primary here, has taken direct control over her strategy and message as she scrambles to block the ascent of Sen. Barack Obama. -snip- In an unscheduled conference call with senior aides on Sunday morning, Hillary Clinton took what her advisers described as an unprecedented level of control over the direction of the daily message -- issuing orders rather than soliciting advice. According to one participant in the call, Clinton did not explicitly relieve any advisers of responsibilities, but made it clear that...

The Tyranny of Super-Delegates Barack Obama's stirring victory in Iowa was also a good night for our democracy. The turnout broke records and young people – who were mobilized and organized – participated in unprecedented numbers. And now that Iowans have spoken – the first citizens in the nation to do so – here's the Democratic delegate count for the top three candidates (2,025 delegates are needed to secure the nomination): Clinton – 169 Obama – 66 Edwards – 47 "Huh?" you say. "vanden Heuvel, you made a MAJOR typo." In fact, those numbers are correct: the third-place finishing Sen....

It is hard not to feel sorry for Hillary Clinton. She is, in so many ways, the perfect presidential candidate for the Democrats. She has the brains and the name, the money and the machine. (snip) And yet, when actual voters are given the chance to seal the deal, too many of them balk, as they did in Iowa this week. Coming third in Iowa, with more than two-thirds of the voters choosing other candidates, is a shocking blow to the Clinton campaign. Yet the pollsters have always known what her problem is. Her problem is that a lot of...

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton have been in career-threatening scrapes before, but never quite like the one they face in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, when nothing less than their would-be dynasty will be on the line. In trying to battle back from her loss in the Iowa caucuses to Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, Mrs. Clinton is recalibrating her message in hopes of producing Comeback Kid: The Sequel — achieving the reversal of fortune her husband pulled off with his second-place finish here in the Democratic nomination contest in 1992. Mrs. Clinton, after arriving here...

Democratic presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) (R) walks out of the Gala Cafe to greet supporters while campaigning in downtown Manchester, New Hampshire, January 4, 2008. Voters in New Hampshire go to the polls January 8 in the U.S. presidential primary elections.

Sen. Hillary Clinton went on the counterattack today, one day after a stinging defeat in the Iowa caucuses to Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. She said New Hampshire voters need to take a hard look at Obama, suggesting that they shouldn't just buy into his message of "hope" without analyzing his policies. Clinton said she wasn't suggesting anything in particular about Obama, but simply "drawing contrasts." "I'm running on my record. … I'm running on my plans," Clinton told reporters. "I think everybody needs to be vetted and tested. That's the way elections are supposed to operate. The last thing the...

Redwood City, Calif. (AP) -- A judge on Friday sentenced disgraced political donor Norman Hsu to three years in state prison after rejecting the one-time Democratic rainmaker's bid to throw out a 16-year-old fraud conviction. Hsu's lawyers had asked Superior Court Judge Stephen Hall to dismiss his 1992 no contest plea, arguing his right to a speedy trial was violated because authorities weren't actively pursuing him during his years as a fugitive. They could easily have arrested Hsu, his lawyers argued, at one of the fundraisers he hosted in California for prominent local politicians. Hsu also faces federal fraud charges...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 15, 2006 -- The commander of the Army’s 3rd Corps and Fort Hood used the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the United States as an opportunity to remind his troops -- most of whom have played active roles in the global war on terror -- about the importance of their mission in keeping America safe. Soldiers and first responders at Fort Hood, Texas, drape a large flag over the second story balcony in the east atrium of the 3rd Corps Headquarters building during a Sept. 11 ceremony marking the fifth anniversary of the...

RAMADI, Iraq (June 28, 2006) -- New York City Police Department Detective Evan L. Schwerner had nearly 21 years off active duty in the Marine Corps when in the four-year wake of Sept. 11, 2001, he decided he could better serve his family and country in the global war on terror as a Marine in Iraq. Cpl. Schwerner joined the Marine Corps Reserve in May 2005 as a hazardous material and waste Marine then volunteered to deploy with the 3rd Civil Affairs Group. He was subsequently assigned to the CAG’s Detachment 4, currently based at the Provincial Civil Military Operations...

3rd Armored Cav. troopers continue to serve By Sgt. 1st Class Donald Sparks Cavalry troopers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment raise their right hand to repeat the Oath of Reenlistment during the unit's mass reenlistment ceremony recently held at Fort Carson, Colo. A total of 640 Soldiers participated in the event.Sgt. 1st Class Donald Sparks FORT CARSON, Colo. (Army News Service, May 8, 2006) – Soon after his arrival back home from Operation Iraqi Freedom, Spc. Aaron Ziegler knew exactly what he wanted to do – stay in the Army and continue to serve. A food service specialist...

March 19, 2006 – Outside of my office in Washington, D.C., sits a small American flag, one of many distributed by a local Boy Scout troop to many of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines who serve our country. The flag is accompanied by a note that reads: "Here is a flag for your pocket, so you can always carry a little bit of home. We are praying for you and are proud of you. Thank you for defending our country and freedom." That small flag is a reminder that so many Americans -- even the young -- recognize the...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Mar. 8, 2006) -- Families and friends gathered with their Marines, helping them with their packs and giving them that one last hug for the seven months they’ll be apart. Hugs and kisses from families to Marines seemed synchronized as if there was a cue card letting them know when to do it. And for Lance Cpl. Ron G. Kramer, a Marine with 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, this was an all too familiar scene having been deployed three times in the last two years. The Pittsburgh, Penn. native deployed to Haiti from March...

Would you care to guess who said this: "To the courageous men and women of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, who have changed the city of Tall Afar (Iraq) from a ghost town, in which terrorists spread death and destruction, to a secure city flourishing with life"? Give up? That is a letter from...

CAMP SCHWAB, OKINAWA, Japan (Oct. 25, 2005) -- Family and friends gathered to welcome more than 100 service members home from Iraq in the early morning Oct. 18. The Marines and sailors of 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, returned to Camp Schwab after completing an eight month tour of duty in the Al Anbar province of Iraq. The 3rd Reconnaissance Bn. Key Volunteers coordinated the welcome home party with signs and banners for the returning Marines. “We had all the families come out and make signs and decorate the Marines’ homes, barracks and offices with signs and balloons,” said...

3rd century Buddhist relic discovered Statesman News Service BHUBANESWAR, Aug. 3. — The state cultural department today claimed to have discovered 3 Asokan stupas dating back to the 3rd century BC in Dharmasala area of Jajpur district. The discovery is likely to provide further archaeological evidences on the visit of Lord Buddha to Kalinga, site of the historic Kalinga war and the location of Kalinga’s capital. Talking to reporters here today, culture minister Dr Damodar Rout said that the Orissa Institute of Maritime and South-East Asian Studies, under the state culture department, had taken up the excavation work at Tarapur,...

Greetings, fellow South Park Conservatives. I have been seriously considering our options as a legitimate and viable political party. The other parties, well, we just don't fit in with them. Dems: Self explanatory. Socialist weasels that go against the very grain of everything we believe in. Repubs: Ever-moving to the left. Currently outspending the most liberal of Democrats on everything except defending our borders, which is what their (the Federal Government's) job is supposed to be. They also want to legislate morality and tell us what we can and can't do/watch/say here in this "free" country. They are also just...

Jewelry from 3rd millennium B.C. discovered in southwest Iran Tehran Times Culture Desk TEHRAN (MNA) –- Ancient Iranians were fond of jewelry almost 4300 years ago and were highly skilled in producing jewelry and ornaments, Iranian archaeologists have concluded based on discoveries they made during their recent excavations at the ancient site of Shahdad in Kerman Province. According to the head of the archaeological team, Mir-Abedin Kaboli, archaeologists discovered the ruins of a developed city with industrial and residential areas and a graveyard after fourteen stages of excavations. “Many artifacts including rare stones, jewelry, engraved stones, and jeweler’s tools were...

Candidate's Stage Fright Ends Debate Parra: 'I Just Can't Do This' October 22, 2004 FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- A northeastern Indiana congressional candidate said she abruptly ended a debate because she got stage fright. Democrat Maria Parra walked off a television stage Thursday, ending what would have been her only debate with incumbent Republican Mark Souder in the 3rd District congressional race. "I'm not used to being in front of the camera. ... I couldn't get my words out. I was just overwhelmed," she said after the aborted debate, which was being filmed at WPTA and would have been aired...

WASHINGTON, March 18, 2004 – The "Thunder Runs" of the war in Iraq seemed to come from nowhere. One day the fighting was far to the south, and seemingly the next, soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division were liberating Baghdad. The Thunder Runs were the audacious answer to charges that American forces were stuck in a quagmire in Iraq. Army Col. David Perkins commanded the 2nd Brigade of the "Rock of the Marne" Division. There were two armor battalions – the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor and 4th Battalion, 64th Armor – and an infantry battalion – the 3rd Battalion, 15th...

SAVANNAH -- President Bush is planning a trip to Fort Stewart this month to congratulate the soldiers who led the assault on Baghdad, The Associated Press has learned. Sources with advance knowledge of the president's schedule said Wednesday that no final date has been set for the visit, although one source said it could be as early as Sept. 12. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity.The White House does not disclose Bush's schedule until 48 hours in advance.The presidential visit, first reported by the Savannah Morning News, has been widely expected. Residents of neighboring Hinesville have speculated since the...