Free Republic

Americans have the warmest feelings about former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Republican Sen. John McCain and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, according to a poll released Monday that scores the popularity of national leaders. The Quinnipiac University's "thermometer reading," taken the week after the Nov. 7 election, asked voters to rate their feelings for 20 leaders on a scale of 0 to 100. Giuliani, a Republican weighing a presidential bid in 2008, scored the highest at 64.2. Obama and McCain, who are also considering a 2008 campaign, finished next at 58.8 and 57.7. President Bush was 15th out of...

THK: My Hubby's Unqualified "Teresa Heinz Kerry, America's would-be First Lady, reinforced her reputation for blunt speaking yesterday by admitting that her husband was not qualified to hold the office," reports the Times of London: "I think nobody is truly qualified to be President of the United States," she said, displaying the plain speaking that has become her trademark, a possible liability for John Kerry's campaign. "I mean, are you qualified to run the world . . . not run it, but have that influence? No, nobody is," she said in the latest edition of Reader's Digest. . . ....

"It's disappointing that John Kerry's frank talk stopped with a discussion of his complexities and failed to include an explanation of his inconsistencies and contradictions on the central front in the War on Terror. John Kerry missed an opportunity to help the American people understand his vote for the war in Iraq based on the same intelligence that the President viewed, his description of himself as an anti-war candidate and his subsequent vote against troops on the front lines. He's right, America can do better."- Campaign Chairman Marc Racicot Even before John Kerry has spoken, he is working to...

Kerry Demands Bush Prove Guard ServiceBy NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press WriterJohn%20Kerry">web sites), a decorated Navy veteran criticized by Republicans for his anti-war activities during the Vietnam era, lashed out at President Bush (news - web sites) on Monday for failing to prove whether he fulfilled his commitment to the National Guard during the same period. Conservative critics have questioned whether Kerry deserved his three Purple Hearts for battle wounds, an issue the Democratic presidential candidate sought to put to rest last week by releasing his military records. On Sunday, a top Bush adviser criticized Kerry for leading anti-war protests after...

[snip] ... If you watched Kerry on "Meet the Press," you saw many examples of dodginess on his part. At the very start, moderator Tim Russert asked for a "yes or no answer" to the question, "Do you believe the war in Iraq was a mistake?" Kerry's response was: "I think the way the president went to war was a mistake." By restating the question, he left the fundamental issue unanswered. Over the course of the hour, Kerry struggled to explain why he had once -- decades ago -- advocated placing U.S. forces under the direction of the United Nations,...

Bush-Cheney '04 Launches Its New Website Including Kerry Media Center with DBunker Buster, etc. Yesterday, Bush-Cheney ’04 launched its new web site at www.GeorgeWBush.com. The site features an all-new homepage, where, in addition to getting all of today’s news, you can watch the latest video or see the latest photo right on the page. Also launched with the site is the new Kerry Media Center at http://www.GeorgeWBush.com/KerryMediaCenter/ -- your definitive source of daily news on the Massachusetts Senator, including regular reports such as DBunker Buster, the Raw Deal, and the Boston Fog Report. On top of it, we’ve also...

<p>It is increasingly clear that President Bush's line of attack against John Kerry will be to describe him as a flip-flopping politician, changing his positions constantly to suit the political needs of the moment. One negative ad, previewed on "Meet the Press," showed an animation of two John Kerry boxers battling one another. The winner? George W. Bush.</p>