Free Republic

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has issued a statement to India Today clarifying the rubles for gas mandate that has created confusion among Russia’s gas buyers, RT has reported on Tuesday. Buyers purchasing Russia’s gas will have to pay Gazprombank, an independent institution. -snip- Buyers can still, therefore, pay in the currency of their choice. But Gazprombank will convert the payment into rubles. Gazprom would then be able to access the funds in rubles, assured that those funds would not be subject to sanctions. “They won’t be able to keep this money in their banks. They will still pay in...

Most presidents affect the standing of their political parties. Ronald Reagan advanced his party's standing among young voters. So did Bill Clinton. In his first term, George W. Bush helped Republicans equal Democrats in party identification in the 2004 exit poll -- the first time that happened since polling began. But in his second term, Bush proved toxic to the Republican label. The Pew Research Center showed Democrats with a 51 percent to 39 percent party identification edge over Republicans in its 2008 polls. Now Pew Research has come out with figures for 2011. They're not good news for Barack...

SPINNING RACE NEWSWEEK MSNBC.com By Howard Fineman and Tamara Lipper January 27, 2003 Jan. 27 issue He speechified to the right. He briefed to the middle. And he sought cover by trying to bring in Condi Rice. The color of racial politics No one in Washington can be as ominously sympathetic as Dick Cheney. He was that way last week, when he placed a call to Theodore Olson, solicitor general. President George W. Bush was preparing to take a politically explosive step, filing friend of the court briefs opposing the University of Michigan’s use of racial preferences in admissions. IT...