Free Republic

President Obama this afternoon joined the gang of Democrats and liberal groups alleging that the US Chamber of Commerce is using foreign funds to influence American elections. Referring to a study by the liberal group ThinkProgress that – correctly – notes that the US Chamber of Commerce has some funding sources abroad, including foreign corporations and American Chambers of Commerce around the world (or “AmChams”), the President said, “just this week, we learned that one of the largest groups paying for these ads regularly takes in money from foreign corporations.” The president then took this step, saying, “groups that receive...

"Obama is correct," Steven Camarota, director of research for the Center for Immigration Studies, tells Newsmax. "The legislation states illegals won't get the affordability credits [to pay for their healthcare]. But Wilson's comment is correct in that the normal enforcement mechanism was excluded from the bill. I think that's the fundamental question."

Democrats must drop efforts to censure a GOP representative who shouted "You lie" during President Obama's speech, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday. Democratic leaders Thursday were looking into what formal action the House could take against Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., whose outburst during Obama's address on healthcare reform to a joint session of Congress the night before, shocked the chamber, The Hill reported. "It's time for us to talk about healthcare, not Joe Wilson," said Pelosi, D-Calif. One option Democrats considered was censure. Pelosi nixed censure, as well as a call for Wilson to apologize on the floor. "I'm...

Joe Wilson's 15 minutes of infamy notwithstanding, Democrats were pretty rough on George W. Bush during a joint sessions a few years back. Two examples: In 2004, Democrats delivered a “Chorus Of Boos” during Bush's Bush’s State Of The Union when he called for renewal of the Patriot Act., according to the Washington Times. In 2005, Dems howled, hissed and shouted "No!" when Bush pushed for Social Security reform in the SOU: "Foreshadowing the contentiousness of the coming debate, Democrats broke decorum and booed twice," according to the National Journal. At the time, CNN's Bill Schneider remarked, “It was unusual....

“J’Accuse” is the title of one of the most famous polemics of the century – Emile Zola’s 1898 open letter accusing the leaders of the French Army of deliberately framing Col. Alfred Dreyfus. Zola's letter takes its title from the ringing paragraphs at the finale: “I accuse Lt. Col. du Paty de Clam ... I accuse General Mercier ... I accuse General Billot ... etc.” Dreyfus was of course Jewish, and the battle between the Dreyfusards and anti-Dreyfusards quickly transformed itself into a grand argument over the place of Jews in France. The anti-Dreyfusards regarded Jews as inherently alien and...