Free Republic

The political landscape may be shifting in ways that would make it easier for Sen. John McCain of Arizona to win the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. He's among several potential candidates courting Southern and Midwest Republicans this weekend in Memphis, Tenn., in the first chance that party insiders have had to look at several would-be nominees in one place. Conventional wisdom — that McCain could win the general election but not the Republican nomination because conservatives oppose him — may be changing. A convergence of three new forces could be reshaping the landscape just as Republicans begin deciding who will...

With the war in Iraq, higher energy costs and breakneck government spending, the GOP faces a tough round of congressional elections in 2006 unless things change, two key Republican senators warned during a campaign appearance. "I think if this were not an odd-numbered year, we would have great difficulties," said U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona. McCain and fellow-Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina were interviewed by The Associated Press when they stopped here Sunday night to campaign for Republican state Attorney General Henry McMaster. "But we can recover," McCain said. "Reagan recovered. Clinton recovered. We can recover."...

Sharpton has denied having an affair, but black columnist Errol Louis of the New York Daily News notes that "both split from their spouses around the same time and traveled around the country together during Sharpton's presidential campaign. Louis was intrigued by the report that Harris "lives in a swanky Trump Place apartment and sports top-drawer toys like a Mercedes, a mink coat and a $7,000 Rolex." Ironically, the Village Voice claimed that Sharpton revealed in 2001 that Rev. Jesse Jackson was involved in an extramarital affair and had an illegitimate child. Jackson was discredited, at least for a while,...

November 10, 2004 -- BARACK OBAMA, new hotshot on the political scene, has been gifted with more than just Divine Grace. How's a hefty share of killer smarts? < --snip-- > The guy's moving. He gets noticed. Gets the star spot at the Democratic National Convention. Gets elected senator from Illinois. His book gets reissued. Now it's selling. Result? Before the election, this brand-new nova and his longtime agent execute an agreement to do more deals. < --snip-- > However, Barack Obama now realizes who he is. He now understands where he is. He never gets around to signing...

Howard Dean's "bizarre rant" after his defeat in Iowa is looking like the fatal blow to his campaign, according the New York Post and others. "I used to be on the Dean bandwagon, but now I feel as if he's imploding," said medical student Eliza Shulman. "I was really scared when I saw him on TV. I can't believe I used to be for that guy. It's embarrassing." The Post quoted "stunned" strategists for Democrat rivals, including this one: "I don't know how he'll ever be able to convince voters that he has the gravitas, temperament and judgment to be...