Free Republic

Will American politics ever be sexy? Violet Blue thinks Elliott's new book might make it so - Local writer Stephen Elliott has never been the kind of boy to hold back. That is, unless he's all tied up, literally. The New York Times Book Review called his book "Happy Baby," "surely the most intelligent and beautiful book ever written about juvenile detention centers, sadomasochism and drugs." In 2003, Elliott went all gonzo on us and went on the road with John Kerry's presidential campaign, detailing every angry inch in "Looking Forward to It: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying...

Wallingford, Conn. (AP) -- Following protests from students, former presidential adviser Karl Rove has withdrawn as this year's commencement speaker at a prestigious prep school, the school's headmaster said Monday. The choice of Rove as speaker for the June commencement at Choate Rosemary Hall had led some students to plan to walk out of the ceremony. Others had sought to bring comedian Stephen Colbert to campus for an alternate speech. Instead of commencement, Rove now will speak at the school on Feb. 11, headmaster Edward J. Shanahan said. Shanahan said he will deliver the commencement address at the school, the...

President Bush, down and all but counted out by friend and foe alike just three months ago, is rising like a bloodied but unbowed prizefighter, and Karl Rove predicts peril for Republicans and their presidential nominee if they shun the lame-duck president on the campaign trail. The president had been pummeled ever since Democrats retook control of Congress in January, but he has pushed ahead with his second-term agenda on issues ranging from opposing federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research, pushing for peace in the Middle East and establishing security in Iraq. Some in his own party broke with him...

Less than three months after he left his post as the White House’s deputy chief of staff, Karl Rove has agreed to become a Newsweek contributor and will pen opinion pieces for the magazine and its Web site. Rove will turn out several columns on the 2008 campaign up until inauguration day, according to the Washington Post. In a statement, Newsweek Editor Jon Meacham said: “Newsweek has a long tradition of asking practitioners and opinion-makers to offer our readers the benefits of their experience in occasional opinion essays. “Whether one agrees or disagrees with Karl, there is no arguing that...

Egypt (AP) - Terror mastermind Osama bin Laden plans a new video addressing the American people regarding the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, terror monitoring groups said Thursday. SITE Intelligence Group said an Internet announcement of the plan included a photo of the al-Qaida leader from the upcoming video—his beard, which in previous messages had been streaked with gray, was entirely dark.

Crawford, Texas (AP) -- Master GOP strategist Karl Rove won't let up in his attacks on Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton, but the intriguing question is why. Is it a sign that Rove, who masterminded Bush's two presidential victories, is worried about Clinton? Or a calculation that the GOP attacks will get Democrats to rally to her side because the GOP would prefer not to take on Democrats John Edwards or Barack Obama? "The Democrats are going to choose a nominee. I believe it's going to be her," President Bush's departing political adviser said Sunday, noting her negative rating...

You have many things for which you can be deeply grateful. Here is one of the biggest: Yep, you've done some horrible things in your life. Embarrassing things. Stupid. Mean. Violent, even. Eaten dirt. Smacked a baby. Kicked a kitten. Stomped some flowers. Stole. Lied. Cheated. Beat up a tree. Spit instead of swallowed. Drank bad wine. Voted Republican. Shared a needle. Promised to call and then didn't. You know, the usual. But maybe some of these things now make you cringe and recoil and slump down a little lower in your chair when you think about them, because, well,...

GEORGE W. Bush ran for president promising to be a "uniter, not a divider." That didn't happen. I asked top Bush adviser Karl Rove - the man who didn't deliver national unity and has announced he is leaving the White House - over the phone Monday: Why? "I think a number of Democrats never accepted (Bush) as legitimate and instead adopted a strategy of blind obstructionism," he answered. Moreover, some Democrats "hated" Bush, and they were joined by a group of Democrats who "for tactical reasons, said that we can never give (Bush) a political victory, and anything that passes...

Thus The Economist sums up what it calls "a new blow to an increasingly isolated White House," although, it adds, he "may have outlived his usefulness" (especially after the 2006 GOP drubbing) Despite the pledge of undying friendship from a "grim-faced" President Bush, "Rove leaves the White House in anything but victory," opines Adam Nagourney at the New York Times. His legendary reputation was seriously diminished by the Republican defeat in the 2006 midterm elections, and has been eroded almost every day since then, . . .

Reaction to Karl Rove's announcement Monday that he is resigning as President Bush's top political strategist: ___ Karl Rove was an architect of a political strategy that has left the country more divided, the special interests more powerful, and the American people more shut out from their government than any time in memory. — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. ___ We worked together so we could be in a position to serve this country. And so I thank my friend. I'll be on the road behind you here in a little bit. — President Bush. ___ Mr. Roves apparent attempts...

CBS) NEW YORK What was thought to be a violently windy thunderstorm that plowed through Brooklyn Wednesday morning turned out to be a weather event of historical proportions. The National Weather Service confirmed that the storm brought with it Brooklyn's first ever tornado since such weather events were recorded. Officials measured it to be an EF2 twister, characterized by winds of anywhere from 111 to 135 miles per hour.

NewYorker article. Only link allowed by Excerpt and Link rules. Interesting material inside. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/06/04/070604fa_fact_goldberg?printable=true

Did terrorists cause SF's freeway meltdown? How about your lousy haircut? Spilled coffee? Sure! This is how it works: Random accidents happen all across America, every single minute. Water mains burst, light bulbs pop, smoke alarms wail, bad haircuts resound, you run out of hot water in the shower and the evil coldness rains down upon your humble flesh and your nipples are like oh my God someone please make it stop. It gets worse. Traffic accidents wreak havoc, fires erupt in old buildings, trees fall and sinkholes collapse and birds die and Britney shows the world far too much...

The flap over the firing of eight federal prosecutors last year may be the Democrats' best chance to get White House political adviser Karl Rove out of their way before the 2008 elections. [SNIP] "He beats Democrats, and they hate it. He outthinks them, outflanks them and outworks them," said Mr. Barton, who once was a client of Mr. Rove's direct-mail company back in Texas during the 1980s. Democrats beg to differ. In their view, Mr. Rove succeeded in the 2000, 2002 and 2004 elections by dirty tricks along with smart tactics, and has continued to ignore ethics, and even...

Political activity by White House probed By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer 22 minutes ago A little-known federal investigative unit has launched a probe into allegations of illegal political activity within the executive branch, including a White House office led by President Bush's close adviser, Karl Rove. The new investigation, which began several weeks ago, grew out of two other investigations still under way at the U.S. Office of Special Counsel: the firing of U.S. Attorney David Iglesias from New Mexico and a presentation by Rove aide J. Scott Jennings to political appointees at the General Services Administration on how...

Friends of Al Gore have secretly started assembling a campaign team in preparation for the former American vice-president to make a fresh bid for the White House. Two members of Mr Gore's staff from his unsuccessful attempt in 2000 say they have been approached to see if they would be available to work with him again. Mr Gore, President Bill Clinton's deputy, has said he wants to concentrate on publicising the need to combat climate change, a case made in his film, An Inconvenient Truth, which won him an Oscar this year. But, aware that he may step into the...

Harry Reid is Wrong, the War on Terror is Right. Senator Harry Reid must be forced to resign for telegraphing U.S. defeat to our enemy before the fact. Vietnam was a defeat because we quit. Iwo Jima would have been a Vietnam, except we didn't quit. Normandy would have been a Vietnam, except we didn't quit. South Korea would have been a Vietnam, except we didn't quit. Iraq is not a Vietnam until we quit. Every battle that the U.S. has fought and not quit has become a mark of honor to our nation. The war in Vietnam is a...

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- President George W. Bush used his recess-appointment power to override Democrats' objections and install three significant appointees in office. The three were Susan Dudley, a conservative academic nominated to be the White House regulatory czar; Republican fundraiser Sam Fox, a contributor to the controversial Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, whom Bush had chosen to be ambassador to Belgium; and Andrew Biggs, an advocate of private accounts for Social Security, whom Bush had picked as deputy commissioner at the Social Security Administration. (This story and related background material will be available on The Wall Street Journal Web site,...

Karl Rove fathered Anna Nicole Smith’s baby. In an unforgettable night fueled by alcohol, lust, a lion tamer outfit, a failed attempt to freebase "Sweettarts", an Al Franken blow-up doll and some crimes against nature with a very confused puffer fish, Karl fathered her child. I think we should all be ashamed of Mr. Rove (how much is she worth again?). Now, admittedly, there is no crime in having sex with Anna Nicole Smith. If that were illegal most of the Western Hemisphere’s male population would be perp walked into a future of Federal incarceration that includes forced labor, strained...

Ok, eminem he is not: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYZre8kEsuw Rich old white people should take notice: DO NOT RAP!