Free Republic

The horrifying attacks on Ukraine yesterday– are a sign that the Russian president is, if not yet desperate, getting nearer to it. They represent a highly significant psychological shift for the beleaguered leader. He is no longer trying to win the war: now he is simply trying not to visibly lose it. Previously he could have defined victory however he wanted. But by annexing Ukrainian regions, he has upped the already high stakes. If he cedes so-called ‘Russian’ territory, he will become the Tsar who gave away Russian land instead of the strongman who restored the empire. And by ordering...

An independent state audit into University of California compensation practices portrays a pay structure run amok, where officials regularly bent the rules to secure better deals for top administrators and a shoddy centralized bookkeeping system provided inadequate checks and balances on pay matters. As a result, the university overpaid at least one employee nearly $130,000, padded the retirement-covered compensation of others, and provided housing allowances and other perks far in excess of amounts allowed under policy. The audit said many of the deals were not reported to the public and UC's own governing board. All told, UC handed out $334...

The death of Chico State pledge Matthew Carrington from drinking too much water in a hazing incident reverberated throughout the Bay Area and was the source of intense media coverage. On March 29, the Los Angeles Times published a long story by reporter Eric Slater about the impact of the 21-year-old Pleasant Hill college student's death on the campus and Chico. To be blunt, Slater's story was a mess. That's not one opinion. Many people agree, from Chico State President Paul Zingg to the management of the Los Angeles Times. Even Slater thinks so. After the Times printed a correction...

New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) has long been rumored as desperately seeking the democratic nomination for president in 2008. And while many political observers fully expect the power hungry former First Lady to hit the campaign trail within only a few months of being re-elected as a US Senator in 2006, US News & World report claims to have a confirmation of sorts. From USNews.Com's Washington Whispers: Hillary's in… You don't have to take it from us about Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton 's desire to run for president. Her brothers, Hugh and Tony Rodham, say it's true. Friends...