Free Republic

In the summer of 2011, some Democrats urged President Obama to simply raise the debt ceiling himself if Republicans were decidedly against passing legislation. There was the "trillion dollar coin" idea, whereby the government mints itself out of trouble via an arcane bullion law. Then there was the 14th Amendment option. Here, the government would have to take a modern interpretation on the Civil War-era amendment about the "validity of the public debt of the United States," and surely face legal action. Now as the two parties gear up for another debt ceiling bout, Greg Valliere at Potomac Research thinks...

In between all the political brush fires that have engulfed the White House in recent days, President Obama and wife Michelle Obama have still managed time for vacation planning. The nation’s first family is looking to cool their jets this summer at a house in Farm Neck on Martha’s Vineyard, according to the Boston Globe. Obama and his family are no stranger to Martha’s Vineyard, having made three previous summer visits to Blue Heron Farm in Chilmark. They skipped going there last summer, and their favorite Blue Heron Farm house might not be available anymore. It was purchased in late...

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she "prays" Hillary Rodham Clinton will run for president. [snip] Emily’s List, a national group that focuses on electing pro-choice women, launched a campaign Thursday aiming to put the first woman in the White House that coincided with a poll showing Mrs. Clinton as the overwhelming favorite to win the 2016 Democratic nomination for president. In making the announcement, Stephanie Schriock, president of the group, said the nation is ready for a female president and is “hopeful” Mrs. Clinton will take another stab at the Oval Office.

The slippery slope to confiscation has begun. Gold and silver buyers could soon have to register with the state of Illinois. Rick Santelli provides an update on legislation that requires every gold and silver transaction to be registered with the State. Here are the basics. The bill, officially called SB-3341, was introduced in 2012, immediately passed the Illinois Senate and is now awaiting action by the House.

AS the nation teeters at the edge of fiscal chaos, observers are reaching the conclusion that the American system of government is broken. But almost no one blames the culprit: our insistence on obedience to the Constitution, with all its archaic, idiosyncratic and downright evil provisions. Consider, for example, the assertion by the Senate minority leader last week that the House could not take up a plan by Senate Democrats to extend tax cuts on households making $250,000 or less because the Constitution requires that revenue measures originate in the lower chamber. Why should anyone care? Why should a lame-duck...

Steven Mufson is a Washington Post reporter covering energy and other financial news. He has enjoyed visiting Alaska without needing his passport. ___________________ The prospect of once again hitting the federal debt ceiling has provoked the ritual round of hand-wringing about the intractable nature of this $16 trillion conundrum. But there is a simple, elegant option that involves no tax increases, no spending cuts and just a bit of imagination. Sell Alaska. hat’s right. Put the entire state — from Juneau to Deadhorse, from the Bering Strait to the Beaufort Sea — on the auction block. Absurd? No more absurd...

“The intelligence community had it right, and they had it right early,” said chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Rep. Mike Rogers (R., Mich.). The CIA “talking points” on Benghazi initially identified the attackers as al Qaeda or al Qaeda-linked terrorists but senior administration officials removed the reference, Rogers said on NBC’s Meet the Press.Meanwhile, White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters traveling with the president on Saturday that the White House made only minor changes in the first comments by a White House official on the Benghazi security scandal.“We were provided with points...

The Blind Sheikh, Omar Abdel-Rahman, is serving a life sentence for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Since becoming the new Egyptian President, Mohammed Morsi has vowed to secure his return to Egypt, as a "nod to his base" of "hard-line Salafi Islamists," as reported by the Wall Street Journal. The bomb in 1993 killed six Americans and injured more than a thousand. Omar Abdel-Rahman's terror organization masterminded the assassination of former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, and he was reported to have a "close association" with Osama bin Laden. would Americans want to see this man walk...

**Exclusive** Late Thursday evening, Mitt Romney's presidential campaign launched a new fundraising drive, 'Meet The VP' -- just as Romney himself has narrowed the field of candidates to a handful, sources reveal. And a surprise name is now near the top of the list: Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice! The timing of the announcement is now set for 'coming weeks'. MORE It was Condi who received two standing ovations at Romney's Utah retreat a few weeks ago, and everyone left with her name on their lips. Rice made an extended argument for American leadership in the world.

Getting to Yes for Mitch and Cheri Daniels INDIANAPOLIS -- When the Indiana Republican Party found itself in a bind this spring, unable to lock down a high-profile keynote speaker for its big annual fundraising dinner, it was Gov. Mitch Daniels himself who came up with the solution: He'd get his wife, Cheri, to do it. It was a bold move, considering that she had never given a high-profile speech before and generally has been reluctant to step onto the political stage. At the same time, her husband has been pondering a 2012 presidential bid (pondering it for the better...

As a 2008 primary front-runner, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani tanked. But as a 2012 dark horse, he could do surprisingly well. It’s not because Giuliani has shifted; it’s because the Republican Party has. The 2010 election was less about social conservatism than it was fiscal conservatism, and that aligns with Giuliani’s socially moderate and fiscally conservative ideology. There is another promising wind of change blowing Giuliani’s way, one that’s less ideological. This isn’t the era of kinder, gentler politicians. This is the age of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and...

The deficit reduction committee, created by President Obama a few months back to kick the can of his irresponsible overspending down the road a few decades, is out with its trial balloon recommendations for reducing the federal deficit. According to the Wall Street Journal, its ideas include: For businesses, it would lower the corporate tax rate but remove a number of deductions currently available. It would make permanent the research-and-development tax credit. Federal subsidies to agribusinesses would begin to be slashed by $3 billion a year. On Social Security, it would gradually increase the retirement age when people can start...

TRENDING: Obama-Clinton ticket 'on the table,' Woodward says By: CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney (CNN) – Some called a Barack Obama-Hillary Clinton pairing the "Dream Ticket" in 2008. It didn't happen. But what about 2012? "It's on the table," veteran Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward told CNN's John King in an interview for John King, USA to air Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET. "Some of Hillary Clinton's advisers see it as a real possibility in 2012." The scenario – whereby Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would switch positions - has been bandied about by political...

Many Republicans are still searching for that ideal 2012 presidential candidate – someone who can fire up both the fiscal and social conservative wings of the GOP while luring swing voters. And, in recent months, the chatter has often turned to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Bush apparently sought to quiet the murmurs today, telling a Kentucky TV reporter that he isn’t running. Bush has said that since leaving office in January 2007 that he would focus on making money and advocating for education reforms, which were a centerpiece of his tenure as governor. Even as polls show that he...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will announce details of an estimated $6 billion program on Tuesday to generate jobs by providing incentives for Americans to make their homes more energy efficient, the latest step in his bid to convince Americans he can ease their economic woes. The plan, which must be passed by Congress, is intended to prompt Americans to invest in everything from insulation or new windows to overarching energy upgrades of their homes, creating construction and manufacturing jobs, and boosting energy efficiency. "The current thinking is that the program would be in the range of $6 billion,...

Disgraced former presidential candidate John Edwards has reportedly proposed to his baby mama -- and plans to buy a posh, $3.5 million beachfront home where they can live together. Edwards popped the question last month at the same time he told his ex-mistress Rielle Hunter that he had issued a statement confirming that he indeed fathered her 2-year-old daughter Frances Quinn, The National Enquirer reported today.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In February 2009, new requirements of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) take effect. Manufacturers, importers and retailers are expected to comply with the new Congressionally-mandated laws. Beginning February 10, 2009, children’s products cannot be sold if they contain more than 600 parts per million (ppm) total lead. Certain children’s products manufactured on or after February 10, 2009 cannot be sold if they contain more than 0.1% of certain specific phthalates or if they fail to meet new mandatory standards for toys. Under the new law, children’s products with more than 600 ppm total lead cannot...

Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki has signed into law a media Bill that journalists say will curtail press freedom. According to a BBC News report, the law gives the Kenyan authorities the power to raid media offices, tap phones and control broadcast content on grounds of national security. Kibaki said he had carefully considered the concerns but added that press freedom 'must go hand in hand with responsibility'. He said the Bill was crucial for Kenya's economic development. Kibaki added that regulating the electronic media would promote and 'safeguard our culture, moral values and nationhood'. The Standard reports that condemnation of...

by Mark Finkelstein October 23, 2006 - 08:17 CBS reporter Gloria Borger has offered an interesting theory to explain the recent outbreak of Obama Fever, also known as Barack Mania: Democrats don't think Hillary can win., Appearing on this morning's Early Show, Borger said of Hillary: "She's the automatic front runner. She has more money, more staff, more supporters lined up. She has Bill Clinton out there who is going to be her campaigner-in-chief." Borger then dropped this bomb: "And what you see happening right now is a lot of Democrats looking at the field saying 'oh, Hillary is the...

FRIENDS of Hillary Clinton have been whispering the unthinkable. Despite her status as the runaway frontrunner for the 2008 Democratic nomination for president, some of her closest advisers say she might opt out of the White House race and seek to lead her party in the Senate. The former first lady longs to return to the White House with husband Bill as consort. Only last week she told television viewers America would be led by a woman one day. “Stay tuned,” she said. First, however, she has to win the election. Some Democratic party elders — the American equivalent of...