Free Republic

In 2008, the Bush administration, along with the “six powers,” was negotiating with Iran concerning that country’s nuclear arms program. The Bush administration’s objective was to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. On July 20, 2008, the New York Times headlined: “Nuclear Talks With Iran End in a Deadlock.” What caused the talks to founder? The Times explained: Iran responded with a written document that failed to address the main issue: international demands that it stop enriching uranium. And Iranian diplomats reiterated before the talks that they considered the issue nonnegotiable. The Iranians held firm to their position, perhaps because...

In the coming week, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) plan to unveil legislation to close campaign-finance loopholes opened by the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision. The legislation was written in consultation with the White House. Here are details that have been circulated to Democratic congressional staffers, and were obtained by POLITICO: The DISCLOSE Act: Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections Act The Response to Citizens United The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision on January 21 (Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission), overturned decades of campaign finance...

At this week’s international summit meetings in New York and Pittsburgh, President Barack Obama is set to offer heads of state and top diplomats his prescriptions for combating climate change and regulating financial markets. But Obama’s inability to point to concrete action at home on both fronts — issues where Obama’s proposals have bogged down in Congress – is likely to undercut his bargaining power, and his authority to press other nations to act.

WASHINGTON, May 21 (UPI) -- Former President George W. Bush applied an unjust, "ad hoc" approach to terrorism that undercut U.S. security, President Barack Obama said Thursday. That "ad hoc legal approach for fighting terrorism ... was neither effective nor sustainable," Obama said at the National Archives building where the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence are kept. Bush "failed to rely on our legal traditions and time-tested institutions and ... failed to use our values as a compass," he said. That's why Obama said his administration banned "so-called enhanced interrogation techniques," ordered the closure of the...

WASHINGTON - John McCain sought to minimize damage to his man-of-character image and his presidential hopes Thursday, vigorously denying and denouncing a newspaper report suggesting an improper relationship with a female lobbyist. "It's not true," the likely Republican nominee said of the report that implied a romantic link with telecommunications lobbyist Vicki Iseman and suggested McCain pushed legislation that would have benefited her clients. "At no time have I ever done anything that would betray the public trust," said McCain, a four-term Arizona senator and a hero of the Vietnam War. He described the lobbyist as a friend. McCain and...

NOTE: This article had two different headlines, one on Yahoo's front page, and a different one internally. White House tries to avoid Iraq showdown By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer 28 minutes ago WASHINGTON - A Senate resolution opposing President Bush's war plan on Iraq put the White House and Republican leaders on the defensive Wednesday as they scurried to prevent a trickle of GOP support for the measure from swelling into a deluge. Eager to avoid an embarrassing congressional rebuke of the president's new war strategy, the administration seemed to hint that the effort — led chiefly by Democrats...

Scandals may blunt Dem attacks on GOPAnalysts say recent allegations erode Democrats' hopes to claim the moral high ground By BENNETT ROTH Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau May 5, 2006, 11:15PM WASHINGTON - For months, congressional Democrats have accused Republicans of fostering a "culture of corruption" that led to the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal as well as the bribery conviction of Rep. Randy Cunningham of California. But the Democrats' plans to use corruption as a campaign issue have been undercut by the highlighting in the last few days of questionable conduct in the party's own ranks, according to political...

"In a new century, the alliance of America and Europe is the main pillar of our security," - President George W. Bush, Brussels, February 21, 2005 Seeing our graceful new Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice dancing her diplomatic minuet in Paris reminds me of a Woody Allen story about Sigmund Freud’s most neurotic patient. After years of wrestling with this man’s demented soul, Freud finally decided to call an end to the therapy. So he declared his patient to be cured and sane. Except for one little thing --- Freud would never turn his back to him. Europe is like...