Free Republic

Put on the defensive by charges of “elitism,” Democratic presidential contender Senator Barack Obama (Ill) insisted that he can appeal to people in all walks of life. “Those who say I can’t connect with the diverse peoples of this country don’t know the real me,” Obama said. “To say that I don’t understand the point of view of the blue-collar man is absurd. I, myself, have often worn a shirt with a blue collar. There are pictures of me in a blue shirt at campaign rallies. So, don’t tell me I don’t know what it is like to wear a...

SCRANTON, Pa. - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama kicked off a day of campaigning in Pennsylvania by dropping by a Scranton diner for a breakfast of waffles, sausage and orange juice. But the press corps went hungry — hungry for an answer that is. The Illinois senator brushed aside a question from one reporter on his reaction to former President Jimmy Carter’s description of a positive meeting with leaders of the Islamist Palestinian group Hamas. “Why can’t I just eat my waffle?” Obama replied. Reporters traveling with the Illinois senator, fighting with his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton over Pennsylvania ahead...

New Iowa Leader Criticized by for Indecision on Federal Student Aid. Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor who backed in-state tuition for the children of illegal immigrants, hedged Sunday on whether illegal immigrants who have gone to school in the United States should become eligible for federal student aid such as Pell grants and subsidized federal student loans. "I'm not sure that I would support that," Huckabee told ABC News, "it was a different program in Arkansas." Huckabee's failure to take a clear position on federal student aid while appearing on ABC News' "This Week with George...

Norm Coleman was talking about the war this week on the Senate floor: "Our current path isn't working," he said. "You have to be flexible and you have to shift, you have to make change." The Minnesota Republican could just as well have been talking about his own political life. After a career marked by nimbleness, Coleman is again switching gears, putting distance between himself and President Bush and vowing to work with Democrats who control Congress. And he's gaining plenty of attention for doing it. On Friday, for example, the New York Times saluted Coleman with its "quotation of...

Pushes 2007 deadline in proposal to remove US soldiers from Iraq WASHINGTON -- Senator John F. Kerry is pushing back by six months the deadline he wants to set for removing combat troops from Iraq, as he seeks to build support in the Senate for his plan for troop withdrawal. The proposal to be offered by Kerry today would require President Bush to remove nearly all US troops from Iraq by July 1, 2007. The Massachusetts Democrat's initial plan -- to remove troops by the end of 2006 -- received just six votes in the Senate last week, and the...

<p>WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. John Kerry has decided to support a filibuster to block the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, CNN's Congressional Correspondent Ed Henry reported Thursday. Kerry, in Davos, Switzerland, to attend the World Economic Forum, was marshaling support in phone calls during the day, Henry said.</p>

WASHINGTON – In accusations about American troops reminiscent of what the young John Kerry said to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1971, the senator and 2004 Democratic presidential nominee told CBS "Face the Nation" host Bob Schieffer there was no reason for U.S. soldiers to continue "terrorizing" Iraqi children. "And there is no reason, Bob, that young American soldiers need to be going into the homes of Iraqis in the dead of night, terrorizing kids and children, you know, women, breaking sort of the customs of the – of – the historical customs, religious customs," Kerry said Sunday. "Whether...

Having declared last Wednesday that the U.S. invasion of Iraq was a "big mistake," former President Bill Clinton now thinks the Bush Administration policy may succeed. Speaking to Arab students in Dubai, the capital of United Arab Emirates, Clinton said "Saddam is gone. It's a good thing, but I don't agree with what was done." Last night however, he told an audience of 700 in Valhalla, New York that the recent vote on an Iraqi constitution went well, and the next test will be whether the once-dominant Sunni Arabs participate in the Dec. 15 elections, according to Westchester County's News...

This is a partial transcript from "Hannity & Colmes," Oct. 26, 2005, that has been edited for clarity. COLMES: Democrats are addressing more serious issues, like the war in Iraq. Earlier today Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) spoke at Georgetown University in Washington. I caught up with him for an exclusive interview after the speech. COLMES: Do you expect indictments to come down toward the White House? SEN. JOHN KERRY: I don't have a clue. I read what everybody else reads. Honestly, I don't know. COLMES: Do you think there should be resignations, with or without indictments? KERRY: Well, I...

A new poll showing that Catholics are backing off support for the death penalty was no surprise to U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, an outspoken conservative Catholic, who says he has been re-examining his own view. He has not become an abolitionist, and he believes church teaching against the death penalty carries less weight than its longer-standing opposition to abortion. But he questions what he once unquestioningly supported. "I felt very troubled about cases where someone may have been convicted wrongly. DNA evidence definitely should be used when possible," he said. "I agree with the pope that in the civilized world...

Monday, Feb. 7, 2005 10:13 a.m. EST Sen. John Kerry reiterated his pledge on Monday to sign the form that would allow the government to release all his military records, but said he wanted to know exactly what was in his file before doing so. "I have a stack of different material they sent me," Kerry told radio host Don Imus. "Every time they send me something I want to know what they sent me." "I'll get it done," Kerry insisted in the next breath. Last week the 2008 presidential hopeful suggested he wanted to review his full Navy file...

Two days ago it was Tom Daschle's birthday; today is the birthday of John Kerry who was born on December 11, 1943. Birthday wishes, comments, and gloating are welcome.

As I understand it... John Edwards has announced that he will personally insure that every vote will be conted. He has also announced that he and John Kerry have worked tirelessly to guarantee that the sun WILL rise this morning, and that table vinegar will continue to leave a sour taste in every American's mouth. And speaking of George Soros, the Democrats are puzzled as to how they went wrong with their campaign to take big money out of politics. We sent our reporters in to question them, but no little people are allowed on the Kerry estate. Their spokesman...

Just heard Kerry concedes defeat, but still maintains that he won. But he reminds us it is important to keep in mind that he was the clear winner, though in reality what he really did was to graciously congratulate Bush on winning the election, which Bush has actually failed to win.

LOS LUNAS, N.M. - Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) said Sunday that Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites)'s first response to Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s new videotape was to take a poll to find out what he should say about it. AP Photo AP Photo Slideshow: Dick Cheney Latest Headlines: · Security Dominates Last-Minute Stumping AP - 1 hour, 12 minutes ago · $600 Million Spent on Presidential Ads AP - 1 hour, 35 minutes ago · Kerry Makes Pitch to Undecided, Black Voters Reuters - 1 hour, 46 minutes ago -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All...

LOS LUNAS, N.M. - Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) said Sunday that Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites)'s first response to Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s new videotape was to take a poll to find out what he should say about it. A spokesman for Kerry's campaign did not deny polling on the bin Laden videotape, but suggested President Bush (news - web sites) has done so. Bush's campaign strategist denied asking any poll questions about the al-Qaida terrorist. "The thing that I find amazing about it is that John Kerry's first response was...

Here's an update on Project Longface. Notice that the swift boat proudly flys the French flag at the pointy end. Next to that is a flag of surrender. Here's a story and pictures of it on our local NBC news website.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) -- Vice President Dick Cheney said Sunday that Sen. John Kerry's first response to Osama bin Laden's new videotape was to take a poll to find out what he should say about it. A spokesman for Kerry's campaign did not deny polling on the bin Laden videotape, but suggested President Bush has done so. Bush's campaign strategist denied asking any poll questions about the al-Qaida terrorist. "The thing that I find amazing about it is that John Kerry's first response was to go conduct a poll," Cheney told supporters in Iowa. "He went into the field...

mmmmmm.