Free Republic

As United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates this week met in Seoul with their Republic of Korea , the defining crisis that was supposed to highlight the relevance and effectiveness of their relationship, instead cast an ugly shadow over the event. The United States failed to organize a vigorous international backlash against North Korea for its sinking of the South Korean frigate Cheonan, and has now exhibited disconcerting second thoughts about its own response.

During the Hillary Clinton / Barack Obama primary battle, Hillary famously asked whether we'd feel safe with a President Obama answering a crisis phone call at 3AM. What she was questioning was his sense of judgment. Well, it seems to me that it's 3AM, the phone is ringing, and I'm afraid that for a lot of us it's a wake-up call. Your thoughts?

President Obama said Friday he was "not personally aware" of any request for more security by U.S. diplomats in Libya before the Sept. 11 strike on the consulate.

Anyone who saw the debate on Saturday night and observed Herman Cain’s performance clearly saw a man who was terrified of the questions he was being asked and was hoping to be noticed as little as possible. Apparently, there was a good reason for that. Herman Cain apparently sat down with the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel editorial board to talk foreign policy and, well… this happened. Now, normally I would include a description of what happened in this video but this is one of those videos you really do have to see to believe. You cannot grasp how utterly clueless Cain is...

Good enough? “The video is being taken out of context,” said spokesman JD Gordon. “He was taking questions for about 30 to 40 minutes on four hours of sleep. He didn’t say anything wrong or in accurate; it just took him a while to recall the specifics of Libya.” Gordon added, “It just took him a while to gain his bearings.” The clip was posted unedited by the Journal-Sentinel so I don’t know what context he thinks was missing. Is there some context that would explain why he needed the editorial board to remind him whether Obama is pro- or...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Libya's escalating political crisis sparked a sell-off in U.S. stocks Tuesday, with the Dow down more than 200 points during the final hour of trading, as oil prices continued to skyrocket. Ongoing weakness in the housing market also added pressure after a report showed that national home prices fell 4.1% during the fourth quarter of 2010. The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) was down 205 points, or 1.7%. Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500) was one of the worst performers on the Dow, with shares down almost 4% after the retailer reported disappointing U.S. sales figures. The S&P...

US President Barack Obama has expressed his "deep sympathy" to South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak and the Korean people for the 46 sailors who lost their lives aboard the warship, Gibbs said. "The United States strongly condemns the act of aggression that led to their deaths," he added.

WASHINGTON - A law enforcement official says police are investigating letters sent to Capitol Hill offices showing pictures of a Times Square military recruiting station that was bombed. According to the official, who was briefed on the investigation, the letters included words to the effect of, "We did it." The official did not know which offices received the letters. The small bomb caused minor damage to the New York military recruiting station before dawn Thursday and police were searching for a hooded bicyclist seen on a surveillance video peddling away.