Free Republic

WASHINGTON — Democratic US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to hold the powerful post, ruled out Thursday any future plans to run for the White House. At a press conference with reporters and children on "Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Day," Pelosi had been asked whether she would ever run for president given her years of political experience. "No. I love the job that I have," said the speaker, who is behind only Vice President Joe Biden in the US order of succession. "I believe that one of the reasons that I do it with the...

Candidate U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) speaks to the Political Action Conference of the Service Employees International Union in Washington, September 17, 2007. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES)

WASHINGTON - Immigration issues are always ripe for demagoguery, particularly in an election year. But the solution to the very real problems along the U.S.-Mexican border can be found, ironically, in that other part of the world that demagogues love to ridicule: old Europe. Two years ago, the European Union admitted 10 new members. Like Mexico, all of these nations were poor, some of them fairly backward and most recently ravaged by war and dictatorship. The leaders of the European Union wisely created policies for fostering regional economic and political integration that make the North American Free Trade Agreement "look...

If Howard Dean wins the Democratic presidential nomination, everyone will say the triumph was due to his opposition to the war in Iraq. And everyone will be wrong. Dean's extended stay at the top of the polls has many reasons. Opposition to the war is just one of them. Dean also has a natural leadership ability and obvious charisma. There is another factor that I've yet to see written about, but which is a major attraction for many liberal voters. Howard Dean is the anti–Bill Clinton. While Bill Clinton remains the most popular Democratic politician in nationwide polls, a good...