Free Republic

JAGHATU, Afghanistan - The platoon sergeant poses a simple question to the men of 3rd Platoon: “What do you consider success on a mission?” There is an uneasy silence in the dark chow tent. In a few months, the U.S. Army will bulldoze its portion of the base, part of America’s slow withdrawal of combat forces from Afghanistan. All that will remain here in this isolated place is a small Afghan army camp and a mostly empty government building with a mortar hole in its roof, the sum total of 11 years of U.S. counterinsurgency efforts in this district 65...

At 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 27, 2004, when I was the religion reporter (I am now its religion columnist) at the Chicago Sun-Times, I met then-State Sen. Barack Obama at Café Baci, a small coffee joint at 330 S. Michigan Avenue in Chicago, to interview him exclusively about his spirituality. Our conversation took place a few days after he'd clinched the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat that he eventually won. We spoke for more than an hour. He came alone. He answered everything I asked without notes or hesitation. The profile of Obama that grew from the...

A copy of the reconciliation bill was quietly posted over the weekend. In spite of Pelosi's denials, a public option is clearly included. The bill can be located at: http://budget.house.gov/doc-library/FY2010/03.15.2010_reconciliation2010.PDF The details can be found at page 116. Also, please see below: 116 •J. 55–345 Subtitle B—Public Health 1 Insurance Option 2 SEC. 221. ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF A 3 PUBLIC HEALTH INSURANCE OPTION AS AN 4 EXCHANGE-QUALIFIED HEALTH BENEFITS 5 PLAN. 6 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—For years beginning with Y1, 7 the Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this sub- 8 title referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall provide for...

Senior US diplomatic sources have confirmed that the media blackout and shroud of secrecy surrounding Monday's meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama was the result of strained relations between the two leaders. Speaking to Israel's Army Radio on Wednesday morning, one unnamed US diplomat said the Obama Administration had become unhappy with what is viewed as Netanyahu's efforts to manipulate its policies during press briefings, and imposed the media blackout on Monday's meeting as a means of bringing the Israeli leader back in line. The official also accused Netanyahu of indirectly pressuring Obama via...

First, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had to jump through hoops just to get a meeting with US President Barack Obama. When they did meet on Monday, the contents of their talks were either so negative or so classified that a near-total media blackout was placed on the gathering. Netanyahu left Israel for Washington on Sunday to attend and address the 2009 General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America. Weeks earlier, he had requested to meet with Obama during the visit, a typical occurrence any time an Israeli leader travels to the US. But this time, the Obama...

One of the top US State Department officials on Tuesday acknowledged that the ultimate goal of US Middle East policy is to cleanse all of Judea and Samaria of Jews and hand that territory in its entirety over to the Palestinian Arabs. Speaking at the Middle East Institute, Under Secretary for Political Affairs William J. Burns stated: "Our goal in the region is clear: two states living side by side in peace and security; a Jewish state of Israel, with which America retains unbreakable bonds, and with true security for all Israelis; and a viable, independent Palestinian state with contiguous...

First, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had to jump through hoops just to get a meeting with US President Barack Obama. When they did meet on Monday, the contents of their talks were either so negative or so classified that a near-total media blackout was placed on the gathering. Netanyahu left Israel for Washington on Sunday to attend and address the 2009 General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America. Weeks earlier, he had requested to meet with Obama during the visit, a typical occurrence any time an Israeli leader travels to the US. But this time, the Obama...

We attended a McCain rally in Sarasota, Florida on Thursday and picked up some bumper stickers. I just went to the neighborhood convenience store to get some milk, which took maybe five minutes. When I returned to my car, I noticed that my "NObama" bumper sticker read "Obama". Somebody used some kind of blade to cut off the "N" and left a deep scratch as well. And they consider the Democratic Party the party of tolerance. Is this what we are to expect from an Obama presidency? Will even the slightest, most inoffensive dissent be stifled?

Following is an employment ad by ACORN who is hiring a Finance Director for Project Vote: Project Vote Finance Director Education: Bachelor (BA, BS, etc.) Location: Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States Posted by: ACORN Political Job Category: Accounting & Finance Salary: Last day to apply: October 28, 2008 Last updated: September 4, 2008 Type: Full time Language(s): English Job posted on: August 29, 2008 Area of Focus: Voting, Democracy, and Civic Engagement Description: Project Vote is seeking a Finance Director to join a dynamic management team leading the country’s premier nonpartisan civic engagement organization. Project Vote is a...

Ohio ACORN Hiring Canvassers To Help Obama Submitted by Jeff on Thu, 02/21/2008 - 12:22pm. An announcement from Ohio ACORN political director Mari Engelhardt: GOTV for Obama! Ohio ACORN is doing a Get Out The Vote project with the OBAMA Campaign. Ohio ACORN is hiring canvassers to go door to door encouraging voters to vote for Barack Obama. ACORN is hiring in Cleveland (216)431-3905, Columbus (614)425-9491, Cincinnati (513)221-1737, for Dayton (call Cincinnati), and for Toledo call Cleveland. Or email polnatoh@acorn.org and your inquiry will be routed to the appropriate person in each of these cities. Intake and training will be...

I was reading about Obama and Wright being involved in the Million Man March and did a search on the subject. I ran across the text of Farrakhan's speech and was astonished to find that it's main theme was "a more perfect union". Since Obama seems to have a problem with original thought and is fond of lifting passages from other's speeches, I should not have been surprised at the remarkable similarities in Obama's and Farrakhan's speeches. What is surprising, is that Obama would lift the remarks of racist, anti-semite, black supremecist in a speech in defense of his close...

NEW YORK - Teresa Heinz Kerry, encouraging volunteers as they busily packed supplies Wednesday for hurricane relief efforts in the Caribbean, said she was concerned the effort was too focused on sending clothes instead of essentials like water and electric generators. "Clothing is wonderful, but let them go naked for a while, at least the kids," said Heinz Kerry, the wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites). "Water is necessary, and then generators, and then food, and then clothes." Heinz Kerry stopped by a market in the heart of Brooklyn's Caribbean community, where she spoke French...

Lawyer Aided by Bill Joined in Kidnap Plot By GREG B. SMITH Daily News Staff Writer Federal prosecutors, furious that former President Bill Clinton cut a corrupt Manhattan lawyer's sentence in half, have released documents showing the attorney was involved in a "chilling" kidnap plot, the Daily News learned yesterday. On his way out of office, Clinton trimmed the prison sentence of lawyer Harvey Weinig from more than 11 years to less than six, despite aggressive opposition by Manhattan U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White. Weinig pleaded guilty in 1995 to helping launder $19 million in drug money for the Cali ...

Judy Woodruf just broke in to announce that US Attorney, Mary Jo White, is launching an investigation into whether money changed hands illegally to "buy" the Marc Rich Pardon. This is going to be fun!

02/10/2001 - Updated 01:30 PM ET COLMAR, France (AP) — A French priest was sentenced to 16 years in jail on charges of raping seven young boys between 1992 and 1998. A court in the eastern French town of Colmar ruled late Friday that the priest, 38-year-old Jean-Luc Heckner, was ineligible for parole until he has served two-thirds of his sentence. Heckner, who worked in three parishes, asked for forgiveness from his victims, who were 11 to 14 years old at the time. France's Roman Catholic Church has been criticized for ignoring pedophilia in its clergy. After a meeting of ...

CNN just showed footage of ballots in Miami-Dade County being prepared for transfer to Tallahassee. They said that all ballots have to be removed from their individual sealed envelope, placed in a NEW envelope and be recounted, or at least retabulated. After this takes place, all ballots will be moved to Tallahassee. The footage showed this process taking place. What's up with this? Looks like a great opportunity for fraud. Who's supervising this process and why do all of these ballots have to be put in new envelopes? Looks pretty scary to me....

Let's freep this CNN/Crossfire poll! Is Bush's 1976 DUI a relevant campaign issue? Current results: No 61% Yes 39%

Lieberman was a guest on Meet the Press. Tim Russert was hammering him on a multitude of issues including Farakhan, spending the surplus etc. When the subject became the NAACP Hate Crime Bill in Texas ad, Lieberman said that this was the first he'd heard of it, but nonetheless supported the ad. After the commercial break following this exchange, Russert announced that Lieberman had been invited for the whole hour but he had just been informed by Lieberman's campaign staff that the interview was ending. He was getting his teeth kicked in by Russert's questions, looking awful...and he got yankedby ...

Clinton Supports Anti Violence Act by ANNE GEARAN Associated Press Writer SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) -- The Clinton administration pressed Congress on Monday to renew a law intended to reduce domestic violence against women. The landmark 1994 Violence Against Women Act is due to expire Sept. 30. President Clinton was winding up three days of fund-raising in the West with an appearance alongside advocates for battered women in New Mexico. Legislation to reauthorize the law for another six years has broad bipartisan support, but it is held up in the last-minute crush of bills as Congress tries to meet an ...

INS agents: Family put up a fight Luisa Yanez Miami Bureau Published in The Orlando Sentinel on April 26, 2000 MIAMI -- Eight federal agents who carried out the pre-dawn mission to remove Elian Gonzalez from the home of his Miami relatives have told their supervisors that they were shaken by the experience. One veteran agent, part of what U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service officials called the "high risk" strike team that went into the Little Havana house at 5:15 a.m. Saturday, said of the experience: "I have never encountered this much resistance." Agents said they were jostled, screamed at, ...