Free Republic

Former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs has indicated that he might consider an independent bid for the White House in 2012, and early polling shows he could attract up to 14% of the vote. However, some of that is almost certainly a generic protest vote as an unnamed “some other candidate” picks up between six percent (6%) and nine percent (9%) of the vote in similar 2012 match-ups. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that if the choice is between President Obama, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Dobbs, Obama leads 42% to 34% with Dobbs pulling 14% of...

John Cornyn knows better than you conservative boobs and he wants you to know it. In commenting about the NRSC’s endorsement of Charlie Crist, Cornyn said “I need to constantly remind some of my very conservative friends who want to sort of purify the party – and, in so doing, cast us in a permanent minority status – that Ronald Reagan said the person who votes with me 80 percent of the time is my friend and ally, not a 20 percent traitor,” Cornyn says. But contrast that with this statement from Cornyn in the same article: n 2010, cting...

On the heels of today's SCOTUS decision in Kennedy v. Louisiana barring the death penalty for sex offenders, Gov. Bobby Jindal released a statement calling the ruling an "affront to the people of Louisiana" - and what's more, vowing to do whatever possible to amend the state’s laws in order to maintain the death penalty for child rape. But that's not all he did. Today, Gov. Jindal signed the "Sex Offender Chemical Castration Bill," authorizing the castration of convicted sex offenders. They get a choice: physical or chemical. Oh, and they don't just get castrated and leave - they still...

. . . there’s the AP dog-and-pony show, wherein they ask the candidates stupid yearbook questions, instead of dealing with substance. Thompson’s responses, while certainly not pleasing to the AP (that is, they wouldn’t have been had the AP gotten the joke) were sure-fire crowd-pleasers to those of us who understood where Thompson was coming from: What’s your favorite joke? Presidential debates. What’s your favorite keepsake? Trophy wife. What’s your favorite nickname? Mr. President. What do you like to do on a ‘lazy day’? Campaigning.

There is a tremendous amount of hoop-la out there this week about the Republican Presidential race. With all the movement in the polls, it is obvious that the primary is still wide open, and any of the top-tier candidates have a decent shot at winning. All the fluctuations in poll numbers also highlight a glaring lack of unity among evangelical Christian voters backing any one candidate. Frustrated by the current political coverage and seeing endorsements all over the spectrum, I felt compelled to express in writing why I've supported Fred all along. A Strong Supporter of Religious Freedom In his...

IRVING – Tank Johnson is a Cowboy. According to his agent, Jerrold Colton, the Cowboys signed the suspended defensive tackle to a deal Tuesday – although they might have to wait until Nov. 11 at the earliest before he's in uniform. Johnson has at most six games left on an eight-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy even though he has been unsigned.

Arlington police are looking for two men who shot a man in the back of the head as he was pumping gasoline early Thursday morning. A couple was filling up their car around 1:30 a.m. in the 4200 block of South Collins Street when two men demanded their wallets, police said. (snip) The two men were in their 20s and wore white T-shirts. The shooter was about 5 feet, 4 inches tall, bald and wore dark pants. They fled from the QuikTrip in a gold four-door vehicle.

You may win, lose or draw in the great Texas tax swap of 2006. But you can't sit it out. As billions in new taxes and property tax cuts take shape in the special legislative session, almost every Texan has a stake in the action. The Senate is expected to vote on two major parts of the package today; approval would be a major step toward the package becoming law. . . . Winners include homeowners, who will see their property tax bills cut by as much as one-third for the 2007-08 school year. They clearly fare better if they...

The boys at “What Now?” came up with the idea, and I think it’s a good one. The base is back together again, and the dems are in big trouble.

"Shell shocked," "confused," "stumbling," "full of doubt." These are all words I have heard used to describe the current White House effort to find Sandra Day O'Connor's replacement. Batchelder, Williams, and Owen have all been interviewed, but the process continues to sputter along. Several have told me not to buy into the Miers trial balloon. It is, I'm told, just that -- a trial balloon. Another tells me, "The President wants Gonzales. That's what is dragging this thing out. They're sending out people to say he is conservative as if by telling us that enough we will say, 'sure, he...

WASHINGTON - Supreme Court nominee John Roberts drew warm praise from a Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday, followed by a prod from a Democrat on the panel to be as "forthcoming and honest" as possible at confirmation hearings later this summer. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who opposed Roberts' confirmation for his current federal appeals court position in 2003, said he did so because he was dissatisfied with his responsiveness to questions. "If he is open and honest I think it will go a long way" toward a good hearing, Durbin said. Roberts' meeting with Durbin, the Senate's...

WASHINGTON – With the push to overturn flight restrictions at Dallas Love Field heating up, a schism has emerged among North Texas lawmakers. Three of the region's eight House members – all from the Dallas side – say it's time to loosen or scrap the 25-year-old Wright amendment. "I think it's outlived its usefulness," Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Plano, said Thursday. "That doesn't mean it's going to get repealed this year." The willingness of Dallas-area lawmakers to openly side with Southwest Airlines Co. against American Airlines Inc. represents a fresh threat to American and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Both have been...

American peacekeepers could soon face prosecution for war crimes by the International Criminal Court, now that the U.S. is dropping a United Nations resolution looking for continued exemption. U.S. deputy ambassador James Cunningham made the announcement today in New York, after unsuccessfully seeking a compromise that would limit the exemption to one final year. "The United States has decided not to proceed further with consideration and action on the draft at this time in order to avoid a prolonged and divisive debate," said Cunningham, according to Reuters. "We are dropping action on this resolution." The Bush administration has continually argued...

It's a classic movie scenario — two sexy stars rip each other's clothes off, get busy and then later light up a couple of cigarettes in bed. Such a charged cinematic scene could earn a film an R-rating — because of the smoking. Films in which actors light up may soon receive the same branding as nipple flashes and cursing: Lawmakers are looking to extinguish, or at least regulate, smoking on the big screen. Anti-smoking activists want films with smoking in them to be given an R-rating. Most lawmakers have said they'd be satisfied if movie ratings included advisory information...

A monster lurks in Texas' closet – it makes voters scream and politicians hide. But is a state income tax really that scary? As Texas deals with its troubled school funding system, a few lawmakers and business leaders dare to suggest that an income tax represents the best and only foolproof way to pay for public education while relieving homeowners' heavy property tax load. "It's not going to happen today, but it is going to happen or we're going to drive our state into a Third World-type country," said Scott McCown, executive director of the Center for Public Policy Priorities,...

<p>TORONTO — Todd Bertuzzi's (search) suspension until at least next season reopened the debate over whether fighting should be banned by the NHL (search).</p> <p>Colin Campbell, the league's chief disciplinarian, couldn't escape the topic Thursday after punishing the Vancouver Canucks' All-Star forward.</p>

The recent Emerson Decision from the 5th District Court of Appeals acknowledged what we've known all along: That people have the individual right to keep and bear arms (U.S. v. Timothy Joe Emerson, 99-10331, 16 October 2001,www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/99/99-10331-cr0.htm). However, like so many other court decisions, it creates more problems than it solves. The court confused the issue by reserving the government's power to restrict certain aspects, such as regulating the bearing of concealed arms and other possible infringements. Therefore the mode of bearing--as well as the type of arms that we can keep--is still subject to subjective government control. If any...

FRISCO – The face of the Dallas Stars still has the familiar stubble, but now, more often than not, the jaw is clenched. The luminous smile flashes less often. And those smiles seem to be forced through gritted teeth. Mike Modano is having a poor season. But his nine-goal output in 50 games isn't what family and friends find most disconcerting. Nor is it the several million dollars he lost in bad investments, a jolt he says contributed to his slow start this season. Although Modano appears to have put the personal issues and a groin injury behind him, as...

Last week was a particularly good one for the Bush presidency. Just leave it to me to say other than the tax cuts and the war on terror, there is no real compelling reason to re-elect George Bush. We just might be better off with the stalemate that comes from a president from one party, and a Congress under the control of the other. It might at least slow down the growth of government. Granted, right now fighting the war on terror is clearly the most important job this president has, but it's not the only job he has. The...

The following is a transcript of Bonzi Wells' exchange with reporters on Tuesday at the Trail Blazers' practice facility in Tualatin: Q: Can you comment on Monday's game? A: We lost. Tough game. Q: What about the incident with the fan? A: It was a tough game last night. I wish we could have won. That's about it. Q: Did you flip off a fan, Bonzi? A: I don't remember nothing like that, but if I did, I was probably wrong. But I don't remember doing nothing like that. I black out sometimes. (He winks). Q: You also didn't remember...