Free Republic

There has been plenty of whining from conservatives concerning whether John McCain would select a pro-choice vice president. I just hope whining is all it is. As my colleague Dan Calabrese pointed out on August 21, the political leanings of the VP concerning abortion are largely irrelevant. The only way to meaningfully decrease the number of abortions is to convince people that abortion is a bad idea, not to legislate. But this conservative whining must be starting to concern McCain and his political strategists at least a little. Maybe these people who keep complaining that McCain isn´t conservative enough are...

Composite exchange of late seen too often at FreeRepublic: Petulant Poster #1 Juan McCain is not a conservative. The Republican party jumped the shark by nominating this open borders, gang of fourteen, amnesty liberal. He’s a RINO, a dem in pubby clothing. The only thing that would persuade me to vote for McCain is if he picks ______ (fill in the blank, Mitt Romney, Michael Steele, Duncan Hunter, Jindal, Palin, Pawlenty, etc.) as his running mate. Purist Poster #2 I’m not voting this cycle. It’s time for the Republicans to suffer for going so far leftward. The only way the...

WASHINGTON - After promising to veto a huge Iraq war-funding bill because it contains unrelated domestic spending, the White House now wants to boost the costs even higher by letting troops transfer ramped up GI Bill education benefits to their spouses or children. The White House is signaling that President Bush could sign the hotly contested and long overdue war funding bill if the benefit transferability provision is added to the 10-year, $52 billion improvement to GI Bill college benefits proposed by Democrats and many Republicans. "It's like the Yogi Berra story: 'I don't like that restaurant. Besides, the portions...

France and Britain can plausibly claim to have the longest-running national rivalry in the history of the world. With brief intermissions, the competition between France and England has been going on for nearly seven centuries, since the hundred years war. The very identity of Britishness, on which Gordon Brown is so keen, was forged in the 18th- and early 19th-century conflict with France. Britain invented itself as the anti-France. This grand rivalry should continue for another seven centuries - on the football pitch and the rugby field. In politics, it has had its day, and must be replaced by a...

A man alerted Transportation Security Administration officials early Sunday morning that he had gotten through the main security checkpoint with a handgun, Fox 5 has exclusively learned. Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority Police were called to the checkpoint where the man, identified as Gregory Hinkle, turned over his firearm and was given a summons for a misdemeanor for violating Virigina Code 18.2-287.01 which prohibits firearms in an airport terminal with exceptions for law enforcement and checked luggage. -snip-

The Legacy of Judas: National Right to Life Contact: Donna Ballentine, 888-888-2785 MEDIA ADVISORY, Dec. 20 /Christian Newswire/ -- The following is submitted by Brian Rohrbough, President, American RTL: Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?" And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him. In 1981, after president Ronald Reagan agreed he would sign federal personhood legislation for the unborn, National Right to Life and their longtime...

The Second Amendment ratifies an individual, inalienable right, abortion kills American citizens, without due process, and "queer" is "queer"! "Illegal" migrants are "illegal" law breakers. I will just be damned if I can figure out why this is so complicated!

And so in recent weeks, as Gingrich has once more made rumblings about running for president, experienced Newt watchers wondered what, exactly, the former speaker was selling this time. The answer: American Solutions for Winning the Future, a Gingrich-led advocacy group that launches this week, promising new solutions to old problems like immigration, education and health care. Gingrich has promised to spend the coming weeks seriously considering the viability of a presidential campaign.

The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution April 25, 1997 Moderate senators taking on stalled budget as bipartisan force Centrist Coalition plans alternative to Clinton proposal. Author: Ken Foskett WASHINGTON BUREAU Washington - The stalemate between the White House and Congress over a balanced budget deal has prompted some moderate Republicans and Democrats in the Senate to begin crafting a bipartisan budget plan. The group of senators, known as the Centrist Coalition, is headed by Sens. John Chafee (R-R.I) and John Breaux (D-La.). Sen. Max Cleland (D- Ga.), replacing former Sen. Sam Nunn, is the newest Democratic member of the...

Even though the year is far from over and is likely to have its fair share of hypocrisy, Mrs. Clinton’s comment on the need to compromise to achieve political and social progress has to outclass any other current or future entrant for the Hypocrite of the Year award. This woman, who refused to change a comma or a word of her thousand-page-plus healthcare reform bill and, as a result of her intractable stubbornness, sent the bill down to defeat along with the Democratic Congress and almost her husband’s presidency, is daring to show herself now as the apostle of compromise....

WASHINGTON - In seven tumultuous months in power, congressional Democrats have learned to compromise with President Bush as well as confront him. The first minimum wage increase in a decade and expanded power to eavesdrop are early fruit of the Congress that convened in January. So are the historic clash over the Iraq war and a veto on stem cell research. "We've done a lot of heavy lifting," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said last week as Congress lumbered toward its month-long summer vacation. Across the Capitol, House Democrats offered evidence that they had already accomplished more of...

VIENNA, Austria - Key U.S. allies are debating the idea of a nuclear compromise with Iran that would call for only a partial freeze of Tehran's uranium enrichment program — a stance that could put them at odds with Washington, officials said Friday. The officials — U.S. and European diplomats and government employees — told The Associated Press that the deliberations among senior British, French and German decision-makers were only preliminary and that no conclusions had been drawn. Germany was supportive, France opposed and Britain noncommittal, they said. "Nothing is on paper," said one European diplomat, describing the tentative plan...

A bill that places a two-year moratorium on private toll road agreements in Texas was signed by Gov. Rick Perry on Monday. The bill, Senate Bill 792, was pushed by opponents of the Trans Texas Corridor, which is a proposed set of privately-funded toll roads throughout Texas. The final version of the bill represents a compromise between opponents of the TTC and Perry, its main backer. Specifically, the bill prevents the Texas Department of Transportation from entering what are called comprehensive development agreements, or CDAs, which are contracts for private companies to build and profit from toll roads in Texas....

But compromise doesn't affect six projects slated for Harris County AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry on Monday signed legislation that slows down his ambitious plans for building toll roads but does not halt them completely. Perry and the Legislature got into a stare-down last month when lawmakers sent him a bill that put serious restrictions on building toll roads in Texas and constrained policy set by the Texas Transportation Commission, which is run by the governor's appointees. Perry said he would veto the bill and threatened to call a special legislative session if lawmakers did not send him compromise legislation....

Would this be an acceptable Immigration reform bill: 1. Fund all of the fence previously authorized. All the triggers for hiring and enforcement in the current bill still hold and must be certified by the Secretary of Homeland Security. 2. Allow any working illegal immigrants currently in the US apply for guest worker status. Guest worker status to be granted to illegal immigrants with an otherwise clean criminal record. The fine for past violations of the immigration laws will be reduced to $1,000. After all the fine no longer leads to a path to citizenship. This is now a financial...

More projects exempted from private toll road moratorium in unanimous Senate vote. The Texas Senate, after hours of closed-door negotiations stamped out hot spots of dissent, unanimously passed revamped toll road legislation Monday that would supplant a bill languishing on Gov. Rick Perry's desk. Perry, who has made it clear he would veto the first bill, House Bill 1892, immediately signaled that he would allow Senate Bill 792 to become law if the House passes it in its current form. Lawmakers involved in the negotiations say they hope to get SB 792 to Perry late this week in time to...

Toll road compromise reached By Ben Wear | Monday, May 14, 2007, 08:10 AM Lawmakers, representatives from the Texas Department of Transportation and others have reached agreement on major toll road legislation that will be laid out this morning in a meeting of the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee. But there could be a backlash. Many legislators had said this session that what they didn’t want was to be presented with a large “agreed-upon” transportation bill late in the session with little or no time to absorb it. That’s exactly what they’re getting, however. The bill, in this instance,...

WASHINGTON - Efforts to reach an immigration compromise faltered Thursday as Democrats and Republicans staked out divergent positions and prepared to blame each other for scuttling the best chance for a broad overhaul this year. Talks continued on a possible deal that would tie residency for millions of illegal immigrants to tougher border security and a crackdown on employing undocumented workers. At the same time, however, Republicans and Democrats set the stage for a partisan battle next week that could squash any agreement. Democrats plan to force a debate starting Tuesday on last year's Senate-passed immigration measure. Most Democrats supported...

Interestingly the latest advice to Republicans coming from Liberals is in order to win elections you must compromise your values. That is the gist of the Daniel Finkelstein Times online piece. That is exactly what Liberals would want Conservatives to do which is also one of the crucial differences between the two political philosophies.

NEW YORK - Appearing on a live webcast, the Episcopal Church's presiding bishop began the painful task Wednesday of persuading members to roll back their support for gays — at least for now — so the denomination can keep its place in the world Anglican fellowship. The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, who personally supports ordaining partnered gays, told a studio audience, callers and those who submitted questions by e-mail that they should make concessions that Anglican leaders are seeking to buy time for reconciliation. "To live together in Christian community means each member takes seriously the concerns and needs...

We propose that Germany, France, and Britain form a holding company with Iran that leases Western centrifuges for a new facility in Iran. (Leasing keeps Iran from claiming that it might "own" the centrifuges and avoids legal problems that might result from such a claim.) Other important countries, such as Russia, could also join the company, though Russia might only join if it could contribute in kind rather than in hard cash. As in URENCO, the European enrichment consortium, Iran would sign a treaty not to enrich uranium anywhere else. By leasing Iran's existing centrifuges, the corporation's Western technicians could...

WASHINGTON (APUPI) The media and political pundits lauded the preliminary results of the months-long commission to determine the true ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle today. "This has been a troubling national issue, since the nation's founding. Several legislatures have attempted to proclaim the value of pi, in order to simplify mathematics for our students, but the effort has always been viewed as partisan and controversial," stated the introduction to the initial report, released today. It was a long-standing controversy, viewed by many as a policy quagmire, that has been finally almost been laid to rest...

I once had a meal with a man who had been a Republican operative. He was lamenting the factionalism within that party, and as an example told the story of some Christian evangelicals. They had come to him offering to support his candidate providing the candidate agreed with them on 15 points. "In politics, you don't get all 15 points," he said. "Maybe you get eight of them. You have to be satisfied with that. These people didn't understand that." To them, each of the 15 was connected to Truth, and was not negotiable. There was no agreement, and no...

The first cracks in the united front over Iraq between Tony Blair and President Bush appeared last night as the Prime Minister offered Iran and Syria the prospect of dialogue over the future of Iraq and the Middle East. Mr Blair said there could be a new “partnership� with Iran if it stopped supporting terrorism in Iraq and gave up its nuclear ambitions. Syria and Iran could choose partnership or isolation, he said. The Prime Minister tried to exploit moves in Washington to rethink strategy on Iraq by holding out the prospect of engagement with two countries once dubbed by...

<p>A former analyst for the Pentagon’s intelligence service provided China with highly classified information prior to the loss of a major electronic spying operation against Beijing, The Washington Times has learned. The loss of the National Security Agency’s eavesdropping operation hampered U.S. efforts to track China’s covert arms sales to nations such as Iran, Syria and Pakistan, Bush administration officials said.</p>

AT&T on Tuesday said hackers broke into one of its computer systems and accessed personal data on thousands of customers who used its online store. The information that was illegally accessed includes credit card numbers, AT&T said in a statement. The cyberattack affects about 19,000 customers who purchased equipment for high-speed DSL Internet connections through AT&T's Web site, the company said. "We deeply regret this incident," Priscilla Hill-Ardoin, chief privacy officer for AT&T, said in the statement. "We will work closely with law enforcement to bring these data thieves to account." The break-in occurred over the weekend and was discovered...

A prominent hardline Iraqi Sunni cleric said Friday he was willing to meet with top Shiite religious leaders to end sectarian violence and help move Iraq out of its internal crisis. "We are ready to meet anybody who is sincere, and desires good things for Iraq and for Iraqis, in particular the supreme religious leadership in Iraq," Harith al-Dhari, leader of the Association of Muslim Scholars, said on Al-Jazeera television. By supreme religious leadership, al-Dhari was apparently referring to Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most prominent Shiite cleric. Al-Dhari, who spoke from Amman, Jordan, blamed the U.S. military presence for...

Leading Democratic lawmakers, returning to the Capitol on Monday after a monthlong summer recess, said they will not let election-year politics stand in the way of passing popular legislation that could potentially boost Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's prospects for re-election. The legislative session will end Aug. 31, meaning that Schwarzenegger will be required in September to sign or veto all bills passed between now and then — during the heart of his re-election campaign against Democratic challenger Phil Angelides. Schwarzenegger has agreed in concept to two politically popular bills sponsored by majority Democrats in the Legislature — one that would...

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, speaking at a Santa Clara forum Friday, called on members of Congress to end the election-year maneuvering and compromise on their widely different views of immigration reform. During a summer when members of the House and Senate are holding hearings across the country on competing immigration bills, Gonzales has been on the road touting President Bush's immigration reform proposal -- which combines a temporary guest worker program and legal status for the nation's estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants with stepped-up border and workplace enforcement, a plan that resembles the Senate bill. The House bill focuses...

UN may be close to deal on N.Korea resolution By Evelyn Leopold 50 minutes ago Japan and the United States insisted on a U.N. Security Council vote on Saturday on a resolution condemning North Korea's barrage of missile launches amid signs of a compromise with China. After a flurry of negotiations on Friday, Japan produced a new draft resolution that sought to bridge the differences with China. But Beijing's ambassador said he would still veto it unless more changes were made, which many diplomats expect when council members resume negotiations on Saturday. "My instructions are to get a vote by...

THE POLITICS OF IMMIGRATION REFORM changed on March 27. That's the day the Senate Judiciary Committee approved (in a vote of 12-6) an immigration reform bill that included increased border security and law enforcement, a guest-worker program, and a path to legalization for the roughly 12 million illegals who live in the United States.Almost immediately, polling on the immigration issue shifted toward the pro-immigrant side. Specifically, when voters were asked whether they favor "enforcement only" (like the bill passed by the House in late 2005), a guest-worker program only, or a bill similar to the Senate bill that embodied both...

BRITAIN, France and Germany are expected to offer Iran a light-water nuclear reactor if Tehran agrees to suspend its controversial uranium enrichment programme. In the latest attempt to resolve the deadlock over the nuclear ambitions of Iran, the three European nations will propose a revised deal at a meeting in London on Friday with diplomats from the US, China and Russia. Javier Solana, the EU foreign policy chief, said that Iran would be offered the “most sophisticated” technology to help it to meet its energy needs. But the reactor would mean that Tehran would have to suspend all enrichment work,...

For Immediate ReleaseApril 8, 2006 President's Radio Address       Audio      In Focus: Immigration      THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week, Members of the United States Senate reached a promising bipartisan compromise on comprehensive immigration reform. Unfortunately, this compromise is being blocked by the Senate Democratic leader who has refused to allow Senators to move forward and vote on amendments to this bill. I call on the Senate Minority Leader to end his blocking tactics and allow the Senate to do its work and pass a fair, effective immigration reform bill.  Radio Address 200620052004200320022001  Radio Interviews 20052004 Immigration is an emotional...

WASHINGTON - In a last stab at compromise, Senate Republicans and Democrats reported progress Thursday toward agreement on legislation opening the way to legal status and eventual citizenship for many of the 11 million immigrants now in the U.S. illegally. "There's been tremendous progress overnight," said Sen. Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record) of Nevada, the Democratic leader, while Majority Leader Bill Frist also expressed optimism that a long-sought compromise might be at hand. There was no immediate reaction from President Bush, who has made immigration legislation a key priority. The developments occurred after Frist unveiled a new bill late...

Republican senators uncertain of support for a proposal to allow illegal immigrants with jobs to remain in this country reached for a compromise late Monday to bolster votes for the measure. Meeting into the evening in the office of Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., the lawmakers considered allowing illegal immigrants who have been in the country more than five years or other connections to the United States to remain legally and eventually seek citizenship. "We're looking at the roots concept, and that is if they have been here more than five years," Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said after leaving the...

ISRAEL was ready to make compromises, acting prime minister Ehud Olmert told moderate Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas today as he claimed victory in watershed elections. But he warned that Israel was also willing to take its destiny into its own hands in the absence of a partner for peace. "I call on the head of the Palestinian Authority Mahmud Abbas, I am telling him directly that during thousands of year we had a dream of peace in Israel, this land and its historic borders will always remain the wish in our hearts. "But understand. We are ready to make compromises,...

There are few things more disappointing in politics than a well-intentioned compromise that falls short, solving nothing and satisfying no one. But that's what appears to be happening in the Senate as Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter tries to build consensus around a proposal for dealing with the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. More than two years after President Bush floated the idea of a guest-worker program to connect "willing workers with willing employers" and eliminate the underground economy manned by illegal immigrants, the Judiciary Committee is marking up a bill that combines a variety of proposals....

WASHINGTON - The White House is quietly pushing a Dubai company to "significantly restructure" and partner up with a U.S. outfit to keep the port deal from sinking, sources told the Daily News yesterday. "It's in the hands of the company now. ... They're going to have to significantly restructure," said a Republican source familiar with White House expectations. A revamped deal to allow Dubai Ports World to take over six major U.S. ports - including Manhattan's cruise ship terminal and Newark's container depot - would have to be something along the lines of the Marine One contract. British- and...

What do you think about this image? How does it strike you? I think this picture illustrates an ongoing trend in churches to compromise with the world and incorporate worldly styles of worship (IE, contemporary praise 'n worship music, electric guitar, drums, a whole performance atmosphere) to draw the world into the church. It seems that more and more churches are attempting to draw the world in instead of energizing and educating the body of believers so that they can go out into the world. Catering to the unbelievers in the church does not help the believers that are...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Rep. John Boehner of Ohio upset a former deputy to indicted Texan Tom DeLay on Thursday to become majority leader of the scandal-rocked U.S. House of Representatives. Rep. Roy Blunt had appeared to be the front-runner, based on a long list of public commitments, but Boehner, who campaigned on a vow to seek to renew the party's "spirit and vision," defeated Blunt and Rep. John Shadegg of Arizona in a secret election by fellow Republicans. Boehner had 122 votes to Blunt's 109. Shadegg dropped out after a first ballot loss. Boehner's election represented a shake-up in...

Separation anxiety: The wall between military and commercial technology Seattle Times 01/22/06 author: Dominic Gates Last April in Everett, in a tense meeting with an investigator sent by Boeing headquarters, a small group of 787 engineers dropped a bombshell. The engineers, veterans of Boeing's work on the B-2 stealth bomber two decades ago, told investigator Rick Barreiro that technology and know-how developed for that secretive military program would be used in manufacturing the company's newest commercial jet. The engineers refused to sign forms declaring that the 787 program is free of military data. One said he feared signing would leave...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House and Sen. John McCain have reached agreement on McCain's amendment that would ban torture of detainees in U.S. custody, a spokeswoman for the Arizona Republican said on Thursday. A White House announcement was expected shortly. "The deal is done and he's heading to the White House," McCain's spokeswoman said. Under bipartisan pressure, the White House accepted McCain's amendment, which would ban cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of prisoners. The White House had sought protections from prosecution for interrogators accused of violating the rule, but McCain rejected that, saying it would undermine his amendment. The...

Republican leaders in Congress hope to complete a bill to curb the growth of student loans, Medicaid and other benefit programs before Christmas, though they might delay extending tax cuts until next year. Staff aides and lobbyists are skeptical about the prospects of finishing work in the next few weeks on five-year spending cuts of up to $50 billion. But failure to deliver would disappoint GOP loyalists eager to see their party burnish its budget-cutting credentials, It also would push the contentious issue into January or February, muddying next year's agenda. The House will return Tuesday for a scheduled two-week...

VIRGINIA ISSUES: Kilgore Learns the High Cost of Compromise 2005 Virginia Election Analysis By Joe Glover “You can’t make friends of your enemies by making enemies of your friends.” The pundits are spinning the demise of Jerry Kilgore as a defeat for conservatism and a victory for the “moderate” middle of the road. Such conclusions are based on the idea that successful campaigns appeal to so-called “swing voters” who support “reasonable” candidates from either party on a given day. The poll numbers from Tuesday’s election tell us something entirely different, since two unapologetically pro-life, anti-tax conservative candidates fared much better...

VIENNA, Austria - The United States and Europe have agreed on a compromise plan to accept expanded nuclear activities by Iran, but only if the enrichment process — a possible pathway to nuclear arms — is moved to Russia, senior officials and diplomats said Thursday. If accepted by Iran, the proposal could end a tug-of-war over whether to refer the Islamic republic to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions. The officials and diplomats, who demanded anonymity in exchange for discussing the strategy, said the plan would allow Iran to continue converting raw uranium into the gas that is spun...

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday adopted a watered-down document on poverty, human rights and U.N. reform for world leaders to approve at a summit this week, after shedding many of Secretary-General Kofi Annan's most ambitious goals during weeks of bitter debate. The compromise 35-page document is supposed to launch a major reform of the United Nations itself and galvanize efforts to ease global poverty. But to reach a consensus, most of the text's details were gutted in favor of abstract language. A definition of terrorism and details on how to replace the discredited U.N. Commission...

U.N. reform agenda watered-down General Assembly adopts wording stripped of details UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday adopted a watered-down draft document on poverty, human rights and reform for this week's summit of world leaders to consider, shedding many of Secretary-General Kofi Annan's ambitious goals after weeks of bitter debate. The compromise 35-page document is supposed to launch a major reform of the United Nations itself and galvanize efforts to ease global poverty. But to reach a consensus, most of the text's details were gutted in favor of abstract language. A definition of terrorism and details...

The constitutional wrangling in Baghdad is par for the course in Iraq's nation-building -- at least as filtered through the Western media. As the deadline approaches, we read that the whole magilla's about to go belly up, there's no agreement on the way forward, Washington's going to have to admit it called things disastrously wrong and step in to salvage what it can by postponing the handover to an Iraqi administration/the first free elections/the draft constitution/whatever. This time 'round, we were reliably informed that the constitution was turning into a theocratic rout of Kurds, women and any other identity groups...

SACRAMENTO — As of today's broken deadline for a deal, four crucial weeks in California politics have slipped away with no pact between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders on his Nov. 8 state government "reform" election. The Democrat-dominated Legislature returns today from summer recess with members set to promote bills on pressing issues such as health care, transportation, housing and energy, while leaders and the Republican governor supposedly focus on an agreement regarding his special election. Though recess talks to avoid a divisive ballot fight stalled early on, Schwarzenegger saidrecently, "I'm optimistic and I continue working to make sure...

SACRAMENTO -- State legislators wrapped up work Friday for a monthlong summer recess with focus already sharply shifted to the looming battle over the November special-election agenda and an August deadline for compromise on ballot measures. With a state budget approved and out of the way, the legislators will spend the next 30 days at home in their districts while legislative leaders ostensibly work with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to craft a compromise on his special-election agenda that both sides can live with. Yet with discussions currently occurring only at the staff level and Democrats having little motivation -- politically or...