Free Republic

<p>WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama won't leave Washington for his Hawaii vacation until the Senate finishes work on the health care overhaul, even if that means staying in town for Christmas Eve.</p> <p>"My attitude is that if they're making these sacrifices to provide health care to all Americans then the least I can do is to be around and provide them any encouragement and last-minute help where necessary," Obama said Tuesday.</p>

Health bill could get 34-hour reading in Senate Joseph Curl The 2,074-page Senate health care bill would take 34 hours to read cover to cover -- and that's just what Sen. Tom Coburn wants done on the Senate floor. The Oklahoma Republican has threatened to invoke parliamentary rules to force the Senate clerk (or more likely, a team of clerks) to read the massive bill before the full Senate begins formal debate on the legislation. The move is strictly according to Senate rules, which say any senator can demand a bill be read in its entirety before debate begins. While...

Reporting from El Centro, Calif. - Across the desert flatlands of southeastern California, dozens of companies have flooded federal offices with applications to place solar mirrors on more than a million acres of public land. But just as some of those projects appear headed toward fruition, environmental hurdles threaten to jeopardize efforts to further tap the region's renewable energy potential. The development of solar-power facilities in the desert has been a top priority of the Obama administration as it seeks to ease the nation's dependence on fossil fuels and curb global warming. In addition, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has urged that...

Legislators are growing increasingly frustrated with President Barack Obama's seeming unwillingness to pull the trigger on an Iran sanctions package that is already locked and loaded. The American public should be frustrated, too. The Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act (IRPSA), if enacted, would put the squeeze on foreign oil companies that currently help the Mullahs refine petroleum, as well as the insurance companies that underwrite this trade. If the sanctions work, they could stem the flow of 30 to 40 percent of Iranian oil, since the Mullahs don't actually have sufficient refining capacity to meet their domestic needs. In short,...

Former House majority leader Tom Delay, who last night dropped out of ABC's "Dancing With The Stars," has once again expressed skepticism that President Obama is a citizen of the United States. That aligns DeLay, a Republican once known as "The Hammer," with the so-called "birther" movement. The birthers' claims have repeatedly been shown to be illegitimate. Newsweek noted in an interview with DeLay that he "got into some trouble for saying on TV that you weren't sure President Obama was born in the United States." "What I said was, to answer a question from Chris Matthews, I said:...

Asked by Newsweek's Ramin Setoodeh about statements he previously made with regard to Obama's eligibility, he stated: 'Why wouldn't the president of the United States show the American people his birth certificate?' You have to show a birth certificate to play little league baseball. It's a question that should be answered. It's in the Constitution that you have to be a natural-born citizen of the United States to be president." Asked whether be believed Obama was a citizen, DeLay responded: "I have no idea."

Is this any way to run a war? Critics are lambasting President Obama for hitting the pause button on the war in Afghanistan, making U.S. commanders seeking thousands more troops there wait for a decision as he tries to get the "strategy right first." "The commander in chief is the commander in chief, period," said retired Army Lt. Col. James Carafano, a senior fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation. "You can't fight a war from Washington D.C. There's only one way this works: You have trust and confidence in the leaders on the ground, or you don't." Some critics are...

Former Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said Wednesday that he loves watching the White House and Democrats in Congress struggle to control the health care debate. “I love their arrogance. They just keep digging the hole deeper and deeper and deeper,” DeLay said of Democratic leaders during an interview on conservative host Sean Hannity’s radio show. “I love what the American people are doing to the Democrats,” he said in reference to the recent raucous town halls. “I’m sitting back and watching, and it’s just amazing.” DeLay insisted that Republicans are winning the health care debate and urged GOP...

<p>'Constitution specifically says you have to be natural born citizen'</p> <p>WASHINGTON – Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay pulled no punches on Chris Matthews "Hardball"show on MSNBC today when asked if he is a "birther."</p> <p>"Well, I’d like the president to produce his birth certificate," said DeLay. "I can. Most illegal aliens here in America can. Why can't the president of the United States produce his birth certificate? ...</p>

"The main issue for us hasn't changed," Stephen Bassett tells Inside the Beltway. The executive director of D.C.-based Paradigm Research Group and X-PPAC -- the Extraterrestrial Phenomena Political Action Committee -- is calling for the White House to release all classified materials about UFOs, alien encounters, unusual technology and additional otherworldly fare....(fourth item) - "I thought Mr. DeLay was a Baptist. And I thought Baptists weren't supposed to dance," she said.

Indicted Former Republican Congressman Named one of the 'Stars' To the amazement of many in Washington, Tom DeLay, the former Republican Congressional leader who became a poster boy for cronyism and ethical lapses, was named one of the 16 celebrity contestants today by the producers of the ABC program "Dancing with the Stars." It is not known if DeLay will wear spandex and sequins. "It would be interesting to see if Mr. DeLay can do the Perp Walk. Does he know that step," said Andrew Wheat, the research director of Texans for Public Justice, the watchdog group whose work helped...

Now that Congress has recessed, and since the conventions aren’t for a couple of weeks, Thursday’s The Situation Room turned back to the "hot" issue of what many liberals are calling on congressional Democrats to do: arrest and lock-up Karl Rove for his failure to testify on the issue of the firing of U.S. attorneys in late 2006. CNN correspondent Jim Acosta, as part of a report on this possible move by the Democrats, conducted a search for the supposed jail inside the U.S. Capitol. He also addressed the little-used power of the legislature to arrest and try government officials...

It seemed among the easiest of his transparency pledges and is entirely under his control, but President Obama is finagling his promise to post bills on the White House Web site for comment for five days before he signs them. Mr. Obama last week signed four bills, each just a day or two after Congress passed and sent it over to him.

Beijing stimulus plan held up By Jamil Anderlini in Beijing Published: May 19 2009 03:00 | Last updated: May 19 2009 03:00 China's much vaunted Rmb4,000bn economic stimulus package is being delayed by local governments unable to raise their share of financing, according to a report from the state auditor. The survey, published yesterday, is the first official indication that China's stimulus measures have not been as effective as the government claims. The auditor said that, in some cases, local governments had stumped up less than half the funds they had promised for projects in their jurisdictions, even though Beijing...

You're hired—next year Apr 30th 2009 | NEW YORK From The Economist print edition The recession is changing the way American firms recruit people IT SOUNDS like something for a racing driver, rather than a company in a recession. But Allan McKisson of Manpower, an employment-services company, insists that companies should be adopting a “ramp-up plan” and hiring new talent now, to ensure that they are firing on all cylinders when the economy rebounds. According to a survey carried out by Watson Wyatt, a consulting firm, three-quarters of American companies have implemented a hiring freeze. But that means around a...

Here is video of former House Majority Leader Tom Delay talking with MSNBC's Chris Matthews tonight about Texas Gov. Rick Perry's comments supporting Texas Sovereignty. Matthews is hysterical about Perry's comments being threats to secede, and Delay makes it clear that Perry is simply standing for the sovereign rights of the state of Texas. Matthews also plays a clip of what Rush Limbaugh had to say about Perry's comments. . . . . . (Watch Video)

In a previous article we gave you a taste of how grossly incompetent and inefficient government programs are and that they are far too expensive. Programs that are designed not to uplift the poor and promote self sufficiency, but actually do more to leave people dependant and keep them poor. Its not just the taxpayers that suffer, it is those who are forced to depend on them who suffer and who suffer the most. Consider the story of Sebastian Peters, born and raised in Manchester NH, from earliest moment of his childhood, Sebastian had suffered terrible cruelty under a father...

More than 100 members of Congress—past and present—as well as congressional campaign committees and the national parties benefited from political donations from the political action committee or employees of Stanford Financial Group since 2000, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The Securities and Exchange Commission charged the firm’s head, R. Allen Stanford, on Tuesday with orchestrating a $8 billion fraud. Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal reported on Stanford’s status as an “international cricket sponsor, Washington political donor and private banker to Latin America’s wealthy.” President Barack Obama was the third-ranking recipient among lawmakers, with $31,750 collected from company employees during...

WASHINGTON – The Senate on Monday voted unanimously to postpone the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting by four months to June 12 — setting the stage for Congress to pass the proposal as early as Tuesday. Monday's Senate vote is a big victory for the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress, who have been pushing for a delay amid growing concerns that too many Americans won't be ready for the currently scheduled Feb. 17 changeover. The Nielsen Co. estimates that more than 6.5 million U.S. households that rely on analog television sets to pick up over-the-air broadcast...

Barack Obama is putting together a “frightening” social program rather than a package that will stimulate the economy, says Tom DeLay, the former House majority leader. “The proposal is full of welfare — welfare for local governments, welfare for people, subsidies for health insurance, expanding the federal government’s involvement in our educational system,” DeLay tells Newsmax. What the estimated $820 billion plan amounts to is “just complete, out-and-out writing of checks to people that don’t pay taxes,” DeLay observes. “These are welfare checks that are called tax cuts.” In general, “I’m very frightened of what I see. What I see...

<p>WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama is urging Congress to postpone the Feb. 17 switch from analog to digital television broadcasting, arguing that too many Americans who rely on analog TV sets to pick up over-the-air channels won't be ready.</p>

Ronnie Earle's legacy as Travis County district attorney If Ronnie Earle were a fisherman, he might spend time talking about the ones that got away. Others certainly do. Earle, who officially vacated his post as Travis County district attorney on Thursday, might be remembered most for the failed prosecutions of some of the biggest names in Texas politics. Indeed, his short-term legacy will be influenced heavily by unfinished business. Yet to be resolved are indictments that caused former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay — the no-compromise conservative firebrand — to step down. Then, of course, there are the unresolved Yogurt Shop...

In this election night interview with Chris Matthews, Tom speaks about Pete Olson beating Nick “SorosBoy” Lampson in his old House district (Texas CD-22). He also states that Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats will further destroy the economy with their increased seats and power in the U.S. House of Representatives. - FlA VIDEO - - 11.04.08-SFG: Will Pelosi "run circles" around Obama? - So says one expert on congressional power, former Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas, a.k.a. "The Hammer." DeLay told MSNBC tonight that, with Democrats expected double-digit gains in the House, “Pelosi will be the most...

FReep this Digg by a fellow FReeper!!! FReep the Vote! Bypass the MSM, and FReep this Digg on the new Media!!! If you're confused, just sign up on Digg, and vote for this link by clicking the Digg icon (prevents the libtards from burying this). After that, feel free to post articles and videos that expose ObamaNation for what he really is yourself. Then come back here and post your Digg link on FR so we can FReep your Digg!!!

Lampson, Olson stake claims on Political Spectrum Houston Chronicle (Endorses both Lampson and Obama - FlA) by Alan Berstein October 22, 2008 Abstract: Rascally liberal Jim Hightower, the former Texas agriculture commissioner, gets credit for the phrase, "There's nothing in the middle of the road but yellow stripes and dead armadillos." Key questions in the Houston-area race between Democratic U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson and Republican former Senate aide Pete Olson are whether Lampson has earned his middle-of-the-road stripes — and whether his political career will die there Nov. 4. Lampson has tried to relieve the odd fit ever since, saying...

Accusations traded during only debate for 22nd District race Democratic U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson pleaded for bipartisanship and compromise, and Republican challenger Pete Olson delivered a withering criticism of Lampson's legislative votes Monday night in their only debate over a seat that has drawn the national spotlight. (snip) Monday night's campaign match-up was the only one Lampson agreed to attend with Olson before the Nov. 4 election.

Why isn't Obama denying Amir Taheri's charges? He admited to it in June to MSNBC! [NOTE: The New York Post's Amir Taheri, in "OBAMA TRIED TO STALL GIS' IRAQ WITHDRAWAL", "discussed how Barack Obama, during his July trip, had asked Iraqi leaders not to finalize an agreement vital to the future of US forces in Iraq - and how the effect of such a delay would be to postpone the departure of the US from Iraq beyond the time Obama himself calls for."] We've discovered an MSNBC article which directly contradicts Obama's defense of his negotiations with the Iraq government....

As most of Washington met last week to fret over the economy, Harry Reid was attending a less-noticed summit. The Senate majority leader had summoned the titans of more than a dozen industry trade groups to a Capitol Hill meeting, where he delivered a crisp message: Get with our program, or get demolished. Anyone remember the "K Street Project"? Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and conservative activist Grover Norquist designed it to pressure the business community into hiring GOP lobbyists, supporting GOP causes, and giving money to GOP candidates. The press was shocked, shocked, to discover such behavior, and...

WASHINGTON — Nearly 32 months after a Texas grand jury indicted him for election-law violations, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay still hasn’t gotten his day in court on one count of money laundering and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. More than two years ago DeLay surrendered to a Harris County jail. Even by Texas standards, that lag is an unusually long time for a relatively minor criminal case to remain unresolved.

According to the video below, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey has said that “many Republicans will vote for Libertarian candidates in House races.” The Washington Times is reporting that former House Whip Tom DeLay’s wife plans to pull the Bob Barr lever on Election Day: Tom DeLay will vote for John McCain but the former House Republican leader said his wife, Christine, is planning to vote for Libertarian presidential nominee Bob Barr. “I’m trying to convince my wife not to do that,” the Texas Republican told editors and reporters at The Washington Times on Friday. “She said it publicly...

Former House Republican Leader Tom DeLay (Texas) called Barack Obama a "Marxist" on the Mike Gallagher radio show Thursday. Explaining that Obama clinching the Democratic nomination is a good thing for John McCain, DeLay said Obama's "weakness" is that "nobody knows him." "And if McCain does not define him as what he is — hey, I have said publicly, and I will again, that unless he proves me wrong, he is a Marxist," DeLay said. The radio host agreed with DeLay, who is facing money laundering charges, saying Obama is "desperately trying to cover up what seems to be the...

Former House Republican Leader Tom DeLay (Texas) called Barack Obama a "Marxist" on the Mike Gallagher radio show Thursday. Explaining that Obama clinching the Democratic nomination is a good thing for John McCain, DeLay said Obama's "weakness" is that "nobody knows him." "And if McCain does not define him as what he is — hey, I have said publicly, and I will again, that unless he proves me wrong, he is a Marxist," DeLay said. The radio host agreed with DeLay, who is facing money laundering charges, saying Obama is "desperately trying to cover up what seems to be the...

TWO DAYS after former Republican Rep. Bob Barr announced his candidacy for President as a Libertarian, and one day after a Republican lost a special election to a Democrat in a strongly GOP Mississippi district, more than half of House Republicans voted for the pork-saturated, $300 billion farm bill. Idiots. Three weeks ago, a Rasmussen Reports poll found that 48 percent of Americans trusted Democrats more than Republicans on the economy. Only 40 percent trusted Republicans more. That is the legacy of big-spending Republican policies pushed by leaders like Tom DeLay and President Bush and continued by the current GOP...

HARARE (AFP) - Zimbabwe's presidential run-off poll is to be delayed by as much as 10 weeks, a government document obtained by AFP showed Wednesday, in a move denounced by the opposition as an attempt to "resuscitate" veteran President Robert Mugabe. A second round of voting had been expected by May 23 under Zimbabwean law, but the country's top electoral body is to announce Thursday that an election can take place as late as July 31. In a first round of voting on March 29, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai beat Mugabe by 47.9 to 43.2 percent but fell short of...

PAUL KANGAS: At its annual meeting in Chicago today, the Boeing Company assured shareholders its hot-selling 787 will take off late next year. The fuel-efficient jet has been plagued with production problems and some analysts think there could be further delays down the road. Diane Eastabrook has more from Chicago. DIANE EASTABROOK, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: Boeing Company Chairman and CEO James McNerny kicked off the company's annual meeting today touting Boeing's recent earnings successes. But McNerney quickly turned his attention to the topic on the minds of most Boeing shareholders: the delayed delivery of the new 787 Dreamliner. JAMES...

QANTAS directors will be asked today to sign off on a $200 million deal, paid for with compensation from Boeing, to lease a fleet of jetliners built by Airbus Jetstar, the Australian flag carrier's budget brand, will ask the Qantas board to sign off on a lease deal for up to six French-built A330 jetliners. [...] Yesterday Qantas sources said only that the amount will be well in excess of the $200 million Airbus paid after it pushed back by two years the delivery to Qantas and other airlines of its first A380 super jumbo because of wiring problems. [...]...

LUFKIN — Mae Smith, the 64-year-old mayor of the teeny Central Texas town of Holland, seized the civic center lectern like a dragon-slayer ascending the throne. In a fiery red pantsuit and a voice that echoed without the help of a malfunctioning microphone, she and her cohorts revealed to a crowd of about 50 souls clad in denim and plaid a little-known weapon against the foe of all in the room: Gov. Rick Perry's Trans-Texas Corridor. The weapon, Smith said, doesn't involve marching on the Texas Capitol, like more than 1,000 did last year, some on tractors and horses. It...

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Republicans are still hot over the loss of two congressional districts to Democrats in 2006 — especially the one that had been held by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay — and they're looking to win them back this fall. But first, they must choose their challengers in the March 4 primary. Both seats drew multiple GOP candidates eager to take on incumbent Democratic Reps. Nick Lampson in the 22nd District and Ciro Rodriguez in the 23rd District. National Republicans have set their sights on finding someone who might evict Lampson and Rodriguez in November. "These are...

When Attorney General Janet Reno deployed federal law enforcement agencies to Waco, Texas to arrest the Branch Davidian leader David Koresh, one of the the tactics used was to constantly blast loud music 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Eventually, men, women and children died from a brutal attack by their own countrymen. And, except for a few Republican lawmakers, the GOP and Democrat senators and congressmen displayed no outrage. And Senator John McCain was among those who remained silent. However, in the new millennium McCain has become the protector of imprisoned terrorists and enemy combatants and fights...

Dear Past Your Eyes, Before he was driven out of town on corruption charges, they used to call Tom DeLay "the Hammer." Well, lo and behold, it turns out the Hammer has a sensitive side -- and we've apparently hurt his feelings. Not long ago, I emailed to alert you that DeLay and other hard-right reactionaries had formed the Coalition for a Conservative Majority with plans to put "boots on the ground" in all 50 states to combat the "liberal agenda." In DeLay's twisted view, my telling the truth about him and his plans is practicing "the politics of personal...

John McCain’s win in New Hampshire did not impress former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. Revealing a divide in the Republican Party between moderates and conservatives, DeLay slammed McCain in an interview Wednesday with FOX News. “There’s nothing redeeming about John McCain,” DeLay said. The Texas Republican added that McCain “does betray conservative principles.” When asked on which issues McCain was not a conservative, he said: “Mercy, there’s tons of them” and proceeded to list the Senator’s positions on the environment, immigration, the International Criminal Court, his support for affirmative action and taxes. He also called McCain a “hypocrite” when...

CQ TODAY Jan. 3, 2008 – 5:09 p.m. GOP Looking for Revenge in Texas By Greg Giroux, CQ Staff In one of the earliest deadlines in the country, the period to qualify for Texas’ March 4 primary election ended on Wednesday, and it’s clear that Republicans will fight hard to reclaim the two Texas districts they lost in 2006. The 22nd is a Houston-area district that is represented by Nick Lampson , and the 23rd District is a San Antonio-centered district that is held by Ciro D. Rodriguez . Those are the districts the Democrats wrested from Republican control in...

WASHINGTON - Congress is seeking to delay a new security rule requiring passports at all U.S. border crossings next year in hopes of avoiding a repeat of last summer's vacation-killing backlog of passport applications. The Bush administration said Monday it opposed the measure and still plans to go forward with implementing the planned passport rule next summer. Lawmakers said Monday that under a major end-of-the-year spending bill to be voted on this week, the border passport rule would be moved back even further, to no earlier than June 1, 2009. The first phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, or...

AUSTIN—Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle on Friday announced he won’t seek re-election next year. The 65-year-old Democrat was at the center of the criminal investigation of Republican former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. DeLay quit Congress last year. Earle’s term has one year remaining, and his resignation will bring to an end to his three-decade reign in which he battled some of the biggest names in Texas politics. Earle has been criticized by DeLay and other Republicans, who say some of his prosecutions of elected leaders are politically motivated. "This is a no-brainer for him. He never had...

Candidates lining up to replace longtime Travis County district attorney. Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, who has led that office since 1977, told his staff today that he will not seek re-election. He was expected to issue a statement later. Earle, 65, will serve the one year remaining on his term, but his retirement will end an era. "Is the district attorney's job an elective office?" Ken Oden, a former county attorney, once quipped about his friend's long tenure. Earle, a Democrat, might not be done with politics. By retiring, he would be available for a gubernatorial bid in...

Lubbock police say a claim made by a south Lubbock man that Texas Tech coach Bob Knight shot at him during a hunting outing is unfounded. James Simpson, 51, said he believes Knight or a member of his hunting party shot at him after he told them to stop hunting dove near his property near south University Avenue Oct. 21. Simpson said bird shot struck his residence while he was cleaning his pool, and he was later shot in the back and neck after he confronted Knight. Knight"This guy is lying," said John Sims, Knight's attorney. "In my opinion he's...

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay may not be in a leadership position on Capitol Hill anymore, but that doesn't mean he can't weigh in on the current GOP leadership. DeLay told Yeas & Nays that Republicans in Congress are "looking for something to believe in" and "they're not getting it out of this Republican leadership. … The leadership just isn't getting it." "They're looking for some backbone," said DeLay, who also chimed in on the 2008 election. He said the Republican party is "going to get our clocks cleaned in 2008" and unequivocally said that "Hillary [Clinton] will be...

Two polarizing Republican political figures have joined forces to launch an organization that will seek to counter Democratic message groups on a wide range of issues. Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) explained in an interview on Thursday that he and former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell opted to promote the Coalition for a Conservative Majority (CCM) in conservative-leaning media markets rather than the more traditional method of focusing on swing congressional districts. The markets, which include Houston; Scranton, Pa.; Pittsburgh; West Palm Beach, Fla.; Denver; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Phoenix and Las Vegas were identified by DeLay as...

There are hundreds of pages worth of memos and correspondence that involve Hillary's healthcare plan in the early 1990s. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-archives11nov11,0,4319964.story?page=1&coll=la-home-nation But you will probably never get to see any of this correspondence, because federal government archivists have deemed the material "confidential." It is being withheld under federal law allowing the restriction of "private communications between presidential advisors." Let's take a look at some of the memos: "Positioning ourselves on healthcare." Not available. This is confidential advice. How about, "General targeting strategy." Also not available. So guess who the Clintons are blaming for all of this mysteriously unavailable material? The Government!...

NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba, Nov. 8, 2007 – The case against a Canadian detainee accused of killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan and supporting al Qaeda took another strange twist today when the judge delayed the proceedings to give the defense team time to review last-minute evidence likely to favor the defendant. Army Col. Peter Brownback arraigned Omar Ahmed Khadr here today on charges of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, supporting terrorism and spying. Khadr, who sat in the courtroom in a white detainee uniform with his hair tucked up under a black skull cap, waived the right to raise...