Free Republic

Rumor That Palin Called Obama 'Sambo' Spreading Across Internet By Terry Trippany September 6, 2008 - 22:31 ET A new whisper campaign is forming in the blogosphere and creeping into web search engines across the internet as a self proclaimed e-zine called "LA Progressive" is spreading a false rumor that Sarah Palin called Barack Obama 'Sambo' while dining in an Alaska restaurant. Charley James, the author of the article that is unlikely to have his blogspot site shut down for Obama bias, also claims through 'anonymous sources' that Palin called Hillary Clinton a "b#^@h" in the same breath. It is...

This was something that others would learn during her rapid rise in state politics – and which America’s most powerful politicians are now discovering as they feel the unstoppable force of Hurricane Palin. She has a gift for connecting with people, but she also possesses a steely resolve and competes with fierce tenacity. The biggest mistake her adversaries make is underestimating her.

Speculation is that that Baldwin and Barr are stepping aside so that Paul can become the nominee of both the Constitution and Libertarian Parties The Montana Constitution Party has removed Chuck Baldwin from the ballot and is putting the ticket of Ron Paul for President and Michael Peroutka on the ballot for Vice-President.

Clinton brushed aside questions about Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin during appearances at New York City's annual Labor Day parade and later during a stop on Staten Island. "This election is about issues, and that's what's going to matter to people at the end of the day," she told reporters who asked her about the Alaska governor at a rally for a Democratic congressional candidate at Wagner College. She only mentioned Palin by name once during the day, at the labor breakfast, when she uttered a modified version of a line from her speech at the Democratic National Convention....

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney told President Shimon Peres yesterday that Russia is selling arms to Syria and Iran with the clear knowledge that they are being channeled to Hezbollah and terror groups in Iraq. After meeting Peres on the sidelines of the Ambrosetti forum by Italy's Lake Como, the American vice president later reiterated these remarks in his address at the economic conference, saying that "Russian arms dealing in the Middle East has endangered the prospects for peace and freedom in the region." Advertisement Cheney added that the Russian leaders view democracy as a direct threat to their regime....

Vladimir Putin Set To Bait US With Nuclear Aid For Tehran September 07, 2008 The Sunday Times Russia is considering increasing its assistance to Iran’s nuclear programme in response to America’s calls for Nato expansion eastwards and the presence of US Navy vessels in the Black Sea delivering aid to Georgia. The Kremlin is discussing sending teams of Russian nuclear experts to Tehran and inviting Iranian nuclear scientists to Moscow for training, according to sources close to the Russian military. Moscow has been angered by Washington’s promise to give Georgia £564m in aid following the Russian invasion of parts of...

At a press conference given by some House Republicans a short time ago, we were reminded (and I had totally forgotten about it) that it has been 5 weeks since Speaker Nancy Pelosi gaveled the House of Representatives to a close for their summer vacation without giving Republicans an "up or down vote" on their energy bill. Republican Congresspeople have been taking turns going back to Washington to demand Pelosi reconvene and allow a vote for the sake of the American people. Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio reiterated that their bill will provide Americans a more diverse supply of...

40 Years After Capture, USS Pueblo Crew Reunites JERICHO, Vt. — Ralph McClintock expected only a three-week mission when he boarded the USS Pueblo in January 1968. Instead, he and his shipmates became pawns in a Cold War sideshow when North Korea captured the Navy spy ship and imprisoned its 82 crew members. Some still suffer the physical effects of torture or malnutrition they suffered in 11 months of captivity. McClintock is proud of his service as a 24-year-old communications technician and the bonds he made with his crew mates, but that pride is tinged with bitterness. "We were treated...

Greta Van Susteren interviews Major General Craig E. Campbell, a longtime commander of the Alaska National Guard. Major General Campbell provides a description of what is required of a governor as head of a statewide national guard unit, and talks about Sarah Palin’s intense interest and commitment to the unit that she commanded, which made her an excellent Commander in Chief.

UTICA, New York - Republicans John McCain and Sarah Palin left St. Paul, Minnesota, with a smallish bounce overall and some energy in key demographic groups, as the race for the presidency enters a key stage and voters begin to tune in to the contest, the latest Zogby Interactive poll finds. The McCain/Palin ticket wins 49.7% support, compared to 45.9% backing for the Obama/Biden ticket, this latest online survey shows. Another 4.4% either favored someone else or were unsure.

"Organizers of the Republican convention demanded that a group of young Republicans take down their "Build The Fence" signs, a reference to a border fence to fight illegal immigration, while at the Xcel Center last night."

VIENNA, Austria – The U.S. gained key international backing Saturday for a bitterly contested plan to sell peaceful nuclear technology to India – a South Asia powerhouse that has tested atomic weapons but has refused to sign global nonproliferation accords. Washington said the landmark deal, which still needs U.S. congressional approval, will place India's nuclear program under closer scrutiny. But detractors warned it could set a dangerous precedent in efforts to rid the world of weapons of mass destruction.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, under fire from U.S. bishops for comments she made about abortion, accepted on Friday an invitation from the Roman Catholic archbishop of San Francisco for a private talk. Pelosi said in a letter to Archbishop George Niederauer that she'd "welcome the opportunity for our personal conversation and to go beyond our earlier most cordial exchange about immigration and needs of the poor to Church teaching on other significant matters." The proposed meeting stems from comments Pelosi made Aug. 24 on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Months of attacks by unmanned US predator aircraft have caused carnage among the middle ranks of terrorist leaders in the lawless lands along the border with Afghanistan, where al-Qa'eda remains dangerous despite suffering a serious defeat in Iraq. Their victims have included experienced Arab leaders and, it is now thought, Adam Gadahn, a former heavy-metal fan and so-called "killer computer nerd" originally from California. Nothing has been heard from him for months, leading intelligence experts to conclude that he may be dead. Mr Gadahn has been credited with helping transform al-Qa'eda's al-Sahab propaganda wing into a slick operation which communicates...

Africa Becoming a Biofuel Battleground By Horand Knaup Western companies are pushing to acquire vast stretches of African land to meet the world's biofuel needs. Local farmers and governments are being showered with promises. But is this just another form of economic colonialism? Everything will turn out alright. Correction: everything is going to get better. There will be new roads, a new school, a pharmacy, even a proper water supply. Most of all, there will be jobs -- 5,000, at the very least. "If there are jobs for us, then it's a good thing," says Juma Njagu, 26, who hopes...

Israel too vulnerable to think of Iran attack More News: www.balitapinoy.net Israel is too vulnerable to think of Iran attack, government spokesman, Gholam-Hossein Elham, said on Saturday. He made the remarks commenting on a recent statement made by President Nicolas Sarkozy of France in Syria who had said Iran was at risk of being attacked by Israel. Speaking to reporters at his weekly press conference, Elham said statements such as what was made by President Sarkozy had rooted from "weakness." "Such remarks prove the Israeli war-mongering and terrorist nature which uses every chance to pose threat to the global security,"...

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad held talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing on Saturday in a rare visit to China coinciding with the start of the Paralympic Games. Hu said in welcoming words to Ahmadinejad at the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square that the two would discuss Sino-Iranian relations, among other issues, during their meeting. "I would like to further exchange opinions with you Mr President about issues like Sino-Iranian relations," Hu told the Iranian President. "I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank you and other Iranian leaders for the assistance your government provided...

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) Barack Obama is offering his first direct criticism of Sarah Palin (PAY'-lin) and it's on the subject of earmarks.

“Gov. Sarah Palin: An American Woman”; hosted by Greta Van Susteren, premieres Saturday at 8 p.m. EDT on the FOX News Channel, with an encore at 8 p.m. Sunday.

The Republican presidential candidate will make his running mate the public face of the country's drive for energy independence, according to a McCain campaign official. Mr McCain, whose selection of Mrs Palin has electrified Republican supporters, wants to capitalise on her expertise in the oil and gas sector while governor of Alaska. He believes that her record of taking on oil company chiefs will help convince the public that his government would not be in the pocket of energy fat cats, a perception that has damaged George W.Bush's poll ratings. The move would give Mr McCain political cover to resume...

Taipei, Sept 03: Taiwan called on Wednesday for expansion in cooperation on oil exploration and development with China amid warming ties between the two rivals. The CPC Corp, Taiwan, the island's state-run oil refiner, said it has proposed to work with China's CNOOC Ltd to explore possible oil reserves in the East China Sea. "We have expressed the willingness to CNOOC to work together in the East China Sea," CPC Vice President Chu Shao-hua told media. "CPC is waiting for CNOOC's response, hoping both sides will kick off talks on the proposal," he said. CPC and CNOOC set up a...

At a campaign event at 11:00AM PST Boy Scouts will recycle 12,000 American Flags that were thrown in the trash after the democratic convention.

AHMADINEJAD'S NEW ENEMY: WOMEN By AMIR TAHERI September 6, 2008 -- IN one of his last sermons before his death, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini warned of "three threats" to his vision of Islam: the US, the Jews and women. Two decades later, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad thinks he has the United States and the Jews in hand - and is moving on the third "enemy." Women were the first to demonstrate against Khomeini's regime with a mass rally in Tehran on March 8, 1979 - less than a month after the mullahs had seized power. Over the next decade, the authorities...

John McCain’s presidential campaign appears prepared to chastise Democrats over leaving behind piles of miniature American flags after Barack Obama’s nomination acceptance speech last Thursday in Denver. Boy Scouts reportedly have arrived with at least two dozen trash bags full of the flags at the site of a McCain rally scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. in Colorado Springs.

Obama Fundraiser: Palin Putting Career Above Family by FOXNews.com Saturday, September 6, 2008 An original member of Barack Obama’s finance committee said Friday that Sarah Palin is putting her career above her family by accepting the nomination as John McCain’s running mate. Howard Gutman made the argument on “The Laura Ingraham Show,” telling the radio host that the Alaska governor should focus her energy on her unwed, pregnant teenage daughter. “If my daughter had just come home at 17 years old and said, ‘Mom, Dad, I’m pregnant, we have a family problem,’ I wouldn’t say, ‘You know what we’re going...

Journalist Bob Woodward discusses "secret operational capabilities" against militia and insurgent leaders in Iraq, and spying on Iraq's prime minister.

Sarah Palin mania transformed John McCain's presidential campaign as the Republican duo made their first appearances after claiming their party's White House nominations. In a sweep through the swing states of Michigan and Wisconsin, Mr McCain was met by the kind of near-hysterical crowds previously seen only at campaign events for his Democratic rival, Barack Obama. More than 6,000 exultant supporters turned out on Friday night in Sterling Heights, a town in Michigan's Macomb County, home of the Reagan-Democrats, the small town blue collar voters who propelled Ronald Reagan to the White House in the 1980s and hold the key...

Russia's role in the Iran crisis By Ray Takeyh and Nikolas Gvosdev September 6, 2008 IT IS ONE of the rites of passage of the fall - every September, the Bush administration returns to the United Nation for another sanctions resolution against Iran. However, this time there is much consternation in Washington that Russia's invasion of Georgia - and the subsequent chill that has descended on relations between Russia and the West - has ended any possibility of cooperation between the United States and Russia in dealing with Iran's nuclear imbroglio. Such fears are overblown. Russia's assault on Georgia may...

House Democrats to yield on offshore drilling By Jared Allen Posted: 09/06/08 11:18 AM [ET] House Democrats are ready to propose an expansion of offshore drilling as part of a broader energy bill they plan to introduce this month, according to a top Democrat. Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman John Larson (Conn.) said the majority is prepared to back “responsible” offshore drilling through a bill that could be brought to the floor as early as next week. But the Democratic energy bill will also include past provisions pushed by the party – but that failed to pass the House with the...

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretarySeptember 6, 2008 President's Radio Address   President's Radio Address  Audio  En Español       In Focus: Energy      In Focus: Hurricane PreparednessTHE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Throughout the past week, Americans anxiously watched weather conditions in the Gulf Coast region. The people of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas were well prepared for Hurricane Gustav -- and the coordination between these States and the Federal government was strong. Now, we're focusing on the relief effort. Gustav caused damage to infrastructure, forced tens of thousands into shelters, and left more than a million people without power. The Federal government is...

The US military provided combat training to 80 Georgian special forces commandos only months prior to Georgia's army assault in South Ossetia in August. The revelation, based on recruitment documents and interviews with US military trainers obtained by the Financial Times, could add fuel to accusations by Vladimir Putin, Russian prime minister, last month that the US had "orchestrated" the war in the Georgian enclave. The training was provided by senior US soldiers and two military contractors. There is no evidence that the contractors or the Pentagon, which hired them, knew that the commandos they were training were likely be...

I hope Sarah Palin got a few minutes to savour her splendid performance at the Republican convention the other night. God knows, she wouldn't have had much longer. In the all-blogs-all-the-time-world in which we live, the spontaneous reaction ("She hit it out of the park," CNN's Wolf Blitzer burbled immediately afterward, before he could collect himself) is about as common as spontaneous combustion. No sooner had Ms. Palin done a little turn on the stage, embracing her gorgeous husband and their five kids, than the pundits, even those who pronounced that she'd done well, were once again having at her:...

For months John McCain has apparently been hoping to use his selection of a running mate to shake up the presidential race. By picking Alaska governor Sarah Palin, McCain has accomplished that--and very likely a lot more than that, more than he or anyone else could have imagined. I'm not talking about the widely remarked fact that if Palin performs well, and regardless of whether McCain wins or loses, she becomes a future Republican presidential prospect. Given the end of the remarkable 28-year run of the Bush family--present on six of the last seven GOP national tickets, a record that...

Last Tuesday, as the hordes of media that had begun to dissect every moment of her political career and personal life were distracted by speeches from Fred Thompson and Joe Lieberman in nearby St. Paul, Sarah Palin sat quietly with her family for an hourlong dinner in the Skywater restaurant of the Minneapolis Hilton. It was a rare respite from the intense scrutiny she was subjected to over the first week of her new life in the national spotlight. Over the previous several days she had been portrayed as a naïf, a rube, and a bad mother. Journalists had peppered...

Iran dismissed on Saturday a warning by France's president that the Islamic Republic was taking a dangerous gamble over its nuclear program because one day its arch-foe Israel could strike. Government spokesman Gholamhossein Elham accused Israel of threatening global peace but reiterated Tehran's publicly stated view that it was not in a position to attack Iran. Separately, a senior commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards was quoted as saying that new long-range missiles had strengthened Iran's defensive capabilities.

After further falls on Friday, the Russian stock market has plunged more than 30% since the country's invasion of Georgia last month. Investor confidence has been hit hard by the conflict. Some international banks estimating that between up to $20bn (£11bn)in foreign capital has been pulled out of Russia in the last month alone. Since the invasion the value of the rouble has slumped, reportedly leading to the central bank stepping in. So whereas Russia may have got away with a slap on the wrist from Europe for its invasion, Moscow is being punished much more directly by international investors....

Iran says oil price is right at $100 a barrel Angela Jameson Pressure for a cut in oil output at next week's Opec meeting in Vienna stepped up today when Iran’s Opec governor said an oil price of $100 per barrel was “appropriate” in current conditions. Mohammad Ali Khatibi made his comments as the price of Brent crude fell by $1.77 to $104.30 today while US oil also declined to $106.12. Oil is now trading nearly 30 per cent lower than its peak of $147.27 on July 11. Mr Khatibi also reiterated Iran’s view that Opec's 13 members, who are...

If there was any doubt that John McCain's surprise pick of Sarah Palin has grabbed the attention of many Republicans, Barbara Falk, a retiree born and raised in this quaint small town, put it to rest yesterday: "I came out to see her." So did Falk's friend Pat Mantel, who said, "I do enjoy that vice president that McCain picked." And so did Mantel's sister Carol Eberhardt, a retired lab worker and single mother of three, who said, "She speaks my language." A day after McCain gave what many critics panned as a flat acceptance speech, Palin proved to be...

Later yesterday, the two traveled to Macomb County, the suburban Detroit turf where the "Reagan Democrat" demographic was first identified by pollster Stan Greenberg. Palin appeared to earn more applause than McCain when she was introduced, and an unsolicited chant of "Sarah! Sarah!" rose from the crowd of several thousand. She delivered an appeal to those socially conservative, working-class voters on the basis of patriotism, not class. "Our opponents have been going on recently about how they fight for you," Palin said. "Since Senator McCain won't say this on his behalf, let me say it: There's only one man in...

The tone and placement of the spread is no accident. In selecting Ms. Palin, a down-home girl with her own National Rifle Association membership card and anti-abortion narrative, the Republican Party is targeting a demographic of suburban women and small-town evangelicals that is as specific – and crucial to the election – as the towns she will visit over the weeks to come. “Her role here is, to borrow from Rush Limbaugh, ‘Babies, guns and Jesus,''' said Kyle Saunders, a professor of electoral politics at Colorado State University. “Over the past couple of election cycles there has been a slow...

It was the loudest and most prolonged cheer since Barack Obama appeared on the podium last week in Denver. Very few people had heard of Sarah Palin when Mr Obama delivered his acceptance speech eight days ago. One vice-presidential announcement, several news cycles and countless debates about sexism later, Ms Palin had been catapulted into starring role at a rejuvenated Republican Convention. Given the fluid nature of this presidential race, most analysts say it is much too early to pronounce whether Ms Palin's widely praised acceptance speech was the "game changer" that some Republicans claimed on Wednesday night. But in...

While 82% of voters who support McCain believe the justices should rule on what is in the Constitution, just 29% of Barack Obama’s supporters agree. Just 11% of McCain supporters say judges should rule based on the judge’s sense of fairness, while nearly half (49%) of Obama supporters agree.

Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, grabbed European headlines on Thursday with the focus either on her ideology or her gender. “The Republicans hope to have found their Obama,” opined Le Monde, the left-of-centre French daily, following the mother of five’s rousing speech to the Republican convention on Wednesday. In Germany, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung greeted ”the rage from Wasilla [her home town]” as a woman who presented ”herself as a ”herself as a pugnacious and self-confident politician” The French media provided full coverage of the pregnancy of her teenage daughter (treatment they would be reluctant to apply to their...

To counter Palin, Obama to dispatch female surrogates ST. PAUL: Senator Barack Obama will increasingly lean on prominent Democratic women to undercut Governor Sarah Palin and Senator John McCain, dispatching Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to Florida on Monday and creating a rapid-response team to deploy female surrogates to battleground states, Obama advisers said on Thursday. Clinton's campaign event in Florida, her first for Obama since the Democratic convention last month, will include a forceful response to the searing attacks and fresh burst of energy that Palin injected into the race with her convention speech on Wednesday night, Obama aides said....

Interviews with the two pastors she has been most closely associated with here in her hometown — she now attends the Wasilla Bible Church, though she keeps in touch with Mr. Riley and recently spoke at an event at his former church — and with friends and acquaintances who have worshipped with her point to a firm conclusion: her foundation and source of guidance is the Bible, and with it has come a conviction to be God’s servant. “Just be amazed at the umbrella of this church here, where God is going to send you from this church,” Ms. Palin...

JUVAL AVIV is one of those characters who have floated to prominence in the hall of mirrors where counter-terrorism, intelligence and entertainment present bewildering multiple images...

Intense fighting in the Bajaur tribal district in north Pakistan has forced more than 200,000 people to flee their villages. "There is a real war shaking the Bajaur region at the moment," said Pascal Cuttat, the head of the ICRC Pakistan delegation, with government forces "facing heavy opposition." Pakistan's forces have launched a number of major military offensives in recent weeks against militants in the Bajaur district, which is thought to be an Al-Qaeda stronghold."In the last few weeks, we have a dramatic intensification of the armed conflict which has its flare-ups and this is the most difficult one," Cuttat...

Iranian Delegate Touts McCain's Tough Stance September 02, 2008 National Journal Gregg Sangillo John McCain has been a staunch critic of Iran for its sponsorship of sectarian violence in Iraq, its reported nuclear weapons program, and the radical ideology of its controversial president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Although critics accuse McCain of saber-rattling, plenty of Republican delegates applaud his hard line -- and none more enthusiastically than Hossein Khorram, a native of Iran who is a delegate from Washington state. Khorram grew up in Tehran. After the overthrow of the shah in 1979, his father's property was confiscated and the family fled...

McCain, Obama tied in TV audiences Sep 5 07:39 PM US/Eastern By DAVID BAUDER AP Television Writer NEW YORK (AP) - As a television draw, John McCain was every bit the equal of Barack Obama. The GOP presidential candidate attracted roughly the same number of viewers to his convention acceptance speech Thursday as Obama did before the Democrats last week, according to Nielsen Media Research. It marked the end of an astonishing run where more than 40 million people watched political speeches on three nights by Obama, McCain and Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. The Republican convention was the...