Free Republic

Those who believe that President Barack Obama should ignore Vice President Joe Biden's advice about a "small footprint" and give Gen. Stanley McChrystal additional troops to complete the administration's mission in Afghanistan have been slow to make one of the strongest arguments: More means less. That is, sending more troops likely means less risk for the troops already there. Currently, there are about 66,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and McChrystal has recommended that Obama send more — perhaps as many as 40,000 — to help carry out a counterinsurgency strategy. So I was glad that Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., cited...

SAN DIEGO -- President Obama recently reignited the immigration debate when he told reporters that congressional leaders of both parties were ready to "actively get something done and not put it off until a year, two years, three years, five years from now, but to start working on this thing right now." In the months ahead, keep an eye on two things: the calendar and the issue of guest workers. The calendar: "Right now" might not be soon enough. The conventional wisdom is that the longer Obama waits, the harder it will be to pass any immigration reform legislation. One...

Ruben Navarrette Jr.: Border agents' release will not wipe away their crime By Ruben Navarrette Jr. Posted: 01/25/2009 12:00:00 AM PST I was glad to see that George W. Bush commuted the prison sentences of former Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean. And frankly, I was a bit surprised I was glad. I never had much sympathy for Ramos or Compean, disgraced law enforcement officers who were convicted of shooting a Mexican drug smuggler and then lying about it. From studying the facts, hearing the arguments of the agents' supporters, and interviewing U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, whose...

Members of the cultural right have called Juan Hernandez a "border obliteration activist," an "American traitor," and an "agent of the Mexican government." John McCain's presidential campaign called him something different: director of Hispanic outreach. For 14 months leading up to the election, the Fort Worth, Texas, native was a high-level volunteer at McCain '08 headquarters, where he attended daily senior staff meetings and advised the Arizona senator and his top lieutenants about how to appeal to Hispanic voters. Part of that strategy was highlighting McCain's record of championing comprehensive immigration reform. Meanwhile, down the hall, another portion of the...

Republicans need to re-brand their party and convince Hispanics they’re welcome. If they believe their ideas on education, economics, defense, trade, foreign policy, and other issues are superior, let them make that case to Hispanics. That doesn’t mean ditching their core principles, but it might mean changing their tone. It doesn’t mean alienating core voters, but it does means being more inclusive. And it doesn’t mean giving up the party’s opposition to illegal immigration. Polling suggests that Hispanics will go along with enforcement measures that seem reasonable such as increasing the number of border patrol agents and giving them resources....

SAN DIEGO, California (CNN) -- I thought liberals were supposed to be good-hearted, open-minded and non-judgmental. Tell that to the angry Left's favorite piñata, Sarah Palin. As far as liberals are concerned, Palin can do no right just as Barack Obama and Joe Biden can do no wrong. In fact, Biden is catching more passes than an NFL wide receiver.

You wouldn't have picked up on it during the debates, but John McCain and Barack Obama actually agree on some issues. One of them is gay marriage. Both candidates oppose the concept, preferring instead the squishy alternative of civil unions. They're both wrong. I can sympathize. In 2000, when 61 percent of California voters approved Proposition 22, a ballot measure that defined marriage as between a man and a woman, I opposed gay marriage. I felt gay-rights activists should concentrate on a more achievable goal such as a federal civil rights bill outlawing private-sector discrimination based on sexual orientation. Then...

God help me. I’m beginning to sound like Joe Biden. I hope there is a cure. If not, the next thing you know, I’ll be confusing Herbert Hoover with Franklin Roosevelt, insulting Indian-Americans who don’t work at 7-11, calling Barack Obama “clean” and “articulate,” and vowing he’ll will never take away my gun. For now, I’ll have to accept the fact that my views on Mexico are similar to those espoused by the Democratic vice presidential candidate. A few weeks ago, while addressing about 20 Latin American professionals in San Diego on the subject of immigration and the 2008 election,...

SAN DIEGO -- Never mind the naysayers and inside-the-Beltway snobs who mock John McCain's selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. This was a brilliant choice. Sure, it's a risk. But as Palin's defenders point out, no less a risk than asking the country to take a chance at the top of the ticket on a first-term senator from Illinois who doesn't have much to show in legislative accomplishments or foreign policy expertise. I've defended Barack Obama by urging that we think outside the box and ask whether the world with which McCain is so familiar hasn't...

SAN DIEGO, California (CNN) -- For Democrats, this has been an inspiring election -- and a devastating one. They have two strong candidates, who have thus far wrestled to a draw. As of today, according to CNN's calculations, Hillary Clinton has 1,148 delegates; Barack Obama, 1,121. Yet the race has divided the party -- female vs. male, white vs. black, black vs. Latino. The Virginia primary is Tuesday. The Clintons have to get past former Gov. Doug Wilder who thinks Bill Clinton went too far in using race to scare up support from white voters. All the king's horses and...

For Christmas, nearly a dozen readers sent me the same gift, an article about goings on in the Southwest: "Illegal immigrants packing up and leaving Arizona." According to the article, illegal immigrants are fleeing the Grand Canyon State because of an "oppressive environment" and the fear that the undocumented won't be able to find work after this week, when a tough employer-sanctions law takes effect. It's a restrictionist dream come true. Many of those who say they've had a bellyful of illegal immigration claim that, if we dried up the jobs, illegal immigrants would simply "self-deport." I've written that this...

Navarrette: Will Gonzales get a fair hearing? By Ruben Navarrette Jr. Special to CNN SAN DIEGO, California (CNN) -- Details, details. The critics of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales are absolutely sure of his guilt in the matter of the fired U.S. attorneys. They're just not sure what he's guilty of. Well, they had better figure it out fast. Gonzales testifies Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. In an op-ed Sunday for The Washington Post, Gonzales admitted that he had "created confusion" with recent statements about the firings but insisted, "nothing improper occurred." He wrote that he directed his former deputy...

The debate over whether to reform Social Security is full of idiosyncrasies. Here's a big one: No matter what fix we're talking about - partial privatization, raising the retirement age, means testing so millionaires forfeit benefits, tying benefits to inflation rather than wages, etc. - the most ferocious opposition comes from the demographic that won't be affected either way by any proposal being discussed at either end of Pennsylvania Avenue: Americans already 55 and over. If you can imagine that, you're already two steps ahead of the Bush administration. White House officials seem baffled that their biggest fight has turned...