Free Republic

.....“I’m not ashamed to talk about my faith,” he says in the first spot. “Some liberals say that faith is a sign of weakness. Well, they’re wrong.” In the second ad, titled “Strong,” Perry bravely comes out as a follower of Christ. “I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a Christian,” he says, before vowing that “as President, I’ll end Obama’s war on religion.” ......But most flagrant is Perry’s reference to “Obama’s war on religion” without evidence or explanation. He leaves the strong impression that it is Obama’s administration–instead of Supreme Court decisions from the 1960s–that took school-sanctioned prayer and...

..former astronaut Cernan says cutting the Constellation program will relegate the U.S. to being second in the world of space exploration. With the retirement of the space shuttle in 2010, the U.S. would have to rely on Russia to take American astronauts to and from "our own space station," The Constellation program followed logical steps that would break new ground by sending the U.S. to Mars, added Cernan. He also said he believes that taking away the dream of human space exploration will have a negative impact on education. "We have a responsibility in our country to inspire our kids...

There is a saying in police work and in military service that certain very noxious, offensive substances always roll downhill. That is to say, foul-ups instigated by bad policy will always be blamed on the lowest possible links in the chain of command. Such is the case now in Afghanistan. Diana West writes extensively about U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal’s (pictured above with CIC Obama) “hearts and minds” Afghanistan counter-insurgency campaign: Sacrificing American lives by denying artillery and air support to our ground troops pinned down under heavy enemy fire is acceptable, because artillery and bombs may cause collateral damage...

President Obama and senior advisers last month considered—and rejected—the notion that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the accused Christmas Day underpants bomber, should be handed over to the U.S. military for interrogation and detention, NEWSWEEK has learned. The subject of whether Abdulmutallab should be transferred to military custody came up at a meeting the president held in the White House Situation Room in early January, shortly before the Justice Department announced it would proceed against him in the civilian court system, according to little-noticed statements made by one or more "senior administration officials" who gave a background briefing to White House reporters...