Free Republic

Strike one against the idea that "Washington insiders" are corrupted by power and can no longer think independently. Rather, new research based on experiments with college students who were primed to feel powerful suggests that, at least in some cases, power tends to shield people from outside opinions, leaving them to rely more on their own insights. While the study is not a knock-out blow to the long-held assumption that power corrupts, it does indicate the reality is more nuanced. It also suggests President-elect Barack Obama may be shielded from the influence of advisors once he is sworn in this...

Justice Samuel Alito was the featured keynote speaker at the American Spectator’s annual Robert L. Bartley dinner at Washington’s Mandarin Oriental hotel last night. Along with taking a crack at the new vice-president elect (h/t Politico), he also joked about the famous 2008 Obama campaign mantra of “Hope and Change.” (Eyeblast.tv has the audio uploaded here:)

President-elect Barack Obama and his former general election rival, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz), have come to an agreement on immigration, Senate Majority leader Harry Reid told the Detroit Free Press in a recent interview. Reid said the two standard-bearers have agreed to move forward on immigration legislation during Obama's White House tenure. "On immigration, there's been an agreement between Obama and McCain to move forward on that," Reidsaid when how Congress would handle immigration and healthcare with expanded Democratic majorities and Obama in the White House. Early on in their general election campaign, both McCain and Obama pledged to enact...

So right now it's... I get kind of amused when I look at the way the media is covering this guy. I'll tell you something else about Obama. You heard the concept. Remember when Donald Trump was in financial trouble, he couldn't pay back all the loans at this point in time that he owed various banks? So the banks had to rewrite and redo the loans, because Trump was too big to fail. If they let Trump fail... That whole philosophy... It's come back now -- and, by the way, Trump paid it all back. He's cool, fine, but...

Listen to this audio from a 1995 interview where Obama says a blatant race baiting statement implying that whites don't want to pay taxes to inner city children for them to go to school. The interview is full of defense on Obama's socialistic views on taxation, and other controversial remarks. It took the "new media" and blogs to dig this information up. This would have never seen the light of day if it were left up to the mainstream media. Now that it has been brought into the light, will the media pick up their fumbled ball and run with...

Now that It's becoming obvious based on Obama's own words that the guy is a communist, there's this talking point/narrative emerging out there that the reagans and annenberg were communists. You should know a few things about the annenberg challenge, if you don't already know. It was not Ayres by himself, his lonesome. He was not just a single terrorist who decided to ask for money. Ayres had help from two other people. Anne Hallet and Warren Chapman co authored the proposal. And Ayres had the backing of 70+ other groups and professors. Add in that Ayres had the backing...

Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton announced Wednesday that he believes Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden might try to influence next month's U.S. presidential election through a terrorist attack or some less dramatic tactic. "With so much at stake in these elections, Bin Laden will probably attempt to make his opinion count," wrote Bratton in an article published on the opinion page of the New York Daily News. Bratton co-wrote the article with R.P. Eddy, former director of counter-terrorism at the National Security Council.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Al-Qaida supporters suggested in a Web site message this week they would welcome a pre-election terror attack on the U.S. as a way to usher in a McCain presidency. The message, posted Monday on the password-protected al-Hesbah Web site, said if al-Qaida wants to exhaust the United States militarily and economically, "impetuous" Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain is the better choice because he is more likely to continue the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "This requires presence of an impetuous American leader such as McCain, who pledged to continue the war till the last American soldier,"...

just heard on this on tv and DUmmies board is also melting down over this. would anyone be able to speculate as to why this would have happened yesterday or today?

Joe Biden continues to try to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory for Barack Obama. In a stunning statement, Biden acknowledged that Obama’s lack of foreign-policy experience will provoke America’s enemies into creating an international crisis. Biden apparently thinks this is just terrific: ABC News’ Matthew Jaffe Reports: Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., on Sunday guaranteed that if elected, Sen. Barack Obama., D-Ill., will be tested by an international crisis within his first six months in power and he will need supporters to stand by him as he makes tough, and possibly unpopular, decisions. “Mark my words,” the Democratic vice...

Let's light this candle!

PREPARE for a new America: That's the message that the Rev. Jesse Jackson conveyed to participants in the first World Policy Forum, held at this French lakeside resort last week. He promised "fundamental changes" in US foreign policy - saying America must "heal wounds" it has caused to other nations, revive its alliances and apologize for the "arrogance of the Bush administration." The most important change would occur in the Middle East, where "decades of putting Israel's interests first" would end. Jackson believes that, although "Zionists who have controlled American policy for decades" remain strong, they'll lose a great deal...

FNC now saying investigations in 10 states. FBI now getting involved. ACORN says they are the victim because they can't control their workers.

My jaw hit the floor when I heard Biden say this: Here's what the president said when we said no. He insisted on elections on the West Bank, when I said, and others said, and Barack Obama said, "Big mistake. Hamas will win. You'll legitimize them." What happened? Hamas won. When we kicked -- along with France, we kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon, I said and Barack said, "Move NATO forces in there. Fill the vacuum, because if you don't know -- if you don't, Hezbollah will control it." Now what's happened? Hezbollah is a legitimate part of the government...

Sing for Change About Us Sing for Change was a confluence of hard work, good will, and shared vision. Inspired by ideas raised at a grassroots Obama fundraiser, a music teacher, Kathy Sawada, and the children composed and rehearsed the songs in less than two weeks. Several musicians heard of the effort and volunteered to accompany the children. Parents and older siblings designed and provided the T-Shirts and the banner. There’s a first for everything, but rarely do so many firsts come together at once: for the children and their parents, this is their first performance, first video, first banner,...

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was feted on Thursday night by left-wing U.S. religious leaders and self-styled pacifists at a gala reception at New York’s Hyatt hotel — which is owned by the family of the Obama campaign’s national finance chairperson, Penny Pritzker. Several thousand protesters gathered on 42nd street, directly across from the hotel, late Thursday afternoon, including Beth Gilinsky, president of the Jewish Action Alliance; Frank Gaffney, president of the Center for Security Policy; and the Rev. Keith Roderick, the Episcopal canon to persecuted Christians. Ahmadinejad arrived at 8:45 p.m., nearly three hours late, and was protected by the...

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was feted on Thursday night by left-wing U.S. religious leaders and self-styled pacifists at a gala reception at New York’s Hyatt hotel — which is owned by the family of the Obama campaign’s national finance chairperson, Penny Pritzker. Several thousand protesters gathered on 42nd street, directly across from the hotel, late Thursday afternoon, including Beth Gilinsky, president of the Jewish Action Alliance; Frank Gaffney, president of the Center for Security Policy; and the Rev. Keith Roderick, the Episcopal canon to persecuted Christians. Ahmadinejad arrived at 8:45 p.m., nearly three hours late, and was protected by the...

God bless you guys, we need you. You're our last great hope before the Democrats and RINOs push us all in and plunge us into full blown socialism. Hang tough!! By the way, just heard on FOX News something about the committees working on this bailout bill just had their Blackberries confiscated so they can't communicate with the outside world. I pray I misheard that.

An 11-year-old in Aurora, Colo., says his first amendment rights are being trampled after he was suspended for wearing a homemade shirt that reads "Obama is a terrorist's best friend."

RUSH: Obama is the next target for a bailout, I am convinced. Now, let me set this up. I'm sure that quite a few of you who are spending any time at all on the computer have received what I have received a gazillion times. By the way, as a little heads up, those of you out there who receive things in e-mail, these flash blast e-mails that go out: If you think I haven't seen it yet, change your mind. By the time you see it, I have seen it so many times, I have practically thrown the computer...

TO: SEN. BARACK OBAMA FROM: WILLIAM GALSTON SUBJ: ADJUST OR LOSE DATE: SEPTEMBER 16, 2008 I'll get right to the point: You are in danger of squandering an election most of us thought was unlosable. The reason is simple: on the electorate’s most important concern – the economy -- you have no clear message, and John McCain has filled the void with his own. This is more than my opinion. The Democracy Corps survey released yesterday proves the case beyond a reasonable doubt. Backed by a wealth of persuasive detail, here is the nub of their conclusion: In the absence...

The National Organization for Women (NOW) said Tuesday it had been pushed by the Republicans pick of Sarah Palin as vice presidential nominee to back Democrat Barack Obama for the White House. "NOW is going to be endorsing the Obama-Biden ticket," NOW head Kim Gandy told National Public Radio (NPR), referring to Obama and his running mate Joseph Biden. The 500,000-strong women's movement, which "very, very rarely endorses in a general election", broke with its tradition of neutrality after "the addition of Sarah Palin gave us a new sense of urgency," said Gandy. "She is being portrayed as a supporter...

Check it out.

At moments like this, one has to wonder whether Barack Obama regrets his running-mate selection. Going where Obama refused to go during his entire campaign, Joe Biden argued that voters in North Carolina should vote for Obama because of his skin pigmentation rather than his policies or accomplishments. Or perhaps it’s because of his cleanliness and articulation? Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden, campaigning in North Carolina where black votes could help swing the state to the Democrats, said today that electing a black person to the White House would be transformative. Biden said the policies of running mate Barack...

The union supporting, Democratic Party pushing, extreme leftist Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) has been caught trying to gerry rig voter applications in Michigan. It is looking like fraud on a massive scale in Detroit as ACORN tries to fill the Democrat voter rolls with fake Democrat voters. ACORN is being investigated after several Municipal Clerks discovered fraudulent and duplicate voter registration applications. The majority of the fraudulent and duplicate applications are coming from the liberal ACORN group based in Detroit, Michigan, which now has ACORN investigating the problem once again as well as the Secretary of...

Biden Stumps in Palin's ShadowDemocrats Split on Running Mate's Ability to Energize Base By Perry Bacon Jr. Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, September 14, 2008; Page A08 On Wednesday, thousands of people crowded into a Fairfax County park for Sen. John McCain's first rally in the Washington region with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, whose appearance drew the same sort of media attention that she has enjoyed since joining the GOP ticket just more than two weeks ago. The same day, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. hosted a town hall meeting in New Hampshire with a crowd of more than 800....

I am sure the NC Peace & Justice Coalition will appreciate us having this list of golden media contacts. Please make good use of it: Network/Cable Television ABC News 77 W. 66 St., New York, NY 10023 Phone: 212-456-7777 General e-mail: netaudr@abc.com Nightline: nightline@abcnews.com 20/20: 2020@abc.com CBS News 524 W. 57 St., New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-975-4321 Fax: 212-975-1893 Email forms for all CBS news programs CBS Evening News : evening@cbsnews.com The Early Show: earlyshow@cbs.com 60 Minutes II: 60II@cbsnews.com 48 Hours: 48hours@cbsnews.com Face The Nation: ftn@cbsnews.com CNN One CNN Center, Box 105366, Atlanta, GA 30303-5366 Phone: 404-827-1500 Fax: 404-827-1906...

During our nation’s history of Presidential campaigns, no candidate has ever been shrouded behind a cloak of secrecy more than Barack Hussein Obama. Speaking or writing his middle name is verboten in the hopes that this act alone will make his Muslim faith go away.

LANCASTER, Pa. — Pennsylvania has voted for Democrats for president since 1992. But no one ever said winning it would be as easy for Senator Barack Obama as, say, ladling some Cheez Whiz onto one of Pat’s steaks. In April he managed to insult the state’s rural voters, saying they cling to their guns and religion because they are bitter about their economic plight. And he lost the state’s primary to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. Since winning the Democratic nomination, his campaign has labored to secure his standing here. It has conducted a ferocious voter registration drive, flooded the airwaves...

...In a briefing for reporters Monday, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said they expected to hold all of the states won by Mr. Kerry in 2004, which gave him 251 electoral votes out of the 270 needed to win. Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has pulled back from Georgia, stepped up his campaign in Pennsylvania and Michigan, and poured attention on Ohio. The campaign hopes to take Iowa and New Mexico out of the Republican Party's column, which would push its total to 264 - putting it within six electoral votes that the campaign expects to find in at least...

NASHUA, New Hampshire (CNN) — Joe Biden told supporters at a town hall Wednesday afternoon that Barack Obama might have been better off choosing Hillary Clinton as his running mate. “Make no mistake about this, Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be vice president of the United States of America. Let’s get that straight,” Biden said testily when a voter told Biden he was glad the Delaware senator had been chosen and not Clinton. “She’s a truly close personal friend and she is qualified to be President of the United States of America, she’s...

Take a leap of faith. Assume Sen. Joe Biden is an intellectually rigorous man who never fails to act on his own convictions when he votes in the Senate -- and that he is especially careful in thinking things through when he votes on matters of life and death. Now, try to entertain Joe Biden's logic -- on a matter of life and death. "I'm prepared as a matter of faith to accept that life begins at the moment of conception," Biden said on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday. "But that is my judgment." Biden's implication is that it...

NEW YORK Barack Obama has been paraphrasing a line from a recent Tom Toles cartoon. In the drawing, The Washington Post/Universal Press Syndicate creator showed John McCain standing with Sarah Palin near the White House. The Republican presidential candidate says: "Watch out, Mr. Bush! With the exception of economic policy and energy policy and social issues and tax policy and foreign policy and Supreme Court appointments and Rove-style politics, we're coming in there to shake things up!" Obama, in a sarastic reference to McCain's supposed desire for change, initially used a version of the Toles-cartoon dialog without crediting the source....

Senator Joe Biden may be one of the McCain campaigns biggest assets. Almost every time he opens his mouth, you can bet that he will blurt out something that will end up getting him in trouble. Just recently, Biden said that if McCain-Palin were elected, it would be a "backward step for women." No mention of the fact that electing Biden would be a backward step in human evolution. But that's beside the point. With his slur of women fresh out of his mouth, comes this gem: "I hear all this talk about how the Republicans are going to work...

The Roman Empire was founded a republic. The people had somewhat voice in the goings on in the Roman Senate. Although not perfect it provided some liberty to the people. But with massive militaristic expansion into Europe and North Africa along with a slave revolt lead by Spartacus, adding to this corruption ignorance and apathy, it lead the way for Julius Caesar to become its first emperor. From then on, Rome was lead by a series of despots, some wise, courageous and brilliant, others evil, decadent and incompetent. It happened because good men stood by and allowed the state to...

Now that the Democrats are rabidly attacking Sarah Palin over the Alaskan Ketchikan bridge, claiming she lied about shutting down the project, it might be a good moment to point out that both Barack Obama and Joe Biden voted for the Bridge to Nowhere. Though Gov. Palin originally supported the earmark spending on the Bridge, she eventually killed the project choosing to spend the Federal money on other infrastructure programs. However, Sen. Biden and Sen. Obama voted for funding the Bridge, even when given a SECOND chance by Sen. Tom Coburn, who proposed shifting earmark funds to Katrina relief.

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...

While Sarah Palin was speaking to the Republican National Convention Wednesday night, Michelle Obama was hitting two Hollywood fundraisers, giving subtly different messages to different audiences. Patrick Range McDonald of LA Weekly, who covered the events as the designated pool reporter. Here's his description of the first stop of the night: Dressed in a purple tank top with a purple floral skirt and black high heels, Obama first addressed a largely gay and lesbian audience at the home of Bryan Lourd, managing partner of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), and Bruce Bozzi, Lourd's companion. The event was described by the Obama...

Return to the Article September 06, 2008Powerful video addressed to ObamaThomas Lifson This is clearly the must-watch video of the day. If you click it, stay the entire two minutes. I promise you the time is well-spent. Dear Mr. Obama

Barack Obama continues to hold a lead over John McCain, 49% to 42%, in the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update. The results are based on interviewing conducted Sept. 1-3. The vast majority of interviews on Wednesday evening were conducted before Sarah Palin gave her much-anticipated convention speech. However, the data do indicate that the initial first two nights of the convention -- the slimmed down Monday program in deference to Hurricane Gustav and Tuesday's speeches headlined by former senator Fred Thompson -- have, so far, done little to change voter preferences. Thursday's interviewing will be the first to reflect...

Biden quoted as saying that Israel will have to reconcile itself to a nuclear Iran Democratic vice-presidential candidate Joe Biden was quoted Monday as telling senior Israeli officials behind closed doors that the Jewish state will have to reconcile itself to a nuclear Iran. In the unsourced report, Army Radio also quoted Biden as saying that he opposed "opening a additional military and diplomatic front."

A son and a brother of Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate, are accused in two lawsuits of defrauding a former business partner and an investor of millions of dollars in a suspect hedge fund deal that went sour, court records show.

In the first nights of the convention we beheld the spectacle of deceptive speeches by such leftists as Michelle Obama, Mark Warner, Bill and Hill and others who made big speeches about how America will be Utopia on earth when they control the congress the senate and the white house and that everything wrong with America is the fault of George W Bush and the republican party. When Clinton ran things things were smooth, then the minute Bush took office everything went to hell. We at MainestateGop were also nearly sucked into the brouhaha of bashing Bush and praising Democrat...

After last night, there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that "He, Who's Middle Name Must Never Be Spoken", is a well rehearsed, finely groomed American superstar. What is the difference between someone like Brittney Spears and BHO? They both came out of nowhere. No one knew anything about them until the train wrecks were in sight. From day one they were told by their handlers what to do or say. How to act, how to respond, all to prefect the desired image. Everything choreographed and timed to make them appear appealing, flawless and charismatic. Make no doubt about...

The family of Joe Biden, who will be officially nominated as the vice presidential candidate of the Democratic Party's 'reform Washington' ticket with Barack Obama Thursday night, appears to be enmeshed in the same D.C. money game that Obama denounces. One of the senator's sons -- Hunter, a Washington lobbyist -- and the senator's brother, James --received a $1 million investment in their purchase of a hedge fund company from the senator's largest political donor, an Illinois law firm, SimmonsCooper. The brother and the son subsequently repaid the $1 million to the law firm, which specializes in representing asbestos victims....

LA Times: Biden son, brother invested with firm that lobbied him The L.A. Times is just popped a big story the Obama-Biden folks don't want to be reading the night the Delaware senator introduces himself to the nation: a potential conflict of interest involving Biden and one of the nation's biggest asbestos litigation law firms — which also happens to be his top contributor. The report seems to provide fuel to Obama supporters enraged Illinois senator picked a running mate with such deep ties to the D.C. cash-politics-lobbying world. Investigative reporters Chuck Neubauer and Tom Hamburger: "When Joe Biden’s brother...

Democrats Wednesday officially nominated Barack Obama to be their candidate for president, making him the first African-American to lead a major party ticket.

JOE BIDEN: HAIR WE CAN BELIEVE INAugust 27, 2008 Vice presidential candidate Joe Biden's speech at the Democratic National Convention was great. As I write, he hasn't given it yet, but these are my favorite parts: "General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all...

This is my parody design. Anyone who wants to print it up, at CafePress or elsewhere, is welcome to it

It has been clear for some time that Obama was not going to pick Hillary Clinton as his running mate. Whatever was necessary for this type of team wasn’t present for an Obama — Clinton ticket. That was my first choice, but it wasn’t meant to be. That said, when the news emerged that Obama had picked Joe Biden, I was excited and enthused about the news...