Free Republic

Considering how pessimistic Western analysts and policymakers have recently become about Ukraine’s chances in Russia’s imperialist war, Ukrainians should be even gloomier. They’re the ones doing the fighting and the dying. Russian missiles are destroying their country. Their people are the targets of the Kremlin’s genocidal urges. In fact, Ukrainians remain bullish about their country’s future. To be sure, not quite as bullish as a year ago, but bullish nonetheless.

Americans are more optimistic about the future of Social Security than they have been in recent years, a new survey from Gallup found. Among non-retirees, 50 percent expect Social Security to pay them a benefit when they retire, compared to 47 percent who do not think the system will help them. The response from non-retirees is up from readings taken between 2005 and 2015, when majorities of non-retirees polled said they did not think that they would receive benefits from the system, Gallup found. Current retirees believe they will continue to receive full benefits under Social Security.

President Joe Biden expressed optimism Friday about Democrat chances in the midterm elections, despite polls showing support shifting toward Republicans. “I feel really good about our chances,” he told reporters, speaking briefly about the upcoming elections before boarding Air Force One. Biden expressed confidence about the midterms after leaving a campaign event in California Friday evening for a trip to Chicago for another event.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has reportedly changed his mind on Republican chances of retaking control of the Senate in the midterm elections. Previously in doubt that Sen. Rick Scott’s (R-FL) plan at the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) would yield positive results, McConnell was cautiously optimistic Republicans will gain the majority, the Chamber of Commerce told Axios. McConnell attended a closed-door meeting on Monday at the chamber, where he said Republicans’ chances of retaking the Senate have improved. McConnell has previously claimed it was more likely Republicans would retake the House than the Senate. McConnell’s words are notable because he...

(CNN)Poll of the week: A new Gallup poll finds that 59.2% of Americans say they're thriving. Additionally, 73% of Americans said they experienced enjoyment for a lot of the previous day.The former is the highest rating Gallup has ever recorded on the measure dating back to when it was first taken more than 13 years ago. The latter is the highest since the coronavirus pandemic began early last year. What's the point: The last year has been tough for a lot of Americans. Among other issues, the coronavirus dominated our lives, and there was a very contentious presidential election. But...

Nationwide Covid surges and a disappointingly slow vaccine rollout notwithstanding, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci reiterated over the weekend his belief that live theater venues could reopen during fall 2021. Participating in a virtual conference held Saturday by the Association of Performing Arts Professionals, Fauci said that, depending on the vaccine rollout, the reopening of live venues “will occur some time in the fall of 2021.” By the “early to mid-fall,” the infectious disease expert said, “you can have people feeling safe performing onstage as well as people in the audience.

Americans from all corners of the economy seem to be enjoying the conditions a lot more since the election of Donald Trump. Nearly every measure of consumer, business, or executive confidence has gained in the month since the election according to Michelle Meyer, chief US economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. "The data clearly show that consumers, investors, and business CEOs have all become more optimistic since the election," wrote Meyer in a note to clients on Thursday. Everything from regional manufacturing indexes to consumer confidence surveys to investor sentiment have ticked up since November 8. The only survey...

US Secretary of State John Kerry said that in his opinion, it is possible for Israel and the PA to come to political agreements in the coming months, before US President Obama leaves his office. Kerry began his meeting with Netanyahu by saying that the US is concerned about security and stability in the Middle East, and feels obligated to protect the two-state solution (as he put it). "We hope to find a way to take advantage of our friendship and advance what we believe to be the top priority in ensuring Israel's security and creating new relationships in the...

I was dazzled with the first CGI commercial that showed a wife and husband drawing lines on their walls and the lines turning (with CGI magic) into fabulous home improvements. I just saw a CGI with Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal fixing up their bird house, then one with Family Squirrel solving their overflow acorn storage problem. Hey. Everything doesn't have to be doom and gloom. Seems like there's better art in commercials than on the shows themselves.

WASHINGTON, May 5, 2010 – The Pentagon’s top policy official told Congress today she’s “cautiously optimistic” about progress in Afghanistan as the new strategy there begins to show signs of success. “I believe we are achieving success. We are on the right road for the first time in a long time in Afghanistan,” Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy told the House Armed Services Committee. “I would argue for the first time, we finally have the right mission, the right strategy, the right leadership team in place. And we have marshaled both the international and Afghan resources, civilian and...

In light of the present conditions plaguing our country and what seems to be the disintegration of the Republican Party, Conservatives have been on suicide alert - all the way from the top to the bottom. As well as being ostracized from their own party, Conservatives have been labeled and slandered by the Democratic Left and its powerful Mainstream Media allies. For their ideals of moral accountability and responsibility, Conservatives are also despised by the socially dependent masses. In the midst of the current crisis – or rather, crises - and lack of conservative leadership, Rush Limbaugh has been appointed...

We all know the Media has been selling this election for Obama for nearly a year. Don’t take my word for it – just ask the Clinton’s. We are all told that there is but a slim reed of hope for McCain. However, there is an interesting dynamic which adds to the potential of a McCain victory. While the Media has been selling a victory for Obama – the Democrats have not been brandishing their internal polls. Why not? If things were going so well for them, why wouldn’t they be pushing their polling showing their huge lead so that...

Afghanistan: Top U.S. Commander Optimistic On Developments In Eastern Region Afghan National Army soldiers (file photo) (AFP) August 4, 2007 -- A top U.S. commander in eastern Afghanistan says the country's armed forces are increasingly able to hold their own against insurgents in one of the country’s more troubled areas. Speaking this week in a video-link news briefing from the Bagram airfield in Afghanistan, Brigadier General Joseph Votel, deputy commander of NATO's regional eastern command, praised the Afghan National Army's growing competence. He also praised its ability to cooperate not only with NATO forces, but also with local authorities and...

Just when it seems the darkest in Iraq, the people there seem to believe otherwise. I admit, like many other Americans, to being war-weary. And who could blame Americans for getting tired of seeing the daily carnage in Iraq, like today's chlorine gas attack? Yet three articles from the Times Online today show that, from an Iraqi perspective, removing Saddam was the right thing to do, and that Bush's troop surge should be given a chance to work. These articles confirm my belief that the top leadership of the Democratic Party, not necessarily the rank and file, want to see...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29, 2007 – Fed up with al Qaeda’s murderous rampage in the region, local tribes in the Iraq’s Anbar province have endorsed and joined local government efforts to drive out insurgents and establish security in the area, the commander of Multinational Force West said today. The newfound support has given Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Richard Zilmer “guarded optimism” about the progress made in that region in the past year, and he said the extra Marines earmarked for that area in the president’s planned troop increase will help secure that progress. The past year has been a fight...

Lt. Gen. Graeme Lamb, senior British Military Representative in Iraq and deputy commander of Multi-National Force-Iraq, explains how the new plan for Baghdad is showing results. Photo By U.S. Army Pfc. Lajuan Hickman, Combined Press Information Center. BAGHDAD -- Iraqi progress was discussed during a press conference with the Pentagon Press Corps Friday. The event was conducted via satellite at the Combined Press Information Center in the International Zone.Lt. Gen. Graeme Lamb, senior British Military Representative in Iraq and deputy commander of Multi-National Force-Iraq, discussed the status of the Iraqi government and security forces. “We are judged by our actions...

Some will call her a dose of reality, others will call her overly cautious. Either way, the Legislature's nonpartisan budget analyst has taken a quick glance at Governor Schwarzenegger's budget and finds it lacking in realistic solutions to the state's fiscal problems. Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill's bottom line is nicely summed up in one sentence: "While any budget is subject to risks and uncertainties, we believe that the number and magnitude of these risks is unusually high in the current plan." And that's coming from someone who's read a lot of optimistic budget proposals from governors in the past. Hill's...

MEXICO CITY A day after meeting with President Bush, Mexico President-elect Felipe Calderon said Friday he was optimistic Washington will push through a comprehensive immigration overhaul. Calderon made the comments during a meeting with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is a strong supporter of a guest-worker program. Schwarzenegger, on a two-day trade mission to Mexico, was accompanied by California farmers who have complained that a crackdown on immigration has caused them labor shortages. During his visit, the governor said a planned U.S. border wall is "an incomplete way" of solving illegal immigration and said both California and Mexico would benefit from...

WASHINGTON, Sep. 1, 2006 – The commander of coalition forces in East Baghdad is “cautiously optimistic” for the future in his area of operations. Army Col. Thomas Vail, commander of the 506th Regimental Combat Team, told Pentagon reporters via a teleconference from Baghdad that Operation Together Forward is having an effect in his area. The 506th is the 4th Brigade of the Multinational Division Baghdad, and covers an area of 1,500 square kilometers with 5 million people. Operation Together Forward is trhe main effort in the region. The Iraqi-planned and -run operation is cutting in to the sectarian violence in...

Is it possible to change a society? Has there ever been a time in history when progress could be measured against the spiritual and cultural decay of a previous era? When the church suffers a setback after a period of progress, is this a sign of the end, or does the possibility exist that God will graciously redeem and restore His people? What has the church’s position been toward social reform? Has social reform hindered the work of the gospel or has the lack of evangelical social reform been an obstacle to gospel proclamation? The church has always struggled to...