Free Republic

WASHINGTON — In the Middle East crisis, as on other issues, there are two Barack Obamas: the transformative historical figure and the pragmatic American president. Three months after a Tunisian fruit vendor set himself aflame and ignited a political firestorm across the Arab world, the president is trumping the trailblazer. With the spread of antigovernment protests from North Africa to the strategic, oil-rich Persian Gulf, President Obama has adopted a policy of restraint. He has concluded that his administration must shape its response country by country, aides say, recognizing a stark reality that American national security interests weigh as heavily...

Pelosi and the Tea Party 'Share Views' February 28, 2010 8:15 AM House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she has much in common with the Tea Party. The speaker now says she shares views with movement she dismissed last summer as being “Astroturf” -- her suggestion that the grassroots of the Tea Party were a creation of the Republican Party. In a “This Week” interview with ABC’s Elizabeth Vargas, Pelosi said, “We share some of the views of the Tea Partiers in terms of the role of special interest in Washington, D.C., as -- it just has to stop. And that's...

Interpol has issued wanted notices for 11 suspects in the murder of Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, but Dubai's police chief has asked that Interpol also call for the arrest of the head of Israel's spy agency. Dahi Khalfan Tamin told Dubai TV he had asked the international police agency to issue one of its "red notices" for the head of Mossad, "in case Mossad is believed to be behind the crime, which is likely now." A senior Israeli official who wished to remain anonymous told ABC News that if Dubai asks for the arrest of Mossad chief Meir Dagan, "They...

No WAY is Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis going to be the only one to answer for the acquisition of crappy Merrill Lynch and its crappy bonuses, "a person close to Lewis's defense team" (who may or may not be Ken Lewis himself) tells Charlie Gasparino today on the Daily Beast. NO WAY will he be a scapegoat, alone, for the people who twisted his arm to go through with the Merrill deal by telling him he would be fired if he didn't. "If this thing goes to trial you can expect both Paulson and Bernanke to be on...

Whaddya know? President Obama is talking up the economy. Based on a drop in the official unemployment rate to just below 10% (9.7%, to be exact), the president said today that "we are climbing out of the huge hole that we found ourselves in." Of-course, one can't miss the knock at the previous administration even in such a short statement, and even one designed to be cheering. Still, while his optimism is dubious, to say the least (on a day when total job losses during this recession were corrected up to 8.4 million from 7.2, and when his own budget...

Fort Hood / JimRob Connection? Much has been said about Nidal Hasan's name appearing on p. 29 of that notorious "Homeland Security" thinktank's report. But did you know that on page 34 is this? -       James Robinson (Denver Health) In all likelihood, this is one and the same JR, since it's such a rarely seen name, and since Denver is practically right next door to Sacremento. This poses some serious questions, folks! What were JR and NH doing at the same conference, and when did they know it? What does this say about N. Hasan's connection with...

Two terrorists were mauled to death and another seriously wounded after a bear attacked their hideout in a forest area in south Kashmir [ Images ], a senior police officer said. He said the bear as per the intercepts of militants attacked a hideout of the Hizbul Mujaheedin outfit in the forest area near Damhal Hanjipora in south Kashmir Shopian district.

CIA Offers to Determine When Pelosi Knew by Scott Ott for ScrappleFace (2009-05-12) — In an effort to clarify exactly when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi knew that the U.S. employed enhanced interrogation techniques, like waterboarding, on terrorists, the CIA today offered to question the California Democrat. “With the passage of time, memory gets clouded,” said a CIA source who spoke on condition of anonymity. “But we have learned how to clear away the clouds, and bring into sharp focus the relevant details.” Rep. Pelosi initially said she had not been briefed on the harsh interrogation methods, then said she thought...

Joe Biden just told people not to ride the subway or ride airplanes. He also called Matt "Sam".

Frank: "Recently, I was honored to be selected as a judge at a chile cook-off. The original person called in sick at the last moment, and I happened to be standing there at the judge's table, asking for directions to the Coors Light truck, when the call came in. I was assured by the other two judges (Native New Mexicans) that the chili wouldn't be all that spicy; and, besides, they told me I could have free beer during the tasting, so I accepted and became Judge 3." Here are the scorecard notes from the event: CHILE # 1 -...

Dear MoveOn member, Yesterday was John McCain's 72nd birthday. If elected, he'd be the oldest president ever inaugurated. And after months of slamming Barack Obama for "inexperience," here's who John McCain has chosen to be one heartbeat away from the presidency: a right-wing religious conservative with no foreign policy experience, who until recently was mayor of a town of 9,000 people. Huh? Who is Sarah Palin? Here's some basic background: She was elected Alaska's governor a little over a year and a half ago. Her previous office was mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside Anchorage. She has no foreign...

Click the link to watch. The video is over 3 minutes long, and the part where Elizabeth Kucinich said this is at about "-1:00."

Suppose the GOP candidate in ‘08 were a conservative who communicates better than George W., has excellent executive experience, knows how to appeal to a wide range of voters, and runs on constructive conservative ideas? Of all the current candidates, only Governor Mitt Romney fits that bill. With Hillary heading the Dem pack, a strong GOP candidate is essential. We live in dangerous times, and the Dems are still hiding their heads in the sand—so a strong GOP president in 2008 may turn out to be crucial for national security. Romney is a personally attractive candidate, but he’s more than...

The politically charged documentary "Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing" has been picked up for worldwide distribution by the Weinstein Co. A release is tentatively scheduled for the fall, possibly right before the November elections. The film revolves around the aftermath of singer Natalie Maines' statement at a 2003 London concert, where she said, "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas." It chronicles death threats, political attacks and radio boycotts against the country trio, and that could make the film a political hot potato as well as potential ammo should longtime Democratic...

Apparently, C-Span has been editing its coverage of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on the Alito nomination. Here's the tape they don't want you to see. At this time the Chair recognizes the senator from Delaware - Senator Biden.     I'll be with you shortly.     Senator, this committe is in session, so if you're not prepared, we'll come back to you later.     Just hold on, I think I'm almost done.     I'd like to remind my good friend that we don't have time to wait for him while he...     And I'd like to remind my good friend that the American people want...

George Galloway being petted by Rula Lenska A petition is being launched in the House of Commons accusing the Respect MP George Galloway of egotism for taking part in Celebrity Big Brother. Cabinet minister Hilary Armstrong has accused him of missing a debate in the House of Commons on the Crossrail project. The scheme directly affects his constituency in East London. The petition reads: "We believe this egotistical action shows a shameful lack of respect for the people of this constituency. "We call on him to represent and respect his constituents, not further his own ego, as he is...

In an effort to “make lemonade from lemons”, an international coalition of Islamic sects today announced it would launch a sophisticated new public relations campaign to burnish the religion’s image by capitalizing on the popular association of Islam with “responsibility.” The move comes in the wake of riots by Muslim youth in France and major bombings by Muslim suicide bombers in Jordan and Iraq. “Our research shows that people associate Mormons with family, Buddhists and Hindus with non-violence and Muslims with responsibility,” said an unnamed spokesman for Federated Islamic Religious Entities. “When major news breaks around the world, it’s usually...

...pollster Zogby yesterday, showing how much ground Smits's Santos lost to Alda's Vinick in the debate, despite obvious efforts to make Santos look heroic. Before the episode, viewers between 18 and 29 preferred Santos over Vinick, 54 percent to 37 percent. But after the debate, in which veteran Alda gutted pretty-boy Smits without him even knowing it, Vinick now leads among viewers under age 30, 56 percent to 42 percent.

Cindy Sheehan, a/k/a the "peace mom," probably never intended to sound like a candidate, but she did. Sheehan, the activist who became the face of anti-war sentiment after camping outside President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, last summer, had just mounted the podium at the Brooklyn Peace Fair on October 22. And already she was getting political. "Maybe later we'll talk about your senators," she said, provoking a wave of booing and hissing from the 200-plus crowd. Sheehan, whose 24-year-old son Casey was killed in Iraq in April 2004, was referring to both of New York's "pro-war Democrats," as she...

Letter From the Editor On Monday, Sept. 19, NYTimes.com will launch a new subscription service, TimesSelect, an important step in the development of The New York Times. Subscribers to TimesSelect will have exclusive online access to many of our most influential columnists in Op-Ed, Business, New York/Region and Sports. In addition to reading the columns, TimesSelect subscribers can also engage with our columnists through video interviews and Web-only postings. All of our news, features, editorials and analysis will remain free to readers of NYTimes.com, as will our interactive graphics, multimedia and popular video minutes. [snip]