Free Republic

The Democrats did not lose a 2-1 squeaker last night. They lost two huge races, saw an overall evaporation of 25 basis points of support -- and lost by nearly 500,000 cumulative votes in the three high-profile elections. Or put another way, Republicans won two races decided by millions of voters -- and Democrats won a small race dominated by party operatives. In addition, the GOP made some historic gains in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Washington state special elections to boot. In the context of Bob McDonnell's huge win in Virginia and Chris Christie's surprisingly comfortable win in New Jersey, of...

Shannon Valentine has conceded the election for the 23rd house district to Dr. Scott Garrett. Chair of the Lynchburg Democrat party, John Lawrence, said Wednesday afternoon that Valentine will not seek a recount. Stay with ABC 13 for the latest on this.

Robert F. McDonnell scored a landslide victory over R. Creigh Deeds in the Virginia gubernatorial election Tuesday night as Republicans swept the state's top three offices and ended nearly a decade of Democratic dominance at the top of the ticket. Mr. McDonnell, a former attorney general, captured strong support from independents and voters in the Northern Virginia exurbs of Prince William and Loudoun counties that had been key to President Obama's unexpected victory in the state in 2008.

WASHINGTON – Independents who swept Barack Obama to a historic 2008 victory broke big for Republicans on Tuesday as the GOP wrested political control from Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey, a troubling sign for the president and his party heading into an important midterm election year. Conservative Republican Bob McDonnell's victory in the Virginia governor's race over Democrat R. Creigh Deeds and moderate Republican Chris Christie's ouster of unpopular New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine was a double-barreled triumph for a party looking to rebuild after being booted from power in national elections in 2006 and 2008...

Fox News just called the Virginia gubernatorial race for Republican Bob McDonnell. Exit polls show him defeating Democrat Creigh Deeds in a landslide. Republicans also have captured the Lt. Governor and Attorney General spots, making it a clean sweep.

Obummer thought it was pretty cute to use analogy of a (socialist) mop last week. I think the analogy might be more like a capitalistic broom for what may be coming this Tuesday. I can hear the dems shaking tonight on Halloween! And it isn't because it's Halloween. I'm stoked. Freepers thought please.

<p>Republicans rallying this morning in Springfield had a new prop: A broom that read "McBolliNelli" on the handle.</p> <p>The Republican ticket is stumping throughout the state Saturday but began with a traditional GOP pep rally at Interstate Van Lines in Springfield. Gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell was joined by ticket mates Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, attorney general candidate Sen. Ken Cuccinelli and a variety for Republican luminaries, including Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, chairman of the Republican Governors Association.</p>

KOTALAK, Afghanistan (AFP) – An elderly Afghan woman, her hair dyed red and a black shawl draped over her shoulders, shouts as she aims a gun at US Marines who are arresting her husband as a suspected Taliban insurgent. A Marine points his assault rifle at her and is ready to pull the trigger until the woman drops her rusty pistol. Members of the 2nd Battalion 3rd Marines, accompanied by Afghan soldiers, were sweeping villages for militants early this week as part of Operation Germinate. The aim of the operation was to reduce the threat of home-made bombs -- ...(IEDs)...

Operation Falcon, a multiagency effort led by the U.S. Marshals Service, nabbed 258 fugitives in Minnesota during the week of June 22, officials announced Thursday. Fugitives included 18 sex offenders and at least nine known gang members, and all of the fugitives were considered violent, officials said. The number of arrests this year during the one-week sweep from Duluth to Rochester doubled the number of arrests last year, said Michael McGinn, U.S. marshal for the state of Minnesota.

Looks like McCain is headed for a southern sweep, as predicted I might add. Coming soon my first official Electoral College recap. I remind you that in 04 I only missed New Hampshire. Ignore all other Electoral College recaps but mine.

....... Among the 36, six had criminal convictions along with their immigration violations. In a news release, ICE highlighted two of the people arrested: • Merido Mazariegos, 32, of Guatemala, convicted of fifth-degree assault in Minnesota's Nobles County. • Jose Inocente Garcia-Huix, 38, of Guatemala, convicted in Nobles County last year for forging two state identification cards under aliases.

**EXCERPT** WHITE MARSH, Maryland (CNN) — Hillary Clinton on Monday explained away Barack Obama's clean sweep of the weekend's caucuses and primaries as a product of a caucus system that favors "activists" and, in the case of the Louisiana primary, an energized African-American community.She told reporters who had gathered to watch her tour a General Motors plant here that "everybody knew, you all knew, what the likely outcome of these recent contests were.""These are caucus states by and large, or in the case of Louisiana, you know, a very strong and very proud African-American electorate, which I totally respect and...

**EXCERPT** Hillary Rodham Clinton had hoped her strong showing on Super Tuesday would halt Barack Obama's momentum - but that notion was shattered yesterday as Obama scored blowouts in Washington state, Louisiana and Nebraska. The Clinton camp had tried to downplay the widely anticipated losses as old news - and her campaign had ceded Louisiana and Nebraska to save their resources for the bigger March 4 contests in Texas and Ohio. But the big wins for Obama could fuel the perception that he's on a roll, and victories could be scarce for Clinton over the next few weeks if she...

Coleman, Dems sweep City Hall(Click for details)

Colorado now has won 7 straight playoff games, 8 if you count the play-in game against the Padres, and have lost only one game in the last month. They now await the winner of the Indians - Red Sox series, which the Indians lead 2 games to 1.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - First, American soldiers scoured the home for weapons as four veiled Iraqi women cowered on a dusty rug. Then a platoon sergeant politely wiped his muddy boots, came in and talked to the family about the violence suffocating their city. Staff Sgt. Michael James of the Army's 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment came with his platoon on a search-and-seizure mission. But he was careful to follow up with expressions of respect and concern. "Tell them, 'Thank you,' for their hospitality," James asked his translator. U.S. troops are working hard to strike a tricky balance between force and...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. and Iraqi forces pushed deeper Thursday into Sunni militant strongholds in Baghdad — where cars rigged with explosives greeted their advance — while British-led teams in southern Iraq used shipping containers to block suspected weapon smuggling routes from Iran. The series of car bomb blasts, which killed at least seven civilians, touched all corners of Baghdad. But it did little to disrupt a security sweep seeking to weaken militia groups' ability to fight U.S.-allied forces — and each other — as Iraq slips further into factional bloodshed. The attacks, however, pointed to the critical struggle to...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Thousands of U.S. troops swept house-to-house through mostly Shiite areas near a militia stronghold Wednesday in the opening phase of the long-awaited Baghdad security crackdown. The clearing operation began as Iraqi forces set up new checkpoints across the city of 6 million people, snarling traffic and forcing Iraqis to stream across bridges on foot. The neighborhoods targeted by the Americans are north of the Shiite militia stronghold of Sadr City, which had been off-limits until Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki lifted his protection of them. Some 2,500-3,000 troops — or an entire Stryker brigade — fanned out in...

SANTA ANA Federal immigration officials said Tuesday they arrested more than 750 illegal immigrant fugitives from 14 countries in what they described as one of the biggest such sweeps in U.S. history. The weeklong series of raids in the five-county Los Angeles region targeted illegal immigrants who had previously been deported for crimes or had ignored final deportation orders. The raids netted 338 illegal immigrants who were arrested at their homes and apartments and 423 who were identified in area jails since Jan. 17. Those already jailed will be transferred to federal custody when they finish serving their state sentences,...

The immigration raids on meatpacking plants in six states were the largest sweep of their kind against a single company and resulted in the arrests of 1,282 suspected illegal immigrants, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said yesterday. The raids early Tuesday of facilities owned by meatpacking giant Swift & Co., based in Greeley, Colo., were followed by immigration charges against 18 percent of the 7,250 workers scheduled to work the morning shift, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said. More than 100 people were charged with crimes that included identity theft, Chertoff said, and that number is expected to grow. Federal...

WASHINGTON Supreme Court justices raised questions Tuesday about the conviction of a Peruvian immigrant on charges stemming from a car theft in California, raising doubts about whether they will go along with deporting him. The justices were mulling whether conviction on state charges of aiding and abetting a car theft rise to level envisioned by Congress when the Immigration and Nationality Act was passed allowing for deportation of immigrants found guilty of aggravated felonies. Luis Alexander Duenas-Alvarez was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to a theft charge in California. His attorney, Christopher Meade, argued that the...

Democrats pledge array of investigations By KEVIN FREKING, Associated Press Writer 12 minutes ago The incoming chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee is promising an array of oversight investigations that could provoke sharp disagreement with Republicans and the White House. Rep. John Dingell (news, bio, voting record), D-Mich., pledged that Democrats, swept to power in the Nov. 7 elections, would govern "in the middle" next year. But the veteran lawmaker has a reputation as one who has never avoided a fight and he did not back away from that reputation on Sunday. Among the investigations he said he...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2006 -- Iraqi soldiers swept a northern area in Iraq yesterday with the help of U.S. and coalition forces, military officials reported. Meanwhile, Iraqi police and coalition forces captured cell members in separate raids in Baghdad, and terrorists trying to set a roadside bomb blew themselves up western Mosul. More than 1,000 Iraqi soldiers with the 2nd Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division, and coalition forces began conducting cordon-and-search operations in the Zytoon and Rashad valleys yesterday to clear several villages of possible insurgents and unauthorized weapons near Iraq’s northern city of Kirkuk. Insurgent forces were reported...

Police Sweep Paris Suburb After Attack Tuesday September 26, 2006 4:01 AM PARIS (AP) - More than 200 police raided a neighborhood Monday in suburban Paris where a band of youths attacked riot police last week and seriously wounded one officer, reviving memories of the violence that raged in poor French suburbs last year. Twelve people were detained in the early morning sweep in Corbeil-Essonnes south of the capital, the local prosecutor said. A band of up to 30 youths armed with makeshift weapons attacked two riot police patrolling a housing project in Corbeil-Essonnes last Tuesday. One suffered a double...

FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Federal agents conducting a sweep aimed at illegal immigrants detained 58 civilian workers Tuesday as they tried to enter Fort Bragg with suspected false or fraudulently obtained identification, officials said. Almost all of them were construction workers, officials said. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, U.S. marshals and FBI agents worked with the military on the sweep, which was conducted between 6 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. when most of the thousands of soldiers and civilian workers who live off the post enter the gates. "Today's operation was part of our ongoing force protection measures," said post...

IRAQ'S prime minister launched a security crackdown against al-Qaeda in Baghdad today but extended an olive branch to Sunni rebels who want to join the political process in a twin strategy to ease violence. Backed by tanks and armoured vehicles, about 50,000 Iraqi security forces and 7200 US-led troops were deployed across Baghdad, setting up checkpoints and patrolling streets in the strife-torn capital, officials said. Clashes erupted between gunmen and Iraqi troops and a car bomb killed two people, but the clampdown appeared to help keep violence at bay in a city hit almost daily by carnage and kidnappings. In...

A man charged with raping an Escondido teenager 10 years ago was among more than 9,000 fugitives arrested last week in a 27-state roundup of people wanted by law enforcement, authorities said yesterday. In addition, 193 San Diego and Imperial County fugitives, including five murder suspects, were also swept up in the local roundup. The effort, dubbed Operation Falcon II, focused on people wanted for sex crimes but also found men and women wanted on homicide, drug and other charges, including 194 in San Diego and Imperial counties. Some failed to appear after being granted bail, others failed to stay...

RIALTO - Like a Trojan horse rolling into an unsuspecting camp, an average U-Haul truck packed with heavily-armed SWAT officers led a multi-agency incursion into one of the city's most crime-laden neighborhoods. During "Operation Lucky Charms," a St. Patrick's Day sweep of East Jackson Street, police arrested 29 people and seized 13.5 pounds of marijuana, 2.5 ounces of crack cocaine and eight firearms, according to Lt. Tony Farrar. Led by Rialto police and SWAT officers, the six-agency collaborative included San Bernardino and Colton SMASH units and comprised a total force of about 75 officers. The 7 a.m. sweep Friday was...

OCEANSIDE – Police and federal investigators arrested 41 suspected gang members with ties to violent street gangs in three North County cities during a weeklong sweep, officials announced Friday. The arrests were made from Feb. 24 to March 2 in Escondido, Oceanside and San Marcos as part of Operation Community Shield, a nationwide anti-gang initiative targeting foreign gang members. Most of the people arrested in the sweep have criminal records, said Serge Duarte, acting special agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Those arrested included seven juveniles and an 18-year-old man with two prior convictions for battery causing...

AR RAMADI, Iraq (Army News Service, Nov. 9, 2005) – Operation Steel Curtain continued into its fifth day as Iraqi forces and U.S. Soldiers and Marines completed clearing operations to root out any remaining insurgents in Husaybah, near the Syrian border. By the fourth day of the operation, 180 suspected terrorist had been detained and 17 large weapons caches had been discovered. Iraqi Army soldiers and U.S. forces set conditions for a permanent security presence within the city of Husaybah, officials said. They said patrols and raids were also being conducted to clear out any remaining al Qaeda-led insurgents. Husaybah...

AR RAMADI, Iraq (Oct. 22, 2005) -- Two platoons from 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, along with two Army units and a company from the Iraqi Security Force, took part in Operation Bowie, Oct.2 through the 4 in order to disrupt insurgent positions in southern Ar Ramadi. The operation, which was the first major operation conducted by the battalion since arriving in Iraq a few weeks ago, was the first to be held in the known insurgent stronghold of the Humara District since the Marines of 1st Battalion, 5th Marines patrolled the area in July. “We conducted a cordon and...

Kidnapping, Murder Sweep Nuevo Laredo Friday, August 05, 2005 NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico — A city official in charge of public security was gunned down along with another man in the downtown area of the embattled city of Nuevo Laredo on Friday. According to reports, it appeared to be an organized hit involving two cars. Nuevo Laredo, just cross the border from the United States, has become one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Rival drug cartels have turned the city into a war zone as they battle for control of the lucrative illegal drug market in the U.S....

An ongoing sweep of the Iraqi capital has reduced car bombings but increased other kinds of attacks, a senior US military source said Friday. "Car bombs are down, roadside bombs are down and we've captured around 1,000 suspects. But we can't declare victory," the source said of Baghdad's Operation Lightning. Conversely, he said, there are more drive-by shootings. "We think that's another way, though much less effective, to keep up violence," the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told a small group of journalists. The idea for Operation Lightning was put forward by the interior and defence ministries, he...

Martha Stewart had Camp Cupcake. What is the Mexican equivalent for a prison that is absurdly cushy and pleasant? Camp Pan Dulce? Whatever tag such a prison receives, the facility exists, and it makes a mockery of the justice system in Mexico. As part of his push against the powerful drug cartels, President Vicente Fox ordered a sweep of a federal penitentiary in Nuevo Laredo, the site of some of the worst violence on the border. About 200 soldiers and police swept through the cells in the facility Tuesday, confiscating cell phones, televisions and firearms, including AK-47s, according to the...

Yankees look for sweep; Astros try to pull even October 17, 2004 BRISTOL, Connecticut (Ticker) - After a record-breaking rout against the Boston Red Sox in Game Three, the New York Yankees are on the verge of their 40th World Series appearance. The Yankees - and the two teams combined - set a League Championship Series record for runs scored in a 19-8 rout of the Red Sox on Saturday, taking a three games to none lead. Of the 25 instances when a team has taken such a best-of-seven series lead previously, it has closed out the series in four...

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Last week I suggested that the people Kerry hired to run his campaign were incompetent and/or probably do not want him to win. Most have strong Clinton loyalties. This week, we hear rumbles that heads are about to roll among the Kerry-Edwards campaign staff. Of course, there is no way I would believe Kerry reads my babble -- or would act on the information even if he did. But, I'll reiterate: Kerry couldn't be running a worse campaign if he tried. That's a problem for me, too, actually. Kerry is just too darn easy of a target. Look at it...

ATHENS, Greece - After his stunning victory in the Olympic 400 meters, Jeremy Wariner seemed as cool as he did cruising down the stretch in sunglasses, two earrings and a jingling necklace. Picking up where Michael Johnson left off, Wariner became the sixth straight American to win the Olympic 400 title, leading a U.S. sweep of the medals Monday. Wariner finished in 44.00 seconds - a personal best and the fastest time in the world this year. He was followed by silver medalist Otis Harris (44.16) and bronze medalist Derrick Brew (44.42). Asked whether he had ever had a bigger...

Published Saturday June 26, 2004 Police defend DNA sweep on black men BY TODD COOPER WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER The black men subjected to surprise DNA tests this week by Omaha police dubbed the process degrading and likened it to a cattle call. Legal groups, citing civil rights concerns, blasted it as a dragnet that cast young black men as suspects based on vague information. Omaha police, meanwhile, called it an essential investigative tool in their attempt to catch a serial rapist. And experts say it is sure to become the latest legal battleground as DNA technology develops faster than the...

GAINESVILLE - Environmental crimes were the target of a recent first-of-its-kind sweep of several Gainesville neighborhoods by the Gainesville-Hall County Enforcement Division. Officers of the Gainesville-Hall County Enforcement Division conducted the sweep on these streets: Rainey Street, Woods Mill Road, and Rosewood, Cardinal, Teakwood, Shaw and Smith Drives. A total of 105 properties were visited. Fifty-eight properties had no violations and were left with an informational Neighborhood sweep pamphlet. "We are planning to target 50 to 75 homes in a sweep area with a clean up of 80% in 20 days or less..." Lt. Scott Martin The number of violations...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The presidential race is unformed, the House and Senate candidates just stirring and the dominant issues undefined. But based solely on the seats likeliest to be competitive, the early terrain favors Republicans in 2004 as they seek to defend or even pad their congressional majorities. That's true in the battle for the Senate, where the GOP casts a covetous eye on four Southern seats, one where a Democratic incumbent is retiring and three more where they may. And it's the case, as well, in the House, where roughly equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats won narrow races...

NEW YORK - As Republicans fix their eyes on the 2004 election, there is a growing sense that their party may be facing a set of opportunities not seen in years. Not only are they heading into a presidential cycle with a popular incumbent and a sizable fund-raising advantage over any opponent, but the GOP also looks to be in a strong position to expand its majorities in the US Senate and House. If Republicans are able to pull off across-the-board wins, the outcome could transform the nation's politics. Coming on the heels of the 2002 elections - which gave...

NEW YORK – As Republicans fix their eyes on the 2004 election, there is a growing sense that their party may be facing a set of opportunities not seen in years. Not only are they heading into a presidential cycle with a popular incumbent and a sizable fund-raising advantage over any opponent, but the GOP also looks to be in a strong position to expand its majorities in the US Senate and House. If Republicans are able to pull off across-the-board wins, the outcome could transform the nation's politics. Coming on the heels of the 2002 elections - which gave...

Living out in the sticks has its advantages. For one thing, there's at least a slim chance that the wildly incompetent person screwing up your life behind the counter may get fired. For another, we're not stunned by election results that demonstrate Americans can think. When Republicans swept the elections last Tuesday, official punditry fell into paroxysms of self-doubt. How did so many get it so wrong? What did we miss? With hindsight, the answer seemed clear and went something like this: Democrats criticized Republicans but offered no substantive alternatives. Seems simple enough, but the truer answer may be even...

Living out in the sticks has its advantages. For one thing, there's at least a slim chance that the wildly incompetent person screwing up your life behind the counter may get fired. For another, we're not stunned by election results that demonstrate Americans can think.When Republicans swept the elections Tuesday, official punditry fell into paroxysms of self-doubt. How did so many get it so wrong? What did we miss?With hindsight, the answer seemed clear and went something like this: Democrats criticized Republicans but offered no substantive alternatives.Seems simple enough, but the truer answer may be even simpler.It's the grown-ups, silly.Even...

JEFFERSON CITY - The hot lights of the television cameras cut through the shadows of the Capitol Rotunda yesterday as Missouri Republicans celebrated their second straight day of making history. Catherine Hanaway, GOP nominee for speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives, prompts a round of applause yesterday at a Capitol news conference. Hanaway will become the first female speaker in Missouri history. After winning a House majority on Tuesday for the first time since 1954, the GOP tapped Rep. Catherine Hanaway, of St. Louis County, as their nominee for speaker of the House. When Hanaway’s nomination is made official...