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Journalist Bob Woodward discusses "secret operational capabilities" against militia and insurgent leaders in Iraq, and spying on Iraq's prime minister.

Hiroshima, Japan (AHN) - U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi became the most senior U.S. official on Tuesday to pay tribute to victims of the atomic bomb that hit Hiroshima during World War II. Pelosi, in Japan for a two-day meeting of parliament speakers from Group of Eight (G8) nations, visited the Hiroshima memorial along with other delegates. She later toured a nearby museum where a survivor, former museum director Akihiro Takahash, gave a personal account of the tragedy. Pelosi, who is second in line for the U.S. presidency, makes her visit just a month after Japan marks the 63rd anniversary...

OREGON CD-1: Businessman Joel Haugen announced Tuesday he was withdrawing as the GOP nominee but would remain in the race against Congressman David Wu (D) as the nominee of the Independent Party. Although a registered Republican, Haugen had been running with dual ballot spots. Haugen came under fire in recent days when he announced his support for Barack Obama. The deadline for GOP to replace a nominee has passed, so they will not be able to field any candidate against Wu on the November ballot.

Ok, I've had it. I just saw that douchebag Wayne Gilchrest endorse Frankie Kratovil ('Rat - Prince Georges County carpetbagging to the 2nd district). Remember him from the immigration vote? This dirtbag is such a lowlife that he can't suck it up and endorse his party's nominee (a true conservative - Andy Harris)! I'm spittin' nails. If anyone has a list of RINO Gilchrest's future speaking engagements over the next month and a half, I will be there. Including taking time off work to confront the sorry SOB. Quite sincerely, 'Pod.

After reading that Lindsay Graham was pushing McCain hard to name Lieberman as the VP, just who the heck is Lindsay Graham? I remember him being one of the gang of 10 in the drilling for oil plan with the democrats. He stays so well hidden under the radar, is he really a democrat that has taken one of our offices to do harm from within? We need an education on this man, I believe that he may be doing our party more harm than good, please add any information on this man that you may have.

The campaign of Democratic presidential nominee in waiting Barack Obama is threatening TV stations that dare to run a controversial ad that questions Obama's friendship with unrepentant Weather Underground terrorist Bill Ayers.Politico quotes an Obama aide as saying this afternoon, "The Obama campaign plans to punish the stations that air the ad financially, organizing his supporters to target the stations that air it and their advertisers."Politico has posted copies of letters the Obama campaign has sent to station managers and a letter the campaign has sent to the Department of Justice demanding a criminal investigation of the group that is...

An unrepentant terrorist heads a key division of a leading U.S. education research association that has immense influence over what our children's teachers study in education school. William Ayers, the unrepentant former SDS Weather Underground bomber of the 1960s, was recently elected by the American Education Research Association (AERA) as vice president and head of its division of curriculum studies. Apparently, AERA members have no qualms about selecting Ayers, a man who to this day remains dedicated to destroying America, to lead one of their organization's most important divisions. Perhaps they think Ayers is merely a "professor of English," as...

From the FBI file on the Weather Underground Foreign Influence documents (see FBI document (420 pages) on Weatherman Underground -- http://foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex/weather.htm). On this webpage, the FBI states that the Weatherman (or Weather Undergound) was an organization [that] described itself as a revolutionary organization of communist men and women. In point of fact, the Weather Underground (WUO) was a terrorist organization very sympathic to North Vietnam and Cuba during the Vietnam War. The Weathermen were responsible for a number of bombings in the United States, and Bill Ayers was one of the key leaders of this organization. His own girlfriend died...

Your must-read of the morning: Miami Herald TV critic Glenn Garvin’s barbecue of a fawning documentary about Helen Thomas. Here’s a taste: Multiple choice quiz: Helen Thomas has been covering the White House for 48 years. Which of the following stories did she break? A. President Kennedy’s plans to invade the Bay of Pigs. B. President Nixon’s secret bombing of Cambodia. C. The Pentagon Papers. D. The Watergate scandal. E. None of the above, or anything else, either. The answer, of course, is E, though you might not guess it from the fawning HBO documentary Thank You, Mr. President: Helen...

The 52nd Annual Rock Island County Republican Barbeque At Indian Bluff Begins at 5 P.M. August 21st—Tickets are $12.00 for adults, children 12 and under with an adult are free. BBQ Dinner catered by Famous Dave’s. Events include Music by the BHC Jazz Band, Antique Car show, Exhibit of GOP Memorabilia and keynote address by Steve Sauerberg candidate for U.S Senate. T Off In The 1st Annual GOP Golf Outing at 12pm and stay for the BBQ Dinner and evening events—50.00 per person includes golf, cart and Barbeque Dinner. For reservations contact Bill long at 309-794-0032—Fax: 794-1096 —email- JKLWLLI@aol.com or...

“I think we’ve become more unified,” said Righter, R-Mattoon. Still, even if they are unified, there are fewer elected Republicans than Democrats at the state level at this point. Some of them are concentrating on the upcoming presidential campaign. State Rep. Dan Brady of Bloomington is helping organize John McCain’s bid for president in Illinois. And state Republicans are already taking aim at Illinois Democrat Barack Obama, trying to make a victory in his home state a little more difficult. “If he wants to bring change to America, why didn’t he bring change to Illinois?” said Andy McKenna, chair of...

Obama proclaimed that he was coming to Berlin not as a politician, but as a "proud citizen of the United States" and - this is the telling part - as a "fellow citizen of the world." But there are no "citizens of the world" and citizenship requires a state. Already, Obama has made clear that his view of the Constitution is entirely open and says he agrees "with Justice Breyer's view of the Constitution that is not a static but a living document." That's one reason Breyer is the leading advocate of invoking foreign laws - even foreign polls -...

Anthony J. Russo, a Rand researcher in the late 1960s who encouraged Daniel Ellsberg to leak the Pentagon Papers and stood trial with him in the Vietnam War-era case that triggered debates over freedom of the press and hastened the fall of a president, has died. He was 71.

Indeed it will, unless you believe the power of The One is such that he can lay low even the mightiest of nations. Then again, “fine� is a subjective term. If, as Condi surely does, you think the west’s six-year tap dance over Iran’s nuclear program is a “fine� way of addressing the problem, replete as it is with ineffectual UN sanctions and time aplenty for Tehran to work out the kinks on mastering enrichment, then yeah — by that standard, President O will be just fine. “I don’t need another job in government with anybody,” she said. “Look, I’m...

The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts announced today it is suing the Secretary of State's office for refusing to put Libertarian Bob Barr on the presidential ballot in November.

Is it possible to fall out of love with your own country? For two years, I, like many Americans, have been focused intently on documenting, exposing, and alerting the nation to the Bush administration’s criminality and its assault on the Constitution and the rule of law — a story often marginalized at home. I was certain that when Americans knew what was being done in their name, they would react with horror and outrage.

Dr. Sauerberg will vote to appoint strict constructionist judges who will uphold the Constitution and have a proven record of excellence and judicial restraint. Durbin's votes against Roberts and Alito, who received positive votes from the overwhelming majority of the Senate, coincide with his strong preference for liberal, activist judges. Sanctity of Life Dr. Sauerberg and his wife, Nancy, have donated thousands of dollars and countless hours in support of crisis pregnancy centers. Reducing abortions has been a very personal issue for the Sauerbergs throughout their lives and Dr. Sauerberg will continue those efforts in the Senate. He opposes all...

Hoogendyk brings to the race a record of consistently opposing tax increases and spending proposals he finds superfluous. He's so conservative he sometimes is out of step with the majority of his own House caucus. He ran briefly for governor in 2005 before dropping out and giving his support to eventual Republican nominee Dick DeVos. Hoogendyk has proposed measures that would shorten the legislative session, cut lawmakers' pay, make English the state's official language and call for amending the U.S. Constitution so only legal citizens would be counted when congressional seats are apportioned. The married father of five cannot run...

WASHINGTON, July 27 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., Sunday defended presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama from recent political attacks. Hagel said during an appearance on CBS's "Face the Nation" that U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the likely GOP nominee, was pushing the ethical envelope by questioning the Illinois senator's motivations for opposing the Iraq war. "I think John is treading on some very thin ground here when he impugns motives, when we start to get into, 'You're less patriotic than me' and 'I'm more patriotic.' I admire and respect John McCain; we talk often. John's better than...

Sen. Chuck Hagel, who accompanied Sen. Barack Obama on his trip to South Asia and Iraq last week, criticized the McCain campaign for its latest television ad attacking the Democratic candidate. The ad blasts Obama for not visiting wounded troops during his visit to Germany. Obama has said he chose not to cancel a visit to a military hospital there after consultations with the Pentagon, due to concerns that such a visit might be seen as using wounded troops for political purposes. The McCain ad, which contains footage of Obama bouncing a basketball before U.S. military personnel in Kuwait, implied...

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 15 (Reuters) - Canada deported on Tuesday the first of some 200 Americans who deserted the U.S. military and sought refugee status to protest against the Iraq War. Robin Long, 25, was removed a day after a Federal Court judge in Vancouver rejected his claim that he would suffer irreparable harm if returned to the United States. He fled across the border in 2005 as his army tank unit was preparing to deploy to Iraq. The Canada Border Services Agency confirmed Long's removal, but declined to give other details, citing privacy laws. Long's refugee claim had...

INDIANAPOLIS, July 13 (UPI) -- The 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq was motivated by revenge for an assassination attempt former President George H.W. Bush, a former GOP member of Congress says. John Hostettler of Indiana also says the invasion was intended to aid Israel. Hostettler -- one of six House Republicans to vote against the 2002 resolution authorizing use of force in Iraq -- makes the claims in a new, self-published book, "Nothing for the Nation: Who Got What Out of Iraq," the Indianapolis Star reported Sunday. "It cannot be debated that toppling Saddam was accomplished by means of a...

Barack Obama’s campaign, after three straight months of fundraising decline, is pushing back against reports that donors are cooling toward his candidacy. John McCain’s campaign announced Thursday that it had raised more than $22 million in June for his best month yet. Obama has not yet released his June figures, but The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that the total haul was just over $30 million — which the paper called “underwhelming.” The Obama campaign swiftly disputed that account. “The Wall Street Journal report of our fundraising numbers is way off the mark,” Obama spokesman Dan Pfeiffer said in a...

Burr-Hamilton duel A contemporary artistic rendering of the July 11, 1804 duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton by J. Mund. The DuelIn the early morning hours of July 11, 1804, Burr and Hamilton departed by separate boats from Manhattan and rowed across the Hudson River to a spot known as the Heights of Weehawken in New Jersey, a popular dueling ground below the towering cliffs of the Palisades. Hamilton and Burr agreed to take the duel to Weehawken because dueling had been outlawed in New York (The same site was used for 18 known duels between 1700 and 1845.).In...

All part of his daring master plan to make his name as widely reviled among the right as Ralph Nader’s is among the left. Polls in Georgia and North Carolina over the last two weeks show Mr. Barr winning 8 percent and 6 percent respectively of the presidential vote, and in both cases helping keep likely Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama within striking distance of Mr. McCain in those states — which, taken together, account for more electoral votes than Florida, Pennsylvania or Ohio… [InsiderAdvantage pollster Matt] Towery said North Carolina and Georgia are exactly the places that Mr....

Barbara Walters: Syrian Dictator 'Charming,' 'Intelligent' By Justin McCarthy | July 7, 2008 - 15:31 Surprise! Barbara Walters visits an anti-American dictator and returns with very nice remarks about him. Returning from the week long break on "The View" July 7, Barbara Walters described how she spent America’s birthday, and the celebration of a document denouncing tyranny, with an anti-American tyrant.While most Americans celebrated Independence Day with fireworks and barbeques, Barbara Walters spent the occasion dining with Syrian leader Bashir al-Assad, whom Walters described as "intelligent" and "charming" who wants "very much to have good relations with us." Perhaps...

WASHINGTON - When San Francisco Rep. Nancy Pelosi ascended to speaker of the House 18 months ago, liberals cheered. Now some jeer, calling her a traitor to her principles. In just the past two weeks, this former opponent of the Iraq war negotiated a deal to fund it for one more year. Then, this longtime defender of civil liberties compromised on a surveillance bill critics say covers up illegal wiretapping by the Bush administration and telecom companies. "You'd have to really think your constituents were stone-cold stupid to count that a victory," fumed liberal blogger Michael Lazzaro, known as Hunter...

Influential blogger and Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas caused a first-class kerfuffle on an economy-class budget, announcing that he would be withholding his $2300.00 donation from Barack Obama's campaign until he sees some "good behavior." From Daily Kos: First, he reversed course and capitulated on FISA, not just turning back on the Constitution, but on the whole concept of "leadership". Personally, I like to see presidents who 1) lead, and 2) uphold their promises to protect the Constitution. Then, he took his not-so-veiled swipe at MoveOn in his "patriotism" speech. Finally, he reinforced right-wing and media talking points that Wes...

OTTAWA, July 5 (UPI) -- A Canadian federal judge has decided Canada's refugee board made a mistake when it rejected a U.S. soldier's request for asylum. Justice Robert Barnes said the Immigration and Refugee Board was incorrect when it decided Joshua Key was unable to seek asylum in Canada because the military actions he was dodging weren't extreme enough to be considered war crimes. The Friday ruling may pave the way for other American deserters who try to claim refugee status in Canada, The Globe and Mail in Toronto reported. The judge said evading military orders that are "contrary to...

Barack Obama just delivered a speech on patriotism in Independence, Mo., hometown of what was once America's most powerful haberdasher, and offered a mild rebuke to Wesley Clark, who took on John McCain's military record the other day in rather scorching terms. And just to make it clear, an Obama spokesman sent out this brief statement as Obama was speaking: "As he's said many times before, Senator Obama honors and respects Senator McCain's service, and, of course, he rejects yesterday's statement by General Clark." Obama's speech focused on his own sense of patriotism, quoting Mark Twain (it's good to quote...

After his public conference call with Clinton supporters (covered extensively by Jonathan Martin) Saturday, John McCain met privately with some 75 of those supporters at his Virginia headquarters, two people who were there said. McCain's staff extended the last-minute invitation to Clinton die-hards, including a founder of a group called "Party Unity, My Ass" (PUMA), and substantial numbers came from Washington and New York. They represented passionate campaign volunteers and supporters, but they're essentially a marginal group in Clinton's orbit, including no one with a prominent campaign role, public office or close relationship with the candidate. "He stayed for a...

He’s an Army vet, 9/11 survivor, and small business owner who is challenging smear merchant/corruptocrat Rep. John Murtha. I saw Russell at the fantastic Pennsylvania Leadership Conference last month (where the photo above was snapped). He is a staunch conservative, a true American patriot, and he deserves your support. If there were ever a time for the grass-roots to come together and help an underdog Republican candidate make a difference, this is it.

Much has already been written of the U.S. Supreme Court's lawless, nonsensical decision in Boumediene v. Bush, the ruling that gives America's terrorist enemies unprecedented access to our civilian court system, but little has been written about the aggressively anti-American public interest law firm that helped to make it happen. (You can't miss the Washington Post's Dan Froomkin's idiotic, ahistorical ballad in which he grossly misrepresents the views of the Founding Fathers.) The Center for Constitutional Rights, which acted as co-counsel in the case, is jumping for joy, hailing the decision handed down this week as a great triumph for...

GOP presidential candidate John McCain is inviting his Democratic rival, Barack Obama, to participate in a joint town hall at an open-borders advocacy group’s upcoming meeting in California. “There is a meeting in California of La Raza,” McCain told reporters at an Arlington press conference Monday. “Both of us have accepted invitations. I say that we have a town hall meeting together in front of La Raza. I think that the people will be far more informed and in some ways, entertained if we had that format.”

US Army reservist Matthis Chiroux has made liberals across America quiver with excitment as he publicly refused to report to active duty. Chiroux, a former sergeant in the US Army, has decided that since he does not agree with the Iraqi "occupation" that he is no longer obligated to follow orders. After serving 5 years in the Army, Chiroux was honorably discharged and placed in the Individual Ready Reserves (IRR) which essentially serves as a resource of former soldiers who can, at any time, be reactivated during war time or during a national emergency...very similar to the standard military Reserve...

A month after US army reservist Matthis Chiroux publicly refused to deploy to Iraq, the former sergeant on Sunday set himself up for possible prosecution by failing to report for active duty with his unit in South Carolina. "Tonight at midnight, I may face further action from the army for refusing to reactivate to participate in the Iraq occupation," Chiroux told reporters in Washington. "I stand here today in defense of those who have been stripped of their voices in this occupation, the warriors of this nation...", Chiroux read from a statement as his father Rob, who had travelled to...

Plenty of former officers have criticized the Iraq War, but there's only been one active duty career soldier who's not only come out against the War but also refused to go and fight in it. (He said he would go to Afghanistan instead, but that the Iraq war is "illegal"). That soldier is Lt. Ehren Watada, 30, a junior Army officer from Hawaii who's become a poster child for the anti-war movement. He's also become persona non grata within the military and is facing a possible sentence of six years in prison. Our friend Tara McKelvey is the first journalist...

This is pretty serious stuff that the American public surely would like more details on. Can we expect the MSM to follow up on this with some questions? Probably not, but they need to. Marc Ambinder notes how the Democratic Justice Department will be interested in making a case against senior Bush adminstration officials in the future.Thomas Lifson reminds us of Obama’s take on this: Barack Obama’s plan for imposing unity on the nation after he takes office apparently entails a close look at war crimes trials for Bush administration officials. He has even said so in an interview with...

It was two years ago yesterday that 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, a 1996 Kalani High School graduate, declared publicly that he would not deploy to Iraq with his Stryker brigade combat team. Today, Watada is still in the Army working at a desk job at Fort Lewis, Wash., while his case is tied up in federal court. Ken Kagan, Watada's attorney, told the Star-Bulletin that federal judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma will probably take up the matter early this fall. In November, Settle ruled that no court-martial will be held for Watada pending the outcome of his claim that it...

I heard that OBAMA the new historical candidate for POTUS would surprisingly come in IRAK where he will certainly speak soft words to soldiers after having dispised their hard job all along the primaries as he spoke to the moonbats and raghead "pacifist" crowds... I would like to know if a wellcoming comity is planned. I think that the Messiah OBAMA deserve a huge wellcome

I just watched the interview, and it is clear Scott McClellan is a Judas. He revels in the left talking points and has a smirk throughout the interview. At the end of the day when the interviews are done and the book no longer sells, Scott will have no friends. The left will not want him and the right will never touch him. Get a dog Scott, he will be your only friend. Or he might not like you either. Can't blame him, dogs are smart. History will frame you as the Judas Benedict Arnold you are.

SCOTT McClellan has learned the profound wisdom of the old Groucho Marx line about not wanting to belong to any club that would have him. The former press secretary has written a scathing memoir about his time in the Bush administration - but nothing he says in his book, dully titled (appropriately enough) "What Happened," is as damning as the fact that he spent nearly three years as White House press secretary. Likable, but maladroit and plodding, he was the perfect spokesman for the administration of Harriet Miers, Michael Brown and Al Gonzales. For anyone who doubted that President Bush...

Scott McClellan's critics in Washington have speculated about his motives for writing a book bashing President Bush, but back in the former White House spokesman's home state of Texas, some chalk it up to something very simple: his gene pool. Bush defenders and impartial observers point in particular to Mr. McClellan's mother, Carole Keeton Strayhorn, as having set a precedent for turning on former allies, while others say that his family tree had strong liberal leanings. They also said his decision will make it hard to do what all Texans do: return home. "Scott's going to be something of a...

Former Colleagues, White House Reporters Stunned By McClellan AllegationsMSNBC’s spittle-spewing Chris Matthews had a new “tingle running down his leg” Wednesday with the release of a “tell-all” book by former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan critical of the Bush administration. However, Matthews was only one among legions of Old Media liberals gushing about McClellan’s tome. In "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception," McClellan said that the war in Iraq was “unnecessary” and sold with “propaganda” and suggested that Karl Rove, Scooter Libby and maybe Vice President Dick Cheney conspired to conceal their roles...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Chinese woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to helping a spy provide the Chinese government with U.S. military secrets about arms sales to Taiwan. Yu Sin Kang, a Chinese citizen living legally in the United States, admitted serving as an intermediary for the delivery of classified information from agent Tai Shen Kuo to the Chinese government. Kang, 33, faces up to 10 years in prison when she is sentenced August 1 in federal court in Virginia. Don't Miss Kang's plea marks the third and final guilty plea in what the U.S. government has called a "significant" conspiracy to...

Nuclear Proliferation: Jimmy Carter The peanut farmer from Georgia says we should talk to Tehran about dropping its nuclear program even as a new U.N. report says Iran continues to lie about it. The last thing we need is a nuclear MunichOur worst ex-president knows a lot about talking with Iran. He once spent 444 days talking to Iran about the 52 hostages taken when Iranian thugs stormed the American embassy in Tehran on his watch. Perhaps that's why he wants to get an early start on direct talks with Iran about its nuclear weapons program. Speaking at a British...

Ex-US President Jimmy Carter has said Israel has at least 150 atomic weapons in its arsenal. Carter made his comments on Israel's weapons at a press conference at the annual literary Hay Festival in Wales. He also described Israeli treatment of Palestinians as "one of the greatest human rights crimes on earth". Carter gave the figure for the Israeli nuclear arsenal in response to a question on US policy on a possible nuclear-armed Iran, arguing that any country newly armed with atomic weapons faced overwhelming odds. "The US has more than 12,000 nuclear weapons; Russia has about the same; Great...

PHOENIX — An engineer from Iran was convicted Tuesday of illegally accessing a protected computer in the United States to use software he obtained at a former job at the nation's largest nuclear plant. Mohammad Reza Alavi, 50, who worked at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station for 17 years, faces up to five years in prison and could be fined up to a $250,000 for his conviction on a count of illegally accessing a computer. A sentencing hearing has not been set. ---- snip ----

Britain and other European governments should break from the US over the international embargo on Gaza, former US president Jimmy Carter told the Guardian yesterday. Carter, visiting the Welsh border town of Hay for the Guardian literary festival, described the EU's position on the Israeli-Palestinian dispute as "supine" and its failure to criticise the Israeli blockade of Gaza as "embarrassing". Referring to the possibility of Europe breaking with the US in an interview with the Guardian, he said: "Why not? They're not our vassals. They occupy an equal position with the US."