Free Republic

In January, I met a friend of mine to discuss his impending departure from Washington DC. He was moving to Chicago to join Senator Barack Obama’s budding presidential campaign. At the time, it was hard not to have an instinctive sympathy for Obama, not least because the Clinton campaign had by that point attracted many of the most loathsome careerists in Democratic politics. Among other things, we discussed the general election landscape. My friend, confident even then that Obama would win the Democratic nomination, was convinced that New York mayor Rudy Giuliani would be Obama’s toughest opponent in a general...

The current narrative of the Bush Presidency is that it is a failure (believed by 107 of 109 historians surveyed) and that George W. Bush is the worst President in history (believed by 61% of those surveyed historians). Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said, "The president already has the mark of the American people -- he's the worst president we ever had." That's one narrative. I have another.

WASHINGTON — D.C. rescue crews are at a parking garage not far from the White House where a body was found under in a shaft, beneath a platform that moves garage employees from floor-to-floor.

Today was the the President last day at the Olympics he attended some of the swimming events and also attended a practice baseball game between China and the USA before flying back to the States. Upon his arrival at the White House he very shortly thereafter spoke in the Rose Garden regarding the the ongoing conflict involving Georgia, Russia, and the Georgian provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Pray for President Bush -- Day 2889

I want to urge all my fellow FReepers to phone the White House comments line at 202-456-1111 and leave a message for President Bush urging him to call a special session of Congress and force them to vote on off shore and ANWR drilling. If the Dems vote it down then McCain needs to be all over the media speaking about this. I'm so sick of "Let Them Eat Cake" Pelousi. Congress needs to be reminded that they (still) work for us.

In this edition of McCain vs. Obama, we look at the Republican vice presidential selections. To see my rundown of Obama’s options, click here. The McCain camp believes that they need a big pick, a game changer, though there may not be one. But the situation remains that if the race tightens, then the Electoral College math becomes very close. McCain has several interesting choices. The Game Plan: McCain would like someone who offsets his age, and probably someone from outside Washington. Should Obama pick a male running mate, there could also be an opening to steal some of the...

It was just another week on the Obama campaign trail, each moment reported in excruciating detail by his faithful followers in the media.Click Here

Where were the career people on whom we count to keep the department honest? The latest report concludes that the two most senior people responsible for protecting immigration judges from political influence had "sufficient evidence . . . to have realized that political or ideological affiliations played a role" and that they should have spoken up to others who could do something. The same criticism was leveled at those who ran the office overseeing the honors program and lateral hiring. Where were they? It is disappointing that they failed to act forcefully to protect the department they served. Attorney General...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The White House on Monday predicted a record deficit of $490 billion for the 2009 budget year, a senior government official told CNN The deficit would amount to roughly 3.5 percent of the nation's $14 trillion economy. The official pointed to a faltering economy and the bipartisan $170 billion stimulus package that passed earlier this year for the record deficit. The fiscal year begins October 1, 2008. The federal deficit is the difference between what the government spends and what it takes in from taxes and other revenue sources. The government must borrow money to make up...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush in 2002 branded Iraq, Iran and North Korea part of an "axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world" -- and he believes two of them still are, the White House said on Monday. Bush, in his 2002 State of the Union address to the U.S. Congress, accused the three countries of seeking weapons of mass destruction that could be used for attacks on U.S. allies or to blackmail the United States. The United States led a coalition of forces into Iraq but never found nuclear weapons. North Korea...

There is a curse upon the White House. God speaks in the Bible about curses and blessings. Those who obey Him, putting Him first, are blessed. Those who disobey Him come under His curse. It is a matter of free will action. Being obedient is a conscious decision to do what God wants. Being disobedient is consciously deciding to go against God. We are accountable for our free will actions. The White House has a curse upon it. It is real. It is powerful. It will not go away until a particular act takes place. The curse came upon the...

FreeRepublic members say goodbye to the Clinton's at the White House on the evening of January 19, 2001. Bill Clinton. We have you surrounded. Drop the cigar. Step away from the intern. And come out with your pants up. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2Z2igtHf6A

The White House press corps is having a crisis. It may not interest the rest of the country much, but the problems in the Fourth Estate will, in due time, impact the nature and the completeness of White House coverage. The ostensible trigger to the current crisis involves the so-called pool reports by members of the print media traveling with the president. But there are deeper problems with the way the presidency is covered by the media.

R.I. Sen. Whitehouse sees silver lining in demise of global-warming bill01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, June 15, 2008 BY JOHN E. MULLIGAN Journal Washington Bureau whitehouse WASHINGTON — The Senate’s global-warming bill, many months in the making, is dead for this congress, but one of the senators involved in preparing it says the work wasn’t wasted. The next president, whether Barack Obama or John McCain, is likely to sign into law a bill, based on the one that faltered last week in the Senate, that is meant to curb the pace of climate change, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said in an...

WASHINGTON - After promising to veto a huge Iraq war-funding bill because it contains unrelated domestic spending, the White House now wants to boost the costs even higher by letting troops transfer ramped up GI Bill education benefits to their spouses or children. The White House is signaling that President Bush could sign the hotly contested and long overdue war funding bill if the benefit transferability provision is added to the 10-year, $52 billion improvement to GI Bill college benefits proposed by Democrats and many Republicans. "It's like the Yogi Berra story: 'I don't like that restaurant. Besides, the portions...

President Bush welcomed the 2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Champion Kansas Jayhawks this morning to the White House Transcript Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice delivered remarks at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) meeting in Washington, DC Defense Secretary Robert Gates attended a change-of-command ceremony for the United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea at Collier Field House of U.S. military base in Seoul, South Korea Enoy your visit to Sanity Island

After the Bush administration released a report warning of the potential dangers of global warming, you would think the media, which propagate much of the modern alarmism over climate, would be thrilled. That wasn’t the case. The May 29 ABC “World News” used the release of the report as an opportunity to indict the Bush administration for conspiring to hide science about global warming. “For the first time, the Bush administration is conceding what most scientists have said for years – that global warming is having an impact on just about every aspect of the way we live,” ABC “World...

STARRING: Jack Black as the dimwitted, confused and chunky Scott McClellan. SCOTT: "I'm not trying to sell a book. I'm trying to tell the truth this time. Pretty much. Just like I always have. Before I had to lie. This time it's all true, though."Bruce Willis as the unflappable and devastatingly adept White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer. ARI: "Arafat is the MLK of the palestinian peace movement? Don't make me come down there, Helen. I'd kill you with my bare hands, but I don't want to disrespect the elderly."Kurt Russell as the honorable, dedicated, deeply loyal President George W....

First, the White House spoke out against NBC News and its editing of Richard Engel's interview with President George Bush. And, today, the White House takes on the New York Times editorial page for its editorial, "Mr. Bush and the GI Bill." From the White House statement: Once again, the New York Times Editorial Board doesn't let the facts get in the way of expressing its vitriolic opinions - no matter how misleading they may be. In today's editorial, "Mr. Bush and the GI Bill", the New York Times irresponsibly distorts President Bush's strong commitment to strengthening and expanding support...

The White House on Monday sent a scathing letter to NBC News, accusing the news network of “deceptively” editing an interview with President Bush on the issue of appeasement and Iran. At issue were remarks Bush made in front of Israel's parliament earlier this week. Specifically, White House counselor Ed Gillespie laments that the network edited the interview in a way that “is clearly intended to give viewers the impression that [Bush] agreed with [correspondent Richard Engel's] characterization of his remarks when he explicitly challenged it. “This deceitful editing to further a media-manufactured storyline is utterly misleading and irresponsible and...

WASHINGTON - The White House told members of Congress on Tuesday that the cost of the five-year farm bill is still too high, saying negotiators are using budget gimmicks to hide the real expense. The cost of the almost $300 billion bill and the amount of subsidies directed toward wealthy farmers remain the major sticking points between the White House and both Democratic and GOP negotiators. President Bush has threatened to veto the legislation. Negotiators are weighing reports from congressional budget experts on what the bill would cost under several scenarios. They are now considering eliminating some government payments to...

President Bush held a Press conference at the Rose Garden this morning President Bush met this afternoon with Ambassador Eide, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Afghanistan in the Oval Office Transcript President Bush discussed National Volunteer work in the East Room Secretary of State had a meeting in the trophy room of the State Department > Enoy your visit to Sanity Island

You are not going to believe this story. It is really something else. The White House, I predict, will look the other way at the flagrant law-breaking by a Mexican official caught on tape by the Secret Service filching U.S. government property. After all, looking the other way at systemic law-breaking by Mexico is the official Bush policy. Fox News has the scoop: Whether he was up to no good or simply desperate to play BrickBreaker, a Mexican press attaché was caught on camera by Secret Service pocketing several White House BlackBerries during a recent meeting in New Orleans, FOX...

The White House on Friday vigorously defended the 14-year-old free-trade agreement among the United States, Mexico and Canada against sharp criticism from Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. "There's nothing broken. Why fix it?" said Dan Fisk, senior director of Western hemisphere affairs for National Security Council. He acknowledged the administration must do a better job of explaining the benefits of the agreement. Both Clinton and Obama have threatened to pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement to pressure Canada and Mexico to negotiate more protections for workers and the environment in the agreement. The...

WASHINGTON - All five Roman Catholic justices on the Supreme Court were invited to Wednesday night's splashy White House dinner in honor of Pope Benedict XVI. Republican presidential contender John McCain will be there, too. But Democratic rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, who had a nationally broadcast debate scheduled Wednesday night, were not invited. About 250 guests were to attend the dinner. Benedict will not be there because he will be attending an evening prayer service with U.S. bishops. The guests include former Los Angeles Dodgers baseball manager Tommy Lasorda, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader John...

President Bush and Pope Benedict XVI take part in an arrival ceremony, Wednesday, April 16, 2008, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds) PRESIDENT BUSH: Holy Father, Laura and I are privileged to have you here at the White House. We welcome you with the ancient words commended by Saint Augustine: "Pax Tecum." Peace be with you. You've chosen to visit America on your birthday. Well, birthdays are traditionally spent with close friends, so our entire nation is moved and honored that you've decided to share this special day with us. We wish...

President and Mrs. Bush will welcome His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to the White House on April 16, 2008, during his first visit to the United States as Pope. The President and the Holy Father will continue discussions, which they began during the President's visit to the Vatican in June 2007, on their common commitment to the importance of faith and reason in reaching shared goals. These goals include advancing peace throughout the Middle East and other troubled regions, promoting inter-faith understanding, and strengthening human rights and freedom, especially religious liberty, around the world.

I'm still in complete shock after receiving the following invitation from the White House... ************ "The President and Mrs. Bush cordially invite you to attend the arrival ceremony of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to be held at The White House on Wednesday, April 16, 2008." ************ That's TOMORROW MORNING. Wow!! I'm really stunned! What a testament to YOUR prayers and hard work that 40 Days for Life has gained the level of attention to be part of this major event... ...through YOUR efforts and sacrifices, the White House and the Vatican have heard about the difference you've made for...

Daniel Burke at the Washington Post thinks that President Bush might be pulling a Tony Blair. Burke tells of the Catholic based culture that rules the west wing and some other lingering suspicions. Shortly after Pope Benedict XVI's election in 2005, President Bush met with a small circle of advisers in the Oval Office. As some mentioned their own religious backgrounds, the president remarked that he had read one of the new pontiff's books about faith and culture in Western Europe. Save for one other soul, Bush was the only non-Catholic in the room. But his interest in the pope's...

Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island PHOTO(s) OF THE DAY Older photo of Pres. Bush in silouette at his ranch in Crawford, TX. Older photo of Pres. Bush with reporters at his ranch in Crawford, TX. QUOTE(s) OF THE DAY President's Radio Address ~ April 12, 2008 Good morning. Fifteen months ago this week, I announced the surge. And this week, General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker gave Congress a detailed report on the results. Since the surge began, American and Iraqi forces have made significant progress. While there's more to be done, sectarian violence, civilian deaths, and military deaths...

The Bush administration yesterday unveiled a plan to rescue 100,000 homeowners at risk of foreclosure by relaxing eligibility standards for government-backed loans and encouraging lenders to forgive a portion of their debt. The proposal was quickly criticized by consumer groups, who said it would do little to slow a mortgage meltdown that last year threw more than 1.5 million households into foreclosure. But it was embraced by key Democrats, who said the White House is acknowledging that more aggressive government action is needed to help the most hard-pressed borrowers who owe banks more than their homes are worth because of...

White House does not rule out Bush missing Olympics opening Tue Apr 8, 1:56 PM ET The White House did not rule out Tuesday President George W. Bush missing the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, noting that it had never said he would attend the event. Asked by reporters if Bush would be attending the opening ceremony, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said: "We haven't provided any schedule on the president's trip." The White House has insisted that Bush would attend the Olympics, but pressed on whether his decision to go to Beijing was irreversible, Perino said: "The president...

The President and the First Lady returned to Washington on Sunday as did Secretary of State Condeleezza Rice and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates from the NATO Sumit in Europe. Today the President spoke about the Colombia Free Trade Agreement and signed a letter to Congress on the matter.Click here for further details The President also hosted a ceremony honoring members of the NCAA football champion LSU Tigers at the White House. The President also met with small and medium business owners in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. Pray for President Bush -- Day 2762 Secretary of State...

For Peyton Gilbert, the battle over the Trans-Texas Corridor is reminiscent of the moment in 1836 when Lt. Col. William Travis drew a line in the sand at the Alamo and invited those willing to fight thousands of Mexican soldiers to step across. "That line in the sand is the Trans-Texas Corridor, and it's a threat to our sovereignty again, just like at the Alamo," said Gilbert, 14, who is from Whitehouse, near Tyler. Gilbert was among a large crowd of people who marched down Congress Avenue to the Capitol on Saturday afternoon to demonstrate against the proposed highway-rail-utility corridor...

Jeffrey Ressner was at Hillary's fundraiser last night at the Wilshire Theater in Los Angeles, and captured the audio of a really jarring scene: A woman dragged out in handcuffs, screaming that she was the only black supporter of Hillary there. (She wasn't.) Listen to the audio for yourself at: http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=73363&comments=1#comments

Accused Saddam Agent Says He Met With Hillary at White House By IRA STOLL, STAFF REPORTER OF THE SUN | March 27, 2008 A Michigan man facing federal criminal charges of illegally working for Saddam Hussein's Iraqi Intelligence Service says he met with Hillary Clinton at the White House in May 1996. In a 1997 interview with this reporter, Muthanna Hanooti said that at the meeting, Mrs. Clinton was "very receptive" to his request for an easing of the American sanctions on Iraq that were in place at the time. He said Mrs. Clinton "passed a message to the State...

Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island PHOTO(s) OF THE DAY President George W. Bush shakes hands with troops following his event in Freehold, New Jersey Friday, March 28, 2008, at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. Mrs. Laura Bush and members of her Midland High School class of 1964 welcome President George W. Bush back to the White House Friday afternoon, March 28, 2008, following his trip to Freehold, N.J. ((A sure sign of good, down home, decent folks .... NOT the nasty portrayals made of them by some in the press and our enemies from within.. they're...

Like pensions and insurance, defence is one of those subjects to which too many people only pay attention when things go wrong. You might think, in the light of the past decade, that this would have changed. But you would be sadly mistaken. Even today, even after Iraq, few mainstream MPs without an immediate personal or constituency interest in the subject turn up in the Commons for defence debates. Many politicians who are thoughtful about a range of domestic issues still pass by on the other side when the conversation gravitates to the military. In this they reflect the British...

MIAMI -- A donor to the Democratic Party asked for a rebate out of frustration over the party's Florida delegate dilemma -- and he got it. Federal records show that Paul Cejas has given six-figure sums to the Democratic National Committee for years, NBC 6's Nick Bogert reported. Cejas asked for his last donation back. He said he was angry with the party, particularly party Chair Howard Dean, over the failure to resolve Florida's delegate dilemma. "Frankly, he's dropped the ball, and I told him, 'You're going to go down in history as the worst chairman of the Democratic Party...

You'll recall Hillary Clinton's recent speech in which she attempted to play up her foreign policy experience by recounting her "harrowing" 1996 trip to Bosnia. "I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base." Well, mainstream media has discounted that account, and such luminaries as comedian Sinbad have chimed in as well. It appears, however, that Clinton caved in too soon when she admitted overstating the dangers, as Barely Political...

President Bush visited ColorCraft of Virginia, Inc., and discussed the stimulus package and the economy. REMARKS Wrapping up a series of consultations on Iraq, President Bush met at the Pentagon on Wednesday with the military's top leaders to hear their views on prospects for further troop reductions. Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said the president spent about 90 minutes in a closed session with the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Bush was accompanied by his chief of staff, Joshua Bolten; his national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, and Vice President Dick Cheney. (no photos but note that VP Cheney is back in...

In the 1960's I had a lady friend who loved Robert Redford. So, naturally, I got dragged to all of Redford's movies. I saw "The Candidate" several times. In that film, Mr. McKay (Redford), a "community organizer" like Barack Obama, hatches a slogan, "McKay, The Better Way" to run for office. Ironically, Barack "Barry" Obama has now chosen "The Better Way" as his mantra through February 10th. Well. Obama's slogan has about as much substance as the celluloid version popularized by Robert Redford. Obama is entirely a creation of wealthy contributors and powerful, liberal media interests. So what he does...

Maybe, just maybe, it’s now worth at least asking whether Hillary Clinton might wind up as the Democratic candidate for vice president. When the chatter about a Democratic “dream ticket” began last year, it was easy to dismiss. Either Clinton or Obama would win a clear victory in the primaries and, after what inevitably would be a contentious campaign, each would want as little to do with the other as possible. Clinton, if she emerged victorious, would instead choose some kind of national security graybeard to her political right, a retired general perhaps, or maybe even a Republican. Likewise, Obama...

President Bush and first lady Laura Bush, accompanied by the Easter Bunny, kick off the start of the White House Easter Egg Roll, Monday, March 24, 2008, on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington. Jenna Bush, the daughter of U.S. President George W. Bush, roars as she enacts one of the monster characters of the book "Where the Wild Things Are" during her book reading for children at the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, March 24, 2008.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Barack Obama's speech last week, hastily prepared to extinguish the firestorm over the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, won critical praise for style and substance but failed politically. By elevating the question of race in America, the front-running Democratic presidential candidate has deepened the dilemma created by his campaign's success against the party establishment's anointed choice, Hillary Clinton. In rejecting the racist views of his longtime spiritual mentor but not disowning him, Obama has unwittingly enhanced his image as the African-American candidate -- not just a remarkable candidate who happens to be black. That poses a racial dilemma for...

Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island PHOTO(s) OF THE DAY President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush (and Barney) QUOTE(s) OF THE DAY President's Radio Address ~ March 22, 2008 Good morning. This weekend, families across America are coming together to celebrate Easter. This is the most important holiday in the Christian faith. And during this special and holy time each year, millions of Americans pause to remember a sacrifice that transcended the grave and redeemed the world. Easter is a holiday that beckons us homeward. This weekend is an occasion to reflect on the things that...

WASHINGTON - Older White House computer hard drives have been destroyed, the White House disclosed to a federal court Friday in a controversy over millions of possibly missing e-mails from 2003 to 2005. The White House revealed new information about how it handles its computers in an effort to persuade a federal magistrate it would be fruitless to undertake an e-mail recovery plan that the court proposed. "When workstations are at the end of their lifecycle and retired ... the hard drives are generally sent offsite to another government entity for physical destruction," the White House said in a sworn...

Some 50 delegates were reportedly poised to unite behind Barack Obama if he had won by even 1 point in Texas. He lost the popular vote by 100,000 ballots, and now we learn that 100,000 Republicans voted for Hillary Clinton, probably not because of some change in party allegiance but because they thought she would be the easier candidate to beat. This kind of strategic voting often backfires (think Ralph Nader). The Texas crossovers are winners. By helping to prolong the Democratic race, they can claim credit for weakening the eventual nominee, whoever it turns out to be. Obama has...

An interesting photo has surfaced (h/t Drudge): That's the Rev. Jeremiah Wright grippin' and grinnin' with President Bill Clinton on September 11th, 1998, at a meeting of various clerics where Clinton gave his "I have sinned" speech following the Lewinsky affair. I guess Rev. Wright didn't consider an invitation to the White House as "being treated the same way Clinton treated Lewinsky", to quote the good Reverend. The same day this photo popped up, the story leaked out that the Clintons are shopping the Rev. Wright controversy around to superdelegates in the hopes of getting them to abandon Obama While...

Jeremiah Wright was White House guest The recent coverage of Rev. Jeremiah Wright has often cast him as a marginal, almost fringe figure, but Trinity Church is a major Chicago institution, and Wright has long been a prominent pastor on the American scene. And an anonymous blog set up to defend his church offers some compelling photographic evidence of this: A photograph of Wright and President Clinton, which it says was taken on September 11, 1998 -- the date of a White House gathering for religious leaders. Hillary Clinton, according to her recently-released schedule for the day, was present at...