Free Republic

Mr. McCain's Challenge to Mr. Bush Senator John McCain has delivered a critical challenge to his fellow candidates for the Republican Presidential nomination. Speaking yesterday in New Hampshire, he declared that any candidate who promises to reform anything -- from education to the military to the tax code -- must begin by fixing campaign finance. The current system, he said, is "nothing less than an elaborate influence-peddling scheme in which both parties conspire to stay in office by selling the country to the highest bidder." Mr. McCain picked a good day to take his stand. He had barely finished his ...

By JOHN M. BRODER CHICAGO -- Two days ago, a local politician introducing President Clinton at a fund-raising luncheon in Westport, Conn., said that Clinton was entitled to a "victory lap" of public valedictories as he completes his final 18 months in office. Clinton bristled at his host's well-meaning remarks. "I don't feel I'm on a victory lap or a final lap," Clinton told the crowd of contributors, a smile disguising his impatience with those ready to write him off. "They're beginning to talk to me as if I'm -- there is a sort of ring of eulogy about all ...

For personal, non-commercial use only http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell1.asp "Urban sprawl" and liberal gall http://www.jewishworldreview.com -- THE LATEST SCARE PHRASE that is supposed to set off a political stampede is "urban sprawl." But, before we go thundering off in all directions, just what is this urban sprawl? How can you tell whether there is urban sprawl where you live? If someone says there is and someone else says there isn't, what can you look for to tell you who is right? Those who want to lead a government-sponsored crusade against urban sprawl have no time for such questions. Just as some restaurants have ...

Starr Accepts New Guilty Pleas by Hubbell By NEIL A. LEWIS WASHINGTON -- The independent counsel, Kenneth Starr, on Wednesday formally declared an end to the Arkansas phase of his wide-ranging investigation as he accepted two new guilty pleas from Webster Hubbell, once the No. 3 official in the Justice Department. Hubbell, a longtime Arkansas friend of the Clintons, pleaded guilty to a felony count that accused him of concealing from investigators legal work that he and Hillary Rodham Clinton did in connection with a complex Arkansas land deal that investigators said was a sham transaction. Although Starr and Hubbell, ...

ESSAY / By WILLIAM SAFIRE Two Men, Walking Two men who admitted corrupting our politics during the Clinton years have copped their guilty pleas and are cheerfully walking free -- without having to implicate any higher-ups. In Webster Hubbell's case, the crony and serial felon the Clintons appointed to run their Justice Department in 1993 triumphed over the Independent Counsel because Ken Starr was sure he could not get a jury to convict Hubbell, and he wants to close up shop as fast as he can. So we will never know if the $100,000 that the Riady family paid Hubbell ...

Yahoo bows to backlash, changes Geocities terms By Sandeep JunnarkarStaff Writer, CNET News.com June 30, 1999, 5:55 p.m. PT update Faced with a mushrooming boycott of its recently integrated Yahoo-GeoCities, Yahoo this afternoon modified its days-old terms of service, which many users believe give away rights to their intellectual property. Yahoo added several sentences to try to clarify a controversial provision about content ownership. "Yahoo does not own content you submit, unless we specifically tell you otherwise before you submit it. You license the content to Yahoo as set forth below for the purpose of displaying and distributing such content ...

wo men who admitted corrupting our politics during the Clinton years have copped their guilty pleas and are cheerfully walking free -- without having to implicate any higher-ups. In Webster Hubbell's case, the crony and serial felon the Clintons appointed to run their Justice Department in 1993 triumphed over the Independent Counsel because Ken Starr was sure he could not get a jury to convict Hubbell, and he wants to close up shop as fast as he can. So we will never know if the $100,000 that the Riady family paid Hubbell was, in Thomas Jefferson's phrase, "hush money" ...

One sure bet and a number of tantalizing possibilities It always seems wise to stop somewhere short of presuming that what is obvious now will remain obvious a year from now. For that reason, smart prognostication would seem to require restraint on the question of the major party nominees for Campaign 2000. I have considered myself prudent in saying things like "Bush isn't the nominee yet" and "Bradley might catch Gore." Well, forget it. It's Bush and Gore. Only a major political train wreck will keep these men from their appointed battle on Nov. 7 of next year. Do train ...

E D I T O R I A L S The IRS Hit Squad Date: 7/1/99 Just how sinister is the Internal Revenue Service? Thanks to the latest twist in the Landmark Legal Foundation's lawsuit against the agency, we have a better understanding of how bad things are there. Political corruption is just the beginning. According to a new filing, Landmark Legal Foundation has uncovered deeply troubling evidence that the IRS may have deliberately sought to cover up and destroy evidence of third-person requests to target, audit and threaten private groups and citizens -most of whom were conservative or critics ...

Yesterday, RR posted a statement concerning Thor Helsa's article in Salon magazine about Anne Coulter. The post was titled "Not Only Does Salon Suck(and Talbot blow),BUT SALON CHEATS. In his comments RR noted that Salon had reversed itself concerning Thor Helsa's work history. RR stated that Thor Helsa was employed by Laszlo and Associates as a political consultant. Upon learning this I e-mailed Laszlo and Associates to share with them my insight as to what a scum bag their beloved employee is. I was suprised to find that the company was owned and run by women. In my comments I ...

Among the many press releases handed out this past month by the White House was a three-page announcement filled from top to bottom with a bunch of stray characters. In place after place where the text should have had apostrophes and quotation marks, the computer used to write the document instead created big square blocks. Also marring the appearance was the failure of the computer to align several indented paragraphs of text. Its subject? Vice President Al Gore announcing a new Commerce Department report detailing the nation's commanding strength in computer-based technology.

ABC’s World News Tonight on Sunday and Monday night ignored a Sunday, June 27 front page New York Times story about how contrary to Clinton administration assertions they learned of Chinese espionage in 1995, not 1996. But Monday night ABC jumped on a story about guns played on the front page of the Monday Washington Post, even getting soundbites from the very same liberal activists quoted in the Post story. Under the heading of "Targeting Guns: Exporters to the U.S.," the June 28 Washington Post headline declared: "Selling in a Land of Opportunity: Foreign Firms Find a Big Market." Post ...

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STRATFOR's Global Intelligence Update July 1, 1999 GREECE ANNOUNCES PENDING DEFENSE PACT WITH IRAN AND ARMENIA Summary: Greece and Iran have announced that they intend to sign a tripartite military cooperation agreement, along with Armenia, as early as July 12. Such an agreement would seriously undermine NATO unity and strategy in the Balkans and the Caucasus, exacerbate tensions between Greece and Turkey, isolate Azerbaijan and Georgia and, by extension, Central Asia, and provide Russia with a tremendous lever against NATO. As all involved intended, it is not something NATO can ignore. Analysis: Addressing reporters in Tehran on June 28, Greek ...

I saw Kathleen Willey's face on Larry King's show, but had to immediately leave. Does anyone know what she was discussing? Alan Dirtowitz was also on.

Buchanan and Ventura vs. Horrific Stupidity People constantly amaze me. As an illustration, I'd like to share my husband's very recent experience. First, a little background: For those who haven't noticed, the Constitution is under attack. It doesn't take a genius to see it – just the alertness to notice what is and isn't being reported on the news, as in China Gate and a host of other crucial but ignored topics. For those who have noticed the increased assaults on our way of life, there's good news: A handful of politicians, public officials, and even a few of the ...

Starr Notes Scandal Exhaustion at Hubbell Pleading By Roberto Suro and Bill Miller Washington Post Staff Writers Thursday, July 1, 1999; Page A02 Signaling the end of his five-year pursuit of President Clinton and the first lady, independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr yesterday accepted a plea bargain with Webster L. Hubbell that allowed the former associate attorney general to proclaim--as he has all along--that he knows of no wrongdoing by either of the Clintons. Starr invoked the public's exhaustion with scandal in explaining his eagerness to accept the deal and suggested that, had he gone forward with a trial, it ...

Audit Shows Russia Misled IMF on Loan By David Hoffman Washington Post Foreign Service Thursday, July 1, 1999; Page A01 MOSCOW, June 30—A secret audit of the Russian Central Bank's dealings with an obscure offshore investment company has concluded that Russia misreported its foreign currency reserves to the International Monetary Fund by $1 billion in 1996, well-informed sources said today. The audit, carried out by the international accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, was made in part to satisfy IMF demands for full disclosure of Russia's connection to the offshore firm during the IMF's recent negotiations with Moscow on whether to resume lending ...

'Material Girl' sues tax advisers Thursday, 1 July 1999 1:33 (GMT) (NOTE: fixing slug) (UPI Focus) 'Material Girl' sues tax advisers NEW YORK, June 30 (UPI) - The Material Girl is suing her former financial advisers for more than $2 million for overpaid income tax to New York state. Madonna's civil lawsuit, filed today in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, charges her former New York City business managers, Padell, Nadell, Fine & Weinberger & Co., with breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duties and malpractice. The lawsuit is seeking not less than $2 million that Madonna claims she overpaid ...

Minibars and Family Values By George F. Will Thursday, July 1, 1999; Page A29 LAS VEGAS, Nev.—In a city not known for nuances, former mayor Jan Jones called a visitor's attention to a portentous one. A hotel going up on the Strip will, she says, have minibars in the rooms. If your reaction is "so what?" you are not in a Las Vegas frame of mind. Thousands of American hotels have minibars in their rooms, but most Las Vegas hotels do not, because they do not want guests loitering in their rooms; they want them in the casinos. Jones, whose ...