Free Republic

The Jan. 6 committee takes its place alongside the Watergate panel, the Truman committee and a few other congressional investigations that leave a profound historical mark. While unique, it’s a case study in how to conduct a serious investigation. The careful, exhaustive and private preparation of interviews and gathering evidence set the stage for the compelling public hearings — which left no doubt that the President of the United States attempted a coup to remain in power and sabotage democracy. The panel, led by Democratic chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Republican Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), showed that the Jan. 6 deadly...

This is a tale of two presidential elections, one close, one not close; a tale of two candidates, one a patriot who put the good of the country first, the other an apparent congenital liar who always put himself first, ahead of anything including country. It’s a tale of Al Gore and Donald Trump.

It doesn't get any better in the U.S. Senate race where former party state chair Jane Timken, perennial right-wing candidate Josh Mandel and author J.D. Vance are fighting over who is the most Trumpian. Ohio State Sen. Matt Dolan jumped into the race, giving the anti-Trump forces an outside shot if the others split their vote. It'll be interesting to see if retiring Sen. Rob Portman — who didn't stand up to Trump for four years — will show political courage now that he’s not facing voters. It’s not much better in neighboring Pennsylvania, where the leading Republican U.S. Senate...

The choice between Elise Stefanik and Liz Cheney for a House Republican leadership post serves as a proxy war between Donald Trump and Ronald Reagan for the soul of the Party. Reagan and Cheney — and Republicans generally — appear certain to be the losers. For decades after he left office, Ronald Reagan was a glue that united Republicans, just as Franklin D. Roosevelt was for Democrats. Now Trump dominates the Republican Party; Liz Cheney had the audacity to tell the truth: that Trump lost the last election, which many of her House GOP colleagues are too cowardly to acknowledge.

Joe Biden survived the second round of Democratic presidential debates, but it became more apparent that over half the 22-person field is irrelevant and should get out, the sooner the better. The former vice president was repeatedly under attack on health care, criminal justice, immigration and abortion. He stumbled sometimes, but overall was sharper than his mediocre performance in the first debate a month ago. This won't assuage fears of mainstream Democrats that the 76-year-old Biden may not be up to the challenge of a protracted primary fight and bitter battle against Donald Trump. Still he was sufficiently engaged to...

Two newcomers, Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas, are the hottest figures in the dominant conservative wing of the Republican Party. In markedly different ways, they both claim to be the heirs to the party’s contemporary patron saint, Ronald Reagan. In a short time, these first-term lawmakers have electrified elements of the party’s base and rattled the Senate establishment. The top two Republican leaders in the chamber, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and John Cornyn of Texas, have had to defer to the political popularity of their junior colleagues. Both are outside the party mainstream, rock stars...