Free Republic

HARRISBURG -- Ed Rendell's chaotic management style might have worked for him when he was Philadelphia's mayor, but as governor it's causing serious problems. His critics say he sends mixed signals, waits too long to get personally involved in key issues and doesn't say no when he means no. The end result: a relationship with a Republican-controlled Legislature that's verging on open warfare. How bad is it? ''F— you, governor. You're a liar,'' Senate President Pro Tem Robert C. Jubelirer snarled during a late-night meeting that ended the legislative session. ''You're a liar. Your staff are liars. … F— you.''...

White House Web Site to Promote Woodward Book The official White House Web site will feature a link to Bob Woodward's new book, "Plan of Attack," even though its release has spurred a firestorm of criticism of President Bush and prompted two senior White House officials to issue strong denials of some of the book's key allegations. "I'm told by the White House they're putting this book on - linking it to their Web site," senior Bush-Cheney adviser Mary Matalin told Fox News Channel's Greta Van Susteren on Monday. Matalin, who looked somewhat chagrined as she announced the development, explained...

Bill Lansdowne already notices the difference. The former San Jose police chief started his new job as San Diego's top cop this week, and it's clear some of his views are a bit too progressive for California's gateway to Mexico. ``It is a very conservative city,'' Lansdowne said Friday evening during a homecoming speech to his longtime allies at the Latino community group, La Raza Roundtable. ``They're all Republicans down there. I'm having some trouble with my liberal ideas.''For one, he believes the U.S. Border Patrol is ``overreacting'' by enforcing immigration laws too strictly. Under Lansdowne, San Jose police officers...

In the pantheon of popular, bombastic radio and cable talk-show hosts, Michael Savage occupies a special place. In contrast to Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Laura Schlesinger, Bay Area-based Savage mixes conservative diatribe and blunt observations with acerbic humor and a gift of gab. It has propelled him to the top of radio talk-show ratings as well as bestseller book lists. Savage crossed a line recently, however. MSNBC fired him from his 5-month-old television cable show ``The Savage Nation'' on July 7 after he responded to a prank caller by calling him a ``sodomite'' and saying, ``you should only get...

<p>NEW YORK — The United Nations is gearing up for what could be yet another explosively controversial international conference, this time over charges the organization wants to create a powerful worldwide tax bureaucracy. Supporters see the International Conference on Financing for Development, set for Monterrey, Mexico, from March 18-22, as a chance for world governments to address a wide range of financial issues related to global development. But critics of the U.N. see a far more disturbing agenda in the works. "This is scary. They're talking about establishing an extra layer of government at the world level," said Veronique de Rugy, an analyst at the Washington-based Cato Institute. "Their goal is an international tax cartel … that would work to keep taxes high."</p>