Free Republic

WASHINGTON – The historic $38 billion in budget cuts resulting from at-times hostile bargaining between Congress and the Obama White House were accomplished in large part by pruning money left over from previous years, using accounting sleight of hand and going after programs President Barack Obama had targeted anyway. Such moves permitted Obama to save favorite programs — Pell grants for poor college students, health research and "Race to the Top" aid for public schools, among others — from Republican knives, according to new details of the legislation released Tuesday morning. And big holes in foreign aid and Environmental Protection...

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin is asking for a federal investigation into the surprise discovery of 14,000 votes in Waukesha County for the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. The Wisconsin Democrat sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Friday night asking him to assign the Justice Department Public Integrity Section. It oversees the federal prosecution of election crimes.

When Donald Trump began testing the presidential waters in late February, it was easy to discard his efforts as nothing more than a public relations ploy. It seemed “The Don” was just looking for one more way to get the Trump name up in lights. Thus, like so many others, I was not impressed. Yet since that time, Trump has carved out a niche for himself politically and has not only proven his sincerity in considering a presidential run, but has also risen to the point of being the 2nd most popular candidate among possible GOP primary contestants. He has...

The latest Pew Research Center national poll released today underscores how slender a beachhead President Obama has established among whites more than two years into his presidency. In his 2008 election, Obama ran well only among two groups of whites -- young people and white women with at least a four year college education, two groups that are generally receptive to government activism. In the 2010 GOP landslide, those groups stuck with Democrats relatively more loyally than the rest of the white electorate, but the party's support tumbled even among them. Figures provided to National Journal by Pew from the...

According to Politico, the White House is already plotting out their re-election campaign in 2012. Every good campaign starts with an effective and descriptive slogan, so here are a few early suggestions for Obama — feel free to add your own: –”It’s the stupid, economy!” –”On your Marx, get set, go!” –”Is government better off than you were four years ago?” –”If they could see us Mao!” –”Making Jimmy Carter look good since 2009″ –”Ramen noodles in every pot and a czar in every garage” –”I’m not drunk, just Democrat — Obama ‘12″ –”It’s not socialism; It’s the free market...

For those who don’t have FOX, or who missed the interview, here’s Bill O’Reilly, another Obama mainstream protector, talking with Donald Trump about the Obama birth certificate on the O’Reilly Factor today. Note O'Reilly's condescending arrogance and laughter directed at Trump. What an ignorant oaf.Link

As reported here and here, attorney Orly Taitz filed a Freedom of Information violation suit regarding Obama's questionable social security number reserved for Connecticut applicants and the continued stonewalling by the Social Security Administration on numerous FOIA requests. Attorney Taitz just filed her First Amended Complaint in the case. Attorney Taitz reports that she has obtained new documents that prove Obama lied about his days at Columbia University. Fullcomplaint with exhibits embedded below... Via Attorney Taitz: First Amended Complaint submitted today in DC. Newly uncovered documents show that Obama was defrauding the nation re his Columbia university records, he was...

Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) vowed to have Congress investigate the Obama Administration for sending illegal guns to Mexico! This historic announcement was made during an evening March 16 interview on The Roger Hedgecock Show, wherein Issa credited Hedgecock as being the impetus for his decision to investigate Eric Holder and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) for their scandalous and deadly Operation Gun Walker sting-gone-South. During Hedgecock’s interview, Darrell Issa said the House Oversight Committee has dispatched four investigators to look into Operation Gun Walker at the BATFE. The announcement comes at 1:35 into the following video:...

The current inflation scenario is reminiscent of the 1970s and the transition of economic dominance from the United States to China is already well under way, Harvard Professor Niall Ferguson told CNBC Monday. Geopolitical events all add up "to a pretty bearish scenario because of all the inflation implications we're seeing right now," Ferguson said. "You already had massive deficits and money printing in the developed world," he said. "On top of that you had enormous demand-side pressure from China relative to commodities." "Now you've got the prospect of massive geopolitical disturbance in the great oil-producing centers of the world,"...

The weight of the world may be on his shoulders but there's not much around President Barack Obama's middle. The U.S. president has invoked the concern in America after walking out of a gym looking skinnier than ever. Clutching an energy drink, Mr Obama is pictured looking cheerful as he left the gym at Fort McNair in Washington

"Andy Dick's Stocking Stuffer Music & Comedy Show," Friday, Jack's Patio Bar, 3030 Thousand Oaks; doors at 7 p.m. $24-$30 at frontgatetickets.comYes, outrageous comedy provocateur Andy Dick is sharing the stage this weekend with One-Eyed Doll and Dick Wiggler. No, they are not one and the same person.“Andy Dick's Stocking Stuffer Music & Comedy Show” featuring Andy Dick and the Bitches of the Century hits Jack's Patio Bar on Friday. The lineup includes Dick's son, stand-up comedian Lucas Dick.Dick, 44, describes his long-running rock act (with guitarist Tim Walsh) as a fun, if more vulgar, vision of Laurie Anderson...

More than two-thirds of New York City's public school students will begin getting more nutritious free or low-cost school lunches under First Lady Michelle Obama's pet project to get kids to eat well and exercise. President Obama signed into law Sunday the $4.5 billion Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which expands the free lunch program and requires that schools provide more nutritious lunches. "We've seen the connection between what kids eat and how well they perform in school," he said. Some 680,000 out of 1.1 million New York children participate in the school lunch program - a big chunk of the...

According to Bob Woodward, Barack Obama got "pissed" with the US military for demanding more troops. The startling disclosure that is not presidential at all comes as part of author Bob Woodward’s first interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer as he begins to hawk his new book, "Obama’s Wars." In one of the meetings Obama attended to review Afghanistan policy, he simply blurted out, "I’m pissed!" because he was getting frustrated with the insistence of US military leaders demanding more troops so they could win in Afghanistan. Just imagine, US military leaders actually had the unmitigated gall to dare ask their...

The Talk Shows Sunday, September 26th, 2010 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Reps. Steny Hoyer, D-Md.; John Boehner, R-Ohio; and Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Education Secretary Arne Duncan; Michelle Rhee, schools chancellor for the District of Columbia; Randi Weingarten, president, American Federation of Teachers; Robert Bobb, emergency financial manager, Detroit public schools.FACE THE NATION (CBS): Marco Rubio, Republican nominee for Senate in Florida; Ken Buck, Republican nominee for Senate in Colorado; Sal Russo, chief strategist, Tea Party Express.THIS WEEK (ABC): Presidential adviser David Axelrod; Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.;...

A senior administration official who read the book says "the President comes across in the review and throughout the decision-making process as a Commander in Chief who is analytical, strategic, and decisive, with a broad view of history, national security, and his role." The official says of the descriptions of the infighting in the book that "the debates in the book are well known because the policy review process was covered so exhaustively." White House officials are still matching New York Times excerpts with anecdotes in the book but one says not all the quoting is fair, especially Vice President...

Earlier this week, First Lady Michelle Obama addressed the National Restaurant Association with stern advice about the fare they should serve up -- less butter and cream, fewer fries. “I’m not asking any of you to make drastic changes to every single one of your recipes or to totally change the way you do business,” she said. “But what I am asking is that you consider reformulating your menu in pragmatic and incremental ways to create healthier versions of the foods that we all love." She also gave them advice on advertising. “It’s not enough just to limit ads for...

PHOENIX - Arizona Governor Jan Brewer is asking others to join her in sending President Obama a cake with a special message for his birthday on Wednesday . . .

How can a former constitutional law professor, an attorney general and an iconic organization get it so wrong on civil rights? When you look at it, it is hard to tell if the White House, the Department of Justice and the NAACP are merely a collective sign of the times or the reasons why the times are sadly changing. Over the course of the past week, all three iconic institutions have corrupted the legacy of civil rights activism in America, using their efforts to support legal initiatives that pervert the legacy of black civil rights leaders with self-serving and misguided...

Diego Maradona is set to quit as coach of Argentina, according to reports. Maradona and his squad arrived home on Sunday following their World Cup exit at the hands of Germany. Argentina had been considered one of the favourites for the finals, but they came up short as they were hammered 4-0 by Germany.

Holed up with seven other global leaders in the woods of Muskoka, Canada, President Barack Obama gave the White House press corps the slip last night. The president is attending the G-8 and G-20 summits with his global counterparts this weekend. The G-8 began yesterday in Muskoka in Huntsville, Ont., and ends today. The G-20 is in Toronto, about 150 miles away, and starts this afternoon.