Free Republic

* Former CIA official accuses govt of ignoring warnings of post-invasion violence in Iraq WASHINGTON: A former CIA official who coordinated US intelligence on the Middle East has accused the Bush administration of “cherry-picking” intelligence on Iraq to justify a decision it had already reached to go to war, The Washington Post reported Friday. The newspaper said Paul Pillar, who was the national intelligence officer for the Near East and South Asia from 2000 to 2005, also accused the administration of ignoring warnings that the country could easily fall into violence and chaos after an invasion to overthrow Saddam Hussein....

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Friday slammed U.S. President Donald Trump's trade policies and sweeping tariffs, saying they harm multilateralism as he met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow. -snip- "The latest decisions by the U.S. president to unilaterally put tariffs on trade with all countries in the world undermine the great idea of free trade and strengthening multilateralism," Lula said during a bilateral meeting with Putin. The leftist leader said he intends to strengthen Brazil's strategic partnership with Russia, citing "political, commercial, cultural, scientific and technological interests" as he sees room to increase trade.

Mike Pence Breaks His Silence on ElectionClick here to read the full article Too little too late… we don’t want to hear it… Former Vice President Pence on Wednesday criticized the 2020 election in his his first extended written comments since leaving office in January. Pence said there were “significant voting irregularities” and “numerous instances of officials setting aside state election law” in the 2020 presidential election. The remarks were offered by Pence in an op-ed published by the Daily Signal, a publication run by the conservative Heritage Foundation. The context was an attack on H.R. 1, a voting rights...

The third-ranking House Republican is calling for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's security men to be denied entry to the United States — or expelled — for beating U.S. citizens after his last visit to the White House. Fifteen of Erdoğan's guards were criminally charged for attacking Americans in Washington in May 2017. The guards were allowed to flee, but two Turkish-American collaborators were sentenced to one year in prison. Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, chairwoman of the House Republican Caucus, wrote Monday to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that those involved in 2017 attacks should be barred from returning this...

A long forgotten video clip from ABC's "The View" resurfaced on Wednesday that showed co-host Joy Behar trying to explain a Halloween costume from when she was younger. The clip was shared by The Wrap media editor Jon Levine. Behar was seen discussing a New York Times op-ed about the resurgence of curly hair during the show in 2016. Behar showed her colleagues and the audience a picture of herself with curly hair when she was 29 years old. The co-hosts appeared surprised by her drastically different look. Raven-Symoné, a former co-host, asked, "Joy, are you black?"

Donald Trump's two sons, Donald Jr., and Eric have killed a Triceratops, and other Dinosaurs on a hunting trip, liberals believe.

Former U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy is not a fan of splashy, big-name congressional hearings — including, in hindsight, his own. The former S.C. congressman labeled his Benghazi panel’s questioning of Hillary Clinton an “unmitigated failure” Monday on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends,” where Gowdy is a contributor. Gowdy said he was unimpressed with last week’s high-profile testimony by former Trump attorney Michael Cohen to a U.S. House panel.

I often wonder who didn’t love Donald Trump. I often wonder who left an affection void that he has tried to fill by winning attention, which is not the same thing. He’s turned his life into a marketing strategy. As Michael Cohen said in his testimony on Wednesday, even the presidential campaign was a marketing campaign to build the Trump brand. In turning himself into a brand he’s turned himself into a human shell, so brittle and gilded that there is no place for people close to him to attach. His desperate attempts to be loved have made him unable...

OXON HILL, Md. — The Koch political network for the first time plans to intervene in GOP primaries as part of a deliberate 2020 strategy to reverse years of essentially rubber-stamping the Republican Party in general elections. Disappointed with Republicans in Congress and occasionally at odds with President Trump, the coalition of political groups overseen by Charles Koch has been re-evaluating its engagement in federal campaigns. Playing in GOP primaries to elect more like-minded Republicans to the House and Senate is key tactical adjustment the network has agreed to, with a top Koch official confirming that incumbents could be targeted...