Free Republic

Now things will really change! Eight members of the House Republican caucus combined with House Democrats to remove a Republican Speaker for the crime of … [checks notes] … allegedly working with Democrats. And now, the House will grind to a halt while Republicans pick the next Speaker, who will still have to work with a Senate run by Democrats and a Democrat in the White House to accomplish anything other than investigations. Which, by the way, Kevin McCarthy already had operating. (snip) So what comes next? Probably more epic faceplanting. (snip) The most likely way out of this impasse...

"...this sounds pretty whiny for a first-look official campaign ad. The script for it amplifies that quality, as it sounds as though Trump wrote it himself. “Struggling big-time,” “failing so bad,” “Trump’s support was so powerful,” and so on. It’s comic-book language for a comic-book grudge. Everything about this ad is about Trump’s personal affront, and nothing — not a single word — is about the issues of the day, policies Trump wants to implement, or even voters themselves. It’s sixty seconds of personal butt-hurt, broadcast nationally."

How well have the people of the four annexed territories in Ukraine embraced their new overlords in Moscow? Vladimir Putin offered some insight into that question today by declaring martial law in all four areas, starting tomorrow. The Duma followed up his declaration with legislation that will silence any dissent and criminalize any travel and public gatherings not expressly approved by military commanders. It’s “liberation, Kremlin style,” comrade!(snip) The glorious war progresses smoothly, tovarisch. Don’t forget that Putin’s argument for annexation was that these areas rightly belonged to Russia in the first place. If that’s the case, why do these...

Even the solutions turn into problems for Vladimir Putin in Ukraine — big problems. Less than a month after announcing a “partial” mobilization, Russian conscripts have entered into combat in Luhansk. And it appears that they are exiting almost as quickly, provoking even more backlash from nationalist milbloggers who are increasingly balking at Putin’s propaganda. The Ukrainians reported their arrival in combat areas yesterday. Serhii Haidai, the top military official in Luhansk Oblast, claimed that the first conscript wave consisted mainly of ex-convicts: (snip) The Russian milbloggers didn’t take long to confirm the arrival of conscripts — and to complain...

A sense of unreality continues to permeate Russia and their claims to annexation of southern Ukraine, and that may be almost literally. Newsweek reports today that the Kremlin added “fake cheers” to Vladimir Putin’s speech on Friday announcing the annexation to sell this glorious nonsense to a Russian audience that has clearly grown tired of the war. And speaking of the audience … Unedited footage from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annexation speech in Moscow on Friday appears to show fake cheers were edited onto clips broadcast on state TV, while reports say that people were bussed in to attend the...

And can Vladimir Putin survive without them? The Kremlin has relied on manipulated narratives of Russian success in Ukraine — as well as outrageous propaganda against Ukrainians and the West — sourced mainly through milbloggers and nationalist front-line reporters. Those have fed Putin’s state-run media since the start of the war, especially after Putin outlawed any true independent reporting in February. Now that Russian troops are running from Kharkiv and getting overrun in key strategic locations like Lyman and Kherson, the milbloggers have turned on their masters. ISW reports today that “dramatic changes in the Russian information space” took place...

You see, this is why I prefer Catholicism. All we need is confession. Russia’s establishment has grown desperate enough in Ukraine to reach for the martyrdom argument. Patriarch Kirill, a Vladimir Putin crony, declared that Russian men who die for “Holy Russia” by participating in its genocide in Ukraine will have their sins “washed away”: (snip) If that sounds positively medieval, it is, literally. It’s the same indulgence granted during the Crusades. This is the kind of martyrdom teachings one no longer finds in Christianity but still find in radical forms of Islam and extremist political ideologies. In those ideologies,...

Let the hunt for scapegoats begin! In the wake of repeated military disasters in his “special military operation” in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has begun a sweeping purge of his top ranking commanders, the UK’s Defence Ministry announced today. This confirms ongoing rumors that Putin’s playing musical chairs in an effort to reverse a series of humiliations at the hands of Volodymyr Zelensky and his surprising home army... (snip) So who’s out so far? 1) Lt. Gen. Serhiy Kisel relieved of command from 1st Guards Tank Army for the loss of the battle of Kharkiv 2) Vice Admiral Igor Osipov relieved...

David Limbaugh’s latest book, Jesus on Trial: A Lawyer Affirms the Truth of the Gospel, sounds like an entertaining and informative read even if you are not especially interested in Christian theological study. From a purely historical perspective, Limbaugh’s latest work seems like a compelling one. Ed Morrissey spoke with Limbaugh on September 9 for The Ed Morrissey Show (at about the 1:06:00 mark). The host described Limbaugh’s book as a nondenominational approach to the analysis of Biblical scripture. Limbaugh noted that this was intentional. While he said that he was not endorsing “pluralism,” he found that all schools of...

But you’ll have a hell of a time finding it at either USA Today or at Gallup, which partnered with the newspaper for the poll. The USA Today lead on the survey is that approval for the war in Afghanistan has dropped since the Wikileaks exposure of internal documents from the military, and that decline is notable, a 12-point plummet in just five months from 48% to 36% approval. But they buried the real lead, which is that Obama is now struggling to keep his approval ratings in the 40s (via Jim Geraghty): "Public support for President Obama’s Afghanistan war...

I haven't heard anything about it in awhile, but I thought that I heard that after a debate between Keyes and Obama, Keyes asked Obama if he had a birth certificate. Obama replied that it wouldn't be an issue, because he doesn't need to be a natural born citizen to be a senator. The audio was removed from the internet also. Does anyone remember this?

One of the annoying attributes of global-warming scolds is their inability to practice what they preach. The US Chamber of Commerce produced a very amusing video last month explaining how much in carbon emissions the UN generated by insisting on conducting endless conferences on the issue. Today, the Los Angeles Times takes a look at the travel practices of Arnold Schwarzenegger, another booster of energy-production limits, and notices the stench of hypocrisy: Like many of the Californians he represents, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger now spends more than three hours commuting because he lives so far from the office. But his ride...

Ed Morrisey Jr. has his opinion about rumors President Bush received preferential treatment when he was allowed into the Texas Air National Guard in the late 1960s. The Blount Countian also has firsthand knowledge. The 75-year-old Jackson Hills resident is a retired colonel with Texas Air National Guard. He swore Lt. George W. Bush into the service in May 1968. On Thursday, Morrisey said the argument that Bush got off easy by being in the National Guard doesn't take into consideration the context of the 1960s. ``Bush and the others were flying several flights day or night over the Gulf...

A retired National Guard officer now living in East Tennessee is weighing into the debate over President Bush's service record. Volunteer TV's Eric Waddell says the man who swore then-Lieutenant George Bush into the Air National Guard, is rising to the President's defense from his Blount County home. Retired Colonel Ed Morrisey served in the Air National Guard and is familiar with the President's record since the beginning of his service. Opposite a portrayal of a soldier not performing his duty he describes a flyer, near the top of his class. Retired Colonel Morrisey has trained, developed and commanded lots...

Ed Morrisey Jr. has his opinion about rumors President Bush received preferential treatment when he was allowed into the Texas Air National Guard in the late 1960s. The Blount Countian also has firsthand knowledge. The 75-year-old Jackson Hills resident is a retired colonel with Texas Air National Guard. He swore Lt. George W. Bush into the service in May 1968. On Thursday, Morrisey said the argument that Bush got off easy by being in the National Guard doesn't take into consideration the context of the 1960s. ``Bush and the others were flying several flights day or night over the Gulf...

Ed Morrisey Jr. has his opinion about rumors President Bush received preferential treatment when he was allowed into the Texas Air National Guard in the late 1960s. The Blount Countian also has firsthand knowledge. The 75-year-old Jackson Hills resident is a retired colonel with Texas Air National Guard. He swore Lt. George W. Bush into the service in May 1968. On Thursday, Morrisey said the argument that Bush got off easy by being in the National Guard doesn't take into consideration the context of the 1960s. ``Bush and the others were flying several flights day or night over the Gulf...