Free Republic

May 17, 2002 1:10 p.m. EDT) - The Democrats are trying to make political hay out of the report that President Bush heard the word "hijack" in a briefing prior to Sept. 11, but the facts hardly justify their suggestions of possible negligence and a cover-up. The presidential briefing last August was based on 1998 information from just one source, according to The New York Times. It contained nothing specific and pointed to the possibility of hostage-taking hijackings of the kind that had occurred in the past, not suicide hijackings in which planes are aimed at buildings. In response to...

<p>WASHINGTON - An unusual coalition of lawmakers is pressing President Bush to increase global spending on AIDS by hundreds of millions of dollars this year alone.</p> <p>The Bush administration has budgeted $780 million for the global AIDS fight this year. Thursday, however, Republicans in the House Appropriations Committee voted to add $200 million in global AIDS money to an emergency measure for homeland security and military spending. The White House had not asked for the money.</p>

<p>In case you missed it, Rep. Dick Gephardt recently announced on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives that his 94-year-old mother, Loreen, was bouncing checks.</p> <p>According to Gephardt, his mother shared the embarrassing news by phone. "Dick," she said, "I bounced four checks ... You have got to come help me work on my checkbook." It is assumed that accidental math was the primary reason for the bounced checks, since Dick and his brother pay the majority of their mother's living expenses.</p>

SEN. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) believe corporate America is receiving too many tax breaks and subsidies from the federal government, and cutting these government programs would put more money into taxpayers' pockets. "Because we face diminishing resources, we must prioritize our level of federal spending," McCain said, "therefore corporate welfare must be eliminated." The senator says the more than 100 "corporate subsidy" programs funded by the federal government cost taxpayers approximately $65 billion a year. "Terminating even some of these programs could save taxpayers tens of billions of dollars each year, money that could...

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) --  Congress' top Democrats complained Monday that three leading cable television networks have been all but ignoring them while giving heavy coverage to the White House.</p> <p>Network officials said their coverage reflects President Bush's commanding role in the battle against terrorism, not political bias.</p>

<p>WASHINGTON - House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt says that Republicans have a secret plan to undermine the Social Security retirement benefits of millions of the elderly -- and that he's determined to smoke them out.</p> <p>House Deputy Majority Whip Roy Blunt says it's the Democrats who have a not-so-secret plan: to frighten voters in the congressional election this fall with supposed cuts in Social Security that no Republicans in fact support.</p>

Campaigners Ahead Of Their Time Democrats On The Run Early, Fearful Of Losing The Chance To Win Voters March 19, 2002 By DAVID LIGHTMAN, Washington Bureau Chief PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- It's a sunny, bracing Sunday afternoon in this upscale seaport. Goldi's Deli sets the casual pace. The "cream cheese of the week" is almond and the $8.95 "nosh platter" includes a taste of whitefish salad, a blintz, a knish and chopped liver. Into this scene steps Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, splendid in his perfectly fitted suitcoat and nicely creased pants, with a coterie of equally well-dressed aides. They shake hands...

CSPAN has a link to a speech by lil' Dick Gephardt to the Int'l Assn. of Fire Fighters. Hilarious stuff, especially at the end of the speech.Dick makes an impassioned speech as to why it is so important that Campaign Finance Reform gets passed. His voice gets loud, and he gets passionate, and he builds up to an applause line about bringing the "people" back to the process AND....AND....AND....he talks to a silent room. I coulda swore I heard a tumbleweed roll by.IOW, NOBODY IN THAT ROOM GAVE A DAMN ABOUT IT. This was from a room that gave lil'...

Congressional democratic leaders seem to support Bush's Mexico policy more than the republicans. File Photo, TheNewsMexico.com The top Democrats in the U.S. Congress on Friday urged President George W. Bush to increase economic aid to Mexico and hasten approval of an immigration bill to help illegal Mexican immigrants legalize their residence. Strengthening ties with Mexico is crucial to national security, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (Dem.-SD) and House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (Dem.-MO) said in an open letter to Bush, urging the president to boost bilateral cooperation on issues such as immigration and border security in his upcoming visit...

Democrats look to Arizona in '02 By Stephanie PaterikThe Arizona RepublicMarch 10, 2002 Arizona will be the quot;epicenter for Democratic victoryquot; in this year's congressional elections, said House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, who was in Phoenix on Saturday night for a Democratic Party fund-raiser. quot;I think this is our year in Arizona,quot; he said at a news conference before delivering his keynote speech at the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner at the Arizona Biltmore. quot;Redistricting turned out exceedingly well. We think we have a great chance to win at least two seats, maybe even more.quot; Arizona will gain two congressional seats this year,...