Free Republic

Geographically, Pennsylvania is a long way from Laredo. But politically, every state may be a border state this year. As evidence, consider a radio ad being run by Rick Santorum, a Republican seeking a third U.S. Senate term in a state that has voted Democratic in the last four presidential elections. Titled "He Needs Glasses,'' the target is Santorum's opponent, Bob Casey: "Bobby Casey announced his support of a Senate bill that grants amnesty to illegal immigrants, shocking hardworking taxpayers all across Pennsylvania. Now Casey's trying to wiggle out of it by saying the bill doesn't offer amnesty and requires...

Republicans plan controversial votes on gay marriage, flag burning By James Kuhnhenn Knight Ridder Newspapers WASHINGTON - When President Bush beat John Kerry in 2004, Republicans said a ballot initiative in Ohio to ban gay marriage sealed the election, drawing legions of conservatives to the polls. Bush and Republican senators now will seek another dose of conservative magic to embolden their party's base. Call it nostalgia - or election-year jitters. In Saturday's radio address, Bush will urge support for a national ban on gay marriage. A meeting Monday at the White House with opponents of gay marriage will follow, then...

President Bush will promote a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, a cause dear to his conservative backers, at a Rose Garden event Monday, the eve of a scheduled Senate vote on the issue. The amendment would prohibit states from recognizing same-sex marriages. To become law, the proposal would need two-thirds support in the Senate and House, and then be ratified by at least 38 state legislatures. It stands little chance of passing the 100-member Senate, where proponents are struggling to get even 50 votes. Several Republicans oppose the measure, and so far only one Democrat — Sen. Ben Nelson (news,...

RUSTAMIYAH, Iraq, May 30, 2006 – A number of initiatives are under way to instill democratic values in the Iraq security forces. One such initiative involves U.S. Army leadership experts helping to set up the Iraqi Center for Values, Principles and Leadership here. A team from the U.S. Army's Command and General Staff College, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is working with American and Iraqi personnel to develop doctrine and formulate tools to make values a part of the soldier ethos of the Iraqi army. Army Lt. Col. Todd Huderle led the four-man team during its recent deployment here. The team...

The Senate’s vote to make English the “national” language of the United States is largely symbolic, and even that is not likely to pass into law. Certainly not as long as George W. Bush is President of the United States. What Sen. Jim Inhofe (R.-Okla.) proposed has been tried before, and then, as now, political demagoguery got in the way. It was August 1, 1996, and the now-infamous former California Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham had authored a bill to make English the “official” language of the nation. The ensuing discussion—about such things as citizenship and the melting pot—was loud and...

For the first time since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, national security is no longer President Bush's trump card. With violence grinding on in Iraq, a majority of Americans have been telling pollsters in recent weeks that they trust Democrats as much or more than Bush or his Republican allies in Congress to protect the country, combat terrorism and run a sound foreign policy. "The advantage the president has had on national security is either much smaller now or is perhaps gone," said pollster Scott Rasmussen. "What has been new in the last few months is a decline in support...

Majority in polls puts at least as much faith in Democrats to protect the country. by James Rosen -- Bee Washington Bureau WASHINGTON -- For the first time since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, national security is no longer President Bush's trump card. With violence grinding on in Iraq, a majority of Americans have been telling pollsters in recent weeks that they trust Democrats as much or more than Bush or his Republican allies in Congress to protect the country, combat terrorism and run a sound foreign policy. "The advantage the president has had on national security is either much...

The Senate is rushing a pro-amnesty bill through, hoping to get it out of the way before too many of their constituents find out what is really in the bill. Some of the provisions have leaked out already and they are enough to make those constituents so mad they won’t be likely to support those senators ever again. We have heard about the Social Security giveaway. That is, if an illegal alien has been working in the country and paying into Social Security, once amnestied the worker would be entitled to collect benefits for himself/herself, even though the worker was...

WASHINGTON - Call it an early, conservative rehearsal for the 2008 campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, four senators supporting a chance at citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants, one opposed. "Some call it amnesty. I call it probation and parole," says Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback (news, bio, voting record), willing to push back against conservatives — many of whom presumably will vote in primaries and caucuses in 20 months' time. "In poll after poll after poll, Americans support earned citizenship and a comprehensive solution," adds Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) of Arizona, echoing Brownback's view as well...

Fred Barnes had a piece for the Weekly Standard, his most recent piece. It's entitled: "How to Lose the House -- Republicans are staring political disaster in the face on immigration," and essentially what Fred Barnes is saying (and he's wrong), is that the House needs to adopt the Senate immigration reform plan, Hagel-Martinez, and if they do that, they'll keep the House. He could not be more wrong. The House, it looks like if you look at it through a certain prism, you could say that the Republican House is facing a disaster, but not because that they're not...

CACR 30 – FINAL VERSION 08Mar2006… 0982h 22Mar2006… 1411h 2006 SESSION 06-2232 06/09 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 30 RELATING TO: limits on the taking of private property. PROVIDING THAT: a person’s property shall not be taken by eminent domain if the taking is for private use. SPONSORS: Rep. Giuda, Graf 5; Sen. Green, Dist 6 COMMITTEE: Judiciary AMENDED ANALYSIS This constitutional amendment concurrent resolution prohibits the use of eminent domain for private use. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -...

There is no denying the fact that America is politically divided today. Some say we are more divided than ever in history, though we have not yet reached a second civil war level of division. Most believe we are divided right down the middle, based upon recent election cycle returns in which only a couple percentage points separate the victor from the loser. Most blame polarizing politicians or extreme rhetoric for our divide, but only that extreme rhetoric or polarizing political figure from across the aisle. For the most part, we are divided between America’s political left and right. Though...

Mindful that social conservatives must come to the polls in force this November if Republicans hope to keep control of the House, the chamber’s GOP leadership has begun crafting a “pro-family agenda” that will be unveiled later this year. GOP leaders released a long-term agenda last week that listed dozens of legislative items, but very few that are usually associated with the social conservative movement. But the House is planning to vote this year on a gay marriage amendment, and there are more such issues in the pipeline. “We’re looking at a number of items including addressing the sanctity of...

WASHINGTON - Some election-year advice to Republicans from a high-ranking source who has the president's ear: Don't use a proposed constitutional amendment against gay marriage as a campaign tool. Just who is that political strategist? Laura Bush. The first lady told "Fox News Sunday" that she thinks the American people want a debate on the issue. But, she said, "I don't think it should be used as a campaign tool, obviously." "It requires a lot of sensitivity to just talk about the issue — a lot of sensitivity," she said. The Senate will debate legislation that would have the Constitution...

IT'S TOUGH TO BE a moderate Democrat. Hatred of George Bush has changed the loyal opposition into the bitter opposition, less interested in policy than in punishing their bête noire. It's particularly tough for Democrats who supported the invasion of Iraq, the defining George Bush moment, and who oppose withdrawal. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, the very model of a modern "defense Democrat"--not to mention the party's 2000 vice presidential nominee--now faces overwhelming votes of "no confidence" from Connecticut Democratic town councils.The conundrum is acute for the rising generation of moderate Democrats who may run for president, if the performances last week...

MADISON, WI (AP) -- Recent referendums on the death penalty and the definition of marriage serve an ulterior motive of drawing to the polls Republican voters who would also likely vote against Gov. Jim Doyle, political observers said. Voters will get to decide Nov. 7 whether to approve a constitutional amendment that would bar the state from recognizing same-sex marriages. They will also likely get to vote on whether the state can impose the death penalty in certain murder convictions. "The combination of the gay marriage initiative and the death penalty initiative is going to be more helpful to the...

From AP, courtesy of MSNBC: Angry conservatives are driving the approval ratings of President Bush and the GOP-led Congress to dismal new lows, according to an AP-Ipsos poll that underscores why Republicans fear an Election Day massacre. Six months out, the intensity of opposition to Bush and Congress has risen sharply, along with the percentage of Americans who believe the nation is on the wrong track. The AP-Ipsos poll also suggests that Democratic voters are far more motivated than Republicans. Elections in the middle of a president’s term traditionally favor the party whose core supporters are the most energized. MSM...

Just as the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, awakened the U.S. to the threat of terrorism, the publicity surrounding the May 1 boycott by illegal aliens and their supporters appears to have made the immigration issue one of Americans' top concerns, according to a new Zogby Interactive survey, and they're taking it out on President Bush. While the war in Iraq continues to be seen as the top issue facing the nation for 37 percent of respondents, immigration and the war on terror came in with a close second at 32 percent each. The vote split significantly along political and...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Americans are driving less, trimming vacations and cutting back on heating and air conditioning, according to an AP-Ipsos poll taken as gasoline prices in many areas have topped $3 a gallon. ADVERTISEMENT click here Seven in 10 say gas prices are causing a financial pinch. And that pressure is being felt increasingly by middle-income and higher-income families. "Now, I'm just going to work and coming home -- not doing anything else," said Kathleen Roberts, who makes a daily, 100-mile round trip from York, Pa., to her teaching job in Baltimore. Like many Americans, Roberts is trying to...

ATLANTA, May 3, 2006 – More than 900 people representing organizations with a stake in how the Base Realignment and Closure process goes forward are gathered here this week to discuss the implications of the 2005 BRAC round. The conference brings together officials from the White House, Defense Department, individual service branches, various federal departments and agencies, and state and local leaders from areas affected by past and ongoing BRAC actions. Philip W. Grone, deputy undersecretary of defense for installations and environment, noted that nearly all of the 22 federal agencies working on BRAC-related issues have representatives here. "In my...