Free Republic

It is certain that the United States is in for an energy price and supply shock the likes of which we have never experienced or imagined. While high prices, to a reasonable extent can be tolerated, hell will break loose if massive supply disruptions emerge. We are much closer to them than people think. Those who think that we can conserve ourselves to energy independence need not read any further. They are vastly wrong and it is pointless to argue with them. The first proof of trouble to come is that none of the three US presidential candidates, Senators John...

Think you can sidestep the issue of “global warming,” simply by voting Republican? Think again. Now that Senator John McCain is officially the Republican nominee for President, global warming is, whether anyone likes it or not, an “issue” for both of our nation’s dominant political parties. McCain has been gravitating towards this issue for several years, and made his mark with it during his chairing of the U.S. Senate hearings on global warming back in 2004

Congratulations. The nomination of the Grand Old Party is yours. Now comes the hard part, winning, and the almost impossible part, governing sensibly. Since you were, in your usual modest way, genial enough to acknowledge recently that you know little about economics, may I offer you some thoughts on a big part of economics, namely tax policy, bearing in mind that no one knows much about it? Let’s start with the obvious. Almost everyone dislikes taxes. No sane person enjoys writing out a big check to Uncle Sam when he could spend that money or bank it for retirement. By...

Along with his signature bright white hair, the most striking aspects of Senator John McCain’s physical appearance are his puffy left cheek and the scar that runs down the back of his neck. The marks are cosmetic reminders of the melanoma surgery he underwent in August 2000. Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, sometimes tells audiences that he has “more scars than Frankenstein.” The operation was performed mainly to determine whether the melanoma, a potentially fatal form of skin cancer, had spread from his left temple to a key lymph node in his neck; a preliminary pathology test at...

It is perhaps the hottest topic in politics today. Sure, the dominant media will try to play up the shaky economy, in order to help bolster the chances of Democrats at the polls come November and the war in Iraq, though less of a political football of late, is certainly important, but illegal immigration, by far, is the most controversial subject in America today. Depending on which poll one may read, an overwhelming majority of Americans believe the flow of illegal immigrants into the nation via our border with Mexico must be stopped. In addition, many Americans detested the idea...

This is just a real zinger. Obama's foreign policy advisor says that neither Obama or Clinton is capable of answering the 3:00 am phone call. She says it in the video below at about the 37 second mark . . . See Video From JohnMcCain.com For Immediate Release March 6, 2008 Contact: Press Office 703-650-5550 Statement By McCain Communications Director Jill Hazelbaker In Response To Senator Obama's Foreign Policy Advisor's Comments On Preparedness For 3 A.M. Phone Call ARLINGTON, VA -- U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today released the following statement by Communications Director Jill Hazelbaker in response to...

If Senator McCain wants to run as a candidate of change and if he’s interested in distancing himself from President Bush on some issues, he should reverse the declining fortunes of the Bush wartime dollar, as America’s prestige is on the line.

ANNAPOLIS — Maryland residents are worried about the economy and taxes, according to poll results to be released today that show Gov. Martin O'Malley's popularity continuing to slide. Marylanders gave Mr. O'Malley a 37 percent job-approval rating, down two points from January, while 48 percent said they disapprove of the job he's doing, according to the poll conducted by Gonzales Research and Marketing Strategies of Annapolis. Mr. O'Malley's support among Democrats dropped slightly from January, from 52 to 48 percent. The number of independents disapproving of his performance jumped 12 points over the same time, to 51 percent, which carries...

The hope that Obama speaks of is in actuality the courage to hope in the face of fearfulness. The change Obama speaks of is really about the courage to stand for change against powerful forces in our government. He has used hope and change to highlight his courageousness in a time of great turbulence. He has essentially become a hero to people sullen in fear. When he speaks of hope and change he is really telling people to dare to be courageous in a time when courage is hard to muster. This is why he is doing so well. Simply...

Every so often in the blogosphere, on the Left and the Right, hostile debates over gender seem to rise up to the surface like a leviathan from the depths. Some male bloggers tend to think women get more links because they're women, some female bloggers think there's some sort of a "good ol’ boys" club that keeps them from getting big, and more than a few people seem to get huffy about the whole debate. However, the fact is that the issue is much more complex than it appears on the surface. The blogging experience ISN'T THE SAME for men...

Two big states holding presidential primaries Tuesday have something more tragic in common — high numbers of military casualties in Iraq. Combined, Ohio and Texas have sustained roughly one-eighth of all U.S. troop deaths in a war that's certain to shape the general election as candidates with two vastly different approaches — stay or go — compete for votes in communities that have been personally touched by the conflict that began with a U.S.-led invasion five years ago this month. "This strategy is succeeding," insists Republican Sen. John McCain, the likely GOP nominee who plans to keep U.S. troops in...

For the most part, the Republican presidential candidates tried to play the "immigration" card — one that may backfire come November. Only John McCain was willing to take a gentler approach to immigration and thank God he’s the last man standing. CNN and the liberal media were all too willing to let the Republicans continue their suicidal plunge on immigration. Meanwhile, the New York Post recently featured a column by Geraldo Rivera decrying the impact of the immigration debate on the Republican Party: freefall in the polls among Latino voters. President Bush carried 45 percent of the Latino vote in...

If William Jefferson Clinton was America's first "black" president, could it be that Barack Obama is positioning himself to be the nation's first "gay" president? His supporters have argued vehemently for months that Barack Obama does not represent the interest of the radical homosexual activists. Chicago "South-side" radio talk show hosts declare with confidence that Senator Obama has said he would oppose the redefining of marriage to include unions that only the imagination could cook up. Obama has blindsided black clergy across America with the con-game that they should not worry about his views on homosexuality. He has uttered a...

Terrorism and the threat of an attack has been a Republican strong point with the voter since 9/11. I’m not sure why. The Bush Administration has dropped the ball in so many areas of Homeland Security that if the Democrats had any brains, they would attack Bush not for making terrorism a political issue but for the spectacular failures of his administration on issues such as border and port security, airport screening procedures, and improving the security around soft targets like chemical and electric plants. (Talking about the fact that the Department of Homeland Security itself is a bureaucratic mess...

“Liberty must at all hazards be supported. We have a right to it, derived from our Maker. But if we had not, our fathers have earned and bought it for us, at the expense of their ease, their estates, their pleasure, and their blood.” - John Adams, in a Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law, circa 1765 People have been predicting the demise of democracy, individual freedom and liberty, as well as resulting American supremacy, since the day American democracy was born. The most vastly distributed prediction has often been attributed to historian Alexander Tytler, dating back to the...

Crude oil prices hit record highs again on Thursday, underpinning an expensive plateau at the pump that may force motorists to change their spending habits if not their travel plans. Motorists not only are paying more at the pump today - an average of $3.11 a gallon in Wisconsin - but also are likely to soon pay more for a wide range of products because diesel fuel prices have reached record levels: $3.66 a gallon in Wisconsin and an average of $3.63 across the country. That's roughly $2 per gallon more than farmers and truckers paid five years ago for...

On Wednesday a full transcript of Democrat presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama’s July 2007 speech to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund in which he vigorously defended legalized abortion became available. In the July 17 speech, Obama attacked the Supreme Court decision that upheld the federal partial-birth abortion ban and the nomination of Supreme Court justices who favor overturning Roe v. Wade. In the speech the senator said, "There will always be people, many of goodwill, who do not share my view on the issue of choice. On this fundamental issue, I will not yield and Planned Parenthood will not yield."...

President Bush attacked a key foreign policy stance of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), contending heatedly at a news conference Thursday morning that talking to dictators without preconditions can be dangerous and counterproductive.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama sought the support of voters in the homosexual community Feb. 28, telling them in a letter that if elected president he would work to pass laws important to that constituency and would use the "bully pulpit" to urge states to grant same-sex couples the legal benefits of marriage. The 770-word letter was posted on a section of Obama's campaign website devoted to homosexual issues. He and Hillary Clinton have worked for months to get the votes of the homosexual community, even appearing in August at a historic Democratic presidential forum devoted solely to...

Transcribed by Laura Echevarria, www.lauraechevarria.com, (view the video of this speech at www.imoneinamillion.com) Barack Obama: Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, well, Ariana, thanks for stealing the show. [Laughter] That’s how, that’s how we teach young people at Trinity United Church of Christ. They’re not shy. It’s so wonderful to see and thank you for the wonderful introduction and the great work that you are doing. You’re representing the church and the city of Chicago very, very well. All right—give her a round of applause [Applause]. I heard, Ariana, I...