Free Republic

In a campaign dominated by the economy and the Iraq War, the Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling Thursday on detainees at Guantanamo marks a forceful reminder that John McCain promises one course and Barack Obama pledges another in picking future justices. In the current controversy, McCain quickly expressed his disapproval of the opinion, while Obama issued a statement of support. It fell to outsiders to point out the broader implications in the race for the White House. "With the replacement of a single justice from the majority ... today's four dissenters could become tomorrow's majority," said Nan Aron of the Alliance...

The recent spike in oil prices and unemployment is dramatically changing this presidential campaign — virtually overnight. The near $20 jump in oil to $140 a barrel, the unexpected half-point increase in the jobless rate to 5.5% (the biggest monthly increase in 20 years) and the resulting 400-point plunge in stocks has created a new campaign issue right before our eyes. Public worry No. 1 is now oil, jobs and the economy, with the inflationary woes of the U.S. dollar right underneath. The candidate who can connect with these issues will win in November. But so far neither Barack Obama...

When it comes to John McCain, he has some good ideas and then he has some not so good ideas. His stance on earmark spending, for example. Now there's a good idea. But then he panders to the global warming crowd. That is the John McCain that frustrates me and a lot of conservatives. When it comes to taxes, McCain doesn't seem to be any different. Here are some of his better ideas: -Extending the Bush tax cuts -Lowering the corporate tax rate -Maintaining a low capital gains tax -Phasing out the alternative minimum tax (which will save 25 million...

Democrat Barack Obama is continuing his tour this week of battleground states, where his biggest campaign vulnerability comes from swing voters. Obama's strengths are obvious. The Illinois senator can draw huge crowds, register millions of new voters and raise money like no other candidate in history. He is also a giant-slayer, meaning he managed to outmaneuver the powerful Clinton machine in a one-on-one contest. But in the end, Obama wheezed across the finish line. He lost nine of the last 14 primaries, and although Democrats are uniting behind their nominee, there is a lot to make them nervous about Obama's...

Sen. John McCain delivered a nearly pluperfect supply-side tax-cut plan yesterday, one that is worthy of conservative support, and frankly a real eye-opener showing just how good he can be. I wrote about it in my latest column. But then he goes on NBC’s Today Show this morning and gets the whole energy story wrong. Oh my gosh. When asked about gas prices at the pump, and whether they could go any lower, Sen. McCain said he didn’t think so because “You’ve got a finite supply, basically, and a cartel controlling it.” This is exactly wrong. There is no finite...

Barack Obama received a standing ovation when he proclaimed his unwavering support for Israel to the influential lobbying group AIPAC last week. In her own AIPAC speech, Hillary Clinton said she was sure "that Senator Obama will be a good friend to Israel." But Clinton's reassuring words didn't soothe the wounded feelings of some prominent Jewish Obama supporters, who charge that Clinton campaign operatives manufactured fear about Obama's ethnic background and doubt about his loyalty to Israel in an effort to turn Jewish primary voters against him.

Three out of five American voters (61%) say their perception of a presidential candidate’s wife is at least somewhat important to how they vote (see video). The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 22% of voters say it is very important. Only 11% say it is not at all important. First Ladies are often in the media spotlight, but seldom, with the notable exception of Hillary Rodham Clinton, have their activities been viewed through a political lens. So it is unclear how these findings will play out in November. The current First Lady, Laura Bush, is regarded favorably...

Here's an odd Obama controversy I hadn't yet heard about. Apparently, the Lamb of Chicago has not released his Hawaii birth certificate despite several media requests. Jim Geraghty thinks it would end several persistent rumors concerning his birth. Although Geraghty makes some good points, Exurban League's research interns have uncovered several reasons Obama is keeping it under wraps. Top Ten Reasons Obama Won't Release His Birth Certificate 10. Despite the claims of his supporters, it was not technically a virgin birth. 9. Full name is Ayatollah Mubarack Hussein Obama-Khomeni bin Laden. 8. Actual birth date would reveal he's a Virgo,...

TCHULA, Miss. — Gasoline prices reached a national average of $4 a gallon for the first time over the weekend, adding more strain to motorists across the country. But the pain is not being felt uniformly. Across broad swaths of the South, Southwest and the upper Great Plains, the combination of low incomes, high gas prices and heavy dependence on pickup trucks and vans is putting an even tighter squeeze on family budgets. Here in the Mississippi Delta, some farm workers are borrowing money from their bosses so they can fill their tanks and get to work. Some are switching...

It would be hard to design a better test for the job of commander in chief than the real-life test senators John McCain and Barack Obama have undergone in the last two years. As the situation in Iraq deteriorated during 2006 and the war reached its most critical moment, both senators served on national security committees: McCain on Armed Services, Obama on Foreign Relations. From those positions, with access to classified situation reports as well as the public testimony and private advice of those who knew the situation in Iraq best, each man reached an understanding of the facts on...

The presidential election will be about many things. Mostly, it will be about Barack Obama. Millions of Americans are ready for change. But many aren't comfortable with the man who's calling for it, at least not yet. Obama's ability to reach a comfort threshold with large numbers of those voters - backers of the defeated Hillary Rodham Clinton among them - will have a huge impact on whether he defeats Republican John McCain in November. Both candidates know this full well.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) Who's Tony Rezko? William Ayers? Few Americans know, but they probably will by Election Day. Both men have ties to Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, and may well show up in even more anti-Obama ads than they already have. These days, presidential candidates can expect to have every personal relationship, new or ancient, investigated, and if there's political hay to be made, a version of the details is quickly out. All candidates have their associations questioned, but it's especially true for Mr. Obama, still a newcomer to the national scene. Voters haven't had years...

McCain has 14 "issues" on his website- Obama has over 30 on his. Right away we have a clue about the size of government envisioned by the two candidates. It dawned on me that I- and I suspect I'm not alone- continue to look at the candidates exactly the way the media wants us to..younger, older, bad teeth, charisma, oratory skills, war-hero..etc. To look at the actual platforms of these guys is tedious, requires effort and time. It's certainly not as much fun as searching for a whitey tape or how badly did McCain lose his temper that day (as...

While most of the ink being spilled and talk being aired is focused on what the political pundits - as well as their followers in the MSM - deem to be the the crises of today (gas prices, housing downturn, economic news, etc.) there has hardly been a mention of the fact that the next President will choose, at least two, if not three or more, justices of the Supreme Court. The actuarial facts are that Justice Stevens is an octogenarian at 88, and is followed by five colleagues who have all long-since passsed Social Security's retirement age. McCain has...

Barack Obama was widely considered the probable Democratic nominee in March. Instead of voters rallying to him, as they often do with winners, Obama went on to lose nine of the final 16 primary contests, five by double digits. This suggests that Democrats may have experienced a case of buyer's remorse. One reason for such remorse could be a realization that if he is elected president, Sen. Obama would be the least qualified and experienced man to hold the office in modern times. This is not a criticism or a value judgment, but rather an observation of fact. Since the...

Barack Obama is the most pro-abortion presidential candidate ever. He is so pro-abortion he refused as an Illinois state senator to support legislation to protect babies who survived late-term abortions because he did not want to concede -- as he explained in a cold-blooded speech on the Illinois Senate floor -- that these babies, fully outside their mothers' wombs, with their hearts beating and lungs heaving, were in fact "persons." "Persons," of course, are guaranteed equal protection of the law under the 14th Amendment.

With Barack Obama claiming the democratic nomination, I decided to ponder just what might be a possible group of Cabinet members should he win the Presidency. Here are a few names that came across as possibilities: Janet Napolitano (Gay Gov'r of AZ) - Vice President Al Sharpton (the 'good' Rev) - Secretary of State Charlie Rangel (Rep from NY) - Attorney General Donna Brazile (Gore's former asst) - Press Secretary Kweisi Mfume - Dept Homeland Security Louis Farrakhan - Secretary of Defense Snoop Dog - Dept of Public Affairs Ice Cube - State Dept Director Oprah Winfrey - Secretary of...

Mr. Obama, on the other hand, is a lawyer and has had a long and deep interest in the courts and the law. Cass R. Sunstein, a professor at the University of Chicago Law School and an Obama adviser, said in an interview that because Mr. Obama had taught constitutional law for 10 years at Chicago, “he is immersed in these issues.” “The first thing to know,” Professor Sunstein said, “is that he knows this stuff inside and out, and he has the credentials to be easily appointed to the court himself.” From his remarks in the Senate opposing the...

Let's be honest here. How can Obama be so close to the presidency with a complete lack of political experience? Would his backers be as enthusiastic about Obama if he held other positions without any experience? "Geeks On Caffeine" examines this very issue in a comic that is funny, thought provoking and ultimately tragic in that it exposes the sorry state of today's American political scene.