Free Republic

NRSC Chairman John Cornyn said today that Florida’s GOP Senate primary has been “a learning experience” for him. If we’ll remember back to last year, Cornyn’s NRSC recruited (then Republican) Governor Charlie Crist to challenge the already announced conservative darling Marco Rubio for the open Senate seat left by the departure of Mel Martinez. Of course Rubio didn’t need a challenger, and should have been allowed to run uninterrupted from Washington. Cornyn sees that wisdom now. “In this political environment it’s not necessarily helpful for candidates running in the states to have the national party chairman” endorse them. No joke....

John McCain has been hammering rival Barack Obama for being little more than a vapid "celebrity" and "elitist." But The Nation has obtained a photo revealing just how star-struck a straight-talking maverick can become when offered the chance to celebrate his birthday aboard a yacht filled with celebrities--even if one of those celebrity types turns out to be an A-list con man. The photograph substantiates reports that in late August, 2006, McCain celebrated his 70th birthday aboard a yacht, the Celine Ashley, rented by A-list con man Raffaello Follieri and his then-movie star girlfriend Anne Hathaway. In the current edition...

There's no official Sen. Ted Cruz presidential team — yet. But the Texas Republican is already surrounding himself with key strategists and advisers that could make his transparent White House ambitions a reality. The tea party firebrand relies on a small circle of advisers to inform his views and amplify his ultraconservative message. The inner circle breaks down into two groups: his chief advisers in the Senate office, and the chiefs of his nationally-focused political operation, which he beefed up in the summer of 2014 by hiring a crop of seasoned Republican campaign operatives. These are the key players that...

Former senator says Vargas should stay in U.S. Former U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) said Sunday that Jose Antonio Vargas, the former Washington Post reporter who came out last month as an illegal immigrant, should be allowed to "become an American." "It's a difficult problem, and what we need to do is find a way in which Jose can continue to contribute to this country," Martinez said on ABC's "This Week." "He wants to be an American," Martinez continued. "This is a great thing. This is the Fourth of July. We need to talk about the fact that this is a...

Wes Hickman, a spokesman for Mr. Graham, said in a statement that "Senator Graham is ready and willing to play a key role in immigration reform. He intends to work with many of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle."

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator Mel Martinez, a native Cuban and a former chairman of the Republican Party, stunned supporters on Friday by informing them that he plans to resign from Congress, party aides said. Martinez, 62, who earlier said he would not run for a second Senate term next year, scheduled a news conference in Orlando, Florida, at 3 p.m. EDT to make an announcement. In a letter to "friends," a copy of which was obtained by Reuters from a supporter of the senator, Martinez said he planned to step down after a replacement is named. "My priorities have always...

Just heard on Fox News: Mel Martinez is quitting the Senate "to get on with his private life". Some scandal about to erupt?

WASHINGTON - Republican Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida will resign from the Senate this fall, more than a year before his term ends, according to several GOP sources.

Developing: Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., is resigning, a senior Republican official told FOX News. He announced earlier this year that he had decided not to seek re-election in 2010. His resignation may allow Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running for the seat, to appoint a replacement.

WSVN just had a special report saying Mel Martinez was resigning...Crist could appoint himself to Senate.

For Latin America, events in Honduras are the tragic yet logical culmination of the silence of the United States and the inter-American community to the sustained assault on democratic institutions in that region. While there may be the possibility of reconciliation in one country, it does not address the larger dismantling of democracy in the region. It is hard for many Hondurans, and other pro-democracy activists in the region, to fully appreciate the outrage and clamor over the ouster of Mel Zelaya in Honduras when there has not been any significant action in opposition to the dismantling of democratic institutions...

The Founding Fathers in no way contemplated a professional political class. The democratic ideal, expressed and ascribed to in many documents and letters of their day, was a citizen legislature and executives with real world experience. Say what you will about Sarah Palin, she believes in her heart that the citizens of Alaska would be better served by a person who is fully committed to the people's agenda. Not that Palin was not for the people, but she was incessantly distracted from this role by political bloodsport. So Palin did the honorable thing, she resigned. In doing so, she may...

Washington, DC - -(AmmoLand.com)- Imagine that. The Senate confirmed this week, by a vote of 62-35, a gun banner who stays up at night thinking of ways to impose more gun control upon American citizens. Harold Koh is that gun grabber, and he was confirmed yesterday to be the Legal Adviser at the State Department. On Wednesday, Senate Republicans attempted to kill the Koh nomination with a filibuster — until eight of them crossed the aisle to help Democrats confirm Koh. The back-stabbing Senators are: Lamar Alexander (R-TN) Susan Collins (R-ME) Judd Gregg (R-NH) Orrin Hatch (R-UT) Richard Lugar (R-IN)...

President Obama moved the goalposts on getting immigration reform accomplished, saying Thursday that he wants a bill he can sign either this year or early next year. Shortly after the president adjourned a meeting with a bipartisan group of members from both chambers, a number of senators and congressmen from both sides of the aisle demonstrated why next year might be aiming too high. The White House has said that the president would like to see something this year, but a number of skeptics have questioned whether Congress can or will take any floor action in 2009. Obama said he...

GOP recruiters tilt toward center in 2010 races Outreach to more moderate candidates angering many in conservative base Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, a moderate Republican, has found support for his Senate race from key Republicans even though another well-established candidate has stronger conservative credentials. WASHINGTON - Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh contend the Republican Party needs less moderation and more conservative backbone to win back voters who have been abandoning it in droves. Leaders of the party's 2010 election efforts are showing they don't think ideological purity is the answer. In the latest example, key Republican senators jumped this week...

Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) is endorsing Gov. Charlie Crist as his replacement -- and is politely advising potential Crist challenger Marco Rubio to seek employment elsewhere. Martinez, speaking to reporters in the Capitol Tuesday, hinted that the former Speaker of the Florida House might want to consider a state AG run -- as has been suggested by some GOPers. "I am endorsing [Crist]," said Martinez.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) will be announcing Tuesday that he will be running for the Senate, according to a source close to the governor, giving Republicans their most high-profile recruit of the 2010 election cycle. Crist's decision puts Republicans in strong position to hold onto the seat held by retiring Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) Crist holds high approval ratings among both Republicans and Democrats, according to statewide polling, and has forged a moderate governing style that has won him widespread support. His decision to run came as little surprise to political observers, with the governor and his allies hinting...

The decision of Florida Republican Sen. Mel Martinez not to seek a second term has left a void on both sides of the political spectrum when it comes to the 2010 race, according to a Quinnipiac University poll conducted April 6-13. Some of the high-profile prospects decided early-on not to seek the seat, such as former GOP Governor Jeb Bush and Democratic state Sen. Alex Sink. Popular Republican Gov. Charlie Crist could change all that if he decided to seek the seat, although Quinnipiac says that voters by 42 percent to 26 percent would rather see him remain as governor....

Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) has allegedly told a constituent that President Obama’s eligibility, his natural born status, has been decided twice by the voters. Senator Mel Martinez has laid the vetting of President Obama’s citizenship on the people of the United States. Does Congress assume responsibility of anything? The question of President Obama’s eligibility to be POTUS arose early in the election process. Congress, as a body, has been silent on the issue. For months, voters have received no information, and in fact, no one seems to know who vets a Presidential candidate. So, no one has. Now, it appears...

A U.S. senator has suggested that voters have made Barack Obama eligible to occupy the Oval Office, whether or not he meets the constitutional mandate of being a "natural born" citizen. The comments from Sen. Mel Martinez came in an e-mail sent to a constituent shortly after the election, which just now was forwarded to WND. The constituent had asked about Martinez's perspective on the issue on which WND and others have reported: claims made by dozens of lawsuits around the country that Obama might not meet the constitutional qualification for various reasons. "Presidential candidates are vetted by voters at...