Free Republic

JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to execute a 1,000-for-1 prisoner exchange last week despite his frequently voiced opposition to such lopsided deals is seen by several Israeli military commentators as an effort to “clear the deck” before possibly undertaking an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Amir Oren, the veteran military analyst for Ha'aretz newspaper, took note of Israel’s exchanging 1,027 Palestinian convicts for army Staff Sgt. Gilad Schalit, who had been captured by Hamas in 2006. Mr. Oren wrote that the price paid by Mr. Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak “can be interpreted only in a context...

An MSNBC interview from early 2009 has resurfaced to haunt Barack Obama, who explained to Matt Lauer that if he had not fixed the economy within three years, then he will be a one-term president.Check out the video after the break, and let us know your thoughts in the comments.Throughout the entire interview, Obama employs a tired blame Bush rhetoric, but the best part comes with his message for economic recovery. At around the 4:45 mark, Obama makes his one-term presidency remark, saying