Free Republic

There are many of us, perhaps millions, who believe that the Republican party as a governing force has been the lesser of two evils. We fear what the Democrats are doing to destroy the country but we’re angry about what the Republicans aren’t doing to repair the damage. This is why Donald Trump and Ben Carson have been so popular. It’s why so many people are willing to tell pollsters that they support either of the anti-establishment candidates.Thankfully, there’s a third candidate who would stand in stark contrast to the ineffective Republican Establishment that has been harming the party and...

North Carolina Democratic Congressional candidate Clay Aiken declined to say whether Secretary of the Veterans Administration Eric Shinseki should resign Tuesday on NBC.The former American Idol runner-up offered a somewhat bizarre rationale, telling the Today Show because he was not in the publicly broadcasted Senate hearing and “hasn’t paid attention to those details” he could not say whether Shinseki should go.“I think we have a lot of people who are making decisions without being in the room,” he said. “I’m not going to be one of those folks who wasn’t in the hearing and hasn’t paid attention to those details...

While the media are attempting to grapple with the change in leadership of the Afghanistan war and what that all means, one thing that could be learned from this, which has been ignored, are valid criticisms of President Barack Obama and his ability to command the U.S. military. Michael Hastings, author of the now-famous Rolling Stone magazine article "Runaway General" that captured several gotcha moments resulting in Obama relieving General Stanley McChrystal of his command, appeared on Al Jazeera English on June 23. He offered some startling insight into Obama's failure to grasp what he was actually getting into with...

Doubts in White House on approach to N. Korea Though official policy is to pursue talks, some aides believe the focus should be on containment, to prevent the communist nation from selling nuclear know-how or parts. By Paul Richter July 14, 2009 Reporting from Washington -- American diplomatic efforts on North Korea are coming under fire within the Obama administration from officials who consider talks futile and instead want to focus on halting the regime's trade in nuclear weapons and missile equipment, U.S. officials said. The administration's official goal has been to coax the Pyongyang government back into the six-nation...

Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, but John McCain snagged the nomination. This businessman and politician is keeping a critical eye on how things are shaping up in the presidency he wanted, and he shared his views on Thursday night's "Larry King Live." He gave a sharp critique of President Obama's performance and shared his thoughts on Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and stem-cell research. The following transcript is edited for brevity and clarity:

The furor over the huge federal spending under President Obama — a $1.75 trillion deficit — obscures an even more basic question: Does he know what he is doing? That is, Does he know how to do anything other than spend? His stimulus package, of course, took no special ability: He left the details to Democrats in Congress. But his two other major initiatives, banking and mortgage-relief plans, are both flawed and unlikely to solve their respective problems. Indeed, they're so wide of the mark as to prompt questions not of Obama's ideology but of his basic competence. The bank-bailout...

WASHINGTON – One of President Barack Obama's economic advisers said Sunday that the economy is fundamentally sound, a striking reversal from the Democrat's campaign rhetoric as his administration now guides the nation's financial health amid dire conditions. Obama's Democratic allies pleaded for patience for an administration hitting the two-month mark this week, while Republicans said the White House's plans ignore small business and the immediate need to fix what ails the economy. During the fall campaign, Obama mercilessly mocked his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain, for declaring, "The fundamentals of our economy are strong." Obama's team painted the veteran senator...

Let me count them up, in no particular order. Some are big. Some are small. We all make mistakes. Here’s his: 1. A do-over on the oath of office. 2. Tim Geithner. 3. Bill Richardson. 4. Tom Daschle. 5. Eric “Nation of Cowards” Holder. 6. Leon Panetta. 7. Arne “Cappuccino” Duncan. 8. Hilda Solis (OK, her husband has the tax liens). 9. Nancy Killefer. 10. Charles Freeman Jr. 11. Ron Kirk. 12. Adolfo Carrion. 13. Banning offshore oil again. 14. Letting Nancy Pelosi write the $787 billion “stimulus’ plan. 15. Relying on Tim Geithner to explain it. 16. It is...

Surfer that he is, President Obama should know a riptide when he's in one. The center usually is the safest, most productive place in politics, but perhaps not now, not in a once-in-a-century economic crisis. Swimming in the middle, he's denounced as a socialist by conservatives, criticized as a polite accommodationist by government-is-the-answer liberals, and increasingly, dismissed as being in over his head by technocrats. Luckily for Obama, the public still likes and trusts him, at least judging by the latest polls, including NEWSWEEK's.But, in ways both large and small, what's left of the American establishment is taking his measure...

And for some reason, when the plane landed, Obama, or somebody, said, "You know, I think you're a little flippant on that socialist stuff." Obama thus thought it necessary to call the New York Times back and go for take two -- which they granted him the opportunity to do, of course. Go for take two on what he thinks about socialism. I have that. It is about two minutes and 11 seconds. Now, we normally have a sound bite policy here of not playing a sound bite any longer than a minute, but in this case, I want to...

The White House's top budget official declared on Sunday that "fundamentally, the economy is weak" while saying the administration's own financial predictions could need a revision by midyear. Peter Orszag, President Barack Obama's Office of Management and Budget director, said in television interviews that the economic downturn has been years in the making but cautioned that the new administration wasn't yet looking at a second economic stimulus package. Orszag said the already-in-place $787 billion stimulus should have a chance to work before officials ask Congress to consider a sequel.

"Profit's to Earnings Ratio" Posted by Bob Schultz at 3/5/2009 10:04 AM Categories: uncategorized       Yesterday, President Obama stated, "Profit and earning ratios are starting to get to the point where buying stocks is a potentially good deal if you’ve got a long-term perspective on it,”     The President was likely speaking to the "P/E" ratio which is used to measure companies against each other.  But P/E ratio does not stand for "Profits" and "Earnings".  It stands for "Price/Earnings".  This is the measure by which a stock price is compared to the earnings per share of that same firm.       Hence, a...

CRITICS RIP TREASURY'S TIMID MORTGAGE PLAN Housing industry insiders say Obama's $75 billion rushed mortgage rescue plan is missing crucial elements that doom it to failure, .......doesn't include adequate property appraisals or risk management of reworked loans...... Without these safeguards, steadily declining home values will waste taxpayers money by putting homeowners back into over-valued homes with no equity and no free cash to maintain the home. One source poked fun at Obama's requirement that stimulus money must go to "shovel ready" projects to ensure the most immediate effect, calling the mortgage modification plan "not shovel ready." Secy Geithner plans to...

Being President sure is hard. Sources close to the White House say Mr Obama and his staff have been “overwhelmed” by the economic meltdown and have voiced concerns that the new president is not getting enough rest. Unfortunately for us, this is President Hussein’s first actual job. No wonder he’s so stressed and sleep-deprived. Perhaps he’s spent too much time building that frame for Henrietta Hughes’ new house. But Washington figures with access to Mr Obama’s inner circle explained the slight by saying that those high up in the administration have had little time to deal with international matters, let...

The Obamas, Barack and Michelle both, pretty much diplomatically botched the recent visit of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife. Oddly enough, the U.S. Old Media seems uninterested in the story that is a hot topic in England, a story that's left many Brits a bit miffed.

After insulting Gordon Brown during the British prime minister’s visit this week by ignoring protocol and cheaping out on the traditional gift exchange, the UK media has erupted in outrage. The Obama White House has now started to recognize the firestorm the new President created with our closest ally, and wants to assure the Brits that he meant no disrespect. Instead, Obama apparently wants to assure them that he’s simply in over his head and floundering (via Radio Equalizer): Sources close to the White House say Mr Obama and his staff have been “overwhelmed” by the economic meltdown and have...

US backtracks on pay caps to stop Wall Street exodusFebruary 17, 2009 Tim Reid in Washington President Obama is aiming to water down Democratic proposals on pay caps for banking executives because he fears a “brain drain” on Wall Street. In a move that has angered leaders of his own party, the President has indicated his concern that new caps on compensation — inserted into his $787 billion stimulus Bill, which he signs into law today - are too draconian and could limit banks' co-operation with his plan to stabilise the stricken financial sector. This month Mr Obama issued guidelines...

The LA Times and the MSM foist this inexperience hack on the American people, all the while claiming that the most popular governor in America was too inexperienced for the job, and then act surprised when the guy shows that he doesn't know what he's doing? How very MSM of them.

Another disastrous crony appointment in the making This is Julie Myers, President Bush's nominee to head the the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security. Her nomination is a joke. A bad joke: (via WaPo) The Bush administration is seeking to appoint a lawyer with little immigration or customs experience to head the troubled law enforcement agency that handles those issues, prompting sharp criticism from some employee groups, immigration advocates and homeland security experts. The push to appoint Julie Myers to head the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, part of the Department of Homeland...

Julie Myers is 36 years old, a lawyer and a political appointee to the Bush administration with limited executive experience. Yet, she is slated to become head of one of the nation's most critical security-related agencies, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Myers appointment, in the wake of FEMA's disastrous handling of the Katrina Hurricane and the resignation of its chief, Michael Brown, has people from both sides of the political aisle raising hackles. "The Bush administration has barely rebounded from the resignation of horse show organizer Michael ‘Heck...