Free Republic

Robert Ford to become first US ambassador to Damascus since 2005; opponents say move rewards Syrian regime for bad behavior. Talkbacks (23) WASHINGTON — US President Barack Obama has bypassed the US Senate and directly appointed four new ambassadors, including Robert Ford, who will become the first US envoy to Syria since 2005. Specific senators had blocked or refused to consider the confirmations of the nominees for various reasons, including questions about their qualifications. But in the most high-profile case, that of the new envoy to Syria, a number of senators objected because they believed sending an ambassador to the...

There is only one certain method through which all of the horrors of the Obama Administration can be undone, and that is by proving that Barack Hussein Obama is constitutionally ineligible to hold the office of President of the United States and nullifying his presidency. The questions and inconsistencies have all been addressed, including such things as place and country of birth, even including inconsistencies regarding which hospital he was born, Obama’s SSN, passport records, and the dearth of personal information that has been made public. There is one person, however, that had to certify his eligibility, and that was...

President Obama welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House yesterday in an unusually low-profile follow-up to their public spat over reviving the long-dormant Mideast peace talks. The two men made no public statements afterward and press coverage of the Oval Office talks was barred -- in contrast to the warm, highly public reception Netanyahu got earlier on Capitol Hill. "We in Congress stand by Israel," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said at an all-smiles appearance before the cameras. "In Congress, we speak with one voice on the subject of Israel." House Republican leader John Boehner agreed: "We have...

One of the signature achievements of the Bush Administration was pressuring the Syrians to give up their occupation of Lebanon. "Occupation" is a strong word, but how else would one describe a situation where a foreign power (a) assassinates the elected leader of Lebanon, (b) has their proxies take to the streets better armed than the nation's own armed forces, (c) controls the occupied nation’s intelligence and police forces, and (d) has 15,000 troops strategically based around the tiny nation? In 2005, the Syrians left Lebanon after 30 years of occupation and domination. Oh, and Syria still considers Lebanon to...