Free Republic

A Pennsylvania defense research center regularly consulted with two "handlers" close to Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) as it collected nearly $250 million in federal funding through the lawmaker, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post and sources familiar with the funding requests. The center then channeled a significant portion of the funding to companies that were among Murtha's campaign supporters. The two advisers included a lobbyist for PMA, a firm with close ties to Murtha that is under federal investigation for allegedly making illegal contributions by reimbursing donors to the Pennsylvania lawmaker and other members of Congress. The Electro-Optics...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2007 – A 3-percent pay raise for servicemembers, an increase in ground forces and continued funding of the global war on terrorism are on the table now that President Bush has delivered his fiscal 2008 defense budget request and 2007 emergency supplemental request to Congress today. The total DoD 2008 budget request is pegged at $481.4 billion. This represents an 11.3-percent increase over fiscal 2007. “As commander in chief, my highest priority is the security of the nation,” President Bush said in his letter delivering the budget to Congress. “My budget invests substantial resources to fight...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17, 2007 – A plus-up of Iraqi soldiers is a component of President Bush’s strategy to stabilize Iraq’s capital city and parts of western Iraq, senior U.S. military officials said during a Baghdad news conference today. After conferring with top administration officials and senior Iraqi authorities, Bush last week announced a temporary increase, or surge, of about 21,000 U.S. soldiers and Marines to help dampen sectarian and insurgent violence in Iraq’s capital city and parts of Anbar province in the western part of the country. “This plan is different in that there is a strong political commitment...