Free Republic

Gov. George Pataki, eyeing a possible White House run in 2008, continued to shake the money tree Thursday with a little help from House Speaker Dennis Hastert. Pataki was in Chicago for a $1,000-a-person fundraising luncheon to benefit his Virginia-based 21st Century Freedom PAC, the political action committee he uses to finance his national activities. Later Thursday, the New York Republican was headed to Iowa for a two-day visit to the state that hosts the caucuses that traditionally begin the presidential nominating process. It is Pataki's third trip to Iowa in four months. Pataki was coming off three days in...

"As governor in 1994, he exhorted the Republican faithful to take the Democrats and metaphorically 'knock their soft teeth down their whining throats'."Buckling His Chin Strap Sen. George Allen — likable, conservative, and tough — prepares to run for president RICHARD LOWRY Sen. George Allen is standing on the sideline of an empty Giants Stadium about an hour-and-a-half before the 1 p.m. start of a New York Jets vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers game. His brother Bruce is general manager of the Bucs, so Allen is here to root on the family team. He is idly handling a football, tossing...

Before I get into examining more presidential candidates, I have to respond for some of the criticism of eliminating 7 oft-mentioned candidates from consideration in the first column. First of all, if you're just looking for a winning race horse that you can slap a Republican label on and say that you picked the winner, then you can stop reading. This article is for people who want to elect a candidate who will make our country better and stronger, not just keep a party in power. I believe that Republicans can be forthright and honest with the American people and...

There is only one force on Earth capable of preventing Sen. Hillary Clinton from winning the White House in 2008 - and her name is Condoleezza Rice That is the thrust of a new book by former Bill Clinton adviser-turned-nemesis Dick Morris and his wife, Eileen McGann. A copy was obtained by the Daily News. In "Condi vs. Hillary: The Next Great Presidential Race," Morris and McGann paint a potential presidential catfight as a struggle between good and evil - and New York's junior senator is wearing the black hat. "There is one, and only one, figure in America who...

NEW YORK - Arizona Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) is considering a 2008 run for president but says it's unlikely he'd take the No. 2 spot. In an appearance Sunday at a fund-raiser for a local New York candidate, the Republican seemed to humorously rule out ever accepting a vice presidential post. "I spent all those years in a North Vietnamese prison camp, kept in the dark, fed scraps, why the hell would I want to do that all over again?" he said, the New York Daily News reported in Monday editions. McCain, who ran for president in...

(CNSNews.com) - Virginia Republican Sen. George Allen, considered by political insiders to be a contender for the party's 2008 presidential nomination, is being accused of breaking a campaign promise with his support of pro-homosexual federal "hate crimes" legislation. Allen denies that he broke any promise. The criticism comes from Joe Glover, president of the Virginia-based Family Policy Network (FPN) and involves an Oct. 27, 2000, letter that Allen wrote to a constituent. The recipient of that letter was acting as a liaison between Allen - at the time a candidate for the Senate - and pro-family leaders who were concerned...

Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said Sunday he will contemplate next year whether to run for president in 2008. "I will be considering it next year," Giuliani said during a visit to Denmark. But he added that playing with the idea of running for the Republican nomination for president did not mean he would actually do it. "Sometime you warm up and get ready and you don't get in and pitch," he told reporters, in a baseball analogy. Giuliani who was praised for his leadership following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center, thanked Danish...

Sunday, Oct. 2, 2005 1:04 p.m. EDT NY'ers Back Rudy Over Hillary for Prez New York State voters would back former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani for president over home state senator and Democratic Party favorite, Hillary Clinton, according to a Marist College poll released Friday. Forty-nine percent of New Yorkers say Rudy should run for the White House, while only 40 percent want Hillary Clinton do the same. While more than two-thirds of Empire State Republicans [67 percent] want Rudy to seek the Oval Office, just 54 percent of Democrats [52 percent] say Hillary should run. What's more,...

Mitt Romney's Evangelical Problem Everyone wants to believe the Massachusetts governor's Mormonism won't be a problem if he runs in 2008. Think again. By Amy Sullivan Washington pundits in the throes of post-election doldrums are notoriously eager to find a fresh face to crown the "early favorite" for the next presidential campaign. Even by those standards, however, the speed with which they flocked to Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has been remarkable. Last December, barely a month after Bush's reelection, George Will devoted a column to Romney's potential, and a quick succession of profiles in the Weekly Standard, National Review, and...

Poll says Iowans like Rice in '08 By Todd Dorman DES MOINES — U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is a surprising top choice for president among Iowa Republicans, according to a poll to be released today — more than two years before the state's first-in-the-nation caucuses. Among 400 Republicans who said they are likely to attend the 2008 caucuses, Rice received the backing of 30.3 percent. U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona was second in the survey with 16 percent, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani received support from 15.3 percent. Roughly 20 percent were undecided. Aside...

Hurricane Katrina may have changed the dimension of the nation's politics for 2008. With George W., we voted for him because he would take the fight against terrorism to its origination point: the Middle East. I salute that strategy and believe that Iraq will be democratized with great dividends for our international security. But next it'll be important to have a president who can slash through red tape and make us secure at home. The Katrina thing wasn't Bush's fault, but what was needed was a president who could pull the trigger domestically, knock heads together with the state and...

Mitt Romney's Evangelical Problem Everyone wants to believe the Massachusetts governor's Mormonism won't be a problem if he runs in 2008. Think again. By Amy Sullivan -------------------------------------------------------- Washington pundits in the throes of post-election doldrums are notoriously eager to find a fresh face to crown the "early favorite" for the next presidential campaign. Even by those standards, however, the speed with which they flocked to Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has been remarkable. Last December, barely a month after Bush's reelection, George Will devoted a column to Romney's potential, and a quick succession of profiles in the Weekly Standard, National Review,...

(Angus Reid Global Scan) – Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani holds an early advantage in the 2008 United States presidential race, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 42 per cent of respondents would support the Republican in a head-to-head contest against Democratic New York senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.In 2000, Giuliani withdrew from a campaign to the U.S. Senate—where he would have faced Rodham Clinton—after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Giuliani garnered national and international attention in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In a contest pitting Arizona senator John McCain against Rodham Clinton, the Republican holds...

It's straw poll time again. This one should be fun. It's pretty much all the likely candidates as they stand today in a main ballot, and a bonus ballot with the opportunity to vote for four of your favorite fantasy contenders. Once you get to the results page, you'll see exactly which likely candidates the fantasy candidates take the most from. Here's another reason why this one's the Big One. On your ballot, you'll have the opportunity to mark your state. If this poll is as big as the last one (@13,000 responses), we'll have a statistically valid sample of...

Vote in this 2008 straw poll by patrick ruffini, the more people that vote the better. Best of luck to your candidate.

Republican attempts to raise his profile in Iowa, N.H. Updated: 6:35 p.m. ET April 1, 2005 Add another name to the list of potential 2008 presidential candidates: Sen. Sam Brownback. The Kansas Republican, little known outside his home state, is using a network of social conservatives and Christian activists to raise his profile in Iowa and New Hampshire, two states critical to White House hopefuls. In an interview Thursday, Brownback said he has not made a formal decision on whether to run and would not give a timetable on when he would decide. “I’m exploring the options,” Brownback said. “There’s...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted on Thu, Jul. 21, 2005 Brownback wary of Roberts’ record By MATT STEARNS The Star’s Washington Correspondent Brownback WASHINGTON –– Sen. Sam Brownback isn’t sold on John G. Roberts, Jr. just yet. Not by a long shot. The senator from Kansas is saying and doing some of the things a Republican member of the Judiciary Committee is supposed to be saying and doing about President Bush’s Supreme Court nominee: talking up Roberts’ resume and calling for a fair confirmation process. But Brownback, one of the Senate’s leading social conservatives, has concerns about Roberts’ views on key issues, such...

(Angus Reid Global Scan) – State secretary Condoleezza Rice is the top presidential hopeful for Republican Party supporters in the Hawkeye State, according to a poll by Victory Enterprises. 30.3 per cent of respondents say they would vote for Rice in the state’s GOP caucuses.Arizona senator John McCain is second with 16 per cent, followed by former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani with 15.3 per cent, and former House of Representatives speaker and Georgia congressman Newt Gingrich with 7.5 per cent.

What about a Rice-Allen Ticket in 2008? You heard it here first! Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has great name recognition, solid foreign policy credentials, and a brilliant mind. Former Virginia Governor and current Senator George Allen has a solid conservative foundation, a friendly outgoing personality, and plenty of leadership experience. Rice would strip a lot of black and women's votes from the Democrat ticket; Allen would pull in the conservatives. This is a ticket that could beat Hillary Clinton. This is a ticket that would keep the Democrats out of the White House for eight years with Rice as...

DES MOINES -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is a surprising top choice for president among Iowa Republicans according to a poll to be released today -- more than two years before the state's first-in-the-nation caucuses. Among 400 Republicans who said they are likely to attend the 2008 caucuses, Rice received the backing of 30.3 percent. U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona was second in the survey with 16 percent and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani received support from 15.3 percent. Roughly 20 percent were undecided. Aside from the early horse race, the poll also found a...