Free Republic

Michael Scherer of Time tried to explain the concept of "Why Barack Obama Doesn't Like to Chit-Chat with the Press Corps" -- despite their obvious affection for him. The president's first Ground Zero Mosque comments were "perfectly scripted," he wrote, and perfectly timed, on a Friday night at a Muslim dinner celebrating Ramadan. Scherer doesn't get that the venue could be controversial, considering Obama's allergies to traditional Christian prayer breakfasts. But this "perfect" scenario was ruined by the White House press pool (specifically, CNN's Ed Henry): A reporter asked a stray question, and Obama blew all the careful planning of...

I am supposed to advise you that there is electricity in the Washington swamp air, a ringing tension, a sharp static, a fibrous charge that will explode at any moment. I should compare this moment to Manila, circa 1975, when Muhammed Ali was cavorting about with a rubber gorilla, taunting Joe Frazier into furious focus before the big fight. Except this time the heavyweight champion of the world is played by former Vice President Dick Cheney, an old man with a persistent ticker and a commitment to steamrolling history's judgment like so many pinhead public servants in the broken bureaucracy....

Hee! Hee! Hee! Isn't it just a laugh riot! We keep asking the White House for information about the Air Force One flyover incident by Lower Manhattan and they keep responding with evasions.Ha! Ha! Ha!And then they keep referring us to the Air Force which keeps bouncing the questions back to the White House which, in turn, refers us back to the Air Force again!Isn't this just too funny!That pretty much sums up the attitude of Time Magazine towards the Air Force One flyover affair as you can see in this article by Mark Thompson and Michael Scherer:

Barack Obama's New World Order The United States is still the same country it was a year ago, give or take about 6 million jobs. But its international branding campaign, as led by the new President, Barack Obama, is so different that the rest of the world might be forgiven if it has to do a double take. Most of the hallmarks of the foreign policy of George W. Bush are gone. The old conservative idea of "American exceptionalism," which placed the U.S. on a plane above the rest of the world as a unique beacon of democracy and financial...

The United States is still the same country it was a year ago, give or take about 6 million jobs. But its international branding campaign, as led by the new President, Barack Obama, is so different that the rest of the world might be forgiven if it has to do a double take. Most of the hallmarks of the foreign policy of George W. Bush are gone. The old conservative idea of "American exceptionalism," which placed the U.S. on a plane above the rest of the world as a unique beacon of democracy and financial might, has been rejected. At...

The search for suspects in a Pleasanton double homicide has gone national. Listed under a search for fugitives, "America's Most Wanted" has posted details on the killings of husband and wife, Ernie Scherer and Charlene Abendroth on its Web site. The site lists some incorrect information on the case, however. "America's Most Wanted" states that the couple had just returned from trips to Antarctica and the Galapagos Islands, when they had actually just traveled to South America. The site also states that a security guard was sent to their home, when it was in fact a Castlewood County Club maintenance...

How should a right-wing homosexual vote in the upcoming primaries and caucuses? ...Imagine this: You are a gay man or a lesbian woman who just can't stand Democrats. [snip] What is a right-leaning homosexual to do in this presidential election? Start by taking a closer look at the candidates in the Republican field. There is substantial variation... Call it the Giuliani-Keyes Spectrum of Gay Friendliness. On one end, there is Rudy Giuliani, a former New York mayor who has lived with gay friends, favors gay domestic partnerships, and sometimes dresses in drag. At the other end, there is Alan Keyes,...

As conservative opposition to his Supreme Court nominee stiffens, Bush faces the prospect of a humiliating defeat. At a Rose Garden news conference last week, President George W. Bush displayed little understanding of the political storm facing his second Supreme Court nominee, White House counsel Harriet Miers. "The decision as to whether or not there will be a fight is up to the Democrats," Bush told reporters. "They get to decide whether or not the special interests will decide the tone of the debate." The president had it exactly backward. With only 44 seats in the Senate, Democrats have the...

Around 50 retired US diplomats have written to US President George Bush to complain about America's policy towards the Middle East. The letter is similar to one written by 52 former British diplomats to UK Prime Minister Tony Blair last week. The former US diplomats complained that President Bush's approach is losing the US "credibility, prestige and friends". They criticised what they say is Washington's unabashed support for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. The American diplomats said they were deeply concerned by Mr Bush's endorsement last month of Mr Sharon's plan to withdraw unilaterally from Gaza. 'Great danger' They were...