Free Republic

Washington, D.C., is buzzing about New York Sen. Hillary Clinton. Some have called her the future president, others, like Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, say she is too angry to be a viable candidate for the Democrats. Perhaps the presidential talk surrounding Clinton indicates that the United States is ready to accept a woman president and ready to catch up with the rest of the world. Women are now heads of state in Germany, Liberia and Chile. Finland's president, Tarja Halonen, was just re-elected last week. But in the United States, shifting the balance of power between men and...

WASHINGTON, March 7, 2006 – A detainee died today of natural causes at Camp Bucca, Iraq, and coalition forces killed two suspected terrorists during combat operations near Baghdad March 5, military officials reported. Camp Bucca guards were notified about an unconscious 36 year-old male security detainee, and medical staff immediately began procedures to revive the man. He went into cardiac arrest while in the intensive care unit and died after all efforts to resuscitate him failed, officials said. His remains will be transferred to family members upon completion of an autopsy. In other news, Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers killed two...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon on Wednesday acknowledged using incendiary white-phosphorus munitions in a 2004 offensive against insurgents in the Iraqi city of Falluja and defended their use as legal, amid concerns by arms control advocates. ADVERTISEMENT Army Lt. Col. Barry Venable, a Pentagon spokesman, said the U.S. military had not used the highly flammable weapons against civilians, contrary to an Italian state television report this month that stated the munitions were used against men, women and children in Falluja who were burned to the bone.

Ann Coulter says Katie Couric is “the affable Ava Braun” of daytime TV. But Couric’s got nothing on Oprah Winfrey. Oprah is the affable Joseph Goebbels of daytime talk . . . of chick magazines . . . of Oprah seminars—and every other medium in which the self-anointed high priestess of the religion of Oprah has her hands. Through all of these, Oprah preaches “how to be your best self” and “live your best life.” Unfortunately, a predilection for radical Islam and excusing terrorists is a prominent element of Oprah’s “best self.” Cheating husbands don’t get off as easy as...

Donald Beardslee's execution at San Quentin Prison Wednesday morning was a struggle for dignity. The five guards who labored 16 minutes to insert the lethal injection needles into his arms struggled for composure, their lips tightening as they undoubtedly realized this was taking twice as long as usual. The 30 witnesses gathered in the observation room to watch through the thick glass of the apple-green death chamber struggled to keep their cool as the minutes dragged on, shifting uncomfortably on their feet, crossing and uncrossing their arms. Nervous coughs were the only sounds breaking the tension. And there, being put...

Nothing like Sunday's “March for Women's Lives” has ever happened before. This Washington, D.C., event won't just be a U.S. thing like past women's marches. It will unite thousands of people worldwide against Bush administration policies that are hurting women. Throughout his term, President Bush has continually retreated on women's health and human rights issues. That was the assessment Monday of a press briefing on the march and a special edition of the “Global Women's Issues Scorecard on the Bush Administration.” The conference call speakers were Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority; Jodi L. Jacobson, executive director of the...