Free Republic

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) is not known for showcasing his intelligence, and Wednesday was no exception. The high-profile Democrat and 2020 presidential contender took to Twitter to pander to women by complaining that the United States Constitution doesn't have one use of the word “woman” in it. "Do you know how many times the word "Woman" is mentioned in the Constitution? Zero,” Swalwell declared. “That is unacceptable,” he continued. “Women must be equally represented and equally protected,” posted Swalwell, adding a hashtag in support of the Equal Rights Amendment. Yeah, except the Constitution also doesn’t include the word “man.” So...

Senate Rule 93 says that when the Legislature is in special session, "A notice of a committee meeting is not required other than posting on the legislative bulletin board." That's the rule Republican leaders are citing in their contention that one of the votes leading up to passage of Gov. Scott Walker's controversial anti-union bill was legal. One ironic footnote: The rule was written in 1983 by two of the Democratic senators who left Wisconsin last month to avoid voting on the bill, Sen. Tim Cullen, D-Janesville, and Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison. The two were among 14 senators who fled...

Eight years ago, a terrorist bomber’s attempt to blow up a transatlantic airliner was thwarted by a group of passengers, an incident that revealed some gaping holes in airline security just a few months after the attacks of Sept. 11. But it was six days before President George W. Bush, then on vacation, made any public remarks about the so-called shoe bomber, Richard Reid, and there were virtually no complaints from the press or any opposition Democrats that his response was sluggish or inadequate. That stands in sharp contrast to the withering criticism President Barack Obama has received from Republicans...

WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats plan to delay the Judiciary Committee's vote on Samuel Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court for at least a week, slowing what could have been a quick confirmation process for President Bush's pick to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter had hoped to hold a committee vote on Alito's nomination on Jan. 17, a little over a week from the Monday start of the federal appellate judge's confirmation hearings. But Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid told Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., on Thursday that Democrats will invoke their right to hold...

VP Dick Cheney joined the White House attack on critics of the Iraq war Wednesday night when he told a conservative group that senators who had suggested that the Bush administration manipulated prewar intelligence were making "one of the most dishonest and reprehensible charges ever aired in this city." Mr. Cheney, who was the administration's toughest, most persistent advocate for the war in Iraq, depicted the senators as hypocrites swayed by antiwar sentiment and their own political ambitions. "Some of the most irresponsible comments have, of course, come from politicians who actually voted in favor of authorizing force against Saddam...

* Yesterday Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid demanded that the Senate go into closed session to demand a report to follow up on a 2004 Senate Intelligence Committee investigation on what the CIA knew or didn't know in the run-up to the Iraq war. * Invoking Senate Rule 21 he forced a closed session of the US Senate to "demand, on behalf of the American people why these investigations aren't being conducted." * For the record Rule 21 reads: On a motion made and seconded to close the doors of the Senate, on the discussion of any business which may,...

<p>WASHINGTON - Rep. Robert C. Scott, whose 3rd District includes part of Richmond, has renewed his opposition to a plan gaining steam for an at-large mayoral election in the Virginia capital.</p> <p>Scott, a Democrat from Newport News, told Justice Department officials of his concerns in a meeting yesterday and stated in a letter dated May 19 his opinion that the plan "will dilute the current minority voting strength." Scott is African-American.</p>