Free Republic

The future of the Navy is on its way to Naval Station Ingleside, according to U.S. Fleet Forces Command. The HSV-X2 Swift, a record-setting high-speed vessel leased by the Navy from Australian shipbuilder Bollinger/Incat USA, will make Ingleside its home port while it acts as an interim replacement for the command and control ship for the Navy's Mine Warfare fleet. However, the Swift will see little time at Ingleside, officials say, due to its experimental role in Navy operations that may offer a window to how the Navy will utilize ships in the future. Capt. Terry Miller, assistant chief of...

Friday, 7 February, 2003, 20:06 GMTRumsfeld foresees swift Iraq war Iraq says old equipment has been decommissioned Any war with Iraq would be swift and not require a full US mobilisation, says US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.The game is over, President Bush He said war was still not inevitable, but noted that 12 years of international diplomacy had failed to disarm Iraq. His comments come as senior UN disarmament officials prepare to return to Baghdad this weekend. There needs to be "drastic change on the part of Iraq" in co-operation with the weapons inspectors, said Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the...

House reinstates $1.14B tax increase By Elisabeth J. Beardsley / Boston Herald Wednesday, July 24, 2002 House lawmakers overwhelmingly reinstated a $1.14 billion tax hike yesterday - less than 24 hours after acting Gov. Jane M. Swift nixed it. The ink was barely dry on Swift's veto before House members voted, 120-29, to restore the biggest tax hike in state history. The five-tax package now proceeds to the Senate, where President Thomas F. Birmingham, a gubernatorial candidate, has described it as a ``fait accompli.'' Previous votes have demonstrated a comfortable two-thirds margin for override, prompting Senate Republicans to throw in...

<p>The state Senate yesterday gave final passage to $1.14 billion in tax increases. Senate leaders stated that voters have shown a willingness to accept new taxes because they believe Beacon Hill is also tightening its belt.</p> <p>''It's safe to say that the majority of our constituents, in poll after poll, suggested in a sense that we use a blended approach,'' said Senate Ways and Means Chairman Mark C. Montigny, a New Bedford Democrat. ''I'm not embarrassed that we took a very difficult challenge and did our best to send a balanced budget to the governor's desk.''</p>

<p>The movement toward O'Brien has occurred since Mitt Romney entered the race, presenting a stiff challenge to Democrats. Romney's elbowing out of Acting Governor Jane Swift has produced new energy for O'Brien among female Democratic activists who resented Romney's actions, party leaders say. At the same time, Romney's candidacy has forced the party to make a realistic assessment of the general election chances of its gubernatorial hopefuls.</p>

RAPID CITY - A project to reintroduce swift foxes on media mogul Ted Turner's Bad River Ranches has been delayed until fall. The Turner Endangered Species Fund had planned on releasing the foxes this spring on Turner's 138,000-acre buffalo ranch in Stanley and Jones counties. But the release has been delayed because there are not enough of the animals that swift foxes prey on, said Kevin Honness, field biologist for the project. The foxes prey on small mammals, insects, birds and rabbits. Turner Endangered Species Fund crews hope to trap about 30 swift foxes in Wyoming in August. Another five...

Millionaire venture capitalist Mitt Romney announced Tuesday he will run for governor in Massachusetts just hours after Acting Gov. Jane Swift assured him the Republican nomination by dropping out of the primary race. Swift, citing family concerns and political realities, stunned supporters and opponents by telling a noon news conference that she had decided not to run. "Lest there be any doubt, I'm in," Romney told a news conference outside his Belmont, Mass., home. "The bumper stickers have been printed, the Web site is going up tomorrow (Wednesday) morning, the campaign papers are filed today." Romney praised Swift for her...

(2nd Add: Includes comments by House Minority Leader Francis Marini.) (CNSNews.com) - Incumbent Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swift (R) announced Tuesday that she is dropping out of the governor's race, to focus on her family. Mitt Romney (R), organizer of the 2002 Winter Olympics, announced that he will run for the post. "Having said early on the time with family was non-negotiable, something had to give," Swift said, fighting back tears at a press conference at the Statehouse. "There isn't a working parent in America that hasn't faced it - when the demands of the two tasks that you take on...

<p>BOSTON -- Acting Gov. Jane Swift will withdraw from the race for governor, a campaign source said Tuesday, just hours before Salt Lake City Winter Olympics chief Mitt Romney was expected to announce his candidacy.Swift's poll numbers have plummeted since speculation has grown that Romney would challenge her for the Republican nomination. She planned to announce her decision at an afternoon news conference, according to a campaign source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.</p>

Sources: Swift Dropping Out Of Governor's Race Cites Family Reasons For Leaving GOP Field To Romney BOSTON -- Sources tell NewsCenter 5 that Acting Gov. Jane Swift has decided to drop out of the race for the GOP gubernatorial nomination this fall. Swift, a mother of three, including twin girls who were born last June, cited family reasons for her decision not to run. Aides said she is expected to make a formal announcement later Tuesday. Swift's decision comes on the heels of a news that Olympic chief Mitt Romney plans to formally announce his candidacy for the corner office....