Free Republic

On October 3, 2003, Secretary of State Colin Powell talked to reporters after meeting with Laszlo Kovacs, the foreign minister of Hungary. The meeting went well, with nothing controversial to discuss. It went so well, in fact, that a reporter said to Powell, “Mr. Secretary, things are so smooth I thought I’d ask you about something else. The State Department is offering to help in the search for the person who leaked the CIA official’s name. Can you say something about that situation? How might the State Department help?” “We have been asked by the Justice Department, those who are...

A fast-talking, terse former negotiator, Joseph Wilson sat straight in his chair, offering no sign of fatigue from months of questioning and what he called "tawdry political tricks." Asked about the same topic he has entertained for months - the unveiling of his wife's once-covert spy status by syndicated columnist Robert Novak - he gave a scowl as if to rev his rhetorical engine and spit an answer with lightning pace. "What this is all about is the 16 words in the [2003] State of the Union Address, but the lackeys in the administration have managed to divert the attention...

I've had a letter from Sir David Wallace, CBE, FRS. In his capacity as treasurer and vice-president of the Royal Society, he writes: "We are appealing to all parts of the UK media to be vigilant against attempts to present a distorted view of the scientific evidence about climate change and its potential effects on people and their environments around the world. I hope that we can count on your support." Gosh! The V-P of the Royal Society! How could anyone not support such an eminent body, especially as Sir David warns: "There are some individuals on the fringes, sometimes...

<p>After Thanksgiving passes, the march to Christmas begins — with the Salvation Army ringing bells outside shops and television reruns of Scrooge constantly reminding all of us that the season is about giving as much as receiving. In Washington, autumn 'tis the season for the Office of Personnel Management's so-called Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). Federal employees should take a second look before contributing this year.</p>