Libya and Iraq: Two Ways of Opposing a Tyrant -- but One Stole the Nation's Pride
The historic anti-authoritarian, pro-democratic uprisings that have swept across North Africa raise an intriguing and troubling question: Absent American intervention, could a similar movement have unseated Iraq's Saddam Hussein? Communism came to Eastern Europe in the kit bag of the Red Army, according to the old glib-but-accurate gibe. This is essentially how the U.S. military installed democracy in Iraq. Related Stories Obama Says U.S. Military Action Possible in Libya, Authorizes Planes for Airlift It didn't have to be that way. In the wake of Operation ...
Mitt Romney and a Broadway Show on Mormonism From the 'South Park' Crew
Given his risk-averse personality, Mitt Romney is unlikely to schedule his formal entry into the presidential race to coincide with the March 24 Broadway opening of the musical comedy "The Book of Mormon," from the creators of the edgy, animated cable series "South Park." On the other hand, given the unease about Romney's Mormon faith that Sunbelt evangelicals communicated to pollsters in 2008, it might not be bad timing for the former Massachusetts governor. It could demystify the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with a little humor. You can find faith in the funniest places -- ...
Florida Homeless Advocates Claim 1st Amendment Right to Meet, Eat in Park
ORLANDO, Fla. – The U.S. Supreme Court, in its controversial 2010 Citizens United decision, ruled that corporations enjoy the same free speech rights as individuals when it comes to political advertising. With the Court's 5-4 imprimatur, businesses, billionaires and groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce poured piles of cash into last year's mid-term elections, resulting in significant gains for Republican candidates. This week, a federal appeals court in Atlanta is considering this issue from the other end of the socio-economic spectrum: Does the First Amendment extend to ...
Mike Huckabee: Hometown Heavyweight
HOT SPRINGS, Arkansas - Although Mike Huckabee burst onto the national scene on the strength of a diet book, Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork: A 12-Step Program to End Bad Habits and Begin a Healthy Lifestyle, now that the former Arkansas governor is preparing for his second run at the GOP nomination, he seems to have regained much of the girth he so famously shed. Still, grass roots Arkansans don't seem to be holding his weight against the backsliding Baptist preacher. At least that was the feeling the other day at the Central Station Market Place, a labyrinthine flea market ...
An Anti-War Challenge to Obama in 2012: The Case for Alan Grayson
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Current Beltway consensus holds that the 2012 race, like 2010, will be a referendum on the economy. But what if, instead, the war in Afghanistan, which Barack Obama has embraced, deteriorates dramatically, requiring a delay in the scheduled troop withdrawal or, worse, forces another escalation? Might Democratic anti-war sentiment -- until now a sleeper issue -- turn rebellious? Already, national polls show a plurality (Pew) or a majority (Quinnipiac) opposed to remaining in Afghanistan, with the margins of opposition rising. A Washington Post/ABC News poll conducted Dec. 9-12 ...
Florida Voters Pass Milestone Measures to End Gerrymandering
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Almost obscured by Florida's high-profile races for governor and U.S. Senate, voters passed two amendments to the state's constitution Tuesday intended to radically limit the ability of the Republican-controlled legislature and governor's mansion to gerrymander state and congressional districts. The measures, which barely crossed the required 60-percent threshold, mandate that: "No apportionment plan or individual district shall be drawn with the intent to favor or disfavor a political party or an incumbent." At the same time, redistricting should not have the "result of ...
Daniel Webster Beats Incumbent Alan Grayson in Florida's 8th District
Longtime state legislator Daniel Webster drubbed first-term Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson by a double-digit margin in a nationally-watched contest in the central Florida district that covers much of Orlando. Voters weren't so much angry with Washington as fed up with their outspoken incumbent congressman. The amiable Webster had the strong support of local Tea Party activists although he is himself the antithesis of this year's angry outsider. More important to the district's voters, Webster, 61, is the antithesis of Grayson, an outspoken, Harvard-educated Obama supporter who made a national ...
Comfortable Marco Rubio Wins Florida Senate Race Over Crist, Meek
Longtime Florida state legislator and rising Republican star Marco Rubio cruised to a comfortable victory in the open U.S. Senate seat, besting the state's sitting GOP governor, Charlie Crist, running as an independent, and Democratic Rep. Kendrick Meek. With half the vote counted, Rubio was garnering half the vote, with Crist at just under 30 percent, and Meek and less than 20 percent. For Rubio, all the suns and moons were in alignment: a favorite of the grassroots tea party conservatives, Rubio also boasted impeccable GOP establishment credentials and a humble life story. Rubio ...
Florida Governor's Debate: Sink and Scott Bicker, Viewers Wince
Like a dissolving, dysfunctional couple, the Florida gubernatorial nominees bickered for an hour on CNN's nationally broadcast debate Monday night, inflicting on the network audience what Floridians have endured for months. The painful encounter, at the University of South Florida in Tampa, was like a mandatory mediation session preceding the inevitable divorce litigation. With Florida a key swing state, and congressional reapportionment on the table, the election for governor is critical for the 2012 election. The Republican nominee, health care executive Rick Scott, hectored and interrupted ...
Florida Election: Pragmatism on Both Sides Undermines Party Loyalty
ORLANDO, Florida -- Traditional party loyalty is being put to the test in Florida this year, with few willing to predict the scrambled result. First Marco Rubio, the slick, dark-haired, ultra-conservative former speaker of the state House of Representatives, drove moderate Republican Gov. Charlie Crist from their party's U.S. Senate primary with a surge of support from Tea Party supporters. Then Crist, whose snow white hair and an unnatural tan make him look like he's already a senator, announced that he would run as an independent, hoping to woo moderate Republicans and Democrats -- who ...
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