October 31, 2007
White House Watch: Another BFF Bites The Dust
Karen Hughes, the president's pick to be the face of America in the Arab world after 9/11, will be back home in Texas by year's end. Today's announcement that she is stepping down hasn't inspired very much fanfare, leading us to suspect only a dim awareness in Washington that Hughes was still on the job.
Hughes, of course, is among a cadre of longtime advisers and confidantes that President Bush brought to Washington after they helped him win the 2000 election. After a brief stint as White House counselor at the start of his presidency, Hughes was lured back in March 2005 to be the new undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs. Despite the job description's global scope, there was little question Hughes' main task would be damage control in the Middle East.
It was a puzzling though largely uncontroversial nomination. Hughes spoke not a lick of Arabic and had no background in Middle Eastern affairs, a handicap that became painfully obvious in her first public tour of the region. Hughes appeared to be caught flat-footed by the customs and beliefs of the people she was meeting with at practically every stop. Slate's Fred Kaplan implored her in a headline, "Stay Home!"
Continue reading "White House Watch: Another BFF Bites The Dust"
Posted at 6:06 PM
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Bush Administration, Middle East, President Bush
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Bush Taps Former N.D. Governor For Ag Post
President Bush has nominated Ed Schafer, former governor of North Dakota, to replace Mike Johanns as agriculture secretary. Johanns exited the post last month to run for the Senate seat being vacated by Chuck Hagel in Nebraska next year.
If confirmed, Schafer will be tasked with helping to hammer out the details of a new farm bill. The conservative Republican has been working in the private sector since declining to run for a third term as governor in 2000.
AP and Reuters have more on the nomination, and the Bismarck Tribune reports on the reaction in Schafer's home state.
Posted at 3:18 PM
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Spanish Court Convicts 21 & Acquits 7 In Madrid Bombing Case
The outcome of the trial of 28 defendants accused of being involved in the 2004 Madrid train bombings, the worst terrorist attack by Islamic radicals in Europe's history, offered a mixed bag of convictions, sentences and acquittals that left prosecutors and victims with less than they had hoped for.
Three of the eight primary suspects in the case received the highest conviction of mass murder. While Emilio Suarez Trashorras, Jamal Zougam and Othman el-Gnaoui were each sentenced to 40,000 years in prison, the maximum time they can serve under Spanish law is just 40 years.
Eighteen other suspects, including four of the main defendants, were convicted of lesser charges, such as belonging to a terrorist organization (the bombings were attributed to al-Qaida) or arms trafficking, and were served with shorter sentences of three to 18 years in prison.
None of the defendants, who were mostly young Muslim men of Moroccan and Spanish descent, were found guilty of plotting the attacks, which killed 191 people and injured about 1,800 in March 2004. All of them maintained their innocence and claimed no connection to al-Qaida throughout the investigation and trial.
Continue reading "Spanish Court Convicts 21 & Acquits 7 In Madrid Bombing Case"
Posted at 2:53 PM
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Al-Qaida, Spain, Terrorism
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WH '08: Clinton Gets Hazing In Philly Debate
It was ugly, all right. And we're not just talking about the city.
The Democratic presidential candidates chasing Hillary Rodham Clinton sought last night [video] to portray the front-runner as George W. Bush with a better health plan. Did they succeed? And does it matter?
We ask the second question because of how close we are to the primaries and because of how gaping the Big Mo gap's become. Clinton tops second-place Barack Obama by 14 percent and 28 percent per Zogby and CBS News, respectively. Though everyone on stage at Drexel University might come to regret it later in the general election, last night seemed as good a time as any to air out the family business.
By that we mean the internal conversation Democrats have been engaged in practically since Clinton announced she was running for the Senate, a move widely viewed as a springboard to this moment. To the amazement of quite a few old political hands, the former first lady has managed to overcome many of her negatives. In the latest survey, CBS respondents gave her the highest favorability rating among the candidates.
So last night, as expected, Clinton was attacked more pointedly and with more aggression than we've seen in this field. Did anyone manage to land a punch? Yep. Is Clinton down for the count? Nope. Are we going to ride the "Rocky" metaphors for the duration of this post? You bet.
Takeaways from the Dilly in Philly after the jump.
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Posted at 1:49 PM
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Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Christopher Dodd, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Joseph Biden, President Bush, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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Aid Workers Charged In Alleged Rescue Attempt In Chad
Associates of the French charity Zoe's Ark who tried to fly more than 100 African children out of Chad last week are facing charges of kidnapping and child trafficking, sparking international conflict over the case and concerns about the future of humanitarian efforts in the region.
Nine French citizens and six Spanish nationals have been accused of abduction and fraud, and some of them face up to 20 years of hard labor in a Chadian prison, according to Chad's interior minister.
U.N. officials claim many of the children were actually from Chad, not refugees from Darfur, and there is no clear evidence they are actually orphans. Zoe's Ark counters that tribal leaders told them the children were from Darfur and that the children were to be placed in the French foster care system, which would qualify the airlift as a medical rescue operation rather than an adoption effort.
The French government is backing up the U.N. "According to initial information... there seem to be many Chadian children and even many who are not orphans," a government spokeswoman told reporters yesterday.
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Posted at 9:25 AM
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Africa, Europe, France
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Earlybird Roundup: Madrid Bombing Verdicts, Army Contract
Terrorism. A Spanish court delivered verdicts today in the trial of suspects involved in the March 2004 Madrid train bombings. Three of the eight primary defendants were found guilty of mass murder charges.
Washington. The Bush administration is planning to get more confrontational with the Democratic-controlled Congress, enacting new administrative orders and ramping up rhetoric.
Iraq. Members of parliament are set to pass a bill removing immunity protection from private security contactors operating in the country.
Military. The Army improperly awarded a massive $150B contract and should review its decision, according to recommendations in a new GAO report.
World. A bomb exploded on a bus in Russia today, killing eight people and wounding more than 50, and officials have begun a terrorism investigation.
See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.
Posted at 9:15 AM
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SCOTUS Stays Another Execution
The Supreme Court granted a last-minute stay of execution for a convicted murderer in Mississippi last night, the third execution by lethal injection the justices blocked since they agreed to consider the constitutionality of such punishments. SCOTUSblog reports that the stay was issued about 15 minutes before Earl Wesley Berry, who kidnapped and murdered Mary Bounds in 1987, was scheduled to die.
The high court is reviewing Berry's petition to the appeal on the basis of the argument that lethal injection is cruel and unusual punishment. If the petition is denied, the execution will go on as planned, the Jackson Clarion-Ledger reports. But if the justices agree to take it up, the stay will remain in place until a final ruling is made.
The New York Times this morning calls the stay "a nearly indisputable indication that a majority intends to block all executions until the court decides a lethal injection case from Kentucky next spring." Justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito were the two dissenters, and none of the justices gave reasons for their decisions.
The Washington Post has more on this story, and the Clarion-Ledger has reports on reactions from the victim's family and death penalty opponents.
Posted at 7:55 AM
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October 30, 2007
Yo, Hillary! Field Hopes For Front-Runner KO Tonight
Seven of the Democratic presidential contenders descend tonight on America's least-attractive metropolis for what promises to be the ugliest debate of the season.
Both Barack Obama and John Edwards are scrambling to slam the brakes on Hillary Rodham Clinton's runaway lead. With the Iowa caucuses about two months away, double-digit spreads are forcing the rest of the pack to be more forceful and, dare we say, meaner than they've been so far.
The M-word might be unfair, but it's inevitable because of Clinton's gender. Everyone wants to avoid a Rick Lazio moment, in which they attempt to treat her as they would a male candidate and end up coming off as ungentlemanly.
On the other hand, Clinton isn't just any woman. She's in the lead because she's been exuding forcefulness and strength throughout her campaign -- a breakdown in most polls shows she scores highest on national security issues, not personality. It also doesn't hurt that a large swath of the Democratic left is waving the white flag as they signal their support for the former first lady. So Obama, Edwards and the rest -- Christopher Dodd, Joseph Biden, Bill Richardson and Dennis Kucinich -- will take time to remind primary voters of Clinton's many apparent weaknesses.
Continue reading "Yo, Hillary! Field Hopes For Front-Runner KO Tonight"
Posted at 6:45 PM
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Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Bill Richardson, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Christopher Dodd, Democrats, Dennis Kucinich, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Joseph Biden, Michael Mukasey, Mike Gravel, WH 2008
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Halloween Memo: Beware Of Lead
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is in hot water again on Capitol Hill following the latest round of product recalls, this time focused on toys and accessories associated with Halloween.
The agency recently recalled what Agence France-Presse described as "a record number of products for lead violations, including buckets to collect 'treats' and costume teeth for children for the fun festival."
The recalls coincided with a scathing report [PDF] from liberal advocacy group Campaign For America's Future that calls for a drastic overhaul of the systems used to vet products imported from China, the origin of most of the contaminated items that have been recalled in recent months.
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, today called for CPSC Chairwoman Nancy Nord's resignation, citing her failure to offer a "plan that would adequately equip the CPSC to do its job" in the wake of multiple product safety scares.
Posted at 4:37 PM
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China, Economy
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Immunity Deal For Blackwater Guards Hampers FBI's Efforts
UPDATED.
In an apparent deal that could impede the government's ability to prosecute Blackwater guards suspected of being involved in a shooting that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead last month, AP reports that State Department investigators granted immunity to employees of the private security contractor in exchange for statements they made regarding the case.
"As a result, it will likely be months before the United States can -- if ever -- bring criminal charges in the case that has infuriated the Iraqi government," AP wrote when it broke the story yesterday.
But CNN is reporting today that, according to two anonymous State Department officials, State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security did not offer "blanket immunity" to the guards that would prohibit the FBI from pressing criminal charges. "We want to see anyone who violated laws or broke rules held accountable," said one official, who claimed to lack authorization to speak on the matter. "Nothing that was done prevents anyone from being prosecuted if they broke the law."
But according to ABC News, the exact language of the "use immunity" agreement included at the beginning of each guard's sworn statement is as follows:
I understand this statement is being given in furtherance of an official administrative inquiry.... I further understand that neither my statements nor any information or evidence gained by reason of my statements can be used against me in a criminal proceeding, except that if I knowingly and willfully provide false statements or information, I may be criminally prosecuted for that action under 18 United States Code, Section 1001.
Continue reading "Immunity Deal For Blackwater Guards Hampers FBI's Efforts"
Posted at 3:30 PM
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FBI, Iraq
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Peake Would Be First MD-GI In Charge Of VA
UPDATED.
President Bush credited his nominee for secretary of veterans affairs, Lt. Gen. James Peake, with "changing the way we deliver medical care to our troops."
"He understands the view from both sides of the hospital bed," Bush said as he introduced Peake from the White House this afternoon. Peake, the retired former Army Surgeon General and a two-time Purple Heart recipient during the Vietnam War, would be the first physician and soldier to serve in the top VA post.
A thoracic surgeon by training and a veteran of more than four decades, Peake will have to take charge of a department that has been heavily criticized for its administration of veterans care. Peake was the Army's top doctor from 2000 to 2004, and has acknowledged that the armed services were not adequately prepared to care for troops and veterans following the start of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
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Posted at 2:04 PM
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Bush Vows 'Three Veto Bill Pileup'
President Bush is seeking to get out ahead of negative headlines this week by accusing the Democratic Congress of holding U.S. troops and poor children "hostage" as part of a "cynical" political strategy.
"They haven't seen a bill they could not solve without shoving a tax increase into it," Bush said derisively. He called the brief press conference outside the White House following a meeting with the top Republican House leaders: John Boehner, Roy Blunt and Adam Putnam.
The president's press conference ushered in the annual appropriations tug-of-war between the White House and Congress, an autumn rite by no means unique to this administration. Tensions are superheated this year, though, because the bills concern an increasingly unpopular war with the prospect of yet another unpopular war and renewal of health care funding for poor children.
Bush also plans to veto a $23.2 billion water resources bill that he says is excessive. The bill is overwhelmingly popular in both chambers, however, and it is all but guaranteed an override if Bush follows through on his threat by the end of this week.
Continue reading "Bush Vows 'Three Veto Bill Pileup'"
Posted at 9:49 AM
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Earlybird Roundup: Intel Spending, Consumer Safety, Karbala Transfer
Administration. The director of national intelligence will disclose spending figures for 2007 surveillance programs today, which are expected to cost nearly $50 billion.
Congress. Nancy Nord, the acting chairwoman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, asked legislators not to pass proposed legislation intended to strengthen the powers of her own agency.
Iraq. Twenty decapitated bodies were found near Baquba yesterday, marring the transfer of power from coalition forces to Iraqis in Karbala -- the eighth province out of 18 to be turned over.
Turkey. Turkish troops took another step toward major action against Kurdish militant groups in northern Iraq, attacking rebels by air and staging military parades in major cities.
Nation. Firefighters are hurrying to put out the remaining wildfires in Southern California while cool air hangs over the region and before the Santa Ana winds return later in the week.
See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.
Posted at 9:10 AM
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Suicide Bomber Detonates Near Pakistani Army HQ
A suicide bomber blew himself up at a police checkpoint near Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's army home in Rawalpindi today. At least seven people were killed near the army headquarters, but Musharraf was in his office a mile away at the time of the attack and was not injured.
Another high-ranking Pakistani official, joint chiefs of staff chairman Gen. Tariq Majid, also has a residence near the blast, but he is newly appointed to the post and had not yet moved in.
The city police chief said three passersby and three policemen were among the seven people killed. Eleven were injured. Rawalpindi has been the site of two other deadly suicide bombings -- part of a spate of attacks in Pakistan blamed on radical Islamic militants -- in the last two months.
BBC News has more details.
Posted at 8:01 AM
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Asia, Pakistan
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October 29, 2007
House Returns To Negotiating Table On SCHIP
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel were to meet today with a group of Republicans to discuss the possibility for compromise on a children's health care bill. House Republicans said it appears unlikely the bill's sponsors will be able to amend the measure enough to change the minds of at least a dozen GOP members needed to override a presidential veto.
"The Democratic leadership appears wedded to a significant expansion of government-run health care," said Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga. "It doesn't appear that they're interested in a positive solution."
Further tinkering on the proposal to add $35 billion to the State Children's Health Insurance Program could be done during the Senate debate this week. Price was one of 36 House Republicans who sent a letter on Friday to Hoyer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that said the version passed last week "does not reflect the spirit of bipartisan negotiations and instead disrupts a process that had the potential to create a good, bipartisan bill."
Continue reading "House Returns To Negotiating Table On SCHIP"
Posted at 5:31 PM
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Tancredo Will Not Run Again...
... for Congress, that is.
Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., will not seek re-election regardless of what happens in his long-shot presidential campaign, he told the Rocky Mountain News Sunday. "It's the fact that I really believe I have done all I can do in the House, especially about the issue (immigration) about which I care greatly," Tancredo told the paper.
His decision creates a vacancy in the solidly conservative and Republican 6th District, which includes suburban areas south and southeast of Denver. While Tancredo's presidential campaign remains just a blip on the political radar, he has suggested he might challenge Democratic Sen. Ken Salazar in 2010, largely over his signature issue of immigration.
Meanwhile, Democratic Rep. Michael McNulty of New York is expected to confirm today that he, too, will not seek re-election. With the Tancredo and McNulty announcements, 17 House members have announced they will not be back in the next Congress, with 11 retirements and six members running for other offices.
- CongressDaily
Photo courtesy of Flickr user VictoryNH: Protect Our Primary
Posted at 12:30 PM
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Campaigns, Congress, House, Immigration, Republicans, Tom Tancredo, WH 2008
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Mitt Romney Lightens Up Slightly
The eight major Republican presidential candidates have signed on to the CNN/YouTube debate on Nov. 28. We're not going to use the F-word, but this news apparently means Mitt Romney has changed his mind about participating in the forum.
In July, Romney sniffed that "the presidency ought to be held at a higher level than having to answer questions from a snowman." Both he and Rudy Giuliani pooh-poohed the debate, originally scheduled for Sept. 17, to the consternation of Republican primary voters and, well, us.
Continue reading "Mitt Romney Lightens Up Slightly"
Posted at 11:33 AM
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Campaigns, Democrats, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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Darfur Peace Talks Postponed Amid Boycott By Key Rebel Groups
Boycotting rebel groups have stalled Darfur peace talks that began this weekend in Libya, forcing mediators to recast the meeting as a "consultation" among cooperating groups in preparation for the real negotiations, which have been postponed for a later date that has yet to be determined.
According to the London Guardian, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi noted at the beginning of the talks on Saturday that two key rebel leaders, Abdul Wahid al-Nur of the Sudan Liberation Army and Khalil Ibrahim of the Justice and Equality Movement, were not in attendance. "These are major movements," he said, "and without them we cannot achieve peace."
Denying that the peace process had been "interrupted," envoys from the United Nations and African Union, which are spearheading the efforts, announced that some mediators would remain in Libya for the next few weeks, while others would travel to Sudan to try and bring more rebel leaders on board.
Continue reading "Darfur Peace Talks Postponed Amid Boycott By Key Rebel Groups"
Posted at 10:45 AM
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Operation Venti Non-Fat Soy Macchiato
Sent from a soldier with the 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, which is in Kuwait awaiting its third deployment to Iraq since 2003.
"I live in Clarksville, third largest city in Tennessee behind Nashville and Memphis.* It has a military base (Ft. Campbell) and a large college (APSU). The population of Clarksville is appx. 150,000. Clarksville has 2 Starbucks.
I am now deployed for OIF [Operation Iraqi Freedom] and in Camp Buehring Kuwait. Buehring is a training post in the middle of a desert. It is where units spend about two weeks waiting to go into Iraq. Average population appx. 5,000 Soldiers, sometimes less. Camp Buehring has two Starbucks."
*Clarksville is actually the fifth-largest city in Tennessee with a population of about 115,000.
Posted at 10:32 AM
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Iraq, Middle East, Military
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Earlybird Roundup: SCHIP Compromise, Sheik Attack, Iran Rhetoric
Washington. President Bush and other opponents of Congress' proposed expansion to the State Children's Health Insurance Program said they would support a middle-of-the-road option to pass the legislation.
Iraq I. Gunmen abducted 10 Sunni and Shiite sheiks after they met with government officials to discuss fighting al-Qaida.
Iraq II. A suicide bomber killed nearly 30 people when the attacker rode a bicycle into a crowd of recruits and officers at an Iraqi police station near Baquba today.
Iran. Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said there was no clear evidence Iran had an active nuclear weapons program despite increasing rhetoric coming from the United States.
Nation. The Boston Red Sox swept the Colorado Rockies to win the World Series last night.
See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.
Posted at 9:15 AM
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Olmert Says Prostate Cancer Won't Impact Work
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced today that he will undergo surgery sometime in the next few months for a cancerous tumor in his prostate. During a surprise news conference, Olmert told reporters that the tumor was "microscopic" and he would not need radiation or chemotherapy to treat it, emphasizing that it would not affect his work and he would not step down from his position.
He also reminded the public that he was under no obligation to disclose private health matters, but he felt Israelis "had a right to know." Olmert took over as prime minister in January 2006, after his predecessor, Ariel Sharon, suffered a debilitating stroke.
Meanwhile, over the weekend, a Kuwaiti newspaper quoted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as saying that Olmert's government is holding talks with Hamas, and the faction should "pluck up the courage and admit it." The Israeli government also tightened restrictions on the fuel supply flowing into the Hamas-controlled Gaza strip this weekend in response to recent rocket attacks.
Posted at 7:36 AM
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Hamas, Israel, Middle East, Palestinians
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October 26, 2007
Detained Protesters Freed In Myanmar
On the same day that Myanmar's pro-democracy opposition leader met with an official from the ruling military junta, the government released at least 70 prisoners arrested during the recent wave of demonstrations.
The prisoners were held at Insein Prison in Rangoon, and hundreds more are said to still be detained there. U.N. special envoy Ibrahim Gambari told reporters that the meeting between the Myanmar official and Aung San Suu Kyi, herself under house arrest for nearly 20 years, was a first step in the diplomatic process that "should lead to the early resumption of dialogue that will lead to very concrete and tangible results."
Posted at 4:41 PM
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Asia
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Bush To Congress: I'm Not Mad, I'm Just Disappointed
President Bush, back in Washington today after a trip to Southern California to survey the devastation caused by raging wildfires there, delivered a harsh rebuke to congressional Democrats in a televised address from the Roosevelt Room.
Bush said that upon returning to the White House, he "was disappointed by what Congress had been doing -- and even more disappointed by what they had not been doing." He accused lawmakers of "wasting time" by voting yesterday on a slightly revised version of a bill to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program instead of working to pass already delayed appropriation bills, approve supplemental funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and confirm the nomination of Michael Mukasey to be attorney general.
Bush said that he had appointed members of his administration to negotiate with Congress on a compromise SCHIP bill, but instead "the House once again passed a bill that they knew would not become law," indicating that he would veto the legislation for a second time if it arrives on his desk. Yesterday's House vote failed to reach the two-thirds majority necessary to override a veto.
AP and The Hill have more analysis of Bush's remarks, and the Washington Post has responses from Democratic leaders.
Posted at 2:55 PM
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Bush Administration, Congress, Health, House, Michael Mukasey, President Bush
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Spooks On The Hill
Washington, D.C., is a city known more for its buttoned-up, wonky ways than its quirks and superstitions. But make no mistake, the nation's capital is one weird place, and in the spirit of Halloween, we present a few recent examples of the paranormal that hit a little too close to home.
Much of the publicity surrounding Jenna Bush's recent sit-down with Texas Monthly magazine focused on her serious professional pursuits and candid musings on her father's presidency. But she also confessed to interviewer Skip Hollandsworth that she thinks the White House's "kids' bedroom" is "filled with millions of ghosts."
I get scared there sometimes. I’m not kidding. I have heard ghosts, I really have -- ghosts singing opera. One night, opera noises came out of my fireplace. When I told my sister, she didn’t believe me, but the next week we were up late in that bedroom and we heard 1950’s piano music. People will think I’m crazy for saying that.
Crazy? Maybe. But then again, Jenna's not alone. One-third of Americans recently confessed to AP-Ipsos pollsters [PDF] that they, too, believe in ghosts. That's about the same percentage of Americans who approve of the job [PDF] her father is doing in office.
Continue reading "Spooks On The Hill"
Posted at 2:33 PM
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Not The Values Voters' Year: Part II
The Family Research Council's Washington Briefing last weekend only reinforced the impression that religious conservatives are in for a frustrating election cycle. As the GOP front-runners continue to beat each other up over who wants abortion outlawed the most, and a new FOX News/Opinion Dynamics poll [PDF] indicates the eventual nominee might have to clam up on the issue when he enters the general.
The survey of 900 registered voters indicates a majority of Americans believe women should be given the option of terminating pregnancy in nearly all cases. Seventy-three percent said abortion should remain legal for those whose lives were endangered by their pregnancy; 70 percent said victims of rape or incest should also have access to the procedure. The majority thins for the greyer areas of the mother's mental health and if the fetus has a fatal birth defect. Fewer than 40 percent said an unwanted pregnancy justified abortion.
It's not as though abortion won't be a campaign issue next year; with two probable vacancies on the Supreme Court looming for the next president, it undoubtedly will. The Democratic Party has learned to ditch the talking points of pro-choice activists and moderate its language on abortion. So, in a departure from previous cycles, the ground conditions and these numbers indicate the abortion issue works more favorably for the Democratic candidate in '08.
-JANE ROH
Posted at 2:09 PM
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Abortion, Campaigns, Democrats, Republicans, WH 2008
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Iraqi & Turkish Officials Continue Diplomatic Talks On PKK Crisis
Diplomatic efforts to mend a rift between the governments of Iraq and Turkey over how to deal with Kurdish rebels near the countries' border continued today amid airstrikes by Turkish forces on rebel positions in northern Iraq.
U.S. and Iraqi officials are hoping that the talks will help stave off a major Turkish incursion into Iraq to fight the Kurdistan Workers Party, a rebel separatist group that Turkey claims has been using northern Iraq as a safe haven from which to launch attacks. The Turkish parliament has already voted to approve such an incursion, and the government has assembled about 100,000 troops at the border already.
Today in Ankara, Iraqi diplomatic and defense officials met with Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan and Interior Minister Besir Atalay; U.S. officials were also present. Turkey has been pressuring Iraq and the United States to step up their efforts against the PKK. U.S. officials, meanwhile, have been pushing for a diplomatic solution rather than a Turkish invasion, which they fear could further hinder the already formidable task of stabilizing war-torn Iraq.
Continue reading "Iraqi & Turkish Officials Continue Diplomatic Talks On PKK Crisis"
Posted at 1:32 PM
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Iraq, Kurds, Middle East, Turkey
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Judging The 2008 Health Plans
A new Kaiser Family Foundation survey shows that, behind Iraq, health care is the second most important issue Americans want the 2008 presidential candidates to address. In many cases, particularly on the Democratic side, the candidates have heeded that call, putting forth detailed plans aimed at reforming the current system and avoiding the pitfalls of Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton's notoriously failed effort in the '90s.
In this week's National Journal, health care reporter Marilyn Werber Serafini gathered a team of 10 experts to assess the health plans of the major presidential contenders, giving careful consideration to their potential impacts on consumers, employers, the uninsured, the economy and quality of care.
Meanwhile, the Kaiser poll shows that the Democratic front-runner in the race, Hillary Clinton, leads the field on this issue despite her previous failure. Today's Poll Track (subscription) has analysis of those numbers and other recent surveys on the '08 race.
Posted at 12:45 PM
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Navy Looks Beyond Wars In New Strategy
The U.S. Navy is revamping its global posture for the first time in a quarter of a century through new collaboration with the Marine Corps and Coast Guard.
Calling the maritime services "a unifying force and a willing partner for global prosperity and peace," the Navy unveiled its new strategy last week at the International Seapower Symposium in Rhode Island. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead (who formally replaced now-Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen less than a month ago) said earlier this month, "We must be prepared for many future paths, many dangers and many potential threats. And that requires, above all, a long-term perspective and a long-term commitment to building a Navy capable of meeting 21st-century challenges."
The U.S. maritime focus will continue to be on support operations for the other armed forces and combat readiness, but the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard will also look past the current conflicts in the Middle East to the waters around China, Africa and South America. Humanitarian missions and sea commerce will also be of primary importance for the maritime services.
Continue reading "Navy Looks Beyond Wars In New Strategy"
Posted at 10:47 AM
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