Monday, June 28, 2004
US hands over sovereignty in Iraq
BBC NEWS | "The US has formally handed over power in Iraq, two days ahead of schedule.
At a low-key ceremony in Baghdad, US administrator Paul Bremer gave legal documents to an Iraqi judge. He later left the country by plane.
Iraq's interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, who also took part in the ceremony in the heavily-guarded Green Zone, said it was 'a historic day'.
But the BBC's Dan Damon in Baghdad says the handover will mean little to ordinary Iraqis.
Our correspondent says it is not clear how real the transfer of power will seem to the many Iraqis whose backing is needed to defeat insurgents. "
Thursday, June 24, 2004
Kerry Calls for Allies To Aid Iraq Transition
Washington Post | "After months of criticizing President Bush for failing to attract international support for the U.S. mission in Iraq, Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) shifted his tone yesterday, putting NATO nations on notice that the time has come for them to contribute military forces to help secure the country as a new government takes power.
Kerry did not absolve the administration of responsibility for other nations' reluctance to participate in the Iraq mission, but said it was long past time for them to withhold support, given shifts in U.S. policy that have brought a more active role by the United Nations.
'In light of the failed diplomacy of the Bush administration, that reluctance is not surprising,' he said in a statement issued while campaigning in California. 'But now is the time that our allies must join the effort to support Iraq's transition. The NATO summit is the perfect opportunity for them to demonstrate their commitment to the new U.N. resolution.' "
Bush Backs Condom Use to Prevent Spread of AIDS
The New York Times | "President Bush said on Wednesday for the first time that the United States should 'learn from the experience' of countries like Uganda in fighting AIDS and embraced the use of condoms to prevent its spread, a sensitive issue among conservative groups that have fought the adoption of any strategy that does not focus on abstinence.
Announcing some modest changes to government financing for antiretroviral drugs in front of a church-affiliated group here, Mr. Bush also argued for sexual abstinence. But in his comments, he appeared to be offering something to both sides in the debate: his base of social conservatives as well as moderates in crucial election states like Pennsylvania, who have argued that Mr. Bush has been too slow to embrace effective methods of preventing AIDS."
Bush pays price for 9/11 failings
Guardian Unlimited | "Public confidence in President George Bush's ability to fight terrorism has been severely dented by the September 11 commission's initial findings, according to a poll published today.
The poll's findings will be worrying for the Bush re-election campaign: until now the president's leadership of the international 'war on terror' has been seen as a clear ratings winner at home.
But today's Washington Post/ABCNews poll said approval of Bush's handling of the US campaign against terrorism had fallen to 50%, down eight points in the last month and 29 points below its post-Iraq war peak. "
Friday, June 18, 2004
Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball
With less than five months to go until Nov. 2, the candidates will travel many thousands of miles in their quest to finally park the campaign bus at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The path to the White House is a meandering one, which will take both Bush and Kerry through teetering swing states scattered across the country in order to top off their tanks with enough high-octane electoral votes to propel them to the highest elected office in the land. How will they get there? The terrain will surely shift between now and Election Day, but the Crystal Ball is happy to provide you with a method to plot each candidate's course. Here now is "Sabato's Electoral Road Map," which looks at each state individually and predicts its CURRENT electoral leaning. As the days and miles fly by and the candidates trade paint, we'll keep you posted on changes in the standings. It's sure to get intense as we get closer to November, but remember that the campaign trail is just like the speedway--rubbin' is racin'.
Wanted: compatible No 2 for possible No 1
Guardian Unlimited | "John Kerry's search for a vice-presidential running mate entered its final stage yesterday after a private meeting between the Democratic presidential candidate and a top contender, Richard Gephardt.
Democratic officials said Senator Kerry would meet others on the short list in the next few days and weeks and the Boston Globe predicted a final choice would be announced by the second or third week of July.
The candidate and his chosen deputy will then go on a national tour leading up to the Democrat convention in Boston. "
Kerry's Search: In Depth, In Secret
Washington Post | "John F. Kerry has been phoning friends at all hours and reviewing vice presidential choices dating to 1932 as the Democratic candidate nears what many consider the biggest -- and most telling -- decision of his general-election campaign, according to Democrats inside and outside the campaign.
While Kerry is tight-lipped about the pick, these Democrats said the process is revealing much about how the senator from Massachusetts views his strengths, his leadership style and the role of a vice president. Kerry has privately expressed confidence that voters see him as sufficiently strong on national security, they say, but wonders whether he needs a moderate or conservative Democrat on the ticket to improve his centrist credentials. Still, Kerry is skeptical a running mate can make a decisive difference in the election's outcome, these sources said, and is much more concerned with finding a ready-made president, though one who will not try to steal the show.
Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) has emerged as the favorite of many Democratic senators and Kerry friends and advisers. Edwards's stock has shot up in recent weeks as private polling shows the freshman senator providing a boost to the ticket in key states because of his southern appeal and perceived likeability, two sources close to the campaign said. 'The delay in announcing someone has helped Edwards,' a Democrat close to Kerry said. "
Bush Fundraising Total Exceeds $218M
Washington Post | "President Bush has stopped holding fundraisers for himself but his campaign fortune continues to grow, hitting at least $218 million with more than two months of donations still to come.
The Republican started June with about $63 million in the bank.
Bush raised roughly $13 million in May, a monthly campaign finance report he filed Friday with the Federal Election Commission shows. Bush has been relying on mailed and online donations to raise money for his campaign since April, when he turned his attention to holding fund raisers for other Republicans. His average donation last month was $60, the campaign said. "
Bush and McCain Campaign Together in West
The New York Times | "Before cheering troops, President Bush got a strong endorsement on Iraq and a boost for his re-election campaign Friday from Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican courted by Democrat John Kerry to be his running mate.
McCain offered dire warnings about the threat from terrorists and from Saddam Hussein -- words that matched the starkest language Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have employed. The support from McCain came as the president is trying counter rising questions about the invasion."
Sunday, June 13, 2004
US voters reject Iraq war in poll
Guardian Unlimited | "Most American voters believe it was not worth going to war in Iraq and almost two-thirds believe the US is 'getting bogged down', according to a Los Angeles Times poll.
The poll, which shows that views on the Iraq war represent a divide between Republicans and Democrats, reveals that 53% of voters say that the situation in Iraq did not merit the war, while 43% say it did. When the question was asked by the same pollsters in November and March the figures were reversed.
Meanwhile, only 35% believe the US is making good progress, while 61% feel America is 'getting bogged down'. "
Friday, June 11, 2004
Economy Provides No Boost for Bush
Washington Post | "The nation's economy is growing smartly, wages have begun to rise, and employers have added more than 1.4 million jobs to their payrolls in the past nine months. Yet voters continue to give President Bush poor ratings on his handling of the economy.
It may sound baffling, but interviews with voters, pollsters and economists suggest Bush's stubborn difficulties on domestic policy boil down to an obvious problem abroad.
'It all goes back to Iraq,' said Steven Valerga, 50, a Republican in Martinez, Calif., who voted for Bush in 2000 but plans to vote for Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) in November. 'It's a drain on the economy, when there's so much needed elsewhere. My gosh, we didn't need to be there.'"
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
Reagan Events Put Race on Brief Hold
Washington Post | "The death of former president Ronald Reagan has put Sen. John F. Kerry on the political sidelines, elevated President Bush to center stage and touched off a debate tinged by partisanship about the possible impact of Reagan's legacy on the November election.
Republicans see the events surrounding Reagan's death, coming at the end of a week in which Bush will have been visible on the world stage, as providing a potential circuit breaker from two months of unrelenting bad news in Iraq that has driven down Bush's approval ratings and raised Democratic hopes for victory. They also believe that Reagan's death will remind Americans of the effect of strong, if sometimes controversial, presidential leadership built on conservative convictions. "
Monday, June 07, 2004
A Nation and the World Pay Tribute to Reagan
Washington Post | "Amid national mourning and global tributes, the family of Ronald Reagan detailed on Sunday weeklong memorial plans for the former president that will include public services in Washington and California.
Reaction to Reagan's death Saturday after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease continued to reverberate around the world Sunday, and set into motion meticulous preparations for the first state funeral in the nation's capital in more than 30 years. The solemn event will require enormous security as scores of world leaders and thousands of mourners arrive in the city.
Reagan, 93, died Saturday afternoon at his home here with his wife, Nancy, and two of his children beside him. He had spent a decade out of public view afflicted with a disease that had destroyed his memory and cognizance.
Since his passing, an outpouring of affection and respect for the former two-term president has spread from small towns to world capitals, although some Middle East leaders were critical. "
Reagan Legacy Looming Large Over Campaign
The New York Times | "From the shores of Normandy to President Bush's campaign offices outside Washington, Mr. Bush and his political advisers embraced the legacy of Ronald Reagan on Sunday, suggesting that even in death, Mr. Reagan had one more campaign in him — this one at the side of Mr. Bush.
In France, Mr. Bush heralded the late president as a "gallant leader in the cause of freedom," and lionized him in an interview with Tom Brokaw. In Washington, Mr. Bush's aides said that it was Ronald Reagan as much as another president named Bush who was the role model for this president, and they talked of a campaign in which Mr. Reagan would be at least an inspirational presence.
Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, Mr. Bush's likely Democratic challenger, was no less warm in praising Mr. Reagan, with a speech and a tribute on his Web site. Mr. Kerry's campaign canceled five days of events, in what aides described as both a gesture of respect to Mr. Reagan and a bow to the reality that the world would not be paying much attention to Mr. Kerry this week."
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
The Paper Trail - Did Cheney Okay a Deal?
TIME.com | "Vice President Dick Cheney was a guest on NBC's Meet the Press last September when host Tim Russert brought up Halliburton. Citing the company's role in rebuilding Iraq as well as Cheney's prior service as Halliburton's CEO, Russert asked, "Were you involved in any way in the awarding of those contracts?" Cheney's reply: "Of course not, Tim ... And as Vice President, I have absolutely no influence of, involvement of, knowledge of in any way, shape or form of contracts led by the [Army] Corps of Engineers or anybody else in the Federal Government."
Cheney's relationship with Halliburton has been nothing but trouble since he left the company in 2000. Both he and the company say they have no ongoing connections. But TIME has obtained an internal Pentagon e-mail sent by an Army Corps of Engineers official—whose name was blacked out by the Pentagon—that raises questions about Cheney's arm's-length policy toward his old employer. Dated March 5, 2003, the e-mail says "action" on a multibillion-dollar Halliburton contract was "coordinated" with Cheney's office. The e-mail says Douglas Feith, a high-ranking Pentagon hawk, got the "authority to execute RIO," or Restore Iraqi Oil, from his boss, who is Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. RIO is one of several large contracts the U.S. awarded to Halliburton last year. "
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
"The truth has a force of its own"
Salon.com News | "The Bush administration's 'arrogance' has 'cost Americans billions of dollars and too many lives,' Kerry says. Its deceptions about the war may have taken an even greater toll. Kerry says the White House lacks 'any credibility' at home or abroad; indeed, the Bush administration has misled the nation so often now that Kerry says he has no way to know whether the new terror threats John Ashcroft revealed this week represent legitimate national security concerns or simply a political ploy aimed at propping up a foundering president. "
Salon.com interviewing John Kerry.
Democrats Wonder if Kerry Should Stay on Careful Path
The New York Times | " President Bush's political difficulties have prompted a debate among Democrats and aides to Senator John Kerry over how cautious his campaign should be on a variety of issues, from choosing a vice president to differentiating himself from Mr. Bush to responding to the turmoil in Iraq.
Some party officials say that with three new polls showing President Bush more embattled than he has ever been, Mr. Kerry's wisest course would be to take few chances and turn the election into a referendum on a struggling president. 'People have won a lot of campaigns by just saying, `It is time for a change,' ' said Mark Penn, a Democratic pollster."
Worried Democrats work hard to keep Nader off the ballot
Guardian Unlimited | "Democratic party activists and officials are campaigning to stop the independent candidate Ralph Nader's name appearing on the ballot, because they believe it could threaten their effort to defeat George Bush.
They are using every possible legal means to deny voters the chance of voting for Mr Nader, including advising Democrats not to sign his petitions to get on the ballot, challenging the signatures he does get, and showing ads attacking his candidacy.
Mr Nader is running as an anti-war and anti-corporate candidate."
At Arlington, Bush Salutes the Dead of Wars Past and Present
The New York Times | " President Bush on Monday saluted all those Americans who had given their lives in military service and assured their loved ones that they were 'honored and remembered by the United States of America.'
Two days after dedicating a new memorial to Americans killed in World War II, Mr. Bush laid a wreath at Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery and then delivered a Memorial Day address in which he acknowledged the 'great costs' of the war in Iraq and tied it to the broader effort to combat terrorism.
'Since the hour this nation was attacked, we have seen the character of the men and women who wear our country's uniform,' Mr. Bush said on a gray, rainy morning in the amphitheater at Arlington, across the Potomac River from Washington. 'In places like Kabul and Kandahar, in Mosul and Baghdad, we have seen their decency and their brave spirit. Because of their fierce courage, America is safer, two terror regimes are gone forever, and more than 50 million souls now live in freedom.'"
And for His Next Feat, a Billionaire Sets Sights on Bush
The New York Times | "Under the soaring dome of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan, the financier George Soros delivered a blistering attack on President Bush that was interrupted by applause from the graduating students at Columbia University's international affairs school. On finishing the commencement speech two weeks ago, Mr. Soros was greeted with a rousing standing ovation.
A day later, Mr. Soros's speech was soundly thrashed on the television show of the conservative Bill O'Reilly, where he was variously derided as a 'left-wing loony,' a 'crusading atheist,' a 'dogmatic globalist' and, finally, a 'madman.'
Such are the polarizing responses elicited by Mr. Soros, who came to the United States with nothing decades ago and built a $7 billion fortune based on market speculation. Now Mr. Soros has emerged as a financial backer of Democrats, becoming a welcome source of money and a lightning rod for criticism."
Disparate Lists of Battleground States at Work
Washington Post | "When it comes to November battlegrounds, the maps conflict.
Contests in roughly a dozen states are likely to decide party control of the Senate this fall. Meanwhile, the campaigns of President Bush and his Democratic challenger, Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.), are pouring millions of dollars into television ads in about 20 states.
The two fights are taking place largely in separate worlds. Of the 20 battleground presidential states, five have no Senate races this year. In eight others, one party is a clear favorite.
Looked at the other way, of the top 12 Senate races, half or fewer are unfolding in states that are drawing major attention from the presidential rivals. "
