Tuesday, March 06, 2007

McCain Is 1970s, Hillary Is 1990s, Edwards Is 2004, Obama Is Today


McCain is not even in the game. The guy even looks tired. Hillary had all the sizzlesazzle in the 1990s. She was great. And she is more like Ted Kenney than Bobby Kennedy, destined to be a great Senator. Edwards tried his lucky charm the last time around. He gave us Bush. How do you forgive that?

Obama is for today. He opposed the Iraq War from day one at a time when that was the lonely thing to do. That pretty much separates him from the rest of the bunch.

Obama's presidency will finally launch the new century in America. Bush turned the clock backwards. A recent global poll showed the citizens of the world put the US in the same league of displeasure as Iran and North Korea. Bush earned that for the US.

Simply Selma
Inspired By Barack Not Britney
Obama: More Than A Pretty Face
Will It Be Obama Versus Rudy?
Austin, Here I Come
Two Obama Events: Manhattan, Brooklyn
A Rare Email From Bill Clinton
BarackTV: Iowa To New Hampshire
Iraq On My Mind
Something Special Is Happening
Hillary Will Get The Black Vote, Obama Will Get The White Vote
Jupiter And Obama
Obama Is Running For President Of The United States

In The News

Venezuela's Chavez On Counter-Bush Tour CBS News, NY While Bush visited Brazil on Friday, Chavez packed a soccer stadium in neighboring Argentina, telling a crowd of 20,000 leftist supporters that Bush's tour was a cynical attempt to divide the region. ..... Since Morales took office a year ago, Chavez has pledged more than $1 billion for Bolivian petroleum projects, community radio stations and a factory to make tea from coca leaves. ..... In contrast, the Bush administration's 2008 budget proposal slashes U.S. aid to Bolivia by more than 20 percent, from $125 million to $98 million, part of a deep aid cut targeting much of Latin America. ...... Bush's Latin America tour was met with protests in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Guatemala...... In Guatemala City, protesters burned American flags in front of the U.S. embassy on Saturday and held up posters of Bush bearing a Hitler-style mustache. In El Salvador about 100 protesters staged a small demonstration against the president's tour, though he was not scheduled to visit the Central American country. Gingrich Admits to Affair While Pursuing Clinton Over Lewinsky ABC News Among the three Republican front-runners — thrice-married former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani; twice-married Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.; and Gingrich — there are eight current and past wives.
Obama Campaign Energizes HLS Harvard Crimson Loeb University Professor Laurence H. Tribe ’62, who employed Obama as a research assistant when the senator was still a student, said that Obama had the potential to become one of the best presidents in United States history. ..... “We are dealing with someone who has a chance of being the greatest president since Franklin Roosevelt,” Tribe said. ..... He briefly paused, and then he added, “Well, maybe I could drop the Franklin Roosevelt part.”
Barack Obama pays off 17-yr-old parking fines Daily News & Analysis
Obama Pays Parking Tickets 17 Years Late NBC5i.com
Turf War As Obama Fundraises In Clinton's NYC WBBM780 "I love Hillary, I think she's fabulous but I think we need something that's new and fresh and Obama is right there,” Smith said.
Obama Makes First NYC Fundraiser Count CBS2 Chicago
'REAL DEAL' BARACK TAKE$ BIG NY POT New York Post
Gingrich, potential GOP '08 candidate, admits affair while ... Church Executive Magazine
Giuliani Admits Current Affair with Gingrich Ongoing During ... Unconfirmed Sources (satire)
Gingrich confirms details of Clinton-era affair The Age
NH House majority leader endorses Clinton
Portsmouth Herald News
McCain: Gossip about personal lives shouldn't be campaign issue WLUC-TV
Keep 'family issues' out of '08 Washington Times
Season of political hardball has begun Palladium-Item

Governing China Caught between right and left, town and country FOUR years of double-digit growth, soaring government revenues, low inflation and a manageable budget deficit might be cause for celebration in other countries. But China's leaders are anxious. Inequalities are growing, corruption is rampant, grumbling widespread. Ideological battles between free-marketeers and left-wingers threaten to impede reform. ..... Three years ago China added a clause to its constitution saying that private property was “not to be encroached upon”. .... Direct criticism of leaders is still virtually taboo in China. .... the leadership itself invited discussion by publishing a draft of the law in 2005—a very unusual move in a country that normally keeps its legislative processes shrouded in secrecy. ..... it would be unprecedented for delegates to reject a bill. .... Sweeping privatisation of housing since the late 1990s has radically changed the social and political fabric of urban China. ..... the number of “mass incidents” in China had fallen to about 23,000 last year from 26,000 in 2005. ..... Since 2004 leaders have vowed to build a “harmonious society”, making it risky for low-level governments to report data suggesting that unrest is growing. ..... party regulations still give unelected party chiefs the final say over village affairs ...... the frequent sale of state-owned enterprises at rock-bottom prices to their managers .... It says the sale of state assets to corrupt officials, the super rich and foreign multinationals is illegal and unconstitutional. Among the more than 3,200 signatories are seven former government ministers or deputy ministers, five former provincial leaders, a sprinkling of retired senior military officers and about 50 professors at the party's Central School, an academy for top officials. ...... State-owned enterprises with no hope of turning a profit will “exit the market” by 2008. ..... what party leaders announced in late 2005 would be a “new socialist countryside” with subsidised health care and free schooling for all. ..... A medical-insurance scheme, launched in 2003, is to cover 80% of rural areas by the end of this year, up from 50% at present. The aim is to have complete coverage by 2010. ..... The armed forces have enjoyed double-digit budget increases for most of the past 15 years. The leadership knows well whom it really needs to keep happy.

China's next revolution Economist .... A new property law is a breakthrough, even though it raises hopes that one-party rule may dash .... China has such a large and flourishing private sector, accounting for some two-thirds of ..... In 2004 China changed the country's constitution to enshrine private-property rights. But the constitution is less a prescriptive document than a constantly changing description of what has just happened. So nothing changed. .... some “collective” or “state” enterprises operate in ways indistinguishable from the private interests of their bosses ...... should an underdog try to use the new law to enforce his rights, the corrupt and pliant judiciary would usually ensure he was wasting his time. ....... a government that does its best to silence most dissenting voices, strictly controls the press, and lavishes resources on the best cyber-censorship money can buy. Property rights are a start; but only contested politics and relatively open media can ensure that they are enforceable. ........ the dozing NPC delegates may have started a process this month that will one day change their country completely.
Winds of change 2007 seems to be shaping up as the “year of global warming” ..... urged rich countries to combat global warming or risk seeing global GDP cut by 20% by 2200 ..... global warming would cause the world’s temperature to rise by somewhere in the range of 1.1-6.4ºC by 2100. ..... By 2020, governments are supposed to lower emissions to 20% below those of 1990 ..... anthropogenic global warming .... So far, the EU’s ambitious plans for emissions cuts have underwhelmed in execution. ...... the issue of short-termism. .... carbon will have a price beyond 2012, at least until 2020. That should persuade companies to build a carbon price into their investment plans ..... energy-intense industries will squawk. .... California and Europe are travelling hand-in-hand along their green path ...... if America does not act, Europe will undoubtedly, at some point, give up on greenery.
Lexington Slow train coming John McCain is a more powerful presidential candidate than he currently appears ....
Giuliani is a flawed front-runner ..... He has a foul temper and a mean streak as wide as the Hudson river. “Absolutely not,” was the response of Ed Koch, another former New York mayor and a political rival, to the suggestion that Mr Giuliani is a racist. “He's nasty to everybody.” ...... His campaign may collapse as quickly as it inflated. ..... Mr Romney has a long record of managerial competence—a huge selling point after George Bush's serial incompetences. ...... a quarter of Americans claim that they would not vote for a Mormon .... His biggest weakness has to do with age rather than ideology. .... his face is visibly scarred from bouts with skin cancer.
Bangladesh One begum down The generals show who's boss .... the administration has announced plans to create a National Security Council—in effect an admission by the army's top brass that it has become impossible to govern the country from behind the curtain any longer. ..... The council will include the chiefs of the three branches of the armed forces. To give the arrangement a more acceptable gloss, it will also bring in civilians, and will be led by the head of the interim government, Fakhruddin Ahmed, a former World Bank official. ...... Dhaka is now in an excited state. The military-backed administration still enjoys widespread public support from a public disillusioned with the corruption and eternal feuding of the big parties. ..... The summer monsoon pushes the local elections—likely to be held before parliamentary elections as a test—to the final quarter of 2008 and national polls into early 2009. ...... Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel-prize-winning microcredit pioneer. But his attempt to build a new political force probably needs the army's backing, which Mr Yunus will want to avoid.
Nepal's ethnic politics The new battlefront Rivalries between caste and ethnic groups threaten the peace process

China expected to have 600M cellphone users by 2010 USA Today
Report of Taiwan missile test marks rising tensions with China
Christian Science Monitor
China responds to Chen's independence comments Taipei Times
Jordan’s King Urges US to Pursue Peace in Mideast
New York Times
Off Course: Current US-Latin American Relations
New California Media
Bush’s Chavez Challenge The National Interest Online
Yahoo! All Set To Get Google?
Internet Financial News
Yahoo Sees Smooth Sailing for Panama NewsFactor Network
Should Google Buy Blinkx?
Mediapost.com
At Google, the Search Is On for a New Approach to Old Media Knowledge@Wharton (subscription)
Google seeks to license content for YouTube Video Business (subscription)
CyberNet Communications Begins Offering WiMAX Wireless Internet ...
Business Wire (press release)
WiMAX Roll Out in Los Angeles Cellular-News
Cybernet deploys WiMAX wibble in LA Inquirer
TVA, Nortel to build WiMax trial network based on 4G
Business News Americas
TVA Plans Mobile WiMAX Trial in Brazil Powered by Nortel CCNMatthews (press release)
3G Spectrum Pricier than WiMAX Spectrum
Wireless Week
I'm freed from commercial pressures: Amitabh Bachchan
Mangalorean.com
Jiah Khan is a wonderful girl: Amitabh Bachchan SantaBanta.com
Cong demands ban on ad featuring Amitabh Bachchan
Apun Ka Choice
Indian movie legend Amitabh Bachchan's daughter Shweta to host ...
International Herald Tribune
Amitabh's daughter to make her debut IndiaFM
Gates: US needs skilled foreign minds
Monsters and Critics.com
Bill Gates asks US Senate panel to ease skilled-worker visas MarketWatch
Gates calls for 'infinite' H-1Bs, better schools ZDNet
Muslims grumble at Quebec soccer hijab ban Guardian Unlimited
Putin steps in to defend Russian soccer fans Guardian Unlimited
Dell Looks Into Linux
Forbes
What can Dell do with Linux? Nothing Blogging Stocks
Dell customers root for Linux option engadget
iSuppli: Dell Barely Edged HP in 2006 Sales
Digitaltrends.com
Women dream of a better night's sleep Centre Daily Times
NASA terminates Nowak from space program Chicago Tribune
Naomi Campbell to mop floors iAfrica.com
Elizabeth Hurley’s wedding festivites continue in India Actress Archives
India hardsells marriage tourism Times of India
Day after quake, 23 die in Indonesian plane crash Indian Express

Madheshee Group Resumes Indefinite Strikes In Southern ... All Headline News
Clinton Launches Drive For Women's Votes Guardian Unlimited chided the Bush administration for what she said was failing to fully track national data on gender disparities at work ... ``Business leaders tell us the strongest form of marketing is advocacy by a trusted friend'' .... www.icanbepresident.com .... she does well among women generally, and single and younger women in particular.
Clinton launches drive to break "glass ceiling" Reuters
the "hardest and highest" glass ceiling ... opened a "Women for Hillary" program that plans to use the Internet to enlist thousands of activists into a Women Leaders Network on behalf of her campaign. ..... Clinton won more than 70 percent of the women's vote in her runaway 2006 Senate re-election victory .... "Guess what, I'm a woman, and I know it's on people's minds," Clinton said at the luncheon. "To all those who say a woman cannot be elected president, I say 'we'll never know unless we try' and that is what I am going to do in this campaign." .... Clinton said she would introduce legislation to ensure equal pay for women.
Clinton launches drive for women's votes KVOA.com
Clinton-Obama Race Inspires and Divides Black Voters and Generations
ABC News
Barack Obama Needs More Donors
New York Observer
In Clinton-Obama frenzy, ’second tier’ struggles
Boston Herald
In Clinton-Obama frenzy, 'second tier' Democratic candidates seek ... International Herald Tribune
Madheshee Group Resumes Indefinite Strikes In Southern ...
All Headline News
Nepal alliance agrees to amend interim statue to incorporate Terai ...
Malaysia Sun
Rudy Giuliani: the leading GOP candidate
GetReligion
Rudy Giuliani sells off investment banking unit
Toronto Star
Clinton Launches Drive for Women's Votes
Washington Post
Clinton to launch drive for women's votes Boston Globe
India 'most improved' country: Poll
Times of India Israel, Iran, the US and North Korea are overwhelmingly negatively identified as the world's new rogue states by disparate groups of people in 27 countries around the world .... The barometer of public opinion fell for key global players such as the US, UK, Russia, China, France in an eerie reflection of their pre-eminent geo-political status as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. .... Chavez's Venezuela seems to be appealing to as many people as it is displeasing ..... the strongest pro-India sentiments were found in Indonesia ..... America's place in the "bloc of four hate-figures on the world map" must be a cause for concern because of its unchallenged status as sole hyperpower. ....... America's status as a country of peace and goodwill plummeted. ..... people around the world tend to look negatively on countries whose profile is marked by the use or pursuit of military power. This includes Israel and the US ....... the most positive ratings going to Canada, followed by Japan, the European Union and France.
Israel Most Negative Country: BBC Poll Palestine Chronicle
Playing Ball With North Korea
TIME
Israel fares poorly in eyes of world, poll shows
International Herald Tribune positive views of Iran grew dramatically in some Muslim-dominated countries .... Polling was conducted in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Britain, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the United States.
Israel, Iran, Rated Most Negative in Poll; Canada Viewed Best Bloomberg
Iran and North Korea are less unpopular than Israel National Post
Up to 90 killed in double suicide attack in Iraq Independent
Afghans caught in war's rising tide Christian Science Monitor
NATO Launches Major Offensive in Southern Afghanistan Spiegel Online
Microsoft Wages Copyright War Against Google Forbes
Google Merger Talk is All Talk and No Basis, Yet GameSHOUT
Poor Little Rich Google Gadget Spy
Schmidt: Google to 'Do More' With Apple MacNewsWorld
Yahoo! gunning for Google
CNNMoney.com
Google rises as data shows internet usage spike Blogging Stocks a 10% increase in worldwide Internet use in 2006
Why Yahoo's stock has outperformed Google Blogging Stocks
Mobile WiMax vs. 3G: Will faster and cheaper win?
Computerworld
The man behind brand Bachchan Economic Times IN 1992, during the filming of the late Mukul Anand’s Khudah Gawah, Mohammed Najibullah, then president of Afghanistan, offered the film unit half of the nation’s air force as protection in the war-torn country; all that was asked in return was an opportunity to have his pictures taken with the film’s leading man, Amitabh Bachchan. ..... In an October 2005 national survey of India’s 15-year-olds commissioned by Brand Equity, respondents voted the sixty-plus Amitabh Bachchan as their favourite celebrity brand endorser ..... in 2003, 23 million MTV viewers voted Bachchan as the Maha Style Icon of the Year. ..... an estimated Rs 220 crore worth of business riding on his shoulders. .... not every brand that’s sold itself successfully to one generation of consumers has the satisfaction of being the next generation’s preferred choice as well. ..... returning as he did from the brink of virtual oblivion and bankruptcy to dominate the Hindi film industry all over again ..... Bachchan embodies heritage, dominance, refinement, discernment, charisma, mystique, power and achievement, values that have emerged as a result of his journey from an anti-establishment hero to ruler, patriarch and man of stature. ..... For the average Indian, he represents resilience of spirit and the power of dreams .... Bachchan rose, phoenix-like, on the back of game-show, Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC): “Today, Amitabh is a symbol of hope and optimism that life begins at 60.”
Aishwarya Confirms doing 'Sarkar' Sequel
Himalayan Times
Factory orders dive amid broad declines BusinessWeek
Productivity Is Less Than Estimated, and Pay Is Higher New York Times
Dell & HP Talk Up E-Waste Programs Legit Reviews
Dell may offer Linux as alternative to Windows Reuters Canada
More Teens Are Undergoing Obesity Surgery Washington Post
The Line Between Torture and Cruelty New York Times
Psychological and physical torture have similar mental effects Hindu psychological manipulation, deprivation, humiliation and forced stress positions ..... humiliating treatment, including mockery and verbal abuse
Why Google will never pay for content ZDNet
Ill treatment may be as traumatic as torture MSNBC most abused prisoners, including those in the present war on terror, are innocent or ignorant of terrorist activities ...... Strictly speaking, she wasn’t tortured, but 2½ decades later it still feels that way, she says. ...... Today, she still trembles whenever she sees the police. Her ordeal, she says, is “a spiritual burden that stays with you forever.”
Steamy e-mails from astronaut case released Reuters Astronaut Lisa Nowak carried copies of steamy e-mails that her NASA lover had written to his new girlfriend the night she raced cross-country in a diaper to confront her rival ..... while staying with Oefelein in his Houston apartment the weekend before the attack, Oefelein accidentally called her "Lisa" in bed one night. ..... Nowak is free on bond but required to wear a global positioning device that will alert authorities if she returns to Florida.
Cyberspace lifts lid on astronaut love triangle Sydney Morning Herald
E-mail may have prompted astronaut's odyssey Globe and Mail
Diddy attacked partying couple - suit iAfrica.com
Man Sues Diddy In Alleged Post-Oscar Fight Playfuls.com
Bald Headed K-Fed Says He Did It For Britney Playfuls.com
Britney Spears: The Inevitable Weird Rehab Suicide Attempt hecklerspray
Naomi to work as cleaner as phone-throwing punishment New Zealand Herald
Oh boy, Naomi mops up Sydney Morning Herald
Libby Found Guilty in CIA Leak Trial Forbes









Monday, March 05, 2007

Simply Selma












NYT Video: Selma

In The News

Obama's Selma speech. Text as delivered. Chicago Sun-Times, IL
Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton: Selma Race For Black And White Votes Bayou Buzz
Obama, Selma and Bloody Sunday
Buffalo News, NY
The Obama Myth: Factual Discrepancies to the Selma Claim KTRE
Clinton, Obama Court Black Voters in Selma WBOC TV 16
Clinton, Obama pay homage to Selma march The Herald-Times (subscription)
In Selma, Clinton, Obama praise civil rights achievements
Journal and Courier, IN
Obama, Clinton mark civil-rights fight in Selma Tuscaloosa News (subscription)
Obama wows crowd at Selma church Montgomery Advertiser
Obama, Clinton speak before packed churches in Selma Birmingham News
Obama Addresses Blacks in Selma
Miami Poetry Review, FL
Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton Talk Katrina, New Orleans In Selma
Bayou Buzz, LA
Obama, Clinton and Louisiana Primary Bayou Buzz
Charisma earns Obama comparisons to Kennedy
Montgomery Advertiser, AL
Obama, Clinton Reflect on Selma's Lengthy Shadow
NPR
"I'm coming home," Obama tells Selma crowd
Birmingham News, AL
STARS FALL ON SELMA Mobile Register, AL

37 pc women face domestic violence; Bihar tops list Hindu
Holi celebrated in Bihar with enthusiasm
Hindu
Why Lalu failed in Bihar? Andhra Cafe
Lalu lambasts Bihar CM Peninsula On-line
US troops 'kill 16 Afghan civilians'
Telegraph.co.uk
US gingerly enters sensitive Iraq neighborhood
Los Angeles Times
Iran denies Ahmadinejad's talks with Saudi king on Arab peace plan
Xinhua
China Plans Big Increase in Military Budget
New York Times
China says military spending to grow nearly 18 percent in 2007 International Herald Tribune
China's hikes defence spend, puts US in a fix Economic Times
US envoy urges greater transparency from China on nuclear program International Herald Tribune
Paulson: China should not be made an enemy China Daily
Paulson does not regard China as economic enemy of US People's Daily Online
Reform Party Wins Estonian Election Washington Post
Google moves YouTube ahead
San Francisco Chronicle
BBC, Google hookup on YouTube Xinhua
BBC teams up with YouTube Hollywood Reporter
IBM Tosses Google Gadgets Into WebSphere Portal IT Jungle
IBM and Google collaborate on mash-ups Computerworld New Zealand
IBM teams up with Google over gadgets USA Today
WiMAX Spectrum More Expensive in Developing Markets
Cellular-News
Protests in Allahabad over Amitabh Bachchan's 'Nishabd'
Apun Ka Choice
Amitabh Bachchan speaks to Subhash K Jha on Nishabd & related matters
IndiaFM
Britney 'attempted rehab suicide'
NEWS.com.au
Obama and Clinton Mark Civil Rights Struggle in Selma
New York Times
Giuliani looking strong in Oregon KOMO
Holi celebrated in Bihar with enthusiasm Hindu
Obama says all the right things on Israel Jerusalem Newswire
Obama: Bush strategy strengthened Iran Boston Globe
Barack Obama's Ancestors May Have Owned Slaves
cbs4denver.com
Obama roots take new twist The Standard
Research on Obama throws up a twist New Zealand Herald (Subscription)
Hillary Clinton wants US to deal with climate change
People's Daily Online
Clinton wins only praise from LA mayor Boston Globe
Richardson, Clinton Campaign In Iowa WHO-TV
Richardson: 4 States Will Decide Nominee amNewYork
PM, NC Delaying Interim Govt: Nepal Himalayan Times
Nepal Transport strike hits normal life in Terai PeaceJournalism.com
Giuliani's Son Tells of Tensions With Dad myfoxny.com
Nepal Transport strike hits normal life in Terai PeaceJournalism.com
• Rudy Giuliani: Master of Disaster Newsweek
What Makes Rudy Run U.S. News & World Report
I-am-who-I-am is working New York Daily News
WHF to launch campaign to save monarchy in Nepal Zee News
India will grab every opportunity, asserts Tendulkar Indian Muslims
Asian arms race fear as Beijing raises spending Guardian Unlimited
Iraqi PM risks Shia clash over reshuffle Telegraph.co.uk
Abe Follows in Koizumi's Footsteps Chosun Ilbo
Abe to honor Kono statement on wartime sex slavery: assistant People's Daily Online
WiMAX Spectrum More Expensive in Developing Markets
Cellular-News
Hijab ban upheld after Ottawa girl is ejected from soccer match 680 News
Soccer's governing body keeps status quo on hijabs Canada.com
Soccer's lawmakers back decision to ban hijab Reuters.uk
Ottawa welcomes big-name soccer teams Ottawa Citizen (subscription)
Women's Soccer Opens Spring Season With Split vs. SEC CSTV.com
Premier: China to focus on helping poor BusinessWeek
China's Targets Economic Growth of 8% This Year (Update1) Bloomberg
Paulson Optimistic on US Economy Washington Post
Mass. Health Care Plan Moving Forward Guardian Unlimited
Insurers slice rates on health premiums Boston Globe
New Health Plan Announced In Massachusetts E Canada Now
Stargazers aglow over stunning eclipse
Scotsman
Blood-red moon 'like Mars next door' Stuff.co.nz
Storm Damaged Space Shuttle Returns to Hangar Voice of America




Thursday, March 01, 2007

Obama: More Than A Pretty Face


It bothers me that there are people out there who suggest Obama is not offering any specifics, no policy proposals. He is too pure. He gives hope, but no agenda. That just is not true.

He has given the most specific biography and policy of any candidate. Read his two books. You really get to know him. And you get to know not only where he stands on the issues of the day, but why, and how he wades through his various policy options.

Don't you wish Bill Clinton had written his autobiography before 1992? That would have saved us from so much speculation.

Look at the two big Obama offerings.

One, a specific plan to end the war in Iraq war. You bring the troops home on a specific timetable that does not last more than a year, and you step in with hard core political work to end up with a stable, democratic Iraq. You don't make peace with friends. You make peace with enemies.

Two, universal health care before his first term is over. Now that is huge. If he manages to swing that, that will put him in the same league as FDR. Universal health and lifelong eduation are two things that have to be made possible for the information economy. Health care should not depend on your job, or if you are employed. You should have health care between jobs. In a vibrant economy, people will switch jobs, careers, many many times.

Obama has work cut out for him, sure.

He needs to raise money. He needs to expand organization. He needs to build an elaborate, vibrant, transparent brain trust. It is not enough Obama has been thinking through all the issues. He has to make America do the same. I believe he is upto the challenge.

Hillary would be a great Vice President. I can't wait.

But right now it looks to me like it will be an Obama-Rudy race.

Move up the big primaries, Illinois, New York, California. Make the brown vote matter.

Will It Be Obama Versus Rudy?
Austin, Here I Come
Two Obama Events: Manhattan, Brooklyn
A Rare Email From Bill Clinton
BarackTV: Iowa To New Hampshire
Iraq On My Mind
Something Special Is Happening
Hillary Will Get The Black Vote, Obama Will Get The White Vote
Jupiter And Obama
Obama Is Running For President Of The United States

In The News

McCain Says He Regrets Iraq Comment San Francisco Chronicle McCain, facing criticism from Democrats, on Thursday said he regretted using the word "wasted" to describe the more than 3,100 U.S. lives lost in the Iraq war. ..... "I should have used the word, sacrificed ..... He said the U.S. is seeking to correct its mistakes with Bush's new strategy. ..... Obama, for his part, gave the Republican a pass when asked about McCain's comments at a Senate news conference on an unrelated matter. ..... "As somebody who had the same phrase in a speech, I think nobody would question Senator McCain's dedication to our veterans," said Obama, the Illinois Democrat. "We have a duty to make sure that we are honoring their sacrifice by giving them missions in which they can succeed ... I'm positive that was the intent in which he meant it. It was the same intent I had when I made my statement."
McCain Says US Lives 'Wasted' in Iraq San Francisco Chronicle John McCain, a staunch backer of the Iraq war but critic of how President Bush has waged it, said U.S. lives had been "wasted" in the four-year-old conflict. ..... a DNC spokeswoman. "How is it that John McCain now believes American lives are being wasted, yet he so stubbornly supports the president's plan to escalate the war in Iraq and put more American lives in harms way?" ...... trailing Giuliani in polls. ...... the Senate's go-to guy on Iraq .... In recent months, McCain has become Bush's most outspoken supporter of sending in another 21,500 troops to Iraq
Hillary Clinton Yields to Barack Obama Kommersant
Britney And Kevin: Family Bliss, Really
Playfuls.com
Clinton, Obama To Address Selma, Ala. TIME nearly simultaneous speeches behind church pulpits just half a block apart from each other in Selma, Ala ...... the candidates will join civil rights leaders, public officials and others in what has become an annual walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge ..... black leaders say buzz about Obama's candidacy is spreading, particularly among younger people and others who might not typically participate in elections ..... Hillary's never faced a candidate like Obama, and Obama's never faced a candidate like Hillary ...... earlier primaries in Southern states with heavily black populations will benefit Obama ...... Obama is scheduled to deliver the event's keynote address Sunday morning at Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church, while at the same time Clinton is scheduled to address the First Baptist Church just down the street.
Obama Surging Past Clinton, Among Others FOX News Hillary and her boys realize that all that Obama has to sell is his purity. He’s like Evian water. He has no particular taste, he's just the un-cola — the opposite of the vicious, destructive, partisan politics that pervades our country and turns off the voters. ....... He will need to take strong positions, issue programs, and wade into substantive controversies if he wants us to vote for him. A biography and a philosophy aren’t enough. ...... She was among the first to hire private detectives to dig up dirt on women who had been linked to Bill, on Linda Tripp, on other Clinton accusers, and on virtually anyone else who stood in the way of her ambitions for her husband.
Hillary's Nightmare: Ralph Nader
ONCE IN DEBT, BILL CLINTON EARNING MILLIONS SPEAKING San Jose Mercury News Clinton, who came to the White House with modest means and left deeply in debt, has collected nearly $40 million in speaking fees over the past six years ..... Last year, one of his most lucrative since leaving the presidency, Clinton earned $9 million to $10 million on the lecture circuit. He averaged almost a speech a day -- 352 for the year ...... On one particularly good day in Canada, Clinton made $475,000 for two speeches, more than double his annual salary as president. ...... ``I never had a nickel to my name until I got out of the White House, and now I'm a millionaire, the most favored person for the Washington Republicans,'' Clinton told a friendly audience in Kentucky last fall. ``I get a tax cut every year, no matter what our needs are.'' ..... Many of Bill Clinton's six-figure speeches have been made to companies whose employees and political action committees have been among Hillary Clinton's top backers in her Senate campaigns. The New York investment giant Goldman Sachs paid Clinton $650,000 for four speeches in recent years. Its employees and PAC have given her $270,000 since 2000 -- putting it second on the list of her most generous political patrons. ........Ronald Reagan raised eyebrows by collecting $2 million in Japan shortly after he left office in 1989.
Obama halves Clinton lead among Democrats Chicago Tribune, IL
Blacks shifting to Obama, poll finds MSNBC
Hillary losing ground to Obama PRESS TV, Iran
McCain and Hillary Down; Obama and Rudy Up RushLimbaugh.com (subscription), CA
Clinton loses ground to Obama, Giuliani widens lead: poll Pakistan Times, Pakistan
Giuliani Out Front, Obama Gaining on Hillary RealClearPolitics Blog
Obama leads Clinton among black voters The Spokesman Review, WA
2 Out of 3 Americans Don't Believe Iraq War Worth Soldiers Lives BBSNews, NC
Zogby Poll: Obama Gaining on Hillary NewsMax.com, FL
Analysis: Outsiders Obama, Giuliani surging in 2008 races CNN
Black voters help Obama gain ground on Clinton Christian Science Monitor, MA

America's new path on Iraq: talk to Iran Christian Science Monitor Talk directly to Iran about Iraq, without preconditions. ..... Rice plans to sit down in April with the foreign ministers of some 20 countries, including two that the US considers key troublemakers in the region: Iran and Syria. ...... most analysts are skeptical that either country plays a crucial role in Iraq's ongoing civil war. ...... Iran won't miss the chance to sit down with the US. It remains angry at US allegations that it's running a secret nuclear-weapons program ........ Iran has been making overtures for more bilateral diplomacy for years, but has been consistently rebuffed by the US ..... Like Iran, Syria will see the meeting as a chance to get a "foot in the door" with the US which has cold-shouldered Damascus for the past two years. Despite Washington's icy relations with Damascus, the Syria regime of President Bashar al-Assad has repeatedly said it wants to resume full dialog with the US and that it's willing to revive peace talks with Israel. ...... willing to agree to a full peace with the Jewish state in exchange for the Golan Heights, captured by Israel in 1967 ....... Russia's ... 20 million Muslims. ...... Putin has been seeking to hold Russia up as an alternative, more accommodating pole to what is now often seen as a brash and bullying America. It also has major business interests in Iran and Syria. ...... "Russia has repeatedly said it wants to see the Iraq problem solved with the involvement of Iraq's neighbors and the entire world community, through engagement and dialog and not through the use of force," says Yevgeny Bazhanov ..... Iraq, of course, wants peace and stability, as well as to be treated as an equal by its neighbors, particularly by Sunni Arab states like Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt
Iran may attend meet on Iraq Hindu
Bush reverses on Mideast talks KRQE
Black voters help Obama gain ground on Clinton Christian Science Monitor Obama's dramatic rise in support among African-Americans ..... Obama of Illinois has more room for growth than she does, because of her high negatives. ..... Obama leads Clinton among black Democratic voters 36 percent to 27 percent. ..... In both December and January, the Post/ABC poll had Clinton beating Obama among African-Americans 60 to 20. .... Obama has the momentum and buzz, and is drawing phenomenal crowds. ..... Last Friday, 20,000 people came to see him speak in Austin, Texas. Between 15,000 and 17,000 people showed up in frigid temperatures for his announcement speech Feb. 10 in Springfield, Ill. ..... Clinton is losing some of her luster for other reasons: First is her refusal to apologize for her vote in 2002 that gave President Bush a green light to launch the Iraq war. Democratic activists – those most likely to show up in primaries and caucuses – are more in sync with Obama, who has opposed the war from the beginning. ....... Her third problem is that she has the misfortune of running against Jack and Bobby in one year ...... Barack in particular right now is cutting into a very solid Clinton constituency ..... Nationwide, one-fourth of primary voters are black, and in some of the early primary states, that number rises much higher. ...... New York, Illinois, and New Jersey are all talking about moving up ...... Already, Obama is tapping into the big Democratic money centers – Hollywood and New York – that Clinton may have assumed that she would rule. Obama is also beating Clinton with the youth vote ...... this Sunday, when both appear in Selma, Ala., for the annual bridge-crossing, a major civil-rights commemoration
Poll: Rudy Giuliani Loses Republican Voters Over Abortion Support LifeNews.com
Fresh general strike brings Nepal to a halt
PeaceJournalism.com
Stock selloff in China hits Wall Street hard
Longview Daily News
China's stocks bouncing back after heavy losses
New Zealand Herald
Victoria Beckham's move to LA with soccer-star husband will be ...
Canada.com
Professional Women's Soccer to Return in 2008
U.S. National Soccer Players
Study: Common Sexually-Transmitted Virus Found in 1 in 4 US Women
Voice of America human papillomavirus is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women. ...... The prevalence was highest among the 20 to 24-year-old women. Almost half of those women were infected with HPV ..... hundreds of kinds of HPV infections that do not cause cervical cancer ..... A new vaccine covers the two HPV types that cause most cancer and two types that cause genital warts. ...... recommended it for girls before sexual activity begins - that is, at ages 11 and 12, but says it can be given as early as nine. ..... some parents object because they believe it may lead to earlier sexual activity. ..... three ways to prevent HPV infection. ..... One, abstinence; the second, using condoms or barrier methods, which is not 100 percent effective; and the third being the papillomavirus vaccine
HPV infects 26% US women Food Consumer
More American Women Have HPV Than Previously ThoughtWashington Post making HPV by far the most common sexually transmitted disease in the country. ..... Its maker, Merck, until recently was lobbying state legislatures to mandate vaccination of middle-school girls -- a step that more than 18 states are moving toward. ..... Most of the time a woman's immune system clears the virus within weeks ... HPV also infects boys and men, in whom it can cause genital warts and anal cancer. ..... An earlier study of college students found that more than 50 percent acquired HPV within four years of first sexual intercourse. In the new survey, HPV infection was more likely in women under age 25, in unmarried women, and in women with two or more partners ...... The Merck vaccine is a three-shot course costing about $360.
Dell Backpedals on Preloading Linux NewsFactor Network
NASA space probe swings by Jupiter Seattle Post Intelligencer
Hilton cited for driving with suspended license Los Angeles Times
2 paintings by Picasso stolen from home of kin International Herald Tribune
Two Picasso paintings stolen from Paris apartment Washington Post
Sarkozy outlines foreign policy International Herald Tribune
Qaeda Rebuilding in Pakistan, Intelligence Chief Tells Panel New York Times future attacks against the United States could be planned from Pakistan’s remote western mountains. ..... the gradual rebuilding of Al Qaeda’s command and control apparatus ..... some officials have even advocated direct American airstrikes against the camps. ..... Iran could produce a nuclear weapon by the beginning of the next decade, but that the country more likely would not have such a weapon until 2015.
The Problem With Pakistan Washington Post Pakistan, a country that just happens to be both with us and against us. ...... the country with the greatest potential for a world-shattering implosion, is not Iraq or Afghanistan or even Iran: it is Pakistan. ..... the ungoverned northwest region... Upcoming elections are not expected to change Musharraf's status: He will continue to be President and commander-in-chief and head of the Army and hold all of the actual power. .... Al-Qaeda is the greatest threat to the United States, at least according to the U.S. intelligence community and conventional wisdom. The terrorist organization is headquartered and lodged in northwest Pakistan, where it has virtual impunity. It operates within a country that has nuclear weapons and is labeled "a major source of Islamic extremism."

On The Web

North-West Frontier Province - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bin Laden cornered in Pakistan's northwest bin Laden and "up to 50 fanatical henchmen" were inside an area 16 kilometres (10 miles) wide and deep "north of the town of Khanozai and the city of Quetta". ...... bin Laden moved into the area, "in the desolate Toba Kakar mountains," about one month ago from another area 240 kilometres to the south ...... The area is under surveillance from a geostationary spy satellite ...... "They studied the background in bin Laden's last video and matched it to rocks in the Toba Kakar region"

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