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_JANUARY 2008 NEWS_
2008 News YEAR 2008 CALENDAR Printable 2008 Calendar January 2008 News History 2007 News |
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-
Jack
Abramoff
-
John
A Boehner
-
John
T Doolittle
- Legal
-
Politics
-
Ohio
-
California
-
Georgia
-
Utah
-
Colorado
-
Indiana
-
California
-
Texas
"Fellow
Republicans Help Doolittle Pay Legal Bills Stemming From Abramoff Ties."
... "A House Republican under Justice Department investigation because
of ties to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff has garnered help with his
legal bills from a handful of colleagues, including [Ohio Republican Representative]
Minority Leader John
A. Boehner." ... "[California Republican Representative] Rep. John
T. Doolittle, R-Calif., reported in a filing made available Thursday
that his legal expense fund had received $5,000 from Boehner’s leadership
PAC. The money was part of $36,500 kicked in by GOP colleagues to Doolittle’s
legal defense between June 27, when he opened the fund, and year’s end."
... "Other Republican lawmakers who contributed money from their campaign
funds or leadership committees included [Republican Senator] Sens. Saxby
Chambliss of Georgia, [Republican Senator] Orrin
G. Hatch of Utah and [Republican Senator] Wayne
Allard of Colorado, and Reps. [Republican Representative] Dan
Burton of Indiana, [Republican Representative] Wally
Herger of California, [Republican Representative] Jack
Kingston of Georgia, [Republican Representative] Sam
Johnson of Texas, and [California Republican Representative] Howard
P. “Buck” McKeon and [Republican Representative] Dana
Rohrabacher of California." -By Kathleen Hunter
-CQPolitics.com
-
Mitt
Romney
-
John
McCain
- US
-
Iraq
-
Military
- History
-
2008
Election
"Romney
accuses McCain of using Nixon tactic on Iraq." ...
"[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Mitt Romney accused
Republican [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] rival John
McCain of adopting underhanded tactics from [Republican President] Richard
Nixon, the GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] president who resigned
in disgrace." ... ""I don't think I want to see our party go back to that
kind of campaigning," Mr. Romney said in his most pointed rebuttal yet
to front-runner Mr. McCain's claim that the former Massachusetts governor
favors a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq. Mr. Romney denies
this charge, and most media analyses have concluded that Mr. Romney wasn't
using "timetable" in the same way Democratic candidates have."
-AP via -DallasNews.com
-
US
-
Germany
-
Afghanistan
-
Military
"Paper:
U.S. urged Germany to expand Afghanistan force."
... "U.S. [United States] Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has written
to his German counterpart urging Berlin to send an additional 3,200 troops
to Afghanistan, warning that the [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] NATO-led
force there could lose credibility without reinforcement, a Defense Ministry
spokesman confirmed Thursday." ... "According to the German Sueddeutsche
Zeitung daily, the one-and-a-half-page-long, undated letter to Defense
Minister Franz Josef Jung arrived last week. In it, Gates specifically
asks Germany to drop caveats limiting its troops to the north of Afghanistan
and to send helicopter units, infantry and paratroopers that could join
the fight against Taliban militants in the south, the paper reported without
citing the letter." -AP
via -USATODAY
-
Mitt
Romney
-
John
McCain
-
Rudy
Giuliani
- US
-
Iraq
-
Military
-
2008
Election -
Massachusetts
-
Florida
-
Arizona
-
New
York
-
Florida
"Romney
Accuses McCain of 'Dirty Tricks': Romney Accuses
McCain of Resorting to 'Dirty Tricks' Over Iraq Timetable Issue in Debate."
... "Republican [2008 Election Presidential Candidate] Mitt Romney accused
[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain of using
dirty tricks by suggesting the former Massachusetts governor wanted a deadline
for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, in a spirited debate Wednesday night
that underscored the intensity of their presidential rivalry." ... "Coming
24 hours after McCain defeated him in Florida, Romney vented his frustrations
over the Arizona senator's claims from last weekend." ... ""I have never,
ever supported a specific timetable" for withdrawing troops, Romney said.
McCain's accusation on the eve of Tuesday's primary, he said, "sort of
falls into the dirty tricks that I think [Republican President] Ronald
Reagan would have found reprehensible."" ... "Former New York City [New
York] Mayor Rudy Giuliani left the race earlier Wednesday [after losing
Florida to McCain]] and endorsed McCain." (1, 2,
3)
-By Liz Sidoti -AP
via -ABCNEWS.com
_2008
News News Reference January
2008 News
January 30, 2008 News URL: #January-30-2008-News
20080130
Wednesday
-
Noteworthy
- Political
-
Lawmakers
-
Terrorism
"What
"bipartisanship" in Washington means." ... "Whenever
the mavens of "bipartisanship" attempt to do more than spout pretty platitudes,
they invariably reveal just how vapid and bereft of substance are their
slogans." ... "But more importantly, "bipartisanship" is already rampant
in Washington, not rare. And, in almost every significant case, what "bipartisanship"
means in Washington is that enough Democrats join with all of the Republicans
to endorse and enact into law Republican policies, with which most Democratic
voters disagree. That's how so-called "bipartisanship" manifests in almost
every case." ... "In almost every case, the proposals that are enacted
are ones favored by the White House and supported by all GOP lawmakers,
and then Democrats split and enough of them join with Republicans to ensure
that the GOP gets what it wants. That's "bipartisanhip" in Washington[.]"
... "On virtually every major controversial issue -- particularly, though
not only, ones involving national security and terrorism -- the Republicans
(including their vaunted
mythical moderates and mavericks) vote in almost complete lockstep
in favor of the [Republican] President [Bush], the Democratic caucus splits,
and the Republicans then get their way on every issue thanks to "bipartisan"
support. That's what "bipartisanship" in Washington means."
-By Glenn Greenwald -Salon
-
John
Edwards
-
Hillary
Clinton
-
Barack
Obama
-
New
Orleans -
Louisiana
-
Poverty
-
Homeless
- People
-
Health
Care -
US
-
Iraq
-
Military
- Money
-
2008
Election
"Democrat
Edwards exits presidential race: Clinton, Obama praise
ex-rival, who refrains from endorsing one or other." ... "[2008 Election
Democratic Presidential Candidate] Democrat John Edwards bowed out of the
race for the White House on Wednesday, saying it was time to step aside
“so that history can blaze its path” in a campaign now left to [2008 Election
Democratic Presidential Candidate] Hillary Rodham Clinton and [2008 Election
Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama." ... ""It is time for
me to step aside," said Edwards, ending his second campaign in a hurricane-ravaged
section of New Orleans [Louisiana] where he began it more than a year ago.
“With our convictions and a little backbone we will take back the White
House in November.”" ... "Edwards said Clinton and Obama had both pledged
that “they will make ending poverty central to their campaign for the presidency.”"
... "“This is the cause of my life and I now have their commitment to engage
in this cause,” he said before a small group of supporters. He was joined
by his wife Elizabeth and his three children, Cate, Emma Claire and Jack."
... "Edwards said that on his way to make his campaign-ending statement,
he drove by a highway underpass where several homeless people live. He
stopped to talk, he said, and as he was leaving, one of them asked him
never to forget them and their plight." ... "“Well I say to her and I say
to all those who are struggling in this country, we will never forget you.
We will fight for you. We will stand up for you,” he said, pledging to
continue his campaign-long effort to end what he frequently said was “two
Americas,” one for the powerful, the other for the rest." ... "Edwards
burst out of the starting gate with a flurry of progressive policy ideas
—
he was the first to offer a plan for universal health care, the first to
call on Congress to pull funding for the [Iraq] war, and he led the charge
that lobbyists have too much power in Washington and need to be reigned
in." (1, 2)
-AP via -MSNBC
_2008
News News Reference January
2008 News
January 29, 2008 News URL: #January-29-2008-News
20080129
Tuesday
-
Kenya
- Terrorism
-
Radio
-
Agricultural
-
Land
- Wealth
-
British
-
History
"How
Kenya came undone: Long-simmering ethnic tensions
threaten to tear apart East Africa's most stable, prosperous country."
... "While the most recent spark for the violence was the deeply flawed
elections in which Mr. [Mwai] Kibaki was declared president, the underlying
source of the country's tension is a perception that one ethnic group –
Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe – has unfairly benefited from the nation's wealth
solely because of its proximity to people in power. Resentment between
Kenya's ethnic communities is chronic, observers say, but mistrust of Kikuyus
has been building ever since Kenya's first president, Jomo Kenyatta, took
power after independence from Britain in 1963." ... "Under Mr. Kenyatta
– himself a Kikuyu – Kikuyus rose to high positions in government, took
over major firms, and bought much of the farm land sold off by departing
white settlers in the fertile Rift Valley. But it took a sense of betrayal
to produce the violence of today, experts say. In 2002, a remarkably broad
coalition of opposition leaders from different ethnic groups overthrew
the 24-year dictatorship of President Daniel arap Moi. The new government
signed a memorandum of understanding to share power." ... "But in 2003,
Kibaki revoked that agreement and went back to the old habit of filling
government positions – including, crucially, the Electoral Commission of
Kenya – with personal allies and members of his own ethnic group, the Kikuyus.
Furious at what they considered a betrayal, and cut off from access to
power, former allies such as populist opposition leader Raila Odinga –
a member of the Luo ethnic group who claims that he won the Dec. 27 vote
– broke from the government and started a campaign for "majimbo,"
Swahili for self-rule, and resistance to Kikuyu domination." ... "For most
Kenyans, this tribal fight is not just about the presidency, but land –
the ultimate source of wealth in a mainly agricultural society. And the
Rift Valley – Kenya's bread basket – is the main battlefield, as small
"indigenous" armies with bows, arrows, and machetes march to expel the
Kikuyu "newcomers."" ... "Some politicians used radio broadcasts to spread
hatred against Kikuyus, and proclaimed that the time had come to remove
the "weeds" from their lands." ... "Stoked with hate, the ethnic clashes
began in earnest, particularly in the areas where Kikuyus had settled in
the Rift Valley. Between the elections of 1992 and 1997, more than 2,000
Kenyans were killed and more than 300,000 Kenyans were displaced, most
of them Kikuyus." ... "Politicians have used the belief that Kikuyus control
the economy as a battle cry, pitting Kikuyus as the perpetual "haves" against
the Luos, Kalenjins, and other tribes as the perpetual "have-nots."" (1,
2,
3,
4)
-By Scott Baldauf -CSMonitor
-
John
McCain
-
Rudy
Giuliani
-
Hillary
Clinton
- Politics
-
2008
Election -
Arizona
"Many
Lobbyists Among McCain Fundraisers." ... "[2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain
attempted to capitalize on the resurgence of his presidential campaign
at a Washington, DC, fundraiser last night that was expected to raise more
than $300,000." ... "Many of the sponsors of the function at Charlie Palmer's
Steakhouse are Washington lobbyists, who have become a staple of his fundraising
effort, according to a review released today by the advocacy group Public
Citizen." ... "By Public Citizen's count, McCain has at least 58 federal
lobbyists raising money for his campaign, compared with 35 working for
Republican [2008 Election Presidential Candidate] Rudy Giuliani and 20
working for [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Democrat
Hillary Clinton." -By Matthew Mosk -WashingtonPost
-
Jack
Abramoff
-
Randy
Cunningham
- Money
-
Government
- Lawmakers
-
History
-
2006
Election -
California
-
Maryland
"Question
of Timing on Bush’s Push on Earmarks." ... "[Republican]
President Bush has never shown much distaste for Congressional pork." ...
"In the last seven years he has signed spending bills containing about
55,000 earmarks worth more than $100 billion for projects like a new lane
for a local road, a new facade for a town landmark or a weapons contract
for a company that happened to be a big donor to an influential lawmaker."
... "Such projects tucked into the endnotes of complex spending bills at
the request of individual lawmakers with almost no oversight have contributed
to a mounting pileup of waste and corruption, including sending the [Republican]
lobbyist Jack Abramoff and the former [California Republican] congressman
Randy Cunningham, a California Republican, to jail." ... "Mr. Bush was
notably silent on the subject until after his fellow Republicans lost control
of Congress in the 2006 midterm elections." ... "“When the president and
the Republican Congress had the power to address this, they did nothing,”
[Maryland Democratic Representative Chris] Mr. Van Hollen said." -By
David
D. Kirkpatrick -NYTimes
-
Safety
-
Food
-
Drug
- Medical
-
Manufacturers
- Business
-
Investigation
- Lawmakers
-
Science
-
Politics
"FDA
flawed on food, medical device safety: GAO: When
it comes to the safety of food and medical devices, the Food and Drug Administration
[FDA] has some work to do, government investigators reported to lawmakers
on Tuesday." ... ""FDA has opportunities to better leverage its resources,"
according to a Government Accountability Office [GAO] report presented
at a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's oversight subcommittee.
"Efficient use of resources is particularly important at FDA because we
found that its food safety workload has increased in the past decade, while
its food safety staff and funding have not kept pace."" ... "FDA oversees
about 80% of the U.S. food supply, which includes $417 billion of domestic
food and $49 billion of imported food annually, according to GAO." ...
"In November, an advisory committee to the FDA found that the agency "suffers
from serious scientific deficiencies and is not positioned to meet current
or emerging regulatory responsibilities."" ... "Also Tuesday, the GAO said
FDA has not met its statutory requirement to inspect domestic manufacturers
of medical devices classified as high risk, such as pacemakers, or medium
risk, such as hearing aids, every two years." -By
Ruth Mantell -MarketWatch
-
Military
- Politics
-
Government
- Money
-
New
York
"Army
Blocks Disability Paperwork Aid at Fort Drum." ...
"Army officials in upstate New York instructed representatives from the
Department of Veterans Affairs not to help disabled soldiers at Fort Drum
Army base with their military disability paperwork last year. That paperwork
can be crucial because it helps determine whether soldiers will get annual
disability payments and health care after they're discharged." ... "Now
soldiers at Fort Drum say they feel betrayed by the institutions that are
supposed to support them. The soldiers want to know why the Army would
want to stop them from getting help with their disability paperwork and
why the VA— whose mission is to help veterans — would agree to the Army's
request." ... "Cynthia Vaughan, spokeswoman for the Army surgeon general,
says the VA was not doing anything wrong by helping soldiers at Fort Drum."
... "She says the officers who asked the VA to stop helping Fort Drum's
soldiers were part of what the Army calls a "Tiger Team"— an ad-hoc group
assigned to investigate, in this case, medical disability benefits." -By
Ari Shapiro -NPR
-
Florida
-
2008
Election -
Voting
Machines
"Florida
Primary voters reporting problems at polls: One voter
was told by poll workers there was no Democratic primary today." ... "On
Florida Primary day [2008 Election], voters are reporting problems across
Central Florida from Daytona Beach to Hunter's Creek. Among the precincts
experiencing glitches was one in Orange County where voters were told by
poll workers early on there was no Democratic primary today." ... "Phil
Marjason said poll workers at precinct 145 in Hunter's Creek would not
give him a Democratic ballot." ... ""I thought it was plain wrong," he
said. "We need to get Florida straightened out."" ... "Election officials
noticed a four-vote discrepancy between the number of ballots signed for
and the number of ballots cast at the Daytona Beach City Island early voting
site. The vote count came up one vote shy on Jan. 23 and three votes shy
on Jan. 26," ... ""Apparently the machine failed to count the four votes
the first time," McFall said." -By Robert Perez
-OrlandoSentinel.com
_2008
News News Reference January
2008 News
January 28, 2008 News URL: #January-28-2008-News
20080128
Monday
-
Kenya
- Politics
-
Wealth
-
Land
"Tribal
violence spreads in Kenya." ... "Kenya was locked
into a chain reaction of violence on Monday as a spate of weekend killings
in one part of the country triggered rioting by members of the victims'
tribes elsewhere." ... "Tens of thousands of Kikuyus have fled western
Kenya since the president's disputed election victory on December 27. Across
the country more than 200,000 people have been forced from their homes
in post-election violence that has killed over 800." ... "The most vicious
sustained fighting has been in the Rift Valley province and has pitted
members of the local Kalenjin ethnic group and the Luo community against
Kikuyus." ... "Violence has been fuelled by the Kikuyus' perceived monopoly
of power and wealth as well as inequality, grievances over land distribution
and a long-held sense of marginalisation among non-Kikuyu tribes." -By
Barney Jopson -FT.com
-
Tim
Russert
-
John
McCain
-
Hillary
Clinton - US
-
Iraq
-
Military
- Politics
-
2008
Election -
Arizona
-
New
York
"Russert
let McCain mislead on Clinton's Iraq withdrawal proposal."
... "Summary: [MSNBC political journalist] Tim Russert left unchallenged
[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen.
John McCain's false claim that [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate
and New York Senator] Sen. Hillary Clinton "would set a timetable within
60 days of withdrawal, complete withdrawal from Iraq." In fact, Clinton
said that if she were to become president, "[W]e will start withdrawing
within 60 days," and would continue to withdraw "one to two brigades a
month" with the goal of having "nearly all the troops out by the end of
the year [2009]," except for those necessary to "protect our embassy" and
other "strategic interests."" -MediaMatters.org
-
Barack
Obama
-
Hillary
Clinton
-
Massachusetts
-
Rhode
Island - US
-
Iraq
-
Military
-
Race
-
Gay
-
2008
Election
"Sen.
Kennedy endorses Barack Obama: Democratic elder statesman
plans to campaign for candidate." ... "Two generations of Kennedys - the
Democratic Party's best known political family - endorsed [2008 Election
Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama for president on Monday,
with [Massachusetts Democratic Senator "Ted" Kennedy] Sen. Edward M. Kennedy
calling him a "man with extraordinary gifts of leadership and character,"
a worthy heir to his assassinated brother [two of Ted Kennedy's brothers
were assassinated, Democratic President John F. Kennedy and Democratic
Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy]." ... "He [Obama] was introduced
by Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late president [John F. Kennedy],
who said Obama "offers that same sense of hope and inspiration" as did
her father. [Rhode Island Democratic Representative] Rep. Patrick Kennedy
also endorsed Obama from the stage before a boisterous crowd at American
University." ... "In his remarks, Sen. Kennedy sought one by one to rebut
many of the arguments leveled by Obama's critics." ... ""From the beginning,
he opposed the war in Iraq. And let no one deny that truth," he said, an
obvious reference to former President Clinton's statement that Obama's
early anti-war stance was a "fairy tale."" ... ""With Barack Obama, we
will turn the page on the old politics of misrepresentation and distortion."
... ""With Barack Obama we will close the book on the old politics of race
against race, gender against gender, ethnic group against ethnic group,
and straight against gay," Kennedy said." ... "Lately, according to several
associates, Kennedy became angered with what he viewed as racially divisive
comments by [husband to 2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate
Hillary Clinton, former Democratic President] Bill Clinton."
-AP via -MSNBC
-
Mitt
Romney
-
John
McCain
- Economy
-
US
-
Iraq
-
Military
-
2008
Election -
Florida
-
Massachusetts
-
Arizona
"Romney
Slams McCain On Economy, Climate Bill." ... "After
predicting a Florida victory in front of a raucous, heavily Latino crowd,
[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Mitt Romney told members
of the media that [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John
McCain’s interpretation of Romney’s past remarks on Iraq timetables were
“obviously false” and “yesterday’s news.” The former Massachusetts governor
then changed the subject by rehashing some of McCain’s past comments, which
seemed to disparage the Arizona senator’s own understanding of economic
policy." ... "“I simply don’t think that the people of Florida are gonna
say the nominee of our party ought to be a person who on more than one
occasion has expressed lack of understanding of our economy at a time when
the economy is the number one issue that people are talking about here
in the state of Florida,” Romney said." -By Scott
Conroy -CBSNews
-
Government
- Spy
-
Intelligence
-
Imagery
- Technology
-
Communications
-
California
"U.S.
Spy Satellite, Power Gone, May Hit Earth." ... "A
disabled American spy satellite is rapidly descending and is likely to
plunge to Earth by late February or early March, posing a potential danger
from its debris, officials said Saturday." ... "Officials said that they
had no control over the nonfunctioning satellite and that it was unknown
where the debris might land." ... "Specialists who follow spy satellite
operations suspect it is an experimental imagery satellite built by Lockheed
Martin and launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in December
2006 aboard a Delta II rocket. Shortly after the satellite reached orbit,
ground controllers lost the ability to control it and were never able to
regain communication." ... ""It's not necessarily dead, but deaf," said
Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for
Astrophysics and an analyst of various government space programs."
-NYTimes
_2008
News News Reference January
2008 News
January 26, 2008 News URL: #January-26-2008-News
20080126
Saturday
-
Kenya
- Terrorism
-
Politics
-
Military
"Rival
gangs defy leaders' call for peace in Kenya: The
latest outburst of ethnic violence is the worst since the disputed [December
2007] Dec. 27 presidential election." ... "The country's latest post-election
trouble spot is Nakuru, about 100 miles northwest of Nairobi, where gangs
from rival tribes have burned hundreds of homes, stoned motorists and hacked
dozens of people with machetes. The local morgue was overrun with burned,
mutilated bodies. Local media put the death toll at as many as 41." ...
"The government dispatched army units to quell the violence and imposed
a dusk-to-dawn curfew." ... "The clashes in Nakuru, which previously had
escaped much of the violence, were some of the deadliest in this East African
nation since the turmoil that followed a disputed Dec. 27 presidential
poll." ... "International election observers said the vote was plagued
by irregularities and suspected rigging. Despite the controversy, incumbent
President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner by the country's election
commission, sparking nationwide riots that have killed more than 600 people
and displaced another 250,000." ... "The latest violence started Thursday
night, just hours after Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga met for
mediation talks for the first time. The presidential rivals shook hands
and called upon their supporters to maintain peace as negotiations proceeded."
-By Edmund Sanders -LAtimes
-
Mitt
Romney
-
John
McCain
- US
-
Iraq
-
Military
-
2008
Election -
Florida
-
Arizona
-
Massachusetts
"Republican
Candidates Trade Attacks in Florida." ... "[2008
Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John
McCain of Arizona accused [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate
and] former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney of having once supported
a U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq, sparking an angry demand for an apology
from Romney, who called the statement "dishonest."" ... "Romney, who said
in April the military should consider a "private timetable" but not public
deadlines, shot back: "That's dishonest, to say that I have a specific
date. That's simply wrong . . . I know he's trying desperately to change
the topic from the economy and trying to get back to Iraq, but to say something
that's not accurate is simply wrong and he knows better."" ... "Later,
Romney added that McCain's comment on Iraq is "simply wrong and it's dishonest,
and he should apologize."" (1, 2)
-By Michael D. Shear and Juliet Eilperin
-WashingtonPost
-
Barack
Obama
-
Hillary
Clinton
-
John
Edwards
-
South
Carolina -
2008
Election
"Obama
smashes Clinton in S.C. victory." ... "[2008 Election
Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama cruised to a decisive victory
in South Carolina's presidential primary Saturday with overwhelming support
from black voters and about one-fourth of whites as well, a win that leaves
[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Hillary Clinton humbled
and [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards staggering."
... "Clinton and her husband, the former president, fought hard in the
final days to overtake the Illinois senator, or at least come close in
a state where polls found she was the front-runner just last month." -By
David Lightman -McClatchyDC.com
-
John
McCain -
Rick
Davis - Russian
-
Crime
- Money
-
Politics
-
Switzerland
-
Ukraine
-
Canada
- Britain
-
Lawsuits
-
Ga
-
NH
-
Virginia
-
Arizona
-
2008
Election - US
-
International
"Aide
Helped Controversial Russian Meet McCain: Davis,
Then a Lobbyist, Has Spurred Debate in Reform-Focused Campaign." ... "A
top political adviser in [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate
and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign helped
arrange an introduction in 2006 between McCain and a Russian billionaire
whose suspected links to anti-democratic and organized-crime figures are
so controversial that the U.S. [United States] government revoked his visa."
... "Rick Davis, who is now McCain's campaign manager, helped set up the
encounter between McCain and Russian aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska in
[World Economic Summit at Davos] Switzerland during an international economic
conference. At the time, Davis was working for a lobbying firm and seeking
to do business with the billionaire." ... "With a net worth of more than
$13 billion, Deripaska is one of the richest men in Russia and a close
ally of President Vladimir Putin." ... "When Deripaska met McCain, Davis
was part of Davis Manafort, a lobbying firm that was being paid to provide
political advice to pro-Russian and oligarch-funded candidates in Ukraine,
according to interviews and news accounts." ... "Davis, who has been a
political adviser to McCain on and off since 1999, was part of a lobbying
firm that worked not only for Ukrainian politicians but also for telecommunications
firms, a lottery services provider and freight companies." ... "Davis's
firm provided political advice to a pro-Russian party in Ukraine during
the parliamentary elections of 2006." ... "He [Oleg Deripaska] has been
accused of shady business practices in lawsuits in the United States and
Britain, and his multiple-entry U.S. visa was yanked by the State Department
in the summer of 2006." ... "The first gathering that brought McCain and
Deripaska together occurred in January 2006, when McCain was part of a
congressional delegation trip. He and a small group of senators, including
[Georgia Republican Senator] Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.[Republican-Georgia])
and [New Hampshire Republican Senator] John E. Sununu (R-N.H.[Republican-New
Hampshire]), met for a drink near Davos, Switzerland, at an apartment where
they were greeted by Davis and Deripaska. The group then went to a dinner
at the ski chalet of Peter Munk, founder of Barrick Gold, the world's largest
gold-mining company, based in Toronto [Canada]. Participants at the buffet
dinner said Munk complimented his sometime business partner Deripaska during
his brief remarks to the 40 or so guests." ... "Later that month, Deripaska
wrote to Davis and his partner, GOP political consultant Paul J. Manafort,
to thank them for arranging the meeting. "Thank you so much for setting
up everything in Klosters so spectacularly," he wrote. "It was very interesting
to meet Senators McCain, Chambliss and Sununu in such an intimate setting.""
... "The letter was sent to Davis at the Reform Institute, a Virginia-based
nonprofit group that McCain helped start to promote many of his trademark
reform efforts, including increasing the transparency of lobbying and campaign
financing." ... "Davis was the institute's president from January 2003
until December 2005. During that time, he was also a registered lobbyist
at Davis Manafort. The institute was located at the Davis Manafort offices
until January 2006." ... "Seven months later, in August 2006, Davis was
present again at a social gathering that was also attended by McCain and
Deripaska, this time in Montenegro, another Eastern European country in
which Davis's firm was working." (1,
2,
3)
-By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum and John Solomon with contributions
by Peter Baker -WashingtonPost
-
John
Edwards
-
Consumer
- Marketplace
-
Politics
-
Government
- Law
-
2008
Election -
North
Carolina -
South
Carolina
"Health
Care Up to Public, Edwards Says." ... "[2008 Election
Democratic Presidential Candidate and North Carolina's] Former Senator
John Edwards does not discount the possibility that his health care proposal,
which would allow Americans to buy new government insurance packages modeled
on Medicare, could evolve into a federalized system like those in Canada
and many European countries. And if it does, Mr. Edwards said he would
be just fine with that." ... "But Mr. Edwards, of North Carolina, emphasized
in a 40-minute interview on health policy that the choice would be made
not in Washington, but by consumers in an open marketplace where private
insurance competes with government plans." ... "“American health consumers
will decide which works best,” Mr. Edwards said Wednesday afternoon while
traveling through South Carolina on his campaign bus. “It could continue
to be divided. But it could go in one direction or the other, and one of
the directions is obviously government or single-payer. And I’m not opposed
to that.”" ... "If the government is able to undercut private insurers
on price — by forgoing profit, reducing overhead, and maximizing economies
of scale — it theoretically could put the private system out of business
and become the de facto insurer for the nation." ... "Republican candidates
and policy strategists have raised the specter of “socialized medicine”
and depicted the Democratic plans as a back-door route to a so-called single-payer
government system." ... "Mr. Edwards brushed off that critique. “There
is nothing back-door about it,” he said. “It’s right through the front
door. We’re going to let America decide what health care system works for
them.”" (1, 2)
-By Kevin
Sack -NYTimes
_2008
News News Reference January
2008 News
January 24, 2008 News URL: #January-24-2008-News
20080124
Thursday
-
Telecom
- Amnesty
-
Corporate
-
Government
- Intelligence
-
Surveillance
-
Wisconsin
-
Nevada
-
Connecticut
"Feingold:
"I Really Do Disagree" With Reid On FISA." ... "A
long-debated provision over whether or not telephone companies would get
a free pass for aiding the U.S. [United States] government in warrentless
surveillance hits the Senate floor today. And it threatens to open up fissures
within the Democratic Party." ... "In an interview with the Huffington
Post on Thursday morning, [Wisconsin Democratic Senator] Sen. Russ Feingold,
who opposes granting immunity to those companies, expressed disappointment
that his party's leader, [Nevada Democratic Senator] Sen. Harry Reid, was
not doing more to help strike the provision from a newly considered version
of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act." ... ""Of course I have great
respect for the Majority Leader," said Feingold. "He is a good friend of
mine. But I really do disagree with his way of proceeding."" ... "At issue
is the likely passage of a version of FISA that contains retroactive immunity
over one that doesn't. Reid has said he supports the former, but legislatively,
the path has been paved for the passage of the latter. In addition, there
is debate over an amendment offered by [Connecticut Democratic Senator]
Sen. Chris Dodd, to strip immunity from any FISA bill. If that fails --
and it seems likely -- Dodd has threatened to filibuster the whole bill.
On Wednesday, Reid was interpreted as saying any such filibuster will be
the standing and talking variety as opposed to an agreed-upon 60-vote minimum
threshold. Feingold, who supports Dodd's stance, took slight issue with
that approach." ... ""We should have a normal process w[h]ere this is debated
based on a majority vote in the senate," said the Wisconsin Democrat. "That's
the way it should have been done and I regret that it's not being done
that way. Of course, I support Senator Dodd. He and I were principally
involved in making sure this didn't get jammed through before the holidays
and I will be supporting him again. But this decision does make it harder.""
-By Sam
Stein -HuffingtonPost.com
-
US
Immigration -
Federal
- Law
-
Enforcement
- Politics
-
Arizona
-
Minnesota
-
Georgia
-
Colorado
"Immigration
officials detaining, deporting American citizens."
... "Thomas Warziniack was born in Minnesota and grew up in Georgia, but
immigration authorities pronounced him an illegal immigrant from Russia."
... "Immigration and Customs Enforcement has held Warziniack for weeks
in an Arizona detention facility with the aim of deporting him to a country
he's never seen. His jailers shrugged off Warziniack's claims that he was
an American citizen, even though they could have retrieved his Minnesota
birth certificate in minutes and even though a Colorado court had concluded
that he was a U.S. [United States] citizen a year before it shipped him
to Arizona." ... "On Thursday, Warziniac