With An Important Chapter Closed, the Story Of 9/11 Is Not Over

Help Build The Flight 93 National Memorial Honoring The Heroes Of United Flight 93, Visit www.honorflight93.org Or Text “MEMORIAL” To 90999 And Donate $10 Today

Washington, D.C. (May 2, 2011) /PRNewswire/ — In the wake of world events, Neil Mulholland, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation, charitable partner of the Flight 93 National Memorial Campaign, issued the following statement:

“The death of Osama bin Laden marks an important moment in the history of 9/11, however the story is far from over and our work is not done. As people around the world reflect on recent events, and as the 10th anniversary of September 11th grows near, it is more important than ever that we remember that fateful day, pay homage to the ones we lost, and honor our heroes – including the 40 passengers and crew of United Flight 93, who sacrificed their own lives so others could live. May their courage, sacrifice and heroism never be forgotten.”

Ten years after the events of September 11th, memorials in New York and at the Pentagon are funded. However, the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, PA has yet to receive the funds necessary to be complete. An additional $15 million is needed to finish the project. To support the Flight 93 National Memorial, people are invited to visit www.honorflight93.org or text “MEMORIAL” to 90999 from their mobile device to donate $10 immediately.

The Flight 93 National Memorial will be the nation’s permanent memorial to the 40 passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93, and all of those lost on September 11, 2001. United Flight 93, originally destined for San Francisco, was hijacked by terrorists in the skies over Ohio. Once they received word of the attacks in New York and Washington, the passengers and crew took decisive action, choosing to fight their terrorist hijackers. Together they fought, and through their heroic actions, sacrificed their own lives, ultimately causing United Flight 93 to crash in a field outside of Shanksville, PA, where no individuals on the ground were harmed. The most popular conclusion, including that of the 9/11 Commission, is that Flight 93 was headed for the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. The actions of the 40 heroes on United Flight 93 saved countless lives and our nation’s capital.

The Flight 93 National Memorial Campaign is an ambitious $60 million initiative. To date, $45 million has been committed through public and private sources. The National Park Foundation continues to spearhead the campaign, working to raise the final $15 million to complete the Memorial. The memorial site is currently under construction with plans to dedicate the memorial on September 10, 2011. The Flight 93 National Memorial will be the only national memorial dedicated to the events of 9/11. To view the memorial site live, visit www.honorflight93.org/webcam.
About the Flight 93 National Memorial

On September 24, 2002, Congress passed the Flight 93 National Memorial Act. The Act created a new national park unit to commemorate the passengers and crew of Flight 93 who, on September 11, 2001, courageously gave their lives thereby thwarting a planned attack on our nation’s capital. The memorial is outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where Flight 93 crashed with the loss of its 40 passengers and crew. For more information about the Flight 93 National Memorial, please visit www.nps.gov/flni. For information on how to support the building of the memorial, go to www.honorflight93.org.
About the National Park Foundation

The National Park Foundation is the official charity of America’s national parks. Chartered by Congress, we work hand in hand with the National Park Service to strengthen and connect all Americans to our parks, so they are protected for present and future generations. It is a legacy that began more than a century ago, when private citizens took action to first establish, then protect and endow our national parks. Today, the National Park Foundation carries on that tradition as the only national charitable partner for America’s national parks. To learn more visit www.nationalparks.org.

# # #

Media Contact:
Victoria Tagliabue
202-354-6488
vtagliabue@nationalparks.org

2008 Global Peace Index Rankings

Global Peace Index Rankings
Compare
2007
2008
Country
Rank
Score

Iceland
1
1.176
Denmark
2
1.333
Norway
3
1.343
New Zealand
4
1.350
Japan
5
1.358
Ireland
6
1.410
Portugal
7
1.412
Finland
8
1.432
Luxembourg
9
1.446
Austria
10
1.449
Canada
11
1.451
Switzerland
12
1.465
Sweden
13
1.468
Germany
14
1.475
Belgium
15
1.485
Slovenia
16
1.491
Czech Republic
17
1.501
Hungary
18
1.576
Chile
19
1.576
Slovakia
20
1.576
Uruguay
21
1.606
Netherlands
22
1.607
Hong Kong
23
1.608
Romania
24
1.611
Oman
25
1.612
Bhutan
26
1.616
Australia
27
1.652
Italy
28
1.653
Singapore
29
1.673
Spain
30
1.683
Poland
31
1.687
South Korea
32
1.691
Qatar
33
1.694
Costa Rica
34
1.701
Estonia
35
1.702
France
36
1.707
Vietnam
37
1.720
Malaysia
38
1.721
Latvia
39
1.723
Ghana
40
1.723
Lithuania
41
1.723
United Arab Emirates
42
1.745
Madagascar
43
1.770
Taiwan
44
1.779
Kuwait
45
1.786
Botswana
46
1.792
Tunisia
47
1.797
Panama
48
1.797
United Kingdom
49
1.801
Mozambique
50
1.803
Laos
51
1.810
Cyprus
52
1.847
Zambia
53
1.856
Greece
54
1.867
Gabon
55
1.878
Argentina
56
1.895
Bulgaria
57
1.903
Tanzania
58
1.919
Nicaragua
59
1.919
Croatia
60
1.926
Libya
61
1.927
Cuba
62
1.954
Morocco
63
1.954
Equatorial Guinea
64
1.964
Jordan
65
1.969
Bosnia and Herzegovina
66
1.974
China
67
1.981
Indonesia
68
1.983
Egypt
69
1.987
Paraguay
70
1.997
Senegal
71
2.011
Kazakhstan
72
2.018
Malawi
73
2.024
Bahrain
74
2.025
Syria
75
2.027
Rwanda
76
2.030
Namibia
77
2.042
Bolivia
78
2.043
Albania
79
2.044
Peru
80
2.046
Burkina Faso
81
2.062
Dominican Republic
82
2.069
Moldova
83
2.091
Ukraine
84
2.096
Serbia
85
2.110
Bangladesh
86
2.118
Macedonia
87
2.119
Mongolia
88
2.155
El Salvador
89
2.163
Brazil
90
2.168
Cambodia
91
2.179
Cameroon
92
2.182
Mexico
93
2.191
Belarus
94
2.194
Papua New Guinea
95
2.224
Jamaica
96
2.226
United States of America
97
2.227
Trinidad and Tobago
98
2.230
Mali
99
2.238
Ecuador
100
2.274
Azerbaijan
101
2.287
Turkmenistan
102
2.302
Guatemala
103
2.328
Honduras
104
2.335
Iran
105
2.341
Yemen
106
2.352
India
107
2.355
Saudi Arabia
108
2.357
Haiti
109
2.362
Angola
110
2.364
Uzbekistan
111
2.377
Algeria
112
2.378
Philippines
113
2.385
Uganda
114
2.391
Turkey
115
2.403
South Africa
116
2.412
Congo (Brazzaville)
117
2.417
Thailand
118
2.424
Kenya
119
2.429
Mauritania
120
2.435
Ethiopia
121
2.439
Cote d'Ivoire
122
2.451
Venezuela
123
2.505
Zimbabwe
124
2.513
Sri Lanka
125
2.584
Myanmar
126
2.590
Pakistan
127
2.694
Democratic Republic of the Congo
128
2.707
Nigeria
129
2.724
Colombia
130
2.757
Russia
131
2.777
Lebanon
132
2.840
North Korea
133
2.850
Central African Republic
134
2.857
Chad
135
3.007
Israel
136
3.052
Afghanistan
137
3.126
Sudan
138
3.189
Somalia
139
3.293
Iraq
140
3.514

Obama's Sunday Waffles

27 Apr 2008 17:46 Africa/Lagos


Obama's Sunday Waffles

Why Can't Obama Keep His Story Straight On His Plans To Raise Taxes And Ignore Commanders On The Ground?

WASHINGTON, April 27 /PRNewswire/ -- OBAMA IS WAFFLING ON IRAQ AND GEN. PETRAEUS


Today, Obama Said That It Would Be "Stupid" Of Him To Ignore Gen. Petraeus' Recommendations On Iraq:


Obama: "I will listen to General Petraeus given the experience that he's accumulated over the last several years. It would be stupid of me to ignore what he has to say." (Fox News' "Fox News Sunday," 4/27/08)


But Obama Previously Said The U.S. Should Begin To Withdraw From Iraq Immediately, Just One Day After Gen. Petraeus Warned Against A Premature Withdrawal:


Gen. Petraeus Testified Before The Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Of Which Obama Is A Member, That A Premature Withdrawal From Iraq Would Have "Devastating Consequences." Gen. Petraeus: "In describing the recommendations I have made ... I believe Iraq's problems will require a long-term effort. ... Our assessments underscore, in fact, the importance of recognizing that a premature drawdown of our forces would likely have devastating consequences. That assessment is supported by the findings of a 16 August Defense Intelligence Agency report on the implications of a rapid withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. Summarizing it in an unclassified fashion, it concludes that a rapid withdrawal would result in the further release of the strong centrifugal forces in Iraq and produce a number of dangerous results, including a high risk of disintegration of the Iraqi security forces, rapid deterioration of local security initiatives, al Qaeda-Iraq regaining lost ground and freedom of maneuver, a marked increase in violence, and further ethno-sectarian displacement and refugee flows, alliances of convenience by Iraqi groups with internal and external forces to gain advantages over their rivals, and exacerbation of already challenging regional dynamics, especially with respect to Iran. Lieutenant General Odierno and I share this assessment and believe that the best way to secure our national interests and avoid an unfavorable outcome in Iraq is to continue to focus our operations on securing the Iraqi people while targeting terrorist groups and militia extremists, and as quickly as conditions are met, transitioning security tasks to Iraqi elements." (Gen. David Petraeus, Committee On Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate, Testimony, 9/11/07)


The Day After Gen. Petraeus' Testimony, Obama Called For The U.S. To "Immediately Begin To Remove Our Combat Troops" From Iraq. Obama: "So let me be clear. There is no military solution in Iraq. There never was. The best way to protect our security and to pressure Iraq's leaders to resolve their civil war is to immediately begin to remove our combat troops. Not in six months or one year, but now. To execute this, we should enter into talks with the Iraqi government to discuss the process of our drawdown. We must get out strategically and carefully, removing troops from secure areas first and keeping troops in more volatile areas until later. But our drawdown should process at a steady pace of one or two brigades each month. If we start now, all our combat brigades should be out of Iraq by the end of next year." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks On Iraq, Clinton, IA, 9/12/07)


OBAMA IS WAFFLING ON HIS CAPITAL GAINS TAX HIKE


Today, Obama Claimed He Would Only Raise Capital Gains Taxes As High As 20 Percent:


Obama: "In terms of capital gains I've suggested we might go back up to 20 [percent]." (Fox News' "Fox New Sunday," 4/27/08)


But Only A Few Weeks Ago, Obama Said He Would Raise Them As High As 28 Percent:


On March 30, Obama Advocated Raising The Capital Gains Tax Potentially To 28 Percent. CNBC's Maria Bartiromo: "How do you plan to change the tax code when it comes to capital gains? How high will that 15 percent rate go?" Obama: "I haven't given a firm number. Here's my belief, that we can't go back to some of the, you know, confiscatory rates that existed in the past that distorted sound economics. And I certainly would not go above what existed under Bill Clinton, which was the 28 percent. I would--and my guess would be it would be significantly lower than that. I think that we can have a capital gains rate that is higher than 15 percent." Bartiromo: "Well, let's hypothetically say the cap gains tax goes from 15 percent to 25 percent. You're impacting a lot of people. A hundred million Americans own stocks today." Obama: "Absolutely." Bartiromo: "So it's not just the rich." Obama: "No, no, no, absolutely. And that's why I think that it may be, for example, that you could structure something in which people of certain incomes were exempted from this increase and it would stay at 15. The broader principle that I'm interested in is just making sure that we've got a tax code that is fair for all Americans." (CNBC's "Closing Bell," 3/27/08)


Americans Of Every Background Benefit From Lower Capital Gains Tax Rates:


The Joint Committee On Taxation Reported Figures Demonstrating That Americans Earning Less Than $50,000 Benefitted From Lower Capital Gains And Dividends Tax Rates. "Figures from the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) help support the idea that more middle class Americans benefit from this tax break. In 2005, about 20 percent of the taxpayers who were expected to report capital gains income -- and 24 percent of those expected to report dividend income -- earned less than $50,000 annually, the JCT data showed." (Joseph J. Schatz, "Tax Break Tries On 'Middle Class' Label," Congressional Quarterly Weekly, 2/17/06)


The Wall Street Journal Noted That 52 Percent Of American Adults Own Stock In Some Form. "But it's not only the wealthy who will take a hit from higher capital gains taxes. Recent surveys indicate that roughly 52% of American adults own stock in some form, and last year 8.5 million of these investors paid a capital gains tax." (Editorial, "A Capital Gains Primer," The Wall Street Journal, 10/15/07)


In 2005, The Average Capital Gains And Dividend Income Reported Per Tax Return In The U.S. Was $5,840. On Average, It Accounted For 10.73 Percent Of Adjusted Gross Income. ("Dividends And Capital Gains Income Compared To Other Income, 2005," The Tax Foundation, taxfoundation.org, 7/16/07)


OBAMA BREAKS HIS TAX PLEDGE; WOULD TAX MIDDLE-INCOME FAMILIES AND SMALL BUSINESSES


Today, Obama Said He Would Raise Payroll Taxes On Americans And Small Businesses Earning Over $102,000:


Obama Is Comfortable Raising Payroll Taxes On Americans Earning $102,000 A Year. Obama: "And in terms of raising the payroll tax, raising the cap on the payroll tax, right now everybody who is making $102,000 or less pays 100 percent, payroll tax on 100 percent of their income. There are about 3 - 4 percent of Americans who are above $102,000 in income every year. So if you want to talk about who's middle class, me giving cuts to folks making $60,000, $70,000 and potentially asking more from friends of mine like Warren Buffet who I have no idea what he made last year, you know, that's a debate I'm happy to have with John McCain." (Fox News' "Fox New Sunday," 4/27/08)


But Only Two Weeks Ago, Obama Pledged He Wouldn't Raise Taxes On Americans Earning Less Than $200,000:


When Asked By ABC's George Stephanopoulos If He Would Pledge Not To Raise Taxes On The Middle Class, Obama Agreed. ABC's George Stephanopoulos: "Would you take the same pledge [that there will be no tax increases of any kind, for anyone earning under $200,000 a year]?" Obama: "Well, I not only have pledged not to raise their taxes, I've been the first candidate in this race to specifically say I would cut their taxes." (ABC Democrat Candidates Presidential Debate, Philadelphia, PA, 4/16/08)


ABC's Charles Gibson: "Senator Obama, you both have now just taken this pledge on people under $250,000 -- and 200-and-what? $250,000?" Obama: "Well, it depends on how you calculate it, but it would be between $200,000 and $250,000." (ABC Democrat Candidates Presidential Debate, Philadelphia, PA, 4/16/08)


Obama's Payroll Tax Hike Would Burden Small Businesses And Self-Employed Americans:


Eliminating The Payroll Earnings Cap Would Burden Small Business Owners Who Create Two Of Every Three New Jobs. "Lost in Obama's calculations is that many of the people who would be affected by eliminating the earnings cap are small-business owners who employ more than half the non farm private-sector work force and create two of every three new jobs in this country." (Editorial, "Caps Off For Obama," Investor's Business Daily, 9/25/07)


Three Million Small Business Owners Would Have Their Taxes Raised. "Taxes would also be raised on 3 million small-business owners. By fiscal 2015, the number of job opportunities lost would exceed 865,000 and personal savings would decline by more than $55 billion."(Editorial, "Caps Off For Obama," Investor's Business Daily, 9/24/07)


The Nation's Self-Employed Would Be Hit Especially Hard Because They Would Be Subject To Both The Employee And Employer Portions Of The Payroll Tax. "The self-employed would be subject to a double whammy, since they pay both the employee and employer portion of the payroll tax." (Editorial, "Caps Off For Obama," Investor's Business Daily, 9/25/07)


In 2006, 16.1 Million Americans Were Self-Employed. "Self-employment (incorporated and unincorporated) totaled 16.1 million in 2006 [in the U.S.], an increase from 15.8 million in 2005."(Small Business Administration Office Of Advocacy, "2007 Small Business Profile: United States," www.sba.gov, Accessed 4/23/08)


OBAMA WILL NEED MORE TAX HIKES TO COVER HIS BILLIONS IN NEW SPENDING


Obama Has Been Criticized For Providing Insufficient Funding Sources To Pay For His Billions In New Spending:


If Obama Could Enact All Of His Campaign Proposals, Taxpayers Would Be Faced With Financing $662.549 Billion In New Spending Over One White House Term. (RNC Research)


"Many Critics Said Mr. Obama Was Playing Math Games When He Proposed Policies Without Identifying A Funding Source." (Brian DeBose, "Obama Revises Plan On Tax Cuts," The Washington Times, 10/1/07)


Obama's Funding Suggestions Are "Illustrative Rather Than Complete." "'Obama recognizes this is an arithmetic problem,' [liberal economist Bob McIntyre] said Tuesday, 'and offers suggestions that I assume are illustrative rather than complete.' That's hardly accounting for 'every single dollar' as Obama claims." (Calvin Woodward, "Dems' Accounting Falls Short," The Associated Press, 1/22/08)


Robert Bixby, Executive Director Of The Concord Coalition: "I couldn't help but think, 'Where is he [Obama] going to get the money to pay for these things?'" (Kevin G. Hall and Margaret Talev, "Clinton, Obama Ignore Budget Crisis, Promise Billions," McClatchy Newspapers, 2/22/08)


Media Sources Have Pointed Out That Obama Won't Be Able To Afford His Domestic Programs Without Breaking His Pledge Not To Tax The Middle Class:


The New York Times' David Brooks Said For Obama And Clinton To Fund Their Domestic Programs "They Will Have To Break Their Pledge" Not To Tax The Middle Class. "Both promised to not raise taxes on those making less than $200,000 or $250,000 a year. They both just emasculated their domestic programs. Returning the rich to their Clinton-era tax rates will yield, at best, $40 billion a year in revenue. It's impossible to fund a health care plan, let alone anything else, with that kind of money. The consequences are clear: if elected they will have to break their pledge, and thus destroy their credibility, or run a minimalist administration." (David Brooks, Op-Ed, "No Whining About The Media," The New York Times, 4/16/08)


The New York Times: "In Effect, Mrs. Clinton And Mr. Obama Are Saying That They Can Pay For Their Promises Mainly By Raising Taxes On The Top 3 Percent Of Taxpayers. That's Neither Politically Nor Economically Plausible." (Editorial, "Empty Talk On Taxes," The New York Times, 4/24/08)


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Source: Republican National Committee

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Web site: GOP

The New York Times Wins an Unprecedented Six of 21 Top Honors at the 69th Overseas Press Club Awards

24 Apr 2008 12:45 Africa/Lagos


The New York Times Wins an Unprecedented Six of 21 Top Honors at the 69th Overseas Press Club Awards; Getty Images Dominates the Photography Category; James Nachtwey Receives the OPC President's Award

NEW YORK, April 24 /PRNewswire/ --

The New York Times captured six of the 21 awards given by the Overseas Press Club in its 69th annual competition honoring the finest international journalism. This total is the most any single organization has won in the annual awards from the OPC. Getty Images dominated the photography category, earning three of the four awards given.


The OPC awards will be presented by NBC News Anchor/Correspondent Ann Curry at an April 24 dinner at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York. Photojournalist, James Nachtwey will be on hand to accept the President's Award. Nachtwey has won five Robert Capa Gold Medal Awards from the OPC over the years for his photographic reporting requiring exceptional courage and enterprise. That total is more than any other photographer in the history of the Capa Award, which was instituted in 1955.


Featured speaker for the event will be Paul Steiger, the former managing editor of The Wall Street Journal and now editor-in-chief and president of ProPublica. Iraqi journalist Ali Fadhil will light the Press Freedom Candle that honors all journalists killed during 2007.


"Selected from across the media and news organizations, the 21 OPC winners are an inspiration," said OPC President Marshall Loeb. "Their stories and images exemplify the courage, persistence, and creativity of the journalism profession that so generously serves the public."


This year, The New York Times six award wins bests its own previous record of three wins set in 2005. In 2007, The New York Times earned the Malcolm Forbes Award for best business reporting from abroad in newspapers or wire services; the Madeline Dane Ross Award for best international reporting in the print medium showing a concern for the human condition; the Whitman Bassow Award for best reporting in any medium on international environmental issues; the Website Award for best web coverage of international affairs; and the Joe and Laurie Dine Award for best international reporting in any medium dealing with human rights. The New York Times Magazine also won the Ed Cunningham Award for best magazine reporting from abroad.


The other multiple winner was Getty Images that claimed three of the four awards in the photography category. John Moore won for best published photographic reporting from abroad requiring exceptional courage and enterprise for "The Assassination of Benazir Bhutto." The award for best photographic reporting from abroad in newspapers and wire services went to Paula Bronstein of Getty for "Death in Karachi." The Feature Photography Award also went to Getty photographer Brent Stirton, shooting for Newsweek, for his work "Slaughter in the Jungle."


Coverage on the War in Iraq remained the topic of multiple winners, and other winning entries centered on the themes of growth in China and India, genocide, counterfeit drugs, child brides, and the suicide bombing attack that killed Benazir Bhutto. Winning reports came in from Afghanistan, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India, Iraq, Pakistan, Russia, Sudan and Venezuela among others countries.


The OPC Awards were founded in 1940 to recognize excellence for foreign coverage in the categories of print, broadcast, photography and the web. For more information, please visit http://www.opcofamerica.org/.


Source: Overseas Press Club

CONTACT: Lisa Fleming, +1-212-265-2839, Sonya Fry, +1-212-626-9220, for
Overseas Press Club


Web site: Overseas Press Club


NOTE TO EDITORS: Full list of winners available at http://www.opcofamerica.org



To see more releases from Overseas Press Club of America, Click Here


This company's web site http://www.opcofamerica.o

Construction of U.S. Embassy in Baghdad Completed

17 Apr 2008 17:00 Africa/Lagos


Construction of U.S. Embassy in Baghdad Completed; State Department Accepts Work After Rigorous Inspections

Successful Completion of Most Complex Infrastructure Project in Wartime Iraq is a Remarkable Achievement

WASHINGTON, April 17 /PRNewswire/ --

First Kuwaiti General Trading and Contracting has successfully completed the design and construction of the new U.S. embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. The U.S. Department of State has accepted possession of the embassy after rigorous inspections of all buildings and systems by the State Department's Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) and independent experts.


State Department Contracting Officer David Vivian issued the formal certificates of acceptance and completion and certificates of occupancy on behalf of the State Department on April 14, 2008, the company announced today.


The 104- acre, 27 building compound is a complete self-supported city-within-a-city, the largest U.S. embassy in the world and the most complex infrastructure project yet completed in wartime Iraq. The State Department established design goals for the embassy so that its personnel serving in Baghdad will be able to meet all their living needs within the boundaries of the complex; the embassy includes 619 apartments housing employees, office space, restaurants, indoor and outdoor basketball courts, volleyball court, and indoor Olympic-size swimming pool.


Despite the ongoing insurgency, compromised supply routes and unrelenting risk to the lives and safety of First Kuwaiti workers, the project was completed in just over two years within the original fixed price budget of $474 million, an unprecedented achievement.


Wadih Al Absi, Managing Director of First Kuwaiti, said, "This is a remarkable accomplishment for our company and for the thousands of individuals whose hard work has made it possible. We are proud of our record of achievement in Iraq and regard the completion of the new U.S. embassy compound in Baghdad as an absolute success."


The embassy required a huge logistical effort undertaken in hazardous conditions. Before First Kuwaiti could begin construction, it first had to clear the embassy site of old buildings, hidden tunnels and bunkers, landmines, and unexploded ordnance. Once site construction began, nearly eleven thousand truckloads of materials, including 75,000 tons of cement and 28,000 tons of steel, were trucked in from Kuwait through some of the most dangerous roads in the world. Supply lines were closed due to military considerations for 232 days, nearly one-third of the project duration, and fourteen trucks of supplies were lost to violence. The embassy construction site itself was sometimes the target of direct rocket and mortar attacks. Despite these active wartime conditions, First Kuwaiti was steadfast in meeting its commitment to build a project of the highest quality and standards.


Al Absi said that the project would not have been possible without the active support of the Kuwait Government, which facilitated the immigration of workers for the project, and assisted greatly with the re-export of construction materials; exempted the import and export of materials from customs; and provided extraordinary facilities for the staging of shipments to Iraq.


Al Absi said he hopes Americans will take pride in First Kuwaiti's accomplishment. "First Kuwaiti completed this project under conditions that none of us anticipated. It's a moment to take stock of a remarkable achievement."


Key Embassy Facts:

-- Area: 104 acres

-- Number of Buildings: 27

-- Staff employed to build embassy: 3500 (average) 7500 (at peak).

-- Total US Staff: 250

-- Total number of American companies employed: 23

-- Truckloads of material brought in from Kuwait: 11,000

-- Number of trucks lost: 14

-- Number of airlifts to Baghdad: 252 planeloads.

-- Days supply routes were closed due to war: 232 (1/3 of entire project
period)

-- Days Site was under direct enemy fire: 12

-- Time from groundbreaking to handover: 33 months (June 2005-April 2008)

-- Completed within fixed-price $474 million budget

Source: First Kuwaiti General Trading and Contracting

CONTACT: Andrew Rice of Saylor Company, +1-202-741-9339, for First
Kuwaiti General Trading and Contracting

Newt Gingrich: He Yelled "Grenade!" but It Was Too Late

Five Years after the Fall of Baghdad: Honoring the Sacrifice of Michael Monsoor
by Newt Gingrich (more by this author)
Posted 04/08/2008 ET

As we listen to General Petraeus' testimony to Congress this week and mark, on Wednesday, the fifth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad, we should keep in mind the number of young Americans who have sacrificed their lives for America. Any judgment we make about where we are and what we must do in Iraq must be conditioned by the courage and commitment of those who have volunteered to protect us.


General David H. Petraeus

Consider Mike Monsoor as just one example of those who believe in the cause of freedom and believe in protecting America.


Petty Officer Second Class Michael Anthony Monsoor (April 5, 1981 – September 29, 2006) was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

He Yelled "Grenade!" but It Was Too Late
On the morning of September 29, 2006, Petty Officer 2nd Class Mike Monsoor was on duty with three fellow Navy SEALs on a rooftop in Ramadi.

Monsoor was 25 years old and already serving his country with more courage and more impact than most of us do in our lifetimes.

The SEALs' job was to protect the coalition troops clearing the streets below their rooftop position. When they came under automatic weapon and rocket-propelled grenade fire, Monsoor and his fellow soldiers stood their posts. Suddenly, an insurgent lobbed a grenade up onto the roof. It hit Monsoor in the chest and bounced onto the floor. He yelled, "Grenade!" but it was too late to escape the rooftop. So Monsoor threw his body on the grenade and absorbed the blast. His three fellow SEALs survived. Michael Monsoor died thirty minutes later.

Wednesday Marks the Fifth Anniversary of the Fall of Baghdad
For his bravery and sacrifice -- fully comprehensible only to brothers in arms -- today Petty Officer 2nd Class Monsoor is posthumously being awarded the nation's highest honor, the Medal of Honor.

It is fitting that this reminder of our permanent debt to young men and women like Mike Monsoor comes today. In addition to General Petraeus' testimony this week, tomorrow marks the fifth anniversary of the fall of Saddam Hussein's brutal tyranny.

In these five years of conflict, only three other Americans have been awarded the Medal of Honor for service: two in Iraq, and one in Afghanistan. Together with the thousands -- indeed millions -- of acts of honor, courage, and sacrifice of our other service men and women, they are the true story of this war. And keeping faith with them by completing our mission in Iraq is the great challenge we face.

The Iraq War Is a Battle in the Larger War against the Irreconcilable Wing of Islam
So where are we today, five years after we watched cheering crowds topple the statue of Saddam Hussein in central Baghdad?

As I warned in a speech at the American Enterprise Institute last fall, Iraq is just one battle in the global war against Islamic extremists. And the debate over success or failure in Iraq is crowding out a larger examination of what it will take for America to prevail in this real war.

The United States is in a long struggle with a vicious, determined enemy in the Irreconcilable Wing of Islam. This Irreconcilable Wing, what some have called Islamic Fascism, is a small minority of Muslims -- 8 percent by one estimate. Still, this means a jihadist recruiting pool of over 100,000,000 people. This is a determined, hardened movement willing to kill innocent civilians -- including women and children -- and to engage in deliberately horrifying and brutal acts in order to impose its will through terrorism.

An American Faction That Would Prefer Defeat to Continued Struggle
Afghanistan and Iraq are two of the great battlefields of this struggle between freedom and modernity on the one side and terrorism and religious dictatorship on the other. Neither battle has been won. Both are still contests in which violent radicals seek to defeat America and her allies.

Here at home there is a faction that would prefer defeat to continued struggle.

This is nothing new.

There were a number of Americans who tired of the Revolutionary War and were prepared to surrender to the British Empire and resume their role as colonists. They thought freedom was simply too expensive.

"We Here Highly Resolve That These Dead Shall Not Have Died In Vain"
There were a number of people who tired of "Lincoln's War" and were prepared to dissolve the Union and allow the South to secede. They were the people Lincoln was rejecting in his Gettysburg Address (which I have attached below as a reminder of how Americans honor those who have given the fullest sacrifice so they will not have died in vain).

Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives, that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate -- we cannot hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

There were many Americans who believe the slogan "better red than dead." From Henry Wallace's 1948 Progressive Party campaign to the very end of the Cold War there were people prepared to give away American security and freedom to appease the Soviet Union.

In that tradition the North Vietnamese had no better allies than the American Left and the demonstrations against the American effort to defeat communism in Southeast Asia.

Careers Invested in Bad News about America and Bad News about the War
Now once again we have those who are tired of the fight, afraid of the costs, and eager to appease our enemies.

As you listen to General Petraeus' testimony tomorrow, remember that he is testifying to a Congress in which a significant number of people will actually be saddened if America wins. All too many Congressmen and Senators (and sadly too many editorial writers) have invested their careers in bad news about America and bad news about the war. They will be opposed to reports of progress and they will be opposed to any suggestion that, with determination, America can win.

Success Is Being Achieved in Iraq, and Victory is Possible
Despite the determined negativity of those who are invested in defeat in Iraq, the news from there is good.

As Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) pointed out yesterday in the Wall Street Journal, General Petraeus will testify in Washington this week "having led one of the most remarkably successful military operations in American history. His antiwar critics, meanwhile, face a crisis of credibility -- having confidently predicted the failure of the surge, and been proven decidedly wrong."

And my colleague at the American Enterprise Institute, Frederick Kagan, has a new report out that states confidently in its opening sentences:

The United States now has the opportunity to achieve its fundamental objectives in Iraq through the establishment of a peaceful, stable, secular, democratic state and a reliable ally in the struggle against both Sunni and Shiite terrorism. Such an accomplishment would allow the United States to begin to reorient its position in the Middle East from one that relies on antidemocratic states like Egypt and Saudi Arabia to one based on a strong democratic partner whose citizens have explicitly rejected al Qaeda and terrorism in general.

A Dark Cloud on the Horizon: The Continuing Threat of the Iranian Dictatorship
Despite the progress being made in Iraq, Iran remains a major source of violence, terrorism, and instability.

Speaking to reporters last week, Major General Rick Lynch, a U.S. Commander in Baghdad, described facing three enemies in Iraq: Sunni extremists, Shia extremists and Iranian influence.

Here's what Lynch told reporters:

Last night I attended a memorial service for one of my soldiers; he was killed by an explosively-formed penetrator. Tonight I will do the same thing. These Iranian munitions, placed in the hands of the Shi'a extremists, are causing devastating affects on Iraqi security forces, on the coalition forces, and your innocent Iraqi people. And that just has to stop.

As you watch General Petraeus testify, note the details that are coming out about Iranian involvement in Iraq. And remember that Iran is a danger, not just to our troops in Iraq, but to our way of life. Here's how I put it in my AEI speech: "As long as the current dictatorship runs Iran and works every day to create nuclear weapons and to sustain terrorists groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and the professional state-sponsored terrorists of the Iranian Guard units, our civilization will not be safe."

Honor Those Who Have Sacrificed by Insisting on Victory
We will hear a lot of information and disinformation this week about America's effort in Iraq and in the war against the Irreconcilable Wing of Islam.

Despite the demonstrable progress that has been made, we will hear more voices urging us to leave Iraq in defeat.

But here are the facts to remember:

The United States is engaged in the right fight in the right countries.

We are gradually winning those fights, but the road will be long and difficult.

Now is the time for Americans to insist that we honor the memory of those who have sacrificed for America -- men and women like Petty Officer 2nd Class Mike Monsoor and his family -- by insisting on victory for the cause of freedom.

Your friend,

Newt Gingrich

P.S. -- If you haven't already seen this outrageous ad showing the American southwest as part of Mexico, I'm reprinting it here. Although the ad is only currently running in Mexico, as the LA Times blog notes, it seems almost "absolute" that it will hurt sales here north of the border.



P.P.S. Columnist and National Review Editor Rich Lowry has written an insightful article about how bad culture and bad government have destroyed the city of Detroit.

P.P.P.S. On Friday, May 2, I will speak to the 2008 Young Republican Leadership Conference in Washington, DC. Registration has been extended until April 11, so if you're going to be in Washington visit yrlc2008.net to register and get more details.


Mr. Gingrich is the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and author of "Winning the Future" (published by Regnery, a HUMAN EVENTS sister company).

McCain Myth Buster: John McCain and George W. Bush

President George W. Bush and Senator John McCain

5 Mar 2008 19:24 Africa/Lagos


McCain Myth Buster: John McCain and George W. Bush

Today's McCain Myth: John McCain offers new ideas instead of more of the same on the issues voters care most about: the economy, Iraq, and health care

WASHINGTON, March 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

On the campaign trail, John McCain has tried to paint himself as an Independent "maverick" who has broken ranks with the Republican Party on a number of occasions. But his record reveals that on issue after issue, a vote for McCain is a vote for a continuation of the same failed Bush policies that have been disastrous for America.


When it comes to economic issues, McCain has pledged to make Bush's budget-busting tax cuts for the wealthy permanent, refused to denounce Bush's threat to veto a bill that would help families and communities affected by the mortgage crisis, supported Bush's veto of children's health care and has promised to revive President Bush's failed plan to privatize social security. McCain has also marched in lockstep with President Bush on the war in Iraq from the start and now talks about keeping our troops there for 100 years. [AP, 2/6/08; Politico.com, 2/6/08; Congressional Quarterly Today, 2/27/2008; Senate Vote #307, 8/2/07; Wall Street Journal, 3/3/08; McCain Derry, NH townhall meeting, 1/3/08; motherjones.com, 1/3/08 ]


No longer a maverick, today the transformation to establishment candidate is complete.


Third Bush Term on the Economy...


McCain's Short-Term Solution For the Economy? Tax Cuts for the Wealthy in Two Years, Of Course. When asked what efforts who have a short-term impact on the economy, McCain responded "In the shorter term, if you somehow told American businesses and families, 'Look, you're not going to experience a tax increase in 2010,' I think that's a pretty good short-term measure. And as far as confidence is concerned, I think if you say, 'Congress is going to cut corporate taxes right away,' if you say that you've got a plan to eliminate the AMT, I think some of those are kind of short-term measures right now." [Wall Street Journal, 3/3/08]


Republicans Postponing Consideration of Housing Bill So McCain Doesn't Have to Make a Hard Vote. "Consideration of the mortgage package was delayed earlier in the week when a debate over the Iraq War lasted longer than expected. At the time, Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., maintained that Republicans were intentionally delaying consideration of the mortgage package so that Arizona Sen. John McCain -- the presumptive GOP presidential nominee -- would not have to cast a vote on the bill before the March 4 Ohio primary." [Congressional Quarterly Today, 2/27/2008]


Third Bush Term on Iraq...


McCain Would Spend 'a Hundred Years' or a 'Million Years' in Iraq. McCain interrupted a voter during a townhall meeting in New Hampshire telling him we could spend "maybe a hundred" years in Iraq and "that would be fine with me." After the townhall meeting, he told a reporter "that U.S. troops could be in Iraq for 'a thousand years' or 'a million years,' as far as he was concerned." [McCain Derry, NH townhall meeting, 1/3/08; motherjones.com, 1/3/08]


McCain Consistently on Bush Talking Points. In 2003, McCain echoed Bush's rosy predictions by claiming that the end was "very much in sight" in Iraq. In 2005, McCain backed Bush, arguing that another year would prove "stay the course" was working. [The Hill, 12/8/05; ABC News, Good Morning America, 4/9/03] In 2006, McCain argued that Iraq was "on the right track" even as it slipped further toward civil war. [MSNBC, Imus in the Morning, 3/1/06] As of late, McCain's campaign insists, "terrorists are on the run," even while half of Afghanistan appears to have fallen back under the control of the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden remains at large. [johnmccain.com, press release, 12/17/07; Time, 12/8/07; Investor's Business Daily, 12/14/07]


Third Bush Term on Health Care...


John McCain Does Not Have a Plan For the Uninsured. According to the Wall Street Journal, McCain's plan does not focus on "reducing the ranks of the uninsured," of which there are about 47 million, or one in seven Americans. [Wall Street Journal, 10/11/07]


McCain Opposed Reauthorizing SCHIP and Providing Insurance For Millions of Uninsured Children. McCain voted against reauthorizing the State Children's Health Insurance Program for five years, expanding the program by $35.2 billion. [Senate Vote #307, 8/2/07]


Third Bush Term on Social Security...


2008: McCain "Totally In Favor" of Bush Social Security Plan. "I'm totally in favor of personal savings accounts and I think they are an important opportunity for young workers. I campaigned in support of President Bush's proposal and I campaigned with him, and I did town hall meetings with him." [Wall Street Journal, 3/3/08]


2005: McCain Campaigned for Bush Social Security Plan. "McCain has been especially supportive of his onetime rival, appearing with Bush at three events over the past two days in trying to prod Democrats into negotiations to include private accounts in a plan to revamp Social Security." [Washington Post, 3/23/05]


After casting himself as a "Maverick" in 2000, the new John McCain is walking in lockstep with President Bush, pandering to the right wing of the Republican Party, and embracing the ideology he once denounced. On the campaign trail McCain has callously abandoned many of his previously held positions, even contradicted himself, in a blatant attempt to remake himself into a candidate Republicans can accept in 2008. So just who is the real John McCain? The Democratic National Committee will present a daily fact aimed at exposing the man behind the myth.


Source: Democratic National Committee

CONTACT: Damien LaVera of the Democratic National Committee,
+1-202-863-8148


Web Site: http://www.democrats.org/

Barack Obama Lied On the Problems of the American Rifle Platoon in Afghanistan

In the last presidential debate in Austin, Texas, Barack Obama said an American rifle platoon was supposed to have 39 soldiers. But that was an erroneous statement, because a platoon does not have to consist of 39, but can have between 30 and 50 soldiers. A lieutenant commands a platoon and not a captain as Barack Obama claimed.

Barack Obama said the rifle platoon in Afghanistan did not have enough soldiers or weapons and had to resort to using the weapons captured from the Taliban. That was also a lie, because there were no shortages of soldiers or weapons in this case.

"You know, I've heard from an Army captain who was the head of a rifle platoon — supposed to have 39 men in a rifle platoon ended up being sent to Afghanistan with 24 because 15 of those soldiers had been sent to Iraq," Barack Obama said.

"And as a consequence, they didn't have enough ammunition, they didn't have enough Humvees. They were actually capturing Taliban weapons, because it was easier to get Taliban weapons than it was for them to get properly equipped by our current commander in chief," Obama added.

Senator Barack Obama never heard from any American Army captain in Afghanistan.
His story was from hearsay.

Sen. John Warner has challenged Barack Obama to give the details of his "fairy tale".

Caroline Kennedy, Barack Obama Will Never Be A President Like Your Father, Except Barack Obama is Evil

John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917–November 22, 1963)

Dear Caroline Kennedy,
I have just read your white lies on "A President Like My Father" published by The New York Times on Sunday, January 27, 2008.


Senator Barack Obama

What a day to choose to tell lies to the ignorant and gullible majority of Americans and the rest of the world who do not know the history of America and the rest of the world during the tragic administration of your beloved father, the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy, whose administration ended abruptly with his assassination.


JFK with little Caroline.

Search the archives of The New York Times for the facts of history and the role your father played in the assassinations of the leaders of Iraq in 1963.

To let the whole world know the truth, I will simply copy and paste the facts for the public knowledge.

The Atrocities of JFK:

Iraq
In 1963, the Kennedy administration backed a coup against the government of Iraq headed by General Abdel Karim Kassem, who five years earlier had deposed the Western-allied Iraqi monarchy. The CIA helped the new Baath Party government led by Abdul Salam Arif in ridding the country of suspected leftists and Communists. In a Baathist bloodbath, the government used lists of suspected Communists and other leftists provided by the CIA, to systematically murder untold numbers of Iraq's educated elite " killings in which Saddam Hussein himself is said to have participated. The victims included hundreds of doctors, teachers, technicians, lawyers and other professionals as well as military and political figures.[27] [28] [29] According to an op-ed in The New York Times, the U.S. sent arms to the new regime, weapons later used against the same Kurdish insurgents the U.S. supported against Kassem and then abandoned. American and UK oil and other interests, including Mobil, Bechtel and British Petroleum, were conducting business in Iraq.[27]

The Invasion of Cuba:

On February 17, 1961, U.S. President John F. Kennedy asked his advisors whether the toppling of Castro might be related to weapon shipments and if it was possible to claim the real targets were modern fighter aircraft and rockets that endangered America's security. At the time, Cuba's army possessed Soviet tanks, artillery and small arms, and its air force consisted of A-26 Invader medium bombers, Hawker Sea Furies (a fast and effective British propeller-driven fighter-bomber capable of downing a MiG-15 in combat) and T-33 jets left over from the Batista Air Force.[3]
As Kennedy's plans evolved, critical details were changed that were to hamper chances of a successful mission without overt U.S. military support. These revised details included changing the landing area for Brigade 2506 to two points in Matanzas Province, 202 km southeast of Havana on the eastern edge of the Zapata peninsula at the Bay of Pigs. The landings would take place on the Girón and Zapatos Larga beaches. This change effectively cut off contact with the rebels of the "War Against the Bandits" uprising in the Escambray Mountains. The Castro government also had been warned by senior KGB agents Osvaldo Sánchez Cabrera and "Aragon", who died violently before and after the invasion, respectively.[4]The U.S. government was aware that a high casualty rate was possible.[citation needed].

Through their secret intelligence, as well as loose talk in Miami, the Cuban security apparatus knew the invasion was coming. More than 100,000 Cubans suspected to be security threats or "politically unreliable" were rounded up and arrested throughout the island by the political police in anticipation of the invasion. The arrests were facilitated by informants and the diligent work of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDRs) working in conjunction with the secret police, the G-2s. Nevertheless, days before the invasion, multiple acts of sabotage were carried out, such as the bombing of the El Encanto department store in Havana, desultory explosions, and arson.

~ From the Wikipedia


Behold your JFK!

GWB is not even as bad as JFK in the notorious crimes JFK perpetrated in Cuba, Iraq and the Congo.

May God never let Barack Obama be like JFK, so that he will not end up like JFK.
Assassinated.

I pray for Barack Obama to live long and be a blessing to his darling wife Michelle Obama, their beautiful children and families and the rest of the world.

Have a good day.

Hillary Clinton and John McCain Win The New York Times Endorsements

Senator Hillary Clinton of the Democratic Party and Senator John McCain of the Republican Party have won the national endorsements of The New York Times for the 2008 US presidential election.


Senator Hillary Clinton

Mrs. Clinton sometimes overstates the importance of résumé. Hearing her talk about the presidency, her policies and answers for America’s big problems, we are hugely impressed by the depth of her knowledge, by the force of her intellect and by the breadth of, yes, her experience.

It is unfair, especially after seven years of Mr. Bush’s inept leadership, but any Democrat will face tougher questioning about his or her fitness to be commander in chief. Mrs. Clinton has more than cleared that bar, using her years in the Senate well to immerse herself in national security issues, and has won the respect of world leaders and many in the American military. She would be a strong commander in chief.

~ The New York Times



Senator John McCain

Senator John McCain of Arizona is the only Republican who promises to end the George Bush style of governing from and on behalf of a small, angry fringe. With a record of working across the aisle to develop sound bipartisan legislation, he would offer a choice to a broader range of Americans than the rest of the Republican field.

~ The New York Times

NEWSWEEK: COVER: 'The Party's Over'

20 Jan 2008 17:52 Africa/Lagos

NEWSWEEK: COVER: 'The Party's Over'

"In early 2008, by nearly every measure, the Republican Party is in trouble," says Former Bush Advisor, Michael Gerson.

Newsweek on: The Future of The GOP in Bush's Shadow and an Exclusive Excerpt of Jacob Weisberg's 'The Bush Tragedy.'

Michelle Obama: 'The Closer' for African-American Votes and Concern for Her Family's Safety.

NEW YORK, Jan. 20 /PRNewswire/ --

"President Bush has left the GOP in a precarious state. But the party's candidates can learn much from his failures," Editor-at-Large Evan Thomas writes in the opening essay of the January 28 issue of Newsweek. "It is too late to reinvent the party's core beliefs," Thomas writes. "But the GOP candidates can embark on a more humble mission: to show, in effect, some humility. By examining Bush's hubris, his almost willful disregard for annoying counterarguments, the Republican candidates can demonstrate a greater level of critical open-mindedness and self-awareness -- they can show that they are not deluded by wishful thinking and Manichaean narratives." Newsweek reports that a dispirited Republican Party struggles to find its post-Bush path.


(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080120/NYSU003 )


Michael Gerson, the former senior advisor and speechwriter to President Bush, writes in the January 28 issue "The Party's Over" (on newsstands Monday, January 21) that, "In early 2008, by nearly every measure, the Republican Party is in trouble." He says that, "Republicans in the House and Senate have been exiled from leadership and are retiring in large numbers. Fund-raising -- the most tangible measure of enthusiasm -- is weak. In the first three quarters of 2007, Democratic presidential candidates out-raised their Republican counterparts by $77 million. One adviser to a major Republican campaign recently complained to me that a significant number of wealthy donors on their fund-raising list were giving to...Barack Obama."


Gerson continues, "The party became closely identified with President Bush -- and President Bush became closely identified with Iraqi violence and chaos. The slow response to rising sectarian conflict in 2005 and 2006 left an impression of stubbornness in a losing cause," he writes. "Now the frustrations of the last two or three years -- the resentments of every group that has felt ignored, marginalized, helpless, slighted or unfairly blamed -- are being taken out on the Republican presidential candidates. As each one of them steps forward from the crowd, he is greeted by ideological sniping."


Also part of the cover package, Newsweek excerpts Slate editor in chief Jacob Weisberg's new book 'The Bush Tragedy.' In which he explores all the factors that contributed to President George W. Bush's downfall from his family to his circle of political advisors. "Bush thought his father lacked a grand doctrine," Weisberg writes. "His greatest failures have come from trying to craft one."


And as part of its ongoing election 2008 coverage, Newsweek's National Correspondent Allison Samuels sat down with presidential candidate Barack Obama's wife, Michelle, known within the Obama camp as 'The Closer.' Samuels reports that as the race for the Democratic nomination turns to South Carolina and other Southern states, Campaign Obama is counting on Michelle to become the point person and close the deal with African-American voters.


Samuels reports that as the wife of the first African-American to stand a good chance of becoming president, Michelle Obama is understandably nervous about her husband's safety -- especially since last May, when the campaign began receiving threatening letters and he was assigned Secret Service agents. Michelle says she gets lots of questions from African-Americans -- especially older ones who remember the assassinations of King and Malcolm X -- concerned about the safety of her husband, herself and their two girls, Malia, 9, and Sasha, 6. "I tell people something bad could happen, and I think about that. How could you not?" she tells Newsweek. "But something great could happen as well."


As an African-American, David Mack, a representative in the South Carolina State Legislature who is a Clinton supporter acknowledges that "there's an element of racial pride associated with what he's doing." And as a result, "a lot of blacks are still torn. That's why there's still such a large block of undecided black voters."


Samuels reports that wooing those undecided is a significant part of Michelle's job, especially in South Carolina, where some 10 percent of voters have told pollsters they haven't yet picked a candidate. "She has family there and roots there," says the Obama campaign aide. Michelle believes that "the most important message we can send out is to show that we are a solid family with love and respect for one another. So many times you don't see that in the African-American community." By talking openly about such issues, Michelle Obama may well help that solid family move to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Samuels writes.


Also part of Newsweek's January 28 issue:

-- Senior Political Correspondent Howard Fineman writes that presidential
candidates blew through Las Vegas "like conventioneers" in search of
the big score in the Nevada caucuses. But as "one of America's fastest-
growing metro areas, Las Vegas is now also the leader in mortgage
foreclosures..." he writes. Yet, the question remains "who has the
right cards to deal with it?"

-- Newsweek's political team reports that for the 2008 presidential
candidates, getting elected may be the easy part -- a sluggish economy,
an ailing health-care system, an immigration mess, the environment and
foreign policy -- the next president's got issues. In a series of short
pieces, they lay out the challenges the next president will face.

-- Contributing Editor Ellis Cose writes that "the angry tone of the
campaigns reflected not just the tightening of the race, but also
something considerably more emotional: the feeling of many supporters
of both candidates [Clinton and Obama] that this campaign is about
making history and that the other candidate stands in the way." Cose,
however, adds that few people he has spoken to thought race or gender
would be the determining factor.


(Read entire cover package at www.Newsweek.com)

http://www.newsweek.com/id/96527 - Evan Thomas 'In the Shadow of Bush'

http://www.newsweek.com/id/96377 - Michael Gerson 'Why My Party Lost Its Way'


http://www.newsweek.com/id/96372 - Book Excerpt by Jacob Weisberg


Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080120/NYSU003
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN2
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Newsweek

CONTACT: LaVenia LaVelle of Newsweek, +1-212-445-4859


Web site: http://www.newsweek.com/
http://www.newsweek.com/id/96527
http://www.newsweek.com/id/96377
http://www.newsweek.com/id/96372


The January 28 issue of NEWSWEEK (on newsstands January 21), "The Party's Over" examines the GOP's future in the shadow of Bush. Michael Gerson on how the GOP has unraveled, an excerpt from Jacob Weisberg's "The Bush Tragedy," and a series of essays laying out the challenges the next President will face. Plus: Michelle Obama on her role in the campaign and her husband's safety; the annual Oscar roundtable; Moqtada al-Sadr's makeover; a letter to the rich; finding meaning in each mouthful; and tips on how to lead a happy life. (PRNewsFoto/NEWSWEEK) NEW YORK, NY UNITED STATES 01/20/2008

Is Senator Barack Obama Deceiving American Voters on the War in Iraq?

Is Senator Barack Obama Deceiving American Voters on the War in Iraq?

Hillary Clinton Sees America At the Crossroads for a New Beginning

"Good evening. As we start this New Year, America is at a crossroads.

We're a nation at war in a dangerous world.

We have a faltering economy, an energy crisis and 47 million people without health care.

But after seven long years of this administration, we finally have the opportunity for a new beginning.

Tomorrow, you can take the first step.

After all the town meetings, the pie and coffee, it comes down to this: Who's ready to be president and ready to start solving the big challenges we face on day one?

And we can solve them.

We can end the era of cowboy diplomacy and bring our sons and daughters home from Iraq.

We can make a new beginning for our economy and rebuild our great middle class. We can reform our government and transform our energy future.

We can make a new beginning on health care: cut costs, improve quality and cover every American.

I'm not running for President to put Band-Aids on our problems. I'm running to solve them.

You've welcomed me into your hearts and your homes. And I thank you. The stories you've shared will always stay with me.

Parents juggling jobs to pay for college for their kids, soldiers' families praying for a safe return. All the men and women across this state who have whispered their health care problems to me: bills they can't pay, parents they can't afford to care for, insurance companies who refuse to help.

I know you've waited a long time for a president who could hear you and see you. I would like to be that president.

So I ask you to caucus for me tomorrow. Put on your coats and call up a friend and help me change America.

If you stand with me for one night, I will stand up for you every day as your
president.

I'll work my heart out to bring the country we love the new beginning it needs, and I will be ready to start on day one. Thank you.

I'm Hillary Clinton and I approved this message."

Hillary Clinton: When I Get To The White House, I'll End The War in Iraq and Bring Our Troops Home

Running for president means asking a lot of people to put their faith in you -- and putting your faith in a lot of people. You've never let me down, and my promise to you has always been this: if you put your faith in me, I will fight for you every day when I'm president.

When I get to the White House, I'll end the war in Iraq and bring our troops home. I'll stop the cowboy diplomacy and Bush's war on science. I'll reverse the attacks on our Constitution and civil liberties. I'll ask the Congress to send me everything that Bush vetoed, like stem cell research and the Children's Health Insurance Program. From day one, I'll be fighting for you, because America needs a clean and decisive break from seven years of George Bush.

Not one of the Republican candidates is capable of making that happen. They're all promising four more years of the same failed policies.

They see Bush's failure in Iraq and want to continue it. They see failure of leadership on the economy and want to repeat it. They see his assault on civil liberties and the disgraces of Guantanamo and want to carry them on.

We need a candidate who can beat them.

~ Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton

Endorsed by the following:

Former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright,

Former Vice President Walter F. Mondale,

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Gen. Wesley Clark,

Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa of Los Angeles and the majority of Americans and millions in other parts of the world.

An Open Letter To America on The Election of a New President

An Open Letter To America on The Election of a New President

What is a hero without love for mankind.
~ Doris Lessing


I have been monitoring and evaluating the various news reports on the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates for the presidential election in November, 2008.

I have watched their live TV debates and read their interviews in newspapers online and offline.
All the presidential candidates are highly recommended and worthy patriots of the United States of America who have served their nation in various capacities as either legislators or governors and as tax payers and are qualified to serve America at the highest level of public office as President of the greatest nation on earth.

The presidential election in America is of great interest to the rest of the world, because of the global role of America in the leadership of the nations in politics and human development.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and notable American non-governmental organizations and academic institutions have been active in sustainable human development programs in developing countries and one of these countries is my country, Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa and the fifth largest supplier of crude oil to the United States.

I have been employed as a project consultant by the Johns Hopkins University’s Population Communication Services (JHU/PCS) on family planning projects in Nigeria since age 21 and by other American organizations on public health projects until my early 30s. I have also seen the fiscal and technical commitments of the US to the United Nations when I was a program consultant for the UNICEF in 1988/89. Therefore, I am well informed on the global leadership of the United States and how much most of the developing countries rely on USAID and American donor agencies and the millions of beneficiaries have become components and proponents of nation building in their respective countries over the years.

The rest of the world is optimistic of America and America is the first destination for most immigrants in the world. Every nation on earth has an extension of it’s population in America and the Africans and Asians constitute the largest communities of immigrants in America who have been employed at various levels and have become taxpayers and co-workers of indigenous Americans and co-builders of the American nation since the Independence of America to date. America is more or less the capital of the world and the vision of the American Dream is the inspiration for the dreams of millions of people in other nations.

I have participated in public debates on the most suitable presidential candidates and I have decided to support Senator Hillary Clinton, because of her exemplary service to America since childhood to date and all the details are documented in her biography. I also appreciate Senator John McCain of the Republican Party.

I have to address an important issue that has become the cause of disagreement in America since 2003 and that is the war in Iraq. The decision of the US government for the invasion and occupation of Iraq was not the unilateral decision of President George W. Bush and his cabinet, but by congressional approval based on the critical report of the US Intelligence and the Senate Intelligence Committee.

“The decision to place US soldiers in harm’s way is the most significant responsibility the Constitution invests in the Congress.”
~ Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (Democrat, Nevada), 2005.

May I ask the Democrats in Congress, how many of them were against the war in Iraq before the disclosures of the Downing Street Memo on the Iraqi WMD and the Valerie Plame scandal?

“In October 2002, on the eve of the mid-term elections, Harry Reid—then Senate majority whip and one of the more influential members of his party, voted to grant Bush unprecedented powers to wage an unprovoked war of aggression against Iraq at the time of his choosing.”
~ Bill Van Auken
3 November, 2005 on WSWS

It therefore hypocritical and unethical for any of the presidential candidates to criticize any of their fellow candidates for supporting the decision to go to war against the Al Qaida by the invasion and occupation of Iraq, because none of them can deny their complicity and culpability in the congressional vote in approval of the war in Iraq.

It is very unfair and malicious that Senator Barack Hussein Obama is now using the controversial decision on the war in Iraq to challenge the electability of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.
She is as innocent as the rest of us who supported the war in Iraq before the disclosures of the Downing Street Memo and the Valerie Plame Scandal.

Personally, I found it ridiculous that the intelligence report of the “errand boy” of Valerie Plame, her husband Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson would be the cause of the denouncement of the war in Iraq.

Senator Barack Hussein Obama should not degrade presidential debates into the low levels of his high school debates, because his poor knowledge of military intelligence and foreign policy shows his political naivety and immaturity.

If the opposition to the war in Iraq is the only qualification for the election of the next President of America, then the American electorate should not vote for any of the presidential candidates, because none of them is innocent of the “crime” of the invasion and occupation of Iraq .

God bless America.










.

Blackwater Statement Regarding Private Security Companies in Iraq

6 Dec 2007 01:24 Africa/Lagos


Blackwater Statement Regarding Private Security Companies in Iraq

MOYOCK, N.C., Dec. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

Blackwater fully supports the memorandum of agreement signed today by the Department of State and the Department of Defense regarding private security companies operating in Iraq on behalf of the US Government. Blackwater has always supported the identification of contractor standards and clear rules of accountability. Increased coordination and constant review of procedures will provide even better value to the Government. Blackwater looks forward to complying with new rules as we continue to serve the United States Government.


Source: Blackwater

CONTACT: Anne Tyrrell, +1-703-852-4320, atyrrell@blackwaterusa.com,
of Blackwater


Web site: http://www.blackwaterusa.com/

Newsweek Exclusives: The Sunni Civil War and other Emergencies

NEWSWEEK PHOTO: The Sunni Civil War.

3 Dec 2007 21:13 Africa/Lagos


NEWSWEEK: International Editions: Highlights and Exclusives, December 10, 2007 Issue

COVER: Inside Putin's Circle. (Atlantic and Latin America editions). Moscow Bureau Chief Owen Matthews and Special Correspondent Anna Nemtsova report that Russia's real politics happens in and around the Kremlin, and it's a ruthless battle for money and influence. As Vladimir Putin prepares to step down (as he's constitutionally obliged to do), the clans that control the power of the Russian state are maneuvering frantically to protect their business empires-and, in some cases, their lives. Matthews and Nemtsova also report that the battle also involves ideological disagreements on economic and foreign policy, disagreements that will determine whether Russia emerges as a more or less autocratic, more or less open to free markets and Western influence.



http://www.newsweek.com/id/73233

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071202/NYSU003 )


COVER: How Japan Lost Its Groove. (Asia edition). Tokyo Bureau Chief Christian Caryl reports that Japan, known for its innovative technological advancements and cutting-edge design, seems to have lost its edge in a long tale of Japanese innovation failures over the last two decades-a huge irony, given that Japan is a technological powerhouse. The crisis is in large part rooted in the country's peculiar corporate culture. Japan Inc. still remains dominated by big, vertically integrated dinosaurs with little maneuverability and a marked disinclination to creativity. One exception: Nintendo, the gaming company whose innovation has enabled it to break away from the competition. But Nintendo, like several of Japan's other more innovative companies, is based in Kyoto-far away from staid Tokyo.


http://www.newsweek.com/id/73236


The Gates Keeper Deputy Washington Bureau Chief Dan Ephron, Senior Editor Michael Hirsh and Editor-at-Large Evan Thomas report that Defense Secretary Robert Gates is seen as the best insurance that the Bush administration will not leave a legacy of ashes in Iran. Gates gives the Washington foreign-policy establishment hope that the pendulum is swinging back, that it is possible to forge a foreign policy by consensus and common sense and not wishful thinking or righteous zeal.


http://www.newsweek.com/id/73362


Same Old, Same Old. Special Correspondent William Underhill reports that Italy's political leadership is perennially far older than counterparts elsewhere. The country is now aging faster than any other in Europe, and more than half the population is over 40. The policies that emerge from this calcified system are what one might expect: lawmakers are slow to tinker with a pension system that swallows 15 percent of the GDP.


http://www.newsweek.com/id/73234


Rough Justice. Guest columnist Daniel Pepper writes that Rwanda's experiment with a grass-roots court system-which draws on the country's tradition of village justice and is meant to offer a more organic, less retributive means of dealing with the horrendous past-isn't helping this traumatized land. "Its all part of the country's alternate, Gacaca system. Meaning 'justice on the grass,' Gacaca is a parallel court network set up by the government," he writes.


http://www.newsweek.com/id/73235


The Sunni Civil War Baghdad Correspondent Larry Kaplow and Chief Foreign Correspondent Rod Nordland report that divisions are growing within the Sunni community-between the new tribal levies and old politicians, Baathists and anti-Baathists, fundamentalist mosque-goers and secular whiskey drinkers-that could affect reconciliation in Iraq. Shiite leaders warn they can't be expected to find common ground with Sunnis who cannot find it among themselves.


http://www.newsweek.com/id/73363


Old Friends of Tehran. Special Correspondent Roya Wolverson reports that the U.S. economic sanctions against Iran may have the opposite of their intended effect, driving Iranian business further into the hands of aggressively mercantilist Chinese and Russian firms in search of lucrative contracts once dominated by the West.


http://www.newsweek.com/id/73241


Roll Over, Monroe. Mexico City Bureau Chief Joseph Contreras reports on the waning clout of the U.S. in Latin America. Though the U.S. remains the region's largest trading partner by far, Russia, China and Iran are cutting deals, opening up new markets and building diplomatic ties in a region that the U.S. has long regarded as its natural sphere of influence.


http://www.newsweek.com/id/73237


Dark Days for the Empire. Special Correspondent B.J. Lee and Hong Kong Bureau Chief George Wehrfritz report that Samsung, one of Asia's pre-eminent family empires, is at the vortex of a swirling corruption scandal set in motion by the group's former chief attorney. The scandal could impact the economy of the entire region and ignite a struggle over control of an empire worth up to $300 billion.


http://www.newsweek.com/id/73239


Life's a Beach. Special Correspondent Mac Margolis reports after nearly two decades of slumber, the world's ninth largest economy is regaining its place as an emerging-market favorite. Once the world's biggest debtor, Brazil is now a net creditor, with $160 billion in foreign reserves.


http://www.newsweek.com/id/73240


THE GOOD LIFE: Wrap It Up. Newsweek's annual holiday gift guide offers a tiny sampling of the items most coveted during this favorite time of year again: the season of indulgence.


http://www.newsweek.com/id/73248


GLOBAL INVESTOR: Japan and Then Some. Guest columnist Peter Tasker, a founding partner of Arcus Investment, writes that today's rip-roaring bull market in Chinese stocks is déjà vu of the late-1980s Japanese bubble all over again. "The similarities are striking," he writes. "We don't know when the pop will come, but there's no chance that the bursting of the Chinese bubble will be painless, for the Middle Kingdom or the rest of the world."


http://www.newsweek.com/id/73247


WORLD VIEW: On Ability and Responsibility. The Middle East peace conference in Annapolis served as a reminder of how much power and prominence the U.S. still has in the Middle East. "Until now, their attempts to get involved in the Middle East have been creative but suffered from a lack of stamina and luck... Serious peacemaking requires insistence, persistence and a refusal to hide behind that old American mantra, 'We can't achieve peace if we want it more than the participants do'," writes Aluf Benn, diplomatic editor of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. "If Bush really intends to fulfill his pledge of Palestinian statehood while in office, he will have to do much more than host an occasional conference."


http://www.newsweek.com/id/73238


THE LAST WORD: Anand G. Mahindra, CEO of India's $6 billion Mahindra Group. Mahindra has led the group in strategic acquisitions all the world over and now plans on taking advantage of the weak dollar to buy manufacturing plants in "bargain basement" America. "The biggest opportunity is to buy manufacturing assets in America, which is not a manufacturing country: its manufacturing is not competitive, its plants are shutting down, its manufacturing is going abroad. But fundamentally enough, the U.S. dollar plummeting makes the U.S. competitive again ... There's going to be a tsunami of investment in American manufacturing assets," he tells Assistant Editor Vibhuti Patel.


http://www.newsweek.com/id/73246


PRNewswire -- Dec. 2
First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:


Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071202/NYSU003
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN1
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Newsweek

CONTACT: Brenda Velez, +1-212-445-4078, Brenda.Velez@Newsweek.com, or
LaVenia LaVelle, +1-212-445-4859, LaVenia.LaVelle@Newsweek.com, both of
Newsweek


Web site: http://www.newsweek.msnbc.com/


NOTE TO EDITORS: To book correspondents, contact Brenda Velez at 212-445-4078 -- Brenda.Velez@Newsweek.com -- or LaVenia LaVelle at 212-445-4859 -- LaVenia.LaVelle@Newsweek.com. Articles are posted on www.Newsweek.com.