Politics Daily http://www.politicsdaily.com Politics Daily http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.politicsdaily.com/media/feedlogo.gif Politics Daily http://www.politicsdaily.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Resigns Over WikiLeaks Disclosureshttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/20/u-s-ambassador-to-mexico-resigns-over-wikileaks-disclosures/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/20/u-s-ambassador-to-mexico-resigns-over-wikileaks-disclosures/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/20/u-s-ambassador-to-mexico-resigns-over-wikileaks-disclosures/#commentsFiled under: ,

The U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Carlos Pascual, resigned on Saturday night, becoming the first casualty of the WikiLeaks disclosures of communications between Washington and its diplomatic corps.

Pascual had drawn the ire of President Felipe Calderon of Mexico after WikiLeaks made public documents in which Pascual was critical of Mexico's anti-drug efforts.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's statement on Pascual's resignation said, in part:

For the past year and a half, Ambassador Pascual has been an architect and advocate for the U.S.-Mexico relationship, effectively advancing the policies of the United States on behalf of the president and this administration. He has collaborated tirelessly with his Mexican counterparts to lay the foundation for a cross-border renewable energy market, to open negotiations on the management of oil and gas reserves that span U.S. and Mexican territory, and to build a new border strategy to advance trade while staunching illicit flows. Carlos has also engaged U.S. and Mexican business to build markets that have helped make Mexico the No. 2 destination of U.S. exports.

Ambassador Pascual worked with the Mexican government to integrate human rights into our respective policies and engagement; he also partnered to enhance the human and cultural connections that underpin the friendship between the people of Mexico and the United States. Carlos partnered with his counterparts to reach beyond the Merida Initiative's initial focus on disrupting cartels to building institutions for the rule of law in Mexico and engaging Mexican civil society in advancing their security. These ties, grown and strengthened throughout his tenure, will serve both our nations for decades. ...

Carlos has relayed his decision to return to Washington based upon his personal desire to ensure the strong relationship between our two countries and to avert issues raised by President Calderon that could distract from the important business of advancing our bilateral interests. It is with great reluctance that President Obama and I have acceded to Carlos's request. Prior to returning to assuming his new responsibilities at the State Department, the president and I have asked Carlos to stay in Mexico to help us organize an orderly transition.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>carlos pascualfelipe calderonMexicoPolitics Daily Staff2011-03-20T21:48:00+00:00French Warplanes Enforcing Ceasefire in Libya After Gadhafi Keeps Up Attackshttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/19/french-warplanes-enforcing-ceasefire-in-libya-after-gadhafi-keep/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/19/french-warplanes-enforcing-ceasefire-in-libya-after-gadhafi-keep/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/19/french-warplanes-enforcing-ceasefire-in-libya-after-gadhafi-keep/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

French fighter planes, backed by U.S. missiles, patrolled the skies above Libya Saturday as a U.N.-backed coalition began enforcing a ceasefire and no-fly zone. The large-scale action came after Moammar Gadhafi defied demands for an end to the violence and attacked a rebel stronghold in Benghazi.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the intervention was ordered after Gadhafi's military attacked civilians with "murderous madness," the Washington Post reported. The French military said a Rafale fighter jet had destroyed a Libyan government tank near Benghazi, according to the New York Times.

President Obama said he had approved "limited military action" by the United States -- and U.S. Navy warships soon joined the fray, firing Tomahawk missiles at Libyan air defenses, the Associated Press said.

The U.S. and its allies on Friday demanded that Libyan dictator Gadhafi observe an immediate ceasfire, but attacks continued against the rebel base in Benghazi.

Before the military intervention Saturday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met in Paris with Sarkozy and leaders of some 20 other countries, including Arab nations, to determine how to enforce the United Nation's-backed call for a ceasefire if Gadhafi's forces did not stand down.

In Brazil, President Obama said he had "authorized the armed forces of the United States to begin a limited military action in Libya. That action has now begun." He said it was not his "first choice and not a choice I make lightly." And the president reiterated that America would not deploy grounds troops in Libya.

Gadhafi was given a chance to avoid the intervention and now must face the consequences, Obama told reporters. "Despite the hollow words of his government, he has ignored that opportunity... His attacks on his own people have continued." The coalition partners, Obama said, are "answering the calls of a threatened people."

Earlier, Obama said the "consensus" among the allied nations was strong and clear. "The people of Libya must be protected," he said. "And in the absence of an immediate end to the violence against civilians, our coalition is prepared to act, and act with urgency."

On Friday, Obama warned Gadhafi to stop attacking Libyan citizens or face the consequences outlined in a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing "all necessary measures," including a no-fly zone, to protect civilians.

Even before the French warplanes took to the skies above Libya, aircraft from Britain and the United Arab Emirates were poised to begin operations in the event Gadhafi ignored demands to pull back him military. And U.S. ships in the Mediterranean were already preparing to take action to help establish a no-fly zone.

"All attacks against civilians must stop," Obama said Friday. Gadhafi "must stop his troops from advancing on Benghazi," the rebel stronghold in the eastern part of the country, pull back his forces from three other cities, establish water, electricity and gas supplies to all areas, and allow humanitarian assistance to reach Libyan citizens."

Gadhafi has sent two letters -- one to Obama and another to U.N., British and French leaders -- in an apparent attempt to ward off military intervention, the Times said, citing citing a Libyan deputy foreign minister. In a conciliatory vein to Obama, he wrote that Libya was battling al-Qaeda and asked, "how would you behave?" Even if Libya and the U.S. went to war against each other, he said "you will always remain my son, and I have love for you."

But Gadhafi was combative in his missive to the other international leaders, threatening "you will regret it if you take a step to intervene in our internal affairs." The letters were read aloud to journalists by the minister, Khaled Kaim.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>francelibyaMoammar GadhafisarkozyPolitics Daily Staff2011-03-19T16:42:00+00:00Hillary Clinton Popular With Public but Finished With Government After 2012http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/17/hillary-clinton-popular-with-public-but-finished-with-government/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/17/hillary-clinton-popular-with-public-but-finished-with-government/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/17/hillary-clinton-popular-with-public-but-finished-with-government/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Nearly two out of three Americans like the job Hillary Clinton is doing as secretary of state, a new poll finds. But the former first lady and senator reaffirmed Wednesday that she is working her last government job and will get out of politics for good after 2012.

Clinton, interviewed by CNN in Cairo, said she is "moving on" after she completes her fourth year of service in the Obama administration. "I have the best job I could ever have. This is a moment in history where it is almost hard to catch your breath," she said. ". . . There isn't anything I can imagine doing after this that would be as demanding, as challenging, or rewarding."

The CNN/Opinion Research survey, taken last Friday and Saturday, said 65 percent of respondents had a favorable view of Clinton, including 92 percent of Democrats and 64 percent of independents. Thirty-one percent overall, and six out of 10 Republicans, had a negative opinion. The survey of 1,023 adults had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

Mrs. Clinton, who has been connected with public service for most of her adulthood, said she wants to return to private life, possibly as an advocate for women and children. If she is asked, she said she would not accept another cabinet position or the vice presidency. And she said she would not run for president in 2016. "I have no intention or any idea even of running again," Clinton said.

Watch Wolf Blitzer's interview with Clinton, courtesy CNN.



 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>dailyguidancePolitics Daily Staff2011-03-17T10:36:00+00:00Obama Jokes for His Supper at His First Gridiron Dinner Appearance as Presidenthttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/13/obama-jokes-for-his-supper-at-his-first-appearance-at-exclusive/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/13/obama-jokes-for-his-supper-at-his-first-appearance-at-exclusive/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/13/obama-jokes-for-his-supper-at-his-first-appearance-at-exclusive/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bowing to precedent -- and perhaps the advice of his 2012 campaign staff -- President Obama attended a Gridiron Dinner on Saturday night for the first time since winning the White House.

He had skipped the two previous white-tie banquets and amateur theatricals where some of Washington's top journalists spoof the political/media establishment in song, dance and ridiculous costumes. But on Saturday night, Obama duly snarked for his supper by mocking himself, potential rivals and the tradition-bound club that even in this age of Twitter and You Tube, steadfastly bars TV coverage.

As commander-in-chief, he signaled Marine Gunnery Sgt. Kevin Bennear, one of the club's musically gifted ringer members, to "play that song we talked about," meaning the loud and proud "Born in the U-S-A, Born in the U-S-A" refrain made famous by Bruce Springsteen.

"Some things just bear repeating," Obama said of the lyrics, as if there might be any birthers questioning his citizenship among more than 630 politicians, government and media heavyweights who packed the Renaissance Hotel ballroom for the priciest and most exclusive of Washington's press celebrations of itself. ($300 per ticket, and a fraction of the more than 2,000 expected at next month's White House Correspondents' Association Dinner).

Then, taking aim at his hosts, whose predecessors entertained their first White House guests 126 years ago, Obama ticked off the heady events of 2011 that topped old regimes elsewhere in the world and said, "Look out, Gridiron Club."

Related Stories

He had other targets, of course, some of them in the audience and most already ridiculed onstage in elaborately costumed Republican and Democratic skits.

Commenting on the "unusual skin tone" (translate orange) of the absent Speaker John Boehner, Obama said he used to think it was a tan until he saw how often his nemesis got weepy: "I realize that's not a tan, it's rust."

Noting a new civility (really?) that has "people with strong disagreements getting along as never before," Obama cited Mitt Romney, the "former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate working together by sharing a host body. It's inspiring...and creepy."

Obama thanked the rotund Republican Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi -- not known for his athleticism -- for backing first lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" anti-obesity initiative. "Haley, when Michelle said you should run, she didn't mean for president," the president said.

As for the also-absent Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Obama said her passion for recent Middle East regime change made it "hard to sleep with Hillary out on Pennsylvania Avenue shouting and throwing rocks."

The president had barbs for the dinner's two other speakers, Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana, a possible 2012 White House contender, and Democratic Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, a former Kansas governor who has struggled to push Obama's embattled health care plan.

"Mitch tore into his filet like it was a public employee," Obama said of Daniels, who reversed the requirement that state workers be union members. He cited Daniels's prior experience as a pharmaceutical executive and President George W. Bush's budget chief. "I don't have a joke here," Obama said. "I just wanted to put that out."

Having asked his own cabinet members to "cut things they care about, in Kathleen's case it was her once-promising political career."

Earlier Daniels, his right arm in a sling following rotator cuff surgery, went after Obama by recalling the Democratic candidate's private remarks to big party donors about conservatives clinging hard to their guns and their religion. "Mr. President, until I get this thing off, I can cling to my gun or my Bible, but not both," Daniels said.

At 5 feet 7 inches and balding, Daniels, who said he's still mulling whether to run, ticked off
a string adjectives used to describe him in recent news stories. "Small, stiff, short, pale, unimposing, unassuming, uninspiring, understated, uncharismatic, accountant-like, non-telegenic, boring, balding, blunt, nerdy, wooden, wonky, puny, and pint-sized," he said. "Really, it all points to one inescapable conclusion: It's destiny!"

In her speech, Sebelius told Daniels they had much in common. "We're both Midwest governors, we've both been cabinet members and neither of us is going to be president in 2012," she said.

Saying one reason she took her current job was because "it came with great health insurance," Sebelius then announced a plan to put TSA airport screeners in the HHS building "making it a lot easier for the businessman on the go by allowing him to get a boarding pass and a colonoscopy at the same time."

Among all that levity a couple of backstories played out.

At a time of toxic partisanship in Washington, the 65-member Gridiron Club (disclosure alert: I was tapped to join in 1990) and its swank dinner offers the chance for political adversaries to share a night of conversation, merriment, political gossip and agenda promoting.

But it's also the kind of gathering that make cynical voters outside the Beltway think there's not a dime's worth of difference between the two political parties, and that the relationship between the pols and the press is entirely too cozy and elitist.

The Gridiron president, Susan Page of USA Today, took note of that when she said in her welcoming speech that all those swells dressing up in white tie and sipping fine wine and hanging out for an evening "is exactly what the tea party suspected."

Then there is the irony of the Gridiron's policy of barring TV cameras, photographers and non-member, non-guest journalists from covering the dinner.

This is the 25th consecutive year C-SPAN has been denied access, prompting Mark Knoller, longtime White House correspondent for CBS Radio and not a Gridiron member, to Tweet that although Gridiron members attending the event are allowed to cover it, "barring WH press pool coverage of a presidential event is indefensible."

But Page told Politics Daily that transparency is maintained by all those reporters at the dinner who file stories after it's over, and who attend the Friday dress rehearsal to see the costumes and hear the lyrics. She also told me there is no great move afoot among members to push for TV cameras inside the room.

In part, it's to preserve a little mystery and exclusivity. But let's not kid ourselves. There probably aren't too many Gridiron members -- or their bosses who pick up the considerable dinner tab - very eager to end up on C-SPAN or You Tube dressed as a Hell's Angel, a drag queen or a dancing oil rig.

As Obama left the ballroom Saturday night, he had one bit of cheery news for the crowd: "The bar will be open till midnight and last time I checked, so will the government." Actually, the after-party was still going strong early Sunday.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>Haley BarbourAnnie Groer2011-03-13T11:48:00+00:00Libya and Iraq: Two Ways of Opposing a Tyrant -- but One Stole the Nation's Pridehttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/05/libya-and-iraq-two-ways-of-opposing-a-tyrant-but-one-stole-t/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/05/libya-and-iraq-two-ways-of-opposing-a-tyrant-but-one-stole-t/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/05/libya-and-iraq-two-ways-of-opposing-a-tyrant-but-one-stole-t/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,

The historic anti-authoritarian, pro-democratic uprisings that have swept across North Africa raise an intriguing and troubling question: Absent American intervention, could a similar movement have unseated Iraq's Saddam Hussein?

Communism came to Eastern Europe in the kit bag of the Red Army, according to the old glib-but-accurate gibe. This is essentially how the U.S. military installed democracy in Iraq.

Related Stories

It didn't have to be that way. In the wake of Operation Desert Storm in 1991, which pushed the Iraqi army out of Kuwait, U.S. policy-makers urged Iraq's Shia and Kurds to rise up against the reeling regime. Then, when they did, American forces left them to be crushed by the dictator's untender mercies (just as the Dulles brothers did with Hungarian freedom fighters in 1956). Under George W. Bush, neo-cons insisted that the oppressed and demoralized Iraqi people would never again summon the wherewithal to overthrow Hussein on their own, so the U.S. had to invade.

However, events in Libya, Egypt and Tunisia challenge that assumption. True, Iraq's Sunni-dominated army was in no way a potentially neutral (and decisive) third force, as it was in Tunisia and Egypt. At the time, political observers saw just one alternative to invasion for deposing Hussein: a bloody, U.S.-instigated military coup. Without the invasion, Bush administration strategists might now argue, the regime could have lasted another decade, and made untold mischief in the region. But what if they were wrong?

What has been sacrificed in the intervening years? For us, thousands of American lives and hundreds of billions of dollars. On the Iraqi side, hundreds of thousands of lives -- many, if not most, civilians -- and untold damage to infrastructure. But in the process, something more enduring was also taken from the Iraqi people: their history, and not just the antiquities looted from the National Museum in the wake of the invasion.

Unlike other nations in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia that cherish their revolutionary and anti-colonial origins, Iraqis will always know that their freedom was handed to them by a foreign power. Even the war's greatest photo op -- pulling down Saddam's statue in a Baghdad square -- was accomplished with a U.S. military vehicle.

In Libya, Western military intervention may yet prove crucial -- it's no coincidence the U.S. Marine anthem includes the phrase, "to the shores of Tripoli," recalling another action. But if it does there will be little question that the bulk of the credit should go to the Libyan people who mounted the insurrection, doing their own fighting and dying in the face of daunting odds.

As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the House Foreign Affairs Committee Tuesday, "We are also very conscious of the desire by the Libyan opposition forces that they be seen as doing this by themselves on behalf of the Libyan people, that there not be outside intervention by any external force. Because they want this to have been their accomplishment. We respect that."

Even Iraq's foreign minister, Hoshiyar Zebari, acknowledged the lesson in his opening remarks to the Arab League in Cairo on Wednesday, saying all of the region's governments "desire for no foreign intervention" in Libya.

"We hope the Libyan people can overcome these difficult conditions, and that the Libyan leaders take brave stands to stop bloodshed and respect the legitimate desires and rights of its people to live in a free, democratic nation," Zebari said, according to a Reuters report.

Even if, in the end, Western military intervention does prove critical to victory, it will fall into the category of support, much like the French, Polish and Irish assistance provided to the 18th century American revolutionaries. American conservatives don't like to admit it, but the French fleet ensured the colonists' final triumph at Yorktown.

In Afghanistan, the national narrative was already established long before U.S. troops arrived. The country has defeated foreign invaders and occupiers for centuries, up to and including the Red Army of the Soviet Union. In all likelihood, they will simply wait out the Americans and the client regime in Kabul, and go back to telling their country's glorious story in classrooms and around campfires.

All that has been taken from the Iraqis -- forever.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>Iraq warlibyaMoammar GadhafiSaddam HusseinMark I. Pinsky2011-03-05T22:00:00+00:00Obama Scores Human-Rights Victory With Libya Response -- but Can It Last?http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/01/obama-scores-human-rights-victory-with-libya-response-but-can/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/01/obama-scores-human-rights-victory-with-libya-response-but-can/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/01/obama-scores-human-rights-victory-with-libya-response-but-can/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Moving at lightning speed over the weekend, President Obama and members of his administration tackled the crisis in Libya with both finesse and brute force, dispelling criticism that they've been slow to respond with a series of moves that showed America had taken a definitive -- and aggressive -- position in the emergency.

But to those in the global community looking to Libya as a potential model for international action on human rights and crimes against humanity, the reality is perhaps far muddier.

Related Stories

Much of the administration's initial foot dragging on Libya was cautionary -- intended to buy time as the U.S. government secured the exit of several hundred Americans inside the country. Once their evacuation was complete on Friday morning, the administration moved quickly.

On Friday evening, Obama announced sanctions against Moammar Gadhafi, his government and close associates. By Saturday, the U.N. Security Council had mustered unanimous Security Council consent to refer Libya to the International Criminal Court -- a feat never before achieved, especially given China's historic resistance to ICC referrals (China holds a permanent seat on the council).

On Monday, the administration went one step further: freezing an estimated $30 billion in government assets belonging to Gadhafi and those in his family -- the largest single asset freeze in history.

An effort to establish a no-fly zone over Libya was being led by U.S. allies in Britain, U.S. warships had entered the region, and analysts had begun trumpeting the uprisings in the Middle East as a blow to al-Qaeda.

In a press conference Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney sought to claim this victory -- however indirectly: "One thing that has been abundantly clear in these last several weeks is that the unrest we've seen in the region is not inspired by al-Qaeda," he said, "but is in fact demonstrative of a movement within this region of the world that is wholly counter to everything that al-Qaeda believes in."

And the rhetoric, too, scaled up. U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, in an earlier press conference, called Gadhafi "delusional," while Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in Geneva, called for the Libyan leader to step down immediately.

By Tuesday afternoon, Clinton announced she was considering asking the Department of Justice and FBI to look into possible criminal prosecution of Gadhafi for the 1988 bombing of a passenger plane over Lockerbie, Scotland that killed 270 people.

Taken in sum, the American actions on Libya gave heart to many activists who have been frustrated by the Obama administration's relatively slow pace on human rights issues. Those who hoped Obama would put human rights on the front burner once elected have been disappointed with his reticence -- especially in dealings with powerful nations like China.

According to Mark Hanis, president of the Genocide Intervention Network, an advocacy group focused on mass atrocities, "The planets are aligning on [Libya]. The success should serve as a case study as to how quickly the U.S. and its partners can work to mount a multilateral response" in cases of government-sponsored violence.

But even Hanis -- who has worked on behalf of countries including Sudan and Burma, where oppression is no stranger -- was straightforward in his assessment about what separates Libya from other troubled hotspots. Speaking to the very visible, widespread violence, he said, "Gadhafi presents an easy narrative: This guy equals Bad. Innocent civilians equals Good. It's not alphabet soup -- as it is in Congo, where the situation is harder to define."

One human rights expert, speaking confidentially, was blunt in his assessment of Security Council actions. As the body deliberated an ICC referral and sanctions, Libya's permanent representative compared Gadhafi to Pol Pot and Hitler, proclaiming his allegiance to the revolutionaries and calling for the international body to "Save Libya."

Top Gadhafi officials had also begun to defect, and the Arab League, a powerful regional body, had condemned the Libyan leader for "the heinous crimes against unarmed citizens."

With news reports detailing violence against citizens, the expert reasoned that China had nowhere to go. As much as the Chinese had rejected ICC intervention in previous cases -- it would not stand alone as the sole supporter of a leader who had been roundly dismissed by nearly all parties involved.

With key regional support shored up -- and international consensus -- both the U.N. and the White House were free to ramp up the rhetoric and pursue aggressive measures. Though it remains to be seen what may be pursued militarily, armed forces experts have expressed skepticism that the U.S. will send combat troops into the region.

Jared Genser, president of Freedom Now, a nonprofit which seeks the release of political prisoners and counts among its clients jailed Chinese Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobao, called Libya "the perfect storm" and remains skeptical that the same force of action can -- or will -- happen as expediently in other hotspots around the globe.

In Zimbabwe, where Genser is currently representing 45 activists who have been allegedly tortured and charged with treason for watching video coverage of the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, the likelihood of concerted international action remains far bleaker, both for the scale of violence and the nature of the conflict.

In places like the Congo, Sudan, Zimbabwe and Burma, where governments have long battled resistance movements and gained certain success in dismantling them -- whether through arrest or intimidation -- the prospect of swift, multilateral action endorsed by regional bodies and government officials remains dim.

Still, according to Genser, "People are emboldened by what they see around the world. And this is a moment for the people to look at these repressive regimes."

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>BurmaGadhafiGenocide Intervention Networklibyano fly zonesancations against LibyaSudanSusan RiceUN sanctionUN Security CouncilZimbabweAlex Wagner2011-03-01T22:23:00+00:00Bahrain Massacre: White House Respondshttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/20/bahrain-massacre-white-house-responds/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/20/bahrain-massacre-white-house-responds/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/20/bahrain-massacre-white-house-responds/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Follow the Trussell cartoons
on Twitter at ChaosTheoryPD

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>algeriaalgeria protestsarabbahrainbahrain protestsBarack ObamaCrackdowndictatordictatorsdictatorshipegyptegypt democracy demonstrationsegypt demonstrationsegypt protestsHillary ClintonIraniran protestsjordanjordan protestslibyalibya demonstrationslibya protestsmiddle eastmilitarynorth africapeaceful protestpoliceprotestprotesterprotestersprotestsrevolutionshootingTunisiatunisia protestsunrestuprisinguprisingsviolenceYemenyemen demonstrationsyemen protestsRobert and Donna Trussell2011-02-20T10:20:00+00:00Hillary Clinton's Plan for 2016: Beaches and Speecheshttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/15/hillary-clintons-plan-for-2016-beaches-and-speeches/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/15/hillary-clintons-plan-for-2016-beaches-and-speeches/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/15/hillary-clintons-plan-for-2016-beaches-and-speeches/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Two years into her term as secretary of state, former first lady and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton spoke with Harper's Bazaar about her favorite TV shows, becoming a grandmother and women in politics.

She also may have taken some measure of credit for the Obama administration's success in passing health care reform legislation, a cause she lobbied for in 1993 and 1994 to the detriment of her reputation.

Clinton tells the magazine that she doesn't give much thought to how she's perceived, and believes some disapproval of her is a result of the issues she championed.
"Like, for example, as we've seen recently with President Obama, when you take on health care, you are going to be heavily criticized. I took it on as first lady," she says, recalling the 1993 Clinton health-care plan, which died in Congress. "It was a very difficult experience, but it was the right thing to do. It laid the groundwork for what I hope will be a lasting, major accomplishment of this administration. But it had so much less to do with me than the fact that I was willing to take on a hard issue."
While her husband's health has been a public concern, Clinton's energy is notable. She works with a personal trainer in Washington up to three times a week, and when she's home in New York, she does yoga. She also relaxes by watching "Grey's Anatomy" and keeping things organized.

She likes to "clean out a closet, a kitchen drawer, anything that has a beginning, a middle, and an end, because much of what I do goes on and on and on," she says.

Clinton also enjoys spending time with her daughter, who married Marc Mezvinsky last summer in Rhinebeck, N.Y., the state she represented for eight years in the U.S. Senate.

When people aren't speculating about the state of Chelsea Clinton's new marriage, they're wondering when the newlyweds will have children. Clinton has said before that she'd like to be a grandmother. She tells Laura Brown what kind of grandmother she'd be.
"Probably an unbearable one, the kind who is saying, 'Oh, my gosh, I'll take the child, I'll do whatever you need to get done.' "
Though Clinton may have a "for country gene," she says Chelsea -- who campaigned with her in 2008 -- has expressed no interest in politics. Any female candidate will face special obstacles, Clinton tells Harper's Bazaar.
"Being a serious candidate for president as a woman brought out all the stuff that still exists about that ... Some of it was personal, some of it was gender based, and you kind of accept it. I think that if you live long enough, you realize that so much of what happens in life is out of your control, but how you respond to it is in your control. That's what I try to remember."
Amid speculation about whether she will continue for a second term as secretary of state or possibly move to the Department of Defense, Clinton says that after her government work ends, "I'd probably teach international relations, current events, something involving women's roles and rights around the world. I have no idea what I'm going to do, but I have a lot of interests that I hope to fulfill. And then an occasional beach, an occasional time-out."

And as for another run for president, the magazine says, " 'I have no thoughts for 2016,' she says with a benevolent smile. 'Beaches ... speeches.' "

This is not Clinton's first appearance in a fashion magazine. Clinton appeared in "Vogue" during her White House years, but was criticized for refusing to appear in its pages while running for president because she was worried she would "look too feminine." She did appear in Anna Wintour's magazine in January 2009.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>1993 Clinton health care planChelsea ClintondailyguidanceHarpers Bazaarhillary+clintonhillaryclintonVogueJulie Moos2011-02-15T15:50:00+00:00Obama Now Backs Gradual Transition in Egypt as Crisis Continueshttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/05/obama-now-backs-gradual-transition-in-egypt/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/05/obama-now-backs-gradual-transition-in-egypt/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/05/obama-now-backs-gradual-transition-in-egypt/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

With the sands shifting in the crisis in Egypt, the Obama administration on Saturday gave its support to a gradual transition in government to prepare for new elections in September.

The decision to support efforts by Egypt's vice president, Gen. Omar Suleiman, to forge a compromise with opposition groups was announced by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at a conference of European leaders in Munich, the New York Times reported.

Clinton's statement was a departure from President Obama's demands as recently as Friday afternoon calling on the Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, to make immediate changes and consider whether he should leave office soon in the face of the 12-day-long popular uprising and violent clashes in his country.

"This takes some time," Clinton said, explaining that it was important to support Suleiman as he tries to engage opposition groups to end the street protests. "There are certain things that have to be done in order to prepare."


Related Stories

The White House said the president made a number of calls to foreign leaders Saturday. He discussed his concern about the targeting of journalists and human rights groups, and reaffirmed that the government of Egypt has a responsibility to protect the rights of its people and to release immediately those who have been unjustly detained. The president emphasized the importance of an orderly, peaceful transition.

Clinton's statement suggested that Washington was not insisting that Mubarak leave office first. According to the Times, she said that Mubarak, having announced that he would not seek reelection in September, has in effect taken himself out of the political picture.

The U.S. government's call for gradual change was supported by Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain, Turkey's foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu and other countries represented at the conference.

It appeared that the U.S. and its allies have decided that the best and safest way out of the crisis in Egypt -- a tinderbox that threatens to incite unrest in other Middle Eastern nations -- is a gradual change in government led by Suleiman. He is a key figure in Egypt's establishment and has backing from the military.

Vice President Biden spoke by phone Saturday with Suleiman and stressed "the need for a concrete reform agenda, a clear timeline, and immediate steps that demonstrate to the public and the opposition that the Egyptian government is committed to reform," the White House said.

The United States, and the other like-minded governments, are seeking a transition to democratic pluralism that would keep the Muslim Brotherhood from becoming a dominant political force in the post-Mubarak era, according to Carl Bernstein, writing in The Daily Beast Saturday.

Obama and Hillary Clinton "have been working toward a solution that would permit him [Mubarak] to stay for a brief period as a powerless, de facto head of state," Bernstein wrote. "He would remain as such until new mechanisms, and perhaps a new Egyptian constitution, are in place."

Bernstein said a transition government under Suleiman could amend the constitution, end the state of emergency under which Murabak has ruled since 1981, and propose reforms including rights to assembly, free speech, religious freedom, presidential term limits, and the rules for the next presidential election, set for September.

Meantime, in Cairo, it was not clear whether a gradual transition would satisfy the pro-democracy protest movement which has demanded Mubarak's overthrow and the creation of a reformist government.

On Saturday, thousands of protesters held forth at Tahrir Square, but with foggy and drizzly weather the crowd seemed smaller than in past days.

Other major developments underlined the combustible situation in Cairo.

An assassination attempt on General Suleiman earlier this week was reported by Fox News and other media outlets but denied by the Egyptian government. Still, Fox News said a motorcade accompanying Suleiman was attacked but the general was not harmed.

In Munich, Secretary of State Clinton took note of the unconfirmed assassination attempt and, separately, an explosion at a gas pipeline in the Sinai Peninsula.

She said it "certainly brings into sharp relief the challenges we are facing as we navigate through this period."

In possible fallout from the uprising, it was reported by Al Arabiya television and other news media that Mubarak had resigned as head of the national ruling party and that other party leaders had also quit on Saturday, including Mubarak's son, Gamal. But late Saturday, Al Arabiya retracted the report that President Mubarak had left the party leadership. However, MSNBC confirmed that other party leaders, including Gamal Mubarak, had indeed resigned. The Associated Press also said ruling party leaders had relinquished their posts.

As the uprising ebbs and flows in Cairo, a consensus appears to be building among diplomats, heads of state and other experts that Mubarak should not be pushed out immediately and that gradual change and orderly elections are the best course for moving away from the upheaval that imperils the heart of the Arab world and the security of Israel.

By the end of the day in Cairo, the demonstrators were still in Tahrir Square and Mubarak remained in the presidential palace.

Around the world, protests were called to support the revolt. In the U.S., demonstrations were planned in California and Louisiana. And hundreds gathered in the cold rain in front of the United Nations in New York City to show solidarity with the Egyptian protesters.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>Ahmet DavutogluAl ArabiyaAngela MerkelArab worldCairo uprisingdailyguidanceDavid CameronEgypt revoltFox NewsGamal MubarakHenry KissingerHillary Rodham ClintonHosni MubarakIsraelMiddle East and North Africa MENA fundMSNBCNeil CavutoObama administrationOmar SuleimanPresident Barack ObamaSecretary of State Hillary Rodham ClintonSenator Lindsay GrahamLuisita Lopez Torregrosa2011-02-05T15:46:00+00:00Chelsea Clinton in New York, Marc Mezvinsky in Wyoming, Still a 'Very Happy' Couple, Friend Sayshttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/03/chelsea-clinton-in-new-york-marc-mezvinsky-in-wyoming-still-a/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/03/chelsea-clinton-in-new-york-marc-mezvinsky-in-wyoming-still-a/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/03/chelsea-clinton-in-new-york-marc-mezvinsky-in-wyoming-still-a/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Is the state of the union of former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky, her husband of barely seven months, solid?

"The couple are very happy," a family friend told Politics Daily, in response to questions raised in media reports about why the two are currently living nearly 1,900 miles apart.

Clinton, 30, is in Manhattan pursuing her doctorate in public policy at New York University, while Mezvinsky, 34, who recently quit his financial sector job at G3 Capital, is spending a few months skiing and snowboarding in Jackson Hole, Wyo.

The National Enquirer cited a "close" source saying Chelsea asked her parents, former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton -- "if they could help her get an annulment" after a serious argument with Mezvinsky over when she would get pregnant.

"These reports are completely false," the family friend told me.

Related Stories

It's not as if the two hadn't already spent years together before doing the two-state tango. They met in the 1990s, started dating in 2005, got engaged at Thanksgiving 2009 and tied the knot last summer in a lavish wedding in Rhinebeck, N.Y.

It's not as if Marc, who worked for Goldman Sachs before joining G3, didn't make enough money to pay $4 million for a Manhattan condo a few years back, and has probably socked away enough since then to take off for a few months before looking for his next gig.

It's not as if Chelsea, always a conscientious student, couldn't study just as hard in his absence and then, every now and again, hop a private jet owned by some family friend, for a hassle-free flight to Jackson Hole.

While Marc's parents -- former Democratic Reps. Edward Mezvinsky of Iowa and Marjorie Margolies of Pennsylvania -- have kept scrupulously silent on the suject of the couple,
Chelsea's father and mother have spoken openly and longingly about the next generation.

Bill Clinton has made it clear he'd like to be a grandfather. Then, speaking for his wife, he noted, "I'll tell you this: Hillary wants to be a grandmother much more than she ever wanted to be a president." Descibing Chelsea's marriage to Mezvinsky, he said, "I've known this guy for half his life...and they've been friends a long time. I admire him, I love him and I think it was time for her to do it. I trust my daughter. She has always had good judgment about life."

Hillary Clinton also weighed in with this statement: "Let me just say, I love babies, so you know, maybe I'll have more in my life some day," describing herself as "absolutely" ready for grandmotherhood. Both Clintons "spend as much time with our daughter and [her] husband as they will let us. So we, luckily, live in New York near where they live, because that gives us an easier chance to get together for dinner or go to the theater or just hang out. And we're always looking for excuses to do that."

Perhaps they'll also hit Jackson Hole some time soon.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>chelsea+clintonchelsea+clinton+annulmentchelsea+clinton+newschelseaclintonchelseaclintonannulmentchelseaclintonnewsGoldman Sachshillary+clintonhillaryclintonJackson Holemarc+mezvinskymarcmezvinskyNational EnquirerWyo.Annie Groer2011-02-03T20:30:00+00:00Egyptian Crisis Biggest Foreign Test Yet for Obama Administrationhttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/31/egyptian-crisis-biggest-foreign-test-yet-for-obama-administratio/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/31/egyptian-crisis-biggest-foreign-test-yet-for-obama-administratio/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/31/egyptian-crisis-biggest-foreign-test-yet-for-obama-administratio/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

WASHINGTON -- A week of protests in Egypt neared a climax as a million people prepared to march in Cairo and the army vowed to recognize "the legitimacy of the people's demands," all but spelling the end of President Hosni Mubarak's iron-fisted rule and signaling the start of a new strategic relationship for the United States.

"Orderly transition means change," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, explaining what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meant when she said the United States was "ready to help with the kind of transition that will lead to greater political and economic freedom."

Though no one in the administration has directly called on Mubarak to step down after nearly three decades in office, the State Department said Monday that former Ambassador to Egypt Frank Wisner was in Cairo to meet Egyptian officials to help them plan for free and fair elections.

Related Stories

Noting that, "It is not up to us to determine when the grievances of the Egyptian people have been met by the Egyptian government," Gibbs dismissed Mubarak's cabinet shuffling as irrelevant. "This is not about appointments; it's about actions," he said.

As arguably the most serious foreign policy crisis of the Obama administration unfolded at break-neck speed in the streets of Cairo and other Egyptian cities, the White House and diplomats at the State Department have struggled to keep up with developments. At the same time, they have kept an eye out for trouble in nearby countries, especially Yemen. Already a basket case before recent street protests, the al-Qaeda sanctuary is ground zero in the U.S. fight against terrorism.

National security officials huddled with Egypt experts in the White House while the president spoke by phone to leaders in the region. Those in Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Jordan, among others, fear the revolution that began in Tunisia could target them next.

In a telling window on how the region's autocrats view the situation in Egypt, a Saudi readout of a conversation between Obama and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia spoke of "the tragic events taking place currently in Egypt, which have been accompanied by chaos, looting, intimidation of innocents, exploitation of freedom and expression, and attempts to ignite the flames of chaos to achieve their suspicious goals, which are not approved by Saudi, U.S. sides."

That was far from the more measured tone taken by the White House to describe Obama's calls to foreign leaders.

'Flustered at first'

Officials were "a little bit flustered at first" by the protests -- Vice President Joe Biden told the PBS News Hour that Mubarak is not a dictator -- but Boston University international relations professor Richard Augustus Norton said overall, the administration has done a good job of reacting.

Republican leaders backed up that assessment, as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to criticize how the administration was handling the crisis.

The best the White House can do -- and appears to be doing behind the scenes -- is communicate "the hopelessness of the situation to President Mubarak," said Nathan Brown, an expert on Arab politics at George Washington University.

The dual nature of diplomacy -- especially as practiced in the Middle East -- has complicated the administration's response to the popular uprising in Egypt. Just as WikiLeaks has been credited with setting off the revolution in Tunisia, leaked cables about Egypt illustrate a complex relationship of subtle shifts between coddling and arm-twisting.

"We have closed our eyes to Mubarak because he has been useful to us in other ways," said Marina Ottaway, director of the Middle East program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The same realpolitik has been in play in the relation with Yemen, Algeria and other dictatorial regimes in the region that the United States has taken it easy on in order to secure help for fighting terrorism.

All are examples of "the tradeoff between democracy and stability where the United States chooses stability," Ottaway said. As in Egypt, "In the end, it doesn't lead to stability at all."

Still, the spectre of Iran's Islamist revolution in 1979, which ended the autocratic reign of the CIA-installed Shah in favor of the fiery cleric Ayatollah Khomeini, has prompted many U.S. policymakers to opt for stability first, free elections second.

Much of that calculus has to do with Israel, which looks to the turmoil in Egypt -- its first partner for peace -- with more than a little trepidation. One of the country's leading commentators, Aluf Benn, wrote in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that just as Jimmy Carter is remembered as "the president who lost Iran," Obama will be known as the president "who 'lost' Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt, and during whose tenure America's alliances in the Middle East crumbled."

Apart from the work-in-progress in Iraq, Israel may be the only democracy in the Middle East, but its fears are founded on previous U.S. efforts to foster free elections in the region.
President George W. Bush's encouragement of elections in Gaza backfired against U.S. interests when Palestinians voted the Islamist group Hamas into power.

Still, Norton said the United States is unlikely to support any transition government that doesn't assure Israel's security as laid out in the Camp David peace agreement. While many Egyptians refer to Israel in conversation as "the enemy," he said, the generals who will play a critical part in the new government are unlikely to jeopardize the $1.3 billion in military aid the army gets each year from the United States or risk a war with Israel at a time when they have much bigger problems to contend with.

U.S. is a 'spectator'

Despite its financial sway, "It's important to keep in mind that the United States is not going to change the course of events in Egypt or anywhere else," Ottaway said. "The United States is really a spectator to a phenomenon that has taken on a life of its own."

Which is not to say that Obama, who went to Cairo just months after taking office to declare a "new beginning" with the Muslim and Arab world and spoke forcefully for democracy, should not recalibrate U.S. policy.

Egypt gave Obama a thumbs down in a favorability rating in a recent Pew Research Center survey of global attitudes.

"The administration should reject the old way of doing business -- investing in institutions and leaders (like Mubarak) that lack credibility with their own people," wrote Brian Katulis of the Center for American Progress.

One institution that does have credibility among a large segment of the Egyptian population is the Muslim Brotherhood, the world's oldest Islamist political movement. Fears that equated the group with al-Qaeda have long caused the U.S. to look the other way as Mubarak jailed its leaders and suppressed its influence.

The U.S. must accept that the Muslim Brotherhood will be part of the next government, Ottaway said, just as moderate Islamist parties rule or wield influence in Turkey and Morocco. "We have to get over the fear," she said.

U.S. officials must also realize that "the strategic ramifications of this are potentially enormous but they are still unclear" George Washington University's Brown said.

"Our close, if sometimes testy, relationship with Egypt has been a cornerstone of U.S. policy since before the disco era," he said. "We need to go back to the drawing board."

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>Aluff BennFrank WisnerHillary ClintonHosni MubarakKing AbdullahMarina OttawayMuslim BrotherhoodRobert GibbsYemenAndrea Stone2011-01-31T21:00:00+00:00Egyptian Opposition Groups Uniting Behind Mohamed ElBaradeihttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/31/egyptian-opposition-groups-uniting-behind-mohamed-elbaradei/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/31/egyptian-opposition-groups-uniting-behind-mohamed-elbaradei/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/31/egyptian-opposition-groups-uniting-behind-mohamed-elbaradei/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Opposition groups in Egypt calling for the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak have begun to unify behind Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel peace laureate and former head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency, according to news reports.

ElBaradei, who returned to Egypt only last week, briefly joined an estimated 50,000 protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square who have defied curfews and clashed with the military. "You are the owners of this revolution," he told the crowd. "You are the future. Our essential demand is the departure of the regime and the beginning of a new Egypt in which each Egyptian lives in virtue, freedom and dignity."

At least 100 people have died in the protests, according to BBC News.

Related Stories

"Mr. ElBaradei's endorsement by the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest and best-organized opposition force, amounted to a historic display of unity between the country's secular and Islamist opposition forces," The Wall Street Journal said. "The umbrella organization that organized the protests formed a steering committee on Sunday under Mr. ElBaradei to pressure the regime for more political concessions, according to senior Brotherhood leaders."

The demonstrators have called for a general strike on Monday, as the protests enter their seventh day. Meanwhile, the police have returned to the streets after being absent for two days, BBC News reported.

The U.S. State Department is urging American citizens in Egypt to "consider leaving as soon as they can safely do so," Assistant Secretary Janice L. Jacobs said on Sunday. The United States is providing transport to a safe haven for Americans whose travel arrangements have been disrupted. The travelers will be required to reimburse the United States for the cost of their flights.

Over the weekend, President Obama telephoned the leaders of Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom to reiterate "his focus on opposing violence and calling for restraint; supporting universal rights, including the right to peaceful assembly, association and speech; and supporting an orderly transition to a government that is responsive to the aspirations of the Egyptian people," the White House said in a statement.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke in similar terms on Sunday news programs.

Asked on "Fox News Sunday" whether the "Obama administration still backs Mubarak as the legitimate president of Egypt," Clinton said: "We have been very clear that we want to see a transition to democracy. And we want to see the kind of steps taken that will bring that about. We also want to see an orderly transition."

She added: "What President Obama and I have been doing is sending a very clear message about where the United States stands. We want to see an orderly transition to a democratic government, to economic reforms, exactly what the protesters are seeking.

ElBaradei, who also appeared on the Sunday news programs, urged Obama to press Mubarak to give up power and said that failing to take more forceful action to make that happen will cost the United States "whatever is left" of its credibility.

"People expected the U.S. to be on the side of the people ... and to let go of a dictator, " ElBaradei said on ABC's "This Week."

ElBaradei said the response of Mubarak so far to the protests and calls for reform by the United States "doesn't even begin to address people's concerns. Peoples' concerns right now is Mubarak has to go, immediately. The first step, if we need to get out of this mess -- and it's total mess, security is not there, it's a total chaos situation right now -- first step, he has to go."

ElBaradei said, in his interview with ABC, that Obama's public statement, calling on Mubarak to undertake reforms, fell short of what was needed. "To ask a dictator to implement democratic measures after 30 years in power is an oxymoron," he said.

"They need to side with the people," ElBaradei said. "They need to go for ... transition, smooth transition, through a government of national salvation. This is only way out."
Speaking on the CNN's foreign affairs program "GPS," ElBaradei called Mubarak's response to the protests "a hopeless desperate attempt ... to stay in power."

Mubarak appeared on television Friday, promising reform, firing his cabinet and naming a vice president for the first time since he took power. But at the same time, he said he needed to protect the stability of the country and has deployed troops in the streets and cut off cell phone access, and access to the Internet.

The New York Times reported Sunday that the White House "has refrained from calling publicly for Mr. Mubarak to step down ... because it worried about losing its leverage over him and about contributing to a political vacuum in Egypt, which could be filled by extremist, anti-American forces."

However, ElBaradei said on CNN that "it is loud and clear from everybody in Egypt that Mubarak has to leave today, and it is non-negotiable for every Egyptian."

Asked about Obama's statements so far, he said, "I can tell you in honesty, as a friend of the U.S., that your policy right now is a failed policy, it is a policy that is lagging behind" and that the U.S. is "losing whatever is left of [its] credibility."

He said Mubarak will inevitably have to give up power and that "It's better for President Obama not to appear he is the last one to say to President Mubarak, 'It's time for you to go leave in dignity before things are going out of hand.'"

ElBaradei said that the fear a post-Mubarak Egypt would turn into another Islamic fundamentalist country like Iran "was a myth that was sold by the Mubarak regime" to keep the support of Western governments.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>Egyptegyptian+oppositionegyptian+opposition+groupsegyptianoppositionegyptianoppositiongroupselbaradeiHosni MubarakMohamed ElBaradeimohammed+el+baradeimohammedelbaradeiMuslim BrotherhoodCarla Baranauckas2011-01-31T03:00:00+00:00ElBaradei Says U.S. Should Tell Mubarak to Give Up Power in Egypthttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/30/elbaradei-says-u-s-should-tell-mubarak-to-give-up-power/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/30/elbaradei-says-u-s-should-tell-mubarak-to-give-up-power/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/30/elbaradei-says-u-s-should-tell-mubarak-to-give-up-power/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Mohamed ElBaradei, who has emerged as one of the leading opponents of the regime of President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, said Sunday that President Obama needed to press Mubarak to give up power and that failing to take more forceful action to make that happen will cost the United States "whatever is left" of its credibility.

"People expected the U.S. to be on the side of the people ... and to let go of a dictator, " ElBaradei said on ABC's "This Week."

ElBaradei said the response of Mubarak so far to the protests and calls for reform by the United States "doesn't even begin to address people's concerns. Peoples' concerns right now is Mubarak has to go, immediately. The first step, if we need to get out of this mess -- and it's total mess, security is not there, it's a total chaos situation right now -- first step, he has to go."

Later on Sunday, ElBaradei joined thousands of demonstrators gathered in Cairo's central square. "You are the owners of this revolution," he told the crowd. "You are the future. Our essential demand is the departure of the regime and the beginning of a new Egypt in which each Egyptian lives in virtue, freedom and dignity."

ElBaradei said, in his interview with ABC, that Obama's public statement, calling on Mubarak to undertake reforms, fell short of what was needed. "To ask a dictator to implement democratic measures after 30 years in power is an oxymoron," he said.

Related Stories

"They need to side with the people," ElBaradei said. "They need to go for ... transition, smooth transition, through a government of national salvation. This is only way out."

ElBaradei is the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency and a Nobel Prize winner. He returned to Egypt after the protests erupted against the government to join the opposition. He was placed under house arrest Friday afternoon.

Speaking on the CNN's foreign affairs program "GPS," ElBaradei called Mubarak's response to the protests "a hopeless desperate attempt ... to stay in power."

Mubarak appeared on television Friday, promising reform, firing his cabinet and naming a vice president for the first time since he took power. But at the same time, he said he needed to protect the stability of the country and has deployed troops in the streets and cut off cell phone access, and access to the Internet.

Appearing on the Sunday news shows, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the United States was not satisfied with steps taken by Mubarak so far, but she carefully finessed questions about whether the administration believed Mubarak needed to step down.

However, Clinton also put more distance between the administration and Mubarak by saying what was most important was not who was in power, but that Egypt become a true democracy.

"It's not a question of who retains power," she said on ABC. "That should not be the issue. It's how are we going to respond to the legitimate needs and grievances expressed by the Egyptian people and chart a new path."

Asked on "Fox News Sunday" whether the "Obama administration still backs Mubarak as the legitimate president of Egypt," Clinton said: "We have been very clear that we want to see a transition to democracy. And we want to see the kind of steps taken that will bring that about. We also want to see an orderly transition."

She added: "What President Obama and I have been doing is sending a very clear message about where the United States stands. We want to see an orderly transition to a democratic government, to economic reforms, exactly what the protesters are seeking."

When Clinton was asked on CBS' "Face the Nation" whether reform was possible if Mubarak stays in office, she said: "I'm not going to speculate. What we are focused on now is a transition that will meet the needs of the Egyptian people and that will truly establish democracy, not just for one election and then no more elections after that or not for radicals, extremists, violent elements to take over."

And on NBC's "Meet the Press," when asked whether she would like to see Mubarak stay in power, Clinton said to host David Gregory: "You keep trying to put words in my mouth. I've never said that, I don't intend to say that. I want the Egyptian people to have the chance to chart a new future. It needs to be an orderly, peaceful transition to real democracy. Not faux democracy, like the elections we saw in Iran two years ago where you have one election 30 years ago and then the people just keep staying in power and become less and less responsive to their people."

The New York Times reported Sunday that the White House "has refrained from calling publicly for Mr. Mubarak to step down ... because it worried about losing its leverage over him and about contributing to a political vacuum in Egypt, which could be filled by extremist, anti-American forces."

However, ElBaradei said on CNN that "it is loud and clear from everybody in Egypt that Mubarak has to leave today, and it is non-negotiable for every Egyptian."

Asked about Obama's statements so far, he said, "I can tell you in honesty, as a friend of the U.S., that your policy right now is a failed policy, it is a policy that is lagging behind" and that the U.S. is "losing whatever is left of [its] credibility."

He said Mubarak will inevitably have to give up power and that "It's better for President Obama not to appear he is the last one to say to President Mubarak, 'It's time for you to go leave in dignity before things are going out of hand.'"

ElBaradei said that the fear a post-Mubarak Egypt would turn into another Islamic fundamentalist country like Iran "was a myth that was sold by the Mubarak regime" to keep the support of Western governments.

He said the Muslim Brotherhood, which had the largest organized opposition to the government, did not pose the threat of turning Egypt into another Iran.

"This is totally bogus," ElBaradei said. "They are no way extremists. They are no way using violence. They are not a majority of the Egyptian people. They will not be more than maybe 20 percent of the Egyptian people. You have to include them like, you know, new evangelical, you know, groups in the U.S., like the orthodox Jews in Jerusalem."

ElBaradei said that there was a "100 percent difference" between Egypt and Iran.

Looking to the future, ElBaradei said, "There have been a number of declarations by different parts of Egyptian society, from right, left and center, mandating me to work with the army, with everybody in Egypt with the outside world ... to ensure a smooth transition."

However, he said that as of Sunday morning, he had not been in contact with army leaders.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>Egypt protestsHosni MubarakMohamed ElBaradeiBruce Drake2011-01-30T11:53:00+00:00Is Murdered Gay Activist David Kato the Gabrielle Giffords of Uganda?http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/28/is-murdered-gay-activist-david-kato-the-gabrielle-giffords-of-ug/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/28/is-murdered-gay-activist-david-kato-the-gabrielle-giffords-of-ug/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/28/is-murdered-gay-activist-david-kato-the-gabrielle-giffords-of-ug/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The bludgeoning death of gay activist David Kato this week in Uganda stunned the gay community around the world and prompted Kato's angry allies to point the finger of blame at Christian-fueled homophobia in the East African nation, and at conservative Christians in the United States who have long ties to anti-gay forces in Uganda.

"David's death is a result of the hatred planted in Uganda by U.S Evangelicals in 2009," Val Kalende, the woman who heads "Freedom and Roam Uganda," a gay rights group, said in a statement. "The Ugandan Government and the so-called U.S Evangelicals must take responsibility for David's blood."

Gay activists have been furious with Christian conservatives from America -- such as evangelist Rick Warren and politicians including Republican Sens. James Inhofe, Tom Coburn and Mike Enzi -- for their support of Christians campaigning against homosexual protections in Uganda, which has a notorious record of discrimination against gays.

The critics say that U.S.-based support was especially notable in a March 2009 forum in the capital, Kampala, that featured a trio of well-known Christian pastors from the so-called ex-gay movement. They say that forum helped inspire Christian parliamentarians in Uganda to propose draconian measures against gays and lesbians, including a bill pending in the Ugandan parliament that would allow for the death penalty for some homosexual activity.

Still, that legislation is only one manifestation of widespread anti-gay sentiment in Uganda.

Campaigns to publicly out homosexuals (or accuse political opponents of being gay, whether they are or not) are common in Uganda, and last September a Ugandan newspaper, Rolling Stone (no relation to the American magazine), ran a cover story ranting against gays and including David Kato's picture under a banner urging, "Hang Them." Anonymous death threats against Kato were increasing, as they were against many out gays and lesbians, especially after he won a judgment against Rolling Stone.

So it was hardly a surprise that, in an echo of the shootings in Tucson this month that targeted Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, gay rights groups and their supporters blamed homophobia and conservative Christians in particular for Kato's murder -- much as some liberals painted right-wing rhetoric as culpable for the Arizona massacre by a gunman police believe to be Jared Lee Loughner that claimed six lives and injured 13 people, including Giffords.

"Uganda's homophobic witch hunt claims the life of a prominent rights defender," was the title of a press release on Kato from the New York-based organization, Human Rights First. In Uganda, the gay activist group Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), issued a statement calling "on religious leaders, political leaders and media houses to stop demonizing sexual minorities in Uganda since doing so creates a climate of violence against gay persons." And the popular gay blogger Joe Jervis, known as "JoeMyGod," charged that some U.S. Christians were "complicit" in Kato's murder.

Related Stories

In Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Kato's killing "is a reminder of the heroic generosity of the people who advocate for and defend human rights on behalf of the rest of us -- and the sacrifices they make." And President Obama released a statement praising Kato's courage and pledging that "At home and around the world, LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered] persons continue to be subjected to unconscionable bullying, discrimination, and hate."

Yet like the Tucson shooting, the motives of the assailants remained murky despite the rush to connect them to homophobia.

Authorities were quick to declare that Kato was murdered in the course of a home invasion by a trio of men -- one of whom was in custody at last report -- a sadly prosaic explanation that could in fact turn out to be true given the volatility of the neighborhood where Kato lived.

Of course there could well be much more to the story given the politicized nature of criminal justice in Uganda. In his statement on Thursday, the head of the police investigation, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, seemed most concerned to head off speculation that Kato's murder was tied to his opposition to an anti-homosexuality bill in parliament, and to protect Uganda from international criticism.

"As police investigations are continuing, the public is asked to disregard any insinuations that have been attributed to this unfortunate incident," Kayihura said. "Uganda is a peaceful country and any crime of any nature is taken seriously and to its conclusive end." The statement was also published in a state-run newspaper that headlined its article, "Kayihura probes murder of homo Bill activist."

Apart from the uncertain motivations of the suspects, the reactions to Kato's death have other parallels to the responses to the Tucson shooting.

For example, many American conservatives started toning down their comments and use of violent imagery -- even as they argued that language and symbols did not inspire the Tucson gunman -- and there are signs some in Uganda and elsewhere are seeking a softer line after Kato's bludgeoning death.

An editorial in Friday's Daily Monitor of Kampala, Uganda's largest and most influential independent newspaper, called for an "honest national dialogue" about homosexuality and said gay Ugandans "enjoy the same rights and protections of the law as heterosexuals. We cannot send them into exile neither, lock them away, or hang them."

Jim Burroway of Box Turtle Bulletin, a gay rights blog that has closely followed events in Uganda, called the piece "among the most remarkable editorials I've read in years" and noted that gay activists in Uganda also called it "a real big deal."

The leadership of Exodus International, a U.S.-based Christian group that promotes methods to "convert" homosexuals to heterosexuality and has ties to anti-gay Christians in Uganda, issued a statement of condolences over Kato's murder and expressed opposition to policies "that would harshly punish, imprison and possibly execute those who have same-sex attractions and/or identify as gay."

And just as a few conservatives did after Tucson, some of Kato's opponents reacted to his death by taking the offensive.

Giles Muhame, editor of the Rolling Stone newspaper that outed Kato and dozens of others, told Reuters that he did not want to see Kato murdered but added: "We want the government to hang people who promote homosexuality, not for the public to attack them. We said they should be hanged, not stoned or attacked."

Pastor Martin Ssempa, who was close to Rick Warren until Warren publicly split with him following the 2009 outcry against the Ugandan anti-gay bill, told the BBC that Kato's death was not the result of homophobia but instead underscored the problem of "gay-on-gay bashing."

And Member of Parliament David Bahati, who has ties to conservative Christian politicians in Washington, told Uganda media that Kato's murder was unfortunate but was likely due to thieves seeking money Kato had been sent by gay activists overseas. Bahati said police should use the occasion of Kato's killing to "dismantle the illegal networks, particularly financial, which are being used to facilitate gay activities in Uganda, especially in schools. In Uganda most people feel like vomiting when they come across gay practitioners or activists."

American evangelical activists involved in the March 2009 symposium against homosexuality also reacted sharply.

"Naturally, I don't want anyone killed, but I don't feel I had anything to do with that," Don Schmierer told The New York Times. But he complained that now he was getting hate mail.

"I spoke to help people," he said, "and I'm getting bludgeoned from one end to the other."

Scott Lively, who worked with Schmierer, suggested that Kato may have been killed "by a gay lover" and said he would continue to speak against homosexuality even as he condemned violence.

"It is not wrong to speak against homosexuality any more than it is wrong to speak against other behavioral disorders such as alcoholism and bulemia, or other sexual sins such as adultery and polygamy," Lively wrote on the Defend the Family website. "Anyone who were to take such criticism as permission to hurt another person is simply crazy and you can't silence all legitimate criticism of a social problem because some crazy person might misconstue it."

In the end, Kato's brutal death, like the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords and the suicide of the gay college student Tyler Clementi in September, shocked the nation because it showed in vivid detail what ugly language looks like when it is embodied in actions -- whether those words inspired the deeds or not.

In the United States, at least, the shock and grief of the Arizona massacre led to the catharsis of a communal memorial service and a degree of self-examination. Uganda may have further to travel.

At Kato's funeral on Friday, after statements from Obama and others were read, scuffles broke out as an Anglican priest showed up and started using a microphone to denounce homosexuality. "The world has gone crazy," the pastor said. "People are turning away from the scriptures. They should turn back, they should abandon what they are doing. You cannot start admiring a fellow man."

Calm was eventually restored, but local villagers refused to bury the body and so a group of Kato's friends carried his coffin to the grave and buried it themselves.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>David KatoGabrielle GiffordshomophobiaRick WarrenUgandaDavid Gibson2011-01-28T21:47:00+00:00Interior Secretary Ken Salazar Skips State of the Union Speech as 'Designated Survivor'http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/26/interior-secretary-ken-salazar-skips-state-of-the-union-speech-a/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/26/interior-secretary-ken-salazar-skips-state-of-the-union-speech-a/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/26/interior-secretary-ken-salazar-skips-state-of-the-union-speech-a/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Did you miss the guy in the cowboy hat? Interior Secretary Ken Salazar was chosen by the White House as the missing man Tuesday night -- the Cabinet officer not attending the State of the Union speech to assure continuity of government in the event of a catastrophe.

Because the president, vice president, speaker of the House and other Cabinet members all gather in the Capitol for the speech each year, administrations since the 1960s have tapped one Cabinet official to stay away as a "designated survivor" in a worst case scenario.

Salazar, a former senator and native of Colorado, was President Obama's pick Tuesday night. Often seen wearing a wide-brimmed cowboy hat, he was confirmed as the nation's 50th secretary of the interior in January 2009. No word on how he spent his idle hours Tuesday night.

In 2010, Labor Secretary Shaun Donovan was the official absentee at the State of the Union address, although Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also missed it because she was at a conference in London.

In an era of tight security, the notion of an event wiping out a sizable share of the government may seem implausible. But last April, a plane carrying the Polish president, his wife, the deputy foreign minister, military chiefs and a dozen members of the Polish parliament crashed in Russia, killing all on board.

Folo Tom Diemer on Twitter http://twitter.com/tomdiemer

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>dailyguidanceKen SalazarTom Diemer2011-01-26T09:41:00+00:00And the Author of 'O' Is . . .http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/20/and-the-author-of-o-is/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/20/and-the-author-of-o-is/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/20/and-the-author-of-o-is/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



Follow the Trussell cartoons
on Twitter at ChaosTheoryPD

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>anonymousBarack ObamaBill ClintonBodogsfictionHillary ClintonnovelobamaObama Administrationobama dogObama Dog BoRobert and Donna Trussell2011-01-20T13:17:00+00:00Hillary Clinton Sees Second Term for Obama -- but Perhaps Not for Herselfhttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/19/hillary-clinton-sees-second-term-for-obama-but-perhaps-not-fo/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/19/hillary-clinton-sees-second-term-for-obama-but-perhaps-not-fo/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/19/hillary-clinton-sees-second-term-for-obama-but-perhaps-not-fo/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Hillary Clinton chuckled as she watched video of Dick Cheney predicting that her boss, President Obama, would be a one-term president.

"I am pleased that former Vice President Cheney is healthy and resuming public activity, but I could not disagree more," the secretary of state said Tuesday. Cheney recently had a heart-pump implanted in his chest and has lost weight.

Clinton, in an interview taped for NBC's "Today" show, said Obama is "playing the hand he was dealt by the Bush-Cheney administration very well indeed" and has worked hard to "rescue" the U.S. and global economy. She clearly expects he will serve a second term, although she may not go there with him.

Asked about her political future, Clinton said she will finish out this four-year stint with the administration, but has not made any commitment to staying on as secretary of state beyond 2012. "I have said I am looking forward to returning to private life," she said, noting, "I do look forward to having a little more spare time and a few more hours just to take a deep breath, which seems hard to have in this job."

She also dismissed speculation that she would replace Defense Secretary Robert Gates if he steps down as "just rumors. I am happy to stay where I am."

In the interview, Clinton also talked about U.S. relations with China as President Hu Jintao makes a state visit to Washington. She said the United States must "stand up" for its interests and values while also "looking for common ground" with China.

Watch the Clinton interview:


Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>dailyguidancerobert gatesTom Diemer2011-01-19T10:21:00+00:00Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton Pay Tribute to Richard Holbrooke at Memorialhttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/14/obama-bill-and-hillary-clinton-attend-holbrooke-memorial/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/14/obama-bill-and-hillary-clinton-attend-holbrooke-memorial/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/14/obama-bill-and-hillary-clinton-attend-holbrooke-memorial/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

World leaders gathered at Washington's Kennedy Center Friday to honor the legacy of Richard Holbrooke, a legendary figure in the world of foreign policy and a forceful diplomat who brokered peace in Vietnam and Bosnia.

Among those attending the ceremony were President Obama, President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton.

Holbrooke had been serving as the Obama administration's Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan when he suddenly took ill last month after a meeting at the White House. He died several days later.

The memorial was Obama's second of the week and his remarks, sober-minded and serious, stood in contrast to many of the more personal -- and upbeat -- anecdotes recounted by Holbrooke relatives and confidantes, including former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen.

"Richard possessed a hard-headed, clear-eyed realism about how the world works. He was not naïve. But he also believed that America has a unique responsibility in the course of human events," Obama said, recalling Holbrooke's impressive diplomatic resume, including efforts to bring peace to trouble spots and his service as ambassador to the United Nations.

Announcing a new diplomatic prize named in Holbrooke's honor, Obama said that "Richard bore the burden to assure the survival and success of liberty. He made a difference. Let us now carry that work forward in our time." According to a White House press release, the prize will "recognize up to 5 distinguished Americans who have made especially meritorious contributions to diplomacy," as selected by the president and secretary of state.

With attendees that ran the gamut from Hollywood heavy hitters (Robert DeNiro) to power brokers (Henry Kissinger). the memorial was not short of epic anecdotes. Secretary Clinton recalled Holbrooke's tenacity, saying, "Richard once followed me into a ladies room to make point. In Pakistan!" Kofi Annan spoke to his combativeness, saying, "Richard was the American who came in peace, however well disguised it may have been."

While each of the featured speakers noted Holbrooke's legendary brassiness and his tendency to cajole and pontificate until his point was made, they also cited his softer side. Samantha Power, a Holbrooke protege currently serving as a National Security Council Adviser, said Holbrooke "taught us that love and loyalty are the foundation of all else." She also recounted the scene in the ambulance as he was taken to the hospital with a torn aorta.

"As he rode to to the hospital, he kept saying over and over again, there are so many people I love. There are so many people I love."

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>dailyguidancediplomatforeign policyHillary Clintonpresident obamaRichard Holbrookerichard holbrooke memorial serviceAlex Wagner2011-01-14T18:41:00+00:00'Mother' and 'Father' to Remain on Passport Forms After Clinton Interveneshttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/10/mother-and-father-to-remain-on-passport-forms-after-clinton/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/10/mother-and-father-to-remain-on-passport-forms-after-clinton/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/10/mother-and-father-to-remain-on-passport-forms-after-clinton/#commentsFiled under: , ,

From controversy to compromise. After announcing that on children's passport applications, "mother" and "father" would in the future be referred to as "parent 1" and "parent 2," the State Department Saturday changed course and retain the titles "mother" and "father," while also adding the term "parent."

The agency said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton ordered that "mother" and "father" remain on passport forms and paperwork that documents the birth of a child to Americans overseas. Nicole Thompson, State Department spokesperson, told PoliticsDaily the forms will now ask for the names of the child's "mother or parent" and "father or parent," or possibly "mother or parent 1" and "father or parent 2."

"With Secretary Clinton's input, the State Department decided to revise those . . . forms to retain the previous designation in addition to the word 'parent,'" said Thompson.

The short-lived change to only gender-neutral terms, announced in December and reported late last week, was hailed by gay-rights proponents and assailed by some conservatives. Some speculated that Clinton reversed that decision to avoid a backlash from congressional Republicans. A statement last week on the agency's website said dropping "mother" and "father" were "improvements" being made to provide a more accurate description "of a child's parents and in recognition of different types of families."

Brenda Sprague, deputy assistant secretary of State for Passport Services, told Fox News on Friday that the gender-neutral terms would reflect the realities of the modern world.

"We find that with changes in medical science and reproductive technology that we are confronting situations now that we would not have anticipated 10 or 15 years ago," Sprague said.

Christian conservative organizations were quick to slam the the movement away from "mother" and "father."

"Only in the topsy-turvy world of left-wing political correctness could it be considered an 'improvement' for a birth-related document to provide less information about the circumstances of that birth," Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said in a statement.

Perkins said the gender neutral terms were "designed to advance the causes of same-sex 'marriage' and homosexual parenting without statutory authority, and violates the spirit if not the letter of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)."

Under the 1996 federal law, marriage is legally defined as a union between one man and one woman.

Gay-rights supporters hailed the move toward gender neutral terminology.

"Changing the term 'mother' and 'father' to the more global term of 'parent' allows many different types of families to be able to go and apply for a passport for their child without feeling like the government doesn't recognize their family," Jennifer Chrisler, executive director of Family Equality Council, told Fox News.

Perkins and Chrisler did not immediately comment on the State Department's compromise.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>dailyguidancegay rightsHillary Clintonpassport agencyState DepartmentChristopher Weber2011-01-10T16:55:00+00:00Share your #PoliticalPredictions for 2011http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/01/share-your-politicalpredictions-for-2011/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/01/share-your-politicalpredictions-for-2011/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/01/share-your-politicalpredictions-for-2011/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

It seems like everyone is predicting what 2011 will bring for Sarah Palin, Hillary Clinton, the economy and the 112th Congress -- including a few surprises. But some of these prognosticators didn't fare so well in 2010.

We're hoping you can do better. Tell us what you predict will happen this year in politics by adding your comment to this article, by sharing your ideas on our Facebook page or by posting your prediction in 140 characters on Twitter, using the hashtag #politicalpredictions.

You can tweet your predictions by completing this sentence: "The biggest political story of 2011 will be..." We will retweet the most interesting predictions and publish them below.

Here are some of your predictions so far.

Presidential predictions
Maxine Clark: Romney/Huckabee??

Bobbie Brinegar: Mitch Daniels/Mike Huckabee, Pres Obama/Sec Clinton, Scott Brown/Joe Scarborough
Palin predictions
Ken Mastin: Sarah Palin chooses John Boehner if they both don't burn out by then.
Tea Party predictions
CrankyPuebloan: The biggest political story of 2011 will be the domestication of the Tea Party.
Economic predictions
Alan Combes: ‎25+% jobless rate for people under 25.

Kenny Etter: Wages for workers go up, allowing the people to start buying things again and the economy moves forward. Since people are getting back to work and because wages are higher, less people have to get government help, reducing the costs and allowing the government to spend less..... It's nice to dream.
Congressional predictions
Dorothea L Killian: Lisa Murkowski will influence other moderates to focus on Americans in the Middle Class by giving them confidence.
Jeffery Lafferty: I predict that Congress will learn to get along, or the voters will get tired of nothing getting done. And although financial responsibility is important, I think jobs will be the big issue for some time to come, with increased spending to get the ball rolling.
Health care predictions
Dan Marshall: ...starting in 2014, I might be able to offer health insurance to the guys who work for me. Never was able to before.
General predictions
Tom Inabinet: Hillary Clinton gets Defense Sec job after brokering Mideast peace deal.
Think you know who the presidential candidates will be? Tweet that. Or, predict how the economy will fare and who will benefit from its direction. Will Republicans make good on promises to reverse health care reform? Tweet your best guess.

Check back to see some of the most retweeted #politicalpredictions and our #politicalpredictions as well.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>Julie Moos2011-01-01T16:54:00+00:00