Obama Shows Confidence in Iowa Sprint New York Times an assertion by former President Bill Clinton that electing Mr. Obama would be “rolling the dice” for America Bill Clinton Says Obama Isn’t ReadyNew York Times Former President Bill Clinton made an unusually direct attack Friday night on Senator Barack Obama, one of his wife’s leading rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, suggesting that voters who would support someone with Mr. Obama’s experience were willing to “roll the dice” on the presidency. ........ Appearing on “The Charlie Rose Show” on PBS, Mr. Clinton repeatedly questioned Mr. Obama’s preparedness for the White House ...... “When is the last time we elected a president based on one year of service in the Senate before he started running?” Mr. Clinton said. At another point, he appeared to compare Mr. Obama to a “gifted television commentator” running for president. “They’d have only one year less experience in national politics” than Mr. Obama, he said. ...... When asked about Mr. Clinton’s comments Saturday in Waterloo, Iowa, Mr. Obama smiled and read words Mr. Clinton used in 1992 — “the same old experience is irrelevant” — to answer questions about his own presidential candidacy. It is the second time recently Mr. Obama has used that remark to push back against the former president. ....... “I’ve been involved in government for over a decade,” Mr. Obama said. “The notion that there is a particular kind of experience that he has had or his wife has had that is more relevant, I would dispute. I believe that I have the experience that the country needs right now.” ...... During the Charlie Rose interview, Mr. Clinton looked agitated at times as he talked about recent campaign problems faced by his wife ....... At one point, Mr. Rose said that, in his control room, aides to Mr. Clinton were trying to persuade the show’s producers to end the interview. ........ In Iowa on Monday, Mr. Clinton praised the Democratic candidates as a great field. But on Charlie Rose, he criticized Mr. Obama for making “derisive” comments about Mrs. Clinton, including saying that she had long planned to run for president.
I marvel Bill Clinton's political skills with the knowledge of someone who knows what he is talking about. I have a feel for politics. I have watched this guy in action. He is good. He is skillful.
But not even Bill Clinton can undo the term limit of two imposed on US presidents. This guy thinks he is running for a third term. The beginning of the end of Hillary 2008 was when Bill Clinton asserted to an Iowa audience that he opposed the Iraq War from the very beginning, despite all evidence to the contrary. That is a point Hillary herself has never dared to make. Until 2006 Hillary was trying to kick out Rumsfeld. As in, the decision to go to war was right, but the guy who did the execution part got it wrong.
Bill Clinton gave eight fine years. He is not exactly your stereotypical racist white guy from the South, someone unapologetic like Trent Lott, for example. His economic management was marvelous.
But there was always something fundamental lacking in Bill Clinton that deprived him of true greatness. He did a good job, but he did not become a great president.
And the sexism the Clinton '92 boys have shown in Hillary often being the last to know of the mosquito bites attempted by some of those boys on Obama 2008. Those boys keep wanting to go back to the slash and burn ways of the 1990s. What Ken Starr and the Republicans did to the Clintons, they want to do to Obama. Fat chance. If Hillary can't even run her own campaign, how could she run the White House? Why do these boys keep surprising her with their mosquito bite attempts on Obama 2008?
Barack Obama has not won the nomination yet, and I am not going to count a single caucus or primary victory before it actually happens. He is not president yet. He is not reelected yet. He has not finished with his eight years yet. He has not yet delivered on Iraq, on health care, on global warming. Not yet.
But I am betting my farm on this guy. (On November 7: In Harlem: For Obama) I am saying he is destined for a greatness Bill Clinton never was. America has had more than 40 presidents. I will put Bill Clinton among the top 10. Barack is gunning for Mount Rushmore. He is destined to be among the top 5.
If you ask me, I think Barack stands a chance of becoming the greatest president America ever had. It is because Einstein always happens after Newton. Time is on his side. Great guys like Lincoln and Roosevelt, they already happened. They are dead and gone.
Bill Clinton gave eight years of good economic growth.
Barack will have the opportunity to liberate America from racism like Lincoln liberated America from slavery. If he can do that, he will have scored. Many people think of racism as something mushy mushy, something about matters of the heart, feelings. Like W says, if there were a law that will make people love each other, I would sign it. He was talking about race. Well, guess what, it is not mushy mushy. It is something as concrete as slavery and segregation. There is concrete data on disparity.
Barack could give a new birth to Social Security like FDR gave birth to that program. Barack could deliver on health care.
Barack could do the JFK thing on charisma, youthfulness, vigor, beautiful (brainy) wife, cute kids, and a reach into the far corners of the world. His reach into the far corners of the world could be much more concrete than that of JFK. JFK gave the Peace Corps, Barack could give total debt relief to Africa to bring that continent back in the game. Barack could turn Africa into Latin America, politically and economically. And if he were to do that one thing, I'd feel all my time into Obama 2008 has been worth it. African has been shortchanged like no other continent. (America Is A Senator Country)
A Lincoln, FDR, JFK combo: now that is the greatest president America ever had. I am also going to say he will also be America's first president. America's original promise was it should not be a big deal that someone like Barack becomes president. All human beings are created equal.
As for Bill Clinton, Barack Obama comparisons, I will start at the beginning. Compare Bill Clinton's 1988 convention speech to Barack's same speech in 2004. Now roll the dice.
In The News
Obama is hitting his stride in Iowa Los Angeles Times, USA The candidate once criticized for lacking specifics now peppers his speeches with policy proposals -- and more confidence. ...... Obama burst onto the national political scene with a supernova brilliance ..... pedantic side ..... his delivery is crisper, his footing more assured. ...... The candidate of hope and high ground strikes at Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton with unspoken allusions -- no negative campaigner he -- and an occasional sarcastic aside. And the candidate who once seemed alternately bemused and put off by some of the silliness of running for president now takes the occasional left-field question in his long stride. ........... a pledge to reform the healthcare system by holding a nationally televised round table with doctors, patient advocates, hospital administrators and representatives of the insurance and pharmaceutical industries. ............ He calls for public financing of elections and raising the minimum wage to keep pace with inflation. He favors closing the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and a phased withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq over 16 months. He proposes giving college students a $4,000-a-year tax credit in exchange for community service, and boosting federal education funding by $18 billion a year to pay for higher teacher salaries, better early childhood programs and more aid for disabled students. ....... became a convert last weekend when he saw Obama appear in Cedar Rapids alongside Oprah Winfrey. ...... "There's real clarity in what he intends to do," Dirks said. "It's not like some candidates who just ramble it off." ........... Obama is spending several days bumping along on a bus through rural Iowa, from the Mississippi River to the Missouri River. His campaign exudes the confidence that comes when the winds blow favorably. His traveling party of strategists and spokesmen are accessible and exuberant. The campaign-in-disarray stories that battered Obama and his team when the candidate seemed to plateau through the summer and early fall -- "our 60 days in the press penalty box," said campaign manager David Plouffe -- are now being directed at Clinton. .......... "Let me tell you, when I was in kindergarten I didn't write essays," Obama said, drawing laughs from the crowd of about 350 people. "I was smart. I could write my name, 'Barack.' I could write 'mom.' I wasn't writing essays." ....... Clinton's intention to skitter across Iowa today by helicopter. He paused. Smiled broadly. "Magic carpet," he replied.
Boston Globe Endorses McCain, Obama The Associated Press The endorsements followed in-depth interviews with the presidential contenders. ..... The board says Obama's diverse and international life experience helped the Illinois Democrat develop a unique perspective of the world. ...... The newspaper's editorial board praised McCain as a straight talker whose honesty, despite the political cost, might help a polarized nation. The board described the Arizona Republican as a possible antidote to the "toxic political approach" of the last two presidential elections.
Obama Shows Confidence in Iowa Sprint New York Times 22-city tour of the state. ...... he finds himself at the center of a fusillade of criticism from his rivals ...... an assertion by former President Bill Clinton that electing Mr. Obama would be “rolling the dice” for America ..... “A month ago, I was an idiot,” he said. “This month, I’m a genius.” ...... The campaign of Mr. Obama, which slogged uncertainly through a period in the late summer and fall, alarming contributors who feared that he might have missed his moment, is now brimming with confidence as he delivers a closing argument to Iowa voters. His speeches are noticeably crisper, his poise is more consistent and many supporters say they no longer must rely upon a leap of faith to envision him winning the nomination. ............ one week remainingbefore the campaign pauses for Christmas, Mr. Obama is dashing through a 22-city tour from the Mississippi River in the east to the Missouri River in the west ....... His organization faces its greatest test yet: turning enthusiasm among many grass-roots Democrats into widespread support at the caucuses on Jan. 3 in precincts that will decide the outcome, particularly rural areas where his support still remains uneven after 10 months of campaigning. ...... the race in Iowa remains remarkably unsettled ....... strongly gaining on her in New Hampshire ....... a point underscored by their travel itineraries practically mirroring each other. ........ his judgment, temperament and unifying approach ....... a moment of vulnerability for Mrs. Clinton ...... he has narrowed his focus to a micro-level in Iowa, calling sheriffs, local officials and prospective precinct captains when he passes through town. ....... Her campaign repudiated the remarks, Mrs. Clinton apologized and the adviser resigned. But she and her aides have kept the issue alive by referring to it publicly in what appeared to be an effort to drive up negative views of his character and to raise doubts about his ability to weather a general election. ........ Obama responded that voters would ultimately be turned off by such attacks on him, particularly about his admission more than a decade ago that he used marijuana and cocaine in his youth. ........ “My past and my character seemed to be fine when I was 20 points down” ....... In the final 18 days of the race here, Mr. Obama intends to devote nearly all of his time to Iowa, with the exception of a two-day trip to New Hampshire. He completed his final fund-raiser of the year on Tuesday in Seattle, which freed his schedule for 15-hour days of back-to-back rallies and town meetings, a pace far more hectic than much of the year. ........ “The political climate on the night of the caucuses is as important to turnout as anything,” said Mr. Obama’s campaign manager, David Plouffe. “Right now, we have a good climate, but the next 20 days will seem like 20 years.” ......... 10,000 phone calls every night ..... If you are going away for the holidays, will you be back by Jan. 3? ...... In such a tight race, Mr. Plouffe said, a margin of 2,000 or 3,000 could tip the balance. ....... the older voters who are being gently asked to stick around Iowa until the caucuses before moving to a warmer climate for the winter. ....... “Whoever wins this caucus is likely to win the nomination and is likely to win the presidency.” Personal Health: Mental Reserves Keep Brains Agile Late Reversal by U.S. Yields Climate Plan Gail Collins: Barack’s Blast From the Past Lead in doubt, Clinton knocks on N.Hampshire doorsReuters The New York senator knocked on doors along a snow-covered block of Manchester ..... "I'd be honored to have your support," Clinton said on the front porch ...... evaporate both in New Hampshire and Iowa ..... Lou D'Allesandro, a New Hampshire state senator who accompanied Clinton as she knocked on about 10 doors ...... "Politics is connecting with people, and this is how you do it here. I'd like to see her here more," he said. ....... "The firewall has largely disappeared now," he said. "If she loses both ... it would be very difficult to recover." ... I wish she would talk more about women, because I think that would be helpful," said Herb Meyer, a 50-year-old physician from Danville ....... "She's got a lot of presence, Barack Obama has a lot of presence," Meyer said, adding that he wasn't yet sure for whom he would vote. Who Won and Lost at Bali TIME the pounding it took in the tortured all-night negotiations that capped the UN climate change conference in Bali was unprecedented. ...... not one of the allies that had generally stood with the U.S. the past two weeks — Australia, Russia, Canada — rose in its defense. ...... The roadmap is essentially the beginning of a beginning. .... "the Berlin Wall of climate change," the idea that only the rich nations need to take responsibility for fighting global warming. ........ eventually tropical nations could be rewarded for not cutting down their forests ........ For environmentalists who had hoped that the recent avalanche of data underscoring the rising crisis of climate change might prompt tougher action, Bali was a disappointment. .......... the EU showed surprising spine ...... the clear big winners are China and India, which have fully arrived as major players on international climate action. China in particular came to Bali ready to negotiate hard, but also prepared to give something — a vital change after years of insisting that it would take no responsibility for climate change. While India began the negotiations seemingly disengaged, the country elevated its game in the final day, and showed that it was willing to go beyond its own narrow national interests. ........ It should be difficult for a country to make the final concession that allows a landmark deal to fall into place, and still appear selfish and churlish — but the U.S. somehow managed to do that. .......... blocked attempts to make climate diplomacy match the urgency of climate science. ...... "Instead, they just burnished their Darth Vader image." ...... But at least we all seem to be headed in the same direction, if not at the same speed. A Real End to Pakistan's Emergency? The Diana Inquest Gets Personal Vatican Defends Right to Convert The Huckabee Trap Nepal's election by mid-April next year: minister AFP Huckabee tied with Giuliani in Illinois - poll Reuters India Mitt Romney Roughs Up Mike Huckabee Over Anti-Bush Comments FOX News Musharraf Restores Constitution in Pakistan ABC News Two Indian Doctoral Students Shot to Death at US University Voice of America shooting deaths of two doctoral students at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. ..... The two students, both natives of India, were killed late Thursday at an off-campus apartment. One of the men was bound with a computer cable. ...... the deadly shootings were the result of a home invasion, and not part of "an escalating pattern." Has the tide turned against Clinton? Independent a deepening crisis in her presidential bid amid evidence that her closest rival, Barack Obama, is riding a late surge of support in the two critical states ......... new signs that the tide may be turning against the former First Lady ....... her message has been overwhelmed by headline-making stumbles by her campaign team. ........ a startling reversal for Mrs Clinton ...... Mrs Clinton took off yesterday on a desperate helicopter dash across Iowa ....... That she may be in trouble has not escaped her ....... his remarks sparked a storm of opprobrium and Mrs Clinton found herself having to apologise to her rival on the tarmac of Washington DC's main airport. ......... the national surveys have been more or less static for several months. ...... In New Hampshire, where the primaries come just five days later, her loss of ground seems to be even greater. Once comfortably ahead, she is shown in one poll to be two points behind Mr Obama. ...... Losses in both Iowa and New Hampshire, while they would not necessarily be fatal for the Clinton candidacy, would certainly shatter the myth of her invincibility. .... Bill Clinton ... is now playing the game of lowering expectations. ... "it's a miracle that she's got a chance to win" in Iowa. ...... she has grown sharply more critical of her rivals – a risky tactic, particularly in Iowa, where voters traditionally are turned off by negative campaigning ........ a press release highlighting a kindergarten essay by Mr Obama entitled "I want to Become President". It was meant to show him as consumed by ambition, but voters didn't like the tactic. Poll: Obama Leads Clinton 2-To-1 in Ill. The Associated Press Barack Obama, 50 percent Hillary Rodham Clinton, 25 percent Illinois Democrats favor Obama 2-1Chicago Tribune Poll: Obama leads Clinton 2 to 1 in IllinoisWQAD For the Democrats: Barack Obama Boston Globe The most sobering challenges that face this country — terrorism, climate change, disease pandemics — are global. America needs a president with an intuitive sense of the wider world, with all its perils and opportunities. Barack Obama has this understanding at his core. The Globe endorses his candidacy in New Hampshire’s Democratic presidential primary Jan. 8. Many have remarked on Obama’s extraordinary biography: that he is the biracial son of a father from Kenya and a mother who had him at 18; that he was raised in the dynamic, multi-ethnic cultures of Hawaii and Indonesia; that he went from being president of the Harvard Law Review to the gritty and often thankless work of community organizing in Chicago; that, at 46, he would be the first post-baby-boom president. It is true that all the other Democratic contenders have more conventional resumes, and have spent more time in Washington. But that exposure has tended to give them a sense of government’s constraints. Obama is more open to its possibilities. Barack Obama Straddles Different WorldsThe Associated Press He had already navigated the exotic corners of Hawaii and Indonesia, the halls of privilege of Cambridge, Mass., and the poverty-wracked streets of Chicago as a boy, a student and a young man. ........ bridging gaps, making connections, forging alliances. ...... "He walks between worlds," she says. "That's what he's done his entire life." ....... From the very beginning, Barack Obama has blended cultures. ...... the basketball his father gave him, the African records they danced to, the Dave Brubeck concert they attended. ....... plunging the 6-year-old Obama into a land of delicacies such as snake meat and grasshopper, a pet monkey, Tata, and the harsh realities of Third World poverty and disease. ........ From their mother, she says, "he gets his ability to build bridges, to keep an open mind ... his taste for adventure, his curiosity and his compassion." ..... From their grandmother, Madelyn: "his pragmatism, his levelheadedness, his ability to stay centered in the eye of the storm." ..... From their grandfather, Stanley: "his love of the game. My grandfather ... pursued life with great zest and enthusiasm and a great sense of possibility." .......... the prestigious Punahou School, a private academy in Honolulu where he was "intelligent, but not overly intellectual" ........ outgoing, laughed easily and wasn't above showing off. ..... Obama — then known as Barry — had a rebellious streak. One friend remembers they were both suspended in 7th grade for pitching quarters on school grounds. ...... The chubby kid who collected Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comics grew into a teen who listened to jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. and Earth, Wind & Fire, tooled around in Gramps' old Ford Granada, golfed, played poker, sang in the choir and joined Ka Wai Ola, the school's literary journal. .......... Obama also loved basketball and as a forward dubbed "Barry O'Bomber," he favored a left-handed double pump shot. During his senior year, the varsity team captured the state championship. ....... a fierce competitor and a sensitive friend ...... an introspective side to Obama, the outsider grappling with his biracial roots. ...... "ethnic corner." ..... discussed interracial dating, education — and, he says, probably "whether we would see a black president in our lifetime." ......... Obama never spoke of the turmoil he revealed in his memoir ........ to "push questions of who I was out of my mind." ..... "I probably questioned my identity a bit harder than most. As a kid from a broken home and family of relatively modest means, I nursed more resentments than my circumstances justified, and I didn't always channel those resentments in particularly constructive ways." .......... Obama arrived in Chicago in 1985 ....... knew little about Chicago's bare-knuckle politics. But living abroad gave him experience as an outsider and a natural empathy for people without money and power, says Gerald Kellman, the man who hired him. .......... Obama's task was to mobilize residents to agitate for themselves, whether it was lobbying for a job training center, pushing for more park services or removing asbestos from a housing project. ......... "He seemed to listen well and he learned fast" ..... he didn't adopt hard-nose tactics. ...... "He did not like personal confrontation," Kellman says. "He had no trouble challenging power and challenging people on issues. When it came to face-to-face situations, he valued civility a great deal. ... When it came to negotiating conflict, he was very good at that." ....... "This kid was so bright — I shouldn't say kid, this man was so bright, but he didn't hit you over the head with it" ..... "He was matter-of-fact and smooth. ... He explained things so nobody would be offended." ........ The women doted on him. They chided him when he would eat just a spinach salad for lunch, laughed when he showed off his dance moves ("He didn't lack confidence, I can tell you that," Augustine-Herron says) and joked about his punctuality and seriousness. ......... "If we don't hurry up, baby-faced Obama is going to be mad," they'd prod one another as they rushed to a meeting with him. ...... Obama prepared them for dealing with bureaucrats, telling them whom to approach, guiding them on what to say — then offering critiques. ...... "He energized us. When you've been a housewife all your life and all you've done is raise kids, you don't know too much about the outside world. He taught us." ...... "'Let me look into it' were his favorite words," says Lloyd, who still calls Obama "my skinny little boy." ......... Obama remained close with his half-sister, Maya, who visited Chicago during the summers. When her father died when she was just a teen, Obama, nearly a decade older, took on a paternal role, taking her on tours of college campuses. ....... Obama also was honing his writing skills, crafting vivid short stories about pastors and crumbling communities, inspired by his Chicago experiences. He showed them to fellow organizer Mike Kruglik, who was impressed by how he had captured the feel of the streets. "I couldn't figure out how he had the time and energy to do it," he says. .......... In three years as an organizer, Obama became increasingly aware of the limits to what he could achieve and grew more pragmatic, Kellman says. His father's experience as a civil servant in Africa was a cautionary tale. ....... "He had this sense of his dad being too idealistic and not practical enough ... and not accomplishing what he wanted" ....... had died "a bitter man." ........ sharing life stories with people "gave me the sense of place and purpose I'd been looking for." ...... He was ready to move on — to Harvard Law School. ...... Obama entered Harvard older than many classmates, stepping into an incubator for America's elite — future Supreme Court justices, Fortune 500 leaders, U.S. senators and presidents. ........ an intellect with mature judgment, a conciliator who could see both sides of an issue. ....... "You wanted to hear him thinking. There was something special about him." ....... The law school had plenty of achievers trying to edge out their competition but that wasn't Obama's style ...... "He was not at all about credit but results," Tribe says. "He would often give credit to others that he did the work for." ....... Obama also could deal with very smart people "in ways that didn't bend them out of shape. He learned how to move through those circles ... made few waves and got things done." ...... "It didn't have the same meaning for him. ... He did not take that pound-on-my-chest attitude, 'Look at me, I'm the first one.' He was conscious of the historical significance but understood ... there was a responsibility." ........ Back in Chicago, Obama joined a small civil rights firm, ran a voter registration drive and lectured on constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School. ........ that he understood politics was "a full-contact sport and minded neither the sharp elbows nor the occasional blind-side hit." ....... a pragmatist who'd cross party lines ...... Obama helped change laws governing the death penalty, ethics and racial profiling, and he won tax credits for the working poor. But he failed in his campaign for universal health care. ........ As a newcomer in the clubby atmosphere of Springfield, Obama also encountered cold shoulders. Some lawmakers initially thought he was a bit arrogant. ........ "It took him a while to prove that he was a real guy," says state Sen. Kirk Dillard, a Republican who appears in an Obama campaign commercial. "For the first couple of years, there was some healthy skepticism. ... It was especially true among his fellow African-American legislators." ........ "If you look African-American in society, you're treated as an African-American" "And when you're a child in particular that is how you begin to identify yourself. At least that's what I felt comfortable identifying myself as." ....... that his racial identity is "not the core of who I am." ..... he also wrote, he has faced the "litany of petty slights," including security guards trailing him in department stores and white couples tossing him keys outside restaurants, mistaking him for a valet. ....... "I know what it's like to have people tell me I can't do something because of my color, and I know the bitter swill of swallowed-back anger" ......... a racially mixed group of friends and political alliances. ...... His academic credentials mattered little to some voters who felt Rush better understood them. ..... "Barack was perceived as an outsider," says Link, the state senator. "He wasn't one of the boys." He wasn't deterred. ........ The Speech — a 17-minute star-making turn ...... he had impressed John Kerry, then the Democratic presidential nominee, after the Massachusetts senator heard him speak at a fundraiser, and the two men campaigned together in Chicago that spring. ....... an old Broadway plot line: Barack Obama walked on stage an unknown. He walked off a star. ..... the third black U.S. senator since Reconstruction. ..... Since then, he has had the Midas touch ...... one of the hottest attractions on the 2006 campaign trail, stumping for Democratic candidates around the nation. ...... his hero Abraham Lincoln The Front-Runners: Barack ObamaWashington Post His father had become a ghost to him, an opaque figure hailed as brilliant, charismatc, dignified, with a deep baritone voice that reminded everyone of James Earl Jones. .......... Thoughts of his father continue to 'bubble up,' as Obama puts it in an interview, 'at different moments at any course of the day or week.' ...... At other moments he will be playing with his daughters -- Malia, 9, and Sasha, 6 -- and begin to wrestle with what kind of father he has become." ........ His mother was an anthropologist, and a pioneer in micro enterprise development ....... She recognized early on the importance of supporting poor women, in developing countries, at the village level. ....... David Axelrod, the preeminent political consultant in Chicago, has been with Obama throughout his rise. Abner Mikva, a former federal judge who served in Congress and as a White House senior staffer, has been a longtime mentor. Others have been helpful in his rise, including Illinois State Sen. President Emil Jones. And, Harvard Law School Prof. Charles Ogletree. ........ refreshingly candid. ..... challenged Kenya to "create a govt. that is transparent and accountable. One that serves its people and is free from corruption." ....... As a 51-year-old African American female who admires Clinton for her courage and convictions and had supported her -- I believe this country is ready for new and fresh ideas. ........ the votes will come quickly in a short period of time--Iowa and N.H. within 5 days of each other, and 20 states voting on Feb. 5th. The dynamics of a campaign can shift quickly. .......... he has developed relationships with his siblings from Africa, especially his half sister Auma. ...... Should the Obama campaign make Mark Penn an issue? After all, Penn was "Karl Rove" long before Karl Rove was "Karl Rove." Should the pro-war members of the chattering class be forced to defend their silence on Penn's dominant role in Clinton's campaign? ........ Mark Penn said on Hardball: "The issue related to cocaine use is not something the campaign is in any way raising." Clinton: I Know When to Stand Firm The Associated Press spent the morning inching along an icy sidewalk ...... that she knows when to dig in her heels and when to compromise. ...... where she spent more time than usual focusing on her resume ...... citing as examples her work for the Children's Defense Fund after college, her unsuccessful universal health care plan while her husband was president, and her work as a U.S. senator to expand health benefits for National Guard members. ...... Clinton also defended her 2002 vote authorizing military action in Iraq and her recent vote to label the Iranian National Guard a terrorist organization. ...... the votes amount to a pattern of pushing the country into war. ....... since the Iran vote, Iran has stopped sending so many dangerous weapons to other countries to use against Americans. ..... and saying that he found her initial answer "evasive and condescending." .... "I like your programs but sometimes I think you come off as cold and politically calculating," said Roger Tilton, who said his two daughters support Clinton. "There's this disconnect ... what do I tell my daughters?" ..... "Your daughters sound very smart to me," Clinton said. ...... Clinton went door-to-door in the state's largest city, carefully approaching about a dozen snowcapped homes, many decorated with wreaths and holiday lights. ....... While Clinton chatted with homeowners Dianne and Dan Lehoux, their dog sneaked into the kitchen and scarfed down two of the chocolate Christmas cookies the couple had just baked with their nephews. "Now I have to call the vet!" said Dianne Lehoux, who nonetheless described Clinton's visit as "amazing." "I was shaking," she said. The GOP Race: None of the Above Time Polls point to the political equivalent of a total solar eclipse, with three different Republicans leading in three of the initial primary and caucus states: Mike Huckabee in Iowa, Mitt Romney in New Hampshire and Rudy Giuliani in Michigan. None of these men, at present, would beat Hillary Clinton in a general-election matchup, and each would fare little better against Barack Obama. "If somebody could run as None of the Above," says former McCain campaign chief John Weaver, "he would be the front-runner." ...... Huckabee, a former Baptist preacher from, of all places, Hope, Ark. ...... Republicans have no experience with chaos like this, except in history books. "It is without a doubt," says G.O.P. strategist Ralph Reed, "the most unpredictable roller-coaster ride we've seen in a Republican primary since the rise of the primary in the 1960s." ...... Newt Gingrich went further: he called the G.O.P. contest the most wide-open race the party has held since 1940 — the year Wendell Willkie needed six ballots to capture the nomination before losing to F.D.R. in a third-term landslide. ....... he did not want a Vice President whose loyalties were divided between the Oval Office and the Des Moines Register ........ the revolution that brought the party to power in Congress in 1994 was pretty much a spent force by 2000. Under this theory, Republicans should have lost that election but survived thanks to Bush's qualities, the butterfly ballot and five Supreme Court Justices. Then 9/11 happened, which enabled Bush to win reelection, despite the fact that the G.O.P.'s sell-by date had long since passed. The past seven years, in this view, were an anomaly that postponed the reckoning and made the G.O.P. crash even more severe. ........... the moral and intellectual power outage that now darkens the G.O.P. ....... the party has squandered its bragging rights on running a more efficient government. ..... almost 6 out of every 10 Hispanic voters now call themselves Democrats or lean that way, according to a new Pew Center study — a shift of 13 points in party ID in the past year alone. ...... "Some have lifted a script from the past," he says, "without realizing the setting on the stage has changed." ........ repeatedly naming Hillary Clinton in debates as the real threat facing the nation ......... Republican self-doubt is so marked that if Jesus came back as a candidate, "people would say, 'You know, I don't like his beard.'" ....... A Republican governor put it this way: "If you took any one of these guys and held them up against the light and said, 'Could this guy be President?' you'd say, 'I don't think so.'" ........ his alienated children ..... Romney has been elected to office exactly once, has a record of changing his positions on an unusually wide range of issues, and just announced that he's a Mormon to a nation that might not otherwise have known or even cared. ......... Huckabee is low on cash, light on organization ....... Staffers have fled his campaign in horror throughout the fall, complaining that the candidate listens only to his wife. .......... responded to a picture of the TV actor by saying, "Is he still running?" ........ Romney could be speaking for the entire field when he says, as he has done, "I'm not perfect." ....... why the party's normally ferocious enthusiasm is so far absent in every poll. ....... The falcons heard the falconers — and then flew off in a different direction. ..... another sign of a party whose power structure has uncoupled from the people who put it in power in the first place. ....... Normally the G.O.P. comes to a decision quickly, and the Democrats stretch the process into the baseball season, bickering over delegates, platform planks, rules and speaking rights before everyone swears loyalty to the long-settled nominee. All that, and possibly more, could happen on the other side this time. ....... So uncomfortable is the party with anything that resembles an unsettled race after New Hampshire that its armies typically loose upon one another every nasty charge and attack ad they can afford, desperate to slice the field down to one or at the most two remaining contenders. This stage of the race is under way. It will be up to the lucky survivor to put the pieces of the party back together. ........ McCain's team thinks the party will come to its senses and rally around the veteran. Romney hopes to emerge as the least objectionable choice everywhere. Giuliani's entire campaign is predicated on chaos lasting until late January, when he thinks he can clobber his rivals in Florida. And Huckabee is hoping for a miracle. ...... watching the demolition derby, calls the race "a record setter." But he notes that someone will win it. "All politics is about," says Sears, "is being a little better than the other guy."
I just did this a few minutes ago. I went to BarackObama.com and then I clicked to go to the dashboard. It took more than three and a half minutes to load up. I have had this problem for over a week now.
That is not a good thing.
Well, it is a good thing. This means many many people are visiting BarackObama.com, which is exactly what we have wanted to happen all along.
But it is not a good thing at all that the pages are taking so long to load. Or maybe it is not all the pages, just the dashboard for an active volunteer like me who is currently ranked 38th overall. That is a great ranking. I am thinking there are close to half a million people who have signed up at the site by now. I know the number was 300,000 months back.
I am ringing alarm bells.
This can not be forgiven. We as humanity already figured this out more than a decade ago even at a mass level. This is not rocket science. This is not expensive. You just increase the bandwidth substantially.
That is all.
At this rate the site is going to crash on January 4. That can not be allowed. We work so hard to get people to come to BarackObama.com. The greeting has to be a good one for when they do show up.
This is still a TV election. 2008 is not an internet election yet. But it is an internet election to the hard core. BarackObama.com is that space where the volunteers congregate.
This has to be taken care of now.
If there is even a single crash any time between January 3 and February 7, I am going to lose respect for the people at the Chicago headquarters for the first time. This absolutely can not be allowed.
You don't go on vacation when it is harvest season. January is harvest season. We worked so hard to get here. Most people will never see Barack Obama in person, most people will not go to an Obama event, most people will never meet an Obama volunteer, let alone an Obama staffer, but many will go to BarackObama.com as and when they finally get interested.
That interest will spike on January 4 after our Iowa victory. And to let the site crash even for a minute would be as good as sending our candidate off on a world tour in January. You are not needed in South Carolina, go see the world.
This is not complicated engineering at all. I am surprised I am even having to bring this up. Obama 2008 otherwise has been an organizational marvel. How did this escape attention?
Is it possible that the top staffers don't log into BarackObama.com several times a day? What's going on?
BarackObama.com is your office if you are a staffer or volunteer. That is where you go. You go elsewhere later. You go to an event later, after you first go to BarackObama.com.
Jack it up all folks. Purchase so much bandwidth the site flies through January just fine.
Don't you let it crash for even two seconds.
And make the loads fast. It should not take me three and a half minutes to load up my page on BarackObama.com, it should take two seconds, maybe three. And my broadband is actually slightly faster than normal cable broadband. This is not good. This is not good. This is not good at all.
Make your own flyer, I made mine. Photocopy for 5 cents a piece, you can fit two to a page.
Purchase a weekly metro pass. Unlimited rides.
Take a week off from work if you have to, if not, just put in the evening and weekend hours.
Take day off on election day.
How many flyers can you give out? If it is cold, stay underground.
Spend about two minutes with each person you give out your half page flyer to. Don't just give out. Make a point to connect.
Bundle up volunteers. The exercise is more fun when done in small groups of two or more people.
Overall, be seen on every train stop in the city all week.
Be visible. Wear Hope buttons.
"Hi, I would like it if you voted for Barack Obama on February 5." (Hand flyer.) "Sorry, I can't vote." "In that case, will you please pass on the flyer to someone who can? Thanks."
"Hi, I would like it if you voted for Barack Obama on February 5." (Hand flyer.) "What is happening on February 5?" "The New York primary." "I thought that was later." "This year it is on February 5."
"Hi, I would like it if you voted for Barack Obama on February 5." (Hand flyer.) "I am voting for Hillary." "Are you sure about that?" "Yes." "Even after January?" "Yes." "I respect your opinion, but you can keep the flyer, in case you change your mind."
Obama Now on GOP Radar U.S. News & World Report Republican strategists are taking Barack Obama more seriously in the wake of his impressive performance at yesterday's Democratic presidential debate in Iowa and amid his surge in support among prospective caucusgoers there. GOP veterans of past campaigns are, in fact, updating their detailed critiques in case the Illinois senator upsets Hillary Clinton and wins the Democratic presidential nomination next year. Among their talking points: Obama could be pegged as hopelessly naive on foreign policy and national security. One of Obama's pledges that have caught the Republicans' attention is his determination to spend much of his first year in office traveling the world to confer with leaders of rogue regimes in hopes of improving relations. "He wants to meet with every anti-American despot," says the former adviser to a Republican president who is informally advising a GOP candidate this cycle. "That's not something that most Americans would like."
I don't dislike Republicans in a blanket way. I am open to taking a look at some of their viewpoints. I like it that W appointed some blacks and Latinos to some top spots. But he polluted the image in each case. Colin Powell and Condi Rice have blood on their hands, Gonzo went down in flames: he is no Latino role model. I like it that Bobby is ethnic Indian. He is a smart cookie, and I am not one of those Indians who think you have to be Hindu or not have an Anglo name to claim the Indian identity, but he is going to have to prove to me socially.
The Republicans are hopeless on social issues. They say they are pro-life but they are against vaccinating kids, for example. They are overall just racist and homophobic and xenophobic and myopic. Like one Gingrich Republican congressman said once, "I have been to Europe once and that is enough." Immigration is an issue I will pick a fight on. Either America is going global or it is not. But that is not the choice. Either America is going global in style, or it is going global kicking and screaming.
I laud Barack's new kind of politics and politics of hope that Barack talks about, and I respect that he is a Christian. But I am a Buddhist. My politics is the politics of nonviolent militancy. Let me explain this to you. When Barack says he would like to have Third World dictators for breakfast, he means he wants them across the table. When I say that, I mean I want them on my plate.
I am all for a new kind of politics, heck I am a student of it. I think it will take me a while to figure it out. I am going to really study the Obama moves as he works on health care as president. My nonviolent militancy does not stand in conflict with the new kind of politics. It is just that you need nonviolent militancy to engineer the Big Bang of turning a country into a democracy. After that you can go to phase two: the new kind of politics, the politics of hope.
But I will make exception for the politics of personal destruction also in America. You play that game, you are going to face nonviolent militancy. You are going to be met with ferocity.
This is how their playbook works. First you distort the person's position. Then you demonize the person. Then you attack.
Here's the distortion part: "his determination to spend much of his first year in office traveling the world to confer with leaders of rogue regimes in hopes of improving relations."
We will correct you on that one. We will give you the benefit of doubt. But we will not act naive. What if you have no intention of learning the truth on my guy. The truth is Barack is drawing on a tradition of America talking to Stalin, Khrushchev, Mao. America did not condone or become Stalin and Mao. But America talked.
If you refuse to educate yourself, you are going to get hit back. Hard.
W's crime in history will be that he took the Ameican eyes off the Al Qaeda for a military misadventure in Iraq. The Al Qaeda is stronger today than ever before. America is not secure. That is beyond naive. That is dumb and dangerous. Take off your fogged glasses and wipe.
Time to restore intelligence to the White House.
A Personal Message To Barack Obama
As a Third World guy I am telling you your father might not have had a choice. By the time you have gone through as many scholarships as I have gone through, you end up at a point where you no longer belong to you or your family, you belong to a people, everyone you left behind every step you moved up. He might not have had a choice at all.
A Personal Message To Malia, Sasha
Once upon a time there was a guy called Senator Barack Obama. After he became Senator he became rich and famous. He was on TV all the time. But he realized being Senator required he was going to be away from his two daughters half the week. And so he decided to become president so he could be with his two daughters every single day, so he could see them every day they came back from school. That's why he decided to become president.
Remote Voting
The US Congress should allow the Senators and House members to engage in remote voting. Technology is sure there. And it makes democracy sense. The representative is actually in the district while casting votes. That makes a ton of sense. In The News
FOX News Poll: Clinton Maintains Lead in New Hampshire FOX News Clinton: 'Republicans will go after whomever we nominate'USA Today Senate Passes $286 Billion Farm Bill, Expanding Subsidies for Growers Wall Street Journal Senate approves farm bill with 79 votesRadio Iowa Senate passes farm bill with crop revenue planReuters Wikipedia Founder To Google: Bring Knol On CRN After proving itself the brand to beat for search, email, maps and a stock of other applications, now Google is developing "knol", a community-built encyclopedia that highlights the authors behind the entries. That emphasis, however, differentiates the knol project from the ubiquitous online encyclopedia Wikipedia by putting the emphasis on the author's point of view -- something Wikipedia strives to avoid. ....... did not reveal when knol will be open to everyone ..... Google said it will provide editing tools to allow for revisions and will introduce a rating system in order to weed out the bad information from the good. Highly ranked entries will receive preferred page ranking from Google, although the company claims it will not be involved with the editing of entries. ...... "Our goal is to encourage people who know a particular subject to write an authoritative article about it," Manber wrote in the post. ........ Along with the emphasis on the author, the knol project differs from Wikipedia in that a single person contributes an entry, unlike the community-based Wikipedia. Authors can monetize those pages and share in the profits, another thing Wikipedia (as yet) has not done. "It's competitive -- that's very different from the collaborative Wiki model," Wales noted. ...... The buzz on the Web seems focused around the viability of knoll dethroning Wikipedia, which, with 8.2 million articles written in more than 200 different languages, isn't exactly hurting for content -- or participants. Anytime Google makes an announcement, the Web listens. The big question asked of knol might be: Will anyone read on? Former Reagan Campaign Director Ed Rollins Joins Mike Huckabee FOX News India speeding up nuclear missile production AFP Bush hopes for new baseball era BBC News Obama Reacts to Clinton Staffer Resignation ABC News Clinton personally apologized to Obama on the tarmac of the Ronald Reagan Airport before they flew to Iowa for a debate. ...... "I take the Clinton campaign's word that they didn't know what this guy was doing and I understand all that, but the one thing I will say is, I told my staff that if I catch you guys doing any kind of stuff like this, you're fired. Period" .......... "What we need to do -- and I told this to Senator Clinton yesterday -- that we need to send a strong message to all of our surrogates and all of our staffs, that we don't play that" ...... Obama said Clinton's former staffer's comment smacked of desperation. ...... "I take it as a compliment because it shows me that folks are getting a little worried about our campaign" ...... "The fact that we're up in Iowa and we've now closed the gap in New Hampshire and South Carolina, that means we've got momentum and that means you're a target. What it also means is folks are excited, they're energized. I think people are realizing we've got a chance" Clinton Rejects Official's Obama CommentThe Associated Press Iowa, where the controversy has become an issue less than three weeks before the state's leadoff caucuses. ....... Bill Shaheen, a national co-chairman for Clinton and a prominent New Hampshire political figure ....... "I did personally apologize, the gentleman in question has stepped down from the leadership role in my campaign." ....... Asked if the issue of Obama's drug use should be an issue, Clinton said, "Not in my campaign." ...... She also rejected recent comments from her campaign about Obama saying he hadn't sought the presidency for long — after writing and talking about such an ambition throughout his life. "That was silly, and I told my campaign it was silly," Clinton said. ........ As soon as we find out something happened that we don't authorize, we don't condone, we have no part of, we ask people to please not be a part of our campaign. ..... As the race has tightened, some have suggested a shake-up is coming in her campaign, a suggestion she rejected. ..... "I saw some of those articles, and I called my campaign and said, "Do you know anything about this? Are you keeping something from me?" said Clinton, who added that she has confidence in her campaign staff. New poll shows Obama and Clinton neck-and-neck in New Hampshire Boston Globe And they pretend to be on the same sideSydney Morning Herald What's new: Weaker poll numbers for Clinton in SC & NHUSA Today On the Democratic side, Clinton leads with 42%. Obama is at 34% and former senator John Edwards is third with 16%. Obama has gained 7 percentage points since July, while Clinton has lost 1 percentage point ..... Clinton's lead has "evaporated" in New Hampshire ...... is "one of New Hampshire's most prominent Democratic activists." Bill Shaheen is also "known in New Hampshire for being plain-spoken, often mincing no words in media interviews." And, he's the husband of former governor, and current Senate candidate, Jeanne Shaheen. ....... Giuliani's plan to absorb punishment in the party's early primaries and then strike back in primaries in delegate-rich states on Jan. 29 and Feb. 5 has hit a wall, political analysts and strategists say." That's one reason he's started to "start swinging" in Iowa and New Hampshire. ...... So far, $69 million has been spent on TV ads by 2008 presidential contenders .... Obama and the effect being abandoned by his father has had on the Illinois senator. The father's "squandered promise and abandonment of his son have molded the man who is now running for president" • The Politico: "HRC struggles for points at last debate." • ABC News: "Obama zings Clinton in final debate." • Captain's Quarters blog (conservative): "Barack Obama probably won this debate, and Edwards maybe a close second." • The Huffington Post's Off the Bus (liberal): "Candidates play nice, moderator plays it safe." Winfrey put Obama's name in a favorable spotlight Chicago Tribune The Obama PhenomenonHuffington Post Over the past few weeks, as interest has grown in the 2008 U.S. presidential contest, I've been asked by friends from overseas for my opinion on Barack Obama. ......... It appears from the excitement he generates that Barack has tapped into a deep vein in the contemporary American psyche. While it is always useful to parse out the positions he has taken on critical issues, and even to weigh in the balance the importance of "experience" versus "judgment," or "change" versus "Washington" - these being the matters discussed by the candidates - they, alone, do not explain the phenomenon we are witnessing. Something more profound is occurring in this election. And it appears to be wrapped up in the person of Barack Obama, himself. ........ what she described as his authenticity and clarity. He did not appear to her to be typical. His call for a new approach to politics appealed to her. Quite simply, she said, "He gives me hope." ...... "Your generation," she continued, "had many such figures," mentioning the Kennedys and Dr. King. "We have not. ....... "Hope" buttons ..... When Obama's turn came, he began quietly and thoughtfully, to deliver a discourse on the cynicism that has infected our politics and the need to awaken hope in the electorate that can mobilize the consensus needed to make real change. ......... saw something intriguing in the faces of the 600 or so assembled party leaders. Obama was showing respect for them, and they were respectfully listening and reflecting. ........ When he finished, the applause was thunderous. ...... Written at 34 ..... Dreams is an exercise in self-discovery. In it, he works through the many issues of his complex life trajectory, discovering the meaning of his identity, the role of family and community, and the legacy he inherited from both his mother and his "absent" father. ....... at peace with himself, self-possessed and able to "ring true" ..... Watching him on stage, in a crowd, or engaged in a conversation of substance, he looks at ease, unruffled and comfortable, alternately listening and engaging. ........ In the grueling and sometimes destructive sport of campaign politics, where candidates subject themselves to what are arguably the most brutal of endurance tests (always on call, always needing to be personable and informed, all the while being scrutinized and dissected), Barack Obama appears to remain cool and in control. ....... race remains a defining issue in American life. ...... Barack and Oprah one day in Des Moines, Iowa, again before a largely white audience of 18,500, and then the next day before a mixed race audience of 29,500 in Columbia, South Carolina. And in both places they generated the same reaction, the same enthusiasm, the same hope. ....... To say, as some have, that Barack Obama transcends race, like Tiger Woods, misses the point. Rather, it appears, he embodies the matter of race and helps to reconcile the divide in his person and message. ....... After eight largely successful, but embattled and exhausting years, the Clinton Administration gave way to George Bush and seven years of lost opportunities and failed leadership. All of this has left many Americans bitter and cynical. Preying off of fear, anger and division has taken a toll and damaged the spirit of the body politic. ...... an appeal to the angels of our better selves coupled with the optimism and conviction that change can come ..... Can he win? His polling numbers are improving daily. In the end, however, the voters in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada will answer that question in January. But is he real, and does the movement he has inspired matter? The answer to that is self-evidently yes. Race, gender in White House raceJamaica Gleaner Barack Obama is mixed, his mother is white and his father black, and Hillary Clinton's chiselled face rarely shows any warmth. And after all what normal woman could have maintained such composure through the Monica Lewinsky saga. Where were the tears, the vicious insults and the new sexy outfits? ...... Hillary Clinton does not campaign as a just woman, she is woman who is campaigning to be President of the United States. Clinton takes her punches like the rest of the boys and then delivers a few herself. Obama likewise, does not campaign based on his race, but neither does he try to hide it, "Racism is a function of our society. There are some people who aren't going to vote for me because I have got big ears. Part of my optimism about Americans is that I don't think they expect me to be deracialised in order to represent them." ..... The white male is in third place. ...... if she can do for Obama what she does for sales of books in her book club, he'll be laughing all the way to the White House. ..... "People want judgement and they hope that experience is often a good proxy. Experience can actually be an impediment to good judgement." ..... the American democratic process, a process that was in need of a lift. It is refreshing to see a black man who embraces his race, doesn't even relax his hair, and is a real contender .... Likewise that a woman could be the pacesetter, the one everyone is watching, is remarkable, since not so long ago neither women nor blacks were even allowed to vote. ... Our own leaders would do well to watch this campaign, as Jamaica would benefit from a political campaign that places little importance on the colour of the candidate's skin, how they spoke, looked, or their economic back-ground, and focused more on the issues and person's qualities that would make him/her a good leader for the nation. As Obama put it, someone will always not vote for him because they don't like his big ears, but as presidential candidate, he steers clear of that discussion because it is of no use to the running of the country. Hillary Rodham Clinton: Who Is She? The Associated Press Three Generations of Clinton Women in AdThe Associated Press Clinton had a dominant lead among women in a nationwide AP-Ipsos poll earlier this month, leading Obama by 52 percent to 19 percent — about the same advantage she held in November. Huckabee and Clinton Lead in South Carolina411mania.com The big movers since the poll was taken in July are Huckabee (+21 points), Romney (+10 points), and Paul (+9 points). The big losers are Giuliani (-14 points) and McCain (-8 points). .... that Huckabee is the most the most likable candidate, and the least likely to act like a typical politician if elected. .... On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton has held steady in the state. She currently leads Barack Obama 42%-34%. John Edwards is third at 16%...... The biggest mover in the poll was Obama who gained 7 points. There is no big loser. ..... Forty eight percent of black voters, and 41% of all voters said that they have definitely made up their minds..... Obama was judged to be the Democrat least likely to act like a typical politician if elected. The strength of the Clinton campaign still is the belief that she is the Democrat with the best chance of beating the Republican nominee. EU Leaders Endorse New Charter Washington Post The 175-page Treaty of Lisbonincorporates most of the proposed changes and language of the failed constitution, but does so through a series of amendments to existing laws and treaties that can be approved by governments and legislatures without being put to voters. Only one of the 27 member countries, Ireland, plans to hold a referendum on the treaty. ....... creating a permanent post of president, which an individual would hold for 2 1/2 years, and junking the current six-month presidency that rotates among member governments ....... "It's a willful attempt to mislead the public" ..... 75 percent of people surveyed across Europe, including a majority in all 27 E.U. countries, wanted a referendum on any new treaty that gives more power to the E.U. ........ "96 percent of it is a word-for-word carbon copy" of the rejected constitution. "This is a deeply dishonest process" ........ To go into effect, the treaty needs to be ratified by lawmakers in all E.U. countries, but there is no requirement for it to be put to a popular vote. ........ Countries have until the end of 2008 to adopt the treaty, which would become law in January 2009. .... European politicians were stunned by the rejection of the proposed constitution in 2005 by voters in France and the Netherlands, two founding E.U. members. Despite its endorsement by leaders in all the E.U. countries, the document was withdrawn from further consideration and the union began a period of political drift and identity crisis. ......... "The Treaty of Lisbon is thus a catalogue of amendments. It is unpenetrable for the public." China pushes World Bank aid group pledges to record high AFP Britain Overtakes US as Top World Bank DonorNew York Times raised $25.1 billion in aid for the world’s poorest countries, a record sum that includes donations by China and Egypt, nations that were once recipients of such aid. ...... the change in rankings was partly due to currency swings, since the dollar has dropped in value against European currencies. .... the willingness of the United States to cede its top spot ...... Britain’s pledge of $4.2 billion, as well as $2.2 billion from Germany — both big increases — suggested that the rift with Europe has been healed. ..... Britain, the United States, Japan, and Germany were the four largest donors among the 45 countries who pledged money. The total was 42 percent more than the bank raised in its previous campaign in 2005. ....... $41.6 billion for its International Development Association, or I.D.A., which gives grants and interest-free loans to more than 80 poor countries, roughly half of them in Africa. ...... Wealthier nations now increasingly prefer to channel aid through their own development agencies. They also tend to earmark large contributions for specific diseases, like H.I.V. and AIDS, or specific development projects, like climate change and the environment. ........ “this is the core funding that the poorest developing countries rely on.” ...... shows that Europe has thrown its support behind the bank. Why Pregnant Women Don’t Tip Over al-Qaida No. 2 Critical of Peace ParleyThe Associated Press The conference relaunched Palestinian-Israeli peace talks after a seven year hiatus ..... "The Annapolis meeting was held to turn Palestine into a Jewish state" ...... "The czar of Washington invited 16 Arab countries ... to sit in one room, at one table with the Israelis," al-Zawahri said, adding that the conference "witnessed the betrayal deals to sell Palestine." ........ label Mahmoud Abbas as "the traitor," adding that the Palestinian "brother-president sold you out in Annapolis and in its aftermath." ...... He called on Egyptian soldiers and also Bedouin tribes in Egypt's Sinai peninsula to rise against the rule of President Hosni Mubarak. "God wants you to get ready, for the sake of God," al-Zawahri said. Cisco's wimax Focus is International PC World Cisco Systems sees a big market for WiMax, but not primarily in high-profile deployments in the developed world such as Sprint Nextel's nationwide network, planned for commercial launch in the U.S. next year. ...... the main opportunity Cisco sees is in building networks in developing countries, initially to bring broadband to stationary users ...... WiMax as an alternative to DSL (digital subscriber line) or cable broadband. ...... the role of WiMax for the foreseeable future in markets with poor or no wired infrastructure ....... The carriers in developing countries are insisting on gear based on IEEE 802.16e, the standard for mobile WiMax, rather than on an earlier specification limited to fixed services ...... right now, Cisco sees WiMax giving many residents of poorer countries, who overwhelmingly still use desktop PCs, their first broadband experience ...... Cisco isn't dismissing WiMax for advanced countries, just identifying the most attractive market to start with ...... WiMax will complement but not compete with future high-speed versions of 3G systems, namely LTE (Long-Term Evolution), the next step in the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) technology track ..... "If we drive innovation on end devices and applications, and we drive the penetration and ubiquity of networks ... we create enormous value for Cisco ... for the ecosystem ... and for our customers," Galloway said. wimax Plans Moving Ahead at CiscoNew York Times Cisco Systems Inc.'s US$330 million acquisition of WiMax wireless provider Navini Networks Inc. ...... helping bring Cisco closer to its intention of bringing wireless broadband to emerging countries. ...... some doubts raised about whether Sprint Nextel Corp. will continue its ambitious rollout of its Xohm WiMax network nationally next year ...... Cisco is prepared to support WiMax along with a variety of other emerging wireless technologies, including Long Term Evolution, which could potentially compete with WiMax. Supporting heterogeneity of networks also contributes to Cisco's bottom line ........ more than 2 billion people on the globe who do not have access to the Internet can be expected to want to gain access from desktop computers .... emerging countries where Navini operates today. Dell reinventing itself, but support issues linger ITworld.com Dell's efforts to reinvent itself this year through a dramatic break from its direct-sales model, expanded services and new enterprise offerings have shown positive early results, but some users have lingering concerns about supply chain management and support -- long-time issues for the company. Google Targets Wikipedia With New 'Knol' Pages Wall Street Journal Google Launches User-Created Web EncyclopediaABC News Google aims at Wikipedia with Knol serviceMSNBC The Kite Runner Flies TIME Clinton Advisor: "A Lot of Catch-Up To Do" in Iowa CBS News about half of Hillary Clinton's female supporters have never taken part in Iowa's caucuses before -- a much larger figure than that for either Obama or Edwards supporters. ...... "if there's not an ice storm shutting down Iowa, then somewhere in the state, there is caucus training going on." The thinking is if they are too intimidated by it, they may elect to stay home rather than head out on a freezing January night just to be embarrassed by not understanding what they're even doing there. ..... she and her surrogates will attempt to reach all 99 counties in Iowa. ...... They hope to hit the "reset" button starting Sunday. Could Clinton Lose Because of Women?RealClearPolitics Polls throughout the campaign have showed Clinton earning the support of far more women than men ..... the once-inevitable Democratic nominee looks human again ..... Obama, meanwhile, has focused much of his appeal to women on his personal story. "I know what it's like to be raised by a single mom who's trying to work and go to school and raise two kids at the same time, doesn't have any support from the father" ........ Brazile said. "While she has hit a rough patch on her road back the White House, don't count her out." ....... On Wednesday alone, EMILY's List, a group that backs pro-choice Democratic women candidates, dropped more than $30,000 into mailings and phone banks, bringing their total for the month of December to nearly $90,000 on Clinton's behalf. The group has also identified around 70,000 Democratic women in Iowa who voted in 2006 but did not caucus in 2004, and who either support Clinton or are undecided. If just a fraction of those women turn out, it could prove game-changing. ........ the campaign has used Michelle to address hundreds of women on conference calls and in small gatherings around Iowa ..... Clinton's numbers among women in New Hampshire, meanwhile, have seen a precipitous drop. The latest CNN/WMUR poll shows Clinton down ten points among women there in the last month ..... As women take a closer look at the race, it seems, Obama has been able to radically close the gender gap Clinton once enjoyed. ..... If she loses, it will be because what many believed was her natural constituency abandoned her in the end. Obama edges Clinton in poll Concord Monitor Obama with a one-point edge over Hillary Clinton - mirror other polls released this week, indicating that Clinton's once-imposing lead has evaporated in the run-up to New Hampshire's Jan. 8 primary. ..... Although Mike Huckabee is leading some Iowa polls, his campaign hasn't surged in New Hampshire ...... When it came to those undeclared voters, Obama trounced his opponents: 40 percent of undeclared voters likely to vote in the Democratic primary backed Obama, compared with 23 percent for Clinton and 13 percent for former North Carolina senator John Edwards. ...... As for Clinton, "I feel like Hillary will go wherever the polls tell her to go." ...... Of the female, likely Democratic voters surveyed, 34 percent say they'd choose Obama, compared with 32 percent for Clinton. ........ "That gender gap - right now, he's removed it." Analysis: Iowa Polls Drove Huckabee Surge CBS News While winning Iowa has historically been a way for a candidate to vault into national prominence, for the former Arkansas Governor, just doing well in its pre-election surveys is having that same impact. ..... Much of Huckabee's national backing now comes from white evangelical Christians, a group of voters that has increased its attention since October (27% are paying a lot now, up from 18%). ..... In the years leading up to the 1976 primaries, a then-largely unknown Jimmy Carter was going door-to-door in Iowa, defining what later would become the go-to strategy for aspirants without money or name recognition. Carter's campaign counted on early wins to grab attention and create a national splash. The last Iowa debate (Thank God!) Salon an impolitic but on-target description: "It's pretty boring." ...... recite their favorite lines from their stump speeches and TV commercials ...... Iowans "feel as though they're standing on a trap door. They are one pink slip, one missed mortgage payment, one medical diagnosis away from falling through." ...... Bill Richardson's paean to the first caucus state: "What I like best about Iowans is that you like underdogs. And you like to shake things up. You don't like the national media and the smarty-pants set telling you who's going to be the next president." ......... Audible on the tape of Richardson's "underdog" crack was Clinton's signature laugh. ..... The debate recap segued into an ABC report about divisions in the Clinton camp over whether to become more aggressive toward Obama and Edwards. This was followed by the news that Bill Shaheen, the husband of former New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, resigned as national co-chair of the Clinton campaign ......... this week's dominant story line: "Hillary in trouble." ...... Thursday's debate -- which was slated to be broadcast live on CNN, MSNBC and Fox News ...... Obama, who has been riding high in the recent polls, seemed confident and relaxed throughout the debate, though I must confess that I cannot remember (without reviewing the transcript) a single thing that the Illinois senator said onstage during the entire 90 minutes except for his already oft-repeated quip that Hillary Clinton will be advising him in 2009. ..... this Kennedy vs. Nixon format has degenerated into a tired ritual that frequently sheds neither heat nor light. ....... the battle for Iowa will be won the old-fashioned way -- based on what candidates say directly to voters Obama Aide: Clinton Adviser’s Decision to Quit the “Right Thing” New York Times Clinton, Obama Say Balanced Federal Budget Is Few Years AwayBloomberg Clinton NH Official ResignsWashington Post Obama, Clinton Tied in New HampshireThe Associated Press How can you navigate this maze of contradicting polls?Dallas Morning News Clinton's Apology Is One Of Few Debate HighlightsTampa Tribune On the campaign trail with Barack ObamaMail & Guardian Online Clinton Ad: Dorothy Speaks New York Times
