Articles Interest 12-9-07

333 Days until Election Day

MORNING UPDATE:

NBC refuses to play an ad that supports our Iraq policy and asks folks to “remember” our troops.  A disgrace…let NBC know your thoughts.

http://migop.blogs.com/blog/2007/12/newt-on-nbc-and.html

http://www.freedomswatch.org/

Carol Cain hosts a fascinating WWJ-TV program about China called “Building Bridges”…an introduction is below that I think is worth watching and understanding.

Give a Gift this Holiday Season that Will Last a Lifetime!

The Michigan Republicans moved their headquarters to the Secchia-Weiser Republican Center in 2006 and plan to install a legacy site to honor those who have served the party and the citizens of Michigan.  The legacy site will create a well-deserved tribute to honor Michigan’s past, present, and future Republican leaders!  Buy a brick to celebrate, to inspire, or to commemorate friends, family, or yourself this holiday season!  They are a great way to honor others in memoriam, birthdays, anniversaries, or any special occasion.  Your honoree will receive a certificate commemorating their personalized brick.  Choose from our four different options and be a part of the Michigan Republican Party Legacy! 

To order your personalized Legacy Brick please visit www.migop.org/legacy, or contact Erin Meteer, Major Donor Program Manager at emeteer@migop.org. 

THE REST OF THE STORY:

Outrage: NBC has rejected a TV ad by Freedom's Watch, a conservative group that supports administration policy in Iraq that asks viewers to remember and thank U.S. troops during the holiday season.

NBC said it declined to air the ad because it refers to the group's Web site, which the network said was too political, not because of the ad's message.

PREVIEW THE 1ST SEGMENT:  http://video.cbslocal.com/GreatLakesGreatWallSeg1.wmv

VIEW THE WEBSITE:
http://cbsdetroit.com/buildingbridges/bridges.2.601233.html 

“Twenty years from now, the only markets that will really matter will be the U.S. and China.”
-Rick Wagoner, CEO of General Motors. 

As part of a new community initiative called “Eye on the Future,” WWJ-TV will provide programming and initiatives that offer a spotlight on how Michigan can move forward in this ever changing world.

On Sunday, December 16th at 11pm following the finale of “Survivor: China,” WWJ-TV is proud to premiere the first “Eye on the Future” special:  a three part series that examines Michigan’s economy and future and its potential connections with China in “Building Bridges:  From the Great Lakes to the Great Wall.”

Shot in stunning high-definition and hosted by Carol Cain, Community Affairs and Editorial Director of WWJ-TV, “Building Bridges” leads us on a journey to see how the Chinese have built one of the most explosive economies on the planet and how the economic growth in China could help position Michigan for future growth.

Ms. Cain interviewed a number of experts to offer the most comprehensive, eye-opening report to date on this issue.  She traveled extensively throughout China and Michigan to see firsthand how bold pioneers in business and education are laying the groundwork for future prosperity in Michigan.  A partial list of her guests is included on page two.

“Building Bridges” features exclusive interviews with virtually every local business leader and decision-maker who will play a part in Michigan’s economic expansion.  From government officials to business CEO’s, automotive executives to union leaders, Ms. Cain leads a very balanced discussion on this important topic.   

“This issue is vital to everyone in Michigan,” said Trey Fabacher, Vice President and General Manager of WWJ-TV and WKBD-TV.  “In just a few short years, there won’t be a business or family not affected in some way by economic changes outside the USA.  Carol has used her extensive relationships and experience as a journalist to produce a truly riveting and informative special series.”

Part two airs Tuesday, December 18th from 6pm to 6:30pm.  The series wraps up on Wednesday, December 19th from 6pm to 6:30pm.

Saul Anuzis

STATE STORIES

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071209/COL33/712090574/1070/OPINION02

Two opponents team up for a better primary

December 9, 2007

BY STEPHEN HENDERSON

The curious couple of the week was surely Debbie Dingell and Saul Anuzis, two political polar opposites who linked up to support badly needed reforms in the presidential primary system. What's next? Spartans and Wolverines loving each other over football? Dingell, a national Democratic Party committee member, and Anuzis, chair of the Michigan GOP, were brought together by common sense, an understanding that the current process of selecting White House hopefuls thoroughly screws states like

Michigan

.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071208/UPDATE/712080407

Romney: GOP unlikely to tap Huckabee

Gordon Trowbridge

Decemeber 8^th ,2007

BLOOMFIELD HILLS -- Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Saturday that it's unlikely Mike Huckabee can win the GOP nomination, despite Huckabee's rapid ascent to the top of the polls in

Iowa

. "(There has) not been much time to take a look at his policies and his record," the

Michigan

native said during an interview with Detroit News editorial writers. "He's got good support in

Iowa

. My guess is by the time

Michigan

comes around, people will have taken a very close look at his policies and record, and I don't believe it's likely that he'll be the nominee." The eventual winner is likely to be someone from a group of four, Romney said: Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Fred Thompson and himself.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071209/COL32/712090576/1070/OPINION02

STATE OF

STALEMATE

Services tax debacle shows, again, how hopeless problem-solving can be in

Lansing

December 9, 2007

BY RON DZWONKOWSKI

When the folks in Lansing tell you how much they helped business by repealing the services tax, ask them if they know how much they cost business by enacting it in the first place.It's easy enough for consumers to act as if the tax never was, since very few of them paid it during the 16-plus hours it was in effect Dec. 1 before Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed legislation to repeal and replace it. But businesses, meantime, ran through hundreds of millions of dollars from the time the tax was passed Oct. 1 getting set up to collect and account for it. And now they will spend millions more -- mostly in staff time and/or accounting services -- to adjust for the business tax surcharge that's going to replace it.

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/120807/opi_20071208191.shtml

Lansing

lawmakers fail to make the grade on taxes

The

Oakland

Press

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Now, let's see. The Michigan Legislature, after missing its Dec. 1 deadline, finally repealed an unfair and unpopular tax on services. Actually, the only thing worse than the tax was the waffling over whether the state was actually going to collect it.  The repeal finally passed, but the tradeoff, approved by the Senate early in the day, was the creation of a surcharge on the new Michigan Business Tax. Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed the measure into law Saturday evening.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071208/OPINION01/712080306/1007/OPINION

Michigan

gets vote of confidence

The

Detroit

News

Saturday, December, 8, 2007

A new study by

Ohio

State

University

's law school gives

Michigan

generally high marks on running fair elections. But the study notes that its Qualified Voter File, which lists registered and eligible voters, still has as many as a million inactive or invalid entries. The study also said poll workers could be better trained and the state Supreme Court should squabble less to give voters more confidence that it can settle voter-related questions fairly. Perhaps clerks could update information for the voter file and do a better job training volunteers, but given the state's tough financial times, the report is a vote of confidence for local clerks who have to do a tricky job without extra dollars. And justices on divided courts will argue with each other, no matter what academic researchers say.

http://www.mlive.com/news/saginawnews/index.ssf?/base/news-25/1197181208237180.xml&coll=9

Getting off voter list can take two years

Sunday, December 9, 2007

By

BARRIE

BARBER

Saginaw City Clerk Diane Herman acknowledges hearing complaints that the list of eligible voters isn't always up to snuff. It isn't for lack of trying, she says. Herman's office updates the 43,700 names on the list known as the Qualified Voter File -- every day, scouring secretary of state data and purging the names of deceased voters if death notices arrive, she says.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20071208/NATION/112080043/1002

Fuel economy plan blocked by GOP senators

By Sean Lengell

December 8, 2007

A plan to increase the fuel economy in cars stalled in the Senate yesterday after Republicans blocked a vote on a broad Democratic energy bill that the House passed a day earlier. The defeat is a blow to one of the Democrats' major priorities this year — passing legislation aimed at curbing the nation's dependency on fossil fuels and expanding the use of renewable energy sources." Partisan, special-interest-driven politics have blocked the bold steps necessary to solve our energy crisis," said Sen. Barack Obama, Illinois Democrat. "This bill put the American people and our energy future ahead of Big Oil, and it deserved to be considered."

http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/michigan/index.ssf?/base/news-49/119714876148230.xml&storylist=newsmichigan

U.S.

asks to drop final charge against prosecutor in terror trial

12/8/2007

By COREY WILLIAMS 

DETROIT (AP) — The Justice Department has asked a federal judge to drop the final charge against former Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Convertino. In documents filed Friday in U.S. District Court in

Detroit

, the government asked that an obstruction of justice charge from a 2003 drug case be dismissed. Convertino had been accused of lying to a federal judge in that case. It is the last of four federal charges against Convertino, who along with Harry Smith III were acquitted in October of withholding evidence from the defense during the nation's first major terrorism trial after the Sept. 11 attacks.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071208/AUTO01/712080349

Russians select Renault over GM

Bill Vlasic and Christine Tierney

December 8^th, 2007

General Motors Corp. has lost out to French rival Renault SA in the bidding to acquire a major stake in

Russia

's largest automaker, OAO AvtoVAZ. The deal gives Renault a boost in the rapidly growing Russian market and leaves GM on its own to increase its manufacturing presence in the region. A Renault spokeswoman said Friday that a deal had been agreed to with state-controlled AvtoVAZ.  Renault's CEO, Carlos Ghosn, was expected to attend a press conference today at AvtoVAZ headquarters in the Russian city of

Togliatti

. "I can confirm that AvtoVAZ has selected Renault," said Claire Martin of Renault in

Paris

. Details of the acquisition were not made public, but Russian media reports said that Renault would buy a 25 percent stake in AvtoVAZ, valued at about $1.4 billion.

http://www.mlive.com/news/saginawnews/index.ssf?/base/news-25/11970949463390.xml&coll=9

Busloads protest nooses on CMU campus

Saturday, December 8, 2007

By AMY PAYNE

MOUNT PLEASANT -- The message that more than 200 protesters delivered Friday wasn't easy to hear,

Isabella

County

's top law enforcer says. But Prosecutor Larry J. Burdick also cautioned against a ''rush to judgment'' against the student who hung four nooses in a

Central

Michigan

University

classroom in mid-November. ''The message I take from this rally is that symbols can hurt. Symbols do matter. And we should all acknowledge the symbolism of a hangman's noose,'' Burdick said in a statement released hours after Friday's protest ended.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071209/NEWS05/712090594

Fed up with dioxin, they want out

Residents call cleanup slow and want government to move them

December 9, 2007

BY TINA LAM

SAGINAW

-- Mitch Larson got rid of the free-range chickens that once provided his family with fresh eggs.Laura Burtt boards out her llamas and a horse, even though there's space for them on her land. Her partner, Russ Kubik, misses the strawberries and asparagus from two huge gardens the couple once tended.

Greg Whitney wears a mask and showers after he mows the lawn at what was supposed to be his dream house.

http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-26/119717802458960.xml&coll=7

DEQ chief: under funding creates crisis; State lags in natural resources spending

Sunday, December 09, 2007

BY ALEX NIXON

KALAMAZOO

-- How much does

Michigan

treasure its environment? Enough to spend only 0.4 percent of the state's $8 billion General Fund budget this year to protect it. How do we compare with other states in spending on natural resources? We're at the bottom of the list. How cash-strapped is the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality? It needs to raise $17.5 million in new fees on businesses and homeowners by Jan. 15 to balance its current budget.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071209/BUSINESS06/712090597&theme=ROADTOCHANGE102007

Hotbeds for auto research growing

U.S.

, import firms expand labs

December 9, 2007

BY KATHERINE YUNG

As thousands of the state's autoworkers punch out for the last time, it's easy to assume that

Michigan

's role as the world's auto capital faces a very limited future. Think again. The state has reached a historic crossroads. Even as it sheds much of the business of building cars and trucks,

Michigan

is quietly growing its ability to design and create the next generation of vehicles

http://www.mlive.com/news/annarbornews/index.ssf?/base/news-25/11971842488920.xml&coll=2

State, film festival settle

Lawmakers ease rules on content

Sunday, December 09, 2007

BY GEOFF LARCOM

The Ann Arbor Film Festival and the State of

Michigan

have settled a lawsuit arising from a controversy over the content in some movies shown at the event. The deal arises from the lifting of most restrictions on content for entities that receive state arts grant money. The issue first arose when some state legislators questioned the festival's grants, saying the festival had violated rules that the money could not fund projects that included certain content, such as "depictions of flag desecration'' or "displays of sex acts.'' But according to the dismissal, the state Legislature removed those stipulations from its most recent authorization of the grant program, replacing them with looser guidelines.

http://www.ourmidland.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19096980&BRD=2289&PAG=461&dept_id=472542&rfi=6

Dow Corning to host governor at energy roundtable Monday

By Cheryl Wade

12/08/2007

Dow Corning Corp., Hemlock Semiconductor Corp., Gougeon Brothers of Bay City and

Saginaw

Valley

State

University

are among the businesses and organizations whose representatives will meet with Gov. Jennifer Granholm Monday for an energy roundtable. The afternoon meeting, not open to the public, will be at Dow Corning. The governor has been touring the state, beginning in November, to discuss alternative energy and get feedback from companies and organizations on the cutting edge of the field about their work and what the state could do better, said Granholm spokesperson Megan Brown. Attendees will discuss how they're faring and ways in which the state should move forward.

NATIONAL STORIES

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/08/AR2007120801250_pf.html

NBC Decides to Run Conservative-Group Ad

By JIM KUHNHENN

Saturday, December 8, 2007

WASHINGTON

-- NBC reversed course Saturday and decided to air a conservative group's television ad thanking

U.S.

troops. The ad, by the group Freedom's Watch, asks viewers to remember the troops during the holiday season. NBC had refused to air the ad because it guides viewers to the Freedom's Watch Web site, which NBC said was too political. But in a statement issued Saturday evening, NBC said: "We have reviewed and changed our ad standards guidelines and made the decision that our policy will apply to content only and not to a referenced Web site. Based on these amended standards the Freedom's Watch ad will begin to run as early as Sunday.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1207/7258.html

Mitt keeps support with S.C. evangelicals

By: Leroy Chapman Jr.

Dec 8, 2007 07:09 AM EST

South Carolina‘s evangelicals aren’t holding Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith against him, as polls show the former Massachusetts governor is still among the leaders in the tightly contested Republican primary. His Thursday speech seems to have helped him with the state’s Christian conservatives. Leading evangelicals here made clear this week Romney has been smart about addressing his faith with them all along.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3f7298b2-a4d0-11dc-a93b-0000779fd2ac.html

Prayer and the presidency

By Christopher Caldwell

Published: December 7 2007

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a 60-year-old politician with good looks, a private life that is above reproach, a decent record as governor of Massachusetts, a reputation as the saviour of the 2002 winter Olympics in Utah and a quarter-billion dollars earned as a leveraged buy-out specialist must be in want of the presidency. Mitt Romney, the possessor of those attributes, once stood atop Republican polls in

Iowa

and

New Hampshire

, the two states that start the nominating process in early January. But Mike Huckabee, the Bible-quoting former

Arkansas

governor, has lately vaulted past Mr Romney in

Iowa

, with the support of evangelical Christians. Something bugs voters about this otherwise estimable candidate. Mr. Romney suspects it is his religion.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22151167/

Giuliani staking it all on the

Sunshine

State

Hope is

Florida

win could mean strong showing on Feb. 5 Super Tuesday

By Matt Berger

December 7^th 2007

WINDHAM

,

N.H.

- Talking to a small group of voters beside the home of a local supporter, Rudy Giuliani eriodically walks backward and puts his hands atop an outdoor fireplace. "I'm just getting warmed up," he says, as he rubs his hands together. Indeed, his late November inaugural campaign bus tour almost seems like an opening act, not the midstride approach most candidates have already mastered in the first primary state. While Giuliani staffers were quick to note the bus tour was Giuliani's 20th visit to

New Hampshire

in 2007, one could not help but notice it had gotten significantly colder since the last time Giuliani was in the state -- 18 days ago, nearly an eternity in this front-loaded primary calendar.

http://www.nysun.com/article/67662

Sliding Support Forces Giuliani To Retool Campaign

By NICHOLAS WAPSHOTT

December 7, 2007

After showing national voters for the first time his caustic personal style of politics, and amid ongoing innuendo about his time in City Hall, Mayor Giuliani is plagued by sliding poll figures in key early states and is being forced to retool his presidential campaign.

An appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday morning, which a month ago might have seemed routine, has taken on a new importance, coming at a time when confidence in Mr. Giuliani's ability to win the Republican nomination appears to be melting away. The keynote interview with Tim Russert is seen by the Giuliani campaign as a firewall that must bring to a halt two weeks of troubling news for their candidate, which is reflected in his dipping poll numbers.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071208/ap_on_el_pr/huckabee_aids

Huckabee wanted to isolate AIDS patients

By Andrew DeMillo

Dec 8, 2007

LITTLE ROCK,

Ark.

- Mike Huckabee once advocated isolating AIDS patients from the general public, opposed increased federal funding in the search for a cure and said homosexuality could "pose a dangerous public health risk." As a candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in 1992, Huckabee answered 229 questions submitted to him by The Associated Press. Besides a quarantine, Huckabee suggested that

Hollywood

celebrities fund AIDS research from their own pockets, rather than federal health agencies.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1207/7270.html

Huckabee called homosexuality 'sinful'

By Mike Allen

Dec 8, 2007

Answer on 1992 questionnaire could stem the velocity of his astonishing surge in

Iowa

. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, surging in

Iowa

polls in the Republican presidential race, wrote on a questionnaire while running for U.S. Senate in 1992 that homosexuality is "aberrant" and "sinful." "I feel homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle, and we now know it can pose a dangerous public health risk," Huckabee wrote in the questionnaire for The Associated Press, which reported the answer on Saturday.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/us/politics/09campaign.html?ei=5065&en=d57bd9a71d8609be&ex=1197781200&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print

Parole Case and ’90s AIDS View Trail Huckabee

December 9, 2007

By MICHAEL LUO

As new polls highlight Mike Huckabee’s ascent in the Republican presidential field, he is drawing new scrutiny of his record in Arkansas, particularly his actions in the release of a convicted rapist who went on to murder a woman and his response to a questionnaire in which he said people with AIDS should be quarantined. Two former parole board members in

Arkansas

said yesterday that as governor, Mr. Huckabee met with the board in 1996 to lobby them to release the convicted rapist, Wayne DuMond, whose case was championed by evangelical Christians.

http://unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Huckabee%20making%20his%20mark&articleId=f12f37bf-dcf5-4215-92bb-28a97b95cd25

Huckabee making his mark

By DAN TUOHY

Dec, 8^th 2007

MANCHESTER

– A former Baptist minister and

Arkansas

governor, a man who lost 110 pounds with a manic regimen of running after being diagnosed with diabetes in 2003, is making the Republican presidential contest a real sprint. Who in the world is Mike Huckabee?"He's Mr. Personality," said Phyllis Woods, a

New Hampshire

member to the Republican National Committee, who remains impartial for the Primary. Is he becoming Mr. Right?In a national poll yesterday, Huckabee captured a second place, a feat that may prompt

New Hampshire

voters to give him a second look.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MCCAIN_ADWATCH?SITE=MIDTF&SECTION=POLITICS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-12-08-12-05-20

Schilling Pitches McCain for President

By Jim Kuhnhenn

December 8^th, 2007

TITLE: "Backbone of Steel" LENGTH: 30 seconds AIRING: New Hampshire SCRIPT: Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling: "We are living in a complex and dangerous time that requires a leader who embodies character, sound judgment and experience. John McCain is that man. John has a backbone of steel. He's a man of principle who sticks to his guns. McCain has been tested like no other politician in

America

. As a prisoner of war, he turned down an offer for early release because he refused preferential treatment. I've seen some tough competitors in my time. But none tougher than John McCain. He's a winner.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MCCAIN_NEW_HAMPSHIRE?SITE=MIDTF&SECTION=POLITICS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-12-08-10-16-21

New Hampshire

Is Again McCain's Focus

By LIZ SIDOTI

Associated Press Writer

ATKINSON

,

N.H.

(AP) -- New Hampshire made John McCain the last time he sought the White House. Now he's hoping the nation's first primary can save him. "We're moving up in the state. We're starting, in a sense, to see the same thing we saw in 1999, 2000. But we have a long way to go," the upbeat Republican presidential candidate told supporters during a six-day barnstorming of the state he won nearly eight years ago.By necessity, McCain is following a roadmap to the GOP presidential nomination that essentially boils down to the strategy he attempted in his first bid - use momentum from a New Hampshire win to try to triumph in South Carolina and beyond.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/014/464pcbjw.asp

All In

Fred Thompson moves to

Iowa

.

by Stephen F. Hayes

December 7^th, 2007

Des Moines

,

Iowa-

FORMER TENNESSEE SENATOR Fred Thompson has decided to take his campaign and virtually all of its resources to

Iowa

in an all-or-nothing attempt to register a strong showing in the caucuses here on January 3. "We're getting ready to make this not only our second home, but our first home," he told a small gathering of supporters at the

Polk

County

Convention Center

on Friday night. Thompson and his wife Jeri chatted with the crowd before making their way through the exhibits at the Iowa Farm Bureau's annual meeting in downtown

Des Moines

.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2007/12/07/its_a_bird_its_a_planeits_a_ro.html

It's a Bird, It's a Plane...It's a Ron Paul Ad

By Matthew Mosk

Dec 7th, 2007

If folks in New Hampshire have not had enough political advertising on their televisions, on the radios in their cars, or in their mailboxes, soon will be able to simply tilt their heads back and look up.That's because supporters of Ron Paul's campaign for president are leasing space on a blimp that will quietly float across the White Mountains beginning Dec. 15. Whether the unorthodox advertising technique proves worthwhile for Paul's campaign efforts during the frigid (and cloudy) winter days in

New Hampshire

remains to be seen. But the blimp has certainly caught the eye of campaign finance experts, who have questions about the legality of its financial arrangements.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1207/7268.html

Iowa

: Mojo versus manpower

By: Jonathan Martin

Dec 8, 2007 07:07 AM EST

DES MOINES – As the battle for

Iowa

enters the home stretch, the race appears to be breaking down along a simple fault line: Mike Huckabee’s momentum and passion versus Mitt Romney’s organization. What one has the other lacks. After a prolonged inspection of the candidates in the race and a period of waiting to see who else might run, many Hawkeye State Republicans seem to have narrowed the contest to a choice between two former governors. All the mojo seems to be with Huckabee – a Newsweek poll released Friday shows him ahead of Romney by a staggering 39 percent to 17 percent margin.

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NmZlZjlhYTFjYTQ2YWViZmE3MmUzNWQzODE3NDhhNTQ=

Bush Boom Continues

By Larry Kudlow

December 7^th 2007

There is no recession. Despite all the doom and gloom from the economic pessimistas, the resilient U.S economy continues moving ahead—quarter after quarter, year after year—defying dire forecasts and delivering positive growth. In fact, we are about to enter the seventh consecutive year of the Bush boom. The pessimistas are a persistent bunch. In 2006, they were certain a recession was just around the corner. They were wrong. Instead, the economy posted two consecutive quarters of near or above four-percent growth. Earlier today, a doom and gloom economic forecast from Macro Economic Advisors was released predicting zero percent growth in the fourth quarter. This report is off by at least two percentage points. These guys are going to wind up with egg on their faces.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/08/chelseas-iowa-debut/index.html?hp

Chelsea

’s

Iowa

Debut

December 8, 2007

By Jeff Zeleny

DES MOINES – With Oprah Winfrey headed here on Saturday to campaign for Senator Barack Obama, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton brought a surprise guest of her own: Chelsea Clinton. It was Ms. Clinton’s debut on the presidential campaign trail, smiling broadly as she walked into Palmer’s Deli a few steps behind her mother for a breakfast photo opportunity. She shed her coat and immediately began shaking hands and mingling with

Iowa

supporters who were seated among the diners.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/07/AR2007120702583.html

Clinton

Team Turns

Iowa

Focus to Women

Senator Enlists Big Names -- and Mom

By Shailagh Murray and Anne E. Kornblut

Saturday, December 8, 2007

DES MOINES -- Seeking to steady her campaign in

Iowa

, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will bring a wave of prominent women to blanket the state and target female voters in the final weeks before its first-in-the-nation caucuses. As afternoon talk icon Oprah Winfrey begins a swing through early-primary states to promote Sen. Barack Obama (

Ill.

),

Clinton

is countering with a move she has long resisted: having her mother join her on the campaign trail.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071208/D8TDI1B00.html

Civil Rights Icon Calls Obama Too Young

Dec 8, 2007

By ERRIN HAINES

ATLANTA

(AP) - Civil rights icon Andrew Young says Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is too young and lacks the support network to ascend to the White House. In a media interview posted online, Young also quipped that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton has her husband behind her, and that "Bill is every bit as black as Barack.""He's probably gone with more black women than Barack," Young said of former President.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/08/oprah-in-des-moines/index.html?hp

Oprah in

Des Moines

December 8, 2007

By Jeff Zeleny

DES MOINES – “Oh my goodness,” Oprah Winfrey said. “At last, I’m here.” With those seven words here today, Ms. Winfrey stepped into American politics as she has never done before, opening a three-state tour in her quest to support the presidential bid of Senator Barack Obama. “For the very first time in my life, I feel compelled to stand up and speak out for the man who I believe has a new vision for

America

,” Ms. Winfrey said, speaking over more than 10,000 screaming admirers. “I am not here to tell you what to think. I am here to ask you to think – seriously.”

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OPRAH_OBAMA?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Oprah lends star power to Obama in

Iowa

By NEDRA PICKLER

Associated Press Writer

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Talk-show diva Oprah Winfrey said worry about the direction of her country and a personal belief in Barack Obama pushed her to make her first endorsement in a presidential campaign, invaluable support in a tight race for the Democratic nomination.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EDWARDS_TRADE?SITE=MIDTF&SECTION=POLITICS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-12-08-16-42-58

Edwards Condemns NAFTA

By HOLLY RAMER

Associated Press Writer

DERRY, N.H. (AP) -- Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards said Saturday he wants to replace the empty promise that NAFTA would create millions of jobs with his own promise to be a tough negotiator on trade deals. On the 14th anniversary of the North American Free Trade Agreement, Edwards condemned the deal that lowered trade barriers between the

United States

and

Canada

and

Mexico

, arguing that it has paved the way for a series of deals that put the interests of multinational corporations ahead of working families.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1196847282808&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Iran

accuses US of nuclear espionage

Dec 9, 2007

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Iran

has sent a formal protest note to

Washington

for "spying" on

Iran

's nuclear activities, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Saturday in the wake of the latest

US

report on the alleged Iranian weapons program. An Iranian technician works at the Uranium Conversion Facility just outside the city of

Isfahan

410 kilometers south of Teheran. Mottaki said the American report earlier this week concluding that Teheran halted atomic weapons development in 2003 and hasn't resumed it since. US intelligence agencies based their findings on "satellite and espionage activities," according to

Iran

's official IRNA news agency.

http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSPAR82748720071208

Gates says

Iran

still a threat

Sat Dec 8, 2007

By Kristin Roberts

MANAMA (Reuters) - Iran poses a threat to the United States and the Middle East despite a U.S. intelligence assessment that Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003, Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Saturday.In a speech to the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain, the Pentagon chief argued Iran still has the capability to restart its weapons program and continues to enrich uranium, an essential part of atomic weapons development.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071208/FOREIGN/112080037/1001

U.S.

,

Russia

still at odds about

Iran

By Matthew Lee

December 8, 2007

BRUSSELS — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday the U.S. would continue using a two-track strategy to deal with Iran by pressing for new sanctions and demanding Tehran come clean about its nuclear program while offering talks to sweeten the deal. But

Russia

ignored her calls to punish Iran.Despite strong support from NATO allies in the wake of a new

U.S.

intelligence report that concludes

Iran

actually suspended its nuclear weapons program in 2003, the top

U.S.

diplomat was unable to convince Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about the urgency of fresh sanctions.

http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN0835483320071208

Bush to visit

Middle East

January 9 to 11: Abbas aide

Sat Dec 8, 2007

Reuters

After Bush hosted Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at talks in the

United States

last week, the White House said he would travel to the

Middle East

in early January. No venues or dates were given. After Bush hosted Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at talks in the

United States

last week, the White House said he would travel to the

Middle East

in early January. No venues or dates were given.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_RUSSIA_MISSILE_DEFENSE?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

US,

Russia

to discuss missile defense

Dec 8, 2007

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) --

U.S.

and Russian diplomats plan to meet Thursday in

Hungary

to discuss cooperation on a missile defense system. eading the

U.S.

delegation at the meeting in

Budapest

will be John C. Rood, the secretary of state for arms control and international security. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak will head the Russian contingent. he

United States

will continue to discuss its ideas for cooperating with

Russia

on a missile defense system that President Bush wants to deploy in former Soviet satellite nations in

Eastern Europe

, according to a State Department announcement Saturday.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071209/D8TDMGR00.html

White House Threatens Budget Veto

Dec 8, 2007

By ANDREW TAYLOR

WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House on Saturday threatened to veto a massive spending bill being assembled by congressional Democrats, saying it's unacceptable to add billions of dollars to domestic programs. The White House has not seen details of the $500 billion-plus measure - which senior Democrats are constructing behind closed doors but reacted to it based on media accounts.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IRAQ?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Dems to back down on war money

By ANNE FLAHERTY

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- After weeks of tough talk, Democrats appear resigned to back down again on providing money for the

Iraq

war. What happened? "Republicans, Republicans, Republicans," said Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "The real problem here is the president and his Republican backers" who have "staked out an increasingly hard-lined position." Indeed, with Democrats holding a razor-thin majority in the Senate and with 60 votes needed to overcome procedural hurdles, Senate Republicans were in a plum negotiating spot this month.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071209/POLITICS/712090322/1022

CIA, Justice Department investigate videotape destruction

Pamela Hess / Associated Press

Sunday, December 9, 2007

WASHINGTON

-- The Justice Department and CIA announced a joint inquiry Saturday into the spy agency's destruction of videotapes of interrogations of two suspected terrorists. The review will determine whether a full investigation is warranted. "I welcome this inquiry and the CIA will cooperate fully," CIA Director Mike Hayden said in a statement. "I welcome it as an opportunity to address questions that have arisen over the destruction back in 2005 of videotapes."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FED_INTEREST_RATES?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Fed seems poised to lower interest rates

By JEANNINE

AVERSA

AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A lot has changed since the Federal Reserve hinted two months ago that it might be finished cutting interest rates for a while. Credit has become harder to obtain, Wall Street has convulsed again and the housing slump has intensified. As a result, policymakers at the central bank now appear to have changed their minds about the need to drop interest rates again.

http://www.thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071208/NEWS01/712080314/1002

Issue of God on money is back in appeals court

By Jim Ketchum

The Times Herald

Amid this season to be jolly, and as Christians prepare to celebrate their savior's birth, someone who'd rather not celebrate would like a word with you.  Or rather with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in

San Francisco

.  The someone is Michael Newdow, a Sacramento doctor, lawyer and atheist, who's trying to have the words "under God" removed from the Pledge of Allegiance and the national motto "In God We Trust" taken off U.S. currency.