Articles of Interest 2-20-08
259 Days until Election Day
MORNING UPDATE:
Senator John McCain wins Washington and Wisconsin, then delivers a great victory speech a great line:
"I will fight every day in this campaign to make sure that Americans are not deceived by an eloquent and empty call for change that promises no more than a holiday from history and a return to the false promises and failed philosophy that trusts in government more than the people."
Senator McCain will be in Michigan Thursday watch for coverage and events near you mostly in metro Detroit.
Barack Obama wins Wisconsin - 9 in a row.
And then Clinton gets bumped off prime time television as the stations go to cover Obama's speech...Ouch!
81year-old Fidel Castro resigned as Cuba's president/dictator Tuesday after nearly a half-century in power, saying he will not accept a new term when parliament meets Sunday. Finally, the end of Castro's rule - the longest in the world for a head of government…which will hopefully lead to the beginning of a transition to democracy.
The world is a little bit better of a place with one less dictator:
http://migop.blogs.com/blog/2008/02/communist-dicta.html
I’ve received several emails from folks complimenting the new voting system we used at the convention. Everyone liked the idea of truly a secret ballot, not to mention the fact it was a “real” ballot and in many cases...they were counted and done well before the old traditional method of voting on the issues.
We learned some good lessons and would appreciate any other suggestions folks would have?
I want to give a special thanks to all the local clerks who volunteered to run and supervise this effort; Mary Ellen Tryban, Sandra Moore, Karen Buie, Kerry Helmick, Louise Steine, Tina Leary, Jason Watts, Laurie Braid and Teri Kowal.
And a HUGE thanks to Calhoun County Clerk Anne Norlander and her elections chief, Teri Loew, for spearheading the effort.
Their expertise in implementing the new system was invaluable. Truly a great team effort!
Newt Gingrich presented their "Platform of the American People" to our State Convention via his video and encouraged our support.
http://migop.blogs.com/blog/2008/02/newt-gingrich-a.html
Princella Smith from American Solutions joined us and distributed sign up cards. You can also sign up online here:
http://www.americansolutions.com/actioncenter/petitions/?Guid=bf4a5257-45e3-4a94-97fc-57e2d7ecb6f9
You see the actual "Platform of the American People" here:
BECOME A PRECINCT DELEGATE!! Fill out and return the Affidavit of Identity to your county clerk. Link to form:
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Aff-ID_Precnt_139901_7.pdf
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THE REST OF THE STORY:
- As the dictator from Cuba, Fidel Castro steps aside here is a thought to ponder from Ronald Reagan’s second inaugural address:
"We strive for peace and security, heartened by the changes all around us. Since the turn of the century, the number of democracies in the world has grown fourfold. Human freedom is on the march, and nowhere more so than our own hemisphere. Freedom is one of the deepest and noblest aspirations of the human spirit.
People, worldwide, hunger for the right of self-determination, for those inalienable rights that make for human dignity and progress."
Reagan said our work against totalitarianism had turned the tide of history away from totalitarian darkness and into the warm sunlight of human freedom.
Let us remain vigilant, let us keep working, so the warm sunlight of human freedom will soon shine down upon the Cuban people.
Saul Anuzis
STATE STORIES
http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/NEWS01/802190313/1002/NEWS01
Renier challenges Schauer in Dem primary for 7th District
Nick Schirripa
The Enquirer
MUNITH — As the old saying goes, the third time's the charm, and Sharon Renier is looking to test the odds. Renier announced Monday she is making her third run for the 7th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives after unsuccessful runs against former Rep. Joe Schwarz, R-Battle Creek, and incumbent Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton.
She said she was outspent in both campaigns, but Renier said she considers her candidacy a grass roots movement with the help of hundreds of volunteers and supporters.
http://www.petoskeynews.com/articles/2008/02/19/news/doc47bae3a326e10143334499.txt
Elsenheimer selected as Republican delegate pledged to McCain at national convention
Petoskey News-Review
Michigan Republicans have selected state Rep. Kevin Elsenheimer of Kewadin as one of 10 state delegates pledged to presidential candidate Sen. John McCain of Arizona at the national nominating convention in Minneapolis, Minn., Sept. 1-4.
The state Republican convention, meeting at the Lansing Center on Friday and Saturday, also selected John Haggard, chair of the Charlevoix County Republican Party, as an alternative to the convention pledged to McCain.
It will be Haggard’s fifth national convention and Elsenheimer’s first.
http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/columns-3/120343623868150.xml&coll=7
Driver's license rule sent wrong message internationally
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
In the rush by officials to prevent illegal aliens from obtaining Michigan driver's licenses, they did a really dumb thing that enraged the international business community as well as universities around the state.
When Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land issued new rules last week to bring her department policies in line with an opinion by Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox to prevent illegal aliens from getting licenses, also barred were legal aliens in the United States on temporary visas.
That meant that, suddenly, foreign workers in the United States on temporary assignments in Michigan could not qualify for a state driver's license. And since public transportation in Michigan leaves much to be desired, an employee on temporary assignment here from another country would find it very difficult to work.
http://www.dailypressandargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080218/NEWS01/802180307/1002/
School leaders band together
By Lisa Roose-Church
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
Reform-minded school leaders have joined hands to create the Michigan School Board Leaders Forum Inc., a network to learn from and get to know like-minded board members from around Michigan.
The idea is to educate board members about contract negotiations, successful reform policies from around Michigan and the country, and ways to stretch dollars further. It is a plan Howell Public Schools Trustee Wendy Day supports.
http://www.dowagiacnews.com/articles/2008/02/19/news/dnnews6.txt
Upton fights to protect Michigan economy from unfair government penalties
Tuesday, February 19, 2008 10:59 AM EST
WASHINGTON - Cass County's congressman, U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, is urging the Bush administration to fight air pollution at the source and reconsider new ozone attainment standards that will severely hamper Michigan's economy. Most counties in southwest Michigan have taken the necessary steps to successfully achieve attainment within the last year, but changing the standards could negate much of the progress that has been achieved.
For the last several years, Upton has been working to insure the communities of southwest Michigan are not penalized for dirty air blowing across Lake Michigan from upwind areas such as Milwaukee, Gary and Chicago.
http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080220/BUSINESS04/802200321
Patterson: Plans for Cobo going nowhere
Oakland Co. exec says he'll be a no-show for meeting
BY JOHN GALLAGHER • FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER • February 20, 2008
In the latest roadblock facing an effort to expand Cobo Center, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said Tuesday that no progress has been made and he won't attend a regional summit Friday called by Gov. Jennifer Granholm to work on a plan for Cobo.
Patterson, who said he had a scheduling conflict and would send a deputy, also confirmed that he took the unusual step last week of meeting separately with both Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and City Council President Ken Cockrel Jr. Patterson said he expressed his concerns over a Cobo expansion plan advanced by Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano.
Cockrel confirmed the meeting and said for the first time that he opposes an outright sale of Cobo by the city to a new regional authority, a key part of Ficano's plan.
http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080220/NEWS06/802200314
3 universities unite for funding
Senators ask them to help health care costs
BY ROBIN ERB • FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER • February 20, 2008
EAST LANSING -- Leaders of Michigan's three largest research universities appeared before the state Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday, hoping to hold onto a proposed funding increase by Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
But at least two senators had a favor of their own to ask: Help us get the state's health care costs under control.
Sen. Thomas George, R-Kalamazoo, challenged the presidents of the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, and Michigan State University to find ways to make Michigan's population healthier, going so far as to ask the presidents to refuse to hire smokers.
http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080220/NEWS06/802200365
Wayne County executive's office considers layoffs
Facing a budget crunch of uncertain proportions, Wayne County is contemplating laying off a couple of dozen employees by the end of the March.
"We're going to do whatever we can to stay within our budget," said Vanessa Denha-Garmo, spokeswoman for Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano.
The administration plans to lay off political appointees, rather than rank-and-file workers.
http://www.thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/NEWS05/80219012
Port Huron to receive federal money for projects
By ANGELA MULLINS
Times Herald
The city of Port Huron is expected to receive more than $1.2 million from the federal department of Housing and Urban Development to help with projects that benefit low-income areas and promote homeownership.
A portion of the money - $850,677 - will come from community development block grants, while the remainder - $261,646 - will come from the federal HOME program.
Although the City Council will make the final decision on how the money is spent, the city administration recommended last week that $758,177 of the block grants be used to help pay for two portions - called Vanness Street Area and 21st Street Area - of the city's ongoing sewer-separation project.
http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/index.ssf/2008/02/northwest_says_its_committed_t.html
Northwest says it's committed to New York flights
by Ron Fonger | The Flint Journal
Tuesday February 19, 2008, 7:12 PM
FLINT -- A Northwest Airlines spokeswoman says the company remains committed to its Flint-to-New York route despite a decision by rival American Airlines to discontinue the same flights.
"I know we are certainly going to continue that route ... There are no plans to (stop)," said Kristin Baur, a Northwest spokeswoman.
http://blog.mlive.com/annarbornews/2008/02/michigan_house_oks_requiring_d.html
Michigan House OKs requiring DNA samples from suspects
Posted by The Associated Press February 19, 2008 21:33PM
Categories: Crime, State
The Michigan House has voted to require anyone arrested for a violent crime in Michigan to submit a DNA sample.
State law already requires a DNA sample when someone is convicted of a felony or certain misdemeanors.
Backers say expanding the requirement to include arrested suspects gives police another tool to solve cold cases, prevent more crimes by catching repeat criminals earlier and absolve the innocent.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MI_EARNS_DELPHI_MIOL-?SITE=MIMON&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Delphi narrows losses, warns of trouble obtaining financing
By DEE-ANN DURBIN
AP Auto Writer
DETROIT (AP) -- Auto supplier Delphi Corp. said Tuesday its fourth-quarter and year-end losses narrowed in 2007, partially as a result of a hefty tax benefit, but it warned it could have trouble obtaining the financing it needs to emerge from bankruptcy.
Troy-based Delphi, the former parts-making operation of General Motors Corp., posted a net loss of $542 million in the fourth quarter, compared with a net loss of $853 million in the same quarter of 2006. The results included a charge of $595 million to write down the assets of its discontinued operations businesses, along with a tax benefit of $703 million related to gains stemming from lower employee benefit liabilities.
http://www.mlive.com/news/annarbornews/index.ssf?/base/news-2/120343562823900.xml&coll=2
State must put stop to alcohol smuggling
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Lawmakers should crack down on booze smugglers who are profiting at taxpayer expense. A recent legislative report offered a sobering look at the $14 million a year being siphoned from state revenue. That money could be funneled into programs to address the state's myriad needs.
The Michigan Liquor Control Commission (MLCC) has made good suggestions to combat the profitable bootlegging industry. Lawmakers need to take those steps to bolster Michigan's bottom line. MLCC is the sole wholesaler for alcohol products, and is responsible for the collection of excise and specific taxes on beer, wine, distilled spirits and mixed drinks.
The state's $14 million loss in revenue comes from taxes, licensee profits, product cost and mark-up, according to the MLCC and the Michigan Authorized Alcohol Distribution Agents report.
http://macombdaily.com/stories/022008/loc_local02.shtml
500 high-wage jobs coming
PUBLISHED: Wednesday, February 20, 2008
By Christy Strawser
Macomb Daily Staff Writer
General Dynamics Land Systems announced a $10 million local investment Tuesday that will bring 500 high-paying new jobs to Shelby Township and Sterling Heights.
The jobs will include a variety of engineering fields, from research and development to design, with an average pay of $70,000 a year, company officials said.
http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080220/NEWS04/802200350
Grant lawyers tallying case costs
It's one of the most expensive ever in Macomb Co.; sentencing Thursday
BY AMBER HUNT • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • February 20, 2008
Taxpayers should learn Thursday how much it cost them to defend convicted wife killer Stephen Grant.
Stephen Rabaut, a lawyer representing Grant, said he's calculating how many hours he spent defending his client.
He plans to turn that figure over to former Macomb County Chief Circuit Judge Antonio Viviano, who will either deny or approve the amount.
That figure is to be included in Grant's sentencing, which is set for 9 a.m. Thursday.
http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080220/NEWS01/802200367
Council rips mayor in court, but they'll do business today
BY ZACHARY GORCHOW and DAVID ASHENFELTER • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS • February 20, 2008
Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is using a "misbegotten" legal argument and trying to undermine state law in his bid to keep the lid on secret documents he used to settle police whistle-blower lawsuits last year, the City Council told the Michigan Supreme Court on Tuesday.
"These arguments ... are makeshift and opportunistic and attempt to conceal pertinent and important information from the public and from this body of Detroit city government," the council's independent lawyer, Bill Goodman, said in a nine-page request to intervene in a lawsuit filed by the Free Press.
The Free Press has been trying since October to obtain documents used to settle the two lawsuits for $8.4 million. Legal costs pushed the settlement above $9 million.
Detroit City Council asks court to allow release of documents
DETROIT (AP) -- Detroit City Council is asking the state Supreme Court to refuse a request by Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to stop the release of documents related to a whistle-blowers' lawsuit settlement.
The council's request was filed Tuesday and also asks the high court to grant emergency consideration of its motion opposing Kilpatrick's efforts to have the court rule on keeping the documents sealed.
"It is essential that the City Council fulfill its duties and obligations with full, complete and pertinent knowledge so that its decisions may be thoughtful and informed," the motion stated. "Most certainly, 'misgovernment' is the price to be paid from straying off that path."
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080220/METRO/802200414
Ethics panel takes up probe
Council also joins court fight against Kilpatrick
Paul Egan, Christine MacDonald and David Josar / The Detroit News
DETROIT -- Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick faced trouble on a new front Tuesday as the city's Board of Ethics took the first step in investigating whether his conduct warrants sanctions.
It's the third challenge facing the embattled mayor, who is already fighting to keep records secret in the Michigan Supreme Court and facing a possible perjury charge from Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.
Two branches of city government -- the mayor and the City Council -- squared off in the Supreme Court on Tuesday over whether secret records related to the city's $8.4 million settlement of police whistle-blower lawsuits should be made public.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080220/METRO/802200399
Council agrees to pay cops $25K
Settlement ends slander suit brought by 2 Detroit officers after they pulled over former chief of staff.
Christine MacDonald / The Detroit News
DETROIT -- The Detroit City Council on Tuesday unanimously agreed to pay a $25,000 settlement recommended by mediators to end a 3-year-old defamation lawsuit brought by two city police officers after they pulled over then-chief of staff Christine Beatty.
The officers alleged they were slandered by Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick after a run-in with Beatty during a traffic stop. Officers Zach Weishuhn and Patrick J. Tomsic alleged in their lawsuit that when they pulled over Beatty for speeding in June 2004, she yelled at them and used profane language, and asked: "Do you know who ... I am?"
The City Council rejected the proposed $25,000 settlement three separate times last year.
Council agrees to pay cops $25K
Settlement ends slander suit brought by 2 Detroit officers after they pulled over former chief of staff.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080220/BIZ/802200411
$10M project set for Macomb
Defense firm's expansion to create at least 500 jobs
Mark Hicks / The Detroit News
General Dynamics Land Systems will launch expansion plans that are expected to create 500 jobs and more than 600 additional spin-off jobs in Sterling Heights and Shelby Township over the next 12 years, company officials said Tuesday.
The $10 million investment by the military supplier along with six other expansion and development projects were announced Tuesday by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who said a total of 2,225 jobs statewide are expected to be created as well as an estimated $248.4 million in capital investment.
"Our roots are in Michigan," said Peter Keating, a GDLS spokesman. "The engineering talent we get from Michigan's universities continues to give us a very rich source of well-trained, well-schooled engineers that have historically been of great value to our business, decade over decade."
http://blog.mlive.com/kzgazette/2008/02/expansions_to_bring_almost_500.html
Expansions to bring almost 500 jobs to Kalamazoo area
Posted by Al Jones | Kalamazoo Gazette February 19, 2008 14:43PM
Categories: Breaking News, Business, Top Stories
KALAMAZOO -- An aluminum-foundry operation that will make components for the domestic automotive market is expected to invest $80 million and bring 300 jobs to the Kalamazoo area as it takes up about 435,000 square feet of space in the Midlink Business Park, economic-development officials announced Tuesday.
Separately, Fabri-Kal Corp., of Kalamazoo, a longtime maker of food-packaging products, is growing a product line and expects to add 160 to 200 new jobs here as it expands.
Kaiser Aluminum, a $1.3 billion, California-based producer of fabricated aluminum products for the aerospace industry and others, received a $3.7 million tax credit today from the Michigan Economic Growth Authority to facilitate the development.
http://blog.mlive.com/chronicle/2008/02/muskegon_revamps_global_school.html
Muskegon revamps global school plan
Posted by Lynn Moore | The Muskegon Chronicle February 19, 2008 10:40AM
Categories: Top Stories
Muskegon school officials have backed away from plans to turn Steele Middle School into a K-8 "International School," at least for now.
But the two main components of the proposed school -- Spanish and English immersion learning and rigorous International Baccalaureate curriculum -- will be developed at existing schools.
Superintendent Colin Armstrong said a lack of community input about the proposed International School of Muskegon made it too risky of an endeavor to chance. So, the district will start slow, try to develop the programs and possibly revisit the idea of establishing the K-8 charter school in another year or two, Armstrong told the school board Monday.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080220/LIFESTYLE03/802200413
Flu cases surge; worst to come
Vaccines fail against half of strains in Michigan, which could have its toughest season in years.
Francis X. Donnelly, Christina Stolarz and Kim Kozlowski / The Detroit News
With the flu season yet to reach its peak, statewide reports of influenza have mushroomed across Michigan in recent weeks, health officials say.
State health officials have already confirmed 144 cases compared with 157 cases from all of last season.
"We got off to a slow start but then the numbers began to increase," said James McCurtis Jr., spokesman for the state Department of Community Health.
http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2008/2/19/111813/017
Michigan Democrat Super Delegates: Look For The Union Label!
By Nick, Section News
Posted on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 11:18:13 AM EST
Sing it with me now. No, wait. Please don't.
If you've been following the news surrounding the Democrat Presidential selection process lately there's one word that's being discussed almost as frequently as Barack Obama's plans to undo legally held and binding election results in Michigan in an attempt to change the results. Super Delegate.
NATIONAL STORIES
Worst States For Jobs
By Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder.com writer
If you’ve rewritten that résumé several times and sent out dozens of applications but your job search still shows no promise, you might not be the problem.
One frequently overlooked but critical factor in finding a new job is your state’s unemployment rate. You can have the experience and skills of an employer’s dream, but they won’t do you any good if there just aren’t enough jobs available.
The unemployment rate is the percentage of job seekers in the work force who are still looking for work. The higher the percentage, the more difficult it is to find a job. The national unemployment rate is 5 percent, based on the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
http://theoaklandpress.com/stories/021908/loc_20080219263.shtml
Bush says other nations should do more to end genocide in Darfur
Associated Press
PUBLISHED: Tuesday, February 19, 2008
KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) -- Speaking on soil once stained with the blood of Rwanda's genocide, President Bush called Tuesday on all nations to step up efforts to end "once and for all" the ethnic slaughter still continuing in Sudan's western Darfur region.
The president said the U.S. is using sanctions, pressure and money to help resolve the Darfur crisis that Bush calls a genocide. But the president, frustrated at the lack of willingness of some other countries to do the same, sought to give his campaign for their increased involvement added weight by making pointed remarks on it from the Rwandan capital.
http://washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/NATION/826601834/1001
Bush honors Rwandan dead
By Jon Ward
February 19, 2008
KIGALI, RWANDA -- President Bush today said that a visit to a Rwandan genocide memorial shook him to his “very foundation” and called on the international community to act decisively in Kenya to prevent anything similar from happening.
Mr. Bush also said at a press conference here that the resignation of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro “should be the beginning of [a] democratic transition” in Cuba.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Bush-Africa.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Bush on 'Mission of Mercy' in Africa
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: February 20, 2008
ACCRA, Ghana (AP) -- President Bush is pushing trade and aid in this tropical land of gold and diamonds, the latest stop on what he's dubbed his ''mission of mercy'' to Africa.
Bush got a ceremonial welcome Wednesday in Ghana, a stable democracy that gets U.S. assistance to fight disease, build roads, train teachers and expand markets for its crops.
Several thousand children in their school uniforms lined the streets of Accra and waved tiny Ghanian flags as Bush's motorcade made its 10-minute drive to Osu Castle, a centuries-old building that was once a hub of slave-trading and now is the seat of government.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/20/AR2008022000707.html?hpid=topnews
Obama Takes Hawaii and Wisconsin in Decisive Fashion
McCain Easily Defeats Huckabee in Republican Race
By Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 20, 2008; 6:08 AM
Sen. Barack Obama won the Wisconsin Democratic primary and the Hawaii caucuses decisively last night, extending his winning streak to ten consecutive contests and dealing another significant blow to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, whose imperiled presidential candidacy now hangs on the outcome of showdowns in Ohio and Texas in two weeks.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/NATION/918872735/1002/NATION
McCain can rally GOP with right focus
February 19, 2008
By Ralph Z. Hallow - Sen. John McCain is not wanting for advice from conservative Republicans about how to win the presidency in November.
They say the likely Republican presidential nominee could burnish his credentials with his party's right wing by pushing to make Mr. Bush's tax cuts permanent, pursuing tougher legislation to reduce or eliminate political pork and by speaking about his faith.
"[H]e's not the kind of candidate who will pass litmus tests on every issue. He can't and shouldn't start down the road of trying to do that," said Hoover Institution public-policy scholar David Davenport. "He needs to emphasize the full range of issues on which he is a conservative, from the war in Iraq to abortion.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/NATION/923922974/1001
Obama, McCain call for Cuba to release political prisoners
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain called for the release of political prisoners in Cuba following Fidel Castro's resignation today.
Castro's resignation "should mark the end of a dark era in Cuba's history. ... Fidel Castro's stepping down is an essential first step, but it is sadly insufficient in bringing freedom to Cuba," Democratic Sen. Barack Obama said in a statement.
http://ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=287969471192801
The Obama Triangle
By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Friday, February 15, 2008 4:20 PM PT
Democrats: Triangulation, or playing both sides while talking in the middle, used to be Bill Clinton's famous strategy for winning and holding the presidency. Obama is beating Hillary by outflanking a liberal party to the left.
If Hillary Clinton loses the Democratic nomination, which appears increasingly likely, it will be in part because she thought she could run a general election campaign during the primaries, finishing off her novice opponent from Illinois on Super Tuesday.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8UTUQGG0&show_article=1
Obama Wins Wis. Primary, Hawaii Caucus
Feb 20 04:02 AM US/Eastern
By DAVID ESPO
AP Special Correspondent
WASHINGTON (AP) - Barack Obama cruised past a fading Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Wisconsin primary and Hawaii caucuses Tuesday night, gaining the upper hand in a Democratic presidential race for the ages.
The twin triumphs made 10 straight for Obama, and left the former first lady in desperate need of a comeback in a race she long commanded as front-runner.
http://washingtontimes.com/article/20080219/NATION/73827779/0/FOREIGN
Delegate-picking panel seems stacked in favor of Hillary
By Donald Lambro
February 19, 2008
At first blush, the Democratic National Convention's Credentials Committee, facing an impasse over the disputed Michigan and Florida delegations, looks like it could be in Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's hip pocket. Its three chairmen served in Bill Clinton's administration.
Alexis Herman was secretary of labor; James Roosevelt Jr. was associate commissioner in the Social Security Administration; and Eliseo Roques-Arroyo, a native of Puerto Rico, was the White House's travel consultant.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/02/obama_campaign_manager_clinton.html?hpid=topnews
Obama Camp: Clinton Tactics 'Damaging to the Party'
Washington Post
Sen. Barack Obama's (Ill.) campaign manager asserted in a conference call this morning that the tactics employed by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) in regard to the fight for Democratic delegates has the potential to fracture the party heading into the November election.
"This is a disturbing pattern," said Obama campaign manager David Plouffe after the Politico's Roger Simon reported that the Clinton campaign was preparing to woo pledged Obama delegates if the nomination fight lasts until the convention. He decried such tactics as "trickery" and added that this sort of "grasping at straws is very harmful to the party."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3396201.ece?token=null&offset=0
Who is Raul Castro, Cuba's new leader?
From Times Online
February 19, 2008
Brother of Fidel may choose to adopt the "Chinese model" - less economic restraints, but with political control
They were expelled from their first school together. They fought in Cuba’s Sierra Maestra together. And, following their victory over the forces of Fulgencio Batista, they have ruled Cuba together for nearly 50 years.
But although Fidel became a worldwide icon, instantly recognisable by his first name alone, his younger brother, Raúl, has remained a virtual unknown.
Even in Cuba, people know little about the mysterious and deeply private man who has effectively run the country since Fidel Castro underwent emergency intestinal surgery in July 2006.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20080219/METRO/478309078/1004
Time to decide: Gun control or out of control?
By Adrienne T. Washington
February 19, 2008
In my right ear is a friend, a minister, railing against the easy availability of guns in our society. She is also agitated that the District's handgun ban may be overturned when the Supreme Court rules on the measure next month.
In my left ear is a friend, a 40-ish D.C. resident, railing against the fact that I have yet to purchase a gun and learn how to use it for my protection. He is only half placated that I recently had a home security system installed after his insistence.
http://washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/NATION/602099202/1001
Clinton, Obama camps hedge bets
By Christina Bellantoni
February 19, 2008
Campaign aides for both Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama were downplaying expectations earlier today for their candidate's performance in the Wisconsin and Hawaii contests.
"We've always said we think Wisconsin is challenging," Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said this morning.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/livecoverage/?hpid=topnews
Posted at 9:01 PM ET, 02/19/2008
McCain Beats Huckabee in Wisconsin
By Chris Cillizza
washingtonpost.com staff writer
Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) has defeated former governor Mike Huckabee (Ark.) in the Wisconsin Republican presidential primary, according to exit polling and CNN, while Democratic Sens. Barack Obama (Ill.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) battled for delegates in the Badger State.
McCain's convincing victory is likely to increase the pressure on Huckabee to drop from the race - clearing the way for the Arizona senator to unify the party and begin the process of preparing himself for an extended general election campaign. Huckabee has vowed to remain in the race until McCain crests the delegate threshold of 1,191. According to recent polling, Huckabee remains a viable challenger to McCain in Texas, which will vote on March 4.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/us/politics/19cnd-campaign.html?hp
In Wisconsin, Primary Voters Brave Bitter Winter Cold
By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM and MICHAEL COOPER
Published: February 19, 2008
Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton were locked in a heated battle on Tuesday night for the Wisconsin Democratic presidential primary. The polls in Wisconsin closed at 8.p.m. Central time and the votes are just beginning to be counted. On the Republican side, Senator John McCain appeared to be closing in on the presidential nomination as the television networks and The Associated Press projected that he would defeat former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas. Mr. McCain is hoping a commanding victory in Wisconsin will help quash the rebellion within the party.
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/security-is-gop-gameplan-2008-02-19.html
Security is GOP gameplan
By Alexander Bolton
Posted: 02/19/08 07:55 PM [ET]
Republican lawmakers, candidates and party officials have launched a nationwide campaign this week to portray Democrats as weak on national security.
Their starting point is a dispute over the administration’s counter-terrorism surveillance policy, but the end point is the election in November.
The GOP tactic, successfully employed in the past, comes as Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the candidate most closely identified with support for the war on terror, is wrapping up the Republican presidential nomination.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/business/business-markets-global.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
Rise in Oil Prices Dents Asian Stocks
By REUTERS
Published: February 20, 2008
Filed at 2:22 a.m. ET
SINGAPORE, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Asian stocks fell more than 2 percent on Wednesday as a jump in oil above $100 a barrel rekindled fears that soaring commodity prices will limit what central banks can do to prop up a slowing global economy.
European shares were also set for a weak start, with stock futures pointing to losses of at least 1 percent in major markets.
Financial stocks led declines in Asia, with losses accelerating on news that the listed affiliate of private equity group Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co (NYSE:KKR) had again delayed repaying billions of dollars in debt.
http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/02/cubans_here_find_hope_in_castros_resignation.html
Cubans find hope in Castro resignation
by Ted Roelofs | The Grand Rapids Press
Tuesday February 19, 2008, 4:07 PM
For the Rev.Carlos Tapanes, the long wait continues.
"I think it is the beginning of a lot of changes," said Tapanes, 54, reacting to news today that ailing Cuban President Fidel Castro had resigned from power.
"The young people in the country are looking for something new and different. The young people as well as the adults."
The pastor of Emanuel Christian Reformed Church in Wyoming, Tapanes fled Cuba in the 1980 boat lift. He did so, he said, because he had refused to serve as ordered in the civil war in Angola and was on a watch list by the government.
Tapanes is hopeful that Castro's brother, Raul, 76, might open a window to economic and political reforms. But he will temper that as long as the elder Castro, 81, is around. Castro has not been seen in public since he ceded powers to his brother in 2006, after announcing he had undergone intestinal surgery.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080220/OPINION01/802200315/1007/OPINION
Editorial
Castro's exit welcome, end trade embargo
The Detroit News
The resignation of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro from his country's presidency Tuesday should prompt the U.S. government to adopt a more conciliatory stance toward Cuba -- ending its failed embargo and opening trade.
The goal is simple: Prod Cuba toward an era of freedom and an end to communist totalitarianism. Castro, 81 and ailing, has been an iconic anti-American figure for nearly five decades. At one time, as an ally of the former Soviet Union who allowed his island nation to be turned into a platform for Soviet missiles, his regime posed a significant security threat to the United States. But that was decades ago.
While he was once a romanticized revolutionary, his regime went the way of all dictatorships, employing exile, prisons and the firing squad to maintain its power. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Castro was left to preside over a nation with a static population impoverished by his communist economic policies.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Space-Shuttle.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Atlantis Astronauts Prepare for Landing
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: February 20, 2008
Filed at 4:50 a.m. ET
HOUSTON (AP) -- Atlantis' astronauts aimed for a morning touchdown Wednesday to conclude a two-week mission that expanded the international space station with the addition of a new European lab.
Forecasters did not expect the weather to interfere with Atlantis' planned landing at Kennedy Space Center, but crews were standing by for a California landing just in case.
Atlantis' first landing path would take the crew over the Pacific Ocean, Central America and the Gulf of Mexico before touching down at Cape Canaveral in Florida.
http://washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/NATION/576162886/1001
Green crusades lot of talk
By Stephen Dinan
February 19, 2008
Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama have called for strict mandatory limits to control greenhouse gases but they aren't leading by example — each has failed to pay for offsets to cover all of his campaign's carbon emissions.
Campaign finance records for 2007 show that neither of the two leading presidential candidates has spent money to independently cover his campaign's "carbon footprint" — the amount of carbon emissions emitted by the planes and vehicles the candidates and their staffs use for travel, or by the computers and headquarters needed to run a presidential campaign.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/19/AR2008021900306.html?hpid=topnews
Oil Closes Over $100 for 1st Time
Supply, Financial Factors Cited in Spike
By Steven Mufson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 20, 2008; Page D01
The price of crude oil closed over $100 for the first time yesterday on the New York Mercantile Exchange, rattling stock markets and marking a milestone in the relentless rise in petroleum prices over the past five years.
The high oil price, which rivals the inflation-adjusted peak set during the early days of the Iran-Iraq war nearly three decades ago, has drained cash from the pockets of consumers just when the slowing economy could use a spending boost.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/20/us/20mobility.html?hp
Higher Education Gap May Slow Economic Mobility
By ERIK ECKHOLM
Published: February 20, 2008
Economic mobility, the chance that children of the poor or middle class will climb up the income ladder, has not changed significantly over the last three decades, a study being released on Wednesday says.
The authors of the study, by scholars at the Brookings Institution in Washington and sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trusts, warned that widening gaps in higher education between rich and poor, whites and minorities, could soon lead to a downturn in opportunities for the poorest families.
