After months of relentless courting and suspense, Senator Olympia J. Snowe, Republican of Maine, cast her vote with Democrats on Tuesday as the Senate Finance Committee approved legislation to remake the health care system and provide coverage to millions of the uninsured.
With Ms. Snowe’s support, the committee backed the $829 billion measure on a vote of 14 to 9, with all the other Republicans opposed.
“Is this bill all that I would want?” Ms. Snowe said. “Far from it. Is it all that it can be? No. But when history calls, history calls. And I happen to think that the consequences of inaction dictate the urgency of Congress to take every opportunity to demonstrate its capacity to solve the monumental issues of our time.”
Ms. Snowe’s remarks silenced the packed committee room, riveted colleagues and thrilled the White House. President Obama had sought her vote, hoping that she would break with Republican leaders and provide at least a veneer of bipartisanship to the bill, which he has declared his top domestic priority.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
a day in the life of Hillary
“We’re going to work you to death,” Hillary Clinton promised me with a laugh. She was taking me—and PARADE’s readers—along on a typical day in the life of the U.S. Secretary of State. Our 24 hours together would prove both grueling and inspirational, full of diplomatic pageantry, big meetings with policy brainiacs, small sessions with trusted aides, a stream of time-consuming formal duties, and, of course, phone calls and more phone calls.
[She's a busy lady filled with important activities. It's like she's doing more important activities in one day what I would do in ten years -- or more.]
[She's a busy lady filled with important activities. It's like she's doing more important activities in one day what I would do in ten years -- or more.]
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Jim Cornette on health care reform
It's a fact that the cost of health care, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security amounts to the largest percentage of our annual Federal budget, that this system is unsustainable and that something must be done before it's too late. Social Security, at this rate, will be broke before I get to collect it, and if the amount of taxes I have paid over the past 25 years leaves me with little or nothing, imagine what it will be like for the average worker. Obama recognized this, and for all the Republican talk about "bankrupting our children and grandchildren", he's the ONLY one to recognize a need to do something for the countrys' long-term good instead of worrying about what the voters care about immediately. This man wants to be remembered in 100 years for having made a difference in the quality of our lives, not whether he gets reelected in four.
So what happens when he puts forth a plan to revamp the single most expensive and important obstacle facing Americans today? The Republican party, bought and paid for by special interest lobbyists and the big pharmaceutical companies, looking out for their future election prospects, their old, rich, white constituency, and their insistence that the United States of America remains the only country in the developed world with a health care system that discrimates against it's own people at the expense of it's citizenry and the benefit of it's richest two percent, does what it does best--engages an obstructionist, fear-mongering campaign against reform. It mobilizes the misguided, the uninformed, and the extremists to gin up controversies where none should exist, and engages in a misinformation campaign to obfuscate and outright misrepresent the intent of said reform under the guise of patriotism and preserving the "American Way". And all the while, the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, the sick get sicker, and all Americans lose their chance at a better way for another generation. For all of you who benefit from the Medicare program, get on your computers and google some information on what the Republicans said about Medicare before Democrat Lyndon Johnson was able to pass it. Look familiar? It should, you're hearing it today.
... I'm Jim Cornette, and that's my opinion.
So what happens when he puts forth a plan to revamp the single most expensive and important obstacle facing Americans today? The Republican party, bought and paid for by special interest lobbyists and the big pharmaceutical companies, looking out for their future election prospects, their old, rich, white constituency, and their insistence that the United States of America remains the only country in the developed world with a health care system that discrimates against it's own people at the expense of it's citizenry and the benefit of it's richest two percent, does what it does best--engages an obstructionist, fear-mongering campaign against reform. It mobilizes the misguided, the uninformed, and the extremists to gin up controversies where none should exist, and engages in a misinformation campaign to obfuscate and outright misrepresent the intent of said reform under the guise of patriotism and preserving the "American Way". And all the while, the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, the sick get sicker, and all Americans lose their chance at a better way for another generation. For all of you who benefit from the Medicare program, get on your computers and google some information on what the Republicans said about Medicare before Democrat Lyndon Johnson was able to pass it. Look familiar? It should, you're hearing it today.
... I'm Jim Cornette, and that's my opinion.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Fox News believers
In a previous commentary I described how Fox News' focus on ratings at the expense of truth and accuracy amounts to a massive disinformation campaign, misinforming gullible Americans on the crucial issues of our day. This week, our observations were echoed by the White House, who stated, "Let's not pretend they're a news network".
But how can a cable "news" network successfully fool so many people with such blatantly inaccurate, biased reporting? As it turns out, it's really easy.
First, most Fox believers are not sophisticated listeners. In just one example, Fox reported that 80% of their viewers polled after the 2008 Joe Biden-Sarah Palin debates actually favored Palin. Say what?? Since then, I've concluded that most of their dedicated audience may also think the earth is flat.
-- J. Stephen Wilson
But how can a cable "news" network successfully fool so many people with such blatantly inaccurate, biased reporting? As it turns out, it's really easy.
First, most Fox believers are not sophisticated listeners. In just one example, Fox reported that 80% of their viewers polled after the 2008 Joe Biden-Sarah Palin debates actually favored Palin. Say what?? Since then, I've concluded that most of their dedicated audience may also think the earth is flat.
-- J. Stephen Wilson
Friday, October 16, 2009
new storm moving toward Phillipines
A new typhoon gathered strength today off the Philippines while nearly 700,000 people still sought help in badly stretched relief centers from massive flooding caused by Ketsana, one of the region's most destructive storms in years.
Ketsana prompted the worst flooding in the northern Philippines in 40 years when it struck Saturday, and then continued its deadly path across Southeast Asia, blowing down wooden villages in Cambodia and crushing Vietnamese houses under mudslides Tuesday.
The death toll climbed to 362 today, and was still rising.
"We're used to storms that sweep away one or two houses. But I've never seen a storm this strong," said Nam Tum, governor of Cambodia's Kampong Thom province.
Ketsana prompted the worst flooding in the northern Philippines in 40 years when it struck Saturday, and then continued its deadly path across Southeast Asia, blowing down wooden villages in Cambodia and crushing Vietnamese houses under mudslides Tuesday.
The death toll climbed to 362 today, and was still rising.
"We're used to storms that sweep away one or two houses. But I've never seen a storm this strong," said Nam Tum, governor of Cambodia's Kampong Thom province.
another quake hits Indonesia
A second powerful earthquake rocked western Indonesia today as rescuers struggled to reach survivors of the previous day's temblor, which killed at least 467 people and left thousands trapped under collapsed buildings.
The death toll from yesterday's undersea quake of 7.6 magnitude was expected to rise further after rescuers dig through the rubble in heavily populated towns of Sumatra island.
"This is a high-scale disaster," Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari told Metro TV.
The temblor yesterday started fires, severed roads, and cut off power and communications to Padang, a coastal city of 900,000 on Sumatra island. Thousands fled in panic, fearing a tsunami. It was felt hundreds of miles away in Malaysia and Singapore, causing buildings there to sway.
In Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province, the shaking was so intense from yesterday's temblor that people crouched or sat on the street to avoid falling. Thousands of frantic residents fled the coast in cars and motorbikes, honking horns.
At least 500 buildings in Padang collapsed or were badly damaged, said Disaster Management Agency spokesman Priyadi Kardono, adding that 200 bodies had been pulled from the rubble. Indonesia, a sprawling nation with limited resources, was cobbling together an emergency aid response, preparing for the possibility of thousands of deaths.
Padang's mayor appealed for assistance on Indonesian radio station el-Shinta. "We are overwhelmed with victims and ... lack of clean water, electricity and telecommunications," Mayor Fauzi Bahar said. "We really need help. We call on people to come to Padang to evacuate bodies and help the injured."
Hundreds of people were trapped under collapsed buildings in Padang alone, including a four-star hotel, he said. Other collapsed or seriously damaged buildings included hospitals, mosques, a school and a mall.
Search-and-rescue teams were working in heavy rain when the second strong quake struck, causing widespread panic and badly damaging 30 houses in Jambi, another Sumatran town. It was not clear if there were injuries, but frantic parents could be seen rushing to schools in search of their children.
The death toll from yesterday's undersea quake of 7.6 magnitude was expected to rise further after rescuers dig through the rubble in heavily populated towns of Sumatra island.
"This is a high-scale disaster," Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari told Metro TV.
The temblor yesterday started fires, severed roads, and cut off power and communications to Padang, a coastal city of 900,000 on Sumatra island. Thousands fled in panic, fearing a tsunami. It was felt hundreds of miles away in Malaysia and Singapore, causing buildings there to sway.
In Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province, the shaking was so intense from yesterday's temblor that people crouched or sat on the street to avoid falling. Thousands of frantic residents fled the coast in cars and motorbikes, honking horns.
At least 500 buildings in Padang collapsed or were badly damaged, said Disaster Management Agency spokesman Priyadi Kardono, adding that 200 bodies had been pulled from the rubble. Indonesia, a sprawling nation with limited resources, was cobbling together an emergency aid response, preparing for the possibility of thousands of deaths.
Padang's mayor appealed for assistance on Indonesian radio station el-Shinta. "We are overwhelmed with victims and ... lack of clean water, electricity and telecommunications," Mayor Fauzi Bahar said. "We really need help. We call on people to come to Padang to evacuate bodies and help the injured."
Hundreds of people were trapped under collapsed buildings in Padang alone, including a four-star hotel, he said. Other collapsed or seriously damaged buildings included hospitals, mosques, a school and a mall.
Search-and-rescue teams were working in heavy rain when the second strong quake struck, causing widespread panic and badly damaging 30 houses in Jambi, another Sumatran town. It was not clear if there were injuries, but frantic parents could be seen rushing to schools in search of their children.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
tsunami strikes Samoa
APIA, Samoa » A powerful Pacific Ocean earthquake spawned towering tsunami waves that swept ashore on Samoa and American Samoa, flooding and flattening villages, killing at least 82 people and leaving dozens missing.
Cars and people were swept out to sea by the fast-churning water as survivors fled to higher ground, where they remained huddled hours after the quake struck early yesterday.
Signs of devastation were everywhere, with a giant boat washed ashore lying on the edge of a highway and floodwaters swallowing up cars and homes.
Rescue workers found a scene of destruction and debris with cars overturned or stuck in mud, and rockslides hit some roads.
Cars and people were swept out to sea by the fast-churning water as survivors fled to higher ground, where they remained huddled hours after the quake struck early yesterday.
Signs of devastation were everywhere, with a giant boat washed ashore lying on the edge of a highway and floodwaters swallowing up cars and homes.
Rescue workers found a scene of destruction and debris with cars overturned or stuck in mud, and rockslides hit some roads.
health care reform and Medicare
Medicare is looking like a big fat piggy bank for health care overhaul.
President Barack Obama and the Democrats want to pay for much of their plan to cover the uninsured by cutting hundreds of billions from the Medicare budget over the next 10 years.
From its inception, the health plan for seniors has been kept afloat by taxes out of workers' paychecks. Now, Medicare savings would count toward helping uninsured working-age children and grandchildren afford their own coverage.
Most seniors are willing to help younger generations. But having reached that point in life when you have to spend more time in the doctor's office than you'd prefer to, older Americans worry the cuts will mean lower quality care.
Benefits under traditional Medicare won't be cut. But seniors who've signed up for private insurance plans through Medicare Advantage could lose valuable extra benefits, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
For years, the government has been paying the private plans more than it costs traditional Medicare to deliver similar services. The plans used the money to provide extra benefits — mainly lower copayments and deductibles. Seniors on tight budgets responded by signing up, and now nearly one-fourth of Medicare recipients are in private plans.
As Obama and the Democrats wean private plans off their subsidies, beneficiaries will suffer the consequences.
"Some beneficiaries will lose additional benefits they have been fortunate to have been receiving," said Robert Berenson, a physician turned Medicare expert at the Urban Institute public policy center. "They are likely to see higher out-of-pocket costs, and it's likely that some plans will drop out of the program."
On the other hand, everyone on Medicare will save a little on their monthly premiums as payments to private plans are scaled back.
President Barack Obama and the Democrats want to pay for much of their plan to cover the uninsured by cutting hundreds of billions from the Medicare budget over the next 10 years.
From its inception, the health plan for seniors has been kept afloat by taxes out of workers' paychecks. Now, Medicare savings would count toward helping uninsured working-age children and grandchildren afford their own coverage.
Most seniors are willing to help younger generations. But having reached that point in life when you have to spend more time in the doctor's office than you'd prefer to, older Americans worry the cuts will mean lower quality care.
Benefits under traditional Medicare won't be cut. But seniors who've signed up for private insurance plans through Medicare Advantage could lose valuable extra benefits, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
For years, the government has been paying the private plans more than it costs traditional Medicare to deliver similar services. The plans used the money to provide extra benefits — mainly lower copayments and deductibles. Seniors on tight budgets responded by signing up, and now nearly one-fourth of Medicare recipients are in private plans.
As Obama and the Democrats wean private plans off their subsidies, beneficiaries will suffer the consequences.
"Some beneficiaries will lose additional benefits they have been fortunate to have been receiving," said Robert Berenson, a physician turned Medicare expert at the Urban Institute public policy center. "They are likely to see higher out-of-pocket costs, and it's likely that some plans will drop out of the program."
On the other hand, everyone on Medicare will save a little on their monthly premiums as payments to private plans are scaled back.
Friday, October 09, 2009
Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize
President Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, a stunning decision that comes just eight months into his presidency.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it honored Obama for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."
The decision appeared to catch most observers by surprise. The president had not been mentioned as among front-runners for the prize, and the roomful of reporters gasped when Thorbjorn Jagland, chairman of the Nobel committee, uttered Obama's name.
***
President Obama on Friday said he was "surprised and deeply humbled" by winning the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.
"I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership," Obama said from the White House Rose Garden.
"I will accept this award as a call to action."
***
A vision for approaching the world's major conflicts through dialogue and engagement rather than confrontation – one seen to contrast starkly with that of the previous American president – won US President Barack Obama this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
In announcing its surprise decision, the Norwegian Nobel Committee cited Mr. Obama's "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." The word "efforts" hints at the view from around the world – from laborers in Baghdad to world leaders – that awarding the prize to an American president in office just nine months was recognition more of Obama's aspirations than of any particular accomplishments.
The award, which caught the White House off guard, reflected a particularly European appreciation for Obama. After what Europeans widely called a dark period for America under President Bush, they see Obama as a leader who is returning the United States to a place of global leadership in challenges such as nuclear disarmament, the West's relations with the Islamic world, and climate change. "Thanks to" Obama, the committee said, "the USA is now playing a more constructive role" in international diplomacy.
That appreciation was captured in the words of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who said the peace prize for Obama recognizes the "return of America into the hearts of the people of the world."
The Nobel Committee's award to Obama was unusual in that the annual peace prize has traditionally recognized accomplishments or a life's body of work. But as the committee recognized in announcing the award, its own agenda is one "for which Obama is now the world's leading spokesman."
"Obama's agenda – a world of zero nuclear weapons, fighting climate change, addressing Middle East peace, repairing relations between the US and the rest of the world, seeking rapprochement between the US and some if its major adversaries – seems so consistent with the purposes of the Nobel Peace Prize that even though Obama is in the early stages, the committee felt his presidency warranted recognition," says Charles Kupchan, an expert in US foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington.
***
A surprised world greeted the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to U.S. President Barack Obama with a mixture of praise and skepticism on Friday.
In its announcement, the Norwegian Nobel Committee hailed Obama's "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."
Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg made clear the award carried big expectations, saying: "This is a surprising, an exciting prize. It remains to be seen if he will succeed with reconciliation, peace and nuclear disarmament."
Afghanistan's Taliban mocked the choice, saying it was absurd to give it to Obama when he had ordered 21,000 extra troops to Afghanistan this year.
"The Nobel prize for peace? Obama should have won the 'Nobel Prize for escalating violence and killing civilians'," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location.
Japanese President Yukio Hatoyama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel both said the prize should encourage everyone to help Obama rid the world of nuclear weapons.
"I think the peace prize was given with such a hope," Hatoyama told reporters on a visit to Beijing.
Merkel said Obama had shifted the tone toward dialogue in a very short time. "There is still much left to do, but a window of possibility has been opened," she said in Leipzig.
In the Middle East, chief Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erekat said the award could be a good omen for the region.
"We hope that he will be able to achieve peace in the Middle East and achieve Israeli withdrawal to 1967 borders and establish an independent Palestinian state on 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital," he told Reuters.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told army radio the prize should enhance Obama's ability "to contribute to establishing regional peace in the Middle East and a settlement between us and the Palestinians that will bring security, prosperity and growth to all the peoples of the region."
The Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and opposes a peace treaty with Israel, was more skeptical.
"Unless real and deep-rooted change is made in American policy toward recognizing the rights of the Palestinian people I would think such a prize would be useless," Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas prime minister in the Gaza Strip, told reporters after Friday prayers.
REAL CHANGE
Saleh al-Mutlaq, a senior Iraqi Sunni Muslim lawmaker, told Reuters: "I think he deserves this prize. Obama succeeded in making a real change in the policy of the United States -- a change from a policy that was exporting evil to the world to a policy exporting peace and stability to the world."
In Indonesia, Masdar Mas'udi, deputy head of the largest Muslim organization Nahdatul Ulama, said: "I think it's appropriate because he is the only American president who has reached out to us in peace. On the issues of race, religion, skin color, he has an open attitude."
In Pakistan, Liaqat Baluch, a senior leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami, a conservative religious party, said: "It's a joke. How embarrassing for those who awarded it to him because he's done nothing for peace. What change has he brought in Iraq, the Middle East or Afghanistan?"
In Lebanon, Hezbollah member of parliament Hassan Fadlallah said he had seen no signs of peace from Obama yet. "We were waiting for deeds, not words that soon vanish," he said.
Irene Khan, secretary general of Amnesty International said the award raised expectations of Obama.
"We look to him for decisive action to pursue peace with justice in the Middle East, end the rollback on human rights in the name of counter terrorism and reinforce the fight against poverty at a time of economic crisis," she said. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter called the award a bold sign of support for Obama. "It shows the hope his administration represents not only to our nation but to people around the world," Carter, who won the prize in 2002, said in a statement.
Poland's Lech Walesa, former leader of the pro-democracy Solidarity trade union that toppled communism, said it was too early. "So soon? This is too soon. He has not yet made a real input. He is proposing, he is starting, but he still has to do it all," Walesa, who won the prize in 1983, told reporters.
South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu, awarded the prize in 1984, said the latest choice was "a magnificent endorsement for the first African American president in history."
From Obama's ancestral village of Kogelo in western Kenya his uncle Said Obama told Reuters: "It is humbling for us as a family and we share in Barack's honor. We congratulate him."
Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangarai, who had been among the favorites to win this year, said Obama was an extraordinary example.
"I wish to congratulate President Obama. I think he is a deserving candidate," he told Reuters during a visit to Spain.
***
President Obama's Republican adversaries reacted with swift disbelief to news that he had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize Friday, with many in the party scoffing that the accolade was hardly justified by a record they described as incomplete at best.
"I think this may be way too preliminary," Republican strategist Ed Rollins told CNN moments after the prize was announced.
"At the end of four years, maybe he has accomplished something and deserves it," he added. "I think it has diminished the award itself. I think certainly you have to give him an "A" for trying, but at the end of the day, what has he accomplished? Who on the world stage are his allies at this point in time?"
In an official statement, the Republican National Committee said: "The real question Americans are asking is, 'What has President Obama actually accomplished?' It is unfortunate that the president's star power has outshined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights. One thing is certain -- President Obama won't be receiving any awards from Americans for job creation, fiscal responsibility, or backing up rhetoric with concrete action."
Obama's worldwide celebrity became a campaign issue last year, after his Republican opponent, Arizona Sen. John McCain, produced sneering ads describing him as "the One" and comparing him to the Messiah.
The McCain ad ran after then-candidate Obama toured Europe, promising an open hand to the world and a break from the cowboy-style diplomacy he accused then-president George W. Bush of practicing. And for a time, the ad worked, raising questions about whether Obama's promises were just lofty rhetoric.
Friday morning, Republicans were shaking their heads at what they described as reality imitating art. Several people who worked in the Bush White House said the choice of Obama -- lauded by the Nobel committee for, among other reasons, his call for a nuclear-free world -- primarily represented a condemnation of the Bush era. Some Republicans pointed to concrete gains Bush made in reducing the nuclear stockpile during his two terms in office -- he cut the supply by more than half -- as evidence that the Nobel committee had made its judgment based on politics rather than solid facts.
"At first I thought the announcement of the prize was a joke," said Michael Gerson, a former Bush speechwriter. "On further reflection, the Nobel Committee has made itself a joke. It has decided to give a ribbon before the race, a trophy for aspiration, a gold star for admirable sentiments."
The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it honored Obama for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."
The decision appeared to catch most observers by surprise. The president had not been mentioned as among front-runners for the prize, and the roomful of reporters gasped when Thorbjorn Jagland, chairman of the Nobel committee, uttered Obama's name.
***
President Obama on Friday said he was "surprised and deeply humbled" by winning the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.
"I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership," Obama said from the White House Rose Garden.
"I will accept this award as a call to action."
***
A vision for approaching the world's major conflicts through dialogue and engagement rather than confrontation – one seen to contrast starkly with that of the previous American president – won US President Barack Obama this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
In announcing its surprise decision, the Norwegian Nobel Committee cited Mr. Obama's "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." The word "efforts" hints at the view from around the world – from laborers in Baghdad to world leaders – that awarding the prize to an American president in office just nine months was recognition more of Obama's aspirations than of any particular accomplishments.
The award, which caught the White House off guard, reflected a particularly European appreciation for Obama. After what Europeans widely called a dark period for America under President Bush, they see Obama as a leader who is returning the United States to a place of global leadership in challenges such as nuclear disarmament, the West's relations with the Islamic world, and climate change. "Thanks to" Obama, the committee said, "the USA is now playing a more constructive role" in international diplomacy.
That appreciation was captured in the words of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who said the peace prize for Obama recognizes the "return of America into the hearts of the people of the world."
The Nobel Committee's award to Obama was unusual in that the annual peace prize has traditionally recognized accomplishments or a life's body of work. But as the committee recognized in announcing the award, its own agenda is one "for which Obama is now the world's leading spokesman."
"Obama's agenda – a world of zero nuclear weapons, fighting climate change, addressing Middle East peace, repairing relations between the US and the rest of the world, seeking rapprochement between the US and some if its major adversaries – seems so consistent with the purposes of the Nobel Peace Prize that even though Obama is in the early stages, the committee felt his presidency warranted recognition," says Charles Kupchan, an expert in US foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington.
***
A surprised world greeted the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to U.S. President Barack Obama with a mixture of praise and skepticism on Friday.
In its announcement, the Norwegian Nobel Committee hailed Obama's "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."
Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg made clear the award carried big expectations, saying: "This is a surprising, an exciting prize. It remains to be seen if he will succeed with reconciliation, peace and nuclear disarmament."
Afghanistan's Taliban mocked the choice, saying it was absurd to give it to Obama when he had ordered 21,000 extra troops to Afghanistan this year.
"The Nobel prize for peace? Obama should have won the 'Nobel Prize for escalating violence and killing civilians'," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location.
Japanese President Yukio Hatoyama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel both said the prize should encourage everyone to help Obama rid the world of nuclear weapons.
"I think the peace prize was given with such a hope," Hatoyama told reporters on a visit to Beijing.
Merkel said Obama had shifted the tone toward dialogue in a very short time. "There is still much left to do, but a window of possibility has been opened," she said in Leipzig.
In the Middle East, chief Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erekat said the award could be a good omen for the region.
"We hope that he will be able to achieve peace in the Middle East and achieve Israeli withdrawal to 1967 borders and establish an independent Palestinian state on 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital," he told Reuters.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told army radio the prize should enhance Obama's ability "to contribute to establishing regional peace in the Middle East and a settlement between us and the Palestinians that will bring security, prosperity and growth to all the peoples of the region."
The Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and opposes a peace treaty with Israel, was more skeptical.
"Unless real and deep-rooted change is made in American policy toward recognizing the rights of the Palestinian people I would think such a prize would be useless," Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas prime minister in the Gaza Strip, told reporters after Friday prayers.
REAL CHANGE
Saleh al-Mutlaq, a senior Iraqi Sunni Muslim lawmaker, told Reuters: "I think he deserves this prize. Obama succeeded in making a real change in the policy of the United States -- a change from a policy that was exporting evil to the world to a policy exporting peace and stability to the world."
In Indonesia, Masdar Mas'udi, deputy head of the largest Muslim organization Nahdatul Ulama, said: "I think it's appropriate because he is the only American president who has reached out to us in peace. On the issues of race, religion, skin color, he has an open attitude."
In Pakistan, Liaqat Baluch, a senior leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami, a conservative religious party, said: "It's a joke. How embarrassing for those who awarded it to him because he's done nothing for peace. What change has he brought in Iraq, the Middle East or Afghanistan?"
In Lebanon, Hezbollah member of parliament Hassan Fadlallah said he had seen no signs of peace from Obama yet. "We were waiting for deeds, not words that soon vanish," he said.
Irene Khan, secretary general of Amnesty International said the award raised expectations of Obama.
"We look to him for decisive action to pursue peace with justice in the Middle East, end the rollback on human rights in the name of counter terrorism and reinforce the fight against poverty at a time of economic crisis," she said. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter called the award a bold sign of support for Obama. "It shows the hope his administration represents not only to our nation but to people around the world," Carter, who won the prize in 2002, said in a statement.
Poland's Lech Walesa, former leader of the pro-democracy Solidarity trade union that toppled communism, said it was too early. "So soon? This is too soon. He has not yet made a real input. He is proposing, he is starting, but he still has to do it all," Walesa, who won the prize in 1983, told reporters.
South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu, awarded the prize in 1984, said the latest choice was "a magnificent endorsement for the first African American president in history."
From Obama's ancestral village of Kogelo in western Kenya his uncle Said Obama told Reuters: "It is humbling for us as a family and we share in Barack's honor. We congratulate him."
Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangarai, who had been among the favorites to win this year, said Obama was an extraordinary example.
"I wish to congratulate President Obama. I think he is a deserving candidate," he told Reuters during a visit to Spain.
***
President Obama's Republican adversaries reacted with swift disbelief to news that he had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize Friday, with many in the party scoffing that the accolade was hardly justified by a record they described as incomplete at best.
"I think this may be way too preliminary," Republican strategist Ed Rollins told CNN moments after the prize was announced.
"At the end of four years, maybe he has accomplished something and deserves it," he added. "I think it has diminished the award itself. I think certainly you have to give him an "A" for trying, but at the end of the day, what has he accomplished? Who on the world stage are his allies at this point in time?"
In an official statement, the Republican National Committee said: "The real question Americans are asking is, 'What has President Obama actually accomplished?' It is unfortunate that the president's star power has outshined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights. One thing is certain -- President Obama won't be receiving any awards from Americans for job creation, fiscal responsibility, or backing up rhetoric with concrete action."
Obama's worldwide celebrity became a campaign issue last year, after his Republican opponent, Arizona Sen. John McCain, produced sneering ads describing him as "the One" and comparing him to the Messiah.
The McCain ad ran after then-candidate Obama toured Europe, promising an open hand to the world and a break from the cowboy-style diplomacy he accused then-president George W. Bush of practicing. And for a time, the ad worked, raising questions about whether Obama's promises were just lofty rhetoric.
Friday morning, Republicans were shaking their heads at what they described as reality imitating art. Several people who worked in the Bush White House said the choice of Obama -- lauded by the Nobel committee for, among other reasons, his call for a nuclear-free world -- primarily represented a condemnation of the Bush era. Some Republicans pointed to concrete gains Bush made in reducing the nuclear stockpile during his two terms in office -- he cut the supply by more than half -- as evidence that the Nobel committee had made its judgment based on politics rather than solid facts.
"At first I thought the announcement of the prize was a joke," said Michael Gerson, a former Bush speechwriter. "On further reflection, the Nobel Committee has made itself a joke. It has decided to give a ribbon before the race, a trophy for aspiration, a gold star for admirable sentiments."
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Watada discharged
First Lt. Ehren Watada, the first commissioned military officer to refuse deployment to Iraq because he believed it was an illegal war, has won his three-year legal battle with the Army.
With little fanfare the Army at Fort Lewis, Wash., accepted the resignation of the 1996 Kalani High School graduate, and he will be discharged the first week in October.
Rather than seek a second court-martial against the artillery officer, the Army will grant Watada a discharge under "other than honorable conditions."
Joseph J. Piek, Fort Lewis spokesman, said, "This is an administrative discharge, and the characterization of Lt. Watada's discharge is not releasable under the privacy act."
Watada, 31, told the Star-Bulletin in a phone interview yesterday that he was "glad to finally bring this chapter to a close and to move on."
"The actual outcome is different from the outcome that I envisioned in the first place, but I am grateful of the outcome."
Watada said he was "thankful to the people from all walks of life that supported me and agreed with my stand."
Ken Kagan, one of Watada's Seattle attorneys, said last night, "Lt. Watada had previously tendered his resignation on more than one occasion, and each time, it was rejected. This time, however, it was accepted, apparently only when the Army realized it could not defeat Lt. Watada in a courtroom."
Kagan described Watada as "a hero and a patriot. Lt. Watada took a lonely stand as a matter of conscience, never attempted to spread discord within the ranks and never sought to evangelize about his ethical convictions. More importantly, he never disparaged the service and the sacrifices made by countless other soldiers and officers who obeyed their orders. He realized that each member of the armed forces must make her or his own decision, according to the dictates of conscience, just as he did. He always understood it to be an intensely personal decision.
"It is our belief that history will treat Lt. Watada far more favorably than the United States Army sees fit to regard him now."
Before he was charged, Watada, an artillery officer, had requested to be assigned to Afghanistan instead of Iraq and even offered to resign from the Army. Both requests were denied.
Initially, Watada was charged with missing the 2nd Infantry Division's 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team's deployment on June 22, 2006, considered by the Army as the most serious charge, and conduct unbec- oming an officer.
Watada participated in anti-war rallies here and on the mainland and held numerous interviews denouncing Bush. Two of those activities were the basis of the charges of conduct unbecoming an officer. Conviction on all counts would have meant six years in prison and a dishonorable discharge.
With little fanfare the Army at Fort Lewis, Wash., accepted the resignation of the 1996 Kalani High School graduate, and he will be discharged the first week in October.
Rather than seek a second court-martial against the artillery officer, the Army will grant Watada a discharge under "other than honorable conditions."
Joseph J. Piek, Fort Lewis spokesman, said, "This is an administrative discharge, and the characterization of Lt. Watada's discharge is not releasable under the privacy act."
Watada, 31, told the Star-Bulletin in a phone interview yesterday that he was "glad to finally bring this chapter to a close and to move on."
"The actual outcome is different from the outcome that I envisioned in the first place, but I am grateful of the outcome."
Watada said he was "thankful to the people from all walks of life that supported me and agreed with my stand."
Ken Kagan, one of Watada's Seattle attorneys, said last night, "Lt. Watada had previously tendered his resignation on more than one occasion, and each time, it was rejected. This time, however, it was accepted, apparently only when the Army realized it could not defeat Lt. Watada in a courtroom."
Kagan described Watada as "a hero and a patriot. Lt. Watada took a lonely stand as a matter of conscience, never attempted to spread discord within the ranks and never sought to evangelize about his ethical convictions. More importantly, he never disparaged the service and the sacrifices made by countless other soldiers and officers who obeyed their orders. He realized that each member of the armed forces must make her or his own decision, according to the dictates of conscience, just as he did. He always understood it to be an intensely personal decision.
"It is our belief that history will treat Lt. Watada far more favorably than the United States Army sees fit to regard him now."
Before he was charged, Watada, an artillery officer, had requested to be assigned to Afghanistan instead of Iraq and even offered to resign from the Army. Both requests were denied.
Initially, Watada was charged with missing the 2nd Infantry Division's 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team's deployment on June 22, 2006, considered by the Army as the most serious charge, and conduct unbec- oming an officer.
Watada participated in anti-war rallies here and on the mainland and held numerous interviews denouncing Bush. Two of those activities were the basis of the charges of conduct unbecoming an officer. Conviction on all counts would have meant six years in prison and a dishonorable discharge.
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