Top Republican Party supporters yesterday accused fellow conservatives of "whining" in response to complaints from activists worried that grass-roots Republican voters are disillusioned and will stay home on Nov. 7. Grover Norquist, a close associate of White House political strategist Karl Rove, dismissed concerns about voter turnout as empty threats. "There are always in every election cycle self-appointed conservative leaders who announce, 'You haven't done enough for me, so my troops are staying home,' " Mr. Norquist said. "The National Rifle Association, Americans for Tax Reform, the [National] Right to Life Committee -- the groups that actually put lead on the target and who do stuff all the time, they're not unhappy," Mr. Norquist said. "The people who are whining are the guys that don't have grass roots that they can actually move. So they are frustrated, and they don't have anything to do other than threaten not to participate."... http://www.washingtontimes.com censor News |
Editor - 07:23:00 10-20-06 |
Medics beg for help as Iraqis die needlessly |
The disintegration of Iraq's health service is leaving its civilians defenceless in the continuing violence that is rocking the country, Iraqi doctors warn today. As many as half of the civilian deaths, calculated at 655,000 since the 2003 invasion, might have been avoided if proper medical care had been provided to the victims, they say. In separate appeals, the doctors beg for help to stem the soaring death rate and ease the suffering of injured families and children. They say governments and the international medical community are ignoring their plight. In the first 14 months after the 2003 invasion almost $20bn (£11bn) was spent on reconstruction by the British and American funds, including hundreds of millions on rebuilding and re-equipping the country's network of 180 hospitals and clinics.... http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article1904962.ece
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Editor - 22:32:00 10-19-06 |
Force may be needed to guard Lebanese airspace -UN |
U.N. peacekeepers may at some point resort to force to prevent repeated Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace, the commander of the U.N. force in southern Lebanon said on Thursday.But to do so would require the United Nations to rewrite its rules of engagement for its troops, Major-General Alain Pellegrini of France told a news conference.Pellegrini also said his 7,200-strong force had seen no evidence of illegal arms -- whether in Hezbollah hands or smuggled in from Syria -- since moving into southern Lebanon to enforce an Aug. 14 cease-fire ending a 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas.Asked about regular U.N. reports of violations of Lebanese airspace by Israeli military aircraft, he said these had declined recently but remained a problem "an... http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N19275977.htm
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Editor - 21:41:00 10-19-06 |
U.S. to Israel: Ease up on Arab-Americans |
The State Department has complained to the Israeli government about its discriminatory treatment of Arab-Americans traveling to the Palestinian territories, senior State Department officials said Thursday.Officials said that despite a longstanding policy of issuing visas to Americans traveling to the West Bank and Gaza, the Israeli government has recently denied Palestinian-Americans and certain other Americans entry.During her recent trip to Israel, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice raised the issue with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, and U.S. diplomats have also recently complained to the Israeli Embassy in Washington, officials said."They are being treated as Arabs and not Americans," one senior official said. "They basically treat them as second-class citizens."... http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/10/19/rice.rights/index.html?eref=rss_world
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Editor - 21:32:00 10-19-06 |
We've lost battle for Baghdad, US admits President concedes war may be at turning point Mounting death toll brings comparison with Vietnam |
A day after George Bush conceded for the first time that America may have reached the equivalent of a Tet offensive in Iraq, the Pentagon yesterday admitted defeat in its strategy of securing Baghdad. The admission from President Bush that the US may have arrived at a turning point in this war - the Tet offensive led to a massive loss of confidence in the American presence in Vietnam - comes during one of the deadliest months for US forces since the invasion. Yesterday the number of US troops killed since October 1 rose to 73, deepening the sense that America is trapped in an unwinnable situation and further damaging Republican chances in midterm elections that are less than three weeks away. In Baghdad a surge in sectarian killings has forced the Pentagon to review its entire security plan for the capital, Major General William Caldwell, a US military spokesman, said yesterday... http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1926809,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12
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Editor - 21:16:00 10-19-06 |
Debt holds U.S. troops back from overseas duty Thousands are so mired they're considered at risk for bribery, espionage |
Thousands of U.S. troops are being barred from overseas duty because they are so deep in debt they are considered security risks, according to an Associated Press review of military records.The number of troops held back has climbed dramatically in the past few years. And while they appear to represent a very small percentage of all U.S. military personnel, the increase is occurring at a time when the armed forces are stretched thin by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.“We are seeing an alarming trend in degrading financial health,” said Navy Capt. Mark D. Patton, commanding officer at San Diego’s Naval Base Point Loma.... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15337932/
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Editor - 21:08:00 10-19-06 |
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