HAVANA (Reuters) - U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said on Wednesday the United States is being frustrated in attempts to provide aid for victims of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike by a Cuban government intent on playing politics.
Instead of accepting the offer, Cuba has said it would be more helpful if the United States dropped its 46-year-long trade embargo against the island.
Cuba's talk of the embargo 'obviously seems to have the ring of politics overriding the needs of the people' and 'has nothing to do with humanitarian aid,' Gutierrez told Reuters in a telephone interview from Washington.
'We believe we could be of great help to the Cuban people, but the offer was rejected, and it's very frustrating because we want to help,' he said.
But Cuba in a rare move said it would accept aid from the United Nations, said John Holmes, the UN's humanitarian affairs chief. He said the aid would total up to $3.5 million(2 million pounds).
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Wednesday, 10 September 2008
McCain, Obama meet in New York City
Arizona Sen. John McCain and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama promise to set presidential politics aside when they meet in New York City today on the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Unfortunately, the city's day of mourning falls at the crescendo of a nasty week of partisan mudslinging, one in which Obama has accused McCain of lying, McCain accused Obama of pushing sex education on kindergartners and no one agrees on who meant what by the phrase 'lipstick on a pig.'"
Unfortunately, the city's day of mourning falls at the crescendo of a nasty week of partisan mudslinging, one in which Obama has accused McCain of lying, McCain accused Obama of pushing sex education on kindergartners and no one agrees on who meant what by the phrase 'lipstick on a pig.'"
Monday, 8 September 2008
60 injured in fierce clashes during anti-election strike- Hindustan Times
"At least 60 people were injured in fierce clashes between protesters and security forces across the Kashmir Valley on Monday during a strike called by separatists against holding of Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir."
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McCain has the lead in U.S. election race: poll
Republican nominee John McCain has taken the lead from his Democratic party counterpart, Barack Obama, in the U.S. presidential race, according to a new poll by USA Today and Gallup.
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Democrats do better than expected in Hong Kong election - International Herald Tribune
McCain, Obama plan joint 9/11 stop
WASHINGTON — Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama said today they will put aside partisan politics for a joint appearance Thursday at the World Trade Center site to mark the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
The campaigns already had agreed to suspend TV advertising critical of each other on Sept. 11. The McCain campaign has said it will air no ads that day.
“All of us came together on 9/11 — not as Democrats or Republicans — but as Americans,” the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees said in a statement. “We were united as one American family. On Thursday, we will put aside politics and come together to renew that unity.”
The campaigns already had agreed to suspend TV advertising critical of each other on Sept. 11. The McCain campaign has said it will air no ads that day.
“All of us came together on 9/11 — not as Democrats or Republicans — but as Americans,” the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees said in a statement. “We were united as one American family. On Thursday, we will put aside politics and come together to renew that unity.”
US candidates clash over Palin's politics and experience
"The two main candidates for the US presidency locked horns yesterday over the credentials and qualities of Sarah Palin, the little-known governor of Alaska who has been propelled into the centre of the electoral battle with her appointment as John McCain's Republican running mate.
As the race now fans out across America at the end of the two parties' national conventions, attention continues to focus on Palin, who has delighted the Christian right base of the Republican party but provoked criticism of her lack of experience, particularly in foreign affairs.
Interviewed on politics programmes of the US networks yesterday, McCain and his Democratic opponent, Barack Obama, presented conflicting perspectives on Palin's politics and role in the election.
Obama praised her as a skilled politician but rolled out his camp's new weapon - to depict her as a sort of McCain-Bush with brass knobs on. Obama said she was 'even more aligned with George Bush or Dick Cheney and the politics we've seen over the last eight years than John McCain himself'.
Obama derided McCain's claim over the weekend that Palin had more foreign affairs experience than he had, by dint of the fact that her state lies next to Russia. 'I actually knew Alaska is next to Russia - I saw it on the map,' Obama quipped."
As the race now fans out across America at the end of the two parties' national conventions, attention continues to focus on Palin, who has delighted the Christian right base of the Republican party but provoked criticism of her lack of experience, particularly in foreign affairs.
Interviewed on politics programmes of the US networks yesterday, McCain and his Democratic opponent, Barack Obama, presented conflicting perspectives on Palin's politics and role in the election.
Obama praised her as a skilled politician but rolled out his camp's new weapon - to depict her as a sort of McCain-Bush with brass knobs on. Obama said she was 'even more aligned with George Bush or Dick Cheney and the politics we've seen over the last eight years than John McCain himself'.
Obama derided McCain's claim over the weekend that Palin had more foreign affairs experience than he had, by dint of the fact that her state lies next to Russia. 'I actually knew Alaska is next to Russia - I saw it on the map,' Obama quipped."
Friday, 5 September 2008
Mayor's attorneys blame media, politics for outcome of case
Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick decided to plead guilty on Thursday because a toxic stew of bad press and politics had compromised his chance to get a fair trial, one of his attorney's said this evening.
But Kilpatrick also knew, Dan Webb said, that he himself 'had done something wrong' and had lied during the whistleblower case that led to perjury and obstruction of justice charges against him.
Webb said the mayor and his wife decided Thursday morning to accept the plea deal because he 'loved' his family and the city enough to stop the pain that has existed since the ordeal began.
But Kilpatrick also knew, Dan Webb said, that he himself 'had done something wrong' and had lied during the whistleblower case that led to perjury and obstruction of justice charges against him.
Webb said the mayor and his wife decided Thursday morning to accept the plea deal because he 'loved' his family and the city enough to stop the pain that has existed since the ordeal began.
Kilpatrick felt the "deck was stacked against him" for four reasons: His own guilt, the mountain of bad press, politics and the fear that he couldn't get a fair trial, Webb said.
Webb said the "press vilified this man day in and day out" and it "threatened" his ability to lead the city.
local politics is playing with the peace tracks
Henry Kissinger's famous quote 'Israel has no foreign policy, only domestic policy,' is one of those catchy aphorisms repeated so many times over the years it's come to be accepted as the conventional wisdom.
But the underlying thought is so banal it is difficult to accept that this throwaway remark would have ever garnered such attention if said of any other country.
The foreign policies of all nations are deeply influenced by domestic political concerns; if anything, one could make the case that several of Israel's biggest diplomatic decisions - especially such peace moves as the Camp David Agreement and the Oslo Accords - were made despite the fact they carried with them considerable political risks for the Begin and Rabin governments that carried them out.
There are, though, periods when domestic politics have a more direct and immediate impact on foreign policy process and decision-making. It's worth remembering the specific context within which Kissinger made the statement; during the frenzied period of 'shuttle diplomacy' following the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when he was trying to convince Israel to withdraw from territory conquered in its fierce defensive struggle with the Egyptians and Syrians."
But the underlying thought is so banal it is difficult to accept that this throwaway remark would have ever garnered such attention if said of any other country.
The foreign policies of all nations are deeply influenced by domestic political concerns; if anything, one could make the case that several of Israel's biggest diplomatic decisions - especially such peace moves as the Camp David Agreement and the Oslo Accords - were made despite the fact they carried with them considerable political risks for the Begin and Rabin governments that carried them out.
There are, though, periods when domestic politics have a more direct and immediate impact on foreign policy process and decision-making. It's worth remembering the specific context within which Kissinger made the statement; during the frenzied period of 'shuttle diplomacy' following the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when he was trying to convince Israel to withdraw from territory conquered in its fierce defensive struggle with the Egyptians and Syrians."
White House injects religion into U.S. politics
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Throughout the U.S. presidential campaign, many Republican supporters weren't convinced John McCain had an important force on his side: God.
That changed when McCain chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. Palin is a fierce opponent of abortion rights. She has also said that gas development and the war in Iraq are duties commissioned by the Lord.
'This is a religious country and the interest in faith is always really high,' said Rob Boston, a policy analyst for Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
'Now, with the decision to put Palin on the ticket, it really has erupted.'
Since he became the presumptive Republican presidential candidate in March, McCain has struggled to win the hearts of religious conservatives, who have long played an influential role in U.S. elections.
Evangelicals, especially those in the U.S. Bible Belt, were energized by President George W. Bush's public declaration of faith and played a crucial role in his victory in the 2004 election.
But they have remained listless for most of this presidential campaign, despite the strenuous"
That changed when McCain chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. Palin is a fierce opponent of abortion rights. She has also said that gas development and the war in Iraq are duties commissioned by the Lord.
'This is a religious country and the interest in faith is always really high,' said Rob Boston, a policy analyst for Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
'Now, with the decision to put Palin on the ticket, it really has erupted.'
Since he became the presumptive Republican presidential candidate in March, McCain has struggled to win the hearts of religious conservatives, who have long played an influential role in U.S. elections.
Evangelicals, especially those in the U.S. Bible Belt, were energized by President George W. Bush's public declaration of faith and played a crucial role in his victory in the 2004 election.
But they have remained listless for most of this presidential campaign, despite the strenuous"
Tuesday, 2 September 2008
How Gov. Palin Balances Politics and Parenting | Newsweek Politics: Conventions | Newsweek.com
"The rumor started circulating on political blogs just hours after Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's veep candidacy had been announced: that her four-month-old with Down Syndrome, Trig, was actually the child of her 17-year-old daughter Bristol. Partisans and gossip mavens emailed each other the 'clues': a supposed “baby bump” in photographs, Bristol's holding baby Trig at her mother's first appearance with John McCain and a supposed five-month absence from Wasilla High School (her parents told school administrators that it was a case of mononucleosis). The rumor had apparently circulated among Alaskans for months but picked up speed Friday when a contributor to the Daily Kos, a heavily-trafficked liberal-leaning blog, posted an entry on the subject, asking whether the blog should be investigating the rumors of Bristol being Trig's parent."
Politics creeps back into convention
"ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Hard to restrain, politics unmistakenly came creeping back into the Republican National Convention as Hurricane Gustav delivered a softer-than-expected blow on the Gulf Coast. As the storm winds died down, the political winds picked up.
Monday was the day in which GOP presidential candidate John McCain said Republicans should do away with party politics and act simply as Americans in a time of crisis.
But political conventions are all about, well, politics, and telling delegates to refrain from partisanship is like instructing a child to walk through a candy store without begging for a treat.
So there were digs and jabs and pokes aimed at Democratic nominee Barack Obama.
Laura Bush succumbed to the temptation to nudge Obama. So did former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and others. One-time California Gov. Pete Wilson acknowledged the difficulty of following McCain's orders to set politics aside.
'I confess to you, I am a lesser mortal. I find that difficult to do,' Wilson told California delegates. 'But I will try.'"
Monday was the day in which GOP presidential candidate John McCain said Republicans should do away with party politics and act simply as Americans in a time of crisis.
But political conventions are all about, well, politics, and telling delegates to refrain from partisanship is like instructing a child to walk through a candy store without begging for a treat.
So there were digs and jabs and pokes aimed at Democratic nominee Barack Obama.
Laura Bush succumbed to the temptation to nudge Obama. So did former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and others. One-time California Gov. Pete Wilson acknowledged the difficulty of following McCain's orders to set politics aside.
'I confess to you, I am a lesser mortal. I find that difficult to do,' Wilson told California delegates. 'But I will try.'"
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