Battle brewing over Guantanamo and its Chinese Muslim prisoners
A big battle is brewing over the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the Chinese Muslim inmates held there.
The Supreme Court announced Tuesday it would decide whether federal judges have the power to order the release of the ethnic Uighur prisoners into the United States.
The White House and Congress argue the inmates have never been admitted into the United States under U.S. immigration laws, and judges should not be making those sorts of decisions.
To underscore the point, the U.S. Congress Tuesday approved a spending bill that includes a measure effectively prohibiting Guantanamo prisoners from being released into the United States. The measure would admit them only to face trial.
President Barack Obama has pledged to close Guantanamo by Jan. 22, 2010, but meeting that goal has become increasingly difficult.
Few countries are willing to accept any of the approximately 220 inmates, and the United States continues to debate what to do with them.
The 13 Uighurs — a Turkic Muslim ethnic group from Xinjiang in western China — have been cleared of being suspected terrorists by U.S. authorities.
Amid inaction on financial bailout, blame game continues in McCain ad
PHOENIX – U.S. lawmakers have yet to back a plan to try and stem the global financial crisis. But the vigorous round of finger-pointing over who is to blame for it continued on the campaign trail on Tuesday as John McCain’s camp singled out Democratic rival Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton in a new ad.
The 60-second spot argued that, while the veteran Arizona senator sought to rein in excesses by troubled mortgage titans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – which were rescued by the government earlier this month – Obama, an Illinois senator, did nothing.
“John McCain fought to rein in Fannie and Freddie,” a voiceover says. It then quotes The Washington Post saying McCain “pushed for stronger regulation … while Mr. Obama was notably silent.”
“But Democrats blocked the reforms. Loans soared. Then, the bubble burst. And taxpayers are on the hook for billions.”
The salvo laying blame and charging inaction over the crisis comes a day after the U.S. House of Representatives voted down a bailout plan backed by President George W. Bush that sought to buy up $700 billion in troubled bank assets.
The surprise 228-205 House defeat sent markets tumbling around the world and unleashed a sharp blame game in Washington.
It’s a quite difficult decision for any politician choosing between more bailout packages or letting the free market economic principles take care of the failed businesses, whether it is the financial institutions or automakers. The main focus should be defending the interests of middle-class Americans and creating a stable economic system that will guarantee long-term stability and sustainability. But here we also can face more challenges, since right now the Washington politicians are talking about the second large bailout package. If we bailout financial institutions and other industries again, when are they going to ask for the third bailout package? Or fourth? Maybe this is a time to let free market economy work rather than keep bailing out large, failed corporations? After all, it is the small and medium size businesses that create vast majority of middle-class jobs in America, not the large corporations. Maybe the government is better off to replace banks in lending practices and directly give loan packages with low interest rates to small and medium size businesses? That might work better and have a direct, immediate impact on economy and the middle-class America…
Welcome to St. Paul!
“The Daily Show” has this welcome sign for Republican convention-goers in St. Paul, as posted on flickr:
Obama touts work, patriotism in TV ad
WASHINGTON — Barack Obama touts hard work and “heartland values” in his first TV ad of the general election, which will air in several Republican-leaning states.
“America is a country of strong families and strong values. My life’s been blessed by both,” the Democratic says in this one-minute spot, which emphasizes his humble roots.
Like Republican rival John McCain ‘s first national ad, it’s a soft-focus introduction for voters who may not be familiar with his background.
It will air in 18 states, including many that haven’t voted Republican in recent presidential elections — Alaska, Indiana, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota and Virginia.
Sandra, sweetheart – who on earth do you have who is even remotely suitable to be president?
How can you be so negative?
Give the guy a chance – suck it and see.
Your argument is devisive, unfair, facile, ill-informed and nonsensical.
And I am being really diplomatic here – right?
I just do not agree with your post at all! 
McCain, liberal groups roll out new TV ads
WASHINGTON — Republican candidate John McCain touts his independence from President George W. Bush and his plan to fight global warming in a new TV ad.
Two liberal groups, meanwhile, are slamming McCain’s support for the Iraq war in an ad of their own.
McCain’s ad, highlighting an issue important to many independent voters, will run on local TV in 11 battleground states, as well as national cable channels like Fox News and CNN. An aide said the ad buy would be “substantial,” but declined to provide a figure.
“John McCain stood up to the president and sounded the alarm on global warming,” the ad’s narrator says.
It’s the second national TV ad for McCain.
Mccain is a fractious man on the wrong side of history and human events. He and his party will be relegated to oblivion in November. It is presumptuous to elevate Mccain as the competitor to Obama and dangle the losing proposition as an alternative for America. In the coming election majority of Americans are going to vote based on their deteriorating economic and political conditions, the twin sinister and dark legacy of the Republicans. Mccain is inextricably linked to what GOP has brought on America. Chaotic Wall Street, insecure main Street and destruction of American wealth for the poor and the rich alike.
In critical February period, Obama outspent Clinton 3-to-1 on ads
WASHINGTON – Barack Obama’s almost insurmountable lead in the race for the Democratic party presidential nomination is mainly the result of a two-week period in February when he outspent rival Hillary Clinton 3-to-1 on advertising while winning nine straight state races, according to a new analysis released Monday.
Obama beat Clinton in states ranging from Maryland to Nebraska to Hawaii between Feb. 6 and Feb. 19, winning 281 delegates to 163 for Clinton for a net gain of 118, said the study by the University of Wisconsin Advertising Project. Democratic candidates need the votes of 2,118 delegates to the party’s convention in August to seize the nomination. Obama currently leads Clinton in the race for elected delegates 1,729 to 1,625, a margin of 104, according to a count by MSNBC. When the votes of party leaders and others who have declared their support are factored in, Obama’s lead grows to 2,076 to 1,918, MSNBC says.
The advertising advantage alone does not explain Obama’s February winning streak, but it was likely a factor. The study found that in the nine states he won during that two-week period, Obama was on the air first and had the paid media airwaves to himself for a significant part of the time. During a nine-day advertising battle in Nebraska, for example, Obama was alone on the air for six days unchallenged by Clinton.
“Unbalanced flows of paid information in a generally positive free media environment have the greatest potential to move numbers and influence races,” said Ken Goldstein, a professor who directs the advertising project. “This was the environment between Feb. 5 and Feb. 19 and that is what won Barack Obama the Democratic nomination.” The study found candidates for the U.S. presidency have spent nearly $200 million on advertising so far during the 2008 election campaign, with Obama leading the pack at nearly $75 million. Obama has spent nearly $30 million more than Clinton, who has paid $46 million, and almost $20 million more than all the Republicans combined, the study found. The Illinois senator has spent nearly seven times as much on advertising as the Republican presidential nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, who has paid $11 million. Obama and Clinton spent about the same amount on advertising through the Super Tuesday contests on Feb. 5, when nearly half the country voted for presidential nominees. But Obama outspent Clinton on advertising 3-to-1 over the following two weeks — Feb. 6 to Feb. 19 — and has outspent her 2-to-1 since that time, the study said.
Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.
Photo credit: Top: Reuters/Jason Reed (Obama campaigns in Detroit Monday); Bottom: Reuters/Rick Wilking (Clinton campaigns in South Dakota Monday)
Hillary never thought about the days after super-thuesday. She didn’t had a proper plan for the states to come after this day, nor had she any money left. The woman who always try to prepare everything got in a unprepared situation. Or if you turn it the other way round the obama campaign in full conscious of hillary’s strength tried to be prepared as good as her and ended to be better in her best field.
The US government should stop digging a hole for itself, and promptly send these terrorists back to China where they are wanted as fugitives. As Reuters noted, these Uighurs, whose objective is to fight China, had traveled to Afghanistan for weapons training and religious indoctrination. In July, we saw the fruits of Uighur terrorism when babies were beheaded and elderly Han Chinese women were set on fire. By refusing to repatriate the Uighurs to China, and even contemplating the mind-boggling idea of resettling terrorist fugitives on the US mainland, the US government stands guilty of abetting terrorism. Let the US government show it has learned from the terrible tragedy of 9/11.