WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Republican Party chief called on Senator Harry Reid on Sunday to step down as Senate majority leader over racial comments about President Barack Obama, while Democrats tried to put the issue behind them.

Reid, a key figure in pushing Obama’s agenda through Congress, apologized to the president on Saturday over remarks published in a new book calling Obama a “light-skinned” black man “with no Negro dialect unless he wanted to have one.”

Both Obama and Reid are Democrats.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said Reid should step aside as Senate majority leader, saying if a Republican made the same remarks Democrats would be “screaming for his head.”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States does not plan to send U.S. troops into Yemen or Somalia as those countries struggle to contain Islamic militants, President Barack Obama said in remarks published on Sunday.

“I have no intention of sending U.S. boots on the ground in these regions,” Obama told People magazine, referring to Yemen and Somalia.

“I have every intention of working with our international partners in lawless areas around the globe to make sure that we’re keeping the American people safe,” Obama added, according to a transcript provided by the magazine.

Obama has said Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, based in Yemen, appears to have trained, equipped and directed the Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a U.S. airliner bound for Detroit on December 25, using explosives sewn into his underwear.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Republican Party chief called on Senator Harry Reid on Sunday to step down as Senate majority leader over racial comments about President Barack Obama, while Democrats tried to put the issue behind them.

Reid, a key figure in pushing Obama’s agenda through Congress, apologized to the president on Saturday over remarks published in a new book calling Obama a “light-skinned” black man “with no Negro dialect unless he wanted to have one.”

Both Obama and Reid are Democrats.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said Reid should step aside as Senate majority leader, saying if a Republican made the same remarks Democrats would be “screaming for his head.”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senator Max Baucus, chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, nominated his girlfriend to serve as a federal prosecutor earlier this year, the Democratic lawmaker’s spokesman said on Saturday.

Baucus recommended Melodee Hanes, who served on his staff at the time and has an ongoing romantic relationship with the divorced senator, and two others for the post of attorney in his home state of Montana, Baucus spokesman Tyler Matsdorf said.

Matsdorf said Baucus chose to nominate Hanes for the job because of her “extensive background as a prosecutor and extensive legal experience.” Hanes worked for Baucus from 2003 until earlier this year, and now holds a post at the Justice Department.

“While her personal relationship with Senator Baucus should in no way be either a qualifier or a disqualifier for the position, during the nomination process and after much reflection, both Senator Baucus and Ms. Hanes agreed that she should withdraw her name from consideration because they wanted to live together in Washington, D.C.,” Matsdorf said.

WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) – Max Baucus, head of the powerful U.S. Senate Finance Committee, acknowledged on Saturday that he nominated his girlfriend to be a federal prosecutor earlier this year, drawing criticism from a Republican leader who said it raised ethical questions.

The Democratic senator said he recommended Melodee Hanes, who served on his staff at the time and has a romantic relationship with the divorced lawmaker, and two others for the post of U.S. attorney in his home state of Montana.

“As we grew closer and things progressed, we knew it was time to begin the process of Mel transitioning out of my Senate office,” Baucus said in a statement, which added that he and Hanes are living together in Washington.

Baucus called Hanes a “highly qualified prosecutor” and said he had not wanted their relationship to disqualify her from applying for the post. Her name was one of three selected by an independent reviewer appointed by Baucus and sent to the White House for consideration, the senator said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senator Max Baucus, chairman of the powerful U.S. Senate Finance Committee, nominated his girlfriend to serve as a federal prosecutor earlier this year, the Democratic lawmaker’s spokesman said on Saturday.

Baucus recommended Melodee Hanes, who served on his staff at the time and has an ongoing romantic relationship with the divorced senator, and two others for the post of U.S. attorney in his home state of Montana, Baucus spokesman Tyler Matsdorf said.

Matsdorf said Baucus chose to nominate Hanes for the job because of her “extensive background as a prosecutor and extensive legal experience.” Hanes worked for Baucus from 2003 until earlier this year, and now holds a post at the U.S. Justice Department.

“While her personal relationship with Senator Baucus should in no way be either a qualifier or a disqualifier for the position, during the nomination process and after much reflection, both Senator Baucus and Ms. Hanes agreed that she should withdraw her name from consideration because they wanted to live together in Washington, D.C.,” Matsdorf said.

WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) – Senator Max Baucus, chairman of the powerful U.S. Senate Finance Committee, nominated his girlfriend to serve as a federal prosecutor earlier this year, the Democratic lawmaker’s spokesman said on Saturday.

Baucus recommended Melodee Hanes, who served on his staff at the time and has an ongoing romantic relationship with the divorced senator, and two others for the post of U.S. attorney in his home state of Montana, Baucus spokesman Tyler Matsdorf said.

Matsdorf said Baucus chose to nominate Hanes for the job because of her “extensive background as a prosecutor and extensive legal experience.” Hanes worked for Baucus from 2003 until earlier this year, and now holds a post at the U.S. Justice Department.

“While her personal relationship with Senator Baucus should in no way be either a qualifier or a disqualifier for the position, during the nomination process and after much reflection, both Senator Baucus and Ms. Hanes agreed that she should withdraw her name from consideration because they wanted to live together in Washington, D.C.,” Matsdorf said.

WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) – Senator Max Baucus, chairman of the powerful U.S. Senate Finance Committee, nominated his girlfriend to serve as a federal prosecutor earlier this year, the senator’s spokesman said on Saturday.

Baucus recommended Melodee Hanes, who served on his staff at the time and has an ongoing romantic relationship with the divorced senator, and two others for the post of U.S. attorney in his home state of Montana, Baucus spokesman Tyler Matsdorf said in an emailed statement.

Matsdorf said Baucus chose to nominate Hanes for the job because of her “extensive background as a prosecutor and extensive legal experience.” Hanes worked for Baucus from 2003 until earlier this year, and now holds a post at the U.S. Justice Department.

“While her personal relationship with Senator Baucus should in no way be either a qualifier or a disqualifier for the position, during the nomination process and after much reflection, both Senator Baucus and Ms. Hanes agreed that she should withdraw her name from consideration because they wanted to live together in Washington, D.C.,” Matsdorf said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Army’s top general expressed concern on Sunday that last week’s mass shooting at Fort Hood in Texas, blamed on a Muslim Army officer, could fuel a backlash in the military against Muslim troops.

General George Casey, U.S. Army chief of staff, cautioned against jumping to conclusions about whether religious beliefs motivated the accused gunman, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a Muslim born in the United States of immigrant parents.

“I’m concerned that this increased speculation could cause a backlash against some of our Muslim soldiers. And I’ve asked our Army leaders to be on the lookout for that,” Casey told CNN’s “State of the Union.”

There are about 3,000 Muslims on active duty military service or in the National Guard or reserve forces, Casey said. They remain a small minority within the U.S. military.

WASHINGTON, Nov 8 (Reuters) – The U.S. Army’s top general expressed concern on Sunday that last week’s mass shooting at Fort Hood in Texas, blamed on a Muslim Army officer, could fuel a backlash in the military against Muslim troops. General George Casey, U.S. Army chief of staff, cautioned against jumping to conclusions about whether religious beliefs motivated the accused gunman, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a Muslim born in the United States of immigrant parents. "I’m concerned that this increased speculation could cause a backlash against some of our Muslim soldiers. And I’ve asked our Army leaders to be on the lookout for that," Casey told CNN’s "State of the Union." There are about 3,000 Muslims on active duty military service or in the National Guard or reserve forces, Casey said. They remain a small minority within the U.S. military. A Fort Hood official has said Hasan yelled "Allahu Akbar" — Arabic for "God is Greatest" — just before the shooting in which 13 people were killed and 30 wounded. The 39-year-old U.S. Army psychiatrist was shot four times by police. He was hospitalized but no longer needed a ventilator to breathe. Relatives have said Hasan wanted to leave the Army to avoid being deployed to Afghanistan and that he had faced harassment by fellow soldiers because of his religion. Casey was not specific about the type of backlash he feared against Muslims in the military, or who might lead a backlash. The shootings at the sprawling Army base marked the latest blow to the U.S. military, which has been under enormous strain this decade as troops served repeated long combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those wars also have raised hostility toward the United States among many Muslims worldwide. "Our diversity, not only in our Army, but in our country, is a strength. And as horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that’s worse," Casey added on NBC’s "Meet the Press." Asked whether Muslims in the U.S. Army are more conflicted than other soldiers in fighting wars in Muslim countries like Afghanistan and Iraq, Casey said: "I think that’s something that we have to look at on an individual basis." "But," he added, "I think we as an Army have to be broad enough to bring in people from all walks of life." Casey declined to say what the Army knew about Hasan’s behavior before Thursday’s rampage, saying those questions will be addressed by investigators looking into the crime. (Additional reporting by Tabassum Zakaria; editing by Chris Wilson)