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Internet News RecordLibertyNewsprint.com U.S. Edition03/08/09 - 04/08/09
Three strikes for Obama— at the bowling alley
By Patricia Zengerle (Front Row Washington)
Submitted at 8/3/2009 1:53:22 PM
President Barack Obama may bestruggling to boosta weak economyand push through healthcare reform,but he is making undisputed progressin one area — he’s raised hisbowling score from an embarrassing37 — out of a possible 300 — to a144.The athletic U.S. 47-year-old,known as an enthusiasticbasketball player , scored one of hispresidential race’s few missteps lastyear during a campaign stop inPennsylvania when hetried bowlingand posted the 37, a result far belowthe respectable range.So it seemed surprising when hispress secretary, Robert Gibbs,saidObama, who turns48 on Tuesday,had included some bowling in hisbirthday celebrations with friendsduring the weekend at the CampDavid presidential retreat.It was even more surprising whenGibbs insisted that Obama had rolledan eminently respectable 144, almostquadrupling his score during the ill-fated campaign stop. “I watched thelast four throws: three strikes and anine. I’m just saying,” Gibbs told anincredulous White House presscorps. “I told the president, ‘Look if you’d have done this inPennsylvania, my life would havebeen a little easier last spring.’”Thatawkward performance at asport strongly identifiedwith theU.S. working classwasmocked byObama’s critics as a sign that thecandidate, a former law professor andgraduate of two of the country’s mostelite universities, could not relate toregular Americans.Obama has said since that he hasbeen practicing his bowling. AndGibbs insisted the higher score wasaccurate. “The bowling happenedright in front of me,” he said.Photo credit: Reuters/Jim Young
Diplomats pressing Iran for word on3 Americans (AP)
(Yahoo! News: U.S. News)
Submitted at 8/4/2009 3:40:46 AM
SAN FRANCISCO – Familymembers of the three Americansbeing held in Iran after theyapparently illegally crossed theborder from Iraq said they areconcerned for the safety of the group.Friends and family say freelance journalist Shane Bauer, his girlfriend,Sarah Shourd, and a thirdcompanion, Joshua Fattal, wereadventuresome travelers whoaccidentally stumbled into the wrongplace at the wrong time on Friday."All we care about is the well-beingof Josh and his two hiker friends,"Fattal's father, Jacob, told reporterson Monday.The status of three had beenunknown early Tuesday, despiteefforts by Swiss diplomats to obtaindetails from the Iranian ForeignMinister.The Arabic language Al-Alam,however, quoted the deputy governorof Iran's Kurdistan province laterTuesday as saying the Americanhikers were being held on theoutskirts of Marivan district while aninvestigation was conducted. IrajHassanzadeh said the hikers were notbeing interrogated.Bauer's mother, Cindy Hickey of Pine City, Minn., and Shourd'smother, Nora Shourd, on Mondaysaid they hoped the three would beallowed to safely leave Iran. AlsoMonday, Secretary of State HillaryRodham Clinton appealed to Iran forinformation.Pacific News Service ExecutiveDirector Sandy Close, who hiredBauer to cover the elections innorthern Iraq's self-ruled Kurdishregion, said she does not believe thefreelance journalist ever intended togo to neighboring Iran.In an e-mail, Bauer told Close hewanted to "feel out the situation (inKurdistan) and get some ideas fordeeper stories.""Kurdistan is the big story in Iraqnow," Bauer wrote in the e-mailprovided to The Associated Press."I'm off to Kurdistan ... "Close said Bauer sent her e-mailson Monday and Wednesday, thenwent backpacking with Shourd in apopular tourist area renowned for itsscenery. It was unclear how the twomet up with Fattal. Close said Bauerwouldn't have deliberately tried toenter Iran.A Kurdish official in Iraq has saidthe three contacted a colleague to saythey had entered Iran by mistake onFriday and were surrounded bytroops. Iran's state television latersaid the Americans were arrestedafter they did not heed warnings fromIranian border guards.Bauer and Shourd, both graduatesof the University of California,Berkeley, had been living in the SanFrancisco Bay area. Shourd haswritten for a number of onlinepublications, including Brave NewTraveler. She has also has taughtEnglish.Ross Borden, founder of an onlinetravel magazine that includes BraveNew Traveler, described Shourd as"very professional. She wrote a greatstory for us.""She's obviously a professionaltraveler, as you can see by her latestadventure, going hiking in Iraq," hesaid. "Not many people go hiking inIraq."Fattal spent three years recentlyliving with a group dedicated tosustainable farming near CottageGrove, Ore. He lived with about nineothers and worked as the group'sintern coordinator before leavingabout eight months ago, according toJason Brown, who now holds Fattal's job.From January to June, Fattaltraveled overseas as a teachingassistant with the InternationalHonors Program, visitingSwitzerland, India, South Africa andChina on a global ecology program.Fattal had been a student in theprogram during college, presidentJoan Tiffany said.___Also contributing to this story werePatrick Condon in Minneapolis andMaryclaire Dale in Philadelphia.Michelle Locke reported fromBerkeley, Calif.
 
2Internet News Record
McCain opposes former rival’s first Supreme Court nominee
By Thomas Ferraro (Front Row Washington)
Submitted at 8/3/2009 1:52:22 PM
Nine months after losing the U.S.presidential election to DemocratBarack Obama, Republican JohnMcCain is still taking center stage tovoice disagreement with his formerU.S. Senate colleague.On Monday, McCain announced ina Senate speech that he would voteagainst Obama’s first U.S. SupremeCourt nominee, Sonia Sotomayor, afederal judge for the past 17 years.“She is an immensely qualifiedcandidate,” McCain conceded.But he added: “I do not believe thatshe shares my belief in judicialrestraint.”Echoing the concerns of a numberof Senate Republican leaders,McCain complained she has ruledbased not strictly by the law but alsopersonal beliefs.Despite a wall of Republicanopposition, Sotomayor seemsvirtually certain to be confirmed thisweek by the Democratic-led Senate.The American Bar Associationgave Sotomayor its top rating, shehas been supported by a number of law enforcement groups, and the U.S.Chamber of Commerce, which oftensides with Republicans, urged theSenate to confirm her, saying herrecord shows that she would be fairto business.McCain said he monitoredSotomayor’s testimony at her Senateconfirmation hearing last month. Hesaid liked what he heard, but didn’tnecessarily believe it.“She clearly stated that ‘as a judge,I don’t make law.’ While I applaudthis statement, it does not reflect herrecord as an appellate court judge.”“As an appellate court judge, JudgeSotomayor has been overturned bythe Supreme Court six times,”McCain said.McCain lost to Obama after issuingcountless warnings about the nowpopular president. He put out anotherwarning on Monday — this one tofellow lawmakers.“The American people will bewatching this week when the Senatevotes on Judge Sotomayor’snomination. She is a judge who hasforsworn judicial activism in herconfirmation hearings, but who has along record of it,” McCain said.“If she uses her lifetimeappointment on the bench as a perchto remake law in her own image of  justice, I expect that Americans willhold us senators accountable,”McCain said.Photo credit: REUTERS/KevinLamarque (Obama and McCain talk at a recent meeting)
7 North Carolina terror suspects due in court (AP)
(Yahoo! News: U.S. News)
mr.darcy1 buzzed up: With milk prices low, more Vermont dairiesclose4 hours ago 2009-08-04T02:57:43-07:00
Politics/ Top News/ 
 
3Internet News Record
Bill Clinton meets N Korea leader
(BBC News | Americas | World Edition)
Submitted at 8/4/2009 7:26:02 AM
Please turn on JavaScript. Mediarequires JavaScript to play.Bill Clinton was given flowers onhis arrival in PyongyangFormer US President Bill Clintonhas met North Korean leader KimJong-il during an unannounced visitto the country, state media haveannounced.Mr Clinton is in Pyongyang todiscuss the fate of jailed US journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee.He is the highest-profile Americanto visit since his secretary of state,Madeleine Albright, in 2000.Analysts say Mr Clinton may alsotry to ease the deadlock over theNorth's nuclear ambitions.The Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) said that Mr Clinton had"courteously" conveyed a verbalmessage from US President Barack Obama, although the White Housesaid that Mr Clinton had not carried amessage from Mr Obama.According to North Korea's officialstate media, Kim Jong-il hosted adinner for the former US president,before the two men exchanged whatis described as a "broad range of opinion".Face-to-face time with the NorthKorean leader is extremely rare forWestern politicians, and granting theopportunity to Bill Clinton could be asign that he is going to be given whathe came for, the release of twoAmerican journalists.Mr Clinton is also reported to havedelivered a verbal message fromPresident Obama, but the WhiteHouse is remaining very tight lipped.It says the case of the journalistsmust remain separate from widerpolitical issues.Washington made noannouncement of Mr Clinton's tripprior to his arrival, but in a laterstatement stressed that this was aprivate visit."While this solely private mission tosecure the release of two Americansis on the ground, we will have nocomment," White House spokesmanRobert Gibbs told reporters."We do not want to jeopardise thesuccess of former President Clinton'smission."The secrecy surrounding this trip isa sign of its sensitive nature,according to the BBC'scorrespondent in Seoul, JohnSudworth - as well as the fact thatthis is a gamble by Washington.The last visit to North Korea by aformer American president - JimmyCarter in 1994 - led to an importantstep forward in relations between thetwo countries, and Mr Clinton maybe hoping his trip could have thesame effect.But some analysts question thewisdom of such a high-profile visitso soon after North Korea conducteda string of nuclear and missile tests indefiance of the UN Security Council- saying it may be seen byPyongyang as a reward for badbehaviour.Mr Clinton landed in Pyongyang inan unmarked plane and was greetedat the airport by North Koreanofficials, including chief nuclearnegotiator Kim Kye-gwan and YangHyong-sop, vice president of parliament.As he stepped down from theplane, a little girl came forward topresent him with a bouquet of flowers.'Entering negotiations'No official itinerary for the visithas been announced.There had been speculation that MrClinton might see leader Kim Jong-il,whom analysts say is eager toimprove relations with Washingtonas he prepares to name a successor.Mr Kim is thought to have suffereda stroke a year ago, and also haschronic diabetes and heart disease.Analysts say his third son is alreadybeing lined up to take over powerone day.Laura Ling and Euna Lee werefound guilty of entering North Koreaillegally across the Chinese border inMarch, and sentenced to 12 years'hard labour.They were arrested by NorthKorean guards while filming a videoabout refugees for California-basedinternet broadcaster Current TV.According to KCNA, the tworeporters have admitted entering thecountry illegally.But the women's families havealways claimed that Lee, 36, andLing, 32, had no intention of crossinginto North Korea.They fear the two reporters maybecome political pawns innegotiations between Washingtonand Pyongyang.Last month US Secretary of StateHillary Clinton requested an amnestyfor the women asking that they beallowed to return home.Former releasesThis is not the first time a seniorUS statesman has gone to NorthKorea to negotiate for the release of American citizens.In 1994, then-congressman BillRichardson - now governor of NewMexico - helped negotiate the releaseof Bobby Hall, one of two pilots of aUS army helicopter shot down afterstraying into North Korea.Two years later he negotiated therelease of Evan Hunziker, who wasdetained on suspicion of spying afterswimming the Yalu river border.Critics say that Mr Clinton's trip -coming so soon after North Korealaunched a nuclear test - will beexploited for maximum propagandavalue by Pyongyang.Although Bill Clinton's arrival wascovered by North Korea's eveningtelevision news, it was not until afterapparently more newsworthy items,such as the improving qualitystandards at a biscuit factory, ourcorrespondent in Seoul says.What do you hope Bill Clinton'smission will achieve? Send us yourviews.The BBC may edit your commentsand not all emails will be published.Your comments may be published onany BBC media worldwide.Print Sponsor
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