NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - September 11, 2008

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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Bush Said to Give Orders Allowing Raids in Pakistan
The order allowing Special Operations forces to act without the prior approval of the Pakistani government underscores U.S. concerns over Pakistan's ability and will to combat militants. [...] American officials say that they will notify Pakistan when they conduct limited ground attacks like the Special Operations raid last Wednesday in a Pakistani village near the Afghanistan border, but that they will not ask for its permission.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/washington/11policy.html?hp

-Sex, Drug Use and Graft Cited in Interior Department
The Interior Department agency that collects oil and gas royalties has been caught up in a broad ethics scandal.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/washington/11royalty.html?hp

-Mississippi's Ballot Trick
Mississippi's governor and its secretary of state have come up with a dirty election trick that is not only illegal, but shows a contempt for the state's voters [...] Defying state law, they have decided to hide a hard-fought race for the United States Senate at the bottom of the ballot, where they clearly are hoping some voters will overlook it. Their proposed design is not only illegal. It shows a deep contempt for Mississippi's voters.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/opinion/11thu1.html?ref=opinion

-Misery Loves Democrats
It has come to our attention that a large number of Democrats have gone completely nuts about Barack Obama's presidential campaign. He's going to lose! Sarah Palin is getting all the attention! The Republicans are so mean! Why isn't he tougher?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/opinion/11collins.html?ref=opinion

-In the Seventh Year
In the seventh year after the fall, it seemed that one nation had become two; and loss, far from unifying the people, had sundered America.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/opinion/11Cohen.html?ref=opinion

-In Search of Gov. Palin
The best way for Sarah Palin to let America know about her record is to hold an honest news conference, which is what the campaign of John McCain is avoiding. [...] It is well past time for Sarah Palin, Republican running mate, governor of Alaska and self-proclaimed reformer, to fill in for the voting public the gaping blanks about her record and qualifications to be vice president. [...] Just in time for that appearance, Ms. Palin, who was proclaiming her family's privacy a week ago, will make a political event out of her son's deployment to Iraq. But as for talking to reporters in general, the McCain campaign sniffishly says they must first show "some level of respect and deference."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/opinion/11thu2.html?ref=opinion

-Nice Work if You Can Get It
The ousted chiefs of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are at the center of an epic ailure. They should not be rewarded any more for their failures. [...] Daniel Mudd and Richard Syron, the ousted chiefs of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, could collect as much as $24 million in exit pay (up to $9.3 million for Mr. Mudd and at least $14.1 million for Mr. Syron) unless a federal regulator sensibly says no.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/opinion/11thu3.html?ref=opinion

-Thousands in Texas Flee Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike, having spun away from Cuba and roared into the Gulf of Mexico, moved toward Texas with growing strength on Thursday as thousands of people fled coastal areas.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/us/12ike.html?hp

-Rangel Tries to Explain Back Taxes on Villa
Representative Charles B. Rangel said on Wednesday that "cultural and language barriers" had hindered him from understanding the finances of his Dominican Republic beach house, and vowed to repay several thousand dollars in federal taxes he owes after failing to report $75,000 in rental income from the villa.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/nyregion/11rangel.html?hp

-Iraq Cancels Six No-Bid Oil Contracts
An Iraqi plan to award six no-bid contracts to Western oil companies, which came under sharp criticism from several United States senators this summer, has been withdrawn, participants in the negotiations said on Wednesday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/world/middleeast/11iraq.html?hp

-Stock futures fall on worries about financials
U.S. stocks headed for a lower open Thursday as investors remained uneasy about the well-being of the financial sector and grappled with fresh worries about the nation's unemployment rate. Wall Street's latest unease about the financial sector follows Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.'s announcement Wednesday that it plans to sell its investment management unit and spin off its commercial real estate assets. The company is seeking to raise cash after making bad bets on holdings tied to real estate.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-Wall-Street.html

-Record Oil Imports Offset Export Growth
America's trade deficit shot up in July to the highest level in 16 months as oil imports hit an all-time high, offsetting strong export growth. The deficit with China climbed to the second-highest level on record. The Commerce Department says the deficit rose by 5.7 percent to $62.2 billion in July, much worse than the $58 billion deficit that Wall Street expected. It pushed the gap between what America imports and what it sells abroad to the highest level since March 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/business/economy/12econ.html

-Meager Living of Haitians Is Wiped Out by Storms
GONAÏVES, Haiti - Their cupboards were virtually bare before the winds started whipping, the skies opened up and this seaside city filled like a caldron with thick, brown, smelly muck.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/world/americas/11haiti.html

-McCain Ad on Sex Education Distorts Obama Policy
Escalating its efforts to portray Senator Barack Obama as a candidate whose values fall outside the mainstream, the campaign of Senator John McCain on Tuesday unveiled a new television advertisement claiming that Mr. Obama, the Democratic nominee, favors "comprehensive sex education" for kindergarten students.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/us/politics/11checkpoint.html

-Squad of G.O.P. Aides Prepares Palin for Interviews
Two weeks ago, People magazine was granted an exclusive interview with Senator John McCain's new running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, who spoke about motherhood and career, life in Alaska and the historic nature of her candidacy. She has not given an interview since, eschewing the traditional television news circuit traveled by a vice-presidential nominee.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/us/politics/11palin.html

-House Bill Would Loosen Coastal Drilling Restrictions
After months of political assault from Republicans over high gasoline prices, House Democrats are preparing legislation that would relax a decades-old ban on oil drilling along much of the nation's coastline. The legislation, still being assembled Wednesday for a vote as early as Thursday, would also require utility companies to generate more power from renewable sources, provide tax incentives for alternative energy like wind power and institute new conservation programs.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/washington/11cong.html

-Obama Looks to Lessons From Chicago in His National Education Plan
Senator Barack Obama learned how hard it can be to solve America's public education problems when he headed a philanthropic drive here a decade ago that spent $150 million on Chicago's troubled schools and barely made a dent.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/10/us/politics/10educate.html


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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-The GOP Takes Hostages
Where's the pride? I ask that of every Republican who in recent days has done the bidding of the McCain campaign and lied about what Barack Obama said regarding that now famous pig and lipstick. First off the mark was former Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swift who, in a conference call arranged by the McCain campaign, called the remark "disgraceful" and demanded an "apology." Swift's compliance was so, well, swift and mindless that at first I thought this was a hostage situation -- one of those episodes in which some poor soul is forced to issue a statement at gunpoint. Someone ought to check Swift's house.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2008/09/the_gop_takes_hostages.html

-The Right and Wrong Questions for Palin
I truly hope that ABC's Charlie Gibson asks Sarah Palin not one question about her family or what kind of mom she is -- not a single one. I'm happy to stipulate she is a fine mother. And being a mother should absolutely not disqualify anyone from being president or vice president of the United States. One should not even have to say such a thing, since it's obvious. Mothers have made fine leaders in other countries.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2008/09/the_right_and_wrong_questions.html

-Why Do Lies Prevail?
John McCain was not offended when Barack Obama described McCain's policy agenda as putting "lipstick on a pig." I can't prove that, but it seems so obvious to me that it's more like a fact than an opinion. Nor could McCain possibly have thought that Obama was calling McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, a pig, since Obama didn't even mention Palin. If Obama had even thought that his words would be misinterpreted as calling Palin a pig, he wouldn't have said them. That also seems obvious. The whole controversy is ginned up, a fraud, a lie. All obvious.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2008/09/why_do_lies_prevail.html

-Too Early To Call It
In the opening days of the general election campaign, an exaggerated optimism has swept through Republican ranks and an equally exaggerated gloom has infected the Democrats. A reporter readjusting his sights after living for two weeks in the twin bubbles of convention cities Denver and St. Paul can only wonder what has triggered these surprising reactions.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/10/AR2008091002725.html

-Invited Guests Gather at Pentagon Memorial
Seven years from the day a hijacked jetliner exploded into the western side of the nation's military headquarters, the Pentagon Memorial is being dedicated this morning in a ceremony featuring children's voices and speeches by dignitaries, including President Bush and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/11/AR2008091100579.html?hpid=topnews

-Live Video: Ground Zero - Dedication Ceremony
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2005/04/12/VI2005041201139.html

-Obama and the Anger Calculation
Earlier this week when Barack Obama gave a lengthy interview with Keith Olbermann, the "Countdown" host referenced the Illinois senator's now-famous "enough" line from his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention and asked: "Have you thought of using on the campaign trail and in your speaking engagements, more exclamation points? Have you thought of getting angrier?"
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/?hpid=topnews

-Ike heading toward Texas; Lowell over Mexico
After a deadly and destructive trip across the Caribbean, Hurricane Ike began to move across the Gulf of Mexico, where it was expected to strengthen before plowing into Texas. And in the Pacific, Tropical Depression Lowell was moving over Mexico's Baja California peninsula.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/11/AR2008091100167.html?hpid=moreheadlines

-Barack Obama: Obama on Letterman Talks Lipstick & Pigs
No, he has never put lipstick on a pig, Sen. Barack Obama told David Letterman in an appearance to be broadcast tonight on CBS's "The Late Show with David Letterman." "But I think it might be fun to try," Obama said.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/10/obama_on_letterman_talks_lipst.html?hpid=sec-politics

-TALLAHASSEE
New Florida driver's license rules go into effect Oct. 1
Starting Oct. 1, the state will make it harder for Floridians to receive a new or renewed driver's license. 'We anticipate the benefits of enhanced identity protection will far outweigh the inconvenience of providing additional proof of identification,' said Sandra Lambert, director of the state division of driver licenses.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/681487.html

-Palin ready to serve?
OUR OPINION: CANDIDATE WHO IGNORES VOTERS, MEDIA SENDS BAD MESSAGE
If any of the Republican or Democratic presidential candidates had refused to talk to voters or media during the recent primary contests the way vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin has done in recent days, they would have been dismissed immediately from serious consideration. Not talk to voters while seeking the second-highest public office in the country? Preposterous!
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/681533.html

-ECONOMY: A new Fannie and Freddie ahead
The superbly crafted rescue plan that the Treasury announced Sunday represents not an end to the perils of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac but merely the beginning of a new chapter. Conservatorship of the government-sponsored enterprises (GSE) does not resolve the long-term questions, and the hardest part of the job lies ahead.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/681516.html


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Salon.com
http://www.salon.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Alaska Freedom fighter
Alaskan Independence Party chairwoman Lynette Clark talks about why she doesn't identify herself as an American, and about her kindred spirit Sarah Palin. "Country First!" That's the Republican battle cry this presidential season. But don't try selling that slogan to Lynette Clark, chairwoman of the Alaskan Independence Party, whose motto is "Alaska First

-Alaska Always." Clark -- a blunt-spoken, gravel-voiced pioneer in the Alaska independence movement -- spoke with me from her home outside Fairbanks, where she and her husband, Dexter, another veteran Alaskan freedom fighter, work a gold mine claim. Clark was born in Illinois, moving with her family as a child to the Alaska territory in 1951. But, she says, "in my heart and mind, I'm an Alaskan. I don't identify myself as an American." The Alaskan Independence Party burst into the national spotlight when Clark released a statement reporting that Sarah Palin and her husband, Todd, were both members. [...] And earlier this year, as governor, Palin addressed the AIP convention, stating that she shared the party's "vision." "Keep up the good work," Palin told party members. "And God bless you." Whether or not Palin herself was an AIP member, Clark makes it clear that the GOP vice presidential candidate is a kindred spirit.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/09/10/alaska_secession/print.html


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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-How Democrats are fighting back against Sarah Palin
The Obama campaign is working the press, avoiding a full-scale assault, and waiting for Palin-mania to subside. But is that a smart strategy? With the conventions over and the general election in full swing, voters around the country are really starting to focus on November and figure out who they want in the White House for the next four years: Barack Obama or Sarah Palin.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/09/10/fight_back/

-Palin billed state for nights she spent at home
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a "per diem" allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business.
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/09/09/palin_billed_state_for_nights_she_spent_at_home/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+National+News

-Palin outshines Biden in favorability, head-to-head polling
Voters can't cast ballots separately for vice president in November, of course. But if they could, national poll findings released yesterday suggest that Republican Sarah Palin would beat Democrat Joe Biden - yet another sign of the popularity of John McCain's high-risk veep choice.
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/09/10/palin_outshines_biden_in_favorability_head_to_head_polling/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+National+News

-Minn. Democrats Pick Al Franken For Senate
Nomination Of Comedian Sets Up Long-Anticipated Showdown With GOP's Sen.
Norm Coleman
Comedian Al Franken grabbed the Democratic nomination Tuesday for U.S. Senate in Minnesota, setting up a showdown with Republican Sen. Norm Coleman that had been years in the making.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/10/politics/main4433645.shtml

-Tim Rutten: The McCain campaign is insisting on deference in the questioning of the vice presidential candidate.
Connoisseurs of campaign tactics tend to be a pretty cynical bunch, so they'll doubtless find much to admire in the adroit way Sen. John McCain's camp has handled Sarah Palin since she came aboard the ticket. Voters, who tend to nourish an inconvenient hunger for information, may be less impressed. One suspects that sooner rather than later, some will begin to wonder why the GOP is insisting that Palin is entitled to be treated according to a double standard.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-rutten10-2008sep10,0,7601200.column?track=rss

-Gov. gets candid on GOP, Palin
In a wide-ranging interview with the German newsweekly, he says he has 'almost no contact' with Republican leaders and says the Alaska governor is 'feisty.' He praises Obama's campaign. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, California's Austrian-born governor, sat down with a German news magazine to offer a freewheeling assessment of the American political landscape.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/politics/cal/la-me-arnold10-2008sep10,0,5908681.story?track=rss

-Autumn Angst: Dems fret about Obama
Polls showing John McCain tied or even ahead of Barack Obama are stirring
angst and second-guessing among some of the Democratic Party's most experienced operatives, who worry that Obama squandered opportunities over the summer and may still be underestimating his challenges this fall. "It's more than an increased anxiety," said Doug Schoen, who worked as one of Bill Clinton's lead pollsters during his 1996 reelection and has worked for both Democrats and independents in recent years. "It's a palpable frustration. Deep-seated unease in the sense that the message has gotten away from them."
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13357.html

-Falling Into the Palin Trap
One of the worst things about the wall-to-wall coverage of Sara Palin, from the cable shows to the front page of The New York Times to the cover of People Magazine to the leftwing blogosphere, is how brilliantly the Republicans managed to bury the Obama campaign's triumph in Denver intabloid trash.
http://www.progressive.org/mag/rc091008.html

-McCain's Integrity
Editor's Note: Historically a John McCain supporter, conservative journalistand blogger Andrew Sullivan takes on the issue of John McCain's integrity ashe strives to win the presidency. - vh/TO For me, this surreal moment -like the entire surrealism of the past ten days - is not really about SarahPalin or Barack Obama or pigs or fish or lipstick. It's about John McCain. The one thing I always thought I knew about him is that he is a decent andhonest person. When he knows, as every sane person must, that Obama did notin any conceivable sense mean that Sarah Palin is a pig, what did he do? Didhe come out and say so and end this charade? Or did he acquiesce in and thereby enable the mindless Rovianism that is now the core feature of his campaign?
http://www.truthout.org/article/mccains-integrity

-Lose your house, lose your vote
Michigan Republicans plan to foreclose African American voters
The chairman of the Republican Party in Macomb County Michigan, a key swing county in a key swing state, is planning to use a list of foreclosed homes to block people from voting in the upcoming election as part of the state GOP's effort to challenge some voters on Election Day.
http://www.michiganmessenger.com/4076/lose-your-house-lose-your-vote

-8 More Stories About Palin the Public Needs to Know
As she enters her second week as VP candidate, more shocking information emerges about Sarah Palin. It takes most politicians years to rack up the kinds of scandals, hypocrisies, and inconsistencies that have plagued Sarah Palin's candidacy in the week and a half since she catapulted to national attention. But the disturbing revelations about Palin's record as mayor and governor, and her positions on the issues, inexplicably just keep coming.
http://www.alternet.org/election08/98228/8_more_stories_about_palin_the_public_needs_to_know/

-Mocking Constitutional Rights
On the third day of the Republican National Convention, GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin mocked Barack Obama for believing that individuals accused of terrorism actually have rights under the law. "Al-Qaeda terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America," Palin said, "and he's worried that someone won't read them their rights."
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/09/10-4

-Poll: Swing state voters approve of Palin
Quinnipiac University poll, presidential race in Florida (27 electoral votes) among likely voters
THE NUMBERS: John McCain 50 percent, Barack Obama 43 percent
OF INTEREST: McCain now has a 7-point lead over Obama; the same poll taken last month showed McCain with just a 4-point edge over the Democrat. Six in 10 likely voters in Florida say Sarah Palin was a good choice for McCain's running mate. About half, or 47 percent, say they have a favorable opinion of the Alaska governor, while 30 percent say they have not heard enough about her. McCain has a 13-point lead among men and is roughly even with Obama among women. Almost a quarter of those who supported Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary say they are backing McCain. That's up from the 14 percent of Clinton supporters that backed him in the same poll last month.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/09/11/poll_swing_state_voters_approve_of_palin/

-Paul refuses to endorse McCain
Republican Ron Paul, the libertarian-leaning Texas congressman who attracted a devoted following in the GOP primaries, said yesterday he rejected an appeal to endorse John McCain and instead urged three other candidates to bring all their supporters together to vote against the "establishment candidates."
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/09/11/paul_refuses_to_endorse_mccain/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+Today%27s+paper+A+to+Z

-Obama maintains Mich. lead in third post-convention poll
John McCain's post-convention bounce has failed to overtake Barack Obama inMichigan, according to a CNN-Time survey of the state released Wednesday. Obama leads by 3 percentage points, 45 percent to 42 percent, in a race withMcCain and three small-party candidates in the survey of 966 registeredvoters by Opinion Research Corp. The poll, conducted Sunday through Tuesday,has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080911/POLITICS01/809110323/1374

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