Het "Amerika-nieuwtjes" topic

Palestinian: Bush Spoke of Iraq as Divine Mission

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A Palestinian leader quoted George W. Bush as saying God told him to invade Iraq, but said he did not take the U.S. president's comment literally and saw it only as a reflection of his faith and commitment.

``President Bush said to all of us: 'I'm driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, 'George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan'.

``And I did, and then God would tell me, 'George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq'. And I did.

``And now, again, I feel God's words coming to me, 'Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East'. And by God I'm gonna do it','' Shaath quotes him as saying.

In response, White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters in Washington: ``He's never made such comments.''

Shaath, who at the time was foreign minister under then- prime minister Abbas, confirmed what he had told the BBC.

But he added: ``It was really a figure of speech (by Bush). We felt he was saying that he had a mission, a commitment, his faith in God would inspire him ... rather than a metaphysical whisper in his ear.''

Country On Wrong Track: 69%
Bush Job Approval: 37%
Approve Of Iraq Handling: 32%

Country On Wrong Track: 66%
Bush Job Approval: 39%

Yes: 18%
No: 82%

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Brig. Gen. W.E. Gaskin.

It's been six weeks, and the people left homeless by the hurricane say they are tired of waiting for the federal government to fulfill its promise.

"We applied for a FEMA trailer, but we have no result yet," said Ben Truong, 34. He has been living with his parents, aunt and a couple of dogs on their shrimp boat near Biloxi, Miss., running the boat's engine to power a generator.

"What's killing us is we're burning the diesel that makes our living," he said. "If something doesn't happen ... we are going to lose everything."

http://www.comcast.net/news/index.jsp?cat=GENERAL&fn=/2005/10/13/240772.html

"They called asking if I could do an orthopedic shoe for an elephant and I said, 'Sure, I can do it,' thinking it was a joke," Lua said. "And then later I thought, if I can do human shoes, I could do an elephant shoe."

The circular shoe, made mostly of half-inch-thick brown leather, is 53 inches around and 19 inches in diameter. A strap holds it to her ankle.

"OK, so let's just walk through this," Barber said. "Captain Kennedy, you answer the first question and you hand the mike to whom?"

"Captain Smith," Kennedy said.

"Captain. Smith? You take the mike and you hand it to whom?" she asked.

"Captain Kennedy," the soldier replied.

And so it went.

DeLay booked on conspiracy charges

HOUSTON - The day before Rep. Tom DeLay was to make his first appearance at court, the former House majority leader turned himself in Thursday at the Harris County sheriff’s bonding office, where he was photographed, fingerprinted and released on bond on state conspiracy and money laundering charges.

“He posted $10,000 bond and they have left the bonding office,” Lt. John Martin of the sheriff’s department said.

The appearance came a day after a state court issued an arrest warrant for DeLay and set an initial bail, a routine step before the Texas Republican’s first court appearance Friday in Austin.

DeLay has stepped down as U.S. House majority leader — at least temporarily — under a Republican rule requiring him to relinquish the post if charged with a felony.

DeLay has denied wrongdoing and accused Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle — a Democrat — of having partisan motives.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9764119/

By JEANNINE AVERSA | Associated Press
October 25, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Ben Bernanke isn't a household name -- yet.

But if all goes well, he'll be the next chief of the Federal Reserve, wielding enormous power over the economy and the portfolios of millions of investors large and small.

Bernanke, a plain-speaking former economics professor, was chosen Monday by President Bush to replace Alan Greenspan. Largely unknown to the general public when he took over the Fed in 1987, Greenspan has risen to iconic status.

Bush called him a "legend." And Bernanke promised to continue the policies of Greenspan, who steps down Jan. 31.

"Ben has done path-breaking work in the field of monetary policy, taught advanced economics at some of our top universities and served with distinction on the Fed's Board of Governors," said Bush, who was flanked by Bernanke and Greenspan during a brief White House ceremony. "He's earned a reputation for intellectual rigor and integrity. He commands deep respect in the global financial community."

Greenspan called Bush's choice "a distinguished appointment. Ben comes with superb academic credentials and important insights into the ways our economy functions."

It was the third time in as many years that Bush has turned to the 51-year-old Bernanke for a sensitive economic post. The president named him to the Fed board in 2002, then made him chairman of the president's Council of Economic Advisers earlier this year.

The nomination comes at a difficult time for Bush. His approval ratings are sagging, his choice of Harriet Miers for the Supreme Court is under attack, and his top political adviser -- Karl Rove -- is a central figure in the investigation of who leaked the name of an undercover CIA officer.

The initial reaction to Bernanke was positive. Academics, lawmakers from both parties, economists and other experts said Bernanke, a leading thinker on monetary policy, has impeccable academic credentials for the Fed post.

Bernanke acknowledged that he has big shows to fill, saying Greenspan "has set the standard for excellence in economic policymaking."

If he is approved to a four-year term as Fed chairman, Bernanke said, his first priority would be "to maintain continuity" with the policies and strategies during the Greenspan era. He pledged to do all he could to ensure "the continued prosperity and stability of the American economy."

The Fed determines interest-rate policies that affect any person or business that borrows money. Its decisions -- along with utterances from the Fed chief -- can influence financial markets around the globe.

As the country's second-longest serving Fed chairman, the 79-year-old Greenspan has attained cult-like status and often is refereed to as the second-most important person in Washington. On Greenspan's watch, the U.S. economy grew from March 1991 to March 2001, the longest continuous expansion in history. The two recessions during his tenure -- in 1990-91 and in 2001 -- were mild.

While Bernanke pledged continuity with his predecessor's policies, the two men differ on whether the Fed should set targets for inflation -- Bernanke thinks it should; Greenspan does not. Otherwise, they share a similar philosophy, so much so that while the younger man was at the Fed, market observers often looked at his speeches for insight into Greenspan's thinking.

A summa cum laude graduate of Harvard University in 1975, Bernanke received his doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1979. He was professor of economics at Princeton University and then chairman of the economics department until 2002, when Bush named him to the Federal Reserve Board. He also has taught at Stanford University.

Some economists wondered whether Bernanke's lack of hands-on business or Wall Street experience and limited policymaking experience in Washington could be a drawback.

With rising inflation, an uncertain employment climate, bloated budget and trade deficits, and a housing market surge that appears to be nearing an end, there are many issues confronting the next Fed chairman.

Some Democrats question whether Bernanke would do enough to use the Fed's bully pulpit to get Congress and the administration to rein in bloated budget deficits, which over time could pose a danger to the economy if they push long-term interest rates up. And, they hope Bernanke will be truly independent from the Bush administration. That's crucially important for a Fed chairman to earn credibility with Wall Street and central bankers from around the world.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said it "will be important that Mr. Bernanke demonstrate that he is committed to guiding the economy to produce results for all Americans rather than promoting partisan policies that benefit special interests and an elite few."

Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, which will consider the nomination, struck a positive note: "I am confident that this nominee will be thoroughly questioned but also well-received by all members of our committee."

A date for a nomination hearing hasn't been set. But Shelby indicated it's possible a hearing could take place before Thanksgiving; he hoped the confirmation process would be completed before Congress adjourns for the year.

Bernanke has won Senate confirmation three times in the past: twice at the Fed and once to be chairman of the CEA.

WASHINGTON - Under withering attack from conservatives, President Bush ended his push to put loyalist Harriet Miers on the Supreme Court Thursday and promised a quick replacement. Democrats accused him of bowing to the "radical right wing of the Republican Party."

The White House said Miers had withdrawn her name because of a bipartisan effort in Congress to gain access to internal documents related to her role as counsel to the president. But politics played a larger role: Bush's conservative backers had doubts about her ideological purity, and Democrats had little incentive to help the nominee or the embattled GOP president.

The withdrawal stunned Washington on a day when the capital was awaiting potential bad news for the administration on another front - the possible indictments of senior White House aides in the CIA leak case. Earlier in the week, the U.S. military death toll in Iraq hit 2,000

http://www.comcast.net/news/index.jsp?cat=GENERAL&fn=/2005/10/27/251227.html

WASHINGTON - Karl Rove won't be indicted Friday as prosecutors and his lawyers try to resolve questions in the CIA leak investigation, two people close to Rove told The Associated Press. The White House still braced for an indictment against another top aide.

In discussions Thursday, Rove's lawyer was told by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald's office that investigators had not completed their investigation into Rove's conduct in the case and they would continue investigating, the people said, speaking only on condition of anonymity because of grand jury secrecy.

Rove's lawyers were told there still were matters to resolve before the prosecutor "decides what he is going to do, so Mr. Rove will not be indicted today," one of the people said.

http://www.comcast.net/news/index.jsp?cat=GENERAL&fn=/2005/10/28/252036.html

The increase was due to overlapping troop rotations, said Lawrence DiRita, the chief Pentagon spokesman.

WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, was indicted Friday on five charges that include obstruction of justice, making false statements and perjury in the investigation into the leak of a covert CIA agent’s name.