Post by MacBeth on Jan 28, 2009 12:51:38 GMT -5
Obama Launches Effort to "Communicate" in Mideast
www.truthout.org/012809J
Jeffrey Fleishman, The Los Angeles Times: "Fronting charm on the airways and deploying diplomacy away from the camera's flash, the Obama administration has landed in the Middle East. Hours after an interview with President Obama was broadcast across the Arab world by satellite channel Al Arabiya, special US envoy George J. Mitchell arrived in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss the fate of the Gaza Strip. It was a two-track choreography designed to inspire confidence among the region's political leaders and win over an Arab street long distrustful of Washington."
Gates Warns of Prolonged Commitment in Afghanistan
www.truthout.org/012809K
Ann Scott Tyson, The Washington Post: "Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today signaled sharply lower expectations for the war in Afghanistan, warning the conflict will be 'a long slog' that US and allied military forces - even at higher levels - cannot win alone. Gates said the US military expects to be able to send three additional combat brigades to Afghanistan from late spring through midsummer to fill a security vacuum 'that increasingly has been filled by the Taliban.'"
Will Bunch | Tear Down This Myth
www.truthout.org/012809L
Will Bunch, Truthout: "Last week didn't only mark the inauguration of Barack Obama. January 20, 2009, was also a less noticed anniversary - marking 20 years to the day that the 40th president, Ronald Reagan, said his final goodbye to the Oval Office. During those two decades since, the world evolved, and the man who some called a Great Communicator and others called a 'Teflon president' passed away - yet, watching last year's presidential race unfold, you might have been excused if you'd thought Reagan was somehow on the ballot."
J. Sri Raman | Can President Obama Change Nukes Policy?
www.truthout.org/012809M
J. Sri Raman, Truthout: "What should the world expect from the new US president on the nuclear front? The question may sound distant and largely disconnected from the current context, where the financial crisis looms as his administration's first priority. No one can be blamed, however, for raising it, as nuclear weapons form one of the main issues on which Barack Obama differentiated himself clearly from his rivals - during the battle for the Democratic nomination as well as the war for the presidency."
Government Must Release Cabinet Minutes on Lead Up to Iraq War
www.truthout.org/012809N
Andrew Sparrow, The Guardian UK: "Secret government discussions about the Iraq war are to be disclosed after an information tribunal today ordered the release of cabinet minutes from 2003. The decision follows a lengthy battle by campaigners, who have argued that the public interest in learning what was said about the planned invasion outweighs the public interest in cabinet discussions being kept secret."
Geithner's Dilemma: How to Fix Financial System
www.truthout.org/012809O
Kevin G. Hall, McClatchy Newspapers: "The fate of the US banking system and the economic well-being of roughly 300 million Americans, not to mention billions of people around the globe, is now is in the hands of Timothy Geithner, the newly confirmed treasury secretary. Few, if any, treasury secretaries since America's first, Alexander Hamilton in 1789, have stepped into the office facing more daunting challenges. Geithner faces an accelerating global financial crisis that's plunging the nation and the world into a recession that's destroying jobs, wealth and the established economic order."
www.truthout.org/012809J
Jeffrey Fleishman, The Los Angeles Times: "Fronting charm on the airways and deploying diplomacy away from the camera's flash, the Obama administration has landed in the Middle East. Hours after an interview with President Obama was broadcast across the Arab world by satellite channel Al Arabiya, special US envoy George J. Mitchell arrived in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss the fate of the Gaza Strip. It was a two-track choreography designed to inspire confidence among the region's political leaders and win over an Arab street long distrustful of Washington."
Gates Warns of Prolonged Commitment in Afghanistan
www.truthout.org/012809K
Ann Scott Tyson, The Washington Post: "Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today signaled sharply lower expectations for the war in Afghanistan, warning the conflict will be 'a long slog' that US and allied military forces - even at higher levels - cannot win alone. Gates said the US military expects to be able to send three additional combat brigades to Afghanistan from late spring through midsummer to fill a security vacuum 'that increasingly has been filled by the Taliban.'"
Will Bunch | Tear Down This Myth
www.truthout.org/012809L
Will Bunch, Truthout: "Last week didn't only mark the inauguration of Barack Obama. January 20, 2009, was also a less noticed anniversary - marking 20 years to the day that the 40th president, Ronald Reagan, said his final goodbye to the Oval Office. During those two decades since, the world evolved, and the man who some called a Great Communicator and others called a 'Teflon president' passed away - yet, watching last year's presidential race unfold, you might have been excused if you'd thought Reagan was somehow on the ballot."
J. Sri Raman | Can President Obama Change Nukes Policy?
www.truthout.org/012809M
J. Sri Raman, Truthout: "What should the world expect from the new US president on the nuclear front? The question may sound distant and largely disconnected from the current context, where the financial crisis looms as his administration's first priority. No one can be blamed, however, for raising it, as nuclear weapons form one of the main issues on which Barack Obama differentiated himself clearly from his rivals - during the battle for the Democratic nomination as well as the war for the presidency."
Government Must Release Cabinet Minutes on Lead Up to Iraq War
www.truthout.org/012809N
Andrew Sparrow, The Guardian UK: "Secret government discussions about the Iraq war are to be disclosed after an information tribunal today ordered the release of cabinet minutes from 2003. The decision follows a lengthy battle by campaigners, who have argued that the public interest in learning what was said about the planned invasion outweighs the public interest in cabinet discussions being kept secret."
Geithner's Dilemma: How to Fix Financial System
www.truthout.org/012809O
Kevin G. Hall, McClatchy Newspapers: "The fate of the US banking system and the economic well-being of roughly 300 million Americans, not to mention billions of people around the globe, is now is in the hands of Timothy Geithner, the newly confirmed treasury secretary. Few, if any, treasury secretaries since America's first, Alexander Hamilton in 1789, have stepped into the office facing more daunting challenges. Geithner faces an accelerating global financial crisis that's plunging the nation and the world into a recession that's destroying jobs, wealth and the established economic order."