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President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have conferred about Mideast peace efforts, including recent Israel-Palestinian talks in Jordan. They also discussed Iran. This is the first time in a long while that there has been an official White House statement on a telephone conversation between Mr. Obama and the Israeli prime minister. It was, according to a White House statement, part of their regular communication and cooperation on bilateral and regional issues, with a major topic being the recent talks in Amman, Jordan between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators. Mr. Obama reaffirmed his commitment to the goal of...

I'm only posting this because it's very late on a Saturday night and I thought that it might elicit a variety of responses that could be informative or enlightening. I can think of a myriad of reasons why this is true. Can you think of any?

On Friday night, Herman Cain was a fly and David Letterman was the spider cordially inviting Cain to "step into my parlor." Didn't Cain or any of his advisors see the potential for disaster in Cain appearing on Letterman's show? Didn't anybody say, "Herman, don't go in there! It's a trap!"? I desperately don't want to be seen as one of those just itching for clear proof that Herman Cain's candidacy is over. But it's hard to have watched Cain on Letterman and not come to the conclusion that neither Cain nor his advisors have sufficiently good judgment for him...

The United States will discuss the idea of US armed agents operating inside Mexico, which is being rocked by deadly drug violence, when President Barack Obama meets his Mexican counterpart Felipe Calderon, a senior US official said Wednesday. Obama welcomes Calderon to the White House on Thursday. "It's a top priority for the US government to ensure that measures are being taken to protect our personnel," the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told journalists in a phone briefing. "That will continue to be a topic of conversation between both governments and will undoubtedly be a topic that gets discussed...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama spoke with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Tuesday about the U.S. desire for calm in Tunisia and thanked him for Egypt's support for a U.N.-backed tribunal set up to try the assassins of Lebanese statesman Rafik al-Hariri. Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia on January 14 after the worst unrest of his two decades in power. The country has been in turmoil as its caretaker prime minister tries to assemble a national unity cabinet.

The Washington to Wall Street revolving door spins on, Bloomie reports: Citigroup Inc., recovering from its $45 billion bailout in 2008, is in advanced talks to hire former White House Budget Director Peter Orszag, people with knowledge of the matter said. Orszag, 41, may take a job in the New York-based firm’s investment-banking division, the people said, declining to be identified because the discussions are private. An announcement may come as early as today, one of the people said. Of course, there is a well-trampled trail between the White House and Citigroup, most prominently traveled by Clinton administration Treasury Secretary...

NEWARK, N.J. — Michelle Obama will discuss school nutrition and childhood obesity during a visit to New Jersey's largest city. Michelle Obama will be joined by Newark Mayor Cory Booker and will hear from students at the city's Maple School in Thursday.

IsraelNN.com) On Thursday, the last day of the Jerusalem Conference, panelists Mark Regev, Melanie Philips and Professor Anne Bayefsky discussed “The United Nations and the International Assault on Israel.” (videos at link)

Honduran president Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales and representatives from El Salvador and Guatemala met with California farmers Saturday to hash out a plan that will train laborers from those countries to work in the Western U.S. The plan is set to start with about 300 workers from Mexico and Central America. It will operate under existing U.S. guest worker laws and take at least a year to implement, said Manuel Cunha Jr., president of the Nisei Farmers League, a group that represents hundreds of agriculture businesses in California, Washington, Oregon and Arizona. Growers plan to work with Latin American countries...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush told lawmakers on Thursday he wants tax rebates for families and breaks for businesses in a rescue plan for the struggling U.S. economy that could total up to $150 billion. Amid worries that the United States may already be in a recession, Bush held a private conference call with leaders of the Democratic-led Congress and their Republican counterparts. A delicate set of negotiations took place and the president shifted gears from his initial plan to outline an economic stimulus plan on his own. Instead, he agreed to hammer out the details of the...

OTTAWA - Promoting prosperity topped the agenda at a gathering of U.S., Canadian and Mexican Cabinet leaders Friday, but immigration and the threat of terrorism also were key topics at the gathering. Nine foreign and security ministers from the North American nations met in Ottawa, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. The Security and Prosperity Partnership talks were a lead-up to a meeting of the countries' leaders this August in Canada. The officials reviewed a 63-page report from the North American Competitiveness Council on how to streamline border crossings, harmonize regulatory standards and improve...

BEIJING - Iran's nuclear program will be a main topic of discussion when Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert meets China's leaders, an Israeli official said Wednesday. Olmert, scheduled to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao during his three-day visit, will talk about the importance of U.N.-imposed sanctions on Iran, said a member of his delegation. "He will surely talk about how Israel is concerned by Iranians becoming a nuclear state and what are the consequences that can take place if the Iranians will hold a nuclear bomb or weapon," said the official, who spoke on condition of...

Sgt. Eli Chagoya, assigned to Multi-National Division – Baghdad’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, meets with a 6th Iraqi Army Division Soldier during a patrol on the streets of Baghdad in support of Operation Together Forward. Department of Defense photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Keith DeVinney. BAGHDAD -- On the same day the Iraqi parliament reopened after a month-long recess, the Iraqi president predicted an end to sectarian violence in Iraq, while the British foreign secretary discussed the importance of handing over security responsibility to the Government of Iraq.In Baghdad on Tuesday, Iraq’s Council of Representatives reconvened with...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (Army News Service, Aug. 21, 2006) – Brig. Gen. Abdul Jaleel Kahlaiaf, commander, 1st Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, along with Col. Robert Scurlock Jr., commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, discussed operations in support of Operation Together Forward in the southwestern Baghdad neighborhood of Ameriyah last Wednesday. Operation Together Forward began yesterday for the brigade and hopes to continue to improve the lives of Iraqis in the Baghdad area. Jaleel said he was optimistic of the recent successes of the Iraqi army in Baghdad resulting in the reduction of...

Soldiers from Multi-National Division – Baghdad, pull security in Ameriyah during a meeting of local leaders, members of the Iraqi Security Forces and MND-B Soldiers. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Rodney Foliente Local Leaders Discuss Progress, Stability Local leaders, Iraqi Security Forces, U.S. Army soldier meet to discuss stability and security in Baghdad neighborhood. By U.S. Army Spc. Rodney Foliente BAGHDAD, Aug. 21, 2006 -- Local leaders, Iraqi Security Forces representatives and Multi-National Division Baghdad soldiers conducted a meeting in Baghdad’s Ameriyah neighborhood as part of Operation Together Forward, an undertaking designed to increase stability and security throughout the...

WASHINGTON, July 27, 2006 – President Bush thanked Romanian President Traian Basescu today for his country's strong support for the young democracies in Iraq and Afghanistan. Speaking at a photo opportunity in the Oval Office between working sessions, the two leaders told reporters they share goals for the region and will continue their commitment to peace there. "Romania will continue to remain an ally of the United States in supporting the democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan," Basescu said. Romania is a "stalwart ally" in the terror war, with just under 700 troops in Iraq and about 800 in Afghanistan,...

WASHINGTON, July 18, 2006 – Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld hosted China's senior military officer here today to build on the growing U.S.-China military relationship and discuss issues of mutual interest, including North Korea. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Peter Pace (left) and Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld (second from left) meet with Gen. Guo Boxiong, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China at the Pentagon July 18. Photo by Staff Sgt. Gary Hilliard, USA   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Gen. Guo Boxiong, vice chairman of...

A majority of San Jose City Council members now say Mayor Ron Gonzales should resign his post and the council has scheduled a meeting for next week to discuss removing him from office or stripping him of power. And Councilman Chuck Reed this morning asked the council to rescind the $11.25 million contract amendment to Norcal Waste Systems that is at the root of the city's garbage scandal. Meanwhile the political fallout from Thursday's arrest of Gonzales and his budget aide, Joe Guerra, continued. Councilwoman Nancy Pyle joined five council colleagues in calling for Gonzales to step down. ``I will...

BRUSSELS, Belgium, June 8, 2006 – Discussions on the expansion of NATO's mission in Afghanistan and the continued development of the NATO Response Force topped the agenda at a defense ministers meeting here today. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld (right) and NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (seated across table) engage in discussions during defense ministerial meetings in Brussels, Belgium, June 7. Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley, USN  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The defense leaders also discussed NATO support to training Iraqi forces and the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Sudan. NATO forces in...

WASHINGTON - Heeding President Bush's order, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist summoned Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to his Capitol Hill office Friday to defuse their constitutional confrontation over last weekend's FBI search of a lawmaker's office. "We've been working hard already and we'll continue to do so pursuant to the president's order," Gonzales said on his way into Frist's suite just off the Senate floor. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, meanwhile, said he too is working with the Justice Department to set up guidelines for the FBI to review materials it seized during the raid of the offices of Rep. William...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday said he will tell Mexican President Vicente Fox that his government needs to do more to stop illegal immigration into the U.S. when the two meet Thursday. "I will reiterate my positions that immigration and border security is a federal issue and the federal governments of both sides, the United States and Mexico, can and must do more," Schwarzenegger said. But he said he would not be confrontational and suggest that Mexico pay for health care, education, incarceration and other immigration-related costs incurred by the state. "Mexico is our friend," Schwarzenegger said at a Capitol...

WASHINGTON, May 23, 2006 – The commander of Multinational Division Baghdad and key members of his staff met with governors and local leaders from Babil and Karbala provinces yesterday for the second time in as many months to discuss the security situation in their areas. "This is a historic time in the history of Iraq," U.S. Army Maj. Gen. J.D. Thurman, commander of Multinational Division Baghdad, said. "We must work together to achieve the same common goal of a secure Iraq." Though the two governors are from different areas, they both expressed the same optimism stemming from recent progress made...

WASHINGTON, May 18, 2006 – National Guard troops are expected to begin assuming their border security mission as soon as early June, with about three-quarters of the force to come from the Army National Guard, top Guard officials told Pentagon reporters today. The initial force will ramp up to 6,000 troops through a phased-in deployment that ensures troops can begin operations as soon as they arrive in the area, said Paul McHale, assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense. "We don't want soldiers sitting on their packs," he said. "We don't want to make a statement in terms of the...

CAMP TAJI, Iraq, May 13, 2006 – "In the meeting we just had, we agreed that there are no Sunni or Shiia, we are all Iraqi brothers and we're all working for the future of Iraq," said Sheikh Haday Hameed al-Sultan today through an interpreter. Maj. Gen. Maj. Gen. Ayoub Bashar, commander, 9th Iraqi Army Division, stands in front of the community leaders during the first North Baghdad Community Cooperative Council Meeting on Camp Taji, Iraq, May 13. Photo by Spc. C. Terrell Turner, USA  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The sheikh was one of about 50 leaders...

WASHINGTON, May 9, 2006 – Spouses of the military's senior enlisted leaders gathered here today to learn about each service's program for wounded troops and to share ideas for the future. Marine Gunnery Sgt. J.A. Burks, a representative for the Marine for Life program, speaks to the spouses of senior enlisted leaders during a conference at the Pentagon, May 9. Photo by Sgt. Sara Wood, USA  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The wives of the senior enlisted leaders from the combatant commands and the service senior enlisted advisors met at the Pentagon in conjunction with their husbands' conference,...

HADITHA, Iraq (May 5, 2006) -- Since their arrival in the Al Anbar Province nearly two months ago, Marines here say Iraqi Security Forces are progressing toward relieving Coalition Forces and stabilizing the region. In this rural region along the Euphrates River valley, the transition from U.S.-led to Iraqi-led military operations is well on its way, according to one U.S. Marine who has spent nearly two months mentoring Iraqi soldiers in this region. But the atmosphere in this portion of western Al Anbar Province has changed since Saddam Hussein was removed from office in 2003. Instead of daily fire fights...

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, April 19, 2006 – A cooperative group of officials from Afghanistan, Pakistan and coalition forces in Afghanistan held its 16th meeting here today. Delegates to the Tripartite Commission included Gen. Ahsan Saleem Hyat, vice chief of the Army Staff of Pakistan; Gen. Bismullah Khan, chief of staff of the Afghan National Army; and U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Karl W. Eikenberry, commander of Combined Forces Command Afghanistan. This was the third meeting in which the Afghanistan and Pakistan delegations were represented at the four-star-general level, U.S. officials said. Officials from NATO and the International Security Assistance Force again participated...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2006 – President Bush, in his weekly radio address today, said he will meet with America's governors tomorrow and Monday to discuss, among other things, "our progress in the war on terror." "The states are playing a vital role in the war effort through the contributions of their National Guard units," Bush said. They've "seen firsthand the courage of our troops and their dedication to the mission." The president said that as a former governor (of Texas), he appreciates the important work done by the states and their chief executive officers. He noted that many governors have...

Last week in my newsletter I noted and congratulated Senator Tom McClintock for always standing up for principled, regardless of the political costs. That is one reason why I support him in his run for Lt. Governor. Now that he is running for Lt. Governor, Tom is in a difficult position. He wants to help Governor Schwarzenegger and he wants his help. But Tom's principled stands make that difficult. Indeed, Tom has been all over radio telling folks why Arnold is wrong about creating a deficit budget, $68 billion in more debt and destroying jobs with an increase in minimum...

KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 18, 2006 – Afghanistan's recently selected top 31 leaders from the Ministry of the Interior and Afghan National Police met Jan. 7 and 8 on how to increase security, fight internal corruption and eradicate poppy production. With the theme "building internal security for the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan," the conference provided a forum for senior officers to exchange ideas on issues affecting the MOI and ANP, as well as hear from senior representatives in the international community. Acting Minister of the Interior Zarar Ahmad Moqbil opened the session stressing the importance of seizing this moment in history...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2006 – German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Bush pushed for U.N. sanctions against Iran in a news conference today at the White House. Bush said Iran's desire to develop a nuclear weapons program posed a "grave threat to the security of the world." "I'm not going to prejudge what the United Nations Security Council should do. But I recognize that it's logical that a country which has rejected diplomatic entreaties be sent to the United Nations Security Council," Bush said. The so-called "EU-3" --Britain, France and Germany -- have tried unsuccessfully to convince Iran to quit...

Posted on Thu, Oct. 27, 2005 Clovis speakers discuss man's origins in the United States MEG KINNARD Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. - A University of Texas archaeologist opened the highly anticipated "Clovis in the Southeast" conference at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center Thursday by rejecting the premise on which many experts once based their theories on man's North American origins. At the meeting, sponsored in part by the University of South Carolina, Michael Collins called the idea that the first inhabitants traveled by way of a land bridge from Asia "primal racism." Instead, Collins said, they arrived by water, because...

LIMA, Peru, Aug. 18, 2005 – Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is slated to meet here today with Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo and his new defense minister to show support for Toledo's democratic initiatives and further bolster on what a senior defense official traveling with the secretary called the warmest defense relationship between the two countries in 40 years. Rumsfeld and Toledo are expected to discuss ways to build on Toledo's progress in cracking down on narcotics trafficking, cooperating with its neighbors in countering threats to the region, and modernizing Peru's armed forces and their obsolete 1970s-era Soviet equipment. The leaders...

UNITED NATIONS - The executive who wrote an e-mail memo suggesting that U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan may have known about a U.N. contract awarded to the company that employed his son denies that he, personally, ever discussed the firm's bid with the U.N. chief, his lawyers said Wednesday. The memo written by Michael Wilson describes a brief encounter in which officials from the Swiss company Cotecna Inspection S.A. discussed the company's bid for the contract with the secretary-general "and his entourage" during a summit of French-speaking nations in Paris in late 1998. The London law firm Schillings issued a brief...

Durham Leaders Gather To Discuss Cross BurningsPOSTED: 11:25 am EDT May 30, 2005 DURHAM, N.C. -- Leaders in Durham gathered Sunday night to plan an event in response to the three crosses that were burned last week. But what was supposed to be a forum, turned into a heated discussion. "We have to be intelligent enough to make decisions that will keep the community calm," Reverend G.I. Allison said. But to many who were present, Durham's cross burnings were symptomatic of a problem that they believe already existed. "We have to have a conversation about how race is destroying the...

WASHINGTON - Gov. Arnold "The Collectinator" Schwarzenegger is to swoop into Washington on Thursday, with state legislative leaders in tow, for an unprecedented meeting with the California congressional delegation and Bush administration officials in hopes of steering more federal money to the state. Schwarzenegger pledged after his recall election victory to be the "collectinator," a play on his starring role in the "Terminator" movies. So far, there hasn't been a lot to show for it, but that could change dramatically on this trip. State and federal officials are working to put the final details together on a five-year deal that...

Conversational Terrorism All of the techniques listed in this document have actually been witnessed, told to us by someone else, or dreamed up. They are described in first person for clarity of motive. The intent of detailing and naming these insidious tactics is so that the reader may AVOID USING THEM, to quickly recognize if someone else is using them, and for fun. There is much humor in the way people (consciously or unconsciously) conversationally cheat. It is hoped that exposing these tactics will help muzzle the growing abuse in our conversational landscape. Give copies to both perpetrators and victims...

The most controversial aspects of Proposition 71 will have strict oversight, experts speaking at a Stanford University forum said Tuesday. A procedure called nuclear transfer, or therapeutic cloning, is central to research on stem cells. Because it involves the creation and destruction of embryos to study diseases and cures, ``it may offend some people,'' said Paul Berg, professor emeritus of molecular and genetic medicine at Stanford and a 1980 Nobel Prize winner. ---snip--- Berg said therapeutic cloning -- in which stem cells are harvested from a cloned embryo -- provides greater scientific opportunities than other methods of obtaining stem cells....

Race For Boxer's U.S. Senate Seat Heats Up Fri Feb 13,12:10 PM ET TheKCRAChannel.com There was more sharp jousting Thursday between Republican hopefuls who want Barbara Boxer's U.S. Senate seat. Bill Jones and Rosario Marin each accused the other of failing to protect taxpayers. Her campaign calls a motor home the "Adios Boxer Express." But U.S. Senate candidate Rosario Marin's target Thursday during a Sacramento stop wasn't incumbent Barbara Boxer, it was fellow Republican Bill Jones. "He supported the biggest tax increase in the history of California -- over $7 billion. In fact, he voted for the largest tax increase...