Thank you to the citizens of Berlin and to the people of Germany. Let me thank Chancellor Merkel and Foreign Minister Steinmeier for welcoming me earlier today. Thank you Mayor Wowereit, the Berlin Senate, the police, and most of all thank you for this welcome.
I come to Berlin as so many of my countrymen have come before. Tonight, I speak to you not as a candidate for President, but as a citizen – a proud citizen of the United States, and a fellow citizen of the world.
The Pakistani intelligence agencies have reveal that there are approximately 10,000 foreigners terrorising tribal belt.
The repeated assertions by the American and Afghan officials that the tribal areas of Pakistan have turned into a safe haven for Al Qaeda militants have finally been endorsed by the Pakistani intelligence agencies in their recent report to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, admitting for the first time that the number of the ‘foreign fighters’ present in the Pak-Afghan tribal belt is around 10,000.
We tend to think of the primary hotbeds of terrorism activity to be Iraq and Afghanistan. Those are the areas where the United States does its fighting of course. Unfortunately, they have found “sanctuary” in Pakistan and their are no good options.
After two days parliamentary debate Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s United Progressive Alliance (UPA) of 12 parties survived a survived a confidence vote 275 to 256. The confidence vote was necessary because of the Prime Ministers push for ratification of a nuclear deal struck three years ago between the United States and India.
The deal provides India access to American civilian nuclear technology. India has agreed to submit its civilian nuclear program to the oversight of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The pact does not directly address India’s nuclear weapons program or its non-signatory status to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
This is a really good piece from BlackFive.net regarding the necessity of Iraqi’s perceiving the Iraqi government as legitimate.
There is an important concept needed to understand the negotiations — both formal ones, and those using the press as a proxy — between the US and Maliki on the long-term security agreement between our countries. The real issue is not which bases we will maintain, or surrender. It is not whether we will stay for 16 months or ten years. The real issue is whether Iraq is a genuinely sovereign power, with the full authority to negotiate its interests as an equal with America.
It is vitally important to our counterinsurgency efforts that the answer to that question be “Yes.” In order for Iraq to survive its internal pressures, the central government must be accepted as legitimate by the people. This is the capstone of the counterinsurgency effort, the point at which the move from war to law will be complete.
The Iraq War isn’t over yet. The debate over how and when it will end mostly is.
A few years ago, while discussing the failure of the U.S. Armed Forces to have enough up-armored humvees, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld uttered an infamous quote about how “you have to go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you want.” Well, after five years of more or less static debate about the Iraq War it appears that both Republicans and Democrats are going to have to accept that you have to go into an election with the war you have, not the war you want.
As I’ve been trying to explain for months, the situation in Iraq has been changing for the better. Recently, the security gains have led to rapid political change in Iraq. Both McCain and Obama had long ago staked out the positions that they thought they would go into November with. Unfortunately for them, but fortunately for both Iraq and the United States, the facts on the ground have changed.
“If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.” James Madison.
Prior to the enactment of the 17th Amendment in 1913 Senators were not directly elected by the people of their state but appointed by the state legislature. Most Americans probably think that the way things are now is the way that they should be. I’m not so sure.
I’ve been to the dump a few times in my life. Among its many interesting qualities is that unique smell of rotting refuse. Its pungent and objectionable, but not intolerable.
I’m here today to discuss with you several issues that worry you and most Americans, our slumping economy, job loss, rising gas and food prices, and what we need to do to get our economy growing again, create jobs and reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil. But there is another urgent issue I want to address before I take your questions, which I know concerns you because brave Americans are risking their lives right now to deal with it.
Below is the full text of the Barack Obama’s major policy speech on foreign relations.
Sixty-one years ago, George Marshall announced the plan that would come to bear his name. Much of Europe lay in ruins. The United States faced a powerful and ideological enemy intent on world domination. This menace was magnified by the recently discovered capability to destroy life on an unimaginable scale. The Soviet Union didn’t yet have an atomic bomb, but before long it would.
The United States was right to begin public face-to-face nuclear talks with Iran. President Bush also was correct to start talking about "a general time horizon" for the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq.
Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are gripped by cold-sweat terror. If they permit a vote on offshore drilling, they will lose when Blue Dogs and oil-patch Dems defect to the GOP position of increasing domestic energy production. Solution: shut down Congress.
In the build-up to what is probably the most anticipated American campaign speech ever held on foreign soil, one of Berlin's main city magazines offered its readership cut-out American flags to wave at Barack Obama's planned address.
Obama's statements in and about Iraq in the past 24 hours have been nothing less than shameless and disgraceful. Criticism of his words transcends rank political partisanship if for no other reason than his claims are simply and flatly untrue,
Gen. David H. Petraeus, "does not want a timetable," Mr. Obama reported with welcome candor yesterday. He explained that "a timetable that doesn't take into account what [commanders] anticipate might be some sort of change in conditions."
Besides declaring Jan. 1 will be "Chicago Blackhawks Day" in Cook County, Quigley's resolution designates Wrigley Field and the surrounding area an "Octopus Free Zone"
The Arctic may hold 90 billion barrels of oil, more than enough to supply U.S. demand for 12 years, the U.S. Geological Survey said. One-third of the undiscovered oil is in Alaskan territory, the agency found in a study released today
Fearless German Shepherds are being trained to jump from aircraft at 25,000ft wearing their own oxygen masks and strapped to special forces assault teams.
Imprisoned quarterback Michael Vick filed for bankruptcy protection while serving time for federal dogfighting charges, saying he owes between $10 million and $50 million to creditors.
Any American solution to climate change will not involve changing our lifestyles precipitously. Americans can be convinced to fully embrace a societal shift to renewables. I don't think that it will happen however if it is couched in terms of sacrifice
Stop saying "we've got huge renewables," and do the sums. To make a difference, renewable facilities have to be country-sized. For any renewable facility to make a contribution comparable to our current consumption, it has to be country-sized.
The international community needs to do everything possible to finally end this conflict. It might just be the first domino to fall in the creation of a more stable region stretching all the way through to Israel.
The nations of Europe can debate how active the EU should be militarily in the world. But no longer should they be allowed to sit back while we maintain their defense.
These maps shed some light on the Iranian view of the world and we would be wise to remember that as we attempt to get them to become productive members of the international community.
Given the demographic and economic situation in the United States, what portion of the burden of funding Social Security should fall on those who will be working for the next 40 years? And how much of the burden should fall on soon to be senior citizens?
In 1986 27 percent of all 17 year-old high school students performed at the 300 level or better in intermediate algebra. By 2004 51 percent of 17 year-old students did. I would call that substantial progress.
Union County, S.D., population 13,745, will hold a referendum on June 3 on whether to approve the county commission's decision to rezone 3,292 acres of agriculture land now controlled, via options, by Hyperion Resources, Inc.
Speech given by Senator Obama on Retirement Security. Obama's Retirement Plan is essentially this: No Privatization * Address the coming Social Security funding gap not by reducing benefits or changing the retirement age but rather by eliminating th
