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Politics News
for 12/21/2008

(last updated 7:30am EST 12/21/2008)

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• Blago defiant in presser Blago defiant in presser
12/19/2008
Embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich just gave a brief press conference. I tried to transcribe it as quickly as possible: I’m here to tell you right off the bat that I am not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing, that I intend to stay on the job, and that I will fight this thing every step of the way. I will fight. I will fight. I will fight until I take my last breath. I have done nothing wrong. And I’m not going to quit a job the people hired me to do because of false accusations and a political lynch mob. Now, that’s what I’m going to do. Let me tell you what I’m not going to do. I’m not going to do what my accusers and political enemies have been doing, and that is talk about this case in 30-second sound bites on Meet the Press or on the TV news. Now, I’m dying to answer these charges. I am dying to show you how innocent I am. And I want to assure everyone who’s here and everyone who’s listening that I intend to answer every allegation that comes my way. However, I intend to answer them the appropriate forum -- in a court of law. And when I do, I am absolutely certain I will be vindicated. He then recites, seemingly from memory, the opening lines of Rudyard Kipling’s “ If ” poem, before continuing: I know there are powerful interests arrayed against me. It’s kind of lonely right now. But I have the most powerful allay there is: And it’s the truth. And besides I have the personal knowledge that I have not done anything wrong. He then asked the people of Illinois to afford him the presumption of innocence and the right to defend himself. He also thanked those who sent their good wishes and prayers. And then he left with a “Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,” and bolted for the door. It was a tour-de-force press conference . . . nothing "iffy" about it. You've got to give him that much. Great entertainment. (1 d ago)

• Obama appoints four more Obama appoints four more
12/19/2008
At a just-completed press conference, Barack Obama rolled out four new appointments: California congresswoman Hilda Solis for Secretary of Labor Illinois congressman Ray LaHood for Secretary of Transportation Former Dallas mayor Ron Kirk for Federal Trade Representative Venture capitalist Karen Mills as administrator of the Small Business Administration In his opening remarks Obama said: “I know we will be headed in the right direction again when we are creating jobs, instead of losing them, and when Americans are gaining ground in terms of their incomes, instead of treading water or falling behind. The appointees announced today will play an integral role in our efforts to turn our economy around. Daunting as the challenges we are inheriting may be, I’m convinced that our team and the American people are prepared to meet them.” But perhaps his best quote came in announcing Solis: "For the past eight years, the Department of Labor has not lived up to its role, either as an advocate for hardworking families or as an arbiter of fairness in relations between labor and management. That will change when Hilda Solis is Secretary of Labor. Under her leadership, I'm confident of that the Department of Labor will once again stand up for working families," said Obama. For her part, Solis spoke of her support for unions and labor laws, and for promoting a green economy. LaHood, a Republican, thanked Obama for "his confidence in me and his commitment to working across party lines for our country. . . His agenda for the Department of Transportation is my agenda for the Department of Transportation. Asked in the first question if an "auto czar" is needed, Obama spoke about how the first request from the automakers was a blank check that Congress rejected. But he also pledged that he wants some of those 2.5 million new jobs he's touting to be auto industry jobs. Responding to the third and final question, about the size of the massive federal spending package under discussion, Obama spoke about being smart with the sums, adding that he is a taxpayer too and doesn't like to see waste. "Every dollar that we spend we want to spend not because of politics but because it's good for the American people. If we build a road it better not be a road to nowhere." Oh, snap! (1 d ago)

• Bush bails out the Big Three Bush bails out the Big Three
12/19/2008
Merry Christmas, Detroit. President Bush swooped to what could be the Big Three's rescue Friday, pledging $13.4 billion in emergency loans for General Motors and Chrysler and another $4 billion in February if they need it. The money will come from the Treasury Department's Troubled Asset Relief Program , since Congress refused to provide the loans the auto manufacturers said they needed to stay in business. "If we were to allow the free market to take its course now, it would almost certainly lead to disorderly bankruptcy and liquidation for the automakers," Bush said Friday morning, before the stock market opened. "Under ordinary economic circumstances, I would say this is the price that failed companies must pay -- and I would not favor intervening to prevent the automakers from going out of business. But these are not ordinary circumstances. In the midst of a financial crisis and a recession, allowing the U.S. auto industry to collapse is not a responsible course of action." That sound you heard was every single conservative in Washington smacking their hands on their foreheads at once. Most Republicans had banded together against the bailout, fighting even more frenetically against it than they had against the much larger $700 billion program to save banks and financial firms. (John McCain, who melodramatically suspended his presidential campaign so he could try to save the financial bailout in September -- albeit without much actual effect -- issued a statement opposing Bush's maneuver.) "The action today is disappointing news for autoworkers and taxpayers, who deserve better," said John Boehner, the top House Republican. But apparently the specter of two major car companies (Ford is in slightly better fiscal health) going out of business as the nation slides further into recession was enough to scare Bush away from his usual Adam Smith-inspired instincts. "There's too great a risk that bankruptcy now would lead to a disorderly liquidation of American auto companies," Bush said. "My economic advisors believe that such a collapse would deal an unacceptably painful blow to hardworking Americans far beyond the auto industry. It would worsen a weak job market and exacerbate the financial crisis. It could send our suffering economy into a deeper and longer recession. And it would leave the next president to confront the demise of a major American industry in his first days of office." Returning the favor, Barack Obama said Bush had done the right thing. " Today's actions are a necessary step to help avoid a collapse in our auto industry that would have devastating consequences for our economy and our workers," Obama said in a statement. The money isn't without strings attached. The companies will be required to cut their debt rapidly by giving creditors stock, and to negotiate a new contract with the United Auto Workers that cuts pay for workers to match the wages paid by foreign automakers who build cars here. The UAW, which has said workers are bearing an unfair portion of the burden of restructuring the Big Three, said it would ask Obama's administration to amend the requirements after Jan. 20. (At an afternoon press conference, Obama dodged a question about whether he'd be willing to reopen the deal.) What's still not clear is how quickly the auto makers can actually turn things around. By March 31, if the Obama administration doesn't think Detroit is making progress, they could still slip into bankruptcy. But the loans might mean they'll at least have the chance to try to change. (1 d ago)

• Deep Throat in deep sleep Deep Throat in deep sleep
12/19/2008
Mark Felt, the former FBI agent who was Bob Woodward's "Deep Throat" source, is dead . He was 95. In May 2005, Felt's declining health forced Woodward and his publisher, Simon & Schuster, to rush to print "The Secret Man," a book about Woodward's relationship with his Felt. Felt's family decided to reveal his identity -- one of Washington's rare, kept secrets for a more than three decades -- by way of a magazine interview. (Full disclosure: Woodward's editor at S&S, Alice Mayhew, is also mine.) Other papers besides W&B's Washington Post were working the story of Nixon's corruption, and maybe that story would have been reported out, in a slightly different way, and Nixon would still have been forced to resign, without Felt's contributions to Woodward. But without Felt it's rather unlikely that "All the President's Men" -- the book that made Woodward and Bernstein famous and changed politics, journalism, and political journalism forever in this country -- would have been possible. And that book still resonates with many people, myself included. (1 d ago)

• Warren misstates marital history Warren misstates marital history
12/19/2008
If you haven't had a chance to read our own Mike Madden's fine reporting and analysis on the Obama-Warren controversy, it's good stuff. One statement from a video Rev. Rick taped in support of California's Prop 8, as partially quoted by Mike in the piece, really aggravates me. That quote is this: "We should not let 2 percent of the population determine to change a definition of marriage" -- that definition being one man and one woman for life, of course, as he states moments earlier in the video -- "that has been supported by every single culture and every single religion for 5,000 years." This is simply not true. Different cultures have supported different definitions of marriage, to include the following, ahem, deviations from the pastor's purported pristine, 5,000-year tradition: polygamy, marriages involving children and/or forced marriages, marriages for dowry, divorce and remarriage, and now, increasingly, same-sex marriage. Sure, some of the above deviations from the mythic, Ozzie and Harriet norm do, technically, involve just one man and one woman (or in the case of children, one man and one girl). But Warren's clearly intends to imply the voluntary, adult, non-coerced, loving, biological or maybe adoptive child-bearing, straight, monogamous version. To even hint that this model has obtained, only and everywhere, for five millenia is a lie. From a pastor's goateed mouth, no less. I'm sorry, but when people talk in categoricals, and those categoricals are false, and those false categoricals are used to fashion a revisionist history, such people become immediately suspect -- period. If you heard the testimony of a budget analyst say the United States has always run a deficit, every year, would you trust that person's word about next year's budget projections, or anything else? If Warren wants to claim that one-man/one-woman marriage has predominated , and that it is the majority preference, and that it is the only way to procreate biologically (and that's no longer technically true either, btw) . . . well, OK, that's fine. But mischaracterizing history, including very recent American history (damn those inconvenient Mormon polygamists!), is irresponsible. Frankly, a nuanced argument would not only be more legitimate, it would be more powerful because of that added legitimacy. But true believers shudder at nuance. The world is always easier in blacks and whites. And that means no grays -- and no gays -- allowed. (1 d ago)

• Jeremy is the master Jeremy is the master
12/19/2008
You know that scene at the end of the movie Knocked Up where Martin Starr’s bearded character finally relents from his bet with Jason Segel’s character that he could go a year without shaving anywhere? To get out of the bet, all Martin has to do is tell Jason, “You’re the master.” Well, I lost a bet this election year with Jeremy Rosner , former Clinton-Gore adviser and current mega-consultant. He bet that Obama would get more than 340 electoral votes and the Democrats would pick up more than 16 House seats; I took the under on both. I was particularly confident about the electoral vote total because only three states had changed between 2000 and 2004, the most stable back-to-back maps in American history since Washington’s time. I even checked in with 538's Nate Silver and he told me his multiple-iteration simulations were showing an average of only five or six states switching. Presuming all six would go to Obama, it would still be tough to get from 252 to at least 341. I figured that, at worst, even if House Dems had a big night, the bet would be a push. In my defense, those calculations and Nate's analyses were current as of late summer and early fall, and I made the bet in August at the Democratic National Convention. I figured that Obama would carry FL, VA, OH, IA and the three southwestern states, plus John Kerry's states, to put him at 338 -- or 339 with that Omaha house district elector. Then came September’s economic meltdown. Absent that, I still believe Obama would not have carried Indiana and North Carolina. (He may have lost Florida, too.) But that's a counterfactual I can't prove. And a bet is a bet. Bookies don't return your money if your starting quarterback gets knocked out of the game on the first play from scrimmage. So I am here today to tell Jeremy, publicly, “You’re the master.” (1 d ago)

• Warren's statement on invocation flap Warren's statement on invocation flap
12/19/2008
Here is the official statement Rick Warren released Thursday the controversy surround his selection by Barack Obama to give the invocation at the inauguration: Statement by Dr. Rick Warren, Pastor of Saddleback Church Regarding the Invitation from President-elect Obama to Deliver the Inaugural Invocation Lake Forest, Calif., December 18, 2008 "I commend President-elect Obama for his courage to willingly take enormous heat by inviting someone like me, with whom he doesn’t agree on every issue, to offer the Invocation at his historic Inaugural ceremony. Hopefully individuals passionately expressing opinions from the left and the right will recognize that both of us have shown a commitment to model civility in America. The Bible admonishes us to pray for our leaders. I am honored by this opportunity to pray God’s blessing on the office of the President and its current and future inhabitant, asking the Lord to provide wisdom to America’s leaders during this critical time in our nation’s history." "Enormous heat" indeed. I poked around the Saddleback website while there, and I have to say there aren't any signs of grandstanding. In the community blog section or anywhere else, there are no references to Obama, at least that I could find. At one link there is a picture, among a group of pictures, of Warren with Obama and John McCain taken during their presidential sit-down event, but there's no gloating or self-promotion. (1 d ago)

• Al Franken takes lead Al Franken takes lead
12/19/2008
Al Franken now leads in Minnesota. So says the Washington Independent: "It now appears that unless Coleman can win a major lawsuit to disqualify a high number of Franken ballots, Al Franken will be the next U.S. senator from Minnesota." (1 d ago)

• You: Generous despite downturn You: Generous despite downturn
12/19/2008
Times are tough but American generosity is tougher. A new Pew poll finds: Despite Economy, Charitable Donors, Volunteers Keep Giving Most Americans gave financial support to a charity in past year by Lydia Saad PRINCETON, NJ -- Despite the significant downturn in economic conditions in recent years, the percentage of U.S. adults opening their wallets to charitable organizations has hardly diminished. More than four in five Americans continue to say they donated money to a charitable cause or organization in the past 12 months -- now 84%, compared with 87% in December 2005. The poll doesn't ask whether contribution amounts shrunk, so it could be that donations are down despite the percentage of donors remaining relatively constant. And a lot of contributions are church donations, which tend to hold steady, consistently hovering around 60 percent or a bit more. Actually, if 2006 is used as the baseline, the share of non-religious donors actually increased a bit in the past two years. Overall, though, the story is that people are still giving something, despite the downturn -- which, of course, is precisely when people who are struggling need it most. That said, in the spirit of holiday cheer: Good for you, good for us, good for America. And since today is the last day I'll be blogging before the holidays, let me wish Salon readers a safe and enjoyable holiday season. (1 d ago)

• The Republican comeback The Republican comeback
12/19/2008
Though the seemingly endless Franken-Coleman race in Minnesota prevents us from completely closing the books on the 2008 cycle, I believe it's never too early to start speculating about 2010. In fact, we had a Salon conversation about this very subject just last week. Townhall's Donald Lambro seems hopeful for the Republicans. He concludes his latest essay with these lines: About a year from now, we will be in the beginning stages of the midterm-election cycle when the political history books tell us that the party in power almost always loses seats in Congress. That record has been broken only twice in our history. The last time was in 2002 when President Bush was riding high, the Republicans had cut tax rates across the board, and the GOP made substantial gains in Congress. The chances are extremely high that the GOP will gain congressional seats in November 2010, dealing Barack Obama the first political defeat of his presidency. Lambro is right about the historical pattern. (But the other partial exception is also recent: 1998 for Clinton, at least in the House . . . though I suspect Lambro is referring to FDR's first midterm as the other exception.) And surely there are any number of landmines facing Obama in his first two years which could present problems for the Democrats in two years. Obama is going to have to show some shooting range because nothing on the national agenda has "layup" written on it. But "extremely high"? I wouldn't go that far. For one thing, the non-historical fundamentals of the 2010 cycle do not shape up favorably for the GOP. The Republicans are defending more Senate seats (19 to 14). The large class of 2006 Democratic freshmen largely survived the 2008, and as sophomores should be just as secure in 2010. Also, the other historical analogs to which Lambro points -- the 1966 GOP comeback following LBJ's 1964 landslide; the post-Watergate rise of Ronald Reagan in 1980 -- are far less relevant today because (a) the demographics of the country are fundamentally different and moving away from the GOP's dying coalition; and (b) the conservative movement's ideas and political practices are falling out of favor. (1 d ago)

• Gay rights leader rips Obama Gay rights leader rips Obama
12/19/2008
Human Rights Campaign chief Joe Solmonese gets the center space of the Washington Post's op-ed page to vent his frustrations to Barack Obama about Rick Warren's invocation speech: One of the biggest reasons for that hurtful outcome was the Rev. Rick Warren, who publicly endorsed Proposition 8 in late October. He told his parishioners and reporters alike that "any pastor could be considered doing hate speech if he shared his views that he didn't think homosexuality was the most natural way for relationships." But civil marriage rights for same-sex couples had nothing whatsoever to do with religion. More recently, he even compared same-sex marriage to incest, pedophilia and polygamy. He may cloak himself in media-friendly happy talk that plays well on television, but he stands steadfastly against any measure of equality for LGBT Americans. President-elect Obama must now, as my mother used to say, put some meat on the bone. We've seen appointment after appointment of talented Americans who come from constituencies that are part of this country and that helped gain his election. Well, we're one of those constituencies who actually worked and voted for Obama, unlike Warren and probably most of his 21,000 parishioners. Yet, we're the ones left waiting for some real evidence of inclusion. So, are we angry about Rick Warren? You bet we are. And including a gay marching band in the inaugural festivities doesn't heal this wound. It only serves to make us question the promises that Barack Obama made in his historic quest to be president. We pray we weren't misled. On the other coast, this Los Angeles Times' editorial takes a far different view: Barack Obama's choice of Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration understandably has angered some of the president-elect's supporters. But Obama was convincing Thursday in arguing that his invitation to the evangelical pastor, who opposes abortion and backed Proposition 8, didn't constitute an endorsement of Warren's views on gay marriage or any other issue. History shows that the views of inauguration preachers aren't a reliable guide to the policies of the presidents on whom they invoke God's blessing. At John F. Kennedy's inauguration in 1961, the invocation was delivered by Cardinal Richard Cushing, the archbishop of Boston. But given Kennedy's pledge of strict separation of church and state during the campaign, it would have been foolish to assume that Cushing's participation signaled an endorsement by the Kennedy administration of "pro-Catholic" policies such as government aid to parochial schools. (2 d ago)

• Tipsy Tenet lashes out Tipsy Tenet lashes out
12/19/2008
According to an excerpt in Patrick Taylor's new book, former Bush CIA director George Tenet, allegedly with a belly full of scotch (and maybe a sleeping pill), was thrashing about in the pool at Saudi Prince Bandar's Riyadh home. And we're not talking here about Tenet doing a poor imitation of Michael Phelps' butterfly technique: "They're setting me up. The bastards are setting me up," Tenet said, but "I am not going to take the hit." This quote, apparently referring to the administration generally, reflects Tenet's (correct) sense that Bush-Cheney and crowd were planning to make him the intelligence fall guy. Tenet went on to further blame the administration's connection to the neoconservatives, "referring to them with exasperation as, 'the Jews'." More here from the Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg. Sidebar: I thought drinking liquor was outlawed in Saudi Arabia. Oh, that naughty Prince Bandar. (2 d ago)

• Obama supporters want refunds Obama supporters want refunds
12/18/2008
At the Huffington Post, Peter Daou noticed that Obama supporters are expressing their anger at the Change.gov website. So I dropped in at Change.gov. It's getting ugly. Here's a recent post from somebody named Jacinto Hernandez: Mr Obama, I am writing to ask that you return the campaign donations made by myself, Jacinto Hernandez, and my husband, Charles Callahan, to your campaign. Chet and I were passionate supporters-- Chet volunteered for weeks at a local phone bank. We attended numerous rallies and fundraisers-- including one with your wife, Michelle (see attached picture) That fund raiser was ostensibly held to court support with the gay community. At that fundraiser, Michelle held my my baby and promised to "not forget us." Yet you have. We worked tirelessly for your campaign-- replacing our yard sign when it was vandalized. So why would you betray the gay community- that stood by you-- and ask Rick Warren to lead your inauguration, when his anti gay rhetoric is dangerous to our family. He also was a huge proponent of proposition 8, that has endangered our family and has eliminated the civil rights of thousands of Californians. We gave thousands of dollars-- despite the tough economy- in hopes that are community would no longer be marginalized. Despite the passage of prop 8, we celebrated on election day. Today we feel betrayed. There are so many christian leaders who are advocates for the gay community-- why choose one who is not? Please return our donations immediately. We made donations over a number of occaisions, frequently in response to "urgent" pleas from your campaign. Consider this an "urgent" plea as well. Please remove us from your mailing lists and never ask us for your support again, unless you stand with us and reject homophobia once and for all. (2 d ago)

• Upstate columnist pans Caroline Upstate columnist pans Caroline
12/18/2008
Buffalo News columnist Rod Watson is not too impressed thus far by Caroline Kennedy's attempt to court Upstate voters in western New York: She doesn’t even have the job yet, and she’s already acting like a seasoned insider. In her first visit to Buffalo and upstate since trying to clear the field by clearing her throat on a phone call to the governor, Kennedy went on a “listening tour” by listening first to political insiders in private meetings. You can’t get any more “seasoned” than that. No average Western New Yorkers expressing kitchen table concerns. Not much of a give-and-take with pesky reporters asking questions that working stiffs might want answers to. Instead, it’s mostly private sit-downs with political pooh-bahs, just like a veteran insider. It’s that kind of seasoning that has cooked our goose as a region. . . If she really wants to know upstate, she could adapt the model of the senator she wants to work with and the one she wants to replace. Both Chuck Schumer and Clinton made a point of visiting every county in the state. Kennedy could make a point of visiting every one of the 939 cities, counties, towns, villages, school districts and other assorted taxing entities in Erie County. That kind of listening tour would give her an idea of the level of duplication, inequity, patronage, inefficiency and downright waste that exists -- even as those entities now anticipate raising taxes to make up for state cuts. After all, she won’t hear about our glut of politicians from the politicians. But maybe after hearing it from taxpayers, she could find federal incentive money to offer as leverage to build the region from the core out while shrinking the levels of overlapping bureaucracy. Wouch . (That's a "wow" and an "ouch" combined in one.) P.S.: I'm not sure how there can be "counties" within Erie County, but if there are in fact 939 taxing entities in Erie, there really is something wrong there. (2 d ago)

• Solis gets Labor nod Solis gets Labor nod
12/18/2008
Barack Obama's selection today of California Rep. Hilda Solis (D, 32) as his Labor Secretary nominee seems to be a hit so far with pro-labor voices. Matt Browner-Hamlin, blogging for SEIU at their website writes : The announcement of Representative Hilda Solis as President-elect Obama's Secretary of Labor is great news for America's workers. Solis comes from a union family and has never forgotten her roots in her public service career. Her appointment is a win for the prospects of the Employee Free Choice Act and the economic future for the people of this country who get up and go to work every day. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee and a top adviser to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, released the following praiseworthy statement: "Hilda Solis is a very strong champion of working families and will be an outstanding Secretary of Labor. Her record in the California legislature as a leader on labor issues and her excellent work in Congress on behalf our of nation's working men and women will restore the Department of Labor as an advocate for hard working Americans. I look forward to working with her and the Obama administration to move the country forward on expanding health care, improving worker safety, strengthening retirement security and rebuilding our middle class." Update : Statements from American Rights at Work Executive Director Mary Beth Maxwell and Chairman David Bonior (both of whom were rumored to be candidates for the job) on Solis, who is on the ARW board, for SecLabor: Maxwell: "What a great choice. Rep. Solis brings the expertise and leadership required to a department in desperate need of reform and will champion common sense policies like the Employee Free Choice Act to restore balance and create an economy that works for everyone. Bonior: “I’ve worked with her for years in Congress and she sits on our Board of Directors -- she is a terrific leader who I know first hand will work tirelessly on behalf of America’s working families.” (2 d ago)

• Obama's response to anger over Warren Obama's response to anger over Warren
12/18/2008
Asked today about the controversy surrounding his announcement that Rick Warren will be giving the invocation at the inaugural ceremonies, particularly as it relates to Warren's views on gay rights, President-elect Barack Obama said : Let me start by talking about my own views. I think that it is no secret that I am a fierce advocate for equality for gay and lesbian Americans. It is something that I have been consistent on and something that I intend to be consistent on during my presidency. What I've also said is that it is important for Americans to come together even though we have disagreements on certain social issues. I would note that a couple of years ago, I was invited by Rick Warren's church to speak despite his wariness that I held contrary views.... that's what this campaign was about....We're not going to agree on every single issue...but what we have to do is be able to create an atmosphere that we can disagree and not be disagreeable.... What say you, Salon readers, to that? (2 d ago)

• Connecticut Dems go easy on Lieberman Connecticut Dems go easy on Lieberman
12/18/2008
Yesterday, I wrote about the efforts of Connecticut Democrats to do something, anything, to rebuke Senator Joe Lieberman for supporting John McCain during the presidential campaign. Wednesday night, after a somewhat raucous meeting in Hartford, 50 members of Connecticut's Democratic State Central Committee decided on their response to Lieberman's actions: a strongly worded letter. The letter admonishes Lieberman, but does little else. Some members wanted a formal resolution condemning Lieberman for working against Barack Obama, but the Committee did not support this effort. It seems unlikely that the letter will have any impact on Lieberman; a spokesperson for the Senator said that he is " focusing on the future" and not worried about his low level of support among the state's voters. Former Bridgeport Mayor John M. Fabrizi and Committee member told the Connecticut Post that the Senate's decision, encouraged by Barack Obama, to allow Lieberman to keep his Homeland Security committee chairmanship played an important part in the vote to only issue a letter. Said Fabrizi, "[The Democratic State Central Committee] did the right thing because they are going to need his help." (2 d ago)

• Rahm met with his exes, too Rahm met with his exes, too
12/18/2008
Like his boss, who is planning to meet as group early next month with former presidents , Rahm Emanuel met earlier this month with a pack of former White House chiefs of staff. The Politico has the details : At the invitation of the job’s current occupant, Josh Bolten, top aides to every president back to Gerald R. Ford gathered at Bolten’s conference table to spend an hour with Emanuel on the morning of December 5. Aside from the occasional state funeral, such high-powered men, and they are all men, don’t often gather. But in a nod to the elite fraternity in which they all belong and an eye on the weighty challenges that await Emanuel and his boss, they returned en masse to their old office in the West Wing: Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld (Ford), Jack Watson (Carter), Howard Baker and Kenneth Duberstein (Reagan) John Sununu and Samuel Skinner (Bush 41), Mack McLarty, Leon Panetta, Erskine Bowles and John Podesta (Clinton) and Andy Card and Bolten (Bush). Funniest moment? Dick Cheney popping his head in to give a piece of advice: "The most important thing is that you have to control your vice-president." With that, Cheney assigned Card a big fat "F." (Get us some cheezburgers , wouldya, Andy?) Jokes aside, it is the wise person who knows what he or she doesn't know, and seeks out others for advice. Obviously, some of this bridge-building and connecting is purely political, intended to convey steadiness and continuation of government and open-mindedness. But even if Emanuel or Obama take away one or two small things from sitting down with their respective predecessors, it can't hurt. (2 d ago)

• Shoe-thrower requests pardon Shoe-thrower requests pardon
12/18/2008
The headline to the AP story below pretty much says it all: Iraqi who threw shoes at Bush asks for pardon By Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Associated Press Writer BAGHDAD (AP) - A spokesman for Iraq's prime minister says the journalist who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush has asked for a pardon. Spokesman Yassin Majid says that in a letter sent Thursday to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki the journalist described his behavior as "an ugly act" and asked to be pardoned. Majid says that Muntadhar al-Zeidi in the letter recalls the kindness the prime minister once showed him during an interview in 2005 and asked for al-Maliki to show him kindness once again. Al-Zeidi, a correspondent for an Iraqi-owned television station based in Cairo, Egypt, could face two years imprisonment for insulting a foreign leader. Well, except for this: For Allah's sake, just give it to him. His move was politically stupid, creating as it did sympathy for Bush, but it was ultimately harmless. Let him go -- now. (2 d ago)

• Liberals fuming about Warren Liberals fuming about Warren
12/18/2008
Liberal anger and disappointment over the decision by Barack Obama to ask Rick Warren to give an invocation at the inauguration ceremony next month continues to mount. The substance of the complaints includes the expected transgressions: Warren's opposition to gay rights (including, most recently, asking his followers to back California's Prop 8); his equating of abortion to the Holocaust; his rejection of evolution. But the analyses and critiques are taking some interesting turns: Sarah Posner, who has written extensively about evangelical politics for the American Prospect, has a great essay in the Nation, which she concludes as follows: "Warren represents the absolute worst of the Democrats' religious outreach, a right-winger masquerading as a do-gooder anointed as the arbiter of what it means to be faithful. Obama's religious outreach was intended, supposedly, to make religious voters more comfortable with him and feel included in the Democratic Party. But that outreach now has come at the expense of other people's comfort and inclusion, at an event meant to mark a turning point away from divisive politics." Ezra Klein of the Prospect discusses what the choice means for "inclusiveness," ostensibly the principle gain of inviting Warren: "The going explanation for Warren's presence on the inauguration podium is that 'this aims to be the most open and inclusive inauguration in history,' as Linda Douglas, a spokeswoman for the inauguration committee, told Politico. It's a peculiar definition of 'open and inclusive.' Warren, after all, is the only preacher giving the invocation. He will not share the stage with a rabbi, an imam, a monk, and an episcopalian. And Warren is not being chosen because he himself is open and inclusive . . . The tolerance Obama is asking for, in other words, is not from Warren . It's from the LGBT community, and women. He is asking them to be tolerant of Warren's intolerance. It's a cruel play, framed to marginalize the legitimate anger of those who Warren harms and discriminates against." And Mark Kleiman has some fun imagining if a similar move had been made in Iran: "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has chosen a fundamentalist imam to give the opening prayer at the next meeting of the majlis. The Hojatolislam Rukh al-Warun is considered 'moderate' by Iranian standards, but that merely illustrates how completely insane Iranian Islam has become. For example, asked whether sharia supported 'taking out' George W. Bush, al-Warun replied, 'The Prophet, Peace be upon him, has said, 'Allah puts government on Earth to punish evil-doers.' And it is written in the Holy Qu'ran that evil cannot be bargained with; it must be brought to an end. That is the legitimate goal of government.' " So why is Obama risking this anger and disappointment? MSNBC's First Read has a pretty concise articulation of the "conventional wisdom" as to the politics of the selection of Warren: [Obama senior adviser David] Axelrod and [Communications chief-to-be Robert] Gibbs have to be smiling this morning with the news that gay-rights groups are angry that Obama has announced that conservative evangelical Rick Warren will give the invocation at Obama’s inauguration. Why are they smiling? Because it never hurts -- at least when it comes to governing or running for re-election -- when you sometimes disappoint/anger your party’s interest groups (in this case, People for the American Way and the Human Rights Campaign). Just asking, but is anyone but People for the American Way and the Human Rights Campaign surprised that Rick Warren is going to give a prayer at the inauguration? Where was this outrage when Obama appeared at Warren’s Saddleback forum back in August? The difference may be that the forum came before Proposition 8 passed in California. As for the pure politics of this, when you look at the exit polls and see the large numbers of white evangelicals in swing states like North Carolina, Florida and Missouri, as well as emerging battlegrounds like Georgia and Texas, you'll understand what Obama's up to. So, in short, this is a Sister Souljah moment -- is that it? Before there is more Souljah-ing forward, a quick, closing thought: Remember how Bill Clinton was criticized as being weak because he cared more about what his opponents and detractors thought and said about him than he did his friends? If a similar meme begins to develop for Obama, watch for this sort of behavioral pattern to come to a halt. (2 d ago)

• Stick to gold, silver and cash for safe ... Stick to gold, silver and cash for safe investments in 2009
12/21/2008
Anybody who read this AME Info column a year ago and took its investment advice for 2008 will be among the survivors of this year's global financial train crash. For 2009 the best advice is likely to ... (5 h ago)

• Mainland, Taiwan steel sectors urged to ... Mainland, Taiwan steel sectors urged to boost co-op amid financial crisis
12/21/2008
SHANGHAI, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Steel firms from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan were urged on Sunday to beef up their cooperation to cope with the global financial crisis. Xu Lejiang, chairman of the ... (5 h ago)

• Stocks hope Santa can brighten up a gloo... Stocks hope Santa can brighten up a gloomy year
12/21/2008
Published Date: December 21, 2008 NEW YORK: Investors could do their holiday shopping on Wall Street next week as bargain-basement prices for stocks and optimism over efforts to fight the year-long r... (6 h ago)

• Girl raises funds to help her father bat... Girl raises funds to help her father battle cancer
12/21/2008
MADISONVILLE — Seven-year-old Danya Parrish is asking her Western Kentucky community for help granting a Christmas wish.The Earlington girl, with her mother and an aunt, has placed buckets in lo... (6 h ago)

• Saudi stock index falls Saudi stock index falls
12/21/2008
The Tadawul All Share Index dropped 4.1% to 4,705.44 in Riyadh yesterday, with shares worth 3.4 billion riyals changing hands. Some 104 shares fell and 18 rose. Alinma Bank fell 2.2% to 11.30 riyals a... (6 h ago)

• Jordan sees less, positive fallout from ... Jordan sees less, positive fallout from global financial crisis
12/21/2008
Jordan's Prime Minister Nader Dahabisaid Jordan has so far seen less and positive fallout from the global financial crisis, local daily The Jordan Times reported on Sunday. Jordan is not affected by t... (6 h ago)

• New Thai finance chief to be put to test... New Thai finance chief to be put to test quickly
12/20/2008
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's new Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij is a political novice but his career as an investment banker made him the investors' choice even before his appointment was confir... (7 h ago)

• US bailout could buoy Australian stocks US bailout could buoy Australian stocks
12/20/2008
risk aversion in markets."There should be a bit of support in the (share) market after the bailout for the car companies," CMC Markets analyst David Taylor said."The next couple of week... (8 h ago)

• Mining stocks offer gains despite gloom Mining stocks offer gains despite gloom
12/20/2008
December 21, 2008 By Eric Onstad London - The crash in metal markets shows scant sign of bottoming, but investors betting that stimulus packages will kick in next year could see stronger returns from ... (8 h ago)

• Market likely to start week in black Market likely to start week in black
12/20/2008
Australian shares may gain on Monday, buoyed by the news of the rescue loan extended to US car makers. But the ongoing economic uncertainty, coupled with lower trading volumes leading up to Christmas... (9 h ago)

• Airplane skids off runway at Denver Inte... Airplane skids off runway at Denver International Airport, dozens injured
12/20/2008
(RTTNews) - Dozens of people were injured when a Continental Airlines' Boeing 737 airplane carrying 112 people skidded off the runway during takeoff from Denver International Airport in Colorado. The... (9 h ago)

• U.S. may boost troop presence in Afghani... U.S. may boost troop presence in Afghanistan
12/20/2008
(RTTNews) - The U.S. may double the number of troops that it has deployed in Afghanistan to 60,000 by next year. The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen has said that as ma... (9 h ago)

• Obama ups jobs goal to 3 million Obama ups jobs goal to 3 million
12/20/2008
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President-elect Barack Obama has decided to increase his goal for creating new jobs after receiving economic forecasts that suggest the economy is in worse shape than had been pred... (9 h ago)

• Big inauguration equals big price tag Big inauguration equals big price tag
12/20/2008
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- When President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office next month, the nation's capital will be the site of a massive celebration. But local officials are worried they might ge... (9 h ago)

• Kenya appeals for more funds to stabiliz... Kenya appeals for more funds to stabilize war torn countries
12/20/2008
The Kenyan government on Saturday appealed to the international community to provide funds for the reconstruction and development of war-torn countries in the Great Lakes region. Foreign Minister Mose... (10 h ago)

• Canada announces C$4 Bln in aid to autom... Canada announces C$4 Bln in aid to automakers - Update
12/20/2008
General Motors, Chrysler Discuss Merger Again : WSJ (RTTNews) - The Canadian government and the provincial government of Ontario announced Saturday that they will provide the Canadian subsidiaries of... (11 h ago)

• Japan approved extra funding and Germany... Japan approved extra funding and Germany pledged new measures yesterday to confront a financial crisis that has toppled banks,...
12/20/2008
Published Date: December 21, 2008 LONDON: Japan approved extra funding and Germany pledged new measures yesterday to confront a financial crisis that has toppled banks, wrecked world growth and now p... (12 h ago)

• Bush wants car makers bonds converted to... Bush wants car makers bonds converted to capital
12/20/2008
One of the conditions the Bush administration has placed on U.S. automakers to receive funding is to persuade their bondholders to convert their holdings to equity. (18 h ago)

• US business gets a thumbs-up on Mumbai s... US business gets a thumbs-up on Mumbai security
12/20/2008
US Government security officers in India have presented to American business a cautious but upbeat assessment of the security situation in Mumbai as life returns to normal in India's financial capital. (20 h ago)

• China offers to help Taiwan tackle finan... China offers to help Taiwan tackle financial crisis
12/20/2008
Shanghai, Dec 20 (Xinhua) China Saturday said it was willing to help Taiwan tackle the current global financial crisis, a gesture that will help the two political rivals further ease their decades-long tension. (1 d ago)

• SYNAGOGUE OF $UFFERERS SYNAGOGUE OF $UFFERERS
12/21/2008
Members of a posh Upper East Side synagogue suffered a $2 billion bloodbath in Bernie Madoff's epic Ponzi scheme. The Fifth Avenue Synagogue ranks with the decimated rolls of the Palm Beach Country Club in terms of members scorched by the scam... (3 h ago)

• RAVENS RUN AWAY FROM TEXAS STADIUM WITH ... RAVENS RUN AWAY FROM TEXAS STADIUM WITH WIN
12/21/2008
IRVING, Texas - All the hoopla surrounding the farewell to Texas Stadium was supposed to fire up the Cowboys. Well, it got to the Ravens, too. Feeling like they were a hand-picked foe set up for failure, the Ravens refused to play the stooge... (5 h ago)

• $HEA'S REVENGE $HEA'S REVENGE
12/21/2008
Old ballpark rallies at it rots Shea Stadium got very little respect this past year in the shadow of Yankee Stadium's final season. Not a single publisher would take a chance on a book of Shea history, even with Beatles photos included. But the... (6 h ago)

• MONEY, NOT APPLE AVERSION, SENT SUNDIN T... MONEY, NOT APPLE AVERSION, SENT SUNDIN TO CANUCKS
12/21/2008
LISTEN, I never once suggested Mats Sun din is greedy, or that he ran a scam on the Rangers. There's no evidence he is, no hint he did. It's just a wee bit difficult to accept the notion that Sundin suddenly decided he wouldn't have felt... (6 h ago)

• ANOTHER FINE METS MESS ANOTHER FINE METS MESS
12/21/2008
* I wonder if Mets owners Fred and Jeff Wilpon did more due diligence before recklessly signing Kaz Matsui, trading for Victor Zambrano or investing with Bernard Madoff. It was only a few years ago when the Wilpons were worried about becoming... (6 h ago)

• O TAPS SCIENCE TEAM O TAPS SCIENCE TEAM
12/21/2008
Pledging to "once again put science at the top of our agenda," President-elect Barack Obama yesterday named four leading experts in climate change and scientific research as his latest White House appointees. "From landing on the moon, to... (6 h ago)

• FIND GIFTS 'UNDER' THE TREE IN KC FIND GIFTS 'UNDER' THE TREE IN KC
12/21/2008
Including the 1997-2007 seasons in The Post, Cat's 13-year record in print stands at 354-295 (54.5 percent) against the spread. TODAY Dolphins/CHIEFS Under 40: It'll be a little windier and a lot colder in Kansas City today. Bodes ill for the... (6 h ago)

• HOW I ROBBED 80 BANKS HOW I ROBBED 80 BANKS
12/20/2008
Eric Manson says he never uses a gun when he robs a bank. He says he doesn't need one. Sometimes he doesn't even raise his voice. With icy calmness, he asks the teller to change a bill. He announces his intentions only when the cash drawer... (7 h ago)

• HIDEOUS FIGHT OVER TROLLS HIDEOUS FIGHT OVER TROLLS
12/20/2008
A war of the trolls has broken out, just in time for Christmas. The Danish maker of Good Luck Trolls, cute, cuddly dolls known for fuzzy, brightly colored hair that stands straight up, says Urban Outfitters is knocking off its toy. The clothing... (7 h ago)

• ITALIAN-AMERICANS STILL FAIR GAME FOR CH... ITALIAN-AMERICANS STILL FAIR GAME FOR CHEAP LAUGHS
12/20/2008
IN 2008 America, time-dishonored negative stereotypes, as main stream media utterances, are rare. Those who suffer physical and mental afflictions, all religions, all races and ethnicities are sensitively and nobly protected from antiquated... (7 h ago)

• GAL DIES IN JUMP FROM CAR GAL DIES IN JUMP FROM CAR
12/20/2008
A panicked passenger died after jumping from a SUV going 50 mph in Queens - because she thought the driver was drunk, police said yesterday. The victim, Judy Bucherri, 41, a mother of four from Valley Stream, LI, died instantly when she leaped... (7 h ago)

• CAROLINE 'POL'ICIES CAROLINE 'POL'ICIES
12/20/2008
Caroline Kennedy offered a first glimpse of her policy beliefs yesterday, revealing she differs with Barack Obama on same-sex marriage and the status of Jerusalem - but she declined to say whether she'd endorse a Democratic nominee against Mayor... (7 h ago)

• SPORTS SHORTS SPORTS SHORTS
12/20/2008
BOXING: Valuev upends Holyfield In Zurich, Switzerland, Nikolai Valuev ended any hope of Evander Holyfield winning a fifth heavyweight title, narrowly defending his WBA title by majority decision yesterday. The 46-year-old American started the... (7 h ago)

• JOHNNIES ROUT MARIST IN HOLIDAY FEST JOHNNIES ROUT MARIST IN HOLIDAY FEST
12/20/2008
When Marist coach Chuck Martin looks at this year's St. John's team, the first thing he notices is the Red Storm's tenacity. "Those guys are tough," Martin said after his Red Foxes were routed, 65-44, by St. John's in the semifinals of the... (7 h ago)

• NO. 6 BLUE DEVILS PUT UP THEIR DUKES NO. 6 BLUE DEVILS PUT UP THEIR DUKES
12/20/2008
The NCAA tournament is still a long way off, but that's what was on Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski's mind when he scheduled yesterday's neutral site game against Xavier. If Duke's performance in its 82-64 dismantling of No. 7 Xavier was any... (7 h ago)

• RUTGERS ROLLS FOR EASY WIN RUTGERS ROLLS FOR EASY WIN
12/20/2008
Mike Rosario scored 18 points and Rutgers never trailed in scoring an easy 67-37 win over Bryant yesterday in Piscataway. Gregory Echenique added 11 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots for the Scarlet Knights (8-3), who won their third... (7 h ago)

• TEXAS BURNED BY SUMMERS' HEAT TEXAS BURNED BY SUMMERS' HEAT
12/20/2008
Durrell Summers hit a 3-pointer with 18.6 seconds left, and No. 19 Michigan State smothered Texas star guard A.J. Abrams to beat the fifth-ranked Longhorns 67-63 at the Toyota Center yesterday in Houston. Summers finished with 14 points and... (7 h ago)

• FISHING PROGRAM FOR THE SURVIVORS OF BRE... FISHING PROGRAM FOR THE SURVIVORS OF BREAST CANCER
12/20/2008
FOR MORE than a dec ade, Casting for Re covery has helped breast cancer survivors in retreats that provide emotional and medical support and teach new skills of catch-and-release fly fishing. Many consider Casting for Recovery one of the leading... (7 h ago)

• KIDNEY OP GAVE HER LIFE, BUT TOOK HER LO... KIDNEY OP GAVE HER LIFE, BUT TOOK HER LOVE
12/20/2008
ShellyAnn King was resting in her hospital bed at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn on Oct. 27, dreaming of a new future. In a bed beside her was her husband, Michael - a man who loved her so much, he had just given her a kidney... (7 h ago)

• TAX REBATES IN MAIL TOMORROW TAX REBATES IN MAIL TOMORROW
12/20/2008
Your homeowner rebate check is in the mail - almost. The Finance Department will begin mailing out rebate checks to city homeowners as early as tomorrow, a spokesman told The Post. Most homeowners can expect to receive their real estate tax... (7 h ago)

• Closure: Joe the Plumber, Levi Johnston ... Closure: Joe the Plumber, Levi Johnston and More
12/20/2008
During a historic election, their stories captivated us for a moment—then they vanished. We revisit them to bring you the next chapter. (15 h ago)

• Perspectives: The Year in Quotes—And Car... Perspectives: The Year in Quotes—And Cartoons
12/20/2008
"I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities."—Alaska Gov. , taking a jab at Barack Obama's résumé at the Republican National Convention (16 h ago)

• The NEWSWEEK 50: Obama Aide Rahm Emanuel The NEWSWEEK 50: Obama Aide Rahm Emanuel
12/20/2008
Obama means to control Washington. His chief of staff will be at the wheel. (19 h ago)

• The NEWSWEEK 50: Chinese President Hu Ji... The NEWSWEEK 50: Chinese President Hu Jintao
12/20/2008
The man behind the wheel of the world's most supercharged economy. (22 h ago)

• The NEWSWEEK 50: Barack Obama The NEWSWEEK 50: Barack Obama
12/20/2008
The new U.S. president will be judged by whether he can save capitalism. (22 h ago)

• Meacham: The History of Power Meacham: The History of Power
12/20/2008
The study of power is not only diverting (which Homer and Shakespeare knew), but illuminating. A biography of an ancient human impulse. (22 h ago)

• Is Gay Outrage Over Rick Warren Justifie... Is Gay Outrage Over Rick Warren Justified?
12/19/2008
Is the firestorm over Barack Obama's choice of Rick Warren to deliver the inaugural invocation warranted? Two gay writers debate. (1 d ago)

• 50 Days of Rain Leaves Italy Soggy 50 Days of Rain Leaves Italy Soggy
12/19/2008
More than 50 days of nearly nonstop rain has put Italy in peril. (1 d ago)

• Turning Point: Carrie Fisher's Latest St... Turning Point: Carrie Fisher's Latest Star Turn
12/19/2008
A Hollywood hellraiser's latest star turn. (1 d ago)

• Sparks: Saying Goodbye to the Cult Alcop... Sparks: Saying Goodbye to the Cult Alcopop Drink
12/19/2008
Farewell to Sparks, the alcoholic energy drink that prompted 20-somethings to wonder, 'How drunk am I?' (1 d ago)

• Tarullo May Be Key to Economic Team Tarullo May Be Key to Economic Team
12/19/2008
Why Obama's new Fed pick may be the most important member of his economic team. (1 d ago)

• Q&A: Roger Bennett on Jewish Vinyl Q&A: Roger Bennett on Jewish Vinyl
12/19/2008
Collector Roger Bennett talks about his new book and his love for old Jewish records. (1 d ago)

• Reddy: Politicians Must Be Celebrities Reddy: Politicians Must Be Celebrities
12/19/2008
Today's politicians have to know what narrative the world wants to hear. (1 d ago)

• Rumsfeld, Ashcroft Could Soon Face Legal... Rumsfeld, Ashcroft Could Soon Face Legal Jeopardy
12/19/2008
Rumsfeld, Ashcroft and other top Bush officials could soon face legal jeopardy. (1 d ago)

• Q&A: Somali Pirate Explains How To Steal... Q&A: Somali Pirate Explains How To Steal Ships
12/18/2008
Young and desperate, Somali pirates aren't afraid to commit heinous acts of destruction, says one of their leaders. (2 d ago)

• How the Recession Is Hurting Compulsive ... How the Recession Is Hurting Compulsive Shoppers
12/18/2008
How tough economic times are affecting compulsive shoppers. (2 d ago)

• Obesity Not Just an American Problem Any... Obesity Not Just an American Problem Anymore
12/18/2008
It's not just Americans anymore; the whole world is becoming obese, and we have more than just the advent of cheap cheeseburgers to blame. (2 d ago)

• How to Cope When Your Adult Kids Move Ba... How to Cope When Your Adult Kids Move Back Home
12/18/2008
With economic pressures mounting, more adult children are moving back home, putting a crimp in mom and dad's second honeymoon. (2 d ago)

• Hirsh: Will the Financial Crunch Help Ol... Hirsh: Will the Financial Crunch Help Olmert?
12/18/2008
How the global economic crisis could turn things around in the Mideast (2 d ago)

• U.S. Schools Can Learn From Singapore, F... U.S. Schools Can Learn From Singapore, Finland
12/18/2008
An Obama education advisor thinks U.S. schools could take a lesson from Finland and Singapore. (2 d ago)

• Scientists Hack Cellphone to Analyze Blo... Scientists Hack Cellphone to Analyze Blood, Detect Disease, Help Developing Nations
12/19/2008
: LOS ANGELES — A new MacGyver-esque cellphone hack could bring cheap, on-the-spot disease detection to even the most remote villages on the planet. Using only an LED, plastic light filter and some wires, scientists at UCLA have modded a cellphone into a portable blood tester capable of detecting HIV, malaria and other illnesses. Blood tests today require either refrigerator-sized machines that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars or a trained technician who manually identifies and counts cells under a microscope. These systems are slow, expensive and require dedicated labs to function. And soon they could be a thing of the past. UCLA researcher Dr. Aydogan Ozcan images thousands of blood cells instantly by placing them on an off-the-shelf camera sensor and lighting them with a filtered-light source (coherent light, for you science buffs). The filtered light exposes distinctive qualities of the cells, which are then interpreted by Ozcan's custom software. By analyzing the cell types present in a much larger sample, a more accurate diagnosis can be made in a matter of minutes. No more sending blood away to a lab and waiting days or weeks for the results. Click through the gallery for Wired.com's exclusive first look at Ozcan’s hacked cellphone devices. Left: This off-the-shelf Sony Ericsson cellphone has been modded into a LUCAS imager. LUCAS is a selective acronym for L ensfree U ltrawide-ﬁeld C ell-monitoring A rray platform based on S hadow imaging. The bulge on the back is the filtered light source that illuminates the sample. This low-cost hack could revolutionize disease detection in the field. Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.com : The case of this still-functional cellphone has been sliced, and a hinge has been added. Just open the back of the phone, insert the blood-sample slide over the CCD sensor, and take a picture. The filtered-light source (blue) on this working prototype is the key to analyzing the cell types accurately. It reveals distinguishing characteristics about each cell, providing data for Ozcan to process. Ozcan is currently seeking a manufacturer for his devices. Once mass-produced, portable LUCAS imagers could change health care around the world, especially in parts of the planet that don’t have access to medical laboratories. Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.com : This prototype consists of an off-the-shelf webcam. The cam has been dissected and placed into a new case. Because it is just a peripheral, it requires connection to a computer to capture images. Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.com : Here, Ozcan's custom software runs on a desktop computer and analyzes a blood sample. The software will eventually run on the device that holds the image sensor, making it a stand-alone blood-testing device. Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.com : This large CMOS sensor board is used to develop an industrial version of the cellphone LUCAS device. This version would be a nonportable, high-throughput machine that would reside in medical labs. Thanks to its much larger sensor size, this LUCAS device is able to scan many more cells at a time. The final machine may eventually replace much larger and more expensive medical laboratory devices. Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.com : This diagram shows the converted cellphone and an image it made (inset). Despite the small sensor size, it can scan a relatively large amount of cells. Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.com : The large sensor prototype is illuminated with a yellow light source. Different-colored light sources can be used to generate more information about the cells they are imaging. This works because different wavelengths of light create different patterns around different cell types. Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.com : A red light source illuminates a large-sensor-prototype board. The light source can be tuned to a variety of wavelengths from infrared to ultraviolet. Using a tunable light source is practical in a lab setting, but field-portable devices would likely have one or more fixed-wavelength light sources. Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.com (1 d ago)

• No Dorky Dome, This Bike Helmet Goes Fro... No Dorky Dome, This Bike Helmet Goes From Glam to Gilligan
12/19/2008
Protect your head and your ego with this bike lid from Yakkay. Customize for the look you want. (1 d ago)

• Attack of the Bush Shoe-Toss Games Conti... Attack of the Bush Shoe-Toss Games Continues
12/19/2008
A surge of cool and creative stuff commemorates an Iraqi journalist's "shoes heard round the world." (1 d ago)

• The Huffington Post Slammed for Content ... The Huffington Post Slammed for Content Theft
12/19/2008
A alternative weekly in Chicago discovered that the new media site The Huffington Post has been re-printing concert previews from their site and others. The discovery raises questions about how the successful upstart links to and takes excerpts from other sites around the net. How much copying is too much copying? (1 d ago)

• Severed Cables Cause Net Loss for 14 Cou... Severed Cables Cause Net Loss for 14 Countries
12/19/2008
Three key cables beneath the Mediterranean Sea are cut again. The trunks deliver internet service between the Middle East, Europe and parts of Asia, all of which is being rerouted. (1 d ago)

• Surfers Rejoice: Some Extreme Waves Gett... Surfers Rejoice: Some Extreme Waves Getting Bigger
12/19/2008
Some of the biggest waves in the Pacific Northwest are getting even bigger, according to research presented Friday at the American Geophysical Union meeting. Scientists don't know why the waves have grown, or if wave heights in other parts of the world are increasing, but the big waves are a potential threat to coastal areas. (1 d ago)

• Alt Text Video: The Strange Story of San... Alt Text Video: The Strange Story of Santa
12/19/2008
Lore Sjöberg tracks the evolution of the jolly old elf, from the monstrous incarnations of yore to the gleaming giftbot of the 22nd century. (1 d ago)

• No ISP Filtering Under New RIAA Copyrigh... No ISP Filtering Under New RIAA Copyright Strategy
12/19/2008
The RIAA says it is ending its five-year litigation campaign that has targeted 30,000 individuals for online file sharing of copyrighted music. The good news is that the RIAA, for now, is not demanding ISPs to filter peer-to-peer networks. The bad news is that copyright scofflaws face losing their internet service. (1 d ago)

• HD Eruption Video Gives Clues to How Vol... HD Eruption Video Gives Clues to How Volcanoes Work
12/19/2008
A high-definition video of an eruption shows new details of how volcanoes work. Scientists are learning about the mechanics of eruptions by connecting a frame-by-frame analysis of the video with seismic recordings. (1 d ago)

• Four Mobile App Stores Battle for User a... Four Mobile App Stores Battle for User and Developer Attention
12/19/2008
Apple's App Store debut in July set the bar for other handset app platforms. Google Android, Palm and BlackBerry field their own versions of a centralized stage for phone applications that will make phones more attractive to users. We rate them all. (1 d ago)

• RIAA to Stop Suing Music Fans, Cut Them ... RIAA to Stop Suing Music Fans, Cut Them Off Instead
12/19/2008
After five years of lawsuits against music fans, the RIAA will have ISPs throttle the internet connections of alleged infringers. The strategy could allow the RIAA to circumvent a legal system that has hindered its anti-sharing efforts. (1 d ago)

• Big City, Brighter Lights: Gotham's New ... Big City, Brighter Lights: Gotham's New LED Streetlamp Plan
12/18/2008
After half a century of walking their dogs under the same old streetlamps, New Yorkers are ready for a new age of enlightenment. Gotham's own Office for Visual Interaction won an international competition to design a replacement. Its inspiration: LED headlights. "We took the same idea and made it vertical," OVI's Enrique Peiniger says. The new lamppost's 4-to 6-foot head boasts up to 100 LEDs with multiple lenses that can be configured to dial in specific lighting "footprints" of uniform brightness. For New York, the coverage patterns will be tailored for three distinct situations—park, street corner, and mid-block. Top: Side View Bottom: Bottom View How many workers will it take to change the bulbs? A lot fewer. LEDs last twice as long as the current high—pressure sodium bulbs. Oh, and they burn 30 percent less energy. Plus, the fixture's modular design makes it easy to swap out chips as LED technology improves. OVI is putting the finishing touches on its prototypes, and if tests go well next year, the lamps will soon start lighting up the city that never sleeps. (2 d ago)

• Elegant Teapot Lets You See the Leaves U... Elegant Teapot Lets You See the Leaves Unfold, Infuse the Water
12/18/2008
Designed to age gracefully, this heirloom-quality pot looks like a low-lying modernist sculpture and brews to the exact color depth you want. (2 d ago)

• Dec. 19, 1974: Altair 8800 Kits Go on Sa... Dec. 19, 1974: Altair 8800 Kits Go on Sale
12/18/2008
1974: The Altair 8800 microcomputer goes on sale. It doesn't offer much, but it's the small start of a big trend toward small things. A small New Mexico company — with the big name of Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems and the small name of MITS — manufactured the Altair as a do-it-yourself kit. At its heart was the Intel 8080 microprocessor, with the remarkable capacity of 8 bits, or 1 byte. (Later models used the 8080A.) The kit offered a 256-byte memory, just about enough to contain one sentence of text . The Altair's open, 100-line bus structure evolved into the S-100 standard. Keyboard? Dream on. That was a few years in the future. Input was accomplished through the "Sense Switches" (I/O address 255), eight toggle switches on the left side of the front panel. Display? More dreaming. Output was accomplished through LEDs on the front panel. LEDs, 1974: high tech, kiddo. The Altair 8800 kit sold for just under $400 (about $1,700 in today's money). If you wanted to forgo the case, you could get the kit for under $300. Or you could order the whole deal fully assembled: Old-Computers.com quotes a $595 price. If you wanted to soup the thing up, MITS offered a few peripherals: a video card, a serial card for connecting to a terminal, a 64-KB RAM-expansion card and an 8-inch floppy drive. The floppies stored 300 KB each. Those were the days. MITS founder Ed Roberts got the name Altair from the stellar destination in a Star Trek episode. The idea came from the young daughter of a Popular Electronics magazine editor. Popular Electronics heralded the amazing gadget on its January 1975 cover . Right away, orders started pouring in. News of the Altair 8800 excited Paul Allen and Bill Gates , who wrote the first microcomputer Basic for the 8800 and, within months, went on to found Microsoft together. MITS sold more than 2,000 Altairs by the end of 1975, beyond Roberts' wildest expectations. IMS Associates, which sold the remarkably similar IMSAI 8080 microcomputer, shipped 50 that year. But the Altair inspired more than knockoffs . The Commodore PET, complete with keyboard and monitor, debuted in early 1977. The Apple II came out later that year. MITS sold out to Pertec in 1977. Pertec kept making Altairs through 1978. Microsoft and Intel are still around. You noticed? Source: Various (2 d ago)

• Vote for the Sexiest Geeks of 2008 Vote for the Sexiest Geeks of 2008
12/18/2008
What nerd makes your heart burn with lust? Sexy spectacles, big, um, brains and other key geeky attributes mark this year's nominees — weigh in with your own picks. (2 d ago)

• It's Time to Raise the Gas Tax It's Time to Raise the Gas Tax
12/18/2008
With oil prices at a four-year low, now is the time to act. We must increase the gas tax to cut consumption, generate revenue to repair roads, finance mass transit and and put us on a path toward true energy independence. (2 d ago)

• Student Sentenced to 15 Years for YouTub... Student Sentenced to 15 Years for YouTube Terror Video
12/18/2008
A 27-year-old Florida university student from Egypt was sentenced to 15 years on Thursday for posting a YouTube video on how to transform a a remote-control toy car from Walmart into a bomb detonator. The defendant, Ahmed Abdellatif Sherif Mohamed, said the United States was "vile." (2 d ago)

• Google Shutters Its Science Data Service... Google Shutters Its Science Data Services
12/18/2008
Google quietly shuts down its fledgling scientific data service that would have helped scientists handle terabyte-size datasets. The move comes as a surprise to scientists who had been testing the service. (2 d ago)

• Video: Molecules Moving in Living Cells Video: Molecules Moving in Living Cells
12/18/2008
A new video technique uses laser beams to hit molecules, causing them to vibrate. Tracking the vibrations produces a sequence of point-by-point molecular maps. (2 d ago)

• Online Jihadists Plan for 'Invading Face... Online Jihadists Plan for 'Invading Facebook'
12/18/2008
Online jihadists have already used YouTube, blogs and other social media to spread their propaganda. Now, a group of internet Islamic extremists is putting together a plan for "invading Facebook." (2 d ago)

• Warren says he has 'many gay friends' Warren says he has 'many gay friends'
12/21/2008
Under fire for opposing gay marriage, influential evangelical pastor Rick Warren said Saturday that he loves Muslims, people of other religions, Republicans and Democrats, and he also loves "gays and straights." (2 h ago)

• Bush e-mails may be secret a bit longer Bush e-mails may be secret a bit longer
12/20/2008
Required transfer of records to National Archives imperiled by legal battles and technical glitches. (7 h ago)

• NYT: Obama has vision for auto industry NYT: Obama has vision for auto industry
12/20/2008
With Detroit in a fragile financial state, it is unclear how many compromises President-elect Barack Obama will have to make in pursuing his agenda for the auto industry. (10 h ago)

• Obama increases jobs goal to 3 million Obama increases jobs goal to 3 million
12/20/2008
President-elect Barack Obama has increased his employment goal with the nation's economic outlook worsening, seeking to create or save 3 million jobs in the next two years. (12 h ago)

• Senate-for-sale case threatens new chief... Senate-for-sale case threatens new chief of staff
12/20/2008
Gov. Rod Blagojevich is legendary in Illinois political circles for not picking up the phone or returning calls, even from important figures like the state's senior senator, Dick Durbin. (15 h ago)

• Senate seat just part of case vs. Blagoj... Senate seat just part of case vs. Blagojevich
12/20/2008
Corruption charges against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich focus on much more than the claim that he tried to sell or trade Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat. (17 h ago)

• Obama science choices break from Bush Obama science choices break from Bush
12/20/2008
U.S. President-elect Barack Obama on Saturday named Harvard physicist John Holdren and marine biologist Jane Lubchenco to top science posts. (22 h ago)

• Analysis: Obama's Cabinet lacks reformer... Analysis: Obama's Cabinet lacks reformers
12/20/2008
Barack Obama wrapped up his Cabinet appointments yesterday, assembling a team of nominees who are known more for pragmatism than for strong leanings on the issues they will oversee. (1 d ago)

• Franken opens first lead in Minn. Senate... Franken opens first lead in Minn. Senate race
12/19/2008
The Democrat edged ahead of his Republican incumbent on Friday for the first time in Minnesota's long-running U.S. Senate recount. (1 d ago)

• Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's statemen... Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's statement Friday
12/19/2008
A transcript of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's statement Friday. (1 d ago)

• Newsweek: Debate over Obama's intel czar Newsweek: Debate over Obama's intel czar
12/19/2008
Obama is shortly expected to name retired Navy Adm. Dennis Blair as the nation's new National Intelligence Director. But there's still considerable debate behind the scenes as to what, precisely, his duties will entail. (1 d ago)

• Obama announces final Cabinet picks Obama announces final Cabinet picks
12/19/2008
President-elect Barack Obama announced his final Cabinet picks as he prepared to leave Saturday on a holiday vacation in his native Hawaii. (1 d ago)

• Blagojevich: 'I have done nothing wrong' Blagojevich: 'I have done nothing wrong'
12/19/2008
In an unwavering statement of innocence, Gov. Rod Blagojevich said Friday he will be vindicated of criminal corruption charges and has no intention of letting what he called a "political lynch mob" force him from his job. (1 d ago)

• Automakers get $17.4 billion White House... Automakers get $17.4 billion White House lifeline
12/19/2008
Ailing U.S. automakers and their workers accepted huge concessions Friday in return for a $17.4 billion federal rescue package meant to buy them time to survive. (1 d ago)

• Portrait shows Bush relaxed and smiling Portrait shows Bush relaxed and smiling
12/19/2008
The president's two terms have been marked by wars, a global financial crisis, and a steady stream of political opposition. But his official portrait shows him seemingly unfazed by eight years of tumult. (1 d ago)

• Obama plans event at Lincoln Memorial Obama plans event at Lincoln Memorial
12/19/2008
President-elect Barack Obama will welcome Americans to his inauguration at the memorial to his political hero, Abraham Lincoln. (1 d ago)

• Obama heading to Hawaii for family vacat... Obama heading to Hawaii for family vacation
12/19/2008
President-elect Barack Obama, his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters will spend the holidays in the Hawaiian islands, trading frozen Lake Michigan for warmer waters. They are planning a beachside vacation with friends at one of Oahu's most exclusive properties. (1 d ago)

• Bush hosts Abbas in farewell visit Bush hosts Abbas in farewell visit
12/19/2008
President George W. Bush and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas are assessing the stalled U.S.-backed negotiations with Israel that will almost certainly fail to meet a year-end deadline for a peace deal. (1 d ago)

• Safavian convicted again in Abramoff sca... Safavian convicted again in Abramoff scandal
12/19/2008
A former Bush administration official has been convicted for lying about his relationship with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. (1 d ago)

• Kennedy did not vote in many elections Kennedy did not vote in many elections
12/19/2008
Former President John F. Kennedy's daughter, Caroline, who wants to fill Sen. Hillary Clinton's seat, has not voted in a number of elections, including at least one race for the very job she is seeking. (1 d ago)

• Blago Case Bad News For Rahm Emanuel Blago Case Bad News For Rahm Emanuel
12/20/2008
The friendly rapport Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Rep. Rahm Emanuel shared over the years has suddenly become a liability for Emanuel and the new president he will serve as chief of staff. (14 h ago)

• Franken Now Leads In Minn. Senate Recoun... Franken Now Leads In Minn. Senate Recount
12/20/2008
For the first time since the votes were counted on Election Night, and through more than six weeks of a slogging recount, the Minnesota Democrat forged ahead of Republican Sen. Norm Coleman in their epic Senate battle. (1 d ago)

• Obama Names Scientists To Admin. Posts Obama Names Scientists To Admin. Posts
12/20/2008
Barack Obama named Harvard physicist John Holdren and marine biologist Jane Lubchenco to top science posts, signaling a change from Bush administration policies on global warming that were criticized for putting politics over science. (1 d ago)

• White House Green Lights Automaker Bailo... White House Green Lights Automaker Bailout
12/19/2008
Citing imminent danger to the national economy, President Bush ordered an emergency bailout of the U.S. auto industry, offering $17.4 billion in rescue loans and demanding tough concessions from the deeply troubled carmakers and their workers. (1 d ago)

• With Bailout, Bush Hands Car Keys To Oba... With Bailout, Bush Hands Car Keys To Obama
12/19/2008
President Bush's $17 billion lifeline to GM and Chrysler means neither company will perish while he occupies the White House, yet leaves the ultimate fate of the once-proud auto industry up to the incoming Obama administration. (1 d ago)

• Woodward: Felt Wanted To Play By The Rul... Woodward: Felt Wanted To Play By The Rules
12/19/2008
The man who helped expose Watergate was known for years only as Deep Throat, the mysterious source for reporter Bob Woodward. Now, after the death of W. Mark Felt at 95, Bob Orr talks to Woodward and shares Felt's legacy. (1 d ago)

• Blagojevich Vows To Fight Charges Blagojevich Vows To Fight Charges
12/19/2008
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich says he is not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing and plans to stay on the job. (1 d ago)

• Bristol Palin's Future Mom-In-Law Arrest... Bristol Palin's Future Mom-In-Law Arrested
12/19/2008
Alaska state police have arrested the mother of Bristol Palin's boyfriend on drug charges. Palin is the daughter of Gov. Sarah Palin. (1 d ago)

• Obama Fills Out 4 More Senior Posts Obama Fills Out 4 More Senior Posts
12/19/2008
President-elect Barack Obama named four officials to oversee transportation, labor, trade, and small business policy in his new administration, swiftly completing his Cabinet little more than a month before he takes office. (1 d ago)

• Judge: Iraqi Shoe-Tosser Appears Beaten Judge: Iraqi Shoe-Tosser Appears Beaten
12/19/2008
The investigating judge in the case of the Iraqi journalist who threw shoes at President Bush says the man shows signs of being beaten. (1 d ago)

• Obama Cabinet: Middle-Of-The-Road Dream Obama Cabinet: Middle-Of-The-Road Dream
12/19/2008
President-elect Barack Obama spent the campaign fighting the notion that he"s an unabashed liberal. Now he can point to Exhibit A: a Cabinet that"s a middle-of-the-roaders" dream. Consider the scorecard: The cen (1 d ago)

• Ex-Bush Aide Convicted In Abramoff Scand... Ex-Bush Aide Convicted In Abramoff Scandal
12/19/2008
A former Bush administration official has been convicted for lying about his relationship with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. (1 d ago)

• W. Mark Felt, "Deep Throat," Dies At 95 W. Mark Felt, "Deep Throat," Dies At 95
12/19/2008
The former FBI second-in-command who revealed himself as "Deep Throat" 30 years after he tipped off reporters to the Watergate scandal that toppled a president has died. (2 d ago)

• Schwarzenegger To Veto Calif. Budget Schwarzenegger To Veto Calif. Budget
12/18/2008
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger rejected an $18 billion package of cuts and tax increases pushed through the Calif. legislature, saying the proposal to reduce the state's burgeoning budget deficit would "punish the people of California." (2 d ago)

• Clinton Group Got Millions From Overseas Clinton Group Got Millions From Overseas
12/18/2008
Former President Bill Clinton's foundation has raised tens of millions of dollars from foreign governments that his wife will engage as the next secretary of state. (2 d ago)

• Private Kennedy Moves Toward Spotlight Private Kennedy Moves Toward Spotlight
12/18/2008
Famously private, Caroline Kennedy emerged during the Obama campaign as a political force of her own. Along the way, friends and colleagues say, she discovered that she had a higher tolerance than she thought for public appearances. (2 d ago)

• Blagojevich Lawyer: Wiretaps Were Illega... Blagojevich Lawyer: Wiretaps Were Illegal
12/18/2008
A lawyer for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich told state lawmakers that the federal wiretaps at the heart of the pay-to-play allegations against his client were illegally obtained, and should be kept out of any impeachment proceedings. (2 d ago)

• Bush Considers "Orderly'' Auto Bankruptc... Bush Considers "Orderly'' Auto Bankruptcy
12/18/2008
The Bush administration is seriously considering "orderly" bankruptcy as a way of dealing with the desperately ailing U.S. auto industry. (2 d ago)

• Obama Picks Veteran Regulator For SEC Po... Obama Picks Veteran Regulator For SEC Post
12/18/2008
President-elect Barack Obama named three veteran regulators to round out his economic team and vowed to revamp regulatory rules to prevent a repeat of the financial and economic debacles the country is suffering through. (2 d ago)

• 38 Injured as Plane in Denver Veers Off ... 38 Injured as Plane in Denver Veers Off of Runway
12/21/2008
A Continental Airlines jet taking off from Denver veered off the runway into a ravine, forcing passengers to evacuate on emergency slides as the plane burned, officials said. (2 h ago)

• State Taxes May Rise for Rich State Taxes May Rise for Rich
12/21/2008
Many groups are urging Gov. David A. Paterson to broadly tax the rich to reduce education and health care cuts, and he seems to be closer to acknowledging he may have no choice. (2 h ago)

• Angry, Outspoken Youths Become a Force i... Angry, Outspoken Youths Become a Force in Darfur
12/21/2008
Pro-rebel youths have become a political force in the camps that shelter the 2.7 million people displaced by the war between Sudan’s government and rebels in Darfur. (2 h ago)

• In Need of Cash, More Companies Cut 401(... In Need of Cash, More Companies Cut 401(k) Match
12/21/2008
The reductions in matching contributions put a new strain on America’s tattered safety net as workers watch their retirement accounts fall with the stock market. (2 h ago)

• As Outlook Dims, Obama Expands Recovery ... As Outlook Dims, Obama Expands Recovery Plans
12/21/2008
Even the president-elect’s new goal of creating 3 million jobs would not fully offset the losses of 4 million jobs that some economists are said to be projecting. (2 h ago)

• Looking for Common Ground as More School... Looking for Common Ground as More Schools Share a Roof
12/21/2008
As an increasing number of schools in New York share buildings, education officials say the benefits of small schools are worth the skirmishes over space. (6 h ago)

• The Young Know Caroline’s a Kennedy, but... The Young Know Caroline’s a Kennedy, but Which One?
12/21/2008
By vying for a Senate seat, Caroline Kennedy is embarking on a test of the power of her politically royal name. (6 h ago)

• The Reckoning: White House Philosophy St... The Reckoning: White House Philosophy Stoked Mortgage Bonfire
12/21/2008
President Bush, who vowed to spread the dream of homeownership, is leaving office amid a downturn rooted in the housing sector he so ardently championed. (6 h ago)

• Data Show Steady Drop in Americans on Mo... Data Show Steady Drop in Americans on Move
12/21/2008
Only about one in 10 Americans moved in the last year, roughly half the proportion of as recently as four decades ago. (6 h ago)

• Ravens 33, Cowboys 24: Cowboys’ Playoff ... Ravens 33, Cowboys 24: Cowboys’ Playoff Hopes Dim With a Frustrating Loss
12/20/2008
After a defeat to the Baltimore Ravens in possibly the final game at Texas Stadium, Dallas will need some help to earn one of the N.F.C.’s wild-card spots. (7 h ago)

• The Caucus: Top 10 Gifts for Politics Ge... The Caucus: Top 10 Gifts for Politics Geeks
12/20/2008
What to buy the person who TiVos every Sunday show. (8 h ago)

• Obama ups the ante on economic... Obama ups the ante on economic stimulus plan
12/21/2008
New warnings about the economy prompt his team to more than triple the cost of the plan in an effort to create or save more jobs. Warned that the economy may get considerably worse, President-elect Barack Obama has more than tripled the size of the economic stimulus package he embraced during the campaign and is aiming to create or save 3 million jobs, up from 2.5 million, transition officials said Saturday. (7 h ago)

• Obama chooses global warming a... Obama chooses global warming activists for science posts
12/21/2008
Physicist John Holdren will be the president-elect's top science advisor; marine biologist Jane Lubchenco will lead NOAA. Both advocate more action to fight climate change. President-elect Barack Obama's selections Saturday of a Harvard physicist and a marine biologist for science posts signal that he plans a more aggressive response to global warming than the Bush administration's was. (7 h ago)

• Obama to name Dennis Blair as ... Obama to name Dennis Blair as intelligence director
12/20/2008
Blair is the former head of the U.S. Pacific Command. The search for a candidate to head the CIA has not been settled. President-elect Barack Obama has selected retired Navy Adm. Dennis C. Blair to serve as the nation's next intelligence director but has not concluded his search for someone to lead the CIA, according to government officials familiar with the selection process. (1 d ago)

• Next Obama must put his centri... Next Obama must put his centrist Cabinet to work
12/20/2008
The team of politicians and technocrats lacks a strong ideological bent, but they might have the technical skills to carry out his ambitious agenda. The Cabinet that President-elect Barack Obama completed on Friday is a largely centrist and pragmatic collection of politicians and technocrats without a pronounced ideological bent. Liberals are satisfied but not delighted. Conservatives say the nominees aren't as leftist as they'd feared. Powerful interest groups with conflicting agendas are appeased. (1 d ago)

• Obama's choice of Rick Warren ... Obama's choice of Rick Warren to lead prayer dismays Hollywood liberals
12/20/2008
From Hollywood's perspective, there's a cloud over Barack Obama's inaugural. Now the question is whether the weather that day will simply be overcast or stormy. (1 d ago)

• Obama introduces more economic... Obama introduces more economic appointees
12/19/2008
They include Mary Schapiro as SEC chairwoman. At a news conference, Obama hints at a regulatory crackdown to come. President-elect Barack Obama, introducing more appointees to the economic team that will grapple with job losses and severe problems in the financial sector, took the opportunity Thursday to deliver some thoughts about personal responsibility and civility. (2 d ago)

• Obama to name pro-union Rep. H... Obama to name pro-union Rep. Hilda Solis to Labor post
12/19/2008
The California congresswoman is a leader in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and is called a coalition-builder. Rep. Hilda L. Solis (D-El Monte), a Congressional Hispanic Caucus leader considered to be one of the most reliably pro-union voices in the House, is President-elect Barack Obama's choice to head the Labor Department, a Democratic official said Thursday. (2 d ago)

• Health providers' 'conscience'... Health providers' 'conscience' rule to take effect
12/19/2008
The last-minute Bush administration declaration lets doctors, clinics, receptionists and others refuse to give care they find morally objectionable. The Bush administration announced its "conscience protection" rule for the healthcare industry Thursday, giving doctors, hospitals, and even receptionists and volunteers in medical experiments the right to refuse to participate in medical care they find morally objectionable. (2 d ago)

• Clinton's donor list spans the... Clinton's donor list spans the globe
12/19/2008
The former president's charitable foundation has received as much as $131 million from foreign governments. The names are released to clear the way for his wife to become secretary of State. Hoping to allay conflict-of-interest concerns as his wife prepares to become secretary of State, President Clinton released a donor list Thursday that shows he has raised as much as $131 million from foreign governments -- including Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Norway -- for the William J. Clinton Foundation. (2 d ago)

• Immigration-overhaul supporter... Immigration-overhaul supporters hope their hour has come
12/19/2008
With Obama in office, a sympathetic Cabinet and more Democrats in Congress, supporters hope to revive a reform package next year. But the economic downturn sparks worry about protecting U.S. workers. Immigrant advocates said Thursday that long-stalled efforts to legalize millions of illegal migrants, crack down on employers who hire them and win more family visas would be revived next year and could possibly succeed in early 2010 following sizable Democratic gains powered by record turnouts of Latino voters in the November election. (2 d ago)

• Plane carrying 112 goes off runway in De... Plane carrying 112 goes off runway in Denver
12/20/2008
Officials say a plane carrying more than 100 passengers went off the runway during takeoff from Denver International Airport. (12 h ago)

• Obama increases jobs goal to 3 million Obama increases jobs goal to 3 million
12/20/2008
President-elect Barack Obama says he wants to create or save 3 million jobs in the next two years. (12 h ago)

• More evidence gathered at accused Florid... More evidence gathered at accused Florida mom's home
12/20/2008
Investigators say they have gathered additional evidence during a new search of the home of a Florida mother charged with killing her 3-year-old daughter. (15 h ago)

• Changes made to Santa letter-writing pro... Changes made to Santa letter-writing program
12/20/2008
A sex offender has led to changes in the Postal Service's Operation Santa program. (17 h ago)

• Civil rights leader James Bevel dies Civil rights leader James Bevel dies
12/20/2008
A daughter of The Rev. James Bevel says the prominent civil rights figure has died. (21 h ago)

• President says auto rescue will help ove... President says auto rescue will help overall economy
12/20/2008
President George W. Bush says letting the carmakers collapse is not an option during a recession, housing slump and financial credit crunch. (21 h ago)

• Fort Dix plot jury asks for transcripts ... Fort Dix plot jury asks for transcripts from trial
12/20/2008
Jurors considering the case of five New Jersey men accused of plotting to attack soldiers at the Army's Fort Dix in 2007 have finished their fourth day of deliberations without... (22 h ago)

• Texas bus driver accused of brandishing ... Texas bus driver accused of brandishing knife
12/20/2008
A Texas school bus driver has been arrested after allegedly brandishing a knife and threatening three sixth-graders for leaving cookie crumbs on a seat. (22 h ago)

• Winter weather blasts nation from end to... Winter weather blasts nation from end to end
12/20/2008
With the start of winter just hours away, much of the nation is already getting a taste of its harsh and dangerous weather. (22 h ago)

• Seven workers released in Atlanta bridge... Seven workers released in Atlanta bridge collapse
12/20/2008
Seven workers injured in the fatal collapse of an Atlanta pedestrian bridge have been released from the hospital, but 11 are still being treated. Seven are in intensive care. (22 h ago)

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• U.S. general says troops will ... U.S. general says troops will replace Brits in Iraq
12/21/2008
BASRA, Iraq -- The top U.S. general in Iraq says American troops will move into southern Iraq early next year to replace departing British forces. (2 h ago)

• Vitamin supplements don't figh... Vitamin supplements don't fight cancer, studies show
12/21/2008
A series of trials also shows that taking vitamins and minerals has no effect on preventing strokes, heart disease or other ailments. In some cases, they can even cause harm. They were some of the most promising medicines of the 1990s -- wonder pills that appeared to fight cancer, heart disease, stroke and other ailments. (7 h ago)

• Budget standoff carries big ri... Budget standoff carries big risks, marginal rewards for California governor
12/21/2008
Arnold Schwarzenegger is putting the state's solvency in jeopardy while seeking largely symbolic concessions. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's rejection last week of the tax hikes and service cuts the Democrats rammed through the Legislature seemed frivolous to many in the Capitol: He had put the state's solvency on the line over items normally considered too marginal to derail an emergency spending plan. (7 h ago)

• Old-school salesmen used circu... Old-school salesmen used circus-like stunts to sell cars
12/21/2008
It wasn't all work and no play. Salesmen used flashy stunts to empty their lots -- featuring animals and costumes. Recession? Car sales plummeting? Sounds like 1958 to Roger Bacon. (7 h ago)

• Gay couple won't let Propositi... Gay couple won't let Proposition 8 steal their dream
12/21/2008
Two men who moved from Ohio to California to marry continue to protest the measure's passage. Fearing taunts and disapproval, they kept their love hidden for nearly two years. But with the Nov. 4 election looming, Christopher Lewis and Cody Horton resolved to take a leap of faith. (7 h ago)

• Proposition 8 moves Christian ... Proposition 8 moves Christian couple to action
12/21/2008
The Ferreiras did what they could in their eastern San Diego suburb to ensure the ban on gay marriage prevailed. Their fight continues as its passage is contested. Abel Ferreira and his wife, Robbie, never considered themselves political activists. (7 h ago)

• Continental flight veers off D... Continental flight veers off Denver runway, injures dozens
12/21/2008
Passengers say the plane started to take off, then dropped with a jolt and landed in a ravine, catching on fire and forcing the 112 aboard to evacuate. A Continental Airlines flight carrying 112 people veered off a runway at Denver International Airport as it attempted to take off Saturday evening, catching fire as passengers escaped down emergency slides. (7 h ago)

• They're living with cancer and... They're living with cancer and little else
12/21/2008
The Himmels are used to the hard life, living in an SUV while trying to get back on their feet. When Destiny, 16, was diagnosed with leukemia, their prospects went from bad to miserable. So you think you've got it bad this holiday season? Here's a story that will put things in perspective for you, no matter how grim your job prospects or how invisible your shrinking retirement fund. (7 h ago)

• Schwarzenegger orders mass lay... Schwarzenegger orders mass layoffs, unpaid furloughs
12/20/2008
Union leaders for state employees vow to challenge the legality of the mandatory time off, which amounts to about a 9% pay cut according to the governor's finance department. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday ordered mass layoffs and unpaid furloughs for state workers starting in February to address California's growing fiscal crisis. (1 d ago)

• Up to 30,000 new U.S. troops in Afghanis... Up to 30,000 new U.S. troops in Afghanistan by summer
12/21/2008
KABUL (Reuters) - The United States is aiming to send 20,000 to 30,000 extra troops to Afghanistan by the beginning of next summer, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Saturday. (3 h ago)

• Prayers and flowers mark Mumbai hotel op... Prayers and flowers mark Mumbai hotel opening
12/21/2008
MUMBAI (Reuters) - A multi-faith prayer ceremony marked the reopening on Sunday of Mumbai's Trident hotel, one of the sites of last month's terror attacks, with scanners and roses greeting guests as they made their way into the gleaming lobby. (3 h ago)

• Iraq forces stronger, but not standing a... Iraq forces stronger, but not standing alone yet
12/21/2008
KUT, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq faces a major test next year when its unseasoned forces cast off U.S. military primacy to defend a fragile peace in a country that only recently stood at the brink of sectarian civil war. (4 h ago)

• Iraq lawmakers reject law on British tro... Iraq lawmakers reject law on British troops
12/21/2008
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament voted on Saturday to reject a draft law that allows troops from Britain, Australia and several other countries to remain beyond the end of this year, Iraqi parliamentarians said. (6 h ago)

• Canada unveils plan to help auto industr... Canada unveils plan to help auto industry
12/20/2008
TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada will follow the United States by providing C$4 billion ($3.3 billion) in emergency loans to the Canadian arms of Detroit's ailing automakers to keep them operating while they restructure their businesses, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Saturday. (14 h ago)

• Retailers pushing holiday sales as storm... Retailers pushing holiday sales as storm looms
12/20/2008
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Retailers opened their doors early to recession-weary shoppers on Saturday in a final, frenzied push to save holiday sales with the added disruption of a winter storm heading for the country's Midwest and Northeast. (16 h ago)

• Charity Picower says closes from Madoff ... Charity Picower says closes from Madoff losses
12/20/2008
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Picower Foundation, a charity that supports programs ranging from medical research to education, said it was shutting down because of losses from investments with Bernard Madoff. (17 h ago)

• Japan unveils economic aid, Belgian gove... Japan unveils economic aid, Belgian government falls
12/20/2008
LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Japan, Germany and Canada pledged new measures on Saturday to confront a financial crisis that has toppled banks, endangered the global auto industry and now played a part in the demise of Belgium's government. (18 h ago)

• Bush throws lifeline to U.S. automakers Bush throws lifeline to U.S. automakers
12/20/2008
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush bailed out U.S. automakers on Friday with $17.4 billion in emergency loans as he sought to stave off a collapse that would have cost hundreds of thousands of jobs. (20 h ago)

• Utilities and retailers in path of winte... Utilities and retailers in path of winter storm
12/19/2008
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A blast of snow and freezing rain knocked out power, threatened wheat crops and could ruin the last shopping weekend before Christmas as a storm moved from the U.S. upper Midwest to the country's Northeast on Friday. (1 d ago)

• BILL'S DUBIOUS DONORS BILL'S DUBIOUS DONORS
12/21/2008
In addition to soliciting donations from oil-rich Arab charities and foreign governments, former president Bill Clinton's $500 million charity, the William J. Clinton Foundation, has collected loot from several companies and individuals tainted by... (6 h ago)

• BLATHERING BLAGO RIPS 'LYNCH MOB' BLATHERING BLAGO RIPS 'LYNCH MOB'
12/20/2008
A defiant Rod Blagojevich vowed yesterday to fight the "political lynch mob" and "powerful forces" trying to force him out of his job as Illinois governor. "I will fight. I will fight. I will fight until I take my last breath. I have done... (1 d ago)

• W. ENTERS HALL OF 'FRAME' W. ENTERS HALL OF 'FRAME'
12/20/2008
WASHINGTON - President Bush's two terms in office have been marked by wars, a global financial crisis and a steady stream of political opposition. But his portrait at the National Portrait Gallery, unveiled yesterday, shows him at ease and... (1 d ago)

• BAM EYES IRAN DIPLO OUTREACH BAM EYES IRAN DIPLO OUTREACH
12/20/2008
President-elect Barack Obama is looking at creating a new post - a special Iranian outreach coordinator - within Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's State Department to better engage the nuclear-minded Mideast state, it was reported yesterday. The... (1 d ago)

• BIDEN: ECONOMY 'TANKING' WITHOUT NEW $$ ... BIDEN: ECONOMY 'TANKING' WITHOUT NEW $$ RESCUE
12/20/2008
Vice President-elect Joe Biden fears the US economy is close to "absolutely tanking" unless the federal government approves a second multibillion-dollar bailout package. "The economy is in much worse shape than we thought it was in," he said in... (1 d ago)

• FRANKEN NOW AHEAD FRANKEN NOW AHEAD
12/20/2008
Democrat Al Franken yesterday inched into the lead in Minnesota's marathon US Senate race for the first time as a recount wiped out what was once a small margin favoring Republican incumbent Norm Coleman. But the long-running recount is almost... (1 d ago)

• BUBBA TIE TO RANGEL CARIB MESS BUBBA TIE TO RANGEL CARIB MESS
12/19/2008
Bubba brought home a bundle of Benjamins from the beach. The foundation connected to Rep. Charles Rangel's tainted Caribbean getaway made a hefty contribution to former President Bill Clinton's charity, records show. For years, the Clintons... (1 d ago)

• Rescue Plan Would Force U.S. Auto Compan... Rescue Plan Would Force U.S. Auto Companies to Restructure
12/19/2008
President Bush has unveiled a $17 billion automaker rescue plan that will force the companies to restructure in order to remain competitive. A White House economist and a congressman debate the package. (1 d ago)

• Shields and Brooks Examine Auto Aid Plan... Shields and Brooks Examine Auto Aid Plan, Blagojevich Case
12/19/2008
This week, the White House announced an aid package to keep the Big Three afloat, and Gov. Rod Blagojevich denied accusations of plotting to sell President-elect Obama's senate seat. Mark Shields and David Brooks offer their analysis. (1 d ago)

• Cleve Jones Recounts Working with Harvey... Cleve Jones Recounts Working with Harvey Milk, Making of New Film
12/19/2008
Cleve Jones was a key organizer and friend of Harvey Milk, who in 1977 became the first openly gay elected U.S. official as a member of the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors. He talks to Jeffrey Brown about the gay rights movement and the new film, "Milk." (1 d ago)

• Blagojevich Proclaims Innocence, Plans t... Blagojevich Proclaims Innocence, Plans to Fight Corruption Charges
12/19/2008
In his first public comments since his arrest last week on charge of corruption, embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said Friday he will be vindicated and has no intention of letting what he called a "political lynch mob" force him from his job. (1 d ago)

• Hamas Ends Six-Month Truce With Israel; ... Hamas Ends Six-Month Truce With Israel; Egypt Urges Restraint
12/19/2008
Hamas leaders in Gaza declared an end to a troubled six-month truce with Israel and vowed to respond to any attack, as Egypt -- which helped broker the ceasefire -- called for restraint on Friday. (1 d ago)

• Obama Rounds Out Cabinet With Picks for ... Obama Rounds Out Cabinet With Picks for Transportation, Labor
12/19/2008
Continuing a flurry of appointments to top administration positions, President-elect Barack Obama tapped GOP Rep. Ray LaHood for transportation secretary and California Rep. Hilda Solis for labor secretary Friday and fielded questions on the new auto rescue deal. (1 d ago)

• Experts Answered Your Questions on Madof... Experts Answered Your Questions on Madoff Scandal, SEC Investigation
12/19/2008
Wall Street trader Bernard Madoff allegedly defrauded investors nearly $50 billion in a giant Ponzi scheme. The SEC has admitted that it ignored tips and allegations against Madoff. A reporter and a law professor answered your questions on the case. (1 d ago)

• Beetles, Disease Threaten Future of Whit... Beetles, Disease Threaten Future of Whitebark Pine Tree
12/19/2008
Disease, a beetle infestation and climate change all threaten the Pacific Northwest's whitebark pine tree. Now, environmentalists are trying to add the tree to the endangered species list. (1 d ago)

• Famed Watergate 'Deep Throat' Source W. ... Famed Watergate 'Deep Throat' Source W. Mark Felt Dies at 95
12/19/2008
W. Mark Felt, the former FBI official who revealed himself as "Deep Throat" 30 years after he tipped off Washington Post reporters to the Watergate scandal that brought down President Richard Nixon, has died at age 95. (1 d ago)

• Wikileaks Posts Secret Bomb-Stopper Repo... Wikileaks Posts Secret Bomb-Stopper Report — Did They Go Too Far?
12/18/2008
The secret-spilling site posts a classified report, showing how bomb-stopping jammers work. Has Wikileaks put troops in danger as a result? (2 d ago)

• MPAA Targets Illicit Movie Sites; Downlo... MPAA Targets Illicit Movie Sites; Downloading Unabated
12/18/2008
Hollywood's lobbying arm, the Motion Picture Association of America, sues three more movie-indexing sites, bringing to 13 the number of such services sued during the past two years. Nevertheless, copyright infringement is skyrocketing, which prompts Congress to create a copyright czar. (2 d ago)

• Anagram: Winter Solstice/Recite Snow Lis... Anagram: Winter Solstice/Recite Snow List
12/21/2008
I was going to go with a more explicit anagram for this particular title, but I decided against having “Erection Wilts” or “Newest Clitoris” in this particular blogs title. This blog is going to be a short celebration of the beginning of winter, and is simply going to be a few videos and a few words, that’s all. The [...] (2 h ago)

• Anagram: A Merry Christmas?/Martyr Scare... Anagram: A Merry Christmas?/Martyr Scares Him?
12/20/2008
A short commentary on the whole “War on Christmas”, a viddy first, on the war on Christmas from Countdown with Keith Olbermann: You hear all over the place that there is an assault on christmas or some such nonsense. I like Christmas. I really do. The Tree. The decorations. The songs. The feeling of being [...] (9 h ago)

• Anagram: Minor Seventh/Honest Vermin Anagram: Minor Seventh/Honest Vermin
12/20/2008
Business before pleasure. The Bailout is official. Both of them. Yes you read that right. After The Bush Administration gave the Auto industry the juice it needed to survive to see another day, while trying to crush the UAW with impossible demands that one hopes will be dropped after the Obama administration takes over next month, [...] (20 h ago)

• Anagram: A Very Quick Blog/Overly Big Qu... Anagram: A Very Quick Blog/Overly Big Quack
12/19/2008
The dsl sucks yet again. After months of no problems, all of a sudden the damned line completely crapped out. But this time it may be an actual line problem. Ice and snow today may well have done the line in. But the phone works….unless the line that goes to the dsl connection is plugged [...] (1 d ago)

• Anagram: Infrendiate/Anti - Refined Anagram: Infrendiate/Anti - Refined
12/18/2008
Infrendiate: To gnash one’s teeth in anger, from the grandiloquent dictionary. Personal stuff before Business or politics. That word, infrendiate, has much to do with me this day. Paid a few bills today. No big deal, right? Normally right, but not this day. I had 6 bills to pay, a total of about $600 worth [...] (2 d ago)

• From our files: Sammy Baugh: In Passing From our files: Sammy Baugh: In Passing
12/18/2008
'Slingin' Sammy Baugh, who died yesterday, revolutionized the forward pass as a Hall of Fame quarterback for the Washington Redskins from 1937-1952. (2 d ago)

• Israelis, Gazans brace for cease-fire's ... Israelis, Gazans brace for cease-fire's end
12/18/2008
A six-month truce with Hamas ends Friday. Violence between Israel and Gaza militants has flared in recent days. (2 d ago)

• New target for Mexico's drug cartels: sc... New target for Mexico's drug cartels: schools
12/18/2008
A note left on a school wall in the town of Ciudad Juárez last month threatened to harm kindergartners. The note was suspected to be left by drug traffickers. (2 d ago)

• Big Three's future still in balance Big Three's future still in balance
12/18/2008
Plans for lengthy plant shutdowns hint at a turning point in automaker history. (2 d ago)

• Afghanistan: Soviet failures echo for US... Afghanistan: Soviet failures echo for US
12/18/2008
Control of roads and rural areas vexes coalition effort. (2 d ago)

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