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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (684478)	6/3/2005 10:24:06 PM
From: Wayners	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Thats great, but insurgents in Iraq have killed 12,000 CIVILIANS! Where is your outrage at that?

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (684478)	6/4/2005 4:58:13 PM
From: Hope Praytochange	Respond to of 769670

Judge to Rule Monday on Wash. Governor By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: June 4, 2005 Filed at 4:42 p.m. ET WENATCHEE, Wash. (AP) -- The political fate of Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire hangs in the balance this weekend while a small-town judge decides whether her paper-thin victory was valid. During two weeks of trial, Republicans argued election errors, illegal votes and fraud stole the election from GOP candidate Dino Rossi. Democrats countered that the errors were innocent mistakes and said Republicans lacked enough evidence to justify tossing a governor out of office. Chelan County Superior Court Judge John Bridges will announce his decision Monday. The stakes could not be higher for Gregoire, who has pursued her agenda in the Capitol as if she'd won by a landslide. Rossi may be even more desperate for a resolution. Once a rising GOP star, Rossi has been in a bizarre political limbo the past seven months after winning the first two counts in the governor's election only to lose a final, hand recount by 129 votes -- the smallest percentage margin of any governor's race in U.S. history. If Rossi gets his way with Bridges and the state Supreme Court, he'll meet Gregoire in a rematch election this fall. Throughout the trial, both sides stressed the momentous nature of Bridges' task. ''This is a historic moment,'' Republican attorney Dale Foreman said in his opening statement. He said the judge has ''a historic opportunity to do justice and to restore the people's faith in our election system.'' In her closing argument, Democratic attorney Jenny Durkan said Republicans failed to meet the ''clear and convincing'' standard of proof for overturning an election. ''They're asking this court to throw out legal votes by people cast in the most important election in our lifetime,'' Durkan said. ''This court may be setting the rules and the roadmap for election contests throughout the state for the future.'' Bridges allowed almost every piece of evidence both parties wanted to submit, explaining that he wanted to create the fullest possible record for the state Supreme Court. ''I've enjoyed having you folks in front of me immensely,'' he told the 10 attorneys on the case, ''but I don't want to see any of you again.'' Bridges, who handles everything from divorces to murder cases, enjoys a sterling reputation in Chelan County and beyond. Both sides say he's fair, and no one has been able to guess his politics. Though he clearly took the trial seriously, Bridges frequently teased attorneys and made self-deprecating quips. ''I would run from your class like the wind,'' he told one expert witness after a long day of testimony on election statistics. On Friday, he thanked his staff and the attorneys in the case. ''This is pretty outstanding legal work and I congratulate counsel,'' Bridges said. ''I say this today because I know nobody wants to listen to me on Monday morning.'' The election challenge unfolded quietly in this central Washington town. Except for the first and last days, most of the seats in the auditorium-turned-courthouse went unfilled. Rossi supporter Bill Stokes, 67, attended every day of the trial and the pretrial hearings. ''Now that I'm retired I have altogether too much time on my hands,'' he explained. He said the most important part of the trial was ''shining a light on a bad problem'' -- the problem of election errors. His focus mirrors the shift on conservative Web logs and radio shows, where election talk has drifted from the demand for a ''Rossi revote'' to the more complicated task of cleaning up election problems in the Democratic stronghold of King County. Neither Gregoire nor Rossi attended any of the trial. Gregoire said she was doing her best to run the state and ignore the trial. But her name was present every day -- written in cursive script on a poster-sized copy of the election certification, displayed in a corner of the courtroom. ''This is to Certify, That in the General Election held in the State of Washington on November 2, 2004, Christine Gregoire received the highest number of votes for the office of Governor.'' ^------ Trial video and audio: tvw.org Court documents: secstate.wa.gov

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (684478)	6/4/2005 4:59:54 PM
From: Hope Praytochange	Respond to of 769670

Report: U.S., North Korea Speak by Phone E-Mail This Printer-Friendly By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: June 4, 2005 Filed at 4:38 p.m. ET TOKYO (AP) -- The United States and North Korea recently spoke by telephone and likely discussed resuming six-nation talks on the North's nuclear program, a Japanese newspaper reported Saturday. North Korea's U.N. representative in New York called the U.S. State Department as Pyongyang welcomed President Bush's use of the title ''Mr.'' on Friday when referring to leader Kim Jong Il and said it hoped the softened tone could lead to its return to nuclear arms talks, the Mainichi newspaper reported, quoting sources it did not identify. The newspaper also quoted diplomatic sources it did not identify as saying State Department officials will visit New York soon to receive a response from North Korea's U.N. envoy. North Korea might have set a new set of conditions to resume the talks, the Mainichi said. It provided no other details. The United States wants the North to end its nuclear weapons development, and joins China, Japan, Russia and South Korea in trying to persuade Pyongyang to return to disarmament talks last held in June 2004. North Korea, with a history of using brinksmanship to wring aid from the West, claimed in February it had nuclear weapons and said it would indefinitely boycott the arms talks until Washington dropped its ''hostile'' policy. The North's nuclear claim has not been verified, but U.S. intelligence and other estimates say it has as many as six atomic weapons. At a meeting of Asian defense officials in Singapore on Friday, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Washington would continue to try to solve the nuclear dispute through six-nation talks.

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (684478)	6/4/2005 5:02:35 PM
From: Hope Praytochange	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Some analysts say President Bush prevailed in his re-election bid because Democrat John Kerry was unpopular with people who voted with moral values as their top priority. But GOP leaders in Kansas and Missouri didn't have warm words for Dean. ''They are a party in desperate search for a message or an identity, whichever comes first,'' said Missouri GOP consultant John Hancock. ''Judging by Mr. Dean's comments, they are not there yet.'' Kansas Republican Party Executive Director Derrick Sontag said Dean is ''long on divisiveness and anger, but short on ideas and compassion.'' Dean Preaches Values in Kansas City Visit E-Mail This Printer-Friendly By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: June 4, 2005 Filed at 4:41 p.m. ET KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- National Democratic Chairman Howard Dean quoted the Bible, the golden rule and moral values Friday while chastising Republicans for failing to practice what they preach. In appearances at the Uptown Theater here and at the National Federation of Democratic Women Convention in Kansas City, Kan., Dean said the GOP frequently speaks of its morals but consistently makes cuts affecting the poor. ''The other side seems to want to lecture us on moral values while they cut health care in rural areas ... while they cut programs for the poor, while they cut education,'' he said. ''I don't think those moral values are consistent. I don't think they're biblical.'' Since taking over the Democratic reins in February, the former Vermont governor has consistently tried to link the party with strong morals. Some analysts say President Bush prevailed in his re-election bid because Democrat John Kerry was unpopular with people who voted with moral values as their top priority. But GOP leaders in Kansas and Missouri didn't have warm words for Dean. ''They are a party in desperate search for a message or an identity, whichever comes first,'' said Missouri GOP consultant John Hancock. ''Judging by Mr. Dean's comments, they are not there yet.'' Kansas Republican Party Executive Director Derrick Sontag said Dean is ''long on divisiveness and anger, but short on ideas and compassion.''