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

To: CYBERKEN who wrote (751913)	10/18/2006 12:38:10 AM
From: pompsander	Respond to of 769670

James Baker....heading up the commission appointed to help us figure out how to disengage from Iraq....weighs in: news.com.au __________________________________________ Iraq a helluva mess: Baker From correspondents in London October 18, 2006 12:00 Article from: Agence France-PresseFont size: + - Send this article: Print Email FORMER US secretary of state James Baker was visibly shocked when he last visited Iraq, and said the country was in a "helluva mess", the BBC reported today. Mr Baker is leading a review of the situation in Iraq by a bipartisan US committee of experts, and is expected to recommend a change in US strategy for rebuilding Iraq. Citing a unnamed close friend and ally of Mr Baker's, himself a top politician, the BBC reported that Mr Baker said "there simply weren't any easy solutions". Mr Baker was secretary of state to US President George W. Bush's father, president George Bush. Citing unnamed members of Mr Baker's committee, The Los Angeles Times yesterday said that two options under consideration would represent reversals of US policy - withdrawing American troops in phases, and bringing neighbouring Iran and Syria into a joint effort to stop the fighting. The BBC also reported that a third possibility was under consideration - to concentrate on getting stability in Iraq, and stop aiming to establish a democracy there. The 10-member commission has agreed that change must be made, the Times report said. "It's not going to be 'stay the course,'" the paper quoted one participant as saying. "The bottom line is, (current policy) isn't working. There's got to be another way."

To: CYBERKEN who wrote (751913)	10/18/2006 7:05:08 AM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Respond to of 769670

LATINOS WARNED NOT TO VOTE By PETER PRENGAMAN Associated Press Posted on Wed, Oct. 18, 2006 montereyherald.com LOS ANGELES - They have been naturalized U.S. citizens for nearly 20 years, but Benny Diaz says he and his wife felt intimidated when they each received a letter over the weekend warning that some immigrants could be jailed or deported for voting next month. The letter, written in Spanish and sent to an unknown number of Latinos in Orange County, says the government has developed a computer system to track down the names of immigrant voters. ''A lot of Latino families have called me to say they ripped up the letter because they felt so insulted,'' said Diaz, 49, who is originally from Peru. His wife, Nellie, is from Mexico. Diaz is running for a seat on the Garden Grove City Council, and he believes the letter could scare away many new citizens from the polls. ''We spend a lot of money to communicate with Latino voters, but do you think they are going to come out now?'' he said. It is unclear who sent the letter. Authorities say they are investigating, saying those responsible could be charged with a felony. ''Why send something like this?'' said state Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles. ''The intention is clearly to shed fear and intimidation, and ultimately suppress a vote that is critical in the elections.'' In a letter Tuesday to state Attorney General Bill Lockyer, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called the letters ''racist'' and ''despicable,'' and said the perpetrators should be tried for a hate crime. Lockyer spokesman Nathan Barankin said the letter was ''something we are investigating aggressively right now.'' The sender could face as much as three years in state prison, he said. Ana Maria Patino, a lawyer representing the Diaz family, said families in Santa Ana and Anaheim also received letters. She said they were being collected and handed over to authorities. The FBI's criminal division in Los Angeles obtained a copy of the letter Tuesday and was reviewing it, said Special Agent Kenneth Smith, a bureau spokesman. © 2006 Monterey County Herald and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. montereyherald.com