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2008 World News Archive

AP:RT:US Domestic Politics 23 Apr 200...

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#3 of 9 Posted 4/23/05 4:27 PM

From Gerard <Sysop> Posts 82654 Last 3/19/09
To All [Msg # 195275.3 195275.1 ]

    Bush Encounters Hurdles on Energy Agenda

APO 23/04/2005 12:38

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
The information contained in this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of the Associated Press.
   By TOM RAUM
Associated Press Writer
   WASHINGTON (AP) -- Running for president five years ago, George W. Bush pledged to jawbone energy-exporting nations to keep oil prices low and to win passage of legislation to spur more domestic energy production. Delivering on either count has proved difficult for the Texas oilman.
   Soaring oil and gasoline prices are beginning to take a toll on U.S. economic growth and on Bush's approval ratings. To get his long-stalled energy agenda passed, the president is putting more of his political prestige on the line.
   The House voted 249-183 last week for White House-backed legislation that would give tax cuts and subsidies to energy companies and open a wildlife refuge in Alaska to oil exploration.
   At a meeting Monday at his Texas ranch, Bush is promising to press Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Abdullah, to do more to help ease global oil prices. Still, the president acknowledges that there is little that he or Congress can do to quickly lower gasoline prices, which have climbed past $2.20 a gallon nationwide.
   Critics also claim that Bush's energy bill does little to promote conservation or alternate energy approaches, and that he has done little of the lobbying of oil-country leaders that he promised during in his first presidential campaign.
   Robert Ebel, an energy analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said nothing that Bush is proposing "is going to have any immediate, or even near-term impact" on prices.
   Bush s responding politically to consumer concerns that "gasoline prices are high, we haven't yet entered the summer driving season, and what is the president going to do about it?" Ebel said.
   Ebel said increasing world demand for oil, particularly from fast-growing China, and lack of new refineries in the United States will exacerbate the problem for years.
   With his Social Security overhaul plan winning few converts, Bush may find that promoting his energy agenda has a more immediate political payoff for jittery Republicans.
   In a last week, Bush said high prices are "like a foreign tax on the American dream." He challenged Congress to send him an energy bill by August and described the proposal as making energy "more affordable and secure" in the future.
   Similar legislation passed the House twice in Bush's first term, only to bog down in the Senate under a Democratic filibuster that was waged, in part, to protest possible exploratory drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
   Crude oil prices have risen 40 percent in the past year. But finding ways to curb them pose a particular dilemma for Bush -- complicated by his own actions.
   The war in Iraq, for instance, limited Bush's influence among Persian Gulf oil-producing nations.
   The president recently ruled out releasing oil from the nation's emergency stockpile, saying he would only tap the 700 million barrel reserve in a national crisis.
   Bush criticized President Clinton for tapping into the reserve in 2000, suggesting it was a political gesture to help Vice President Al Gore, then Bush's Democratic rival for the White House.
   Bush also criticized the Clinton administration for not lobbying the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, saying Clinton "must jawbone OPEC members to lower prices." Yet as president, Bush mostly has emphasized that market forces should set world oil prices.
   In a CNBC interview, Bush said he would press the Saudi crown prince to boost production. "I'll be talking to our friends about making sure they understand that if they pinch the world economy too much, it'll affect their ability to sell crude oil in the long run," Bush said.
   Still, he said, there was a chance the Saudis already were pumping crude at "near capacity" levels. Ahead of the crown prince's visit, Saudi Arabia said it would do what it could to step up oil production.
   Saudi oil minister Ali Naimi said the kingdom is now pumping about 9.5 million barrels per day and could increase that to 12.5 million barrels per day by 2009 if necessary to maintain "market stability."
   But, he told a conference in Paris, "The measures taken by OPEC in general and by Saudi Arabia in particular are only a few factors among those which affect oil prices; consequently, our influence is limited."
   Bush's expected appeal to the Saudi leader already is drawing scorn from some Democrats. "The president is right to meet with this powerful man, but it is wrong that the leader of the United States must ask favors from a foreign prince," Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said Saturday in his party's weekly radio address.
   Jerry Taylor, an energy analyst at the Cato Institute, a Washington-based think tank that advocates less government regulation, said the idea that "jawboning OPEC or arranging for nice relations with OPEC will somehow get us more oil is utter illusion."
   "The Saudis will produce as much oil as they think is necessary to maximize revenue. Period," Taylor said. China's rising thirst for oil, not supply shortages, is the main factor driving up global oil prices, he and other oil analysts suggested.

#4 of 9 Posted 4/23/05 4:27 PM

From Gerard <Sysop> Posts 82654 Last 3/19/09
To All [Msg # 195275.4 195275.1 ]

    Bush Seeks Funding for Iraq, Afghanistan

APO 23/04/2005 11:16

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
The information contained in this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of the Associated Press.
   By DEB RIECHMANN
Associated Press Writer
   CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) -- President Bush is pushing Congress to provide more money for combat and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan -- funds the Pentagon says it needs by the first week of May.
   "I applaud the House and Senate for their strong support of my supplemental funding request for our troops serving on the front lines," Bush said Saturday in his radio address.
   "This funding will help provide the weapons, ammunition, spare parts and equipment that our troops need to do their job," he said. "I urge Congress to come together to resolve their remaining differences, and send me a bill quickly."
   House and Senate negotiators are expected to act soon to sort out differences between their versions of the $81 billion spending bill. Both versions would push the total cost of combat and reconstruction past $300 billion since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
   They give the president much of the money he requested, but the bills differ slightly over what part would fund military operations and how much would go toward foreign aid. Other issues to be resolved include immigration laws, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, military death benefits and the fate of an aircraft carrier.
   Bush, who is spending the weekend at his Texas ranch, also prodded Congress to support cuts to Medicaid, the health care program for the poor and disabled that is run by federal and state governments.
   In February, Bush proposed $8.5 billion in Medicaid cuts over five years. But the Republican-controlled Congress, leery of making politically unpopular cuts, has not been much help.
   The Senate recently voted to strip $14 billion in proposed Medicaid cuts from a 2006 budget blueprint. With congressional midterm elections next year, some GOP Senate leaders saw the vote as evidence that little would be done for years to come to curb the rising costs of government benefit programs.
   "Spending wisely means reducing wasteful spending that can threaten the viability of essential programs like Medicaid," Bush said. "We must end overpayment for prescription drugs by states and the federal government."
   He pledged to work with states to make sure that federal Medicaid dollars are spent wisely and go to those in need of help.
   "We must close loopholes that allow people who can afford to pay for their health care to shift the costs to Medicaid and drain resources needed to provide health care for the poorest Americans," he said.

#5 of 9 Posted 4/23/05 4:30 PM

From Gerard <Sysop> Posts 82654 Last 3/19/09
To All [Msg # 195275.5 195275.1 ]

   Democrats Hit Bush on Gas Prices, Energy Plan

RTos 23/04/2005 11:09

Copyright 2005 Reuters Ltd. All rights reserved.
The following news report may not be republished or redistributed, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of Reuters Ltd.

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush should not be forced to ask for favors from Saudi Arabia to help lower near-record prices at American gas pumps, a senior Democratic congressman said on Saturday.
     U.S. Rep. Ed Markey of Massachusetts blamed the Bush administration's "failed energy policy" for the high cost of oil and called for a plan that focused on renewable technologies, energy efficiency and conservation rather than an expansion of oil and gas drilling in the United States.
     Bush, who hosts Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, on Monday, acknowledged this week that the energy bill he has asked Congress to pass by August would not immediately reduce gas prices.
     "The president is right to meet with this powerful man, but it is wrong that the leader of the United States must ask favors from a foreign prince," Markey said in the Democratic radio address.
     Bush is feeling the political heat from a big rise in gasoline prices as public opinion polls show consumers are increasingly concerned. Last week, the average retail gasoline price hit a record $2.28 per gallon.
     Saudi Arabia is the biggest member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and the world's top oil exporter.
     Bush has said he would ask the crown prince if the Saudis can step up the flow of oil and also seek a clear answer about the size of the country's spare oil production capacity.
     In early April, U.S. crude oil futures hit a record-high of $58.28 per barrel. On Friday, crude futures closed above $55 a barrel.

#6 of 9 Posted 4/23/05 4:30 PM

From Gerard <Sysop> Posts 82654 Last 3/19/09
To All [Msg # 195275.6 195275.1 ]

       Critics: Frist Mingling Religion, Politics

APO 23/04/2005 02:46

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
The information contained in this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of the Associated Press.
   By HILARY ROXE
Associated Press Writer
   WASHINGTON (AP) -- It may seem like Sen. Bill Frist has found religion in recent weeks. At least, that's what critics say about the Senate majority leader's recent alignment with social conservative groups on high-profile issues.
   Their charge is that Frist is playing to religious groups to gather support for political issues -- and potentially for a future presidential race.
   The Tennessee Republican took some heat when Congress stepped into a legal fight over the life of a brain-damaged Florida woman last month. The critics have grown louder since he agreed to participate in an event on Sunday organized by Christian groups trying to rally churchgoers to support ending the judicial filibuster.
   "He seems to be going out of his way to pander to the radical religious right leaders," said Ralph Neas, president of People for the American Way, a liberal group that has worked to block several of President Bush's appointments to the courts. "Many people have commented that it seems to be commensurate with his aspirations to be president of the United States."
   Sunday's event, organized by the conservative Family Research Council, will be in a Louisville, Ky., church and broadcast across the country. Fliers for "Justice Sunday" charge the filibuster is "being used against people of faith."
   Frist's office says he plans to submit a four-minute videotape with the same Constitution-focused message he has given other groups.
   But his participation has raised loud protests. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said it sent Frist a petition Friday signed by 20,000 people asking him "to abandon such dishonest and irresponsible tactics that politicize faith, abuse power and drown out the voice of ordinary Americans."
   The leaders of several nationwide denominations on Friday joined the chorus urging Frist to reconsider his participation in the event. Among them was the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, the stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Frist's denomination.
   Most people said Frist has the right to join Christian groups or ask for their backing on important issues but called the rhetoric surrounding Sunday's event inflammatory.
   "His presence is giving credibility to people who have made a stark political issue a litmus test for judging religion," said C. Welton Gaddy, president of the Washington-based Interfaith Alliance and the pastor of a Louisiana church.
   Frist is a conservative who has consistently supported the type of issues that rally right-leaning Christian groups. He was a leader of the opposition to gay marriage, and when he laid out an agenda on the first day of the 109th Congress in January, he mentioned "marriage, families and a culture of life that protects human dignity at every stage of development."
   A Frist spokesman said the Constitution has been the senator's constant concern during the filibuster fight, and his position on Terri Schiavo, the brain-damaged Florida woman, was "clear and consistent" throughout the debate.
   But some say there's been a shift in his focus.
   "If you think about Bill Frist since he was majority leader, his strong suit was his intersection of science and medicine ... and his rational good government," said James Hudnut-Beumler, dean of Vanderbilt University's Divinity School and a scholar of American religious history. "I think that's still there, but to lead on a national stage, you have people who press you to come out on other issues and fronts."
   Frist has said he will give up his Senate seat when his term ends next year, but he hasn't answered -- or discouraged -- speculation that he will run for president in 2008.
   Luis Lugo, director of the nonpartisan, non-advocacy Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, said religion and religious groups are crucial factors for any candidate, Democrat or Republican.
   "Any politician ... who aspires to public office ... has to come to terms with the fact that religious conservatives are a critically important part of the Republican Party," he said.
   Tapping into the political force of a religious group, however, can be a divisive process when closely held moral values are at stake. The filibuster debate comes up at a time when the nation is vociferously arguing over whether to trust "activist" judges.
   "It's a little bit of a third rail," said Hudnut-Beumler. Frist is "hoping to draw some power from it. Electric trains do draw power from the third rail, but people sometimes do get electrocuted."
   Frist belongs to Presbyterian churches in Washington and Tennessee, has taken medical mission trips to Africa and other parts of the world, and is a regular at the National Prayer Breakfast. And even critics say it isn't possible to discern a person's true faith.
   But Gaddy said he is concerned about "the transition from religion as a source of values and wisdom, to religion as a strategy for passing legislation or winning an election."
   "I don't judge people's motives," he said. "If Sen. Frist sees this as an essential step in launching a presidential campaign, he's more involved in a stumble than a step."
   ------
   On the Net:
   Sen. Bill Frist: http://frist.senate.gov/
   People for the American Way: http://www.pfaw.org/
   The Interfaith Alliance: http://www.interfaithalliance.org/
   The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life: http://pewforum.org/

#7 of 9 Posted 4/23/05 4:31 PM

From Gerard <Sysop> Posts 82654 Last 3/19/09
To All [Msg # 195275.7 195275.1 ]

       White House to Enforce Abortion-Fetus Law

APO 23/04/2005 00:50

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
The information contained in this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of the Associated Press.
   By KEVIN FREKING
Associated Press Writer
   WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration said Friday that it would enforce a nearly 3-year-old federal law that requires doctors to attempt to keep alive a fetus that survives an abortion.
   In making the announcement, the Department of Health and Human Services Department said it was an attempt to educate the public about the little-known law. Officials said they didn't know how often a fetus survives an abortion and would not say whether there have been any complaints about a lack of enforcement.
   "As a matter of law and policy, the (department) will investigate all circumstances where individuals and entities are reported to be withholding medical care from an infant born alive in potential violation of federal statutes for which we are responsible," HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said in a statement.
   "We will also take proactive steps to educate state officials, health care providers, hospitals and child protection agencies about their obligation to born-alive infants under federal law," Leavitt said.
   The Born-Alive Infant Protection Act of 2002 amends the legal definitions of "person," "human being," "child" and "individual" to include any fetus that survives an abortion procedure.
   Those who meet the definition of "individual" are entitled to certain protections under federal law. In particular, hospitals can't refuse to treat them.
   HHS spokesman Kevin Keane said the department's action was not politically motivated. He said Leavitt had been asked about the issue at his confirmation hearing.
   The National Right to Life Committee welcomed the department's move.
   "The 2002 law and today's actions by the agency were both badly needed, because there are those in our society who have convinced themselves that some newborn infants -- particularly those born alive during abortions, or with handicaps -- are not really legal persons," said Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the group.
   A spokesman for NARAL Pro-Choice America said the group had no comment and that it did not oppose the 2002 legislation because it did not impede on a woman's right to have an abortion.

#8 of 9 Posted 4/23/05 4:32 PM

From Gerard <Sysop> Posts 82654 Last 3/19/09
To All [Msg # 195275.8 195275.1 ]

       Calif. Gov. on Stump for Special Election

APO 22/04/2005 22:03

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
The information contained in this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of the Associated Press.
   By TOM CHORNEAU
Associated Press Writer
   ROSEVILLE, Calif. (AP) -- Trying to jump-start his apparently struggling petitions campaign, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger urged workers at a Hewlett Packard plant Friday to support his effort to qualify three ballot measures for a possible fall special election.
   The rally, which was closed to the public, attracted about 1,500 workers and guests, and included a presentation and question-and-answer session.
   Schwarzenegger is pushing three measures he wants to put before voters: a cap on state spending, restriction on tenure for teachers and the redrawing of legislative and congressional districts.
   A key deadline for turning in the petitions is set for the end of the month, but there has been some uncertainty about the success of the petition drive. Schwarzenegger said Friday he was still committed to calling the election.
   Ted Costa, author of the governor's redistricting measure, has said that he is concerned about the numbers of duplicate signatures on petitions -- an issue that could be a problem because of the looming deadline to collect the required 600,000 valid voter signatures.
   A spokeswoman for Californians for Fair Redistricting, which is working with Costa, said they believe the petition drive will reach its goal on time.
   Schwarzenegger has already withdrawn a forth ballot measure -- aimed at privatizing state worker pensions -- after finding flaws in its language.
   The governor spent about an hour at the HP facility in suburban Sacramento, where about 4,000 workers are employed. He again attacked unions and "special interests" for opposing his proposals.
   "I say to the unions, those special interests -- you know who has the ultimate power? The people of California," Schwarzenegger told workers. "This is why I need your signature, this is why I need your votes."
   Monica Sarkar, a spokeswoman for Hewlett Packard, said it's not unusual for elected officials to come to company facilities nationwide to address employees and that attendance for the governor's pitch was voluntary. Sarkar said company executives have taken no position on Schwarzenegger's proposals.
   Some GOP analysts said Schwarzenegger has shown great skill when his back is against the wall, and they point out that he remains popular and persuasive.
   The problem has been that politically potent unions for nurses, firefighters and police strongly oppose Schwarzenegger's proposals on pensions and state spending limits.
   Sensing the governor's weakness, Democrats and their supporters have virtually shut down negotiations with Schwarzenegger in recent weeks.

#9 of 9 Posted 4/23/05 4:32 PM

From Gerard <Sysop> Posts 82654 Last 3/19/09
To All [Msg # 195275.9 195275.1 ]

       Intelligence Chief: Spies Must Work Better

APO 22/04/2005 19:47

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
The information contained in this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of the Associated Press.
   By KATHERINE SHRADER
Associated Press Writer
   WASHINGTON (AP) -- The new national intelligence director, John Negroponte, told the thousands of employees at the nation's spy agencies Friday that the government will pioneer new ways of organizing itself to face "a new order of threats to national security."
   In a message to the intelligence community in his first day on the job, Negroponte wrote, "We know we need to do our work differently and do it better, but the most critical element in intelligence reform resides in you, the people who will carry it out."
   Negroponte takes over a collection of 15 highly independent spy agencies that have been criticized in numerous reports since Sept. 11, 2001, for neglecting to collect information, misreading what they had and failing to communicate.
   Congress created his job in December to improve coordination among the agencies as part of the most sweeping intelligence overhaul in 50 years.
   It's unclear precisely how many employees are part of the intelligence community; those figures are classified. Yet Negroponte promised them changes.
   "In the months and years ahead, we will be pioneering new ways of organizing ourselves and allocating our resources," he wrote in the four-paragraph message shared with The Associated Press.
   Even as Negroponte takes over the immense management task, he still must handle even the most basic details. He and his deputy, Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, are looking for permanent office space for a staff that may someday number at least 500. Government officials familiar with the search say they've considered several locations, including an office building near the White House.
   Officials say Negroponte and his close advisers also are considering how to structure the new organization, interpret the intelligence reform law and handle briefings for the president and other senior policy-makers.

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2008 World News Archive

AP:RT:US Domestic Politics 23 Apr 200...

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