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Wednesday, February 2, 2011
SayNow: Voice Messages from Egypt
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Obama Hate Machine Exploits Egyptian Crisis
15 hours ago
Columnist
It's been thrilling to watch millions of people rise up and call for free expression and democracy in Egypt. The collective courage of the demonstrators has been inspiring; the apparent spontaneity encouraging. And we could view it live on our computer screens and smartphones. At this point, there's no telling what the as-of-yet nonviolent protests will yield. Political reforms that lead to a diverse democracy? An opening that is exploited by Islamic fundamentalists? Chaos?
Rebellions can produce horrible outcomes. But the Egyptian uprising holds plenty of promise -- and is boosting the desire for democracy elsewhere in the region and the world. (China's leaders have tried to block news of the Egyptian unrest for Chinese Internet users.) But on Planet Beck and in other conservative quarters, the Egyptian revolution, sadly, has become just another vehicle for Obama-bashing.
Since the start of this uprising, President Obama has handled the matter well, demonstrating prudence while still adhering to principles. He has walked a fine line. The president inherited a three-decade-long relationship with Hosni Mubarak, which on several fronts worked to the United States' advantage. Mubarak was a tyrannical thug, but he abided by the Camp David peace accords (and received billions of dollars in U.S. aid for doing so). He has been an ally in the fight against al-Qaeda and its partners (while providing torture services in this so-called war). And the need for stability in Egypt is not just a geostrategic cliché.
The possible consequences of Obama throwing Mubarak under the bus at the get-go were stark. Such a move could have caused Mubarak to mount a bloody crackdown that could have led . . . well, who knows where. And other U.S. allies in the region who are not champions of democracy would have hardly appreciated such a precipitous move. Yet Obama could not risk being on the wrong side of this popular rebellion -- especially if it forced Mubarak's ouster. Nor did he want to be. So he praised the protesters and acknowledged that their gripes were important and fully legitimate -- and he warned Mubarak and the military not to harm them. At the same time he nudged Mubarak toward fundamental change.
In public, Obama and his aides were firm without being fiery. They responsibly concocted careful phrases. At a White House briefing on Monday, press secretary Robert Gibbs said that the administration was not calling for a change in the government but "a change in the way the country works." The administration's words did not jibe with the Mubarak-must-go-right-now rhetoric of the protesters. But behind the scenes, Obama officials were leaning on Mubarak to develop an exit strategy. Shortly after Mubarak announced on Tuesday night that he would not run for "reelection" in the September election (and that he intended to remain in his homeland and "die on Egyptian soil"), Obama declared that "an orderly transition" in Egypt "must begin now." In other words, Mubarak's statement was not good enough.
The Egyptian crisis is far from over; Obama and his team can hardly be fully judged. But to date, they have represented the United States well. In fact, Republican leaders in Congress have not been complaining. Yet the Obama Hate Machine has seized on the Egyptian uprising as another opportunity to slam the president. Conservative columnist Dick Morris, who once upon a time was a consultant to President Bill Clinton, hammered Obama for failing to stand with Mubarak against Islamic "extremists" trying "to take over the country." Fox News contributor Ralph Peters blasted Obama for not sufficiently supporting the Egyptian protesters. The right-wing Washington Times editorial page slammed Obama for having "abrogated any leadership role in resolving the turmoil in Egypt," noting, "When the time calls for action, Mr. Obama sits on his hands." The newspaper suggested that Obama's moves would lead to al-Qaeda taking over Egypt. Andrew Breitbart's BigGovernment.com published a posting by Wayne Allyn Root, a leading libertarian, that predicted that the United States would soon be hit by Egyptian-style "riots, revolt in the streets, and economic paralysis" and that Obama "might turn out to be just as intolerant to dissent as Mubarak."
Then there's Glenn Beck. In his own bizarro fashion, Beck tied the rebellion in Egypt to radical forces in the United States and elsewhere that are scheming the demise of the United States:
"We have evidence of the uber-left, the anarchists and the communists and the socialists, the radicals, sowing the seeds and helping those in Egypt. All they want is more pressure on the United States. This isn't about the people there. This is about changing the globe. . . . The storm that I've talked about for so many years is here. The coming insurrection is here."
Oh, this is far beyond Barack Obama, he added. The uber-left and the Islamicists, he asserted, "are plotting together." Presumably to destroy the United States and take over the world -- and Obama's not doing anything to stop them. (He might be rooting for them!) Beck called on his followers to prepare for food riots in the United States. This is, of course, crazy talk. But it's the filter through which millions of Americans are viewing the historic events in Egypt.
The Obama Hate Machine never takes a vacation. But its eager exploitation of the uprising in Egypt cheapens the stirring images of those brave Egyptian citizens seeking democracy and the right of free expression. This is no surprise. There's always demagoguery to wage and paranoia to fuel.
You can follow David Corn's postings and media appearances vis Twitter.
The Breakdown: Why Is Egypt in Revolt?
Christopher Hayes
February 2, 2011
A culture of rampant corruption and arbitrary imprisonment, a rigid and senseless bureaucracy, a financially destitute majority and innumerable cases of police-led torture of civilians—these are among the unbearable conditions that have spawned a people’s revolt in Egypt. But what comes next? On this week’s extended special edition of The Breakdown, DC Editor Chris Hayes and professor of twentieth-century Egyptian history Noor Khan explain the context of recent calls for democracy in Egypt.
Resources
Professor Khan on current systemic obstacles to Egyptian democracy.
The Independent's Robert Fisk reports from Cairo.
Live coverage from Al Jazeera.
“We are all Khaled Said”—Facebook page on police torture in Egypt.
The Independent's Robert Fisk reports from Cairo.
Live coverage from Al Jazeera.
“We are all Khaled Said”—Facebook page on police torture in Egypt.
The Constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act
“LOCATION CHANGE -- The Constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act”
Senate Judiciary Committee
Full Committee
Full Committee
DATE: February 2, 2011
TIME: 10:00 AM
ROOM: Hart-216
TIME: 10:00 AM
ROOM: Hart-216
OFFICIAL HEARING NOTICE / WITNESS LIST:
February 1, 2011
NOTICE OF COMMITTEE HEARING LOCATION CHANGE
The hearing entitled "The Constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act" scheduled before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary for Wednesday, February 2, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. in room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building will now take place in room 216 of the Hart Senate Office Building.
By order of the Chairman.
Witness List
Hearing before the
Senate Committee on the Judiciary
On
"The Constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act"
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Hart Senate Office Building, Room 216
10:00 a.m.
The Honorable John Kroger
Attorney General for the State of Oregon
Salem, OR
Randy E. Barnett
Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Legal Theory
Georgetown University Law Center
Washington, DC
Michael A. Carvin
Partner
Jones Day
Washington, DC
Walter Dellinger
Douglas B. Maggs Professor Emeritus of Law
Duke University School of Law
Durham, NC
Charles Fried
Beneficial Professor of Law
Harvard Law School
Cambridge, MA
NOTICE OF COMMITTEE HEARING LOCATION CHANGE
The hearing entitled "The Constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act" scheduled before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary for Wednesday, February 2, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. in room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building will now take place in room 216 of the Hart Senate Office Building.
By order of the Chairman.
Witness List
Hearing before the
Senate Committee on the Judiciary
On
"The Constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act"
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Hart Senate Office Building, Room 216
10:00 a.m.
The Honorable John Kroger
Attorney General for the State of Oregon
Salem, OR
Randy E. Barnett
Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Legal Theory
Georgetown University Law Center
Washington, DC
Michael A. Carvin
Partner
Jones Day
Washington, DC
Walter Dellinger
Douglas B. Maggs Professor Emeritus of Law
Duke University School of Law
Durham, NC
Charles Fried
Beneficial Professor of Law
Harvard Law School
Cambridge, MA
مصادر:شفيق يهدد بالاستقالة بعد "مجزرة التحرير"..ومبارك يعتبر ذلك سقوط نهائي لنظام
علم الدستور الأصلي من مصادر رفيعة أن الفريق أحمد شفيق رئيس الوزراء على خلاف شديد مع الرئيس مبارك وعمر سليمان نائب الرئيس بسبب ما حدث صباح الأربعاء من الدفع ببلطجية إلى قلب ميدان التحرير للاعتداء على المتظاهرين بالأسلحة البيضاء والعصي والهروات والصواعق الكهربائية في محاولة لفضهم.
وقالت مصادر رفيعة للدستور الأصلي أن الفريق أحمد شفيق هدد بتقديم استقالته من منصبه اعتراضا على ما تم لأنه سيكون أول شخص يتحمل مسئولية ماحدث من إصابات أو وفيات للمتظاهرين لاسيما وأنه قال في تصريحات تليفزيونية مساء الثلاثاء أن سلامة المتظاهرين في ميدان التحرير "على رقبته".
وأضافت المصادر أن مبارك وعمر سليمان يحاولان الضغط على شفيق لعدم تقديم استقالته لأنه لو فعل هذا سيكون إعلانا نهائيا بسقوط النظام.
Cyclone Yasi hits Australian coast
A "monumental" storm has crossed northeastern Australia, tearing off roofs and cutting off power to homes. Last Modified: 02 Feb 2011 20:08 GMT |
"The large destructive core of Cyclone Yasi is starting to cross the coast between Innisfail and Cardwell, with a dangerous storm tide battering waves to the south of the cyclone centre," the Bureau of Meteorology said on Thursday morning. Police received numerous reports of widespread damage but so far, there have been no reports of injuries of deaths resulting from the category five storm, which made landfall at around midnight local time on Wednesday (14:00 GMT). Strong winds and driving rain battered the coastline, while thousands of residents bunkered down in evacuation centres and their homes. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated while police were forced to turn some away from shelters that had reached capacity. Mines, rail lines and coal ports have been shut, with officials warning the storm could drive far inland, hitting mining areas of Queensland state struggling to recover from recent devastating floods that killed 35 people and wreaked havoc in hundreds of communities Engineers warned that even "cyclone proof" homes could be blown apart by winds expected to reach 300km per hour. The eye of the cyclone crossed the coast close to the tourist town of Mission Beach at around midnight. The stricken area's residents have been warned of an "extremely dangerous sea level rise" and "very destructive" winds accompanying Yasi's arrival, posing a severe threat to life. 'Monumental storm' Reporting from Cairns, Al Jazeera's Andrew Thomas said this was a cyclone-prone area, "but nothing on this scale," he said, calling Yasi a "monumental storm". Satellite images showed Yasi covering an area bigger than Italy or New Zealand, and predicted to be the strongest ever to hit Australia. "What it all adds up to is a very frightening time," state premier Bligh said. "We're looking at 24 hours of quite terrifying winds, torrential rain, likely loss of electricity and mobile phones. People really need to be preparing mentally if nothing else." The Queensland state premier said current estimates were that 150,000-200,000 people could lose power if winds topple transmission towers. The state accounts for about a fifth of Australia's economy and 90 per cent of its steelmaking coal exports but the extent and of the damage might not be known for many hours. Australia's huge, sparsely populated tropical north is battered each year by about six cyclones, called typhoons, throughout much of Asia and hurricanes in the Western hemisphere. |
Senate fails to repeal health care law
By Catalina Camia, USA TODAY
Updated at 6:30 p.m. ET
The U.S. Senate failed to repeal the nation's health care law but gave Republicans a chance to go on record with their objections to the sweeping measure that requires all Americans to have insurance.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., forced the party-line vote by attaching the House-passed repeal bill to a pending measure on aviation issues. All 47 GOP senators voted for repeal, but Democrats have the majority in the Senate.
Updated at 6:30 p.m. ET
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has forced a vote to repeal the nation's health care law.
The U.S. Senate failed to repeal the nation's health care law but gave Republicans a chance to go on record with their objections to the sweeping measure that requires all Americans to have insurance.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., forced the party-line vote by attaching the House-passed repeal bill to a pending measure on aviation issues. All 47 GOP senators voted for repeal, but Democrats have the majority in the Senate.
The final vote, which came on a procedural motion, was 51-47. Sixty votes were needed for the repeal effort to succeed.
The Senate did, however, find bipartisan agreement to repeal one part of the health care law. By an 81-17 vote, senators passed an amendment to overturn the law's requirement for more tax reporting.
That provision requires companies to file a 1099 tax form for all goods and services valued at more than $600. It affects nearly 40 million self-employed workers, companies and charities, according to the IRS.
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., argued that repealing the health care law would "explode" the nation's debt and deficits. He cited a Congressional Budget Office report that said overturning the law would cost $145 billion by 2019 and $230 billion by 2021.
"That's not just irresponsible, it's reckless," Conrad said.
McConnell dismissed the CBO analysis, charging that "only in Washington" would the creation of a new health care program actually save money -- as President Obama and congressional Democrats have said since the legislation was signed into law last year.
The bid by Senate Republicans to overturn the health care law came two days after a federal judge ruled the law was unconstitutional.
Monday, U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson struck down the entire law -- going further than another federal judge did in ruling only the requirement that all Americans buy health insurance was unconstitutional.
Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., offered a resolution today asking the U.S. Supreme Court to quickly resolve the dispute over the health care law.
"The vote to repeal health care is largely symbolic, because the Supreme Court is going to have to be the one to decide this matter," Nelson said in a statement. "We ought to do the right thing and ask the high court to rule quickly so we don't keep arguing over this for the next several years."
Also today, Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin, D-Ill., held hearings about the legal underpinnings of the health care law.
The Senate did, however, find bipartisan agreement to repeal one part of the health care law. By an 81-17 vote, senators passed an amendment to overturn the law's requirement for more tax reporting.
That provision requires companies to file a 1099 tax form for all goods and services valued at more than $600. It affects nearly 40 million self-employed workers, companies and charities, according to the IRS.
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., argued that repealing the health care law would "explode" the nation's debt and deficits. He cited a Congressional Budget Office report that said overturning the law would cost $145 billion by 2019 and $230 billion by 2021.
"That's not just irresponsible, it's reckless," Conrad said.
McConnell dismissed the CBO analysis, charging that "only in Washington" would the creation of a new health care program actually save money -- as President Obama and congressional Democrats have said since the legislation was signed into law last year.
The bid by Senate Republicans to overturn the health care law came two days after a federal judge ruled the law was unconstitutional.
Monday, U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson struck down the entire law -- going further than another federal judge did in ruling only the requirement that all Americans buy health insurance was unconstitutional.
Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., offered a resolution today asking the U.S. Supreme Court to quickly resolve the dispute over the health care law.
"The vote to repeal health care is largely symbolic, because the Supreme Court is going to have to be the one to decide this matter," Nelson said in a statement. "We ought to do the right thing and ask the high court to rule quickly so we don't keep arguing over this for the next several years."
Also today, Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin, D-Ill., held hearings about the legal underpinnings of the health care law.
Hosni Mubarak speaks, the world listens
TUESDAY, FEB 1, 2011 16:53 ET
The embattled Egyptian dictator makes motions to leave after September elections VIDEO
AP/Susan Walsh
An hour before midnight, Egypt's state television network aired a recorded speech by President Hosni Mubarak. The millions outside his door waited -- as did hundreds of millions around the world -- for his response to what many have called a revolution.
Though Mubarak spoke in Arabic, he used familiar (translated) language:
I will be judged by history, by my merits and demerits.
This stubborn trope knows no borders. Ah yes, history will save Mubarak when his own people won't. History will look back on the torture, repression and desperate Internet scrapping with doe-eyed fondness.
The president depicted Egypt as a land overrun by political manipulation. He lamented the fear felt by average Egyptians at the hands of the chaos-makers. He catered to a silent majority that, based on the news coverage, is likely a slim sliver of a silent minority. An appeal "to immediately ... identify and arrest the outlaws who perpetrated the mayhem" probably won him a few supporters among the throbbing Cairo throng.
Finally, after the waiting and the defiant part of the rant, Mubarak announced that he would step down at term's end, which is what he'd been planning to do anyway.
I tell you in absolute veracity. I did not intend to run for the coming Presidency. I have exhausted my life, however, I am totally keen on ending my career for the sake to the nation.
He continued by offering to help the transition of power. So, Egyptians must wait. They've been waiting for years:
If all goes according to his plan, Mubarak will hold his office for another few months on the vague promise that there will be a transition down the road. That may not quell those who want him out by Friday, but it's a start for a man so publicly divorced from the reality of his own predicament.
Either way, the still-seated president of Egypt spoke loudly to why the United States should not support a dictator so detached.
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