Poll Shows Slim Obama Lead

As Debates Begin, President Gains With Hispanic Voters, Romney With Men

By NEIL KING JR. And DANNY YADRON

October 2, 2012

Most People Don't See Debates as Game-Changing

Less than half of registered voters say the presidential debates will be important in helping them decide whether to back Romney or President Obama, according to the latest WSJ/NBC poll. Danny Yadron has details on The News Hub. (Photo: Getty Images)

10/2/2012 4:50:38 PM3:12

Less than half of registered voters say the presidential debates will be important in helping them decide whether to back Romney or President Obama, according to the latest WSJ/NBC poll. Danny Yadron has details on The News Hub. (Photo: Getty Images)

President Barack Obama heads into the first presidential debate with a narrow lead over Mitt Romney in a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News nationwide poll that illustrates each candidate's strengths and weaknesses entering the campaign's final stretch.

 

Associated Press

President Obama visited the Hoover Dam Tuesday in Boulder City, Nev.

The survey shows the race tightening, with Mr. Obama now leading 49% to 46% among likely voters, down slightly from the five-point lead he enjoyed in mid-September, just after the two parties' conventions. The survey of likely voters had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
Mr. Obama maintains commanding leads among Hispanics, young voters and women, with his share of the crucial Hispanic bloc appearing only to widen. A whopping 71% of likely Hispanic voters said they plan to vote for Mr. Obama.
Mr. Romney holds a strong margin of support among white voters and men, and he appears to be gaining a little strength among the college educated. His strengths there, though, aren't sufficient at this point to offset weaknesses elsewhere.

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Mr. Romney's challenge as he prepares for the first of three debates is whether he can chip into Mr. Obama's strongholds, particularly women. The question for Mr. Obama is whether he can translate his support among Hispanics, the young and African-Americans into actual votes, while minimizing the erosion of support for him among white voters.
The poll of 1,000 registered voters found 832 who were likely to vote in November. Mr. Obama led by a wider margin, 51% to 44%, among all registered voters surveyed, a number that is less indicative of what voters will do on Election Day. That lead was up from 50% to 44% in mid-September.
While finding a generally tight presidential race, the poll showed a surprising rise in public support for the idea of the same party controlling both Congress and the White House—evidence, perhaps, of deep frustration over partisan gridlock in Washington.
As a rule, voters tend to say they prefer that power in Washington be split between the two parties. For the first time in Journal polling going back to the mid-1980s, a majority of voters—52%—in the new survey threw their support behind one-party rule, with the strongest backing coming from partisans in either party. Nearly seven in 10 Democrats, and six in 10 Republicans, backed the idea.
Two years ago, just 29% of voters supported the concept. In a general-election year, support for one-party dominance tends to go up as partisans of each side see hope they can win both the White House and control of Congress. Still, the tendency is more pronounced than usual this year.
As a result, Senate and House candidates could find their fortunes bound more tightly than usual to the fates of their party's presidential candidate.

Three Things To Know About The New WSJ/NBC Poll
WSJ's Aaron Zitner breaks down the top three things to know about the new WSJ/NBC News poll released Tuesday. The race is tightening while support for single party rule in Washington grows. Via WSJ's #WorldStream.

WSJ's Aaron Zitner breaks down the top three things to know about the new WSJ/NBC News poll released Tuesday. The race is tightening while support for single party rule in Washington grows. Via WSJ's #WorldStream.

Mark Harrod, a 39-year-old independent from Jacksonville, Fla., said he longs for a return to the "Clinton days or the Reagan days, when people actually worked together." But because he believes neither party is willing to do that, the construction worker says he thinks Democrats should get another shot at running Washington.
"Maybe they'd get more done. Then there'd be no more excuses," Mr. Harrod said.
Rob Adrian, a Romney supporter from Plainfield, Ill., shares the impatience with Washington. His dream: Give Republicans at least two years to run the country unencumbered by Democratic opposition.
"We are so close to going over the cliff," he said. "I would really like to see the House, the Senate and the White House do away with what I believe are extremely bad decisions."
The last time the Democrats controlled both houses of Congress and the White House was during the first two years of the Obama administration. Republicans also controlled both Congress and the White House briefly during the Bush administration.

Presidential Debates: Why the Little Things Matter
The Journal's Jerry Seib and moderators Bob Schieffer, Jim Lehrer, Carole Simpson and Candy Crowley examine the most consequential presidential debates of the past 52 years, when, so often, one moment defined a candidate's performance. Photo: ABC

The Journal's Jerry Seib and moderators Bob Schieffer, Jim Lehrer, Carole Simpson and Candy Crowley examine the most consequential presidential debates of the past 52 years, when, so often, one moment defined a candidate's performance. Photo: ABC

Mr. Romney has managed to keep the presidential contest competitive despite a month that did little to burnish his standing in voters' eyes. More than half of the registered voters said they had a less-favorable impression of his campaign after all they had seen and read over the past couple of weeks, compared with 36% who said that of Mr. Obama.
Asked about Mr. Romney's widely aired comments to a donors' dinner that 47% of the country paid no taxes and saw themselves as victims, 45% said the remarks made them view Mr. Romney more negatively.
Yet the poll offered evidence of Mr. Romney's continued resilience as conservatives and the Republican Party faithful rally to his side.
"Romney is like the Timex watch—he takes a licking, but he keeps on ticking," said Democratic pollster Peter Hart, who conducted the poll along with Republican Bill McInturff.
Much of Mr. Romney's continued traction in the race appears to stem from enduring voter apprehension toward the president, the poll shows. Mr. McInturff noted that white voters just before the 2008 election viewed Mr. Obama more positively than negatively by 10 percentage points. That reading has since swung to a 10-point gap on the negative side.
Overall, the poll showed the president's approval rating just below 50%, off from its 61% high in March 2009. "Barack Obama is not the same candidate as he was four years ago, after four years of the wear and tear of the presidency," Mr. McInturff said.
About four in 10 voters rated the three presidential debates as extremely or very important to their decision making, roughly on par with what voters said heading into past debates.
The poll contained signs of promise for the Obama campaign.
A majority of Americans still think the country is on the wrong track, but a larger number—57%, up from 50% in August—say the economy is improving. Just 13%, the lowest number since Mr. Obama took office, think the economy will get worse in the next four years.
Voters gave Mr. Obama higher marks over his rival on who has the clearer message and plan for what he would do if elected. A large majority, 65%, said Mr. Obama knows what he plans to do, compared with 52% who said that of Mr. Romney. The president also outpaced Mr. Romney on which candidate is seen as better prepared to lead over the next four years.
The president has preserved or strengthened his traction with voters since the summer on who would deal better with health care, Medicare, immigration and taxes. At the same time, Mr. Romney has lost ground since July on whom voters see as more likely to look out for the middle class, a core theme for both campaigns.
Mr. Romney has gained new ground on a number of fronts, including handling of foreign policy and dealing with the economy. Voters preferred the GOP challenger by healthy margins on how he would deal with the federal budget deficit and the economic challenge posed by China.
The poll found a strengthening of support for Mr. Romney among white men and college-educated voters.
But in a warning sign, Mr. Romney's support among likely Hispanic voters came in at just 21%. Republicans have widely predicted serious trouble for the Romney campaign if he can't get his support among Hispanics above 30%.
"The Hispanic numbers in this poll are a significant cautionary note, not just to Romney but across the Republican Party," said Mr. McInturff, the Republican pollster.
For the first time, the poll also tested voters on a ballot that included Green Party candidate Jill Stein and Libertarian Gary Johnson, both of whom will appear on most state ballots.
With those names included, Mr. Obama led Mr. Romney, 48%-43%, among likely voters, with Mr. Johnson fetching 3% and Ms. Stein 2%.

The fragility of life in Syria's borderlands

Manu Brabo, a photographer for The Associated Press, took these photos in and around Azaz, a town in north west Syria close to the Turkish border. On Friday, a warplane bombed the town killing at least four people, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 

Manu Brabo / AP

Rada Hallabi, 4, who is sick with diabetes, lies on a blanket in a refugee camp on the border with Turkey, near Azaz village, Syria, on Sept. 30, 2012.

Manu Brabo / AP

The body of a Syrian woman is seen near Azaz's hospital after being shot by a sniper in the countryside around Azaz, near the Turkish border with Syria, on Oct. 1, 2012.

Manu Brabo / AP

A displaced Syrian woman and her grandson in a refugee camp In the border with Turkey, near Azaz village, Syria, Sept. 30, 2012.

Manu Brabo / AP

A defaced portrait of President Bashar al Assad is seen in a school used as an emergency refugee camp in Souran village, near the Turkish border with Syria, on Oct. 1, 2012.

Manu Brabo / AP

A displaced Syrian woman covers her face with a scarf in a school, where almost 15 families from Homs are living, in Souran, Syria, Oct. 1, 2012.

Manu Brabo / AP

Syrian boys play near a refugee camp on the border with Turkey, near Azaz village, Syria, Sept. 30, 2012.

Manu Brabo / AP

A displaced Syrian woman is seen in a building still under construction in an improvised refugee camp at the border with Turkey, near Azaz village, Syria, Sept. 30, 2012.

Reuters reports — With tens of thousands fleeing Syria every month, the number of refugees worldwide in 2012 is set to be the highest this century, according to a senior United Nations official.

Antonio Guterres, the body's High Commissioner for Refugees, told his UNHCR agency's executive committee Monday that its ability to cope was being stretched to the limit. Read the full story.

The battle for Aleppo: My 18 days with the Syrian rebels

23

Aug

2012

11:48am, EDT

 

Between August 1 and August 17 Reuters photographer Goran Tomasevic documented some of the fiercest fighting of Syria's 17-month uprising as rebels and government forces battled for control of the northern city of Aleppo. 

His images were published all over the world, featuring extensively on NBCNews.com's PhotoBlog and in The Week in Pictures. Here he gives a behind-the-scenes account of the circumstances behind some of his most striking photographs. 

Goran Tomasevic / Reuters

A Free Syrian Army fighter takes cover during clashes with the Syrian army in the Salaheddine neighborhood of central Aleppo on August 7, 2012. Photographer Goran Tomasevic says: "This rebel had been firing at the Syrian army when he came under attack from sniper fire, he was pulling back into a secure position when the picture was taken. I was next to him, on the ground, and shooting with a 20mm lens. The yellow dot on his head is a reflection from the camera lens."

Goran Tomasevic, Reuters — Of course I wanted to go to Syria. When a big story like this breaks, I believe my job is to go there and produce pictures. I gave up going to cover the Olympics. It was two days before my trip to London and I changed my ticket and went to Syria instead. 

Pictures must show the reality of the war and that's why I wanted to be as close as I could to the fighters on the very front line, to show exactly what they are doing, their emotions, how they run and fire weapons and also how they react to incoming shells. There is a certain amount of risk and you need to take all necessary precautions, but if you want to tell the true story, you have to be there. 

 Report: More foreign fighters join rebels in Syria as regional crisis deepens

Displaced Syrians struggle to find safe shelter

The Free Syrian Army [the rebel group that Tomasevic traveled with] is organized and appeared to know what it was doing. Some members are former Syrian soldiers who defected, but most are young civilians — some 16 or 17 years old.  They are fighting the Syrian Army with small arms and RPGs and with few supplies, but somehow they set up a supply line to get fuel for their vehicles. They are also media friendly. At first they noticed my presence and were a little bit suspicious but after a while they began saying "Goran, come here," though they didn't really speak English. They would tell me what missions they were conducting or show me some positions and ask if I wanted to join them. 

Goran Tomasevic / Reuters

A Free Syrian Army fighter gestures as others carry a fighter shot by Syrian Army soldiers during clashes in the Salaheddine neighborhood of Aleppo on August 4, 2012.

We ended up in the Salaheddine neighborhood of Aleppo, which was definitely the front line, just a few streets away from the government position. On August 4, I witnessed a rebel's death from a very accurate Syrian army sniper who found a hole in between sandbags and fired. The sniper shot him in the chest. I think the bullet went through his heart, killing him instantly. I could see the exit hole on the left side of his shirt. I just ran (fast) across the street and took the pictures in really bad light — strong highlights and dark shadows. This rebel [below] was definitely someone who was close to the fighter who'd been shot. He was in bad shape and crying, so I couldn't really ask him any questions. 

Goran Tomasevic / Reuters

A Free Syrian Army fighter reacts after his friend was shot by Syrian Army soldiers in the Salaheddine neighborhood of Aleppo on August 4, 2012.

A few days later we were just talking on the street when we heard shooting and started running into a building. We heard a large explosion and that is when the rebel [below] was hit by shrapnel. He and others entered the room and I was in a little bit of shock and took some out-of-focus pictures. It was such a small room with not much light that I had to push the camera up to 3000 ISO. I couldn't see much because there was a lot of smoke. It was really difficult technically to take these pictures. Beside the rebel there is a knife on the floor as people had just been eating lunch in the room.   

Goran Tomasevic / Reuters

A Free Syrian Army fighter screams in pain after he was injured in his leg by shrapnel from a shell fired from a Syrian Army tank in the Salaheddine neighborhood of central Aleppo on August 7, 2012.

Local rebel commanders told us that if they approached the front line there would be heavy tank fire, machine gun fire, mortar shells and sniper fire, so they didn't want to come close to the Syrian army. They started to make holes in the buildings, inside the walls, inside the gates and the fighters would sneak into the houses. They made holes in the buildings to avoid the streets and to be able to go from one house to another to another. Sometimes, I saw some families coming back to take some goods from their homes but most of the time the houses were empty, abandoned as the families sought refuge elsewhere.  

Goran Tomasevic / Reuters

A Free Syrian Army fighter enters a room through a hole in a wall in Aleppo on August 12, 2012.

I like this picture [below] of fighters who took up positions in a family living room. One rebel sat on the chair eating a chocolate bar as the commander looked out the window to scout the area next to another firing from the window. They told me it was a former Syrian army position and they had killed three soldiers in the house (I could see tracks of blood in the corridor) and taken over their position. There was no one else in the house, except the rebels. 

Goran Tomasevic / Reuters

A Free Syrian Army fighter fires his sniper rifle from a house in Aleppo on August 14, 2012.

One woman came back with her husband to take goods from her house. Some of the Free Syrian Army fighters told her that she shouldn't go but she ran across the street to her house alone. She started to cry and wanted to come back so one of the fighters ran back across the street with her. She was crying as she ran across the street that was under open fire. This is one of the many Aleppo streets that you cannot stand on because someone may shoot you.    

Goran Tomasevic / Reuters

A Free Syrian Army fighter helps a woman to run across a street during clashes in Aleppo on August 12, 2012.

In this picture [below], you can see the tree being hit with the shrapnel. It was a very dramatic situation with the smoke from the tank shells filling the street behind the fighters. 

Goran Tomasevic / Reuters

A Free Syrian Army fighter fires an RPG after a Syrian Army tank shell hit a building across a street during heavy fighting in Salaheddine on August 11, 2012.

A lot of bodies were lying in the streets. When some of the rebels took over a government position, a few of their fighters were killed by government forces. Five rebels decided to go on a rescue mission to recover the bodies of their comrades. I went with them. We were literally crawling for 150 meters. They used a long stick, on which they attached a hook to drag the bodies a few meters off the street and into very narrow alleyways and then carried the bodies through the streets, passing them to one another through the holes in the buildings. The whole process took about 4-5 hours; it was a really long day. The bodies will be sent back to the families. One of the bodies was of the brother of one of the fighters. 

Goran Tomasevic / Reuters

A Free Syrian Army fighter carries the body of a fellow fighter during clashes in Aleppo on August 16, 2012.

Goran Tomasevic / Reuters

A Free Syrian Army fighter carries the body of a fellow fighter during clashes in Aleppo on August 16, 2012.

I can't describe the situations of war. On my last day in Aleppo one of the fighters was walking around and looking into the buildings and he found this bird in its cage. He took it out of the apartment. The bird didn't have any water so they put some in his cage. The rebels did some crazy things, like putting this mannequin [below] in the line of sniper fire on the street and then burning some tires where the government forces were firing tank shells. It was kind of surreal and scary at the same time. Because I don't speak Arabic, I didn't understand exactly what they were doing. They would be laughing but then you would see the incoming fire and about 60-70 meters away you'd see a tank shell explode into a building. 

Goran Tomasevic / Reuters

Free Syrian Army fighters take a break from fighting in the Salaheddine neighborhood of central Aleppo on August 17, 2012.

When I'm covering conflict situations, I try to follow the ground and find cover for myself. I pray a lot so that keeps me safe. I can't give any other advice. Things are changing with the situation in Syria all the time. Full story on Reuters website.

More images from Goran Tomasevic:

• Slideshow: The Syrian Uprising
• Lighter moment for Syrian rebels during break in fighting in Aleppo
• Syria air strike hits Aleppo hospital
• Eerie stillness in Aleppo as Syrian rebels pull back
• Syrian fighter jet strafes farming village
• Bodies recovered from destroyed home near Aleppo
• Syrian Air force air strike in Azaz kills 30
• Violence intensifying in Syria: the battle continues in Aleppo

Family demands answers in fatal shooting of woman in car by Border Patrol agent

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Family members of Valeria Alvarado are demanding answers in the wake of controversial shooting that claimed the life of the 32-year-old mother of five children. KNSD's Tony Shin reports.

By Monica Garske, Tony Shin and Elena Gomez, NBCSanDiego.com

SAN DIEGO -- The family of a 32-year-old woman killed by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent in Chula Vista on Friday is outraged by what they believe was an unjustified shooting.

Police and family members confirmed that Chula Vista resident Valeria "Monique" Alvarado, also known as Valeria Tachiquin, was the woman killed in the agent-involved shooting around 1 p.m. Friday near Moss Street and Oaklawn Avenue.

Chula Vista officials said the shooting happened in the middle of the street in a residential area after a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent was allegedly assaulted by a woman driving a vehicle.

Officials said Border Patrol agents were serving a felony warrant in the area when Alvarado allegedly intentionally tried to run over an agent. Alvarado was not the subject of the warrant.

CBP Chief Patrol Agent Rodney Scott said the agent was carried several hundred yards on the hood of the car before he fired his weapon at the woman.

"The suspect was armed with a vehicle, and literally ran our agent down," said Scott. “He was carried several hundred yards before he discharged his weapon through the windshield of the vehicle.”

Alvarado was killed in the shooting. The agent was hospitalized and his current condition is unknown.

But, in spite of information from Chula Vista officials, Alvarado’s family has a very different story about what happened on Moss Street Friday.

Her husband, Gilbert Alvarado, is furious about what happened to his wife – the mother of his five children. He believes the agent who shot her overreacted.

"My wife got killed for no reason," Gilbert told NBC 7 Friday night. "Show me that my wife had a gun or something that threatened the guy’s life where he had to use lethal force against her."

Alvarado’s family confirmed the warrant had nothing to do with her and the mother of five would never intentionally hurt anyone for any reason.

Alvarado’s cousin, Bernice Ratcliffe, is trying to make sense of something she believes was senseless.

"I think we're all shocked and we want answers,” said Ratcliffe. “"They didn't have to shoot her!”

Witnesses in the area at the time of the shooting told NBC 7 San Diego they saw Alvarado slowly driving in reverse as the agent opened fire on her at least six times.

"As the car was backing up the officer was in the street walking toward the car, and discharging,” recalled witness Prince Watson.

“I heard it, ‘Pow, pow,’ and just told my family to get down,” said witness Ayanna Evans.

Witnesses believe Alvarado may have accidentally struck the agent and panicked when he told her to stop and pulled out his gun.

They said the agent was in plain clothes and was not displaying a badge.

“The whole [thing] didn’t look right,” added Evans.

Meanwhile, Christian Ramirez of the Southern Border Communities Coalition said the organization stands behind Alvarado’s family and will help them seek justice.

"We will do everything in our power to make sure the investigation is conducted in a transparent fashion, and the family gets the justice they deserve,” said Ramirez.

Still, that doesn’t erase the pain and anger Gilbert feels after losing his wife.

“Whoever shot my wife -- whoever he is – that guy needs to get shot,” he said.

Family members said Alvarado went to Chula Vista High School. The five children she leaves behind range in age from three to 17.

Officials have not yet released the name of the agent involved in the deadly shooting. The investigation is ongoing.

On Saturday, Alvarado's loved ones set up a small memorial of flowers, photos and messages near the area where Alvarado was killed. A fundraiser for the family is planned for Sunday at the Rally's on 3rd and Moss Street betwen 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Near the memorial, many neighbors, friends and family called Alvarado “innocent” and were still in shock by the way she was killed.

“I don't think it should have [gone] down like that. I don't think she should have been shot,” one neighbor told NBC 7. “They're a person. They are a part of this world. I decided to put up how we feel [in the memorial] and [show] that we are with the family.”

“I feel bad for the family that has to go through this. I think Monique is an innocent person,” added another friend.

NBC 7 investigated Alvarado’s criminal history, which only includes a court case from 2004.

A spokesperson for the family said Alvarado was involved with drug possession eight years ago, but she never served time in jail and has been clean for years.

Facing 'Fiscal Cliff,' Obama Would Quickly Fill Treasury Job

 Updated October 1, 2012, 11:32 a.m. ET

By DAMIAN PALETTA

WASHINGTON—If re-elected, President Barack Obama is expected to move quickly in November to nominate a new Treasury secretary, and that person could play a key role negotiating with Congress about the looming "fiscal cliff" of tax increases and spending cuts, people familiar with the planning said.

Possible Contenders for Treasury Secretary

 

Associated Press

Obama may consider White House Chief of Staff Jacob Lew

 

Associated Press

Budget expert Erskine Bowles is another Democratic possibility.

 

Reuters

Romney could pick Former World Bank President Robert Zoellick.

 

Bloomberg News

Another Republican possibility is Glenn Hubbard of Columbia.

The two people most frequently mentioned by current and former administration officials as likely successors to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who wants to leave the post, are White House Chief of Staff Jacob Lew and Clinton administration Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles.

If re-elected, President Barack Obama is expected to move quickly in November to nominate a new Treasury secretary. Damian Paletta joins Markets Hub to discuss the names being considered as successors.

Both are steeped in the minutia of the federal budget and have worked extensively on tax and spending negotiations with Republicans. Mr. Lew served as White House budget director in the Clinton and Obama administrations. Mr. Bowles was co-chief of the White House's 2010 deficit-reduction commission, which won bipartisan support for a plan to reduce the budget gap by roughly $4 trillion over 10 years.

Mr. Obama didn't embrace the commission's full conclusions, which Mr. Bowles continues to promote among corporate and political leaders.

If Republican candidate Mitt Romney wins, negotiations on the "fiscal cliff" could be pushed off until 2013. Both Democrats and Republicans have said Congress is expected to postpone the spending cuts and tax increases until after Mr. Romney's would- be inauguration in late January and once he has time to put an economic team in place.

Among the Republican's possible candidates to lead the Treasury are Columbia University Graduate School of Business Dean Glenn Hubbard, former World Bank President Robert Zoellick and executives from the business world, such as CIT Group Inc. Chief Executive John Thain and former Wells Fargo & Co. CEO Richard Kovacevich, say people who have spoken to Romney advisers. 

Should Mr. Obama win, the quick nomination of either Mr. Lew or Mr. Bowles would signal that the White House has placed as a top priority reaching a budget agreement with Congress, rather than a focus on financial markets or Europe.

This is because large spending cuts and tax increases are set to begin Jan. 2, 2013, unless the White House reaches a deal with Congress. Democrats and Republicans remain sharply at odds over how to contend with the looming fiscal changes, and the White House's economic team would be forced to scramble to reach a deal in time.

Mr. Obama likely would have much less time to assemble a negotiating team than Mr. Romney, one reason why advisers believe he could either select as Treasury secretary someone from within his administration or already well known to his team.

Mr. Geithner has made clear for more than a year that he plans to leave his post but has said he would remain until a successor is confirmed, should Mr. Obama win re-election.

Another possible choice for Mr. Obama's Treasury secretary, according to current and former officials, is Gene Sperling, director of the White House's National Economic Council and a veteran of the Clinton administration's economic team, though his name also comes up as a possible director of the White House's Office of Management and Budget.

Bruce Reed, Vice President Joseph Biden's chief of staff, is another candidate to lead OMB, the budget division of the White House that creates tax and spending proposals for the government. Mr. Reed was executive director of the deficit-reduction panel run by Mr. Bowles and Republican Alan Simpson. Another possible contender for OMB chief is Rob Nabors, the White House's chief liaison to Congress.

Other candidates for Treasury secretary under a second Obama term include Deputy Treasury Secretary Neal S. Wolin and Lael Brainard, the Treasury's top official for international affairs.

If Mr. Obama decides to look outside the administration for someone to lead the Treasury, he may seek a person with financial-market experience, such as BlackRock Inc. Chief Executive Lawrence Fink. Mr. Fink, who interacts frequently with Wall Street and Washington officials, spoke often with Mr. Geithner during the first six months of 2012, according to Mr. Geithner's calendar.Others who could be considered are Daniel Doctoroff, chief executive of Bloomberg LP, and Roger Altman, chairman of Evercore Partners Inc., an investment banking advisory firm, who served as deputy Treasury secretary in the Clinton administration.

The potential nominees by Messrs. Obama and Romney either declined to comment or didn't respond to requests for comment.

Treasury: Obama’s China Decision Can’t Be 

Reviewed

A Treasury official said President Obama's decision to block Chinese nationals from acquiring wind farm projects in Oregon isn't reviewable by the judicial system.

By Damian Paletta

A the U.S. Treasury building in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 16, 2011. (Brendan Smialowski/Bloomberg)

Bloomberg News

A Treasury Department official said Monday that President Barack Obama‘s decision to block two Chinese nationals from acquiring wind farm projects in Oregon can’t be reviewed by the judicial system, possibly making moot any lawsuit.

On Friday, Mr. Obama took the rare step of blocking two Chinese nationals from acquiring wind farm projects off the coast of Oregon, citing national security concerns. The White House said the sites are all within or near restricted air space at the Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility Boardman in Oregon.

The company that tried to acquire the projects, Ralls Corp., suggested on Friday that it would challenge Mr. Obama’s decision in court.

“Ralls Corporation will continue to uphold and protect U.S. national security interests, and confirm its profound faith in the rule of law,” Tim Xia, counsel for Ralls Corp. said Friday.

But a Treasury Department spokeswoman said Monday that Mr. Obama’s decision could not be challenged in court, as it was made using the president’s powers under the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).

This power gives Mr. Obama and top government officials the power to scrutinize acquisitions of U.S. companies or U.S. interests by foreign-owned firms if national security issues might arise.

“They could try to pursue a lawsuit,” Treasury Department spokeswomanNatalie Wyeth Earnest said. “But the CFIUS statute clearly states that the President’s actions are not subject to judicial review.”

Even though roughly 100 acquisitions are reviewed under CFIUS every year, Mr. Obama’s decision on Friday marked only the second time in 22 years that a president has blocked a deal.

From war zones, photographer brings scars and searing images

Sebastian Rich has covered every major war and conflict of the past 30 years. He has been wounded several times, kidnapped and held hostage while on assignment as a photographer and television cameraman.

Children in Conflict, an exhibition at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., is showcasing a selection of images from Rich's career alongside a new body of work produced for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. The new collection illustrates the plight of Afghan refugees in the Jalozai refugee camp in Pakistan.


Sebastian Rich
Young Afghan refugee in the Jalozai UNHCR refugee camp, Pakistan, 2012. Jalozai is one of the largest of 150 refugee and transit camps in Pakistan, holding Afghan refugees from the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to the present day.

By Sebastian Rich

The reason I became a photojournalist is summed up eloquently by this saying:
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.

Being a chronic dyslexic to the point of near-illiteracy, I guess taking photographs was a natural progression, given the old adage, "A picture speaks a thousand words."

I left school, or should I say, ran away from school, at the tender age of 15 and have been looking through cameras of one sort or another at the world's wars ever since.


Sebastian Rich
Pakistan, 2012. An outside classroom for Afghan women and young girls in the UNHCR Jalozai refugee camp.

One of the women had brought her small son with her, and he cheekily leaned back from the group to look at me.


Sebastian Rich
Bosnia, 1993. A local priest talks to the crew of a British United Nations tank. He is trying to negotiate some sort of cease-fire between a local Bosnian militia and a group of heavily armed Croatian fighters. The cease-fire lasted all of ten minutes then the priest and myself ran for cover!

These past decades have not been without personal loss and pain. I have lost so many friends in the theater of war that I am ashamed to admit I have lost count.

I have lost most of the hearing in my right ear and 30 percent of the vision in my right eye -- courtesy of a Serbian sniper with a high velocity rifle. Obviously, not a very good sniper, otherwise I would not be telling the tale, but good enough to cripple.


Sebastian Rich
The first prisoners of war taken by the United States Marine Corps during the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

A large chunk of my lower intestine is missing due to the shrapnel from a rocket-propelled grenade. I was lucky that the hot shrapnel was slowed down by two Lebanese soldiers standing in front of me. They were not so fortunate.

My sternum is cracked and deformed, once again from a Serbian sniper, this time hitting me directly in the center of the chest smashing the ceramic plate in my flak jacket and crushing my rib cage. Last, but not least, I have experienced being kidnapped in Lebanon and a mock execution in an unpronounceable town in the former Yugoslavia with far too many consonants in its name--particularly difficult for a dyslexic.


Sebastian Rich
Fighters of a warlord in Mogadishu, Somalia. They tolerated me as they fought but as you can see there were those whose burning eyes did not fall too kindly on this photographer.

I am often asked how I keep my objectivity while constantly photographing and filming the worst the world has to offer. Well, I believe we all have an agenda to some degree or another, however subtle. My agenda, if you like, is not left or right of the political spectrum, but in the center of the insanity that I witness. Hoping somewhat (very) naively, that a single image one day might change the course of that conflict, ergo an agenda.


Sebastian Rich
A terribly malnourished Afghan baby boy in a UNICEF Therapeutic feeding center in Herat, Afghanistan. His fate is unknown to me.

Objectivity was ironically summed up for me by my mentor and friend, the extraordinarily talented American combat photographer John Hoagland.

John and I had been trying not to get shot by Salvadoran troops in that bloody civil war by hiding behind a cow. To the left of me was the dead body of a pregnant woman, who had been shot through the stomach revealing part of the fetus. In a moment of calm from the hail of bullets, I lay on my back shaking and asked John, "How do you stay objective in all this horror?" He answered, "It's easy Sebastian. You do something good, I will take your photograph. You do something bad, I will take your photograph."

John was shot and killed just a few weeks later photographing Salvadoran troops doing something very bad. He was 36 years old.


Sebastian Rich
U.S. Army Medics fighting hard to save the life of a young baby girl on board a Blackhawk medevac helicopter in Afghanistan, 2011. She had been hit by shrapnel from a Taliban RPG. Inside an airborne Blackhawk helicopter you can hardly hear yourself think. But I could hear the little girl's screams of terrible pain clearly above the roar of the rotors.


Sebastian Rich's exhibition, which is supported by UNHCR and The Diplomatic Courier, runs at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. from October 2 to October 12, 2012.

Rich will be giving a talk at the Drexel University Westphal College of Media Arts and Design in Philadelphia on Thursday, October 4th.

Click here to see more of Sebastian Rich's work and here to view a trailer for Crossing the Line, a documentary about his experiences in Bosnia. the pictures are gruesome, revealing, human and tell a compelling story