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US, Russia close to signing deal on nuke weapons reduction

March 25, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, Mar. 25 (ANI): The United States and Russia are close to announcing a nuclear weapons deal that would replace the START accord of 1991.

The apparent agreement comes just ahead of a White House summit on nuclear security in April.

According to the Christian Science Monitor (CSM), American and Russian negotiators reached an agreement Wednesday on a new strategic arms reduction treaty that will continue the process of reducing the world’s two largest arsenals of nuclear weapons – and that will move the powers further away from their 20th-century status as cold-war enemies.

Agreement comes just as the Obama administration is about to embark on several weeks of nuclear diplomacy.

President Obama has invited more than 40 heads of state to a White House summit on nuclear security in April, and a Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference is set for May.

An official announcement could come as early as Friday, US officials said.

Russian officials in Moscow announced that a few details in the treaty’s annex have been agreed on.

The accord is expected to include the deal that Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev concluded with a handshake last July to reduce each country’s nuclear warheads to between 1,500 and 1,675 within seven years.

The original START accord, reached by US President George H.W. Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, called for reducing arsenals to about 6,000 warheads each and included verification measures to boost confidence on each side that the other was following through on obligations. (ANI)

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Bush’s court appointments emphasized ideology over diversity

July 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 12 (ANI): A new analysis has indicated that the judicial appointments of former president George W. Bush suggest that his motivation for appointing nontraditional judges was driven more by ideology and strategy than concerns for diversity.

The analysis was done by Jennifer Segal Diascro, a professor of government at American University’s School of Public Affairs, and Rorie Spill Solberg, a professor of political science at Oregon State University.

The examination of all the federal judicial appointments during the two terms of his presidency shows that Bush did make a number of diverse appointments, especially Hispanics, but the overall number of minority judges in the federal courts did not increase during his tenure.

“Bush cared about diversity, but it was not his first priority,” Diascro said. “We suspect that he had many Hispanic conservatives from whom to choose when filling vacancies on the bench, yet he chose to appoint traditional candidates instead,” she added.
ccording to the analysis, when compared with all presidents since Jimmy Carter, Bush maintained the status quo in appointing nontraditional judges to the bench.

He appointed more men (78 percent overall) than women (22 percent) and more Caucasians (82 percent) than minorities (18 percent).

When comparing total appointments, the study found that Bush appointed more white females (50) than Carter (32), Ronald Reagan (27) or George H.W. Bush (31), but fewer than Bill Clinton (83).

He appointed more Hispanic females (12) than Clinton (5), but fewer African American females (8 compared to 15) than Clinton.

Like Carter, Reagan, and George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush often appointed minorities to seats for political gain or for ideological purposes, Spill Solberg explained.

“There is a tendency, and we see this across the political spectrum, to use bench appointments to gain clout with certain voters,” said Diascro.

“The Bush administration was actively courting the Hispanic vote, so it isn’t surprising that he made more appointments of Hispanic judges than African Americans, but it was often also based on judicial philosophy,” she added.

According to Diascro, “Not so for African Americans. By the time Bush left office, the proportion of seats on the court of appeals held by African Americans had increased by only half a percent.”

“Replacement patterns are key to understanding efforts to increase diversity on the bench,” she said.

“Presidents may appoint a number of nontraditional judges, as President Bush did, but if their appointments maintain the status quo and don’t add nontraditional judges, then their impact is less than it could be,” she added. (ANI)

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Jack Kemp died in cancer at age 73, He is Top Football Star and Politician

May 3, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

AP – FILE - In this Oct. 14, 1996 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole joins hands with

WASHINGTON – Jack Kemp, the former pro quarterback who turned fame on the gridiron into a career in national politics and a crusade for lower taxes, has died of cancer at age 73.

Family spokeswoman Marci Robinson said Kemp died shortly after 6 p.m. Saturday, surrounded by his family. Kemp died at his home in Bethesda, Md., in the Washington suburbs, friends said.

Kemp’s office announced in January that he had been diagnosed with an unspecified type of cancer. By then, however, the cancer was in an advanced stage and had spread to several organs, former campaign adviser Edwin J. Feulner said. He did not know the origin of the cancer.

Kemp, a former quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, represented western New York for nine terms in Congress, leaving the House for an unsuccessful presidential bid in 1988.

Eight years later, after serving a term as President George H.W. Bush’s housing secretary, he made it onto the national ticket as Bob Dole’s running-mate.

With that loss, the Republican bowed out of political office, but not out of politics. In speaking engagements and a syndicated column, he continued to advocate for the tax reform and supply-side policies — the idea that the more taxes are cut the more the economy will grow — that he pioneered.

Feulner, president of the Heritage Foundation, a Kemp family friend and his former campaign deputy chief of staff, said Kemp’s legacy will be his compassion.

“The idea that all conservatives really should regroup around and identify with is that this is not an exclusive club,” Feulner said. “Freedom is for everybody. That’s what Jack Kemp really stood for.”

Praise rolled in from fellow politicians.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called Kemp “one of the nation’s most distinguished public servants. Jack was a powerful voice in American politics for more than four decades.”

Former President George W. Bush expressed his sorrow after hearing of Kemp’s death.

“Laura and I are saddened by the death of Jack Kemp,” he said. “Jack will be remembered for his significant contributions to the Reagan revolution and his steadfast dedication to conservative principles during his long and distinguished career in public service. Jack’s wife Joanne and the rest of the Kemp family are in our thoughts and prayers.”

Kemp’s rapid and wordy style made the enthusiastic speaker with the neatly side-parted white hair a favorite on the lecture circuit, and a millionaire.

His style didn’t win over everyone. In his memoirs, former Vice President Dan Quayle wrote that at Cabinet meetings, Bush would be irked by Kemp’s habit of going off on tangents and not making “any discernible point.”

Kemp also signed on with numerous educational and corporate boards and charitable organizations, including NFL Charities, which kept him connected to his football roots.

Kemp was a 17th round 1957 NFL draft pick by the Detroit Lions, but was cut before the season began. After being released by three more NFL teams and the Canadian Football League over the next three years, he joined the American Football League’s Los Angeles Chargers as a free agent in 1960. A waivers foul-up two years later would land him with the Buffalo Bills, who got him at the bargain basement price of $100.

Kemp led Buffalo to the 1964 and 1965 AFL Championships, and won the league’s most valuable player award in 1965. He co-founded the AFL Players Association in 1964 and was elected president of the union for five terms. When he retired from football in 1969, Kemp had enough support in blue-collar Buffalo and its suburbs to win an open congressional seat.

In 11 seasons, he sustained a dozen concussions, two broken ankles and a crushed hand — which Kemp insisted a doctor permanently set in a passing position so that he could continue to play.

“Pro football gave me a good perspective,” he was quoted as saying. “When I entered the political arena, I had already been booed, cheered, cut, sold, traded, and hung in effigy.”

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said “Kemp was an extraordinary American leader who became a trusted colleague and exceptional friend to countless NFL owners, team personnel and commissioners after his MVP playing career with the Buffalo Bills.”

Kemp was born in California to Christian Scientist parents. He worked on the loading docks of his father’s trucking company as a boy before majoring in physical education at Occidental College, where he led the nation’s small colleges in passing.

He became a Presbyterian after marrying his college sweetheart, Joanne Main. The couple had four children, including two sons who played professional football. He joined with a son and son-in-law to form a Washington strategic consulting firm, Kemp Partners, after leaving office.

Through his political life, Kemp’s positions spanned the social spectrum: He opposed abortion and supported school prayer, yet appealed to liberals with his outreach toward minorities and compassion for the poor. He pushed for immigration reform to include a guest-worker program and status for the illegal immigrants already here.

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: AP – FILE – In this Oct. 14, 1996 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole joins hands with

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Obama to approve release of Reagan records on Monday

April 11, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Apr 11 (ANI): President Barack Obama is ordering the release of nearly 250,000 pages of records from the Reagan White House years that were kept away from the public eye during a lengthy review by former President George W. Bush.

The Reagan documents, which include presidential briefing papers, speechwriting research materials and declassified foreign policy records, are expected to be released on Monday.

Officials said that the Obama Administration’s quick verdict on the documents was prompted by an executive order that Obama signed in January that gives the incumbent president 30 days to make such a decision, unless he sets out a longer period.

By contrast, Bush’s executive order on presidential records set no time limit on the White House’s review, Politico reports.

“With regard to the Reagan Administration records, I am writing to inform you that the President has not asserted executive privilege over any of this material,” White House Counsel Greg Craig told Politico.

A smaller batch of 797 pages from President George H.W. Bush’s presidential library on the topic of Saudi Arabia also has been cleared for release on Monday.

In recent years, historians and open-government groups complained bitterly that the review process President George W. Bush instituted was causing a backlog that was stalling the release of tens of thousands of pages of presidential records.

“The cynical view is that the process is deliberately inefficient,” Thomas Blanton of the National Security Archive testified at a Congressional hearing on the issue in 2007. (ANI)

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Pirates pose annoying distraction for Obama

April 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Ragtag teams of modern-day Blackbeards are posing an annoying distraction for Barack Obama, forcing him to add Somalia to an already long list of foreign policy challenges.

American presidents are told to expect the unexpected, and Obama is seeing that this week. First it was a North Korean test of a ballistic missile last weekend. Now comes a swashbuckling high-seas standoff with armed renegades.

Obama so far has sent U.S. Navy ships to protect an American-flagged freighter that managed to repel a pirate attack but whose captain was taken hostage.

America’s recent experience with Somalia has not been good, making caution a key element of U.S. policy in dealing with the country.

The Obama administration was careful not to give the crisis too much prominence, with delicate negotiations under way to try to secure the captain’s release.

“We’re obviously paying careful attention to this issue. And I’m really not able to go beyond that at this point,” said State Department spokesman Robert Wood.

Obama, just back from a week-long trip to Europe and a morale-boosting visit to U.S. troops in Iraq, already has a long list of foreign challenges from North Korea to Iran to Afghanistan, and beyond.

He declined to comment on the pirate situation for the second day in a row on Thursday.

And the usually voluble Vice President Joe Biden said only: “This is being worked on around the clock since this happened. I’m not in a position right now (to comment).”

Somalia came to U.S. attention in 1992 when warring factions created a humanitarian crisis.

DISTRACTION

President George H.W. Bush, describing it as “God’s work,” sent U.S. combat troops to the east African nation in late 1992 there to lead an international U.N. force to secure the environment for relief operations.

“We will not stay one day longer than is absolutely necessary,” Bush said.

President Bill Clinton inherited the problem. He pulled most of the U.S. troops out in early 1993.

But those that remained were sent to track down warlord Mohamed Farah Aideed, ultimately leading to a 17-hour firefight in Mogadishu in which 18 American soldiers were killed, a disastrous battle that led to the book and movie, “Blackhawk Down.”

The pirate episode was a reminder to the United States that Somalia is a festering failed state — or as Foreign Policy magazine called it, “The Most Dangerous Place in the World” — and poses a foreign policy dilemma that will not go away.

“We don’t want to go back there,” said presidential historian Thomas Alan Schwartz, a professor at Vanderbilt University. “This may be one of those points where Obama is going to have to cash in some of his international chips and get the U.N. to go in there.”

“Somebody needs to go into Somalia and govern the place,” he said.

Democratic strategist Doug Schoen, who worked in the Clinton White House, called the crisis “a real test of national resolve” that the Obama White House and opposition Republicans need to work together to deal with.

“It’s an annoyance and a distraction,” he said. “On the other hand, if we don’t take this seriously and we don’t stamp it out we will face what other countries are facing, which are repeated acts of piracy.”

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Bush twins tell Obama girls where to find hugs, smiles, football talk in White House

January 21, 2009 By Rajesh Leave a Comment

Melbourne, January 21 (ANI): Former First daughters Barbara Bush and Jenna Hager have handed out advice to new First daughters Malia and Sasha Obama on living in the White House.

The daughters of ex-President George W. Bush encouraged the little Obama girls to “go to anything and everything you possibly can,” in an open letter published in the Wall Street Journal.

“If you ever need a hug, go find Ramsey. If you want to talk football, look for Buddy. And, if you just need a smile, look for Smiley,” News.com.au quoted the twins as saying.

The duo had first stepped in the White house in 1989 as seven year olds, when their Grandfather George H. W. Bush was sworn in as the 41st president of the United States

They later returned to the official residence in 2001, when their father was elected as America’s 43rd president.

Barbara and Jenna further mentioned pets, friends, and suggestions on how to cope up with a President-father.

They write: “He is our father, not the sketch in the paper or part of a skit on TV. We still see him now as we did when we were seven: as our loving daddy.

They add: “Four years goes by so fast, so absorb it all, enjoy it all.” (ANI)

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Former U.S Presidents’ presence makes Obama’s swearing-in extra special

January 21, 2009 By Rajesh Leave a Comment

Washington, Jan.20 (ANI): Barak Obama’s swearing-in ceremony would be rememberd for many easons in the Untied States’ history

The ceremony, which believed to have cost America over seven billion rupees making it the costliest wearing in ceremony to be held at Capitol, was attended by the foreign dignitaries and celebrities rom around the world.

But one of the special attractions for everyone was the presence of all the living former U.S residents, who graced Obama’s swearing-in with their presence.

The list included America included Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, Senior George H.W.Bush and his ife, Jimmy Carter and the former first lady Rosalynn, and outgoing President George W. Bush long with Dick Cheney. (ANI)

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Obama’s autographed pictures with former US presidents may go for 6000 dollars

January 20, 2009 By Rajesh Leave a Comment

Washington, Jan 20 (ANI): Barack Obama’s autographed pictures with former US Presidents, which will bw an collector’s item, may go for 6000 dollars.

Obama, along with presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, agreed to sign 250 prints of a staff photograph.

Each president will eventually receive 50 copies that have been signed by all five of them, according to a White House official and an Obama transition aide, Politico.com reported.

Early estimates value the signed pictures at more than 6,000 dollars apiece, based on the rarity of such a meeting and how few copies of the photograph will be circulated. That value could push higher when collectors factor in Obama’s popularity and historical significance as the first African-American president.

“You’re going to see these valued and collected and sought after in a similar fashion as the previous ones, and when you’re talking about a president that’s very popular at the moment, that has to help,” said Steven Hoskin, president of the Professional Autograph Dealers Association.

This curious practice dates back to 1981 when all four living presidents gathered at the White House before Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat’s funeral and later autographed copies of the photo.

But it turned into a more coordinated effort, with a pre-set limit on the number of copies, when the presidential club gathered in 1991 for the dedication of Ronald Reagan’s library in Simi Valley, California, the website said.

Obama will be the last of the five presidents to sign the photographs. His aides expect him to receive them some time over the next few weeks. (ANI)

|China to modernize military while pursuing peaceful development|World[Beijing{Beijing, Jan.20 (ANI): China on Tuesday issued a White Paper on national defense, pledging to be committed to the peaceful development and advance its military modernization.

The paper for the first time unveiled China’s ambition to “basically accomplishing mechanization (of the military) and making major progress in informationization by 2020″ and “realizing modernization by the mid-21st century.”

The white paper on “China’s National Defense in 2008″ was issued by the Information Office of the State Council, Xinhua reported.

Vowing to strengthen the military by means of science and technology, the paper said China was working to “develop new and high-tech weaponry and equipment, conduct military training in conditions of informationization and build a modern logistics system in an all-round way.”

On China’s military strategic guideline of active defense, the paper said this guideline “aimed at winning local wars in conditions of informationization.”

On the current effort to streamline the armed forces, the paper said China is aimed at developing a complete set of “scientific modes” of organization, institutions and ways of operation by 2020.

The paper for the first time specified in detail China’s long-standing policy of “no first use of nuclear weapons.”

“In peacetime, the nuclear missile weapons of the Second Artillery Force are not aimed at any country,” the paper said while reaffirming the country’s will to implement “a self-defensive nuclear strategy.” (ANI)

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Bush says he refused to bail out Republicans on Iraq withdrawal

January 12, 2009 By Rajesh Leave a Comment

Washington, Jan.12 (ANI): Outgoing US President George W Bush has admitted to refusing to “bail out” his Republican party by withdrawing troops “during the darkest days of Iraq”.

That decision is now lauded by his father in an unprecedented joint interview to FOX News Sunday.

“During the darkest days of Iraq, people came to me and said, ‘You’re creating incredible political difficulties for us,’” the current president said as his term draws to a close. “And I said, ‘Oh, really? What do you suggest I do?’ And some suggested retreat, pull out of Iraq.

“But I had faith that freedom exists in people’s souls, and therefore, if given a chance, democracy and Iraqi-style democracy could survive and work,” the president said.

“I didn’t compromise that principle for the sake of trying to, you know, bail out my political party.”

The president’s father, former President George H.W. Bush, became emotional when assessing his son’s tenure.

“You can make a tough decision and stay with it,” he told his son before turning to Hume in the White House Diplomatic Room. “And he’s been tested unlike any other president with 9/11. So he passed the test.”

He said political invective has “gotten worse” since his days in the White House, adding: “It’s offensive, very offensive.”

The younger Bush agreed. “The biggest disappointment in the political process, that’s been this kind of bitterness by a few people to the point where they don’t want to have a logical discussion or a civil discussion about policy,” he said. “They just want to tear you down.”

Bush said he is planning to write a book about his presidency.

“I’m toying with the idea of maybe describing the toughest decisions I had to make as president, and the context in which I made them,” he said.

“It is very hard for people to remember what life was like a mere four or five years ago. And it’s going to be very important for me to recreate the environment in which I had to make certain decisions, particularly the environment of right after September the 11th, 2001,” he added. (ANI)

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