Nov
8
Obama apologizes to Nancy Reagan for seance remark
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WASHINGTON - President-elect Obama called Nancy Reagan on Friday to apologize for joking that she held seances in the White House.
At a news conference in Chicago, Obama said he had spoken with all the living presidents as he prepares to take office in January. Then he smiled and said, “I didn’t want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about doing any seances.”
The 87-year-old former first lady had consulted with astrologers during her husband’s presidency. But she did not hold conversations with the dead.
Obama spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said the president-elect later called Mrs. Reagan “to apologize for the careless and offhanded remark.” She said Obama “expressed his admiration and affection for Mrs. Reagan that so many Americans share, and they had a warm conversation.”
It actually wasn’t Nancy Reagan who was linked to conversations with the dead; it was Obama’s top Democratic challenger for the presidency, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.
In either case, use of the word “seance” might be overstated.
Nancy Reagan consulted an astrologer to help set her husband’s schedule, wrote former White House chief of staff Donald T. Regan. The revelation created a furor and President Reagan even broke with his policy of not commenting on books by former White House staffers.
“No policy or decision in my mind has ever been influenced by astrology,” Reagan said.
In his book “The Choice,” Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward described how Clinton consulted with a spiritual adviser who led her through imaginary conversations with her personal hero, Eleanor Roosevelt. Newsweek magazine, which was promoting the book, characterized the visits as “seances,” a term that White House officials quickly tried to squelch.
“These were people who were helping her laugh, helping her think,” said Neel Lattimore, Clinton’s spokeswoman. “These were not seances.”
Nov
7
Obama’s choice of Emanuel shows switch in tone
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CHICAGO - Barack Obama is signaling a shift in tactics and temperament as he moves from candidate to president-elect, picking sharp-elbowed Washington insiders for top posts.
His choice Thursday for White House chief of staff - Rahm Emanuel, a fiery partisan who doesn’t mind breaking glass and hurting feelings - is a significant departure from the soft-spoken, low-key aides that “No-Drama Obama” surrounded himself with during his campaign. And transition chief John Podesta, like Emanuel, is a former top aide to Bill Clinton and a tough partisan infighter, though less bombastic than the new chief of staff.
The selections are telling for Obama, who campaigned as a nontraditional, almost “post-partisan” newcomer. People close to him say the selections show that Obama is aware of his weaknesses as well as his strengths and knows what he needs to be successful as he shifts from campaigning to governing.
“No one I know is better at getting things done than Rahm Emanuel,” said Obama, who also spoke by phone with nine world leaders Thursday.
Obama, who survived a long contest with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, also has made it clear he will rely heavily on veterans of her husband’s eight-year administration, the only Democratic presidency in the past 28 years. Podesta was President Clinton’s chief of staff, and several other former Clinton aides are on Obama’s short lists for key jobs, Democratic officials say. Some of them helped write a large briefing book on how to govern, assembled under Podesta’s supervision.
Obama himself brims with self-confidence, to the point that some people view him as arrogant. But to a greater degree than many presidents, he appears willing to lean on Washington insiders associated with other politicians.
Still, he is also certain to bring to the White House a cadre of longtime aides.
Emanuel accepted Obama’s offer with a gesture of bipartisanship, addressing part of his statement to Republicans. “We often disagree, but I respect their motives,” Emanuel said. “Now is a time for unity, and, Mr. President-elect, I will do everything in my power to help you stitch together the frayed fabric of our politics, and help summon Americans of both parties to unite in common purpose.”
That would come as news to some Republicans.
In contrast to Obama’s collegial style and that of his top campaign advisers, Emanuel is known as a foul-mouthed practitioner of brass-knuckled politics who relishes both conflict and publicity. He once mailed a dead fish to a political foe.
But he also earned a reputation for pragmatic efficiency, whether the goal was winning House elections for Democrats or working with Republicans to enact Clinton’s centrist political agenda.
“Rahm knows Capitol Hill and has great political skills,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. “He can be a tough partisan but also understands the need to work together.”
House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio was less kind. He called his appointment an “ironic choice for a president-elect who has promised to change Washington, make politics more civil and govern from the center.”
Democrats say Obama is self-assured enough to acknowledge his limitations by the appointments he makes.
“I know what I’m good at. I know what I’m not good at. I know what I know, and I know what I don’t know,” Obama once told Pete Rouse as he prepared to move up from Illinois state senator to the U.S. Senate.
Thus, when Obama was elected to the Senate, he picked Rouse, a press-averse former top aide to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, to run his Capitol Hill office. When Obama embarked on his presidential campaign, he chose advisers with presidential campaign experience like the studious David Plouffe as campaign manager and the even-keeled David Axelrod as chief strategist.
Axelrod is likely to get a job as a top adviser at the White House, and Robert Gibbs is the likely pick for press secretary. Gibbs has been Obama’s longtime spokesman and confidant, at his side from his 2004 Senate campaign through the long days on the presidential campaign trail.
In Emanuel, Obama has chosen a fellow Chicagoan who intimately knows both the White House and Congress, as a former political and policy aide for President Clinton and a current Illinois congressman who is the No. 4 Democrat in the House.
Obama frequently sought Emanuel’s advice during the presidential race, according to one campaign official.
Emanuel said he weighed family and political considerations before accepting the job on Thursday, according to Democratic officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid angering Obama. He will have to resign his congressional seat and put aside hopes of becoming speaker of the House.
With the selection, Democrats say Obama seemed to recognize he may have his work cut out for him in taming the House: Liberals may try to push their own agenda, not necessarily Obama’s. They say Emanuel is someone who not only can stand up to Congress but also maneuver through it to achieve a chief executive’s goals.
Nov
6
Barack Obama has started forming his administration by asking Rahm Emanuel, a former adviser to President Clinton, to be his chief-of-staff.
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Rahm Emanuel is an Illinois congressman and tough Washington insider who has been strongly Criticised by some republicans for being too partisan. U.S. president-elect Obama is expected to appoint a new treasury secretary soon. He has until his inauguration on 20 January to select his senior officials. President Bush has pledged his complete co-operation during the transition. With the business of preparing for government under way, Obama will start receiving the president’s daily CIA briefings, from today which will include updates on covert operations. Obama was elected the first black U.S. President on Tuesday with a resounding win over republican rival John Mccain. Projected results from Tuesday’s election have yet to be announced for the states of north Carolina and Missouri, which are believed to be too close to call. But with most precincts tallied, Obama’s share of the popular vote stands at 52.3%, compared with Mr Mccain’s 46.4%. Turnout was reported to be extremely high - in some places “unprecedented” in what many Americans said they felt was a historic election. The entire us house of representatives and a third of us senate seats were also contested in Tuesday’s elections. The democrats increased their senate majority by five seats, but fell short of the 60 needed to stop blocking tactics by republicans. They also increased their majority in the house of representatives, gaining 20 seats to give a total 252, leaving the republicans with 173. Meanwhile Alaska governor Sarah Palin said she’s happy to be back in her home after she and John Mccain lost the U.S. presidential election. A crowd of well-wishers were on hand to greet Palin. Palin remains a popular governor in her home state and said she’s looking forward to work on a pipeline that will help America become less dependent on foreign oil.
Nov
6
NATIONAL NEWS - The executive committee of national economic council met in Islamabad with Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani in chair.
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The meeting reviewed new development projects in the country. The projects which were reviewed include housing and physical planning, power sector, health, energy, transport, communication, environment and social sector development. The ECNEC also reviewed the Diamir Bhasha dam project and the plan to rehabilitate the affectees of Bhashah dam project.
B
Nov
4
With the harsh winter looming, the government and aid agencies are rushing to provide relief and shelter to the quake-hit people in Balochistan.
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The government is making arrangements of tents and warm clothings to protect the homeless people from harsh weather.
A spokesman of Balochistan government said that shelters will be constructed for the homeless on fast track basis. He said the government is also arranging funds to be provided to the quake-hit people so that they could reconstruct their houses and shift in them. Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani visited the quake-hit areas and inspected the ongoing relief and rehabilitation activities. Army helicopters are being used take tents, blankets and relief items to remote and mountainous areas. The brotherly Muslim countries Saudi Arabia, turkey, Iran and others are also taking active part in providing assistance to the quake victims. Today, six trawlers carrying relief goods arrived from Iran. Iran’s consular general handed over the relief goods to federal minister Mir Humayun Aziz and PPP’S provincial president Mir Lashkari Raisani.
The relief items comprise one thousand tents, five thousand blankets, five tones detergent powder and two tones of dry fish. The ministers of Azad Kashmir presented a Cheque of five million rupees to Balochistan chief minister as assistance for the quake-hit people. They assured that AJK government will provide every possible assistance to people of Balochistan. Ouch power limited company handed over 500 blankets, 100 tents, ration and medicines for the quake-affected people.
Nov
4
Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has reaffirmed Pakistan’s stance for maintaining a minimum credible deterrence through conventional and strategic capabilities.
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Talking to chairman joint chiefs of staff committee general Tariq Majeed, in Islamabad the Prime Minister said Pakistan, being an important country of the region is playing a critical role for the peace and stability in the region as well as the world at large.He said that despite having many challenges, the government would continue to pursue its policy towards economic sovereignty, smooth political process, good neighborliness, friendly international environment and good governance. The Prime Minister lauded the role of the armed forces for undertaking timely relief activities along with the national disaster management authority to ensure speedy provision of relief goods to the earthquake affectees in Balochistan. The chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff committee briefed the prime minister about the implementation of armed forces development plan.
Nov
4
President Asif Ali Zardari has arrived in Riyadh on a two-day official visit to Saudi Arabia.
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The President was received by the minister in waiting Saud Altuhami and governor of Riyadh Prince Salman Bin Abdulaziz at air port. The President during his visit will hold wide ranging talks with Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz.
During his visit the president will seek Saudi support for the “friends of democratic Pakistan” Initaitive and the oil facility requested by Pakistan.
Oct
26
In the United States, democrat Barack Obama will resume active campaigning after taking time off to visit his ailing grandmother.
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Obama was due to hit the road again in the western battleground states of Nevada and New Mexico before heading to Colorado tomorrow. The Illinois senator spent Friday in Hawaii, saying goodbye for perhaps the last time to the gravely ill grandmother who brought him up. Meanwhile, McCain continued to try to tar the democratic presidential hopeful as a secret socialist in a bid to sway voters 11 days before the November 4 election. Addressing a rally in Colorado, McCain alleged that Obama believes in redistributing wealth, not in policies that grow our economy and create jobs. McCain said raising taxes in a bad economy will kill jobs and warned that democrats have already previewed their plans to “tax and spend. Obama’s campaign wasted no time in issuing a retort. A statement by his spokesman said senator Obama will cut taxes for 95 percent of working Americans while John McCain gives no relief at all to more than 100 million Americans. National tracking polls have Obama up anywhere from four to 14 percentage points, with a solid lead in most battleground states. Michelle Obama took her husband’s place at a planned rally in Ohio where she said her husband’s calls to fix the economy, repair the broken health care system and make university education more affordable were personal” issues. Speaking at a rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin delivered remarks on assistance to families with special needs.
Oct
25
The special meeting of the joint anti-terror mechanism between India and Pakistan began in New Delhi to address the mutual concerns about terrorism.
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The indian delegation at the meeting was led by Vivek Katju, special secretary, political and international organizations in the ministry of external affairs. Aizaz Ahmad Choudhry, additional secretary, South Asia, ministry of foreign affairs led the Pakistani delegation. Issues relating to terrorism including sharing of information came under discussion at the talks. The decision to hold the special meeting of the jatm was taken during the meeting between the prime minister dr. Manmohan Singh and the president of Pakistan, Mr. Asif Ali Zardari, in New York, on the side lines of un general
Assembly meeting.
Oct
25
In Bajaur Agency, at least eight militants were killed as security forces continued their operation.
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The deaths came as forces carried out shelling on militant hideouts in various areas of Chahar Mang and Mamoond.
Unknown miscreants fired two missiles on security forces in Siddiqabad near Khar.