Ankara holds out for diplomacy
Associated Press Oct 28, 07 12:15 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Turkish soldiers killed 15 Kurdish guerrillas today in Tunceli province, several hundred miles from the area bordering Iraq where most of the clashes with Kurdish separatists have taken place, the AP reports. Iraqi-Turkish talks aimed at reconciling the escalating conflict collapsed before the weekend, and sources say that PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Washington on November 5 is Turkey's last stab at diplomacy.
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If there's one thing Bush can do, it's embrace for the cameras
Washington Post Oct 28, 07 10:25 AM CDT
(Newser)
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George W. Bush may not come off as touchy-feely, but as his California fire tour demonstrates, he’s one of the best presidential huggers of all time. In recent months, Bush has embraced literally hundreds in public, the Washington Post notes. Sure, those are mostly photo ops, but Bush’s hugs look strangely genuine, and may define our memory of him.
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'We don't need permission' to strike Kurds, PM says
Reuters Oct 27, 07 6:17 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Turkey will invade Northern Iraq “the moment an operation is needed,” Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan vowed after talks with Baghdad crumbled last night. Ankara has up to 100,000 troops on the Iraqi border, backed by tanks and fighter plans, ready to strike roughly 3,000 Kurdish rebels. The US and Britain oppose any incursion, but Erdogan said, “We don’t need to ask anyone’s permission.”
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Bill Simon hosts crash course to earn Giuliani conservative cred
Washington Post Oct 26, 07 9:21 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Giuliani is going to "Simon University," where think tank types school him to be a hawk and a tax-cutter, the Washington Post reports. Bill Simon hosts, teaching Giuliani how to think conservative heartland instead of New York elite. Simon, Giuliani's policy director, "has the added advantage of being a serious social conservative and a pro-lifer," one analyst says.
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House Dems fail to capture votes needed to foil Bush veto of popular measure
Washington Post Oct 26, 07 3:23 AM CDT
(Newser)
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House Democrats' plans to expand a children's health insurance program hit a brick wall again yesterday when they failed to attract the Republican votes necessary to override a presidential veto, reports the Washington Post . The final vote on a reworked $35 billion expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program was 265-142, more than a dozen votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to defeat a veto.
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Six more found dead; 60 injured
Reuters Oct 26, 07 2:54 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Four charred bodies found in the mountains near the Mexican border and two others discovered in a house in San Diego County boosted the death toll of the California wildfires to 12, with 60 others injured. Authorities confirmed yesterday that the 25,000-acre Santiago Fire in Orange County was arson, set by someone with particular knowledge of how wildfires spread.
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President tours affected areas by helicopter
New York Times Oct 25, 07 3:23 PM CDT
(Newser)
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“There will be help for the people of California,” said President Bush today, promising federal aid while on a tour of areas devastated by days of wildfires. Bush, accompanied by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and other politicians, had already declared seven counties in Southern California to be disaster areas, the New York Times reports.
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Rolls back Bush cuts
for wealthy; unlikely
to advance soon
New York Times Oct 25, 07 2:06 PM CDT
(Newser)
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A Democratic bill unveiled today would dramatically alter the tax code, hiking taxes for those making more than $200,000 and slashing them for most others. The overhaul, which would effectively roll back Bush’s cuts for the wealthy, isn’t expected to get any traction until the White House has a new occupant, the New York Times notes, and is seen as a preview of future plans.
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Figure much higher than previous estimates for Iraq, Afghanistan
USA Today Oct 24, 07 4:16 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Americans will have to pony up $8,000 apiece to fund the Iraq and Afghanistan wars through the next decade—a total that could top $2.4 trillion—according to a projection by the Congressional Budget Office released today. The figure dwarfs previous CBO estimates because it factors in $705 billion in interest on the loaned funds, USA Today reports.
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Stark apologizes for saying Bush 'amused'
by 'heads blown off'
San Francisco Chronicle Oct 24, 07 6:16 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Democratic Rep. Pete Stark apologized on the floor of the House yesterday for accusing Republicans of sending soldiers to Iraq "to get their heads blown off for the president's amusement." The 75-year-old lawmaker issued his regrets in a somber statement "to my colleagues, the president, his family, the troops," reports the San Francisco Chronicle.
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Bush steps up to avoid Katrina repeat
Associated Press Oct 24, 07 4:59 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Firefighters look for the wind to change late this afternoon, as more than 15 rampaging wildfires continue to turn swaths of Southern California into writhing walls of flames. In a bid to avoid a repeat of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, President Bush yesterday declared a federal emergency for seven counties and scheduled a visit for tomorrow, CNN reports.
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Calls power transition from Fidel to brother unacceptable
New York Times Oct 24, 07 4:14 AM CDT
(Newser)
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President Bush is expected to make a landmark speech on Cuba today, calling the transfer of power from Fidel Castro to his brother Raul unacceptable to the United States. The president will also address the Cuban people, urging them to resist "the force of a dying regime," reports the New York Times .
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He says Europe shield needed to fend off Iran
Washington Post Oct 23, 07 5:14 PM CDT
(Newser)
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President Bush today declared an "urgent" need for a missile-defense system in Europe to defend the US and its allies against attacks from "dangerous regimes" such as Iran, the Washington Post reports. Bush sought to get Russia on board, while defense chief Gates said the system would remain idle until the US had "concrete proof" of an imminent attack from Iran.
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