Monday, November 15, 2004
These are the horrors of war. What can be the predicted effect on someone when forced into the cauldron of savage combat. For myself, I can hardly imagine the complete and overwhelming sense of fear and the loss of the normal boundaries of behavior. This close quarter, house to house combat is the most terrifying type of military fighting. Michael P. Whelan
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U.S. Military Probes Shooting of Iraqi in Falluja
1 hour, 40 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military has begun an investigation into possible war crimes after a television pool report by NBC showed a Marine shooting dead a wounded and unarmed Iraqi in a Falluja mosque, officials said on Monday.
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AP Photo
Slideshow: Iraq
Latest headlines:
·
U.S. to Probe Shooting of Wounded Iraqi AP - 10 minutes ago
·
U.S. Troops Battle Insurgents Across Iraq AP - 11 minutes ago
·
Probe: Saddam Made $21B From U.N. Program AP - 13 minutes ago
Special Coverage
The Iraqi was one of five wounded left in the mosque after Marines fought their way in on Friday and Saturday. The U.S. military has accused insurgents in Iraq (news - web sites) of using mosques to launch attacks against American forces.
U.S. forces, along with Iraqi government troops, launched an offensive one week ago on Falluja, and have gained overall control of the formerly rebel-held city, although scattered resistance remains.
Maj. Douglas Powell, a Marine Corps spokesman at the Pentagon (news - web sites), said the investigation, being conducted by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, focused on "possible law of war violations" by U.S. Marines.
The pool report by NBC correspondent Kevin Sites said the mosque had been used by insurgents to attack U.S. forces, who stormed it and an adjacent building, killing 10 militants and wounding the five.
Sites said the wounded had been left in the mosque for others to pick up and move to the rear for treatment. No reason was given why that had not happened.
A second group of Marines entered the mosque on Saturday after reports it had been reoccupied. Footage from the embedded television crew showed the five still in the mosque, although several appeared to be already close to death, Sites said.
He said one Marine noticed one of the prisoners was still breathing.
A Marine can be heard saying on the pool footage provided to Reuters Television: "He's f***ing faking he's dead. He faking he's f***ing dead."
"The Marine then raises his rifle and fires into the man's head. The pictures are too graphic for us to broadcast," Sites said.
The report said the Marine had returned to duty after being shot in the face a day earlier.
Sites said the shot prisoner "did not appear to be armed or threatening in any way."
NBC showed blurred images of the Marine and the shooting was heard though not seen on its news program in the United States on Monday night, but the network made the full video available to media.
Powell said the investigation was ongoing and no charges had yet been brought against any of the Marines.
"As soon as the video was brought to the attention of the Marines Corps leadership by the reporter, they immediately pulled the unit off the front lines and launched an investigation," Powell said.
"They're not doing combat operations any more," he added.
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News Home - Help
U.S. Military Probes Shooting of Iraqi in Falluja
1 hour, 40 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military has begun an investigation into possible war crimes after a television pool report by NBC showed a Marine shooting dead a wounded and unarmed Iraqi in a Falluja mosque, officials said on Monday.
Reuters Photo
AP Photo
Slideshow: Iraq
Latest headlines:
·
U.S. to Probe Shooting of Wounded Iraqi AP - 10 minutes ago
·
U.S. Troops Battle Insurgents Across Iraq AP - 11 minutes ago
·
Probe: Saddam Made $21B From U.N. Program AP - 13 minutes ago
Special Coverage
The Iraqi was one of five wounded left in the mosque after Marines fought their way in on Friday and Saturday. The U.S. military has accused insurgents in Iraq (news - web sites) of using mosques to launch attacks against American forces.
U.S. forces, along with Iraqi government troops, launched an offensive one week ago on Falluja, and have gained overall control of the formerly rebel-held city, although scattered resistance remains.
Maj. Douglas Powell, a Marine Corps spokesman at the Pentagon (news - web sites), said the investigation, being conducted by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, focused on "possible law of war violations" by U.S. Marines.
The pool report by NBC correspondent Kevin Sites said the mosque had been used by insurgents to attack U.S. forces, who stormed it and an adjacent building, killing 10 militants and wounding the five.
Sites said the wounded had been left in the mosque for others to pick up and move to the rear for treatment. No reason was given why that had not happened.
A second group of Marines entered the mosque on Saturday after reports it had been reoccupied. Footage from the embedded television crew showed the five still in the mosque, although several appeared to be already close to death, Sites said.
He said one Marine noticed one of the prisoners was still breathing.
A Marine can be heard saying on the pool footage provided to Reuters Television: "He's f***ing faking he's dead. He faking he's f***ing dead."
"The Marine then raises his rifle and fires into the man's head. The pictures are too graphic for us to broadcast," Sites said.
The report said the Marine had returned to duty after being shot in the face a day earlier.
Sites said the shot prisoner "did not appear to be armed or threatening in any way."
NBC showed blurred images of the Marine and the shooting was heard though not seen on its news program in the United States on Monday night, but the network made the full video available to media.
Powell said the investigation was ongoing and no charges had yet been brought against any of the Marines.
"As soon as the video was brought to the attention of the Marines Corps leadership by the reporter, they immediately pulled the unit off the front lines and launched an investigation," Powell said.
"They're not doing combat operations any more," he added.
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Bush Chooses Rice to Replace Powell
4 minutes ago
By TOM RAUM, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites) has selected Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites), his national security adviser and trusted confidant, to replace Colin Powell (news - web sites) as secretary of state, officials said Monday, in a major shakeup of the president's national security team. Three other Cabinet secretaries also resigned.
AP Photo
Reuters
Slideshow: Colin Powell
Powell, a retired four-star general who often clashed on Iraq (news - web sites) and other foreign policy issues with more hawkish members of Bush's administration, said he was returning to private life once his successor was in place.
The Cabinet exodus promised a starkly different look to Bush's second-term team. Rice is considered more of a foreign policy hard-liner than the moderate Powell.
The White House announced Powell's exit along with the resignations of Education Secretary Rod Paige, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham (news - web sites). Veneman had said last week she wanted to stay.
Bush's nomination of Rice is expected Tuesday afternoon, a senior administration official said.
Stephen Hadley, now the deputy national security adviser, is expected to replace Rice at the White House, the official said.
Combined with the resignations earlier this month of Commerce Secretary Don Evans and Attorney General John Ashcroft (news - web sites), six of Bush's 15 Cabinet members will not be part of the president's second term, which begins with his inauguration Jan. 20. An administration that experienced few changes over the last four years suddenly hit a high-water mark for overhaul.
Although there had been recent speculation that Powell would stay on, at least for part of Bush's second term, he told reporters on Monday "I made no offer" to do so.
Known for his moderate views and unblemished reputation, Powell went before the United Nations (news - web sites) in February 2003 to sell Bush's argument for invading Iraq to skeptics abroad and at home. But Powell's case was built on faulty intelligence that Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) possessed weapons of mass destruction.
Still, the former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman remained the most popular member of the administration, moreso than even Bush.
In a resignation letter dated Nov. 12, Powell told Bush that, with the election over, it was time to "step down ... and return to private life." The 35-year Army veteran said he would stay on "for a number of weeks, or a month or two" until his replacement was confirmed by the Senate.
In an appearance at the daily State Department midday briefing, Powell said he had a full end-of-year agenda. Asked what he plans to do next, the 67-year-old Powell said, "I don't know."
In a statement, Bush called Powell "one of the great public servants of our time."
Rice, 50, worked at the National Security Council in former President Bush's White House and went on to be provost of Stanford University in California before working in the current president's 2000 campaign. Rice gave a flurry of speeches in political background states in the closing days of Bush's re-election campaign. That drew criticism from Sen. John Edwards (news - web sites), the Democratic vice presidential candidate, who accused Bush of "diverting his national security adviser from doing her job."
U.N. Ambassador John Danforth, the former Republican senator from Missouri, whose name was circulated in earlier speculation for the job, described Powell as "a great person" and "an outstanding public servant."
Powell, one of the architects of the 1991 Persian Gulf War (news - web sites) in the administration of the first President Bush, often sparred with hard-line administration officials such as Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld over Iraq policy.
"Secretary Powell's departure is a loss to the moderate internationalist voices in the Bush administration," said New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a former U.N. ambassador in the Clinton administration.
Powell drew praise from overseas, where he was clearly the most popular member of the administration.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites) described Powell as "a remarkable man and ... a good friend to this country over a very long period." German Defense Minister Peter Struck called Powell's retirement "regrettable" and described him as "a reliable partner in conversation in the area of defense policy."
The resignations come as Bush faces major foreign policy challenges. The threat of terrorism looms, the fighting in Iraq continues with upcoming January elections in doubt, nuclear tensions remain with Iran and North Korea (news - web sites), and the Middle East landscape has shifted with the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (news - web sites).
Paige, 71, the nation's seventh education secretary, is the first black to serve in the job. He oversaw Bush's signature education law, the No Child Left Behind Act. The leading candidate to replace Paige is Margaret Spellings, a domestic policy adviser who helped Bush shape his school agenda when he was the Texas governor.
Abraham, 52, a former senator from Michigan, joined the administration after he lost a bid for re-election. Abraham struggled to persuade Congress to endorse the president's broad energy agenda. Sources said he intends to stay in Washington, where he plans to work in private law practice.
Veneman, 55, the daughter of a California peach grower, was the nation's first woman agriculture secretary. Among those mentioned as a possible replacement are Chuck Conner, White House farm adviser; Allen Johnson, the chief U.S. agricultural negotiator; Bill Hawks, undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs; and Charles Kruse, president of the Missouri Farm Bureau Federation.
Rep. Charles Stenholm (news, bio, voting record), D-Texas, who lost his bid for re-election, was also mentioned. He said he was flattered but has "not been contacted by anyone that counts."
The resignations are on a par with what other presidents who have won second terms have experienced.
In Ecuador for a meeting of defense ministers, Rumsfeld said, "I have not discussed that with the president" when asked if he planned to resign.
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, attending a meeting in Hawaii, declined to say whether he, too, would resign — but told reporters he has not submitted a letter of resignation. "And when those decisions are made, I'd prefer to share it with the president first," Ridge said.
__
Associated Press writer Deb Riechmann contributed to this report.
4 minutes ago
By TOM RAUM, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites) has selected Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites), his national security adviser and trusted confidant, to replace Colin Powell (news - web sites) as secretary of state, officials said Monday, in a major shakeup of the president's national security team. Three other Cabinet secretaries also resigned.
AP Photo
Reuters
Slideshow: Colin Powell
Powell, a retired four-star general who often clashed on Iraq (news - web sites) and other foreign policy issues with more hawkish members of Bush's administration, said he was returning to private life once his successor was in place.
The Cabinet exodus promised a starkly different look to Bush's second-term team. Rice is considered more of a foreign policy hard-liner than the moderate Powell.
The White House announced Powell's exit along with the resignations of Education Secretary Rod Paige, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham (news - web sites). Veneman had said last week she wanted to stay.
Bush's nomination of Rice is expected Tuesday afternoon, a senior administration official said.
Stephen Hadley, now the deputy national security adviser, is expected to replace Rice at the White House, the official said.
Combined with the resignations earlier this month of Commerce Secretary Don Evans and Attorney General John Ashcroft (news - web sites), six of Bush's 15 Cabinet members will not be part of the president's second term, which begins with his inauguration Jan. 20. An administration that experienced few changes over the last four years suddenly hit a high-water mark for overhaul.
Although there had been recent speculation that Powell would stay on, at least for part of Bush's second term, he told reporters on Monday "I made no offer" to do so.
Known for his moderate views and unblemished reputation, Powell went before the United Nations (news - web sites) in February 2003 to sell Bush's argument for invading Iraq to skeptics abroad and at home. But Powell's case was built on faulty intelligence that Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) possessed weapons of mass destruction.
Still, the former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman remained the most popular member of the administration, moreso than even Bush.
In a resignation letter dated Nov. 12, Powell told Bush that, with the election over, it was time to "step down ... and return to private life." The 35-year Army veteran said he would stay on "for a number of weeks, or a month or two" until his replacement was confirmed by the Senate.
In an appearance at the daily State Department midday briefing, Powell said he had a full end-of-year agenda. Asked what he plans to do next, the 67-year-old Powell said, "I don't know."
In a statement, Bush called Powell "one of the great public servants of our time."
Rice, 50, worked at the National Security Council in former President Bush's White House and went on to be provost of Stanford University in California before working in the current president's 2000 campaign. Rice gave a flurry of speeches in political background states in the closing days of Bush's re-election campaign. That drew criticism from Sen. John Edwards (news - web sites), the Democratic vice presidential candidate, who accused Bush of "diverting his national security adviser from doing her job."
U.N. Ambassador John Danforth, the former Republican senator from Missouri, whose name was circulated in earlier speculation for the job, described Powell as "a great person" and "an outstanding public servant."
Powell, one of the architects of the 1991 Persian Gulf War (news - web sites) in the administration of the first President Bush, often sparred with hard-line administration officials such as Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld over Iraq policy.
"Secretary Powell's departure is a loss to the moderate internationalist voices in the Bush administration," said New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a former U.N. ambassador in the Clinton administration.
Powell drew praise from overseas, where he was clearly the most popular member of the administration.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites) described Powell as "a remarkable man and ... a good friend to this country over a very long period." German Defense Minister Peter Struck called Powell's retirement "regrettable" and described him as "a reliable partner in conversation in the area of defense policy."
The resignations come as Bush faces major foreign policy challenges. The threat of terrorism looms, the fighting in Iraq continues with upcoming January elections in doubt, nuclear tensions remain with Iran and North Korea (news - web sites), and the Middle East landscape has shifted with the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (news - web sites).
Paige, 71, the nation's seventh education secretary, is the first black to serve in the job. He oversaw Bush's signature education law, the No Child Left Behind Act. The leading candidate to replace Paige is Margaret Spellings, a domestic policy adviser who helped Bush shape his school agenda when he was the Texas governor.
Abraham, 52, a former senator from Michigan, joined the administration after he lost a bid for re-election. Abraham struggled to persuade Congress to endorse the president's broad energy agenda. Sources said he intends to stay in Washington, where he plans to work in private law practice.
Veneman, 55, the daughter of a California peach grower, was the nation's first woman agriculture secretary. Among those mentioned as a possible replacement are Chuck Conner, White House farm adviser; Allen Johnson, the chief U.S. agricultural negotiator; Bill Hawks, undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs; and Charles Kruse, president of the Missouri Farm Bureau Federation.
Rep. Charles Stenholm (news, bio, voting record), D-Texas, who lost his bid for re-election, was also mentioned. He said he was flattered but has "not been contacted by anyone that counts."
The resignations are on a par with what other presidents who have won second terms have experienced.
In Ecuador for a meeting of defense ministers, Rumsfeld said, "I have not discussed that with the president" when asked if he planned to resign.
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, attending a meeting in Hawaii, declined to say whether he, too, would resign — but told reporters he has not submitted a letter of resignation. "And when those decisions are made, I'd prefer to share it with the president first," Ridge said.
__
Associated Press writer Deb Riechmann contributed to this report.
dispatchesTwo Months in DarfurTagging along on a whistle-stop U.N. tour of Darfur's devastation.By Jennifer AbrahamsonPosted Monday, Nov. 15, 2004, at 9:15 AM PT
From: Jennifer AbrahamsonSubject: Welcome to DarfurPosted Monday, Nov. 15, 2004, at 9:15 AM PT
Click for today's slide show.
EL GENEINA, West Darfur—While aid workers and journalists struggled for months to gain entry into Sudan's war-torn Darfur region, I received the red-carpet treatment on my first visit.
The U.N. plane touched down on the graveled airstrip and rolled to a stop in front of a caterpillar of gleaming white Land Cruisers, their black antennae standing to attention. Stone-faced security guards dashed for the door as the ambassadors and U.N. officials spilled out of the aircraft, rushing them past the TV cameras to their assigned vehicle. As the engines revved in unison, I began to panic, realizing I could soon be stranded.
I grabbed my bags and made a run for the closest car. Although I was the press officer for the United Nations in Sudan, it was sheer coincidence that I had arrived at the same time as this high-level mission. Shrugging my shoulders, I decided to piggy back. Let the games begin.
And the stakes of this particular game were enormously high. It was the most important mission to land in Darfur since U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan finally visited the region in early July—16 months after a bloody wave of violence began its sweep across this vast western frontier.
An ethnically African-led rebellion composed of two groups, the Sudanese Liberation Army and the smaller Justice and Equality Movement, emerged in February 2003 after years of regional marginalization. In response, the government in Khartoum armed paramilitaries to help quash its enemies. As a result, hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, mainly from the Muslim African tribes, had been "cleansed" from their villages by the government-supported nomadic Arab militias known as "Janjaweed," or devils on horseback.
On July 30, following Annan's visit, the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 1556. It required that the secretary-general report back every 30 days on the progress the Sudanese government had made to end the crisis, on issues such as providing unhindered humanitarian access to the more than 1 million (there are now closer to 2 million) homeless people living in camps for the "displaced," disarming the Janjaweed militias, bringing the perpetrators to justice, and ending the violence.
On Aug. 26, when I landed in El Geneina, Kofi Annan's homework was nearly overdue. A joint mission—including Annan's Special Representative to Sudan Jan Pronk, Sudanese Foreign Minister Dr. Mustafa Osman Ismail, and a handful of foreign ambassadors—was there to do his research on the ground.
The Land Cruisers weaved out of the airport, kicking up dust as they headed to the headquarters of the wali—the state governor—for a courtesy call. After milling around the mint-green compound for a couple of hours, the delegation emerged from behind closed doors, and the engines revved again, steering through the underdeveloped town to the U.N. humanitarian headquarters for a briefing. White-robed men, colorfully draped women, and hordes of children squealing "khawaja!" or "foreigner" looked on in bewilderment from the garbage-strewn dirt roads as we passed.
After a few more stops, including a visit to one of the many displaced persons camps that ring El Geneina, the delegation ended up at the shabby U.N. compound to meet with staff from foreign nongovernmental organizations working in West Darfur. The delegation had arrived a little early because a visit to one of the most decrepit camps in El Geneina had been abandoned at the last minute due to a "hiccup." Although the suave foreign minister known simply as 'Mustafa' was not supposed to attend the NGO meeting, he insinuated himself into the group anyway, smiling serenely at his audience.
Yet when these seasoned aid workers were asked to share any hurdles they were facing in providing relief to the desperate civilians, no one, except for a newcomer, said a word. Finding this odd, I asked a colleague why nobody expressed their concerns. His response was one, simple phrase: "Mustafa was there."
The Sudanese government virtually sealed off Darfur from the outside world for nearly an entire year after systematic scorched earth tactics began in the spring of 2003. Perhaps Khartoum hoped it could stamp out any sign of the rebellion and the dirty response carried out by the Janjaweed—including mass execution, rape, and the looting and destruction of entire villages—before international meddlers could intervene. In August, many aid agencies had only recently been granted access to the region and dared not risk having their hard-won work permits revoked. This was sensitive business. Overall, obstacles were finally crumbling in the wake of Annan's visit, but it was obvious that nobody dared voice any lingering concerns for fear of the consequences.
Squeezed into every spare corner in the guest houses of the various U.N. humanitarian agencies, the delegation turned in early in preparation for the next day's exhausting schedule. Not that they had a choice. There is an 8:30 curfew in El Geneina for good reason. Gunshots are occasionally heard in the streets at night.
The next day began with a trip to the sprawling Krinding camp, just outside the town's borders. Here, the delegation met with camp leaders, or sheiks, to inquire about security conditions in the camps. One of the requirements laid out for the government was to provide greater protection to camp residents from outside attacks. Armed men often assaulted the displaced population, especially women who venture out to collect firewood for cooking or to sell as their only form of income. Men rarely took the risk of leaving the camps for fear of being killed.
The United Nations and the government had agreed that Khartoum would identify a number of what are unofficially known as "safe areas." As part of the agreement, the government would deploy an expanded police force to protect civilians, with a 20-kilometer perimeter encircling the chosen camps. They were mostly displaced settlements surrounding the three state capitals in Darfur—El Geneina in West Darfur, Nyala in South Darfur, and El Fasher in North Darfur. Still, these "safe areas" cover only a few of the 150 or so camps that now punctuate Darfur's landscape. As Pronk said, "You have to start somewhere, but you can't stop there!"
Although some camp residents reported a decrease in attacks with the fresh police deployment, most traumatized civilians don't trust any state forces in uniform. They say they are nothing more than Janjaweed in new clothing.
During the visit to Krinding, a 7-year-old girl was presented to Pronk and Mustafa by one of her male relatives, who claimed she had been raped. Nonetheless, the overall report indicated that that attacks had been on the decline since the deployment of fresh police troops.
The engines revved. Through a cloud of dirt, the convoy soon sped down the road toward the invisible 20-kilometer boundary but screeched to a sudden halt when a woman was spotted in an adjacent field. The passengers dismounted and formed a buzzing swarm as they ran toward her to enquire if she'd experienced any harassment. Satisfied that she hadn't, the swarm then disappeared back into vehicles, and we returned to town to attend a disarmament ceremony.
"We are not for the Janjaweed, we are for peace!" the camouflaged militias chanted as the small marching band dressed in red pounded away on their drums.
These were the Public Defense Forces, another paramilitary group, that has assisted the army in its fight against the rebellion. The average African Darfuri regards them as Janjaweed, although they are to be distinguished from the traditional nomadic Arab tribes. They were showing us that they were willing to hand over their arms in a conciliatory move toward peace in Darfur. The audience, shaded from the searing Sudanese sun under a bright tarpaulin, patiently listened to the Arabic singing.
Following the opening act, the grand performance unfolded outside as the PDF handed their weapons over to soldiers, who slowly placed them into a flimsy box for the benefit of the news cameras and the attending delegation.
Running late, the engines revved again, and the convoy snaked off on a three-hour drive southeast to Mornei camp, which holds nearly 70,000 displaced people. There, the camp resident who had been selected to speak to the delegation was attacked and nearly bludgeoned to death by fellow residents who allegedly claimed he'd been bought off by the government.
The final stop before the closing press conference and luncheon at the wali's house was at a local prison, where we were to meet prisoners accused of carrying out atrocities. We entered a wide courtyard strewn with rows of submissive inmates. Some had crude shackles bound to their feet, while others were chained to exposed tree roots. The majority simply sat staring blank-eyed. Scanning the group, a Sudanese aid worker whispered to me that only one of the faces in the crowd appeared to be from an Arab tribe. In the end, it seemed, few, if any, had actually been jailed for their war crimes.
On Aug. 28, the convoy revved its collective engine for the last time, depositing the delegation at the airport. In Khartoum, Special Representative Pronk met with the two other delegations that had traveled to North and South Darfur and left for New York, where he would present his report to the secretary-general. Calling the government's bluff on many points, the report revealed that while humanitarian space appeared unhindered and security had improved in the designated "safe areas," no apparent attempt had been made to disarm or apprehend the murderous militias involved in carrying out atrocities. A second Security Council resolution was passed in September threatening sanctions if the government didn't make a more legitimate attempt to comply.
Meanwhile, still in El Geneina, I was mysteriously invited to visit the offices of the international NGO Islamic Relief Worldwide shortly after the delegation departed. When I arrived, I was confronted by 27 angry sheiks who live in Riyad Camp, which the delegation was supposed to visit but had skipped at the last minute.
Unbeknownst to the United Nations, the government had sent a marching band dressed in red in advance of the delegation's arrival, though the camp residents were apparently unaware of the upcoming event. Terrified and angered, many of the displaced people interpreted the marching band's arrival as a call to war and proceeded to destroy IRW's camp offices and attacked the police based in the camp.
As we sipped scorching hot tea from small clear glasses, I tried to assuage the fears of the men who eyed me suspiciously. Although I wasn't part of the official delegation and had been a mere spectator of the games, I was immediately transformed into a U.N. envoy and was quick to offer a sincere apology for the confusion, explaining in detail the reason the United Nations and government were planning to visit their camp. Seemingly satisfied, if slightly dubious, they nodded in unison, and I was free to go. Jennifer Abrahamson, a freelance writer based in Johannesburg, South Africa, spent two months in Sudan helping to set up a public information/press office for the humanitarian wing of the United Nations.Article URL: http://slate.msn.com/id/2109454/
From: Jennifer AbrahamsonSubject: Welcome to DarfurPosted Monday, Nov. 15, 2004, at 9:15 AM PT
Click for today's slide show.
EL GENEINA, West Darfur—While aid workers and journalists struggled for months to gain entry into Sudan's war-torn Darfur region, I received the red-carpet treatment on my first visit.
The U.N. plane touched down on the graveled airstrip and rolled to a stop in front of a caterpillar of gleaming white Land Cruisers, their black antennae standing to attention. Stone-faced security guards dashed for the door as the ambassadors and U.N. officials spilled out of the aircraft, rushing them past the TV cameras to their assigned vehicle. As the engines revved in unison, I began to panic, realizing I could soon be stranded.
I grabbed my bags and made a run for the closest car. Although I was the press officer for the United Nations in Sudan, it was sheer coincidence that I had arrived at the same time as this high-level mission. Shrugging my shoulders, I decided to piggy back. Let the games begin.
And the stakes of this particular game were enormously high. It was the most important mission to land in Darfur since U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan finally visited the region in early July—16 months after a bloody wave of violence began its sweep across this vast western frontier.
An ethnically African-led rebellion composed of two groups, the Sudanese Liberation Army and the smaller Justice and Equality Movement, emerged in February 2003 after years of regional marginalization. In response, the government in Khartoum armed paramilitaries to help quash its enemies. As a result, hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, mainly from the Muslim African tribes, had been "cleansed" from their villages by the government-supported nomadic Arab militias known as "Janjaweed," or devils on horseback.
On July 30, following Annan's visit, the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 1556. It required that the secretary-general report back every 30 days on the progress the Sudanese government had made to end the crisis, on issues such as providing unhindered humanitarian access to the more than 1 million (there are now closer to 2 million) homeless people living in camps for the "displaced," disarming the Janjaweed militias, bringing the perpetrators to justice, and ending the violence.
On Aug. 26, when I landed in El Geneina, Kofi Annan's homework was nearly overdue. A joint mission—including Annan's Special Representative to Sudan Jan Pronk, Sudanese Foreign Minister Dr. Mustafa Osman Ismail, and a handful of foreign ambassadors—was there to do his research on the ground.
The Land Cruisers weaved out of the airport, kicking up dust as they headed to the headquarters of the wali—the state governor—for a courtesy call. After milling around the mint-green compound for a couple of hours, the delegation emerged from behind closed doors, and the engines revved again, steering through the underdeveloped town to the U.N. humanitarian headquarters for a briefing. White-robed men, colorfully draped women, and hordes of children squealing "khawaja!" or "foreigner" looked on in bewilderment from the garbage-strewn dirt roads as we passed.
After a few more stops, including a visit to one of the many displaced persons camps that ring El Geneina, the delegation ended up at the shabby U.N. compound to meet with staff from foreign nongovernmental organizations working in West Darfur. The delegation had arrived a little early because a visit to one of the most decrepit camps in El Geneina had been abandoned at the last minute due to a "hiccup." Although the suave foreign minister known simply as 'Mustafa' was not supposed to attend the NGO meeting, he insinuated himself into the group anyway, smiling serenely at his audience.
Yet when these seasoned aid workers were asked to share any hurdles they were facing in providing relief to the desperate civilians, no one, except for a newcomer, said a word. Finding this odd, I asked a colleague why nobody expressed their concerns. His response was one, simple phrase: "Mustafa was there."
The Sudanese government virtually sealed off Darfur from the outside world for nearly an entire year after systematic scorched earth tactics began in the spring of 2003. Perhaps Khartoum hoped it could stamp out any sign of the rebellion and the dirty response carried out by the Janjaweed—including mass execution, rape, and the looting and destruction of entire villages—before international meddlers could intervene. In August, many aid agencies had only recently been granted access to the region and dared not risk having their hard-won work permits revoked. This was sensitive business. Overall, obstacles were finally crumbling in the wake of Annan's visit, but it was obvious that nobody dared voice any lingering concerns for fear of the consequences.
Squeezed into every spare corner in the guest houses of the various U.N. humanitarian agencies, the delegation turned in early in preparation for the next day's exhausting schedule. Not that they had a choice. There is an 8:30 curfew in El Geneina for good reason. Gunshots are occasionally heard in the streets at night.
The next day began with a trip to the sprawling Krinding camp, just outside the town's borders. Here, the delegation met with camp leaders, or sheiks, to inquire about security conditions in the camps. One of the requirements laid out for the government was to provide greater protection to camp residents from outside attacks. Armed men often assaulted the displaced population, especially women who venture out to collect firewood for cooking or to sell as their only form of income. Men rarely took the risk of leaving the camps for fear of being killed.
The United Nations and the government had agreed that Khartoum would identify a number of what are unofficially known as "safe areas." As part of the agreement, the government would deploy an expanded police force to protect civilians, with a 20-kilometer perimeter encircling the chosen camps. They were mostly displaced settlements surrounding the three state capitals in Darfur—El Geneina in West Darfur, Nyala in South Darfur, and El Fasher in North Darfur. Still, these "safe areas" cover only a few of the 150 or so camps that now punctuate Darfur's landscape. As Pronk said, "You have to start somewhere, but you can't stop there!"
Although some camp residents reported a decrease in attacks with the fresh police deployment, most traumatized civilians don't trust any state forces in uniform. They say they are nothing more than Janjaweed in new clothing.
During the visit to Krinding, a 7-year-old girl was presented to Pronk and Mustafa by one of her male relatives, who claimed she had been raped. Nonetheless, the overall report indicated that that attacks had been on the decline since the deployment of fresh police troops.
The engines revved. Through a cloud of dirt, the convoy soon sped down the road toward the invisible 20-kilometer boundary but screeched to a sudden halt when a woman was spotted in an adjacent field. The passengers dismounted and formed a buzzing swarm as they ran toward her to enquire if she'd experienced any harassment. Satisfied that she hadn't, the swarm then disappeared back into vehicles, and we returned to town to attend a disarmament ceremony.
"We are not for the Janjaweed, we are for peace!" the camouflaged militias chanted as the small marching band dressed in red pounded away on their drums.
These were the Public Defense Forces, another paramilitary group, that has assisted the army in its fight against the rebellion. The average African Darfuri regards them as Janjaweed, although they are to be distinguished from the traditional nomadic Arab tribes. They were showing us that they were willing to hand over their arms in a conciliatory move toward peace in Darfur. The audience, shaded from the searing Sudanese sun under a bright tarpaulin, patiently listened to the Arabic singing.
Following the opening act, the grand performance unfolded outside as the PDF handed their weapons over to soldiers, who slowly placed them into a flimsy box for the benefit of the news cameras and the attending delegation.
Running late, the engines revved again, and the convoy snaked off on a three-hour drive southeast to Mornei camp, which holds nearly 70,000 displaced people. There, the camp resident who had been selected to speak to the delegation was attacked and nearly bludgeoned to death by fellow residents who allegedly claimed he'd been bought off by the government.
The final stop before the closing press conference and luncheon at the wali's house was at a local prison, where we were to meet prisoners accused of carrying out atrocities. We entered a wide courtyard strewn with rows of submissive inmates. Some had crude shackles bound to their feet, while others were chained to exposed tree roots. The majority simply sat staring blank-eyed. Scanning the group, a Sudanese aid worker whispered to me that only one of the faces in the crowd appeared to be from an Arab tribe. In the end, it seemed, few, if any, had actually been jailed for their war crimes.
On Aug. 28, the convoy revved its collective engine for the last time, depositing the delegation at the airport. In Khartoum, Special Representative Pronk met with the two other delegations that had traveled to North and South Darfur and left for New York, where he would present his report to the secretary-general. Calling the government's bluff on many points, the report revealed that while humanitarian space appeared unhindered and security had improved in the designated "safe areas," no apparent attempt had been made to disarm or apprehend the murderous militias involved in carrying out atrocities. A second Security Council resolution was passed in September threatening sanctions if the government didn't make a more legitimate attempt to comply.
Meanwhile, still in El Geneina, I was mysteriously invited to visit the offices of the international NGO Islamic Relief Worldwide shortly after the delegation departed. When I arrived, I was confronted by 27 angry sheiks who live in Riyad Camp, which the delegation was supposed to visit but had skipped at the last minute.
Unbeknownst to the United Nations, the government had sent a marching band dressed in red in advance of the delegation's arrival, though the camp residents were apparently unaware of the upcoming event. Terrified and angered, many of the displaced people interpreted the marching band's arrival as a call to war and proceeded to destroy IRW's camp offices and attacked the police based in the camp.
As we sipped scorching hot tea from small clear glasses, I tried to assuage the fears of the men who eyed me suspiciously. Although I wasn't part of the official delegation and had been a mere spectator of the games, I was immediately transformed into a U.N. envoy and was quick to offer a sincere apology for the confusion, explaining in detail the reason the United Nations and government were planning to visit their camp. Seemingly satisfied, if slightly dubious, they nodded in unison, and I was free to go. Jennifer Abrahamson, a freelance writer based in Johannesburg, South Africa, spent two months in Sudan helping to set up a public information/press office for the humanitarian wing of the United Nations.Article URL: http://slate.msn.com/id/2109454/
war storiesWhy Powell Had To GoAnd how will Condi fare as his successor?By Fred KaplanPosted Monday, Nov. 15, 2004, at 3:06 PM PT
And so the other shoe has dropped on the sad career of Colin Powell. Here is a man who enjoyed the most appealing life story in American politics. The son of Jamaican immigrants who pulled up his own boot straps in the Bronx; a Vietnam vet who rose through the Army's ranks to general, national security adviser, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and secretary of state; a proud black man who could have made a serious run for president under either party's banner—chewed up and spit out on the shard-strewn sidewalk of Losers' Boulevard.
Powell's "resignation" this morning was one of the surest bets of a second Bush term. He had long endured a string of humiliating defeats at the hand of his Pentagon rival Donald Rumsfeld. For well over a year now, he's been out of the loop on every high-profile issue of foreign policy—Iraq, Iran, North Korea, nuclear arms control, Middle East peace talks.
In recent months, he's been hammering his own coffin, making little effort to hide his displeasure while serving a president who famously demands loyalty. On the record, Powell has told reporters that the insurgency in Iraq has grown stronger and that he might not have supported the war if he'd known Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction. On background, he and his closest aides have vented their frustrations and criticisms more harshly, most notably (but by no means exclusively) in his old friend Bob Woodward's latest book.
At the same time, Powell associated himself with Bush's policies just enough to incur the wrath of Democrats. The key incident was his Feb. 5, 2003, briefing before the U.N. Security Council, where he made a strong case for the existence of Iraqi WMD—and thus for war. It was a war that, many knew, Powell privately opposed; it was a briefing that, later evidence revealed, was almost entirely false. The upshot was the wreckage of Powell's reputation. The Democrats could no longer trust him; the administration rewarded him, for his troubles, with nothing but further disdain.
Many Bush critics had hoped that Powell might get fed up enough to quit, but this was sheer fantasy. First, he is, as they say, a "good soldier." A soldier's chief obligation is to his commander in chief, and, from all indications, Powell took this duty seriously. Second, the American political system has no use for officials who resign in protest; they're shunned as loose cannons by both parties, unworthy of trust to hold executive branch positions again. (Ask Cyrus Vance or Daniel Ellsberg.)
Bush didn't fire Powell because, as long as Powell was in the tent, Bush knew he would cause only so much trouble. But once out of the tent, once he no longer served the commander in chief, Powell might have felt free to criticize policies openly. Polls had shown Powell to be more popular than Bush. A Powell-launched fusillade might have damaged Bush's re-election campaign.
Even if George W. Bush were an unusually forgiving president, and even if he wants to give diplomacy a more vigorous whirl in his second term, he would not—and should not—have granted Powell an extension. The entire world knows that Powell is out of favor. Any deal he might have negotiated, any assurances he might have given, any declaration of policy he might have uttered would have been subject to doubt. Last year, when Bush wanted to send a message to various Middle Eastern leaders, he sent his national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice. When he wanted Western European leaders to forgive Iraqi debt, he sent his father's secretary of state, James Baker. A secretary of state who is not seen as the driving force of U.S. foreign policy—or at least as its chief courier—is doomed to a milquetoast's fate.
Flash! This just in: Sources say Powell's replacement is Condoleezza Rice. What does this mean?
The good news: Rice is among Bush's closest advisers, so foreign leaders will at least know that her words reflect the views of the president. Her appointment may also provide, at least in the short term, a morale boost among foreign service officers—a note of compensation for the departure of their cherished Powell that the State Department is now run by someone who has the president's ear and trust.
The bad news: In her four years as national security adviser, Rice has displayed no imagination as a foreign-policy thinker. She was terrible—one of the worst national security advisers ever—as a coordinator of policy advice. And to the extent she found herself engaged in bureaucratic warfare, she was almost always outgunned by Vice President Dick Cheney or Rumsfeld. Last year, for instance, the White House issued a directive putting her in charge of policy on Iraqi reconstruction; the directive was ignored. If Rumsfeld and his E-Ring gang survive the Cabinet shake-up, Rice may wind up every bit as flummoxed as her predecessor.Fred Kaplan writes the "War Stories" column for Slate.Article URL: http://slate.msn.com/id/2109772/
And so the other shoe has dropped on the sad career of Colin Powell. Here is a man who enjoyed the most appealing life story in American politics. The son of Jamaican immigrants who pulled up his own boot straps in the Bronx; a Vietnam vet who rose through the Army's ranks to general, national security adviser, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and secretary of state; a proud black man who could have made a serious run for president under either party's banner—chewed up and spit out on the shard-strewn sidewalk of Losers' Boulevard.
Powell's "resignation" this morning was one of the surest bets of a second Bush term. He had long endured a string of humiliating defeats at the hand of his Pentagon rival Donald Rumsfeld. For well over a year now, he's been out of the loop on every high-profile issue of foreign policy—Iraq, Iran, North Korea, nuclear arms control, Middle East peace talks.
In recent months, he's been hammering his own coffin, making little effort to hide his displeasure while serving a president who famously demands loyalty. On the record, Powell has told reporters that the insurgency in Iraq has grown stronger and that he might not have supported the war if he'd known Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction. On background, he and his closest aides have vented their frustrations and criticisms more harshly, most notably (but by no means exclusively) in his old friend Bob Woodward's latest book.
At the same time, Powell associated himself with Bush's policies just enough to incur the wrath of Democrats. The key incident was his Feb. 5, 2003, briefing before the U.N. Security Council, where he made a strong case for the existence of Iraqi WMD—and thus for war. It was a war that, many knew, Powell privately opposed; it was a briefing that, later evidence revealed, was almost entirely false. The upshot was the wreckage of Powell's reputation. The Democrats could no longer trust him; the administration rewarded him, for his troubles, with nothing but further disdain.
Many Bush critics had hoped that Powell might get fed up enough to quit, but this was sheer fantasy. First, he is, as they say, a "good soldier." A soldier's chief obligation is to his commander in chief, and, from all indications, Powell took this duty seriously. Second, the American political system has no use for officials who resign in protest; they're shunned as loose cannons by both parties, unworthy of trust to hold executive branch positions again. (Ask Cyrus Vance or Daniel Ellsberg.)
Bush didn't fire Powell because, as long as Powell was in the tent, Bush knew he would cause only so much trouble. But once out of the tent, once he no longer served the commander in chief, Powell might have felt free to criticize policies openly. Polls had shown Powell to be more popular than Bush. A Powell-launched fusillade might have damaged Bush's re-election campaign.
Even if George W. Bush were an unusually forgiving president, and even if he wants to give diplomacy a more vigorous whirl in his second term, he would not—and should not—have granted Powell an extension. The entire world knows that Powell is out of favor. Any deal he might have negotiated, any assurances he might have given, any declaration of policy he might have uttered would have been subject to doubt. Last year, when Bush wanted to send a message to various Middle Eastern leaders, he sent his national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice. When he wanted Western European leaders to forgive Iraqi debt, he sent his father's secretary of state, James Baker. A secretary of state who is not seen as the driving force of U.S. foreign policy—or at least as its chief courier—is doomed to a milquetoast's fate.
Flash! This just in: Sources say Powell's replacement is Condoleezza Rice. What does this mean?
The good news: Rice is among Bush's closest advisers, so foreign leaders will at least know that her words reflect the views of the president. Her appointment may also provide, at least in the short term, a morale boost among foreign service officers—a note of compensation for the departure of their cherished Powell that the State Department is now run by someone who has the president's ear and trust.
The bad news: In her four years as national security adviser, Rice has displayed no imagination as a foreign-policy thinker. She was terrible—one of the worst national security advisers ever—as a coordinator of policy advice. And to the extent she found herself engaged in bureaucratic warfare, she was almost always outgunned by Vice President Dick Cheney or Rumsfeld. Last year, for instance, the White House issued a directive putting her in charge of policy on Iraqi reconstruction; the directive was ignored. If Rumsfeld and his E-Ring gang survive the Cabinet shake-up, Rice may wind up every bit as flummoxed as her predecessor.Fred Kaplan writes the "War Stories" column for Slate.Article URL: http://slate.msn.com/id/2109772/
November 15, 2004
Iraqi Insurgents Roil Sunni Triangle With CounterattackBy EDWARD WONG and JAMES GLANZ
AGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 15 - A rebel counteroffensive roiled central and northern Iraq today, with guerillas storming police stations and setting oil wells ablaze, as American troops tried to flush the remaining insurgents from the debris-strewn cityscape of Falluja.
Tanks and fighting vehicles had smashed through the southern Falluja neighborhood of Shuhada, the last major rebel stronghold in the city, on Sunday. But a die-hard band of the insurgents hid in some of the houses and other shelters at the furthest southern edge of Shuhada and emerged this morning, after the tanks had left, setting off a five-hour gun battle when ground troops arrived.
The wave of guerilla assaults rolled across the Sunni triangle, with the sharpest surge in violence coming in the morning in Baquba, 35 miles northwest of the capital. There, insurgents laid siege to a police station downtown and to one in a southern suburb.
Guerillas fired from a mosque at American soldiers and piled out of a bus to take up positions on a rooftop in a part of town called Old Baquba, said Capt. Bill Coppernoll, a spokesman for the First Infantry Division, charged with controlling the area.
American jets dropped two 500-pound bombs on groups of insurgents, and up to 20 fighters were killed in the clashes, he said.
Overnight, insurgents attacked an oil storage tank in the north and set fire to four oil wells in an attempt to cripple the country's leading export industry. In Mosul, wracked by a daring revolt that exploded last week, guerillas struck at American patrols with coordinated suicide car bombs, injuring at least five soldiers in one attack. The Iraqi interior minister, Falah al-Naqib, said he expected the rebels to mount more ambitious strikes in the coming days.
"Today it's quieter in Mosul, but we expect a surge in attacks in the coming two days," he said at a news conference in Baghdad.
On Sunday, he said, insurgents snatched an injured policeman from his hospital bed, killed and mutilated the man and hung his corpse in a public area.
The string of loosely coordinated assaults across the Sunni-dominated parts of Iraq showed that the rebels were ready to carry on their fight despite the smashing of the safe haven of Falluja in the weeklong American offensive.
Throughout the 19-month war, the insurgents have demonstrated an uncanny adaptability in the face of vastly superior American firepower. That has not changed with the storming of Falluja. American commanders acknowledge that insurgent leaders fled Falluja in the run-up to the invasion and have likely been organizing the deadly counteroffensive unfolding in cities across the north and around the capital.
This evening, an Internet audio recording attributed to the country's most wanted guerilla leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, exhorted fighters in Baghdad and the Sunni triangle to keep up the war against the Americans.
"Once they have finished in Falluja, they will head towards you," Mr. Zarqawi said. "Be cautious and foil their plan."
American and Iraqi forces have made some inroads into the insurgency. The leader of a militant group called the Army of Muhammad has been arrested, Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said in a statement. More details of the arrest of the man, Moayed Ahmed Yassin, are to be disclosed on Tuesday, Dr. Allawi said.
The Army of Muhammad is believed to be responsible for the beheadings of several Iraqi and foreign hostages and is the armed wing of a group created by Saddam Hussein to fight for the return of the former ruling Baath Party, Dr. Allawi said.
The prime minister's office confirmed today that two of Dr. Allawi's relatives had been released by kidnappers. Last Tuesday, insurgents seized Dr. Allawi's 75-year-old cousin, Ghazi Majeed Allawi, the cousin's wife and their daughter-in-law. The next day, a group called Ansar al-Jihad posted an Internet message saying the three would be beheaded unless Dr. Allawi called off the siege of Falluja and released all prisoners in Iraq.
The two women have been freed, but the fate of the cousin, Ghazi Allawi, remains a mystery.
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NASA Delays Flight of X-43A Scramjet
18 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES - NASA (news - web sites) delayed Monday's planned flight of its experimental X-43A scramjet, an unmanned aircraft designed to reach a record speed of Mach 10, or 7,000 mph.
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Slideshow: NASA Tests Hypersonic Jet
Mission officials planned to try again for launch between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. PST Tuesday off the California coast.
The X-43A is mounted on a modified Pegasus rocket designed to be carried aloft by a B-52 aircraft and released at 40,000 feet. The rocket will carry the X-43A to 110,000 feet and separate, allowing the craft to fly for about 10 seconds with its supersonic combustion ramjet operating.
Troubleshooting an avionics problem left too little time for the B-52 to take off from Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert and reach the launch area before Monday's window closed.
"Ultimately we were go for launch but we had used up so much of that launch window that by the time we taxi and take off we would not be out on the launch box and in position to launch by 4 p.m.," said Griff Corpening, chief engineer on two previous X-43A flights.
The first X-43A flight failed in 2001 when the booster rocket veered off course and had to be destroyed. The second X-43A flew in March and reached Mach 6.83, or nearly 5,000 mph, a record for an aircraft powered by an air-breathing engine.
The X-43As were designed to land in the ocean and sink without being recovered.
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 Fighting Across Iraq Kills More Than 50
By ROBERT H. REID, Associated Press Writer BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. soldiers battled insurgents northeast of Baghdad on Monday in clashes that killed more than 50 people. Some guerrillas were said to be "fighting to the death" inside Fallujah, where American forces struggled to clear pockets of resistance.
At least five suicide car bombers targeted American troops elsewhere in volatile Sunni Muslim areas north and west of the capital, wounding at least nine Americans. Three of those bombings occurred nearly simultaneously in locations between Fallujah and the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi, the U.S. command said. The zone between Fallujah and Ramadi was one of at least three areas Monday in which insurgents pulled off almost-simultaneous attacks against U.S. or Iraqi forces, suggesting a level of military sophistication and planning not seen in the early months of the insurgency last year. Pressing their own offensive in central and northern Iraq (news - web sites), insurgents attacked police stations, Iraqi security forces, U.S. military convoys and oil installations across a wide area of the Sunni heartland. In a speech found Monday on the Internet, a speaker said to be Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the country's most feared terror leader, called on his followers to "shower" the Americans "with rockets and mortars" because U.S. forces were spread too thin as they seek to "finish off Islam in Fallujah." The worst reported fighting Monday took place about 35 miles northeast of Baghdad after assaults, at almost the same time, on police stations in Baqouba and its twin city, Buhriz. Gunmen abducted police Col. Qassim Mohammed, took him to the Buhriz police station and threatened to kill him if police didn't surrender the station. When police refused, the gunmen tied the colonel's hands behind his back and shot him dead. U.S. and Iraqi troops rushed to the scene, setting off a gunbattle that killed 26 insurgents and five other Iraqi police, Iraqi officials said. At the same time, insurgents attacked a police station in Baqouba and seized another building. U.S. aircraft dropped two 500-pound bombs before the end of the fighting, in which four American soldiers were wounded, the U.S. command said. During the fighting, U.S. troops came under fire from a mosque, the U.S. military said. Iraqi security stormed the mosque and found rocket-propelled grenades, mortar rounds and other weapons and ammunition, the statement said. In one of the car bombings along the Fallujah-Ramadi corridor, the attacker rammed into a Marine armored vehicle, wounding the four troops inside. The two other bombings caused no injuries — including one in which the driver rammed his car into a tank but his explosives failed to explode. Witnesses reported a fourth car bombing late Monday in Ramadi against a U.S. convoy but there was no report of casualties. In Mosul, where an uprising broke out last week in support of the Fallujah defenders, a suicide driver tried to ram his bomb-laden vehicle into a U.S. convoy, the military said. He missed but set off the explosives, wounding five soldiers, four of them slightly. Four American soldiers were wounded when their patrol ran over a land mine Monday near Beiji in northern Iraq, the military said. Saboteurs blew up an oil pipeline Monday, shutting down Iraqi oil exports from the north, and set fire to a storage and pumping station in northern Iraq, officials said. In Baghdad after nightfall Monday, heavy explosions rocked the Green Zone — the barricaded neighborhood that houses the Iraqi government and U.S. Embassy. Loudspeakers warned, "Take cover, take cover." Gunmen carried out near-simultaneous attacks on a police station and an Iraqi National Guard headquarters in Suwayrah, 25 miles south of Baghdad, killing seven Iraqi police and soldiers. During a news conference in Baghdad, Interior Minister Falah Hassan al-Naqib, himself a Sunni, condemned the growing attacks on Iraqi police and security forces, calling them part of a campaign "to divide this country and thrust it into a civil war." "They are trying by all means to divide this country and to create an ethnic and sectarian war," al-Naqib said of the insurgents. Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said police had arrested the leader of a militant group behind the killing of some foreign hostages. Moayad Ahmed Yasseen, leader of the group Muhammad's Army, was captured along with some of his followers, Allawi said. He did not say what kidnappings the group has been involved in. However, a statement by the prime minister's office later described Muhammad's Army as the "armed wing of an organization created by Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)" to fight for the return of the Baath party to power. The spike in violence accompanied the American-led assault against Fallujah, the main insurgent stronghold, 40 miles west of Baghdad. The week-old offensive in Fallujah has left at least 38 American troops and six Iraqi soldiers dead. The number of U.S. troops wounded is now 320, though 134 have returned to duty. U.S. officials estimated more than 1,200 insurgents have been killed. In a telephone interview with reporters at the Pentagon (news - web sites), Marine Col. Michael Regner, operations officer for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, said U.S. and Iraqi forces had captured more than 1,052 prisoners in Fallujah, most of them are Iraqis but some foreigners. "Very few of them are giving up," Regner said. "They're fighting to the death." He said U.S. troops and Marines were working their way back from the southern part of the city toward the northern part, clearing out pockets of resistance and recovering caches of weapons. The offensive was intended to secure Fallujah so that national elections can go ahead in January as scheduled. But Iraq's deputy prime minister, Barham Saleh, told The Guardian newspaper in Britain that the insurgency could derail the plan to hold elections in January. "Holding free and fair elections on time is an obligation that we have undertaken toward the Iraqi people," Saleh was quoted as saying. But he added: "Nearer the time, the Iraqi government, the United Nations (news - web sites), the independent election commission and the national assembly will have to engage in a real and hardheaded dialogue to assess the situation." Meanwhile, a convoy of ambulances and relief supplies trying to enter Fallujah was forced to turn back because the fighting made it too dangerous, the head of the Iraqi Red Crescent said. The Red Crescent and Red Cross have been unable to gain access to people inside Fallujah during more than a week of violence. Allawi's office confirmed that two of his female relatives who were kidnapped last week have been released. Allawi's cousin, Ghazi Allawi, 75, his cousin's wife and his cousin's pregnant daughter-in-law were abducted at gunpoint last Tuesday in Baghdad. There was no word on the cousin. ___ Contributing to this report were Associated Press reporters Edward Harris and Jim Krane in Fallujah; Tini Tran, Sameer N. Yacoub, Mariam Fam, Sabah Jerges, Katarina Kratovac and Maggie Michael in Baghdad; and Robert Burns in Washington. Story Tools
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ZERO NOW A HERO
Mon Nov 15, 3:22 AM ET
By MICHAEL WHITE, JAMIE SCHRAM and ANDY GELLER
The Staten Island fire captain who was booted for covering up a boozy New Year's Eve firehouse brawl swung into action early yesterday and put out two small blazes next door to his girlfriend's home.
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Terrence Sweeney was at the house on Annadale Road at 1:45 a.m. when an assailant tossed a Molotov cocktail at the second-floor balcony door of Nicholas Lanza, 42, officials said.
The attacker also hurled a firebomb at Lanza's Cadillac SUV, which was parked on the street.
"I was on the couch sleeping when I heard a sound like a car crash," said Sweeney's girlfriend.
"When I looked out the window, the flames were leaping four feet above the Cadillac."
The woman, who asked that her name not be printed, said Sweeney, helped by her son, used a garden hose to put out the blazes before firefighters arrived.
"Thank God no one was hurt," she said.
Yesterday's firebomb attack was the third incident at the Lanza home since late August.
On Aug. 28, cops said, a man wearing a white T-shirt and dark shorts knocked on Lanza's door and asked about a car he was selling.
When Lanza stepped outside, the man beat him savagely about his face and body with a bat, cops said.
His injuries included a broken arm and head injuries, cops said. He was in the hospital for four weeks, according to a neighbor.
On Oct. 8, cops said, Lanza found a broken bottle and a burned piece of cloth near a burned patch of lawn.
Sources said that one of the aborted firebombings had been videotaped, but they refused to say which.
The reason for the attacks against Lanza was not immediately clear.
Neighbors said he has a wife and three young children, all of them under 8 years old.
It was not known if his wife or any of his kids were in the house yesterday when the firebomb was thrown.
Sweeney's girlfriend, speaking of the series of attacks on her neighbor's home, said, "It's really scary. Next time, somebody's going to get killed."
Another neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said, "It's not going to be all over until they get that guy. Whoever it is, they're not going to stop until they get him."
Sweeney, a 26-year FDNY veteran, was forced to retire Feb. 10 after trying to cover up a New Year's Eve brawl at the Tottenville station in which firefighter Michael Silvestri, 41, slammed a metal chair into the face of firefighter Robert Walsh, 40, fracturing his nose and jaw.
Sweeney, who agreed to pay a $90,883 fine, initially said Walsh had fallen down a flight of stairs.
Mon Nov 15, 3:22 AM ET
By MICHAEL WHITE, JAMIE SCHRAM and ANDY GELLER
The Staten Island fire captain who was booted for covering up a boozy New Year's Eve firehouse brawl swung into action early yesterday and put out two small blazes next door to his girlfriend's home.
•
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•
b'klyn Blaze Doused – Twice
•
Parents Must Help Curb Violence
•
Crime Reigns At 16 Schools
•
'soprano' Mobster Lands In 'leak' Soup
Terrence Sweeney was at the house on Annadale Road at 1:45 a.m. when an assailant tossed a Molotov cocktail at the second-floor balcony door of Nicholas Lanza, 42, officials said.
The attacker also hurled a firebomb at Lanza's Cadillac SUV, which was parked on the street.
"I was on the couch sleeping when I heard a sound like a car crash," said Sweeney's girlfriend.
"When I looked out the window, the flames were leaping four feet above the Cadillac."
The woman, who asked that her name not be printed, said Sweeney, helped by her son, used a garden hose to put out the blazes before firefighters arrived.
"Thank God no one was hurt," she said.
Yesterday's firebomb attack was the third incident at the Lanza home since late August.
On Aug. 28, cops said, a man wearing a white T-shirt and dark shorts knocked on Lanza's door and asked about a car he was selling.
When Lanza stepped outside, the man beat him savagely about his face and body with a bat, cops said.
His injuries included a broken arm and head injuries, cops said. He was in the hospital for four weeks, according to a neighbor.
On Oct. 8, cops said, Lanza found a broken bottle and a burned piece of cloth near a burned patch of lawn.
Sources said that one of the aborted firebombings had been videotaped, but they refused to say which.
The reason for the attacks against Lanza was not immediately clear.
Neighbors said he has a wife and three young children, all of them under 8 years old.
It was not known if his wife or any of his kids were in the house yesterday when the firebomb was thrown.
Sweeney's girlfriend, speaking of the series of attacks on her neighbor's home, said, "It's really scary. Next time, somebody's going to get killed."
Another neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said, "It's not going to be all over until they get that guy. Whoever it is, they're not going to stop until they get him."
Sweeney, a 26-year FDNY veteran, was forced to retire Feb. 10 after trying to cover up a New Year's Eve brawl at the Tottenville station in which firefighter Michael Silvestri, 41, slammed a metal chair into the face of firefighter Robert Walsh, 40, fracturing his nose and jaw.
Sweeney, who agreed to pay a $90,883 fine, initially said Walsh had fallen down a flight of stairs.
Editorial: This is fantastic news for F1
15/11/2004
The official announcement that Red Bull has purchased the Jaguar Racing F1 team is fantastic news for Formula One.
After weeks of speculation, we can all, especially the 300 employees in Milton Keynes, breathe a sigh of relief as the deal whereby Jaguar - albeit under a different name - will line up on the grid in Melbourne next March.
It is doubtful whether there will be too many moist eyes as Ford exits Formula One, stage right, for in all honesty the company has made a complete balls up of its racing activities for many years, particularly outside the United States.
The Jaguar Racing 'experiment' was a disaster from start from to finish, mainly due to the ham-fisted management operating out of Dearborn.
Having bought a team that was on the up (Stewart), Ford managed to make disastrous mistake after mistake wasting many millions and achieving nothing. Under Ford's management, Jaguar Racing will be remembered more for the numerous fiascos than the few achievements.
This is not a reflection on those employed by the team, certainly in most instances, but on the shambolic management emanating from the US.
However, let's not dwell on the negatives, the 'Wicked Witch' is gone, and salvation arrives in the form of an energy drink manufacturer, with wings.
The fact that Jaguar will survive is one facet, however to me, it is the fact that Red Bull has purchased the team that is most significant.
Today's deal proves that there is money - other than tobacco money - out there.
This isn't merely a sponsorship deal, this is an energy drink manufacturer buying an F1 team, and convincing the previous owner (Ford) that is has the necessary financial backing and business acumen to continue racing and hopefully thrive.
The fact that F1 must learn to live without tobacco is a forgone conclusion, and no matter what tiny corner of the planet Bernie attempts to sell F1 to next, the fact is that the writing is on the wall. F1 must give up the weed.
Some of the teams, to their credit, have already given up, opting to put in a little hard work rather than settling for the easy (often better funded) option, however the fact remains that within a few years all the F1 teams will have to survive without 'fag money'.
A few years back, it looked as though the World Wide Web might be the answer, sadly, as some of us know from personal experience, this was not to be.
Now, on the back of today's news that an energy drink, which has been existence for just twenty years, is buying its own F1 team, we can only hope that other similar sponsors will be attracted to the sport.
Several high profile sponsors have looked at F1 in recent years but have admitted to not wishing to get involved while tobacco still had a grip of the sport, today's announcement could (hopefully) spark a new age in F1 sponsorship.
In addition to rival drink manufacturers, such as Coca-Cola and even alcoholic drinks manufacturers, there are many global corporations that could - with a little hard work - be attracted to F1.
That said, the sport would need to clean up its act, and the teams would have to come back a little closer to reality when preparing their budgets.
Today we have witnessed what could be seen as a historic move as far as F1 is concerned. 300+ people get to keep their jobs, we retain ten teams on the grid for 2005, while a young company gives the sport an enthusiastic thumbs up, a multi million pound vote of confidence.
All in all, a great day for F1, well done Red Bull Chris BalfeEditor Copyright. Pitpass.com
15/11/2004
The official announcement that Red Bull has purchased the Jaguar Racing F1 team is fantastic news for Formula One.
After weeks of speculation, we can all, especially the 300 employees in Milton Keynes, breathe a sigh of relief as the deal whereby Jaguar - albeit under a different name - will line up on the grid in Melbourne next March.
It is doubtful whether there will be too many moist eyes as Ford exits Formula One, stage right, for in all honesty the company has made a complete balls up of its racing activities for many years, particularly outside the United States.
The Jaguar Racing 'experiment' was a disaster from start from to finish, mainly due to the ham-fisted management operating out of Dearborn.
Having bought a team that was on the up (Stewart), Ford managed to make disastrous mistake after mistake wasting many millions and achieving nothing. Under Ford's management, Jaguar Racing will be remembered more for the numerous fiascos than the few achievements.
This is not a reflection on those employed by the team, certainly in most instances, but on the shambolic management emanating from the US.
However, let's not dwell on the negatives, the 'Wicked Witch' is gone, and salvation arrives in the form of an energy drink manufacturer, with wings.
The fact that Jaguar will survive is one facet, however to me, it is the fact that Red Bull has purchased the team that is most significant.
Today's deal proves that there is money - other than tobacco money - out there.
This isn't merely a sponsorship deal, this is an energy drink manufacturer buying an F1 team, and convincing the previous owner (Ford) that is has the necessary financial backing and business acumen to continue racing and hopefully thrive.
The fact that F1 must learn to live without tobacco is a forgone conclusion, and no matter what tiny corner of the planet Bernie attempts to sell F1 to next, the fact is that the writing is on the wall. F1 must give up the weed.
Some of the teams, to their credit, have already given up, opting to put in a little hard work rather than settling for the easy (often better funded) option, however the fact remains that within a few years all the F1 teams will have to survive without 'fag money'.
A few years back, it looked as though the World Wide Web might be the answer, sadly, as some of us know from personal experience, this was not to be.
Now, on the back of today's news that an energy drink, which has been existence for just twenty years, is buying its own F1 team, we can only hope that other similar sponsors will be attracted to the sport.
Several high profile sponsors have looked at F1 in recent years but have admitted to not wishing to get involved while tobacco still had a grip of the sport, today's announcement could (hopefully) spark a new age in F1 sponsorship.
In addition to rival drink manufacturers, such as Coca-Cola and even alcoholic drinks manufacturers, there are many global corporations that could - with a little hard work - be attracted to F1.
That said, the sport would need to clean up its act, and the teams would have to come back a little closer to reality when preparing their budgets.
Today we have witnessed what could be seen as a historic move as far as F1 is concerned. 300+ people get to keep their jobs, we retain ten teams on the grid for 2005, while a young company gives the sport an enthusiastic thumbs up, a multi million pound vote of confidence.
All in all, a great day for F1, well done Red Bull Chris BalfeEditor Copyright. Pitpass.com
CARVILLE CRACKS UP ON 'PRESS'
Mon Nov 15, 3:16 AM ET
THE yolk's on Clinton political guru James Carville — who shocked everyone on "Meet the Press" yesterday morning by smashing a raw egg on his head.
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'night' Blindness
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In A Word, 'googlewhack!' Wins
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'ryan' Draws Fcc Complaints
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Finding Pity For A 'monster'
AP Photo
The point?
To dramatize the fact that he had egg on his face after wrongly predicting that Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites) was going to win the presidential election.
"Meet the Press" host Tim Russert and Republican strategist Mary Matalin, who is Carville's wife, jumped out of the way to keep from being drenched by the flying egg white.
Carville — known as the Ragin' Cajun for his fiery partisanship — predicted Kerry would get 52 percent of the vote and President Bush (news - web sites) 47 percent.
That projection was really scrambled because, in the end, the final tally turned out to be eggs-actly the opposite of the eventual vote tally.
Don't Mock Bush, Work with Him, Blair Tells Europe
1 hour, 6 minutes ago
By Mike Peacock
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Tony Blair (news - web sites) urged Europe and the United States on Monday to bury differences over Iraq (news - web sites) and focus their energies on global challenges such as lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
Reuters Photo
Reuters
Slideshow: British Prime Minister Tony Blair
Blair, speaking three days after meeting President Bush (news - web sites), said to lampoon the U.S. administration was self-defeating and that a positive attitude from EU leaders could temper impulses in Washington to go it alone around the world.
"It is not a sensible or intelligent response for us in Europe to ridicule American arguments and parody their political leadership," the prime minister told the Lord Mayor's Banquet in London -- his major foreign policy speech of the year.
"What is entirely sensible however is for Europe to say terrorism won't be beaten by toughness alone," he said.
Ever since London and Washington waged war in Iraq last year, substantial cracks have opened between them and European powers like France and Germany, which argue the war made the world less safe and galvanized support for militants.
Blair has stood staunchly beside Bush since the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States at a serious cost to his public standing at home and with fellow EU leaders.
Despite facing an election next year, he shows no sign of moving away from Bush who is disliked by many Britons.
"I am not, repeat not, advocating a series of military solutions ... but I am saying that patiently but plainly Europe and America should be working together to bring the democratic, human and political rights we take for granted to the world denied them," Blair said.
TWO-WAY STREET
But cooperation is a two-way street.
"None of this will work however unless America too reaches out. Multilateralism that works should be its aim. I have no sympathy for unilateralism for its own sake," Blair said.
French President Jacques Chirac makes a state visit to Britain later this week and will hold talks with Blair.
But with bitterness still lingering, Blair faces a major challenge to make real his dream of Britain acting as a bridge between Europe and the United States, something he acknowledged.
"Europe is divided over the scale of economic reform and Iraq has divided it further into those enthusiastic for the trans-Atlantic alliance and those nervous of it," he said.
"We believe passionately that Europe must take the road of reform in its economy and renewal of its alliance with America.
"Britain should be proud of its alliance with America, clear in its role in Europe and a tireless advocate of a strong bond between the two ... Of course it's difficult but that doesn't mean it isn't still right and worth striving for."
Bush and Blair set out on Friday a four-year goal of seeing a Palestinian state established and vowed to mobilize global support to help the push for peace after Yasser Arafat (news - web sites)'s death.
Bush also stressed he wanted to work with European allies and pledged to visit EU capitals early next year.
"Here there is an opportunity for Europe. American policy is evolving," Blair said.
"Both Europe and America are coming to realize that lasting security against fanatics and terrorists cannot be provided by conventional military force but requires a commitment to democracy, freedom and justice."
Powell, 3 Other Cabinet Members to Resign
Monday, November 15, 2004
PHOTOS
VIDEO
•
Fast Facts: Changes to Bush's Cabinet
•
Raw Data: Powell's Resignation Letter
•
Bio: Colin Powell
•
Bio: Spencer Abraham
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Ashcroft, Evans Resign From Cabinet
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Paige to Resign as Ed Secretary
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Powell: Mexican Migration Pact Possible
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Powell: European Trip Will Help Relations
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Powell to ElBaradei: Steer Clear of Election
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Powell: We Were Wrong on Stockpiles
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Powell, Abizaid Foresee More Iraq Trouble
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Colin Powell thanked President Bush on Monday for bringing him into his first-term administration, but said the two had discussed it, and it's time for Powell to go.
"It has been my great honor and privilege to have been once again given the opportunity to serve my nation, and I will always treasure the four years that I've spent with President Bush and with the wonderful men and women of the Department of State," Powell told reporters Monday afternoon after the White House announced his decision to step down.
"It has always been my intention that I would serve one term. And after we had had a chance to have good and fulsome discussions on it, we came to mutual agreement that it would be appropriate for me to leave at this time," Powell said.
Bush accepted Powell's resignation, as well as those of three other Cabinet secretaries, the White House announced Monday. Education Secretary Rod Paige (search), Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham (search) and Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman (search) are all returning to private life. White House spokesman Scott McClellan said no successors would be named on Monday.
Monday, November 15, 2004
PHOTOS
VIDEO
•
Fast Facts: Changes to Bush's Cabinet
•
Raw Data: Powell's Resignation Letter
•
Bio: Colin Powell
•
Bio: Spencer Abraham
•
Ashcroft, Evans Resign From Cabinet
•
Paige to Resign as Ed Secretary
•
Powell: Mexican Migration Pact Possible
•
Powell: European Trip Will Help Relations
•
Powell to ElBaradei: Steer Clear of Election
•
Powell: We Were Wrong on Stockpiles
•
Powell, Abizaid Foresee More Iraq Trouble
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Colin Powell thanked President Bush on Monday for bringing him into his first-term administration, but said the two had discussed it, and it's time for Powell to go.
"It has been my great honor and privilege to have been once again given the opportunity to serve my nation, and I will always treasure the four years that I've spent with President Bush and with the wonderful men and women of the Department of State," Powell told reporters Monday afternoon after the White House announced his decision to step down.
"It has always been my intention that I would serve one term. And after we had had a chance to have good and fulsome discussions on it, we came to mutual agreement that it would be appropriate for me to leave at this time," Powell said.
Bush accepted Powell's resignation, as well as those of three other Cabinet secretaries, the White House announced Monday. Education Secretary Rod Paige (search), Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham (search) and Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman (search) are all returning to private life. White House spokesman Scott McClellan said no successors would be named on Monday.
Man Sets Himself Ablaze at White House
Monday, November 15, 2004
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A man set himself afire Monday just outside a White House gate and repeatedly yelled "Allah Allah" after Secret Service (search) officers put out the flames and one held him facedown on the sidewalk.
Alan Etter, spokesman for the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services, said guards at the gate quickly extinguished the flames, and the man had second and third-degree burns on about 30 percent of his body.
The man had burns to his head, back, arms and face but was conscious when medics took him to Washington Hospital Center, Etter said.
"I can confirm that there was an ignitable liquid present on the scene," Etter said.
White House doctors joined uniformed Secret Service personnel in administering first aid until the emergency service technicians arrived. They transported the 52-year-old man, who was not identified, to the burn unit of Washington Hospital Center.
Lorie Lewis, a Secret Service spokeswoman, said the man "set himself on fire on Pennsylvania Avenue on the north side of the White House complex." That section of Pennsylvania Avenue was recently reopened to pedestrians after being closed for security.
Witnesses reported hearing screams and seeing a man in flames. The man's right trouser leg was burned.
Afterward, he lay on the sidewalk about 10-15 feet from his partially burned raincoat, attache case and various papers. A fire extinguisher was there as well. Secret Service personnel confiscated the man's items.
A Florida couple with a video camera taped the incident. John and Beverly Beers, tourists from Palm Beach, Fla., say they turned the tape over to the Secret Service. Authorities also interviewed the couple in Lafayette Park.
Jim Clarke of Burke, Va., was walking his dog when the incident occurred. He said Secret Service agents acted quickly and used an extinguisher to put out the flames.
There was no immediate word on the man's condition or what led to the fire. There was evidence of an ignitable liquid at the scene, Etter said.
The Secret Service, which disclosed no additional details, is investigating the incident.
Monday, November 15, 2004
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A man set himself afire Monday just outside a White House gate and repeatedly yelled "Allah Allah" after Secret Service (search) officers put out the flames and one held him facedown on the sidewalk.
Alan Etter, spokesman for the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services, said guards at the gate quickly extinguished the flames, and the man had second and third-degree burns on about 30 percent of his body.
The man had burns to his head, back, arms and face but was conscious when medics took him to Washington Hospital Center, Etter said.
"I can confirm that there was an ignitable liquid present on the scene," Etter said.
White House doctors joined uniformed Secret Service personnel in administering first aid until the emergency service technicians arrived. They transported the 52-year-old man, who was not identified, to the burn unit of Washington Hospital Center.
Lorie Lewis, a Secret Service spokeswoman, said the man "set himself on fire on Pennsylvania Avenue on the north side of the White House complex." That section of Pennsylvania Avenue was recently reopened to pedestrians after being closed for security.
Witnesses reported hearing screams and seeing a man in flames. The man's right trouser leg was burned.
Afterward, he lay on the sidewalk about 10-15 feet from his partially burned raincoat, attache case and various papers. A fire extinguisher was there as well. Secret Service personnel confiscated the man's items.
A Florida couple with a video camera taped the incident. John and Beverly Beers, tourists from Palm Beach, Fla., say they turned the tape over to the Secret Service. Authorities also interviewed the couple in Lafayette Park.
Jim Clarke of Burke, Va., was walking his dog when the incident occurred. He said Secret Service agents acted quickly and used an extinguisher to put out the flames.
There was no immediate word on the man's condition or what led to the fire. There was evidence of an ignitable liquid at the scene, Etter said.
The Secret Service, which disclosed no additional details, is investigating the incident.
Powell, 3 others leaving CabinetSix members of Bush's inner circle are leaving
NBC News and news services
Updated: 1:41 p.m. ET Nov. 15, 2004
WASHINGTON - Accelerating the shake-up of President Bush's inner circle in advance of his second term, the White House announced Monday that Secretary of State Colin Powell and three other Cabinet members had submitted their resignations.
"I believe that now that the election is over, the time has come for me to step down as secretary of state and return to private life," Powell said in a resignation letter released by the White House.
At a brief news conference, Powell said he would stay "a month or two" until a successor is confirmed by Congress.
Powell, who often butted heads with fellow members of Bush’s foreign policy team, also said he never intended to serve beyond a first term.
“We came to the mutual agreement that it would be appropriate for me to leave at this time,” he said. Powell also dismissed reports that he had offered to stay longer.
The other members of Bush's 15-member Bush Cabinet whose departures were announced Monday are are Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, Education Secretary Rod Paige and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham.
Aides said the 67-year-old Powell told his senior staff early Monday that that he had submitted his resignation on Friday.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said that no nominations for the departing Cabinet members would be announced Monday.
Attorney General John Ashcroft and Commerce Secretary Don Evans announced their resignations last week. Bush has so far moved to fill just one vacancy, nominating White House counsel Alberto Gonzales to succeed Ashcroft.
Rice seen as leading candidateRepublican sources told Reuters that National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice had emerged as the likely candidate to replace Powell.
Rice has been Bush's national security adviser since he took office in January 2001 and has been one of his closest confidantes. She was previously the provost of Stanford University.
U.N. Ambassador John Danforth, a Republican and former U.S. senator from Missouri, also has been mentioned as a possible successor.
For many months, Powell had been viewed as a likely one-term secretary of state but he has always been vague about his intentions.
Powell has had a controversial tenure in the chief of state's job, reportedly differing on some key issues at various junctures with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Powell has generally had good relations with his counterparts around the world, although his standing has been strained by the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
Delivered U.N. speech on IraqPowell, a retired four-star general and former chairman of the military Joint Chiefs of Staff, led the Bush administration's argument at the United Nations for a military attack to oust Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Most notable was his U.N. Security Council appearance on Feb. 5, 2003, during which he argued that Saddam must be removed because of its possession of weapons of mass destruction.
There is no evidence that those claims had any foundation. Powell has maintained all along that the use of force of by the American coalition in Iraq was justified.
Despite his public support of the war effort, the son of Jamaican immigrants has generally been seen as representing more moderate views on foreign policy in the Bush administration.
After the Sept. 11 terror attacks, he helped fashion a fragile coalition of countries for the war against terrorism, careful to request all the help a country could give without pushing any country beyond its limits. Similarly, when leaders decided to end or shorten their troops' duty in postwar Iraq the State Department avoided any harsh reaction, saying simply that it was up to each country to make up its mind.
He also pressed for negotiations with North Korea over its suspected nuclear arsenal and has acquiesced on European talks with Iran over its atomic programs.
Powell intends to maintain a busy schedule until a successor is named, aides said. He was scheduled to meet later Monday with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and was to attend a meeting of Asian in Chile on Wednesday and a multinational conference on Iraq next week.
Word of his impending departure came shortly after Pentagon officials said there was a "strong possibility" that the secretary of state will visit the West Bank next week and meet with Israeli leaders and the new Palestinian leadership.
Abraham had longest tenure at EnergyAbraham leaves after leading the Energy Department longer than any of his predecessors, but without delivering on a top Bush administration priority — getting Congress to enact a broad energy agenda.
In his resignation letter, the former Republican senator from Michigan Abraham expressed optimism that Bush would get the energy policy he has long desired, writing that larger Republican Senate and House majorities in the new Congress will ensure that "much needed energy legislation will finally be enacted."
Abraham faced a number of major issues during his tenure, from the nation’s worst power blackout to soaring crude oil and gasoline prices.
As oil raced past $50 a barrel and $2-a-gallon gasoline became commonplace, Abraham repeatedly rejected calls to release oil from the government’s emergency reserve, citing President Bush’s long-standing view that the reserve should not be used to manipulate prices.
Abraham was credited with getting the White House to provide more money to work with Russia in protecting nuclear materials. He considered reducing the global nuclear nonproliferation threat his top priority. Abraham also took a personal interest in expanding research into hydrogen fuel vehicles.
Among those mentioned as possible successors to Abraham are Deputy Energy Secretary Kyle McSlarrow; retiring Democratic Sen. John Breaux of Louisiana, one of the few Senate Democrats to support Bush's plan to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; Tom Kuhn, president of the Edison Electric Institute trade group; and U.S. ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza.
Domestic adviser seen as Paige successorThe leading candidate to replace Paige is Margaret Spellings, President Bush's domestic policy adviser who helped shape his school agenda when he was the Texas governor.
The 71-year-old Paige, the nation's seventh education secretary, is the first black person to serve in the job. He grew up in segregated Mississippi and built a career on a belief that education equalizes opportunity, moving from college dean and school superintendent to education chief.
Paige is content to move on after overseeing Bush's aggressive education agenda for four years, said an administration official, who has spoken to him about his plans.
Paige, has been an outspoken defender of No Child Left Behind, the law at the center of Bush's domestic agenda.
The law, which aims to get all children up to grade level in reading and math, has faced sustained criticism from state and school leaders who say they need more money and support. But Paige says schools are showing improvement among students who have long been overlooked.
Paige has had rocky moments, with none more glaring than when he called the National Education Association a "terrorist organization" in a private meeting with governors.
He apologized but maintained that the NEA, the nation's largest teachers union, uses "obstructionist scare tactics" in opposing the law. The union called for his resignation.
"I would hope the administration will ask the next secretary to have a better working relationship with the National Education Association," said NEA president Reg Weaver. Asked if he believes Bush will make such a gesture, Weaver said, "Absolutely."
Veneman praised for mad cow disease responseVeneman, the first woman to lead the USDA, also leaves a mixed record.
She won praise for deft handling of the mad cow crisis last winter, but came under fire in 2002 from some farm lobbyists after the administration argued for restraint in spending and more attention to land stewardship at a time when Congress wanted to expand crop subsidy spending.
Among those mentioned as possible successors are farm trade negotiator Allen Johnson of the U.S. Trade Representative's office; White House agriculture advisor Chuck Conner; Texas Rep. Charles Stenholm, a Democrat who was defeated after 13 terms in the House; and Charles Kruse, president of the Missouri Farm Bureau Federation.
NBC News' Tammy Kupperman and Norah O'Donnell and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6492238/?GT1=5809
NBC News and news services
Updated: 1:41 p.m. ET Nov. 15, 2004
WASHINGTON - Accelerating the shake-up of President Bush's inner circle in advance of his second term, the White House announced Monday that Secretary of State Colin Powell and three other Cabinet members had submitted their resignations.
"I believe that now that the election is over, the time has come for me to step down as secretary of state and return to private life," Powell said in a resignation letter released by the White House.
At a brief news conference, Powell said he would stay "a month or two" until a successor is confirmed by Congress.
Powell, who often butted heads with fellow members of Bush’s foreign policy team, also said he never intended to serve beyond a first term.
“We came to the mutual agreement that it would be appropriate for me to leave at this time,” he said. Powell also dismissed reports that he had offered to stay longer.
The other members of Bush's 15-member Bush Cabinet whose departures were announced Monday are are Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, Education Secretary Rod Paige and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham.
Aides said the 67-year-old Powell told his senior staff early Monday that that he had submitted his resignation on Friday.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said that no nominations for the departing Cabinet members would be announced Monday.
Attorney General John Ashcroft and Commerce Secretary Don Evans announced their resignations last week. Bush has so far moved to fill just one vacancy, nominating White House counsel Alberto Gonzales to succeed Ashcroft.
Rice seen as leading candidateRepublican sources told Reuters that National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice had emerged as the likely candidate to replace Powell.
Rice has been Bush's national security adviser since he took office in January 2001 and has been one of his closest confidantes. She was previously the provost of Stanford University.
U.N. Ambassador John Danforth, a Republican and former U.S. senator from Missouri, also has been mentioned as a possible successor.
For many months, Powell had been viewed as a likely one-term secretary of state but he has always been vague about his intentions.
Powell has had a controversial tenure in the chief of state's job, reportedly differing on some key issues at various junctures with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Powell has generally had good relations with his counterparts around the world, although his standing has been strained by the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
Delivered U.N. speech on IraqPowell, a retired four-star general and former chairman of the military Joint Chiefs of Staff, led the Bush administration's argument at the United Nations for a military attack to oust Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Most notable was his U.N. Security Council appearance on Feb. 5, 2003, during which he argued that Saddam must be removed because of its possession of weapons of mass destruction.
There is no evidence that those claims had any foundation. Powell has maintained all along that the use of force of by the American coalition in Iraq was justified.
Despite his public support of the war effort, the son of Jamaican immigrants has generally been seen as representing more moderate views on foreign policy in the Bush administration.
After the Sept. 11 terror attacks, he helped fashion a fragile coalition of countries for the war against terrorism, careful to request all the help a country could give without pushing any country beyond its limits. Similarly, when leaders decided to end or shorten their troops' duty in postwar Iraq the State Department avoided any harsh reaction, saying simply that it was up to each country to make up its mind.
He also pressed for negotiations with North Korea over its suspected nuclear arsenal and has acquiesced on European talks with Iran over its atomic programs.
Powell intends to maintain a busy schedule until a successor is named, aides said. He was scheduled to meet later Monday with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and was to attend a meeting of Asian in Chile on Wednesday and a multinational conference on Iraq next week.
Word of his impending departure came shortly after Pentagon officials said there was a "strong possibility" that the secretary of state will visit the West Bank next week and meet with Israeli leaders and the new Palestinian leadership.
Abraham had longest tenure at EnergyAbraham leaves after leading the Energy Department longer than any of his predecessors, but without delivering on a top Bush administration priority — getting Congress to enact a broad energy agenda.
In his resignation letter, the former Republican senator from Michigan Abraham expressed optimism that Bush would get the energy policy he has long desired, writing that larger Republican Senate and House majorities in the new Congress will ensure that "much needed energy legislation will finally be enacted."
Abraham faced a number of major issues during his tenure, from the nation’s worst power blackout to soaring crude oil and gasoline prices.
As oil raced past $50 a barrel and $2-a-gallon gasoline became commonplace, Abraham repeatedly rejected calls to release oil from the government’s emergency reserve, citing President Bush’s long-standing view that the reserve should not be used to manipulate prices.
Abraham was credited with getting the White House to provide more money to work with Russia in protecting nuclear materials. He considered reducing the global nuclear nonproliferation threat his top priority. Abraham also took a personal interest in expanding research into hydrogen fuel vehicles.
Among those mentioned as possible successors to Abraham are Deputy Energy Secretary Kyle McSlarrow; retiring Democratic Sen. John Breaux of Louisiana, one of the few Senate Democrats to support Bush's plan to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; Tom Kuhn, president of the Edison Electric Institute trade group; and U.S. ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza.
Domestic adviser seen as Paige successorThe leading candidate to replace Paige is Margaret Spellings, President Bush's domestic policy adviser who helped shape his school agenda when he was the Texas governor.
The 71-year-old Paige, the nation's seventh education secretary, is the first black person to serve in the job. He grew up in segregated Mississippi and built a career on a belief that education equalizes opportunity, moving from college dean and school superintendent to education chief.
Paige is content to move on after overseeing Bush's aggressive education agenda for four years, said an administration official, who has spoken to him about his plans.
Paige, has been an outspoken defender of No Child Left Behind, the law at the center of Bush's domestic agenda.
The law, which aims to get all children up to grade level in reading and math, has faced sustained criticism from state and school leaders who say they need more money and support. But Paige says schools are showing improvement among students who have long been overlooked.
Paige has had rocky moments, with none more glaring than when he called the National Education Association a "terrorist organization" in a private meeting with governors.
He apologized but maintained that the NEA, the nation's largest teachers union, uses "obstructionist scare tactics" in opposing the law. The union called for his resignation.
"I would hope the administration will ask the next secretary to have a better working relationship with the National Education Association," said NEA president Reg Weaver. Asked if he believes Bush will make such a gesture, Weaver said, "Absolutely."
Veneman praised for mad cow disease responseVeneman, the first woman to lead the USDA, also leaves a mixed record.
She won praise for deft handling of the mad cow crisis last winter, but came under fire in 2002 from some farm lobbyists after the administration argued for restraint in spending and more attention to land stewardship at a time when Congress wanted to expand crop subsidy spending.
Among those mentioned as possible successors are farm trade negotiator Allen Johnson of the U.S. Trade Representative's office; White House agriculture advisor Chuck Conner; Texas Rep. Charles Stenholm, a Democrat who was defeated after 13 terms in the House; and Charles Kruse, president of the Missouri Farm Bureau Federation.
NBC News' Tammy Kupperman and Norah O'Donnell and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6492238/?GT1=5809
