Friday, December 03, 2004
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Ebersol's Wife Details Colo. Plane Crash
Fri Dec 3, 1:32 PM ET
NEW YORK - The charter jet carrying NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol and two of his sons lifted briefly during takeoff, then tipped back and forth before crashing and burning, Ebersol's actress wife said in an interview broadcast Friday.
AP Photo
AP Photo
Slideshow: Sports Exec Ebersol Survives Jet Crash
Susan Saint James, speaking publicly for the first time about the crash, told NBC's "Today" she has spoken with their 21-year-old son, Charles, about what happened at the Montrose, Colo., airport. The crash killed the couple's 14-year-old son, Teddy, and two crewmen Sunday.
Charles "remembers everything — that they started to lift and tip to the right," she said. "And the pilot tried to straighten up, and tipped to the left and to the right. The pilots saw the front just get compressed like that, and they ended up outside. They were out on the snow."
Federal investigators say the plane was not deiced before takeoff, though nothing has been ruled out as a potential cause for the crash. A snowstorm had moved through the area and there was light snow and fog at the time of takeoff.
The plane was supposed to fly to Indiana to drop off Charles at Notre Dame University, then continue on to the East Coast with his father and younger brother. It had stopped in Colorado to drop off Saint James, presumably so she could spent time at the family home near the Telluride ski resort. The family also has a middle son, Willie, 18, who attends the University of Southern California.
She said her husband has a cracked sternum — "so it is hard for him to sob" — and doesn't remember much about the crash.
Charles Ebersol is credited with pulling his father out of the wreckage before rescue crews and others arrived to help.
His mother said he doesn't consider himself a hero because he couldn't save his brother. And she said he called her on a cell phone and said, "Mom, there's been a crash. You've got to come back and help me look for Teddy."
Saint James, who starred in the TV shows "Kate and Allie" and "McMillan and Wife," said her youngest son was like a best friend, and recalled an autobiography he wrote in school.
"We read it and found out things we didn't know about Teddy, and how much we meant to him as a family," she said.
She added: "You know the saying you're never supposed to bury a child? To lose one and not another. You have to sob your brains out."
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News Home - Help
Ebersol's Wife Details Colo. Plane Crash
Fri Dec 3, 1:32 PM ET
NEW YORK - The charter jet carrying NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol and two of his sons lifted briefly during takeoff, then tipped back and forth before crashing and burning, Ebersol's actress wife said in an interview broadcast Friday.
AP Photo
AP Photo
Slideshow: Sports Exec Ebersol Survives Jet Crash
Susan Saint James, speaking publicly for the first time about the crash, told NBC's "Today" she has spoken with their 21-year-old son, Charles, about what happened at the Montrose, Colo., airport. The crash killed the couple's 14-year-old son, Teddy, and two crewmen Sunday.
Charles "remembers everything — that they started to lift and tip to the right," she said. "And the pilot tried to straighten up, and tipped to the left and to the right. The pilots saw the front just get compressed like that, and they ended up outside. They were out on the snow."
Federal investigators say the plane was not deiced before takeoff, though nothing has been ruled out as a potential cause for the crash. A snowstorm had moved through the area and there was light snow and fog at the time of takeoff.
The plane was supposed to fly to Indiana to drop off Charles at Notre Dame University, then continue on to the East Coast with his father and younger brother. It had stopped in Colorado to drop off Saint James, presumably so she could spent time at the family home near the Telluride ski resort. The family also has a middle son, Willie, 18, who attends the University of Southern California.
She said her husband has a cracked sternum — "so it is hard for him to sob" — and doesn't remember much about the crash.
Charles Ebersol is credited with pulling his father out of the wreckage before rescue crews and others arrived to help.
His mother said he doesn't consider himself a hero because he couldn't save his brother. And she said he called her on a cell phone and said, "Mom, there's been a crash. You've got to come back and help me look for Teddy."
Saint James, who starred in the TV shows "Kate and Allie" and "McMillan and Wife," said her youngest son was like a best friend, and recalled an autobiography he wrote in school.
"We read it and found out things we didn't know about Teddy, and how much we meant to him as a family," she said.
She added: "You know the saying you're never supposed to bury a child? To lose one and not another. You have to sob your brains out."
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Bush's Ohio Win Was Closer Than Thought
52 minutes ago
By JOHN SEEWER, Associated Press Writer
TOLEDO, Ohio - President Bush (news - web sites)'s victory over John Kerry (news - web sites) in Ohio was closer than the unofficial election night totals showed, but the change is not enough to trigger an automatic recount, according to county-by-county results provided to The Associated Press on Friday.
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Bush's Ohio Win Was Closer Than Thought AP - 52 minutes ago
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Fund Raising by Candidates, Parties AP - Fri Dec 3,10:34 AM ET
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Democratic Governors Want Outsider to Lead AP - Thu Dec 2,11:20 PM ET
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Bush's margin of victory in the state that put him over the top in his re-election bid will be about 119,000 votes, which is smaller than the unofficial margin of 136,000, the county election board figures showed. That means Kerry drew closer by about 17,000 votes.
The margin shrank primarily because of the addition of provisional ballots that were not counted on Election Day and were not included in the unofficial tally. Overseas ballots also were added to the count in all 88 counties.
Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell will certify the results Monday.
The president's margin of victory was about 2 percent, not close enough to require an automatic recount. That happens only when the difference is 0.25 percent or less.
Bush beat Kerry nationally by 3 percentage points.
Out of 156,977 provisional ballots checked, 121,598 were pronounced valid and were accepted, meaning about one in five was thrown out, according to an AP tabulation. Provisional voters are cast when poll workers cannot immediately confirm if a voter was properly registered.
How many provisional ballots were cast for Bush and how many were cast for Kerry were not known, because most county election boards did not break down the votes that way. Most boards combined provisional ballots with overseas ballots and those cast on Election Day, then counted the entire batch to reach their final tallies.
The Kerry campaign and two third-party candidates are seeking a recount in Ohio. The Green and Libertarian parties said they have raised enough money to cover the cost. The Kerry campaign said it is not disputing the outcome of the presidential race but wants to make sure any recount is "done accurately and completely."
A hearing on the recount request began in federal court in Columbus on Friday afternoon.
The narrowing of Bush's margin only increases the possibility that the election results could be changed, the Green Party said. "Who knows what else will turn up when we examine the discarded ballots?" Green spokesman Blair Bobier asked.
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52 minutes ago
By JOHN SEEWER, Associated Press Writer
TOLEDO, Ohio - President Bush (news - web sites)'s victory over John Kerry (news - web sites) in Ohio was closer than the unofficial election night totals showed, but the change is not enough to trigger an automatic recount, according to county-by-county results provided to The Associated Press on Friday.
AP Photo
Latest Headlines:
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Bush's Ohio Win Was Closer Than Thought AP - 52 minutes ago
·
Fund Raising by Candidates, Parties AP - Fri Dec 3,10:34 AM ET
·
Democratic Governors Want Outsider to Lead AP - Thu Dec 2,11:20 PM ET
All Election Coverage
Bush's margin of victory in the state that put him over the top in his re-election bid will be about 119,000 votes, which is smaller than the unofficial margin of 136,000, the county election board figures showed. That means Kerry drew closer by about 17,000 votes.
The margin shrank primarily because of the addition of provisional ballots that were not counted on Election Day and were not included in the unofficial tally. Overseas ballots also were added to the count in all 88 counties.
Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell will certify the results Monday.
The president's margin of victory was about 2 percent, not close enough to require an automatic recount. That happens only when the difference is 0.25 percent or less.
Bush beat Kerry nationally by 3 percentage points.
Out of 156,977 provisional ballots checked, 121,598 were pronounced valid and were accepted, meaning about one in five was thrown out, according to an AP tabulation. Provisional voters are cast when poll workers cannot immediately confirm if a voter was properly registered.
How many provisional ballots were cast for Bush and how many were cast for Kerry were not known, because most county election boards did not break down the votes that way. Most boards combined provisional ballots with overseas ballots and those cast on Election Day, then counted the entire batch to reach their final tallies.
The Kerry campaign and two third-party candidates are seeking a recount in Ohio. The Green and Libertarian parties said they have raised enough money to cover the cost. The Kerry campaign said it is not disputing the outcome of the presidential race but wants to make sure any recount is "done accurately and completely."
A hearing on the recount request began in federal court in Columbus on Friday afternoon.
The narrowing of Bush's margin only increases the possibility that the election results could be changed, the Green Party said. "Who knows what else will turn up when we examine the discarded ballots?" Green spokesman Blair Bobier asked.
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No Joy in Mudville Thursday December 02, 2004 6:00PM PT
Jason Giambi Nothing sends folks rushing to their keyboards like a controversy -- just ask Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi (+224%). The former league MVP and a star slugger in the center of the much publicized BALCO case has admitted taking steroids, according to grand jury testimony from last year. While many have long believed Giambi's talent wasn't exactly 100% natural, his testimony is the first admission that strange things really were afoot at the BALCO lab. The news (which was just made public) sparked searches on the deodorant pitchman, the case, and several other athletes under fire for alleged doping. Searches on household names Barry Bonds (+87%) and Gary Sheffield (+74%), two power hitters also rumored to be "juicing," took off on the Giambi news, as did interest in track stars Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery. Also spiking were searches on Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig, and the late Ken Caminiti, another former MVP who admitted he used steroids during his prime.
Jason Giambi Nothing sends folks rushing to their keyboards like a controversy -- just ask Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi (+224%). The former league MVP and a star slugger in the center of the much publicized BALCO case has admitted taking steroids, according to grand jury testimony from last year. While many have long believed Giambi's talent wasn't exactly 100% natural, his testimony is the first admission that strange things really were afoot at the BALCO lab. The news (which was just made public) sparked searches on the deodorant pitchman, the case, and several other athletes under fire for alleged doping. Searches on household names Barry Bonds (+87%) and Gary Sheffield (+74%), two power hitters also rumored to be "juicing," took off on the Giambi news, as did interest in track stars Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery. Also spiking were searches on Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig, and the late Ken Caminiti, another former MVP who admitted he used steroids during his prime.
News Home - Help
30 Killed in Twin Iraq Insurgent Attacks
24 minutes ago
By SAMEER N. YACOUB, Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Insurgents launched two major attacks Friday against a Shiite mosque and a police station in Baghdad, killing 30 people including at least 16 police officers, the deadliest insurgent violence in weeks.
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Reuters
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Possible Torture Site Discovered in Fallujah(AP Video)
Latest headlines:
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30 Killed in Twin Iraq Insurgent Attacks AP - 24 minutes ago
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US ready to pounce when Iraqi rebel leader returns to 'death triangle' AFP - 31 minutes ago
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U.S. Airborne Troops Head for Iraq in Major Buildup Reuters - 41 minutes ago
Special Coverage
In the north, U.S. and Iraqi troops battled gunmen in Mosul, leaving at least 11 guerrillas and a policeman dead, Iraqi commanders said. The fighting in Iraq (news - web sites)'s third-largest city — a center of violence since a major uprising last month — came a day after a U.S. soldier was killed in the city.
Also Friday, a U.S. soldier was killed and two were wounded Friday when a roadside bomb hit their their patrol near the northern city of Kirkuk, the U.S. military said.
Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's Sunni rebel group, al-Qaida in Iraq, claimed responsibility for the attack on the police station in Baghdad's western Amil district. The claim, which appeared on an Islamic Web site, could not immediately be verified.
"The destructive effect that such operations has on the morale of the enemy inside and on its countries and people abroad is clear," the claim said.
In the attack, gunmen first shelled the police station near the dangerous road to Baghdad International Airport. Then guerrillas stormed the station, killing 16 policemen, looting weapons, releasing detainees and torching several cars, Police Capt. Mohammed al-Jumeili said. He said several policemen and detainees at the station were wounded.
U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Jim Hutton said gunmen in 11 cars attacked the station with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire. He said a U.S. military Humvee was also damaged. There were no American casualties. There was no word on the insurgents' casualties.
The U.S. Embassy on Thursday barred employees from the highway leading to Baghdad's airport, the scene of frequent attacks on vehicles.
The attack on the Shiite mosque came in the Baghdad neighborhood of Azamiyah, a Sunni Muslim stronghold. Police said a car bomb exploded at the Hameed al-Najar Mosque, killing 14 people and wounding 19.
Azamiyah was a major center of Sunni support for Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), and the targeting of the mosque may have been a bid by Sunnis to stoke civil strife in the area. It wasn't clear who was behind the bombing.
The imam of a Sunni mosque in the same neighborhood condemned the attack and warned Muslims to be wary of people trying to ignite a sectarian conflict.
"Iraqi resistance has nothing to do with bombing mosques and churches and killing innocent people in markets and streets," said Sheik Ahmed Hassan Al-Taha, imam of Abu Hanifa mosque. "These acts are against the law of God."
The claim from al-Zarqawi's group said 30 people were killed in the Amil attack and only two escaped. The group also claimed responsibility for an attack on a police station in Azamiyah.
There were no reports of casualties from the strike on that police station, and it wasn't clear if it was linked to the mosque bombing, which was not mentioned.
In the same claim, Zarqawi's group said
Fundraising Records Broken by Both Major Political Parties Democrats Got More Money Than GOP for 1st Time Since '70s
By Thomas B. Edsall and Derek WillisWashington Post Staff WritersFriday, December 3, 2004; Page A07
The GOP and the Democrats broke all previous fundraising records this year, but for the first time since the mid-1970s, the Democratic National Committee raised more money than the Republican National Committee.
The DNC reported yesterday that it raised $389.8 million from Jan. 1, 2003, to Nov. 22, 2004, compared with $385.3 million by the RNC.
Total spending on the presidential campaign from all sources seeking to influence the outcome exceeded $1.7 billion, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission and the Internal Revenue Service. At least $925 million was spent in support of Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and $822 million in support of President Bush. In the 2000 presidential contest, total spending was just under $1 billion.
One of the major reasons for the sharp increase in overall spending was the decision by the campaigns of Bush and Kerry to reject public financing for their primary campaigns, which would have imposed spending limits. Without those limitations, Bush and Kerry together boosted spending by more than $300 million.
In every previous election cycle since 1976, the year the FEC first began issuing reports, the GOP has decisively trumped the Democrats. In 1999-2000, for example, the RNC raised $377 million, $116.4 million more than the $260.6 million collected by the DNC.
Both major parties defied predictions that the new McCain-Feingold campaign finance law would severely weaken them. Instead, each broke fundraising records in the 2003-2004 cycle. In addition, both the DNC and the RNC have vastly improved the resources available to future candidates, arming themselves with high-tech voter lists and building donor bases that should provide reliable financial support in the future.
RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie acknowledged the accomplishment of the rival DNC. "The parties adapted to the law, and frankly the DNC had a bigger adaptation to go through," he said. "But they broadened their net and were able to get to small donors."
DNC Chairman Terence R. McAuliffe declared: "Even though the pundits called the DNC 'dead' after McCain-Feingold, the American people said otherwise. Thanks to our strong grass-roots support, the Democratic Party surpassed every fundraising goal by a factor of three."
Gillespie asserted that the rise of "527" organizations threatens political parties and the political system because those groups are under little restraint to use responsible tactics. With many reports still to be filed, presidential 527s had reported by yesterday evening raising a total of $277 million.
The 527 committees, named for the section of the tax code governing them, were allowed by the FEC to raise and spend unlimited "soft money" from labor unions, corporate groups and wealthy individuals. These groups, including America Coming Together and the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, are widely viewed as having played major roles in the outcome of the Nov. 2 election.
In the current cycle, the parties were barred from collecting unlimited "soft money" contributions. The McCain-Feingold law restricted them to "hard money" donations of $25,000 or less from individuals.
Even with this restriction, both parties raised more through Nov. 22 than they had done during the entire 24-month period of 1999-2000, when both hard- and soft-money contributions were allowed.
The DNC tripled its hard-money receipts from 1999-2000, when it raised $124 million in relatively small donations. The RNC's $385.3 million in hard money in this cycle was $182.5 million more than the $212.8 million in hard money it raised four years ago.
Just over two years ago, many top Democratic strategists were predicting that the McCain-Feingold ban on soft money would devastate their party. Instead, the party flourished, raising $389.8 million in hard money, by far the most in its history.
Not only did the parties enjoy huge cash surges, but both presidential campaigns and the new 527 committees exceeded their goals as money flowed into the system in amounts ranging from single-digit gifts over the Internet to multimillion-dollar contributions from such super-rich donors as George Soros on the left and T. Boone Pickens Jr. on the right.
Soros gave at least $27 million to 527 committees. Such Republicans as Pickens, Ronald and Dawn Arnall, and Gus and Faye Spanos each gave $5 million or more.
To deal with the contribution limits set by the McCain-Feingold law, the parties and the candidates sharply intensified efforts to build networks of major fundraisers -- well-connected men and women who could collect many contributions of $2,000 or less for candidates and $25,000 or less for the parties.
Public Citizen, the consumer advocacy group, noted yesterday that Bush has 327 "Pioneers" who each raised at least $100,000, and 221 "Rangers" who each raised $200,000 or more. In addition, the RNC has 105 "Super Rangers" who collected $300,000 or more for the party.
Kerry, in turn, has 266 "Vice-Chairs" who each raised at least $100,000 and 298 "Co-Chairs" who each raised $50,000 or more.
© 2004 The Washington Post Company
'
By Thomas B. Edsall and Derek WillisWashington Post Staff WritersFriday, December 3, 2004; Page A07
The GOP and the Democrats broke all previous fundraising records this year, but for the first time since the mid-1970s, the Democratic National Committee raised more money than the Republican National Committee.
The DNC reported yesterday that it raised $389.8 million from Jan. 1, 2003, to Nov. 22, 2004, compared with $385.3 million by the RNC.
Total spending on the presidential campaign from all sources seeking to influence the outcome exceeded $1.7 billion, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission and the Internal Revenue Service. At least $925 million was spent in support of Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and $822 million in support of President Bush. In the 2000 presidential contest, total spending was just under $1 billion.
One of the major reasons for the sharp increase in overall spending was the decision by the campaigns of Bush and Kerry to reject public financing for their primary campaigns, which would have imposed spending limits. Without those limitations, Bush and Kerry together boosted spending by more than $300 million.
In every previous election cycle since 1976, the year the FEC first began issuing reports, the GOP has decisively trumped the Democrats. In 1999-2000, for example, the RNC raised $377 million, $116.4 million more than the $260.6 million collected by the DNC.
Both major parties defied predictions that the new McCain-Feingold campaign finance law would severely weaken them. Instead, each broke fundraising records in the 2003-2004 cycle. In addition, both the DNC and the RNC have vastly improved the resources available to future candidates, arming themselves with high-tech voter lists and building donor bases that should provide reliable financial support in the future.
RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie acknowledged the accomplishment of the rival DNC. "The parties adapted to the law, and frankly the DNC had a bigger adaptation to go through," he said. "But they broadened their net and were able to get to small donors."
DNC Chairman Terence R. McAuliffe declared: "Even though the pundits called the DNC 'dead' after McCain-Feingold, the American people said otherwise. Thanks to our strong grass-roots support, the Democratic Party surpassed every fundraising goal by a factor of three."
Gillespie asserted that the rise of "527" organizations threatens political parties and the political system because those groups are under little restraint to use responsible tactics. With many reports still to be filed, presidential 527s had reported by yesterday evening raising a total of $277 million.
The 527 committees, named for the section of the tax code governing them, were allowed by the FEC to raise and spend unlimited "soft money" from labor unions, corporate groups and wealthy individuals. These groups, including America Coming Together and the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, are widely viewed as having played major roles in the outcome of the Nov. 2 election.
In the current cycle, the parties were barred from collecting unlimited "soft money" contributions. The McCain-Feingold law restricted them to "hard money" donations of $25,000 or less from individuals.
Even with this restriction, both parties raised more through Nov. 22 than they had done during the entire 24-month period of 1999-2000, when both hard- and soft-money contributions were allowed.
The DNC tripled its hard-money receipts from 1999-2000, when it raised $124 million in relatively small donations. The RNC's $385.3 million in hard money in this cycle was $182.5 million more than the $212.8 million in hard money it raised four years ago.
Just over two years ago, many top Democratic strategists were predicting that the McCain-Feingold ban on soft money would devastate their party. Instead, the party flourished, raising $389.8 million in hard money, by far the most in its history.
Not only did the parties enjoy huge cash surges, but both presidential campaigns and the new 527 committees exceeded their goals as money flowed into the system in amounts ranging from single-digit gifts over the Internet to multimillion-dollar contributions from such super-rich donors as George Soros on the left and T. Boone Pickens Jr. on the right.
Soros gave at least $27 million to 527 committees. Such Republicans as Pickens, Ronald and Dawn Arnall, and Gus and Faye Spanos each gave $5 million or more.
To deal with the contribution limits set by the McCain-Feingold law, the parties and the candidates sharply intensified efforts to build networks of major fundraisers -- well-connected men and women who could collect many contributions of $2,000 or less for candidates and $25,000 or less for the parties.
Public Citizen, the consumer advocacy group, noted yesterday that Bush has 327 "Pioneers" who each raised at least $100,000, and 221 "Rangers" who each raised $200,000 or more. In addition, the RNC has 105 "Super Rangers" who collected $300,000 or more for the party.
Kerry, in turn, has 266 "Vice-Chairs" who each raised at least $100,000 and 298 "Co-Chairs" who each raised $50,000 or more.
© 2004 The Washington Post Company
'
today's papersKerik SticksBy Eric UmanskyPosted Friday, Dec. 3, 2004, at 12:48 AM PT
The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal world-wide newsbox, and USA Today all lead with the unofficial announcement—via SOAs—that President Bush has chosen former NYC police chief Bernard Kerik as the new Homeland Security chief. Kerik was the city's s top cop on Sept. 11; one "presidential advisor" told the WP he brings "9/11 symbolism into the Cabinet." Bush also nominated Nebraska Gov. Michael Johanns as secretary of agriculture. And U.N. Ambassador John Danforth announced his resignation, after only six months on the job. The Los Angeles Times fronts the Cabinet moves but leads with an archdiocese in Orange County agreeing to settle claims by 87 people who've charged that priests sexually abused them. The Times hears the payout will exceed the previous church record in the U.S.: $85 million.
Kerik was the top cop in Iraq for a few months after the invasion. The police training program he started got low marks, says the LAT. After he returned, Kerik talked up the war effort. "We are winning the battle," he said in late 2003. Then came campaign season. As USAT notes, Kerik warned one stump crowd about the likelihood of a terrorist attack: "If you put Senator Kerry in the White House, I think you are going to see that happen."
The Post mentions that the Homeland Security Department's problems go beyond who's in charge: "A number of panels of experts have concluded that the department is severely underfinanced and understaffed in many of its key functions. In particular, Homeland Security has almost no high-level staff members who are assigned to develop strategies about key policy problems."
According to early morning reports, a car bomb exploded in northern Baghdad, killing 14. Also this morning, guerrillas overran a Baghdad police station, killing 11 and apparently freeing prisoners inside.
Yesterday, a barrage of mortar rounds hit central Baghdad, killing one civilian and wounding about a dozen. A few rounds hit inside the Green Zone, though nobody was wounded. Also yesterday, a GI was killed in Mosul, where officials said they've discovered another dozen bodies, bringing the total there to about 60. A top Iraqi cop was beheaded in Baghdad. And two city councilmen were assassinated in Baquba.
The WP fronts Bush ruling out delaying the vote in Iraq. "It's time for the Iraqi citizens to go to the polls," he said.
A separate piece inside the Post says the U.S. embassy has now joined with its British counterpart in banning employees from taking the road to the airport. Employees had been riding an armored bus, nicknamed the Rhino. Then it was hit by a bomb. Now anybody traveling from the Green Zone to the airport—about 10 miles—will go via chopper. The Post says the road is averaging "several" suicide attacks per week.
The Christian Science Monitor reports from Fallujah, where Marines keep clearing the city and insurgents keep coming back. One Marine was killed there Monday.
The Post fronts a classified report on U.S. prisons in Afghanistan concluding that interrogators have been given little or no guidance, a situation that creates a "opportunity" for abuse. The report came in response to the Abu Ghraib revelations and was filed over the summer. The WP doesn't wonder why the report was classified. As the NYT fronts, Russian President Putin, ever the freedom-loving man, came out against a redo of the apparently fraudulent elections in Ukraine. "A rerun of the second round may also produce nothing," he said. "What happens then? Will there have to be a third, a fourth, a 25th round until one of the sides obtains the necessary result." The NYT says the White House "chose to emphasize the positive aspects of Mr. Putin's comments." That's not what the Post picks up. It points out that the president pointedly noted that the election "ought to be free from any foreign influence."
Also in Ukraine, protestors don't seem to be buying into a de-escalation deal worked out earlier this week and are still blockading government buildings.
The NYT stuffs newly declassified documents showing that the CIA knew of a 2002 coup plot against Venezuala's President Hugo Chavez, despite the administration's longtime claims that it was taken by surprise. One CIA memo states, "Disgruntled officers are planning a coup." It's also unclear whether the U.S. warned Chavez about the plans. The Times credits a FOIA-friendly freelance journalist with flushing out the documents. One question: If the Times had found the documents on its own, would the story still be stuffed?
The NYT notices inside that Bush's chief economic adviser warned today's young'uns not to hold their breath for the level of Social Security benefits given today. "The benefits now scheduled for future generations under current law are not sustainable given the projected path of payroll tax revenue," he said. "They are empty promises." A White House spokesperson reacted with pursed lips, saying Bush hasn't decided on any specific changes to the program.
A Post news brief mentions that in the course of arguing against a lawsuit brought by Gitmo detainees, the government side said military tribunals can accept evidence gained through torture. Explained a gov lawyer, "Nothing in the due process clause [of the Constitution] prohibits them from relying on it."Eric Umansky writes "Today's Papers" for Slate. He can be reached at todayspapers@hotmail.com.Article URL: http://slate.msn.com/id/2110629/
The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal world-wide newsbox, and USA Today all lead with the unofficial announcement—via SOAs—that President Bush has chosen former NYC police chief Bernard Kerik as the new Homeland Security chief. Kerik was the city's s top cop on Sept. 11; one "presidential advisor" told the WP he brings "9/11 symbolism into the Cabinet." Bush also nominated Nebraska Gov. Michael Johanns as secretary of agriculture. And U.N. Ambassador John Danforth announced his resignation, after only six months on the job. The Los Angeles Times fronts the Cabinet moves but leads with an archdiocese in Orange County agreeing to settle claims by 87 people who've charged that priests sexually abused them. The Times hears the payout will exceed the previous church record in the U.S.: $85 million.
Kerik was the top cop in Iraq for a few months after the invasion. The police training program he started got low marks, says the LAT. After he returned, Kerik talked up the war effort. "We are winning the battle," he said in late 2003. Then came campaign season. As USAT notes, Kerik warned one stump crowd about the likelihood of a terrorist attack: "If you put Senator Kerry in the White House, I think you are going to see that happen."
The Post mentions that the Homeland Security Department's problems go beyond who's in charge: "A number of panels of experts have concluded that the department is severely underfinanced and understaffed in many of its key functions. In particular, Homeland Security has almost no high-level staff members who are assigned to develop strategies about key policy problems."
According to early morning reports, a car bomb exploded in northern Baghdad, killing 14. Also this morning, guerrillas overran a Baghdad police station, killing 11 and apparently freeing prisoners inside.
Yesterday, a barrage of mortar rounds hit central Baghdad, killing one civilian and wounding about a dozen. A few rounds hit inside the Green Zone, though nobody was wounded. Also yesterday, a GI was killed in Mosul, where officials said they've discovered another dozen bodies, bringing the total there to about 60. A top Iraqi cop was beheaded in Baghdad. And two city councilmen were assassinated in Baquba.
The WP fronts Bush ruling out delaying the vote in Iraq. "It's time for the Iraqi citizens to go to the polls," he said.
A separate piece inside the Post says the U.S. embassy has now joined with its British counterpart in banning employees from taking the road to the airport. Employees had been riding an armored bus, nicknamed the Rhino. Then it was hit by a bomb. Now anybody traveling from the Green Zone to the airport—about 10 miles—will go via chopper. The Post says the road is averaging "several" suicide attacks per week.
The Christian Science Monitor reports from Fallujah, where Marines keep clearing the city and insurgents keep coming back. One Marine was killed there Monday.
The Post fronts a classified report on U.S. prisons in Afghanistan concluding that interrogators have been given little or no guidance, a situation that creates a "opportunity" for abuse. The report came in response to the Abu Ghraib revelations and was filed over the summer. The WP doesn't wonder why the report was classified. As the NYT fronts, Russian President Putin, ever the freedom-loving man, came out against a redo of the apparently fraudulent elections in Ukraine. "A rerun of the second round may also produce nothing," he said. "What happens then? Will there have to be a third, a fourth, a 25th round until one of the sides obtains the necessary result." The NYT says the White House "chose to emphasize the positive aspects of Mr. Putin's comments." That's not what the Post picks up. It points out that the president pointedly noted that the election "ought to be free from any foreign influence."
Also in Ukraine, protestors don't seem to be buying into a de-escalation deal worked out earlier this week and are still blockading government buildings.
The NYT stuffs newly declassified documents showing that the CIA knew of a 2002 coup plot against Venezuala's President Hugo Chavez, despite the administration's longtime claims that it was taken by surprise. One CIA memo states, "Disgruntled officers are planning a coup." It's also unclear whether the U.S. warned Chavez about the plans. The Times credits a FOIA-friendly freelance journalist with flushing out the documents. One question: If the Times had found the documents on its own, would the story still be stuffed?
The NYT notices inside that Bush's chief economic adviser warned today's young'uns not to hold their breath for the level of Social Security benefits given today. "The benefits now scheduled for future generations under current law are not sustainable given the projected path of payroll tax revenue," he said. "They are empty promises." A White House spokesperson reacted with pursed lips, saying Bush hasn't decided on any specific changes to the program.
A Post news brief mentions that in the course of arguing against a lawsuit brought by Gitmo detainees, the government side said military tribunals can accept evidence gained through torture. Explained a gov lawyer, "Nothing in the due process clause [of the Constitution] prohibits them from relying on it."Eric Umansky writes "Today's Papers" for Slate. He can be reached at todayspapers@hotmail.com.Article URL: http://slate.msn.com/id/2110629/
Ex-NYPD Official To Succeed Ridge Nominee Was Commissioner on 9/11
By Mike Allen and John MintzWashington Post Staff WritersFriday, December 3, 2004; Page A01
President Bush has chosen Bernard B. Kerik, the New York police commissioner during the attacks on the World Trade Center, to take over the Department of Homeland Security from its first leader, Tom Ridge, administration officials said yesterday.
White House officials described Kerik, who campaigned aggressively for Bush's reelection, as a proven crisis manager who can straighten out the lines of authority in the infant department and work to prevent a catastrophic attack or cope with its aftermath. Other Republicans said Kerik would provide a telegenic presence, and one presidential adviser pointed out that Kerik "brings 9/11 symbolism into the Cabinet."
Kerik will appear with Bush at the White House today, a senior administration official said. Some Bush officials said they were concerned about his lack of Washington experience, because commanding respect within the Cabinet and with Congress remains a challenge for the agency.
Bush also surprised Republicans yesterday by naming Nebraska Gov. Michael O. Johanns, 54, a dairy farmer's son who was the party's leading candidate in an upcoming U.S. Senate race, as secretary of agriculture. If confirmed, he will succeed Ann M. Veneman, an original member of Bush's Cabinet who said two years ago that she is fighting breast cancer.
In a third change as Bush reshapes his government for a second term, U.N. Ambassador John C. Danforth, 68, a former U.S. senator from Missouri, submitted his resignation after five months on the job.
Officials said Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson will announce his resignation soon and is likely to be replaced by Mark B. McClellan, a physician and economist who is administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Bush chose Kerik, 49, after the commissioner's former boss, former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, "made an impassioned personal plea to the president to give Kerik the job," one administration official said. White House officials said several people recommended Kerik and he was chosen on merit, not because of Giuliani.
The department that Kerik inherits from Ridge faces challenges on nearly every one of its high-priority fronts. The department, a collection of 22 preexisting agencies and offices, is under criticism for what some say is a failure to address many security gaps, such as protecting U.S. ports and chemical plants, securing the United States' borders with Mexico and Canada, and helping the country's first responders to prepare for attacks.
A number of panels of experts have concluded that the department is severely underfinanced and understaffed in many of its key functions. In particular, Homeland Security has almost no high-level staff members who are assigned to develop strategies about key policy problems.
At the New York City Police Department, Kerik is credited with improving relations with the city's minority communities after years of friction. He also was in charge during a period of declining crime rates in the city, although some experts say that was less a result of Kerik's policies than of demographic factors.
Kerik resigned as commissioner two months after the Sept. 11 attacks, citing a desire to spend time with his family. After the invasion of Iraq, he took the job of directing the training of Iraqi law enforcement officials, an effort that has met with mixed success. Many of the trainees have fled at the first sign of danger, but Kerik's defenders say he can hardly be blamed for that.
A high-ranking business executive who is familiar with Kerik's tenure as police commissioner and as head trainer of Iraqi police recruits expressed shock at his selection, and said Kerik is not an accomplished manager. "Management just simply isn't his strong suit," the executive said.
A number of New York elected officials praised the selection. "Coming from New York, Bernie Kerik knows the great needs and challenges this country faces in homeland security," Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement.
Bush said during an October campaign appearance with Kerik in New Jersey that the former commissioner "knows something about security -- he's lived security all his life."
Kerik started with the NYPD as a beat cop in Times Square and was one of Giuliani's bodyguards during the 1993 campaign. Kerik wrote a best-selling autobiography, "The Lost Son: A Life in the Pursuit of Justice," covering the mystery of his mother, who abandoned her young son.
Administration officials had said that Kerik was on Bush's short list to replace Ridge, but the president's choice for agriculture secretary was a surprise. Johanns was the Republican front-runner to take on Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), a freshman who is up for reelection in 2006 and is considered vulnerable by the GOP.
Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) had energetically promoted Johanns for Senate. Nebraska's lieutenant governor, Dave Heineman (R), is to serve the remaining two years of Johanns's term.
Appearing with his nominee in the White House Roosevelt Room, Bush said that in the second term he plans to continue policies that are "pro-growth, pro-jobs and pro-farmer" and keep working to open foreign markets to U.S. agricultural products.
Johanns said in brief remarks that his agricultural background has done much "to define who I am as a person." He said one of his campaign messages was that "after growing up on a dairy farm . . . everything in life seemed easy after that."
Johanns was not the first candidate sounded out by Bush aides. White House senior adviser Karl Rove called Nelson, the Democratic senator, on Nov. 12 and asked what his reaction would be to being considered for agriculture secretary, according to sources in both parties.
Nelson called Rove back Nov. 17 to say he was not interested in agriculture secretary. But he said he was interested in two other Cabinet posts, according to a Republican familiar with the exchange. Nelson said that he led trade delegations as Nebraska governor and would be interested in being commerce secretary and that he has an abiding interest in energy issues and would also accept the job of energy secretary, the Republican said.
The selection of Johanns led to speculation in Nebraska and Washington that the nomination might be designed as an incentive for Nelson to switch to the GOP. Nelson's office said he has had no such conversations with the White House, and Republicans pointed out that he has more leverage with the White House as a Democrat who can be persuaded to cross the aisle on certain votes.
Johanns took office as Nebraska governor in January 1999 and was reelected in 2002, becoming the first GOP governor to win a second term in the state since 1956. He began his political career as a Democrat but switched parties in 1988. He was elected Lincoln mayor three years later and was reelected in 1995.
Johanns has come under criticism from civil liberties groups for official actions that they said promoted conservative Christian beliefs. In May 1999 he signed a proclamation declaring a March for Jesus Day, and he later endorsed a Back to the Bible Day in honor of a fundamentalist Christian group in Nebraska.
Both nominees must be confirmed by the Senate.
Meanwhile, Bush plans to launch a public push to restructure Social Security and the tax code at an economic forum Dec. 15-16, the White House announced. At the forum, which will include Vice President Cheney, Cabinet members and business officials, Bush is planning also to tout limits on lawsuits, restraints on federal spending, and ways to improve health care and education.
Staff writers William Branigin and Jim VandeHei contributed to this report.
© 2004 The Washington Post Company
'
By Mike Allen and John MintzWashington Post Staff WritersFriday, December 3, 2004; Page A01
President Bush has chosen Bernard B. Kerik, the New York police commissioner during the attacks on the World Trade Center, to take over the Department of Homeland Security from its first leader, Tom Ridge, administration officials said yesterday.
White House officials described Kerik, who campaigned aggressively for Bush's reelection, as a proven crisis manager who can straighten out the lines of authority in the infant department and work to prevent a catastrophic attack or cope with its aftermath. Other Republicans said Kerik would provide a telegenic presence, and one presidential adviser pointed out that Kerik "brings 9/11 symbolism into the Cabinet."
Kerik will appear with Bush at the White House today, a senior administration official said. Some Bush officials said they were concerned about his lack of Washington experience, because commanding respect within the Cabinet and with Congress remains a challenge for the agency.
Bush also surprised Republicans yesterday by naming Nebraska Gov. Michael O. Johanns, 54, a dairy farmer's son who was the party's leading candidate in an upcoming U.S. Senate race, as secretary of agriculture. If confirmed, he will succeed Ann M. Veneman, an original member of Bush's Cabinet who said two years ago that she is fighting breast cancer.
In a third change as Bush reshapes his government for a second term, U.N. Ambassador John C. Danforth, 68, a former U.S. senator from Missouri, submitted his resignation after five months on the job.
Officials said Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson will announce his resignation soon and is likely to be replaced by Mark B. McClellan, a physician and economist who is administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Bush chose Kerik, 49, after the commissioner's former boss, former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, "made an impassioned personal plea to the president to give Kerik the job," one administration official said. White House officials said several people recommended Kerik and he was chosen on merit, not because of Giuliani.
The department that Kerik inherits from Ridge faces challenges on nearly every one of its high-priority fronts. The department, a collection of 22 preexisting agencies and offices, is under criticism for what some say is a failure to address many security gaps, such as protecting U.S. ports and chemical plants, securing the United States' borders with Mexico and Canada, and helping the country's first responders to prepare for attacks.
A number of panels of experts have concluded that the department is severely underfinanced and understaffed in many of its key functions. In particular, Homeland Security has almost no high-level staff members who are assigned to develop strategies about key policy problems.
At the New York City Police Department, Kerik is credited with improving relations with the city's minority communities after years of friction. He also was in charge during a period of declining crime rates in the city, although some experts say that was less a result of Kerik's policies than of demographic factors.
Kerik resigned as commissioner two months after the Sept. 11 attacks, citing a desire to spend time with his family. After the invasion of Iraq, he took the job of directing the training of Iraqi law enforcement officials, an effort that has met with mixed success. Many of the trainees have fled at the first sign of danger, but Kerik's defenders say he can hardly be blamed for that.
A high-ranking business executive who is familiar with Kerik's tenure as police commissioner and as head trainer of Iraqi police recruits expressed shock at his selection, and said Kerik is not an accomplished manager. "Management just simply isn't his strong suit," the executive said.
A number of New York elected officials praised the selection. "Coming from New York, Bernie Kerik knows the great needs and challenges this country faces in homeland security," Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement.
Bush said during an October campaign appearance with Kerik in New Jersey that the former commissioner "knows something about security -- he's lived security all his life."
Kerik started with the NYPD as a beat cop in Times Square and was one of Giuliani's bodyguards during the 1993 campaign. Kerik wrote a best-selling autobiography, "The Lost Son: A Life in the Pursuit of Justice," covering the mystery of his mother, who abandoned her young son.
Administration officials had said that Kerik was on Bush's short list to replace Ridge, but the president's choice for agriculture secretary was a surprise. Johanns was the Republican front-runner to take on Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), a freshman who is up for reelection in 2006 and is considered vulnerable by the GOP.
Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) had energetically promoted Johanns for Senate. Nebraska's lieutenant governor, Dave Heineman (R), is to serve the remaining two years of Johanns's term.
Appearing with his nominee in the White House Roosevelt Room, Bush said that in the second term he plans to continue policies that are "pro-growth, pro-jobs and pro-farmer" and keep working to open foreign markets to U.S. agricultural products.
Johanns said in brief remarks that his agricultural background has done much "to define who I am as a person." He said one of his campaign messages was that "after growing up on a dairy farm . . . everything in life seemed easy after that."
Johanns was not the first candidate sounded out by Bush aides. White House senior adviser Karl Rove called Nelson, the Democratic senator, on Nov. 12 and asked what his reaction would be to being considered for agriculture secretary, according to sources in both parties.
Nelson called Rove back Nov. 17 to say he was not interested in agriculture secretary. But he said he was interested in two other Cabinet posts, according to a Republican familiar with the exchange. Nelson said that he led trade delegations as Nebraska governor and would be interested in being commerce secretary and that he has an abiding interest in energy issues and would also accept the job of energy secretary, the Republican said.
The selection of Johanns led to speculation in Nebraska and Washington that the nomination might be designed as an incentive for Nelson to switch to the GOP. Nelson's office said he has had no such conversations with the White House, and Republicans pointed out that he has more leverage with the White House as a Democrat who can be persuaded to cross the aisle on certain votes.
Johanns took office as Nebraska governor in January 1999 and was reelected in 2002, becoming the first GOP governor to win a second term in the state since 1956. He began his political career as a Democrat but switched parties in 1988. He was elected Lincoln mayor three years later and was reelected in 1995.
Johanns has come under criticism from civil liberties groups for official actions that they said promoted conservative Christian beliefs. In May 1999 he signed a proclamation declaring a March for Jesus Day, and he later endorsed a Back to the Bible Day in honor of a fundamentalist Christian group in Nebraska.
Both nominees must be confirmed by the Senate.
Meanwhile, Bush plans to launch a public push to restructure Social Security and the tax code at an economic forum Dec. 15-16, the White House announced. At the forum, which will include Vice President Cheney, Cabinet members and business officials, Bush is planning also to tout limits on lawsuits, restraints on federal spending, and ways to improve health care and education.
Staff writers William Branigin and Jim VandeHei contributed to this report.
© 2004 The Washington Post Company
'
Simultaneous Iraq Attacks Leave at Least 20 Dead
By Scott WilsonWashington Post Foreign ServiceFriday, December 3, 2004; 7:05 AM
BAGHDAD, Dec. 3 -- Iraqi insurgents staged nearly simultaneous attacks Friday morning on police stations at opposite ends of Baghdad, killing at least 20 people, freeing dozens of prisoners and emptying a police arsenal in a demonstration of the militants' strength in the heart of the country.
Hours later insurgents rose up in Mosul, overrunning many points in the western sector of Iraq's third-largest city.
The strikes employed small-arms fire, rocket-propelled grenades and a potent car bomb, the insurgents' time-tested methods. As in many such attacks, most of those killed during the fighting appeared to be civilians. Just after noon the group led by Abu Musab Zarqawi, a Jordanian militant, claimed responsibility for the attacks on a Web site known for carrying its statements.
Eleven police officers were killed after dozens of armed militants overran the police station in the southern neighborhood of Saydiya after an hours-long gun battle.
Across town in Adhamiya, a restive Sunni Muslim neighborhood that U.S. military officials have said may be serving as a sanctuary for insurgents who fled fighting in Fallujah, a car bomb exploded around 6 a.m. on the cool Muslim Sabbath, according to police officials.
The explosion occurred in front of a Shiite Muslim mosque and killed an estimated 14 people while wounding more than 20 others. Several witnesses said a small blast drew people outside to see what happened at the mosque, which sits near an Iraqi police station, when a larger explosion detonated to deadly effect.
Soon afterward, fighting erupted between Iraqi police and militants, who fired on the police station with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades.
As columns of black smoke filled the morning sky, a U.S. warplane swooped over the neighborhood and fired several missiles at targets on the ground. Apache helicopters also fired into the neighborhood during a firefight that witnesses said lasted roughly 90 minutes.
In the chaotic aftermath, Iraqi police struggled to keep the people away from the scene by cracking shots from AK-47s into the air and along the pavement. Local merchants fled inside shops whose shutters were riddled with bullets in near-panic.
"My house was destroyed during the war by the Americans," said Mohammed, 27, who sells CDs and cassette tapes nearby and declined to give his last name for security reasons. "From that moment until now I have hated the Americans. I support the resistance," he said. But "I don't want the people to be hurt."
The attacks marked the second day of intense insurgent activity in the capital after a period of relative calm following the U.S. military push into Fallujah, the Sunni stronghold west of Baghdad that had served as a militant staging ground.
In recent weeks, Mosul has become a leading center of insurgent activity, an alarming downward turn given its size and central importance to commerce and security in the north.
Khasro Koran, the deputy governor of Mosul, said insurgents attacked several U.S. and Iraqi military installations Friday morning with mortar and rocket-propelled grenade fire from sites in western Mosul, the Arab sector of a city with significant Kurdish and Turkmen populations. Many insurgents could be seen in the streets, Koran said.
"We had helicopters in the sky, and I think the insurgents have now disappeared," Koran said. "They don't have any control of buildings, but you can see them in groups of five to 20 men with weapons in the streets or making checkpoints. Just showing themselves."
The insurgents' guerrilla tactics have proven difficult to defend against, and the novice Iraqi security forces have been consistently outgunned trying to protect police stations, checkpoints and other static posts.
U.S. forces appeared quickly in support Friday morning, particularly the attack helicopters and warplanes whose distant buzz has been heard here in recent days circling far overhead in case needed.
Before morning, insurgents established a checkpoint a few blocks from the Saydiya police station and cut off all traffic into the area, neighborhood residents said. The area of three-story apartment buildings, called the Saddam district during the dictatorship, sits near the treacherous road that leads to the international airport.
Witnesses said gunfire began crackling around the neighborhood about 3:30 a.m., intensifying as dawn approached. "We couldn't sleep all morning because of the heavy shooting," said Adel Jabouri, 31, a school teacher.
Jabouri said several officers posted to the station's rooftop fought for hours to hold off what police officials estimate was 50 armed men. "These guys were so brave," said Jabouri, who added that the station has come under attack before but not so intensely.
Once inside the station courtyard, the militants freed an estimated 50 or more prisoners being held there and looted the police arsenal of small arms, mostly assault rifles, pistols and ammunition.
Street vendors said they saw two Kia minivans carrying the covered bodies of dead police officers from the scene. "If you go to this station now, you will not see any of our friends and colleagues," said Raheem Ali, 22, a police officer who manned a checkpoint outside the station Friday morning.
In Adhamiya, witnesses said armed insurgents began firing through the streets on the police station around 6:45 a.m., at a time when people in the neighborhood were waiting in long gasoline lines that have become common around the capital in recent weeks of fuel shortages. Much of the neighborhood was severely damaged in fighting that followed the Nov. 20 U.S. military raid on the Abu Hanifa mosque, a revered Sunni shrine nearby.
Bullet holes pock many walls, and graffiti spray-painted on the neighborhood bus stops proclaims, "Down with the pagan guard," referring to the U.S.-trained Iraqi National Guard.
"From what I hear, the mujahadeen are moving freely here and sometimes they hide in the cemetery near my house," said Haj Omar, a tailor in the neighborhood. "This is not the first time this has happened. We've gotten used to it."
A month ago a small explosive was placed inside the Haj Hameed Alwan Najjar Mosque, scorched and battered in Friday morning's explosion. Many witnesses said that until the blast last month Sunni and Shiites prayed together in the mosque, but no longer. "Why is this happening?" said Laith Karim, 15, who has two brothers and four cousins wounded in the Friday blast. "We used to live together, as Muslims."
Correspondent Anthony Shadid and special correspondents Naseer Nouri and Bassam Sebti contributed to this report.
© 2004 The Washington Post Company
'
By Scott WilsonWashington Post Foreign ServiceFriday, December 3, 2004; 7:05 AM
BAGHDAD, Dec. 3 -- Iraqi insurgents staged nearly simultaneous attacks Friday morning on police stations at opposite ends of Baghdad, killing at least 20 people, freeing dozens of prisoners and emptying a police arsenal in a demonstration of the militants' strength in the heart of the country.
Hours later insurgents rose up in Mosul, overrunning many points in the western sector of Iraq's third-largest city.
The strikes employed small-arms fire, rocket-propelled grenades and a potent car bomb, the insurgents' time-tested methods. As in many such attacks, most of those killed during the fighting appeared to be civilians. Just after noon the group led by Abu Musab Zarqawi, a Jordanian militant, claimed responsibility for the attacks on a Web site known for carrying its statements.
Eleven police officers were killed after dozens of armed militants overran the police station in the southern neighborhood of Saydiya after an hours-long gun battle.
Across town in Adhamiya, a restive Sunni Muslim neighborhood that U.S. military officials have said may be serving as a sanctuary for insurgents who fled fighting in Fallujah, a car bomb exploded around 6 a.m. on the cool Muslim Sabbath, according to police officials.
The explosion occurred in front of a Shiite Muslim mosque and killed an estimated 14 people while wounding more than 20 others. Several witnesses said a small blast drew people outside to see what happened at the mosque, which sits near an Iraqi police station, when a larger explosion detonated to deadly effect.
Soon afterward, fighting erupted between Iraqi police and militants, who fired on the police station with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades.
As columns of black smoke filled the morning sky, a U.S. warplane swooped over the neighborhood and fired several missiles at targets on the ground. Apache helicopters also fired into the neighborhood during a firefight that witnesses said lasted roughly 90 minutes.
In the chaotic aftermath, Iraqi police struggled to keep the people away from the scene by cracking shots from AK-47s into the air and along the pavement. Local merchants fled inside shops whose shutters were riddled with bullets in near-panic.
"My house was destroyed during the war by the Americans," said Mohammed, 27, who sells CDs and cassette tapes nearby and declined to give his last name for security reasons. "From that moment until now I have hated the Americans. I support the resistance," he said. But "I don't want the people to be hurt."
The attacks marked the second day of intense insurgent activity in the capital after a period of relative calm following the U.S. military push into Fallujah, the Sunni stronghold west of Baghdad that had served as a militant staging ground.
In recent weeks, Mosul has become a leading center of insurgent activity, an alarming downward turn given its size and central importance to commerce and security in the north.
Khasro Koran, the deputy governor of Mosul, said insurgents attacked several U.S. and Iraqi military installations Friday morning with mortar and rocket-propelled grenade fire from sites in western Mosul, the Arab sector of a city with significant Kurdish and Turkmen populations. Many insurgents could be seen in the streets, Koran said.
"We had helicopters in the sky, and I think the insurgents have now disappeared," Koran said. "They don't have any control of buildings, but you can see them in groups of five to 20 men with weapons in the streets or making checkpoints. Just showing themselves."
The insurgents' guerrilla tactics have proven difficult to defend against, and the novice Iraqi security forces have been consistently outgunned trying to protect police stations, checkpoints and other static posts.
U.S. forces appeared quickly in support Friday morning, particularly the attack helicopters and warplanes whose distant buzz has been heard here in recent days circling far overhead in case needed.
Before morning, insurgents established a checkpoint a few blocks from the Saydiya police station and cut off all traffic into the area, neighborhood residents said. The area of three-story apartment buildings, called the Saddam district during the dictatorship, sits near the treacherous road that leads to the international airport.
Witnesses said gunfire began crackling around the neighborhood about 3:30 a.m., intensifying as dawn approached. "We couldn't sleep all morning because of the heavy shooting," said Adel Jabouri, 31, a school teacher.
Jabouri said several officers posted to the station's rooftop fought for hours to hold off what police officials estimate was 50 armed men. "These guys were so brave," said Jabouri, who added that the station has come under attack before but not so intensely.
Once inside the station courtyard, the militants freed an estimated 50 or more prisoners being held there and looted the police arsenal of small arms, mostly assault rifles, pistols and ammunition.
Street vendors said they saw two Kia minivans carrying the covered bodies of dead police officers from the scene. "If you go to this station now, you will not see any of our friends and colleagues," said Raheem Ali, 22, a police officer who manned a checkpoint outside the station Friday morning.
In Adhamiya, witnesses said armed insurgents began firing through the streets on the police station around 6:45 a.m., at a time when people in the neighborhood were waiting in long gasoline lines that have become common around the capital in recent weeks of fuel shortages. Much of the neighborhood was severely damaged in fighting that followed the Nov. 20 U.S. military raid on the Abu Hanifa mosque, a revered Sunni shrine nearby.
Bullet holes pock many walls, and graffiti spray-painted on the neighborhood bus stops proclaims, "Down with the pagan guard," referring to the U.S.-trained Iraqi National Guard.
"From what I hear, the mujahadeen are moving freely here and sometimes they hide in the cemetery near my house," said Haj Omar, a tailor in the neighborhood. "This is not the first time this has happened. We've gotten used to it."
A month ago a small explosive was placed inside the Haj Hameed Alwan Najjar Mosque, scorched and battered in Friday morning's explosion. Many witnesses said that until the blast last month Sunni and Shiites prayed together in the mosque, but no longer. "Why is this happening?" said Laith Karim, 15, who has two brothers and four cousins wounded in the Friday blast. "We used to live together, as Muslims."
Correspondent Anthony Shadid and special correspondents Naseer Nouri and Bassam Sebti contributed to this report.
© 2004 The Washington Post Company
'
