In a message that appeared Wednesday on Islamist web sites, al Qaeda’s second-in-command warns President-elect Barack Obama about the “heavy legacy of failure and crimes that await him.” He also urged Muslims to keep up the attacks on the U.S. Perhaps in an attempt to anger and insult America’s next president, the terrorist leader, Al Zawahiri, also called Obama, Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell, the “direct opposite of honorable black Americans” like Malcolm X. Zawahiri even went as far as to call them “house slaves” or the racial slur of “house Negroes.” The buzz is surrounding Obama’s current picks for several key members of his cabinet. Sources tell CNN that Sen. Tom Daschle is being considered for the Secretary of Health and Human Services job. Daschle, the former Senate Majority Leader, is expected to take the position if offered. And for the Attorney General job, Eric Holder, who was Clinton’s Deputy Attorney General, is the top choice for Obama. Holder, who co-chaired Obama’s vice president selection process, is also expected to accept the position. History could be made again because “if confirmed, Holder would be the first African-American to lead the Justice Department.” And Bill Clinton is trying to help his wife get the Secretary of State position in Obama’s cabinet. Clinton has offered to allow ethical reviews of his philanthropic and business work to ensure there isn’t a conflict of interest. Unlike Holder and Daschle, Clinton is reportedly unsure whether she will take the position. She will have to choose between remaining in the Senate or accepting the new position. “The question is where she can be of best service,” said a Clinton adviser. More dismal news on the economic front. The U.S. cost of living fell by the most since the records began in 1947. The fewest number of homes (known as housing starts) were constructed last month. And the consumer price index (CPI) has slide backwards, which means deflation. Yes, this recession is the worst once for at least a quarter of a century. And Xbox 360 gamers may be rejoicing worldwide. On Wednesday, Microsoft unveiled a revamped Xbox gaming console. The new internet-connected setup includes an updated dashboard, the ability to purchase movies and games from Xbox.com and streaming HD Netflix movies with membership. The “New Xbox Experience” (NXE) is available to Xbox Live members.
condoleezza rice
The World in Brief
Thursday, October 23rd, 2008
Laughter was Forgetting? Recently released Soviet era documents, though often considered questionable sources, have revealed that Milan Kundera, celebrated Czech author of such works as The Unbearable Lightness of Being, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting and Ignorance–most dealing with themes of displacement, sacrifice, sex and Totalitarianism–may have informed on a spy friend in order to keep his place at the university after being expelled from the Communist Party.
Not All Quiet on the Afghani Front…There really is nothing amicable about “friendly fire”; it’s simply a fatal error. And today marked another nine of them. An American air attack on an Afghan army post resulted in nine deaths and three critical injuries.
Throwing Rice at their Wedding The Bush Administration sent Secretary of State Condoleezza to Puerto Vallarta in order to meet with Mexican counterpart, Patricia Espinosa. Mexico’s drug cartel violence has reached a fever pitch loud enough to make adjacent U.S. feel threatened and of the mind a diplomatic intervention is required.
Rock and Hard Place Sandwiched between Russia to the north and Iran to the south, Azerbaijan has ever been in an uncomfortable geographic and political position. Since the Soviet Union fell, the oil bearing country has been able to keep Russia at bay while courting the interests of NATO and the U.S. Following the former’s war with Georgia, however, striking that balance has proven quite the challenge.
Shiites Restive in Sadr City Despite the relative calm washing over the city since its cease-fire, Shiites within its confines have grown increasingly angry regarding a government they consider “worse than Saddam Hussein['s].” For now, their fury has been kept in check, but how long before their pots boil over?
show U.S. the dignity
Tuesday, January 16th, 2007
Sec. State Condoleezza Rice’s voice trembled as she was inclined to sort-of apologize for the lack of “dignity given to the accused” at a news conference in Egypt today. Perhaps the shakiness of her comment can be pinned to its sickening irony.
Saddam Hussein and two of his aides were executed by the Iraqi government within weeks of being sentenced to death for the killing of 148 civilians in the Iraqi city Dujail. Saddam was hanged a mere 56 days after his sentencing — so quick, in fact, that it necessitated the dropping of a separate case charging Hussein with the murders of some 100,000 Kurds.
The average length of stay on U.S. death row is up to 12.86 years for current inmates (as of Oct, 2006). Capital punishment is officially sanctioned in 38 of the 50 states, although court appointed doctors are consistently questioning the ethics.
Last month in Florida, it took Angel Diaz 34 minutes to die in a botched execution that left him talking and gasping for air for a good 11 minutes. The last execution in California was that of 76-year-old Clarence Ray Allen, a blind, wheelchair-bound man who spent 26 years on death row.
So what’s this about “dignity” Ms. Rice?
Wire reports fail to adequately reflect Rice’s halting and uncomfortable statement to Middle East diplomats in Egypt. So I’ve…um… posted…the…uh… audio… below.
photo of Condi shirt in China from J-Hob’s flickr.