Monday, July 14, 2008
IN THE HEADLINES
Obama says he'd send at least 7,000 more troops to Afghanistan while ending the war in Iraq ... McCain tells Hispanic group that free trade helps all; pledges aid for those who lose jobs ... Obama tells fellow blacks at NAACP convention they must show more personal responsibility ... New Yorker cover depicts Obama as Muslim, wife as armed terrorist ... Palestinian official: Obama to visit West Bank ... Sen. Jack Reed says he's not interested in being Obama's No. 2
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Obama would send 2 more brigades to Afghanistan
WASHINGTON (AP) _ Democrat Barack Obama said Monday that as president he would send at least two more combat brigades to Afghanistan, where U.S. soldiers face rising violence and endured their deadliest attack in three years on Sunday.
The proposed force increase _ about 7,000 troops _ is part of Obama's plan to pull combat troops out of Iraq and focus on the growing threat from a resurgent al-Qaida in Afghanistan.
"As president, I would pursue a new strategy, and begin by providing at least two additional combat brigades to support our effort in Afghanistan," Obama said in an op-ed published Monday in The New York Times, a day before he plans a speech here on his vision for Iraq and Afghanistan.
"We need more troops, more helicopters, better intelligence-gathering and more nonmilitary assistance to accomplish the mission there," Obama said. "I would not hold our military, our resources and our foreign policy hostage to a misguided desire to maintain permanent bases in Iraq."
Obama's campaign said his speech will focus on how missteps in Iraq have hurt efforts to strengthen U.S. security. He also will discuss his plans for the new brigades in Afghanistan, call for Pakistan to step up efforts dealing with terrorists, discuss the need for diplomacy to address Iran's nuclear program and address other global challenges such as climate change and energy security.
Republican presidential candidate John McCain planned to speak Thursday about his vision for Afghanistan. He told reporters Monday, "I think we need to do whatever is necessary and that could entail more troops."
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McCain touts free trade agenda to Hispanic group
SAN DIEGO (AP) _ Republican John McCain, in one of his strongest endorsements of free trade, called himself "an unapologetic supporter of NAFTA," an agreement that many Americans feel has cost them jobs.
"I reject the false virtues of economic isolationism," McCain told the National Council of La Raza, a major Hispanic organization. "Any confident, competent country and its government should embrace competition," he said. "It makes us stronger."
The Arizona senator has often defended free trade, but his speech Monday was among his most detailed and full-throated commentaries.
Citing his recent visit to Colombia and Mexico, McCain said he understands "how vitally important it is to the prosperity and security of our country to strengthen our trade, investment and diplomatic ties to other countries in our hemisphere." He said he fully supports the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Central American Free Trade Agreement and the Colombian Free Trade Agreement.
Congress approved the NAFTA agreement with Mexico and Canada in 1993 and the agreement with six Central American nations in 2005, but has blocked the agreement with Colombia.
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Obama tells NAACP blacks must take responsibility
CINCINNATI (AP) _ Barack Obama is conceding that he has angered some blacks by calling on them to show greater personal responsibility, but he says he's not going to stop.
In remarks prepared for a speech Monday night to the NAACP convention in Cincinnati, the Democratic presidential candidate will say that while Washington has to provide more education and economic assistance, blacks must demand more of themselves.
He says that starts with parents guiding their children, turning off the TV and putting away video games.
Obama could become the first black president if elected in November.
The Illinois senator gave a similar speech on Father's Day at a Chicago church, upsetting some black leaders such as the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
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Magazine's 'satirical' cover stirs controversy
WASHINGTON (AP) _ Barack Obama's campaign says a satirical New Yorker magazine cover showing the Democratic presidential candidate dressed as a Muslim and his wife as a terrorist is "tasteless and offensive."
The illustration on the issue that hit newsstands Monday, titled "The Politics of Fear" and drawn by Barry Blitt, depicts Barack Obama wearing sandals, robe and turban and his wife, Michelle, dressed in camouflage and combat boots with an assault rifle strapped over her shoulder _ standing in the Oval Office.
The couple is doing a fist bump in front of a fireplace in which an American flag is burning. A portrait of Osama bin Laden hangs above the mantel.
"The New Yorker may think, as one of their staff explained to us, that their cover is a satirical lampoon of the caricature Senator Obama's right-wing critics have tried to create," said Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton. "But most readers will see it as tasteless and offensive. And we agree."
In a statement Monday, the magazine said the cover "combines a number of fantastical images about the Obamas and shows them for the obvious distortions they are."
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Palestinians: Obama to visit West Bank
PARIS (AP) _ Democrat Barack Obama will visit the West Bank next week as part of a swing through the Middle East, a Palestinian official said Monday, giving an important diplomatic boost to the Palestinians at a sensitive time in peace talks.
The Palestinians expressed satisfaction over the planned meeting with the presumed Democratic nominee, which comes months after Obama's likely Republican opponent, John McCain, passed on meeting with the Palestinians during a brief visit to Israel.
Obama is scheduled to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during his July 23 stop in Ramallah, said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, who was in Paris for a Mediterranean summit.
"We welcome this meeting," Erekat said. If Obama is elected, he added, "we hope he will stay the course between Israel and the Palestinians in reaching peace and a two-state solution."
During the same visit, Obama is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and other Israeli officials. The Obama campaign declined to comment.
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RI Sen. Reed denies interest in vice presidency
EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) _ Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island said Monday he is not interested in being Democrat Barack Obama's running mate.
Reed, a West Point graduate and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is scheduled to accompany Obama to Iraq and Afghanistan. Reed described the vice presidential spot as a "position which I have no interest in," adding he has not been asked by Obama's campaign to provide information that could be used to scrutinize running mates.
"There are people that are spending a lot of time, one, looking for candidates, and ... trying to promote themselves as candidates," Reed said. "And I'm in neither category."
Speculation about whether Reed could be chosen for Democratic ticket increased after Obama said Reed and Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, both military veterans, would go with him to Iraq and Afghanistan. Reed would not give a more specific timeframe for the trip.
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DAILY TRACK
Democrat Barack Obama holds a slight lead nationally over Republican John McCain _ 46 percent to 43 percent _ among registered voters in the presidential race, according to the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update.
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THE DEMOCRATS
Barack Obama speaks at the NAACP's 99th annual convention in Cincinnati.
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THE REPUBLICANS
John McCain addressed the National Council of La Raza in San Diego.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"Iraq is not the central front in the war on terrorism, and it never has been." _ Democrat Barack Obama, in an op-ed published Monday in The New York Times.
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STAT OF THE DAY:
President Bush captured about 40 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2004, to Democrat John Kerry's 58 percent, down from the 62 percent former Vice President Al Gore got in 2000.
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Compiled by Ann Sanner.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.