Senator Barack Obama said on Saturday there is “little doubt we’ve moved into recession,” underscoring the US’ need for a second economic stimulus package, swift steps to shore up the housing market and a long-term energy policy to reduce reliance on foreign oil imports.
The Democratic presidential contender also said removing US forces from Iraq won’t be “perfectly neat,” yet a call from Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for a withdrawal timetable supports his position more than the longer term presence favored by rival Senator John McCain or his fellow Republican, US President George W. Bush.
Bush and the Arizona senator have chided Obama for proposing to withdraw US forces within 16 months of taking office. McCain, a Vietnam War veteran, has even suggested it exhibits naivete by his rival, a freshman senator from Illinois.
“John McCain and George Bush both said that if Iraq, as a sovereign government, stated that it was time for us to start withdrawing our troops, then they would respect the wishes of that sovereign government,” Obama told reporters as he flew from Chicago to California.
In addition, Obama lifted the veil on the trip he will make next week to European capitals and US battlefronts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He said he would be accompanied by Senator Chuck Hagel, a Republican, and Senator Jack Reed, a Democrat.
Despite their differing political parties, each has been mentioned as a potential Obama vice presidential running mate.
The senator also said he hoped to resolve concerns expressed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel about using Brandenburg Gate as a backdrop for a speech during his visit to Berlin.
Merkel questioned the propriety of a foreign political figure using such a historic backdrop as that former Communist demarcation point to deliver a campaign speech.
“I want to make sure that my message is heard as opposed to creating a controversy,” Obama said. “So, you know, our goal is just for me to lay out how I think about the next administration’s role in rebuilding a trans-Atlantic alliance, so I don’t want the venue to be a distraction. What I want to do is just work with folks on the ground to find someplace that’s appropriate.”
Obama said he hoped both the US and Iraqi governments would soothe Sunni fears of reprisals by the country’s Shiite majority.
“I don’t expect that a withdrawal will be perfectly neat,” Obama said. “I think that we’ve got to do a lot of legwork and we’ve got to make sure that we are ramping up both diplomatic efforts and reconstruction efforts and humanitarian efforts in Iraq, and that we have to make sure that Sunnis have some assurance that they’re going to be legitimate partners in the government process.”
The military is to begin conscripting civilians next year, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said yesterday, citing rising tensions with Thailand as the reason for activating a long-dormant mandatory enlistment law. The Cambodian parliament in 2006 approved a law that would require all Cambodians aged 18 to 30 to serve in the military for 18 months, although it has never been enforced. Relations with Thailand have been tense since May, when a long-standing territorial dispute boiled over into cross-border clashes, killing one Cambodian soldier. “This episode of confrontation is a lesson for us and is an opportunity for us to review, assess and
The United States Federal Communications Commission said on Wednesday it plans to adopt rules to bar companies from connecting undersea submarine communication cables to the US that include Chinese technology or equipment. “We have seen submarine cable infrastructure threatened in recent years by foreign adversaries, like China,” FCC Chair Brendan Carr said in a statement. “We are therefore taking action here to guard our submarine cables against foreign adversary ownership, and access as well as cyber and physical threats.” The United States has for years expressed concerns about China’s role in handling network traffic and the potential for espionage. The U.S. has
IDENTITY: A sex extortion scandal involving Thai monks has deeply shaken public trust in the clergy, with 11 monks implicated in financial misconduct Reverence for the saffron-robed Buddhist monkhood is deeply woven into Thai society, but a sex extortion scandal has besmirched the clergy and left the devout questioning their faith. Thai police this week arrested a woman accused of bedding at least 11 monks in breach of their vows of celibacy, before blackmailing them with thousands of secretly taken photos of their trysts. The monks are said to have paid nearly US$12 million, funneled out of their monasteries, funded by donations from laypeople hoping to increase their merit and prospects for reincarnation. The scandal provoked outrage over hypocrisy in the monkhood, concern that their status
A disillusioned Japanese electorate feeling the economic pinch goes to the polls today, as a right-wing party promoting a “Japanese first” agenda gains popularity, with fears over foreigners becoming a major election issue. Birthed on YouTube during the COVID-19 pandemic, spreading conspiracy theories about vaccinations and a cabal of global elites, the Sanseito Party has widened its appeal ahead of today’s upper house vote — railing against immigration and dragging rhetoric that was once confined to Japan’s political fringes into the mainstream. Polls show the party might only secure 10 to 15 of the 125 seats up for grabs, but it is
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