2 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, January 31, 2006 NATION/WORLD Al-Zawahiri calls Bush a "butcher" In first video since the Pakistani airstrike, bin Laden's No. 2 expresses fury toward U.S. CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri said in a vid- eotape aired yesterday that President Bush was a "butcher" and a "failure" because of a deadly U.S. airstrike in Pakistan targeting the bin Laden dep- uty, and he threatened a new attack on the United States. AI-Zawahri, shown in the video wearing white robes and a white turban, said a Jan. 13 airstrike in the eastern village of Damadola killed "innocents," and he said the United States had ignored an offer from al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden for a truce. "Butcher of Washington, you are not only defeated and a liar, but also a failure. You are a curse on your own nation and you have brought and will bring them only catastrophes and tragedies," he said, referring to Bush. "Bush, do you know where I am? I am among the Muslim masses." The airstrike hit a building in Dam- adola, killing four al-Qaida leaders. Thirteen villagers also were killed in the strike, angering many Pakistanis. "The American planes raided in compliance with Musharraf the traitor and his security apparatus, the slave of the Crusaders and the Jews," he said, referring to Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf. "In seeking to kill my humble self and four of my brothers, the whole world has discovered the extent of America's lies and failures and the extent of its savagery in fighting Islam and Muslims." The video was al-Zawahri's first appearance since the airstrike. Intel- Center, a contractor working with U.S. intelligence agencies, said the video of al-Zawahri is new. The Al-Jazeera newscaster said the network was airing excerpts, and it showed two short segments. It was not immediately known how long the entire tape was. "My second message is to the American people, who are drowning in illusions. I tell you that Bush and his gang are shedding your blood and wasting your money in frustrated adventures," he said, speaking in a forceful and angry voice. "The lion of Islam, Sheik Osama bin Laden, may God protect him, offered you a decent exit from your dilemma. But your leaders, who are keen to accumulate wealth, insist on throwing you in battles and killing your souls in Iraq and Afghanistan and- God willing - on your own land." Al-Zawahri then vented more fury at the United States and Britain, its main coalition partner in Iraq. "Your leaders responded to the initiative of sheik Osama, may God protect him, by saying they don't negotiate with terrorists and that they are winning the war on terror. I tell them: You liars, greedy war mon- gers, who is pulling out from Iraq and Afghanistan? Us or you? Whose sol- diers are committing suicide because of despair? Us or you?" he said. "You, American mother, if the Pen- tagon calls to tell you that your son is coming home in a coffin, then remem- ber George Bush. And you, British W AP PHOTO In this image from television transmitted by news network AI-Jazeera yesterday, al- Qaida's deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahri gestures while addressing the camera. NEWS IN BRIEF ESTERHAZY, Saskatchewan All 72 trapped miners rescued Rescuers retrieved all 72 central Canadian potash miners who were trapped underground by a fire and survived until yesterday by using oxy- gen, food and water stored in subterranean emergency chambers. The rescued miners were all in good health. They were trapped early Sunday when a fire started in polyethylene pip- ing more than a half-mile underground, filling the tunnels with toxic smoke and prompting the miners to take refuge in the sealed emergency rooms. Thirty-two miners were brought to the surface at about 3:30 a.m., said Mosaic Co., which owns the mine. Another 35 emerged a few hours later, followed by the remaining five. No serious injuries were reported. "They are glad to be on the surface," said Brian Hagan, director of health and safety for Dynatech Corp., the contractor that employed some of the miners. "They protected themselves and that is what they are trained to do." HOUSTON Jury selected for Enron chiefs' trial Jury selection began yesterday in the trial of former Enron Corp. chiefs Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling with a federal judge warning a pool of about 100 not to use the closely watched case to exact vengeance for the company's epic implosion four years ago. "I can assure you this will be one of the most interesting and important cases ever tried," U.S. District Judge Sim Lake told potential jurors, who crammed into five rows of a cavernous courtroom and were being questioned individually throughout the day. The judge hoped to seat a jury by day's end yesterday, meaning opening state- ments could come Tuesday morning in the trial - perhaps the premier criminal case to emerge from corporate scandals that began when Enron went under in 2001. DALLAS ExxonMobil posts record profits for year ExxonMobil Corp. posted record profits for any U.S. company yester- day - $10.71 billion for the fourth quarter and $36.13 billion for the year - as the world's biggest publicly traded oil company benefited from high oil and natural-gas prices and solid demand for refined products. The results exceeded Wall Street expectations and Exxon shares rose more than 3 percent in afternoon trading. The company's earnings amounted to $1.71 per share for the October- December quarter, up 27 percent from $8.42 billion, or $1.30 per share, in the year ago quarter. The result topped the then-record quarterly profit of $9.92 billion Exxon posted in the third quarter of 2005. WASHINGTON Savings rate lowest since Great Depression Americans are spending everything they're making and more, pushing the national savings rate to the lowest point since the Great Depression. Soaring home prices apparently have convinced people they don't have to worry about saving, a belief that could be seriously tested as 78 million baby boomers begin to retire. The Commerce Department reported yesterday that Americans' personal savings fell into negative territory at minus 0.5 percent last year. That means that people not only spent all of their after-tax income last year but had to dip into previous savings or increase their borrowing. The savings rate has been negative for an entire year only twice before - in 1932 and 1933 - two years when Americans were having to deplete savings to cope with the massive job layoffs and business failures caused by the Great Depression. 6 4 wife, if the Defense Department calls you to say that your husband is return- ing crippled and burnt, remember Tony Blair." The video came in the wake of a Jan. 19 audiotape by bin Laden in which he warned that al-Qaida is preparing attacks in the United States but offered a truce "with fair conditions" to build Iraq and Afghanistan. The al-Qaida leader did not spell out conditions for a truce in the excerpts aired by Al-Jazeera. In an Arabic transcription of the entire tape on the A1-Jazeera website bin Laden made an oblique reference to how to prevent new attacks on the United States but did not specify if those were conditions for a truce. The tape was the first message from bin Laden in more than a year. The CIA authenticated the voice on the tape as that of bin Laden. Al-Jazeera said the tape was recorded in the Islamic month that corresponds with December. The White House firmly rejected bin Laden's suggestion of a negotiated truce. Dems don't have enough votes to filibuster Republican and Democratic senators voted to end their debate WASHINGTON (AP) - The Sen- ate all but guaranteed Samuel Alito's confirmation as the nation's 110th Supreme Court justice yesterday, shut- ting down a last-minute attempt by lib- erals to block the conservative judge's nomination with a filibuster. Republican and Democratic sena- tors on a 72-25 vote agreed to end their debate, setting up a vote this morning on Alito's confirmation to replace retiring moderate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. With at least 57 votes committed to Alito - 53 Republicans and four Democrats - approval by majority vote in the 100-mem- ber Senate is now seemingly assured. A bloc of Democrats, led by Mas- sachusetts Sens. Edward Kennedy and John Kerry, unsuccessfully tried over the weekend and Monday to persuade other senators to use a vote-delaying filibuster to stop Alito, a 15-year veteran of the U.S. Appeals Court and a former lawyer for the Reagan administration. "It is the only way we can stop a con- firmation that we feel certain will cause irreversible damage to our country," said Kerry, the Democrats' 2004 presi- dential nominee. If confirmed, Alito would replace O'Connor, who has been a swing vote on abortion rights, affirmative action, the death penalty and other issues. Alito's supporters needed 60 votes to block the filibuster, and they were joined by some Democrats who oppose the judge. "I find it regrettable that there are those who are trying to resurrect a fili- buster even as there is clearly nothing in the record that constitutes extraordinary circumstances," said GOP Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, the only publicly unde- cided Republican on Alito's nomination. Sen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, the only Republican to announce that he will vote against Alito, also refused to support the filibuster attempt. "How are we going to get anything done if we can't work together?" Chafee asked. Other Republicans also criticized the attempt to keep Alito from getting a confirmation vote on Tuesday before Bush's State of the Union address. "If this hyperpoliticization of this judicial confirmation process continues I fear in this moment we will institution- .r _ _ 8reale'0 alize this behavior and someday we will be hard pressed not to employ political tests and tactics against the Supreme Court nominee of a Democratic presi- dent," said Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) "We saw no reason for the members of this group to support a filibuster," said senior Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia, a member of the "Gang of 14" - a group of Republicans and Democrats who have pledged not to filibuster unless there are "extraordi- nary circumstances." At least 53 of the Republicans' 55- member majority and four Democrats - Byrd, Tim Johnson of South Dakota, Kent Conrad of North Dakota and Ben Nelson of Nebraska - already publicly support Alito's confirmation. Europe agrees with U.S. on Hamas Rice wants other countries to cut off aid to Hamas government LONDON (AP) - The United States and its European allies have similar views about aid for a Hamas-led Palestinian gov- ernment, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday as she tried to per- suade other nations to cut off assistance to a government led by the hard-line group. "Everybody is saying exactly the same thing," Rice said amid meetings with other diplomats on Hamas' star- tling election victory last week and its impact on Middle East peacemaking efforts. "There has got to be a peace- ful road ahead. ... You cannot be on one hand dedicated to peace and on the other dedicated to violence. Those two things are irreconcilable." Rice was meeting other members of the so-called Quartet of would-be Mideast peacemakers yesterday. The group, which includes the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations, is already on record as saying "there is a fundamental contradiction between armed group and militia activities and the building of a democratic state."n "To say a Palestinian government must be committed to peace with Israel is at the core"' Rice said. "You have to recognize Israel's right to exist." Rice has ruled out any U.S. finan- cial assistance to a government led by Hamas, which has carried out terrorist attacks against Israel and does not rec- ognize its right to exist. European Union foreign ministers yes- terday called on Hamas to recognize the state of Israel, renounce violence and dis- arm. While EUi officials are barred from CORRECTIONS A story in yesterday's SportsMonday (Blown lead leaves Icers feeling sick) incorrect- ly said referees chose not to review a play. There is no instant replay at Joe Louis Arena. Yesterday's 'M' Schedule on page 2B said the women's tennis match against South Carolina on Feb. 4 is at home. It is at South Carolina. Please report any error in the Daily to corrections@michigandaily.com. ate Atiiun uBai 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com 0 - Compiled from Daily wire reports DONN M. 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