2 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, January 13, 2006 NATION/WORLD Alito headed for confirmation NEWS IN BRIEF !0 Democrats critical but seem to lack votes to block confirmation WASHINGTON (AP) - Samuel Alito coasted toward probable confir- mation as the 110th Supreme Court justice yesterday, with the only question after 18 hours of grueling Senate inter- rogation being how many Democrats would support him. Alito said nothing to undermine his solid support by the Senate's major- ity Republicans during three days of aggressive questioning by Democrats who challenged his credibility, judicial philosophy and independence. "I am my own person, with whatever abilities I have and whatever limitations I have," Alito declared as he wrapped up his final public appearance before senators begin voting on his nomination to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Democrats contend the former Rea- gan administration lawyer is likely to swing the court to the right in replac- ing the centrist O'Connor, who has pro- vided decisive votes on such important issues as abortion, capital punishment and affirmative action. Judiciary Committee senators will meet on Tuesday to begin debating the 55-year- old federal judge's nomination. Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) wants a committee vote that day, though Democrats could delay it for a week. Delay is not likely to change Alito's sup- port among the Senate's 55 Republicans. GOP senators, both on and off the commit- tee, praised Alito as his testimony ended. "I enthusiastically endorse and sup- port Judge Alito's nomination," Chuck Hagel of Nebraska said Thursday. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) noted to the judge that his high school friends "predicted you would serve on the Supreme Court one day, and I think that's going to turn out to be a good prediction." There was positive comment from the Democratic side as well. Sen. Ben Nel- son (D-Neb.) said, "So far I have seen nothing during my interview with the nominee, the background materials that have been produced or through the com- mittee process that I would consider a disqualifying issue against Judge Alito." Alito offered words of respect for O'Connor, the woman he would replace. "She has been known for her meticulous devotion to the facts of the particular cases that come before her and her belief that each case needs to be decided on its complex facts," Alito said. Democrats argue that Alito, in 15 years as an appellate judge, has built a conservative record that foretells his Supreme Court stance. But they face an uphill battle in finding enough votes to filibuster his nomination - the only way they can stop him. It takes 41 votes to sustain a filibus- ter, and there are 44 Democrats and one Democratic-leaning independent. "We can only afford to lose five sena- tors favoring Judge Alito before a filibus- ter is impossible," said Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Senate's No.2 Democrat. "It's a very tight margin, and I'm not going to presume one way or the other whether my colleagues are even interested in it." Democrats will meet next week to discuss Alito's nomination, Democratic Leader Harry Reid said. "We have not ruled out extended debate. We haven't ruled it in," he said. MINA, Saudi Arabian At least 345 trampled near Mecca Muslim pilgrims tripped over luggage while hurrying to ritually stone the devil yesterday, causing a crush that trampled at least 345 people to death in the latest stampede to mar Islam's annual hajj. Saudi authorities have sought for years to ease the flow of increasingly mammoth crowds, but the tragedy underlined the difficulty in managing one of the biggest religious events in the world, which this time drew more than 2.5 million pilgrims. The deaths on the final day of stoning came a week after another hajj disaster - the Jan. 5 collapse of a building being used as a pilgrims' hotel that killed 76 people in Mecca. The site in the desert of Mina outside the holy city of Mecca is a notori- ous bottleneck in the weeklong pilgrimage and has seen deadly incidents in seven of the past 17 years, including a stampede in 1990 that killed 1,426 people and one in 2004 that killed 244. g AP PHOTO Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito speaks during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday. Military: Expectincreased Iraqi violence UNITED NATIONS Iran expected to enter negotiations U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Iran's top nuclear negotiator toldi him yesterday that Tehran was interested in "serious and constructive negotia- tions" with Britain, France and Germany over its atomic program. During a 40-minute telephone conversation, he said, Ali Larijani said Iran want- ed to resume negotiations with the Europeans, but this time favored a deadline. "He affirmed to me that they are interested in serious and constructive negotia- tions but within a timeframe, indicating that the last time they did it for 2 1/2 years I and no result," Annan told reporters. The statement came after the British, French and German foreign ministers said negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program had reached a "dead end" and the Islamic republic should be referred to the U.N. Security Council, which could impose sanctions. JERUSALEM Doctors criticized in Sharon case Ariel Sharon's doctors faced new criticism yesterday for failing to divulge a brain disease discovered after the prime minister's initial stroke and for prescribing blood thinners that may have contributed to a massive second stroke. The criticism added to a growing chorus of questions about Sharon's treatment. Some experts, however, said there was no clear-cut answer. As Sharon lay comatose for an eighth day yesterday, a brain scan showed the rem- nants of the blood in his brain from a Jan. 4 stroke have been absorbed, hospital officials said in a statement. In response, doctors removed a tube they had inserted into Sharon's skull to relieve pressure on his brain, the statement said. In coming days, doctors may have to cut a hole in Sharon's neck to assist breathing, while still waiting for the clearest sign of improvement: the moment he opens his eyes.G ISTANBUL, Turkey Man who shot pope let out of prison The man who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981 was released from prison yesterday after serving more than 25 years in Italy and Turkey for the plot against the pontiff and the slaying of a Turkish journalist. To the cheers of nationalist supporters, a white sedan whisked Mehmet Ali Agca through the gates of the high-security Kartal Prison as dozens of police officers stood guard. His supporters showered the car with red and yellow flowers. Turkey's justice minister later said authorities will review Agca's release to make sure there were no errors in the handling of the complicated case. He said Agca's release was not "a guaranteed right." - Compiled from Daily wire reports CORRECTIONS An article on Jan. 9's front page (Ballot wording called fair) misspelled the name of BAMN national co-chair Luke Massie. A caption on yesterday's front page accompanying an article about MTV's "Made" (A2 high-schoolers vie to get 'Made') incorrectly identified the camera- man as being affiliated with MTV. He was not. Please report any error in the Daily to corrections@michigandaily.com. U.S. says coming weeks will shower Iraq in violence preticipated by election results BAGHDAD (AP) - The U.S. military predicted yesterday that more violence will engulf Iraq in the weeks ahead as the country's splintered politicians and religious groups struggle to form a government. The warning followed a week marked by what U.S. Brig. Gen. Donald Alston described as "horrific attacks," amid deteriorating relations between the Iraq's largest Shiite religious group and Sunni Arabs who make up the core of the opposition. Alston, spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition force, said attacks that have killed at least 500 people since the Dec. 15 elections were a sign insurgents were using the difficult transition to a new government to destabilize the democratic process. In the month since the elec- tions, 54 U.S. forces also have been killed. Violence dropped after Iraqis began celebrating the four-day Islamic feast of sacrifice, Eid al-Adha, on Tuesday. But Alston said it was likely to rise. "As democracy advances in the form of election results and government formation, and as the military pressure continues, and the pressure generated by polit- ical progress increases, we expect more violence across Iraq," Alston said at a news briefing. Final election results have been delayed by Sunni Arab complaints of fraud, but are expected next week. Although leading politicians have expressed hopes a gov- ernment could be formed in February, most experts and officials agree it could take two to three months, as it did after the Jan. 30 elections for an interim government. The governing United Iraqi Alliance, a Shiite reli- gious bloc, has a strong lead, according to preliminary results. But it won't win enough seats in the 275-mem- ber parliament to avoid forming a coalition with Sunni Arab and Kurdish parties. Alston said that as a new government starts forming, "those committed to seeing democracy fail will see this time of transition as an opportunity to attack the inno- cent people of Iraq." He said the recent attacks, blamed mostly on extrem- ists like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's al-Qaida in Iraq, were part of an "attempt to discredit and derail the progress of the Iraqi people." At least 121 people were killed last week in twin suicide attacks against a Shiite shrine in the holy city of Karbala and a police recruiting center in Rama- di. A day earlier, 32 people were killed by a suicide bomber at a Shiite funeral in Muqdadiyah. Twenty- nine more died in an attack Monday on the Interior Ministry compound in Baghdad. "The increase in attacks across Iraq this past week clearly indicates that al-Qaida and others terrorists still have the capability to surge," Alston said. He denied allegations by leading Shiite politi- cians that the United States had restricted the ability of Iraqi security forces to deal with insurgents after Sunni Arabs complained that brutal methods used by Interior Ministry forces have pushed Iraq to the brink of sectarian war. Hundreds of abused prisoners have recently been discovered, mostly in prisons run by the Shiite-led Interior Ministry - prompting com- plaints from U.S. officials. Bush visits Gulf for first time BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (AP) - Presi- dent Bush traveled to a still-ravaged Gulf Coast yesterday after three months away, promising that a building boom is on its way and encouraging other Americans to visit, too. Bush's visit to New Orleans and Mis- sissippi was part of a series of events to showcase his priorities leading up to the State of the Union address. He said he was committed to rebuilding communi- ties devastated from Hurricane Katrina. "People in far away places like Washington, D.C., still hear you and care about you," Bush told survivors gathered at St. Stanislaus College, just a couple of blocks from where Katrina blew ashore. Bush's route to the college took him down a coastal road past thousands of snapped trees, debris still hanging from limbs and lots emptied of their build- ings. There were almost no intact struc- tures - in most cases only concrete foundations were left - and little evi- dence of rebuilding. "There's no homes to repair:' Bush said. "It's just been flattened. That's what the people of America have got to understand." Unlike in New Orleans, where most of the population has not returned, the road was lined with dozens of onlook- ers. Many held signs pleading for help and pledging their determination to rebuild their communities. Bush recalled his vow from New Orleans' Jackson Square to return the region to its glory. "I said we're not just going to cope, we're going to overcome," he said. "I meant what I said." Earlier on a brief stop in New Orleans, Bush said the improvement since his last visit in mid-October is dramatic. "It may be hard for you to see, but from when I first came here to today, 3be £idbgau aiIy 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com JASON Z. PESICK Editor in Chief pesick@michigandaily.com 647-3336 Sun.-Thurs. 5 p.m. - 2 a.m. JONATHAN DOBBERSTEIN Business Manager business@michigandaily.com 764-0558 Mon-Fri. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. CONTACT INFORMATION News Tips Corrections Letters to the Editor Photography Department Arts Section Editorial Page Sports Section Display Sales Classified Sales Online Sales Finance Newsroom: 763-2459 Office hours: Sun.-Thurs. 11 am. -2 am. news@michigandaily.com corrections@michigandaily.com tothedaily@michigandaily.com photo@michigandaily.com 764-0563 artspage@michigandaily.com 763-0379 opinion@michigandaily.com 763-0379 sports@michigandaily.com 764-8585 display@michigandaily.com 764-0554 classified@michigandaily.com 764-0557 onlineads@michigandaily.com 615-0135 finance@michigandaily.com 763-3246 EDITORIAL STAFF Alison Go Managing Editor go@michigandaily.com Farayha Arrine Managing News Editor arrine@michigandaily.com NEWS EDITORS: Donn M. Fresard, Anne Joling, Michael Kan, Jameel Naqvi Suhael Momin Editorial Page Editor momin@michigandaily.com Sam Singer Editorial Page Editor singer@michigandaily.com ASSOCIATE EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS: Emily Beam, Christopher Zbrozek Ian Herbert Managing Sports Editor herbert@michigandaily.com SENIOR SPORTS EDITORS: Megan Kolodgy, Sharad Mattu, Matt Singer, Matt Venegoni, Stephanie Wright SPORTS NIGHT EDITORS:Scott Bell, H. Jose Bosch, Gabe Edelson, Jack Herman, Katie Niemeyer, Kevin Wright Adam Rottenberg Managing Arts Editor rottenberg@michigandaily.com ASSOCIATE ARTS EDITORS: Alexandra M. Jones, Melissa Runstrom ARTS SUB EDITORS:Jeffrey Blmner,ViccriaEdwards, PunitMatto, Evan McGarvey, BemieNguyen Ryan Weiner Managing Photo Editor weiner@michigandaily.com ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITORS: Forest Casey, Jason Cooper ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS: Trevor Campbell, Ali Olsen, David Tuman Ashley Dinges Assistant Managing Editor, Design dinges@michigandaily.com Eston Bond Managing Online Editor eston@michigandaily.com ASSOCIATE ONLINE EDITORS: Angela Cesere, Phil Dokas Doug Wernert Magazine Editor wernert@michigandaily.com BUSINESS STAFF C~hristine Hu isolav lsu MaAnaeer W~hLtaMn m~Afltr fl~5J~fi3~ 3