The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Tuesday, January 8, 2008 - 3

NEWS BRIEFS
BAGHDAD
Prominent al-Qaida
opponent killed in
suicide bombing
The head of a key U.S.-backed
Sunni group was killed Monday
in a double suicide bombing that
claimed at least 11 other lives and
highlighted the deadly precision of
attacks on Sunni leaders choosing
to oppose al-Qaida in Iraq.
The main target - a former
police colonel who led resistance
to al-Qaida in one of its former
Baghdad strongholds - was first
embraced by a bomber posing as a
friend. Seconds later, the attacker
stepped back and triggered an
explosion, a witness said.
A suicide car bomber then struck
as rescuers tried to evacuate the
wounded. At least 28 people were
injured in the twin blasts - the
latest in a spate of attacks against
Sunnis who have joined a U.S.-sup-
ported movement against extrem-
ists and credited with helping
sharply reduce violence around
Iraq.
NAIROBI, Kenya
Kenya president to
meet with rival in
effort to end strife
Kenya's president on Monday
invited his chief rival to his official
residence to discuss how to end
the country's election standoff, just
hours after the opposition called off
nationwide rallies amid fears of new
bloodshed.
The signs of softening by both
sides came after three days of talks
with the top U.S. diplomat for Af-
rica. The African Union president,
whose trip to Kenya had been de-
layed repeatedly as the government
rejected outside mediation in the
disputed vote, was to begin talks in
the capital as early as Wednesday.
The U.S. envoy, Jendayi Frazer,
said the vote count was rigged, but
declined to blame either President
Mwai Kibaki or Raila Odinga, the
opposition leader.
"Yes, there was rigging," Frazer
told The Associated Press. "I mean,
there were problems with the vote
counting process ... both the parties
could have rigged."
SALE M, N.H.
Two men interrupt
Clinton rally with
sexist signs
Hillary Rodham Clinton's cam-
paign stop was interrupted yes-
terday when two men stood in
the crowd and began screaming,
"Iron my shirt!" during one of her
final appearances before the New
Hampshire primary.
Clinton, a former first lady run-
ning to become the nation's first
female president, laughed at the
seemingly sexist protest that sug-
gested a woman's place is doing the
laundry and not running the coun-
try.
"Ah, the remnants of sexism
- alive and well," Clinton said to
applause in a school auditorium.

WASHINGTON
After two years of
increases, crime
dropped in 2007
Crime dipped slightly for the first
half of 2007, the FBI reported yes-
terday, signaling a stop to a 2-year
increase in violence nationwide.
Violent crime - including mur-
ders, rapes and robberies - dropped
by 1.8 percent between January and
June last year, the FBI's preliminary
data show. Property crimes also
decreased, including a 7.4 percent
drop in car thefts and arsons by near-
ly 10 percent.
The FBI data, compiled from local
and state police departments around
the nation, offer a snapshot of crime
rates over the six month period. The
numbers will not be finalized until
later this year.
-Compiled from
Daily wire reports
3,911
Number of American service mem-
bers who have died in the war in
 Iraq, according to The Associated
Press. The military identified the
following dead service members
yesterday:
Army Pfc. Jason F. Lemke, 30,
West Allis, Wis.
Navy Petty Officer Second Class
MenelekM.Brown,24, Roswell,N.M.

Tide of eager young
voters buoys hopefuls

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ma, McCain look tools of the youth culture, a Face-
book, YouTube and blogging
r boost in New whirl. But some go much further.
Obama has spoken on college
Hampshire campuses for months, acquiring
a vast database of potential vol-
MICHAEL POWELL unteers.
The New York Times Former President Clinton has
done the same as his wife's surro-
NCHESTER, N.H. - It has gate. McCain rarely has a rally or
l and look of a transforma- forum in which he fails to hand a
oment, this tidal wave of microphone to a young person.
voters buoying the cam- No candidate is more aware
of Sens. Barack Obama of the tonic appeal of the youth
hn McCain. vote, and more intent on captur-
keening shouts and wild ing its power, than Obama. His
se, and willingness to campaign has the trappings of
on doors and work on tele- a youth crusade, an impression
banks late in the evening he emphasizes by having aides
rmed the Iowa caucuses. place young people behind him
n those working for poli- on stage.
unlikely to draw power Few candidates of recent vin-
his surge say the youth tage approached Obama's cap-
ould do the same today in ture of more than half the youth
lampshire. At Dartmouth, vote in Iowa. In 2004, Howard
is back in session, profes- Dean summoned "net rooters"
edicted a 60 percent turn- and "alt rockers." But in the end,
campus, a percentage that Sen. John Kerry received 37 per-
far exceed previous pri- cent of the 18-to-24 vote to Dean's
23 percent, according to a poll by
owa, youngvoters came out Edison/Mitofsky.
ngth, as did their elders. Obama challenges young peo-
even percent of voters ages ple daily, urging them to prove
Isaid Obamawas their first pundits wrong by turning out in
compared with 14 percent vast numbers. Booming applause
in Edwards and 10 percent greets his words.
. Hillary Rodham Clinton. "It would be such a shame after
fewer young people voted seeing the great turnout in Iowa
Republican caucuses, and if we weren't working as hard
r Gov. Mike Huckabee of as we could to make sure that
as scored highest, draw- story continues, because I think
11 with evangelical youth. that was the biggest story out of
ain's persona as a war Iowa," Obama told an audience
vho rarely minds his lip yesterday. "That transcends any
well on campuses in New individual candidate."
hire. The precise alchemy of this
n those transfixed by this attraction is uncertain, as often is
caution against proclaim- true in politics. It owes perhaps to
primaries as a coming of Obam's youthful look and mul-
a new generation of young ticultural persona, his soaring
ts and voters. words and a message tinged with
tical pied pipers often liberal politics and talk of uniting
ephemeral. Obama's sup- partisans.
om a focus group at Dart- "It's not something he's doing,"
sagged noticeably after Bafumi said. "It's something he's
ts watched him debate being."
eteran Democrats. James Nance, 19, a student at
rthe long run, young voters George Mason, traveled across
vote in percentages as high New Hampshire as a political
r voters. And many labor- tourist watching candidates. Just
e hail from out of state and Obama spoke directly to his con-
vote here. cerns.
e mass mobilization and "Kids are the best at telling
sent this year is tremen- who's a liar, who's phony," Nance
said Joseph Bafumi, a said. "He really inspires me to
or of government at Dart- stand up and fight. There's some-
. "It gives a campaign a thing different about him, you
of vitality and energy. But know."
people are famously tran- Obama's rivals have not con-
nd not yet settled." ceded the youth vote. Chelsea
y Gottlob, 19, a student at Clinton has accompanied her
liversity of Vermont, said mother everywhere on the cam-
students were so engaged. paign trail of late. She worked on
now a lot of people that are telephone banks for 30 minutes
h, the primary? I haven't on yesterday.
red yet,"' Gottlob said. The campaign made sure to let
y candidate turns to the cameras followher as she strolled

the streets of Portsmouth, even
persuading a wavering young
woman at a diner to vote for her
mother.
Hillary Clinton's rallies attract
young people, although in noth-
ing like the numbers and passion
for Obama. She has tried to defuse
that strength by hitting at his
weakness. Her campaign placed
a billboard in Hanover, with one
word, "READY."
Edwards draws relatively few
young people to his events, not-
withstanding his youthful looks
and energetic style. His theme of
a middle class betrayed by a cor-
porate elite appears not to reso-
nate with younger voters. Tom
Murray, 20, a political science
major from Long island, hears in
Edwards' message a poetic tale.
But Murray sees few young peo-
ple at rallies.
"It's mostly older people," he
said. "I'm not sure why."
In the Republican ranks,
McCain, 71, is a curious bookend
to Obama. He is the oldest candi-
date in either party. Yet he draws
hundreds of young people atsome
events.
McCain drew many hundreds
when he spoke at Dartmouth,
a number exceeded only by the
2,000 students who showed up
for Obama.
"He is seen as Washington but
not in it," said Ronald G. Shaiko,
an associate director of Dart-
mouth's Nelson A. Rockefeller
Center, who works with focus
groups. "They think he'll upset
the apple cart."
McCain admits to admiring
Obama's appeal as a "wonderful
thing" and has takento borrowing
a line or three. He has been chan-
neling Obama, calling on Ameri-
cans to "serve a cause greater than
their self-interest," a theme from
his campaign in 2000.
At forums, he may hand the
microphone to a young man
with ONE, a group dedicated to
eradicating what it calls "stupid
poverty" and disease. The group
has more than 17,000 members in
New Hampshire.
At Dartmouth, Emily Goodell,
18, sat astride a strange fence,
contemplating a vote for McCain
or Obama.
"It is kind of a strange thing
since they have differentviews on
many of the issues," Goodell said.
"They come across as genuine. I
trust them."
Additional reporting was
contributed by Julie Bosman,
Marjorie Connelly, Michael Cooper,
Michael Falcone, Patrick Healy,
Michael Luo, Ashley Parker, Yardena
Schwartz, Sarah Wheaton and Jeff
Zeleny from New Hampshire.

Megan O'Rourke, an LSA freshman, learns to use her Qwizdom clicker from Lynne
Crandall, a member of the LSA Instructional Support Service staff. Qwizdom is used
by several colleges on campus. The semester, more than 23 courses in LSA will use
the Qwizdom system.
High court declines
to hear abortion case

Group wants to revive
state's law
banning controversial
procedure
WASHINGTON (AP) - The
Supreme Court yesterday declined
to hear an attempt to revivea Michi-
gan law banning the procedure
opponents call partial-birth abor-
tion..
Abortion foes said they would
revisit the issue in Lansing this year
and hoped to advance legislation
mirroring the federal ban on the
procedure that was signed into law
by President Bush in 2003.
"There will be a strong bipartisan
support in both chambers to clear
the bills," said Ed Rivet, legislative
director for Right to Life of Michi-
gan. "If there's any question, it will
be what the governor might decide
to do with the bill."
The justices did not comment on
their decision to let stand a ruling in
June by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals in Cincinnati. The appeals
court said the law is unconstitu-
tional because it also could prohibit
other abortion procedures.
A Michigan law on the so-called
partial birth procedure has been
struck down three times - federal
courts also rejected the laws in 1997
and 2001.
Abortion rights' groups said they
were pleased with the court's move,
calling it another step in protecting
the reproductive rights of women.
"We are hopeful that the Michi-

gan legislature will get the message:
stop endangering women's health
and start respecting women's pri-
vate health care decisions," said Bri-
gitte Amiri, a staff attorney with the
American Civil Liberties Union.
Liz Boyd, aspokeswoman for Gov.
Jennifer Granholm (D-Mich.), who
vetoed the measure in 2004, said
they had not reviewed any pending
legislation. Boyd said it wasttoo early
to speculate on a new approach.
"The governor remains commit-
ted to working in a bipartisan way
to prevent unwanted pregnancies
and to remove barriers to adoption,"
Boyd said.
Matt Frendewey, a spokesman for
Republican Attorney General Mike
Cox, noted that the decision did not
affect the federal ban. Frendewey
said Cox supported the pending
legislation because it was based on
the federal statute supported by the
Supreme Court.
In April, the Supreme Court
upheld the federal law signed by
Bush banning the abortion meth-
od, saying the law is constitutional
despite not including an exception
that would allow the procedure if
necessary to preserve a woman's
health.
The high court's decision left
untouched the 1973 Roe v. Wade rul-
ing in which the court established
abortion rights.
The outlawed procedure typi-
cally is used to end pregnancies in
the second and third trimesters
and involves partially removing the
fetus intact from a woman's uterus
and then crushing or cutting its
skull to complete the abortion.

S.: Iran


I

threatened
to blow up
Navy ships
WASHINGTON (AP) - An
Iranian fleet of high-speed
boats charged at and threat-
ened to blow up a three-ship
U.S. Navy convoy passingnear
Iranian waters, then vanished
as the American ship com-
manders were preparing to
open fire, the top U.S. Navy
commander in the area said
yesterday.
No shots were fired an an
Iranian official in Tehran
said the incident amounted to
"something normal."
Bush administration offi-
cials complained that the
Iranian actions amounted to
a dangerous provocation, but
one private analyst said the
Iranians may have believed
they were acting defensively
in a narrow waterway that
is heavily trafficked by com-
mercial ships, including oil
vessels.
The incident raised new
tensions between Washington
and Tehran as President Bush
prepared to depart today on
his first major trip to the Mid-
dle East.
The three U.S. warships -
cruiser USS Port Royal, destroy-
er USS Hopper and frigate USS
Ingraham - were headed into
the Persian Gulf through the
Strait of Hormuz on what the
U.S. Navy called a routine pas-
sage inside international waters
when they were approached by
five small high-speed vessels
believed tobe from Iran's Revo-
lutionary Guard Corps Navy.

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