6 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, January 23, 2009 - 3
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, January 23, 2009 - 3
NEWS BRIEFS
NEW YORK
Kennedy withdraws
from Senate race
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Caroline
Kennedy's mysteriously abrupt
decision to abandon her Senate bid
gave rise to an ugly swirl of accusa-'
tions Thursday and feverish specu-
lation over whether she jumped or
was pushed.
The 51-year-old daughter of
President John F. Kennedy was
widely considered a front-runner
for the Senate seat until she sent a
midnight e-mail to reporters and
Gov. David Paterson saying she was
withdrawingforwhatshedescribed
only as personal reasons.
Even though many Democrats
had thought Paterson was going to
appoint Kennedy anydaynow, aper-
son close to the governor said Thurs-
day that Paterson had no intention of
picking her because he believed she
handled herself poorly in introduc-
ing herself as a candidate.
The person also said there
were concerns about possible tax
problems for Kennedy, a poten-
tial "nanny problem" involving a
housekeeper, and media rumors
that her marriage was on the rocks.
The person, who spoke on condi-
tion of anonymity because he said
he wasn't authorized to speak for
the governor, would not elaborate.
Kennedy spokesman Stefan
Friedman would not detail her
reasons for withdrawing, but com-
plained: "This kind of mudslinging
demeans that process and all those
involved."
CHICAGO
Blagojevich: Senate
impeachment trial
unfair and 'a sham'
On the verge of being tossed
out of office, Gov. Rod Blagojevich
on Thursday branded his upcom-
ing impeachment trial "a sham"
that won't provide a fair chance to
defend himself
"What the Senate and the House
and Legislature is trying to do is to
thwart the will of the people and
remove a governor elected twice by
the people without a fair hearing,"
the governor said outside his Chi-
cago home.
The two-term Democrat is
accused of abusing his power by
scheming to benefit from appoint-
ing a person to fill President Barack
Obama's Senate seat, circumvent-
ing hiring laws and defying Gen-
eral Assembly decisions.
He was impeached by the state
House on Jan. 9, and his trial in the
state Senate is set to begin Monday.
He has denied any wrongdoing.
WASHINGTON
Rally marks Roe v.
Wade anniversary
Tens of thousands of abortion
opponents rallied Thursday on the
National Mall to mark the 36th
anniversary of Roe v. Wade amid
concerns they could face political
setbacks under the new president.
The rally and subsequent march
to the Supreme Court came two
days after the swearing-in of Presi-
dent Barack Obama, which many
demonstrators said emphasized the
need to become more vocal with
their message.
Among those attending the rally
marking the 1973 ruling that legal-
ized abortion was Kirk Kramer
of Cottage City, Md., who held up
a sign reading: "The Audacity Of
Hope: No More Roe."
Kramer, a Democrat, said he has
mixed feelings about Obama. He
supports the president's position
on Iraq but said he was concerned
about statements Obama made
during the campaign indicating
support for the Freedom of Choice
Act, which would overrule many
state-level restrictions on access to
abortion.
LANSING
Mich. Supreme
Court puts off
recusal issue
The Michigan Supreme Court
has put off until March a debate
on rules governing when justices
should be disqualified from cases.
The court decided Thursday to
defer the vote on whether formal
recusal procedures should be pub-
lished for public comment.
The disqualification issue has
been a bone of contention for a cou-
ple years. The court currently has an
unwritten tradition that leaves it up
to each justice to decide if he or she
should recuse himself or herself.
- Compiled from
Daily wire reports
Obama will close Guantanamo Bay prison
Executive Order
would also close CIA
"black site" prisons
WASHINGTON (AP) - Break-
ing forcefully with Bush anti-
terror policies, President Barack
Obama ordered major changes
Thursday that he said would halt
the torture of suspects, close down
the Guantanamo detention center,
ban secret CIA prisons overseas
and fight terrorism "in a manner
that is consistent with our values
and our ideals."
"We intend to win this fight.
We're goingto win it on our terms,"
Obama declared, turning U.S. poli-
cy abruptly on just his second full
day in office. He also put a fresh
emphasis on diplomacy, naming
veteran troubleshooters forMiddle
East hotspots.
The policies and practices that
Obama said he was reversing have
been widely reviled overseas, by
U.S. allies as well as in less-friendly
Arab countries. President George
W. Bush said the policies were nec-
essary to protect the nation after
the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.-
though he, too, had said he wanted
Guantanamo closed at some point.
"A new era of American leader-
ship is at hand," Obama said.
Executive orders signea by the
new president would orderthe pris-
on camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,
shut within a year, require the clo-
sure of any remaining secret CIA
"black site" prisons abroad and bar
CIA interrogators ofdetainees from
using harsh techniques already
banned for military questioners.
That includes physical abuse
such as waterboarding, a technique
thatcreatesthesensationof drown-
ing and has been termed torture by
critics at home and abroad.
For the signing. ceremony,
Obama was flanked in the Oval
Office by retired senior U.S. mili-
tary leaders who had pressed for
the changes.
Underscoring the new admin-
istration's point, the admirals and
generals said in a statement: "Pres-
ident Obama's actions today will
restore the moral authority and
strengthen the national security of
the United States."
Not everyone felt that way.
Criticism surfaced immediately
from Republicans and others who
said Obama's policy changes would
jeopardize U.S. ability to get intel-
ligence about terrorist plans or to
prevent attacks.
House Minority Leader John
BoehnerwasamongagroupofGOP
lawmakers who quickly introduced
legislation seeking to bar federal
courts from ordering Guantanamo
detainees to be released into the
United States.
Boehner, R-Ohio, said it "would
be irresponsible to close this ter-
rorist detainee facility" before
answering such important ques-
tions as where the detainees would
be sent.
Obanea said he was certain that
the nation's security is strength-
ened - not weakened - when the
U.S. adheres to "core standards of
conduct."
"We think that it is precisely our
ideals that give us the strength and
the moral high ground to be able to
effectively deal with the unthink-
ing violence that we see emanat-
ing from terrorist organizations
around the world," he said.
"We don't torture," Obama said,
but Bush had said the same. The
question has always been defining
the word.
Later in the day, Obama visited
the State Department to welcome
newly confirmed Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton, empha-
sizing the importance his adminis-
tration intends to give diplomacy in
his foreign policy. He told Foreign
Service officers and other depart-
ment employees they "are going to
be critical to our success."
The president and Clinton joint-
ly announced the appointment of
former Senate Majority Leader
George Mitchell, who helped bro-
ker peace in Northern Ireland, as
special envoy to the Middle East.
Former U.N. Ambassador Rich-
ard Holbrooke, who helped write
the peace deal that ended Bosnia's
1992-95 war, was named special
envoy for Pakistan and Afghani-
stan.
But for all the talk of a new era,
it remained unclear how much of a
shift Obama plans for the Middle
East.
Though he named high-profile
envoys to regions where critics say
American attention lagged under
Bush, the Mideast policy Obama
outlined was no different.
He said he would aggressively
seek a lasting peace between Israel
and the Palestinians while also
defending Israel's "right to defend
itself."
Regents Notebook:
Art & Design school
offers new degree
Google's Page gets
honorary degree,
new fundraising
toward the new program.
"It's really special and would be
wonderful for the school," Darlow
said.
B'
The I
approve
School(
degree
allow st
& Desig
tration
leges. It
transfer
Design
Univ
livan s
importa
student
GOOGLE CO-FOUNDER TO
goal issue RECEIVE HONORARY DEGREE
The regents approved a proposal
y MALLORY JONES to award Larry Page, co-founder of
For theDaily Google, Inc., an honorary doctor-
ate in engineering at spring com-
University Board of Regents mencement on May 2. Page will be
d a proposal from . the the keynote speaker at the ceremo-
of Art & Design for a new ny. Coleman said Page, president
program. The degree will of products at Google, has accom-
udents in the School of Art plished a great deal since he gradu-
n to elect a second concen- ated from the University in 1995.
in other schools and col- "Celebrating the accomplish-
will also allow students to ments of the class of 2009 will be
into the School of Art & all the more special with Larry
after their sophomore year. Page as our speaker," she said. "In
ersity Provost Teresa Sul- a relatively short period since his
aid the program was an own graduation from Michigan, he
:nt addition for art school has made a meaningful and lasting
s. contribution to society."
President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton stand together at the State Department in
Washington yesterday.
Cion takes the reins at
the State Department
Former senator
aims to repair
nation's image
WASHINGTON (AP) - Hillary
Rodham Clinton took charge ofthe
State Department on Thursday,
proclaiming the start of a new era
of robust U.S. diplomacy to tackle
the world's crises and improve
America's standing abroad.
Before a raucous, cheering
crowd of about 1,000 people, the
nation's 67th secretary of state
pledged to boost the morale and
resources of the diplomatic corps
and promised them a difficult but
exciting road ahead.
"I believe with all of my heart
that this is a new era for America,"
she said to loud applause in the
main lobby of the department's
headquarters, which President
Barack Obama visited later in the
day to underscore his administra-
tion's commitment to diplomacy.
With Obama at her side in the
ornate Ben Franklin Room, Clin-
ton introduced former Senate
Majority Leader George J. Mitch-
ell, D-Maine, as a special envoy
for the Middle East. Former U.N.
ambassador. Richard Holbrooke
was announced as a special advis-
er on Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The posts are the first of sever-
al new special envoys the admin-
istration plans to create to deal
with particularly vexing prob-
lems abroad.
Clinton began her first day on
the job at the State Department
one day after her Senate confir-
mation.
"This is going to be a challeng-
ing time and it will require 21st
Century tools and solutions to
meet our problems and seize our
opportunities," Clinton said at
her welcoming. "I'm going to be
asking a lot of you. I want you to
think outside the proverbial box.
I want you to give me the best
advice you can."
"I want you to understand
there is nothing that I welcome
more than a good debate and the
kind of dialogue that will make us
better," she said. "We cannot be
our best if we don't demand that
from ourselves and each other."
In her spirited 10-minute pep
talk, she spoke of the importance
of defense, diplomacy and devel-
opment - the "three legs to the
stool of American foreign policy"
- and noted that the State Depart-
ment is in charge of two of them.
"We are responsible for two of
the three legs," said the former
New York senator and first lady.
"And we will make clear as we
go forward that diplomacy and
development are essential tools
in achieving the long-term objec-
tives of the United States."
Clinton's mandate from Obama
is to step up diplomatic efforts
and restore the nation's tattered
image overseas. She has vowed to
make use of"smart power" to deal
with international challenges.
"At the heart of smart power
are smart people, and you are
those people," she told the assem-
bled throng. "And you are the ones
that we will count on and turn to
for the advice and counsel, the
expertise and experience to make
good on the promises of this new
administration."
"Because art funding has'been
cut back at so many high schools,
many students enter the univer-
sity without a portfolio and cannot
apply to Art and Design," she said.
"This program offers students the
opportunity to build their portfolio
(during) their freshman and sopho-
more years and then transfer."
University President Mary Sue
Coleman expressed her support for
the degree.
"It's really a good idea, and I
think it's going to be a very popular'
program," she said.
Regent Julia Darlow (D-Ann
Arbor) congratulated the School
of Art and Design on their work
PRESIDENT'S FUNDRAISING
CHALLENGE ISSUED
Jerry May, Vice President for
Development, announced a fund-
raising challenge to raise money
for study abroad programs. May
said money raised from the cam-
paign will go toward "enriching
the international opportunity for
our students."
Coleman will match donated
funds. The challenge began Jan. 1
when Coleman contributed $25,000
to the campaign. The President's
Fund will contribute 50 cents for
every dollar that is donated up to
$5 million.
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F RIDAYS
Domestic Bottles are only
- -~
House Democrats push tax
breaks through committee
$275 billion tax cut
package passes
first hurdle
WASHINGTON (AP) - Amid
grim new evidence of economic
weakness, legislation at the heart
of President Barack Obama's
recovery plan advanced in Con-
gress Thursday over the persis-
tent opposition of Republicans
seeking deeper tax cuts.
"We are very pleased with the
progress," said Speaker Nancy
Pelosi, D-Calif., after $275 bil-
lion in tax cuts cleared the House
Ways and Means Committee on
a party-line vote of 24-13. Demo-
cratic leaders have promised the
measure will be ready for Obama's
signature by mid-February.
"It will create jobs immediate-
ly, and it will also lay the founda-
tion for economic stability as we
go forward," Pelosi added.
But RepublicanS said there was
no reliable estimate of the bill's
impact on employment.
"The American people deserve
to know what they are getting for
their nearly $1 trillion," said Rep.
Dave Camp of Michigan, the top
Republican on the tax-writing
committee.
In all, the measure costs $825
billion, a total expected to grow
as it makes its way through Con-
gress.
Onthekeyvote of the day, Dem-
ocrats closed ranks to preserve a
tax break for this year and 2010
that would mean $500 for many
workers and $1,000 for millions
of couples, including those whose
earnings are so low that they pay
no federal income tax.
Democrats also turned back a
Republican attempt to jettison a
new federal subsidy to help laid-
off workers pay for health insur-
ance after they lose employer-paid
coverage, and to waive income
taxes on unemployment benefits
for two years.
They argued that the GOP pro-
posals would favor upper-income
individuals and couples who, they
said, benefited disproportionately
from tax cuts passed during the
administration of former Presi-
dent George W. Bush.
"We need to be dealing with
people at the bottom of the income
scale," said Rep. Jim McDer-
mott, D-Wash. He also noted that
the legislation would provide a
$25-per-week increase in unem-
ployment benefits.
But Camp cited a report by
the nonpartisan Congressional
Research Service that he said
showed lower- and middle-
income workers already would
have received most of the ben-
efits from the proposal to elimi-
nate the tax on unemployment
benefits.
Separately, the House Ener-
gy and Commerce Committee
approved a $2.8 billion program
that would expand broadband
service into underserved areas. It
also approved various programs
costing an estimated $27 billion
to promote energy efficiency.
The panel, working late into
the night, also passed a $20 bil-
lion effort to speed the creation
of electronic health records,
and it approved more money
to help states afford increased
enrollment under Medicaid, the
health care program for the low
income. In all, the additional
spending for health care pro-
grams totals about $150 billion
over five years.