Obama and Biden strategy for Iraq faces big turning point

Vice President Joe Biden at a reception in Baghdad.

Obama and Biden strategy for Iraq faces big turning point

There's been so much focus on Afghanistan lately, it's been easy to forget about the war in Iraq -- but big things are about to happen there as well.
Sponsor:Click2.infoVice President Joe Biden's surprise trip to Baghdad this week was designed in part to brace the Iraqis for the end of the U.S. combat mission in their country, currently set for Aug. 31.
Biden also reminded the Iraqis that the U.S. will continue to provide assistance for the foreseeable future.
On "August 31st, we will change our military mission by drawing closer to all of you, not further apart," Biden said at an Independence Day reception with Iraqi guests. "Out commitment to you will not disappear on August 31st; it will grow stronger. As you continue to stand up and build your democracy, we'll be there with you economically, politically, socially, science, education."
Even with the end of combat operations, some 50,000 troops will remain in Iraq to train and advise the Iraqi military, and assist with counter-terrorism operations.
Biden, who has become Obama's point person on Iraq, has also been speaking with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and election challenger Iyad Allawi about forming a new Iraqi government.
During the reception, Biden told Iraqi leaders: "The concept of subordinating your individual interest is fundamental to the success of any nation ... So my plea to you is, finish what you started -- a truly legitimate and representative government that meets the needs and aspirations of all Iraqi people."
Biden also reminded the Iraqis that the United States had a fractious start 234 years ago.
"When our Founders did it, when they signed that Declaration (of Independence), many of them did not even like one another," Biden said. "You think I'm joking; I'm not -- I'm absolutely confident you will do it."
(Posted by David Jackson)
Source:US Today
Sponsor:Click2.info

San Clemente to pay Washington lobbyist $45,000

San Clemente will pay a Washington lobbying firm $45,000 in 2010 to help win federal funding for beach restoration, a railroad "Quiet Zone" and expansion of recycling of wastewater into irrigation water at the sewage-treatment plant.

The City Council this week agreed to pay Marlowe & Co. $45,000 for services this calendar year. The firm said it has helped secure more than $2.1 million in federal funds for various San Clemente projects.

Source:ocregister.com/

US Sen Dodd Now Immune to Lobbyists As Builds Fin Reform

WASHINGTON (MNI) - Without a reelection campaign ahead, Sen. Chris Dodd will be more immune to financial industry lobbyists as he spends perhaps months completing the Senate version of financial industry regulatory reform.

Dodd is surprising the Washington lobbying establishment by announcing later today he will not seek reelection, making it easier for Democrats to hold on to the Connecticut senate seat. The state's Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is expected to run instead and be a stronger candidate than Dodd.

Before then, however, Dodd's decision is likely to alter the dynamics of the high-stakes drafting project that pits the banking and financial services industry against Dodd's efforts to revamp the way government relates to Wall Street.

As chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, Dodd has already faced storms of criticism for his leading role in crafting the emergency measures that appeared necessary during the financial crisis but in retrospect were political liabilities.

The announcement Tuesday by North Dakota's Byron Dorgan that he also is leaving the Senate was as much of a surprise as Dodd's announcement but appeared to be less significant for the course of 2010 legislation. However Dorgan's voice as a deficit hawk will be missed by his fellow Capitol Hill campaigners for fiscal responsibility.

Dorgan's departure could also offer a new opportunity for Republicans, given the realities of North Dakota politics.

Source:imarketnews.com/

Full Body Scanner Lobby: Michael Chertoff & Rapiscan

Michael Chertoff, Former Department of Homeland Security, is the head of the Chertoff Group, the lead cheerleader for what is being called the Full Body Scanner Lobby, reports the Washington Post and the Washington Examiner.


Ever since the Christmas Day Bomb Scare, Chertoff has been making the rounds championing the Full Body Scanners as a way to detect hidden explosive devices.

Quote
Mr. Chertoff should not be allowed to abuse the trust the public has placed in him as a former public servant to privately gain from the sale of full-body scanners under the pretense that the scanners would have detected this particular type of explosiveKate Hanni, FlyersRights
Source: http://flyersrights.orgHere is a Chertoff quote from the New York Times on December 29th.“If they’d been deployed, this would pick up this kind of device,” Michael Chertoff, the former homeland security secretary, said in an interview, referring to the packet of chemicals hidden in the underwear of the Nigerian man who federal officials say tried to blow up the Northwest Airlines flight.
A few days later the Washington Post revealed that Chertoff represents Rapiscan - a maker of full body scanners drawing criticism of groups who oppose full body scanners
"Mr. Chertoff should not be allowed to abuse the trust the public has placed in him as a former public servant to privately gain from the sale of full-body scanners under the pretense that the scanners would have detected this particular type of explosive," said Kate Hanni, founder of FlyersRights.org, which opposes the use of the scanners.

Rapiscan has already sold 150 full body scanners to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), with a price tag of $25 million. Rapiscan full body scanners, like the Rapiscan WaveScan 200, seem to be the preferred scanner of choice because they obscure the "private parts."



But the fully body scanner lobby is also littered with a number of companies vying for the $300 million dollars the government has set aside for this type of technology for airports.

The Washington Examiner has a list of other full body scanner lobbyists including another heavy weight, Tom Blank, with the lobby group Wexler & Walker(pdf) - A lobby group that represents American Science and Engineering (AS&E) another full body scanner manufacturer.Blank was the former Deputy Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration - essentially Blank is lobbying the same federal department where he was boss.
Lost in the hysteria surrounding full body scanners are two fundamental questions Are they effective? and are they worth the cost?



They are certainly effective in the same way an x-ray machine is effective but as we all know x-ray machines are good at some things (detecting broken bones) and terrible at detecting other things (soft tissue injuries). That is why we use CT Scans and MRI technology because they are better at detecting other things.



So for example, these fully body scanners may well have detected the Christmas Day Bomber but they would not have detected the Al Queda operative who used an anal body bomb in a September assassination attempt on the Saudi Interior Minister.



It raises the question once we introduce one costly technology the terrorists are already one step ahead so security officials seem to be in a constant and very costly game of catch up.



It is tough to win that sort of game so perhaps it is time to change the strategy? Oh say, focus on intelligence and clear open lines of communication between security agencies to begin with.

Source:nowpublic.com/

Group looks to change Grand Strand lobbyists in Washington

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - Concerned if they're getting they're money's worth, mayors along the Grand Strand say they are looking to change lobbyists in Washington.

The Grand Strand Coastal Alliance, made of the mayors of Surfside Beach, Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach and Atlantic Beach, met on Wednesday to talk about the needs of the area.

Included in their discussions was the most recent news that Congressman Henry Brown was retiring. The group is concerned that without his leadership, the Grand Strand may miss out on millions of dollars needed for several projects from beach renourishment to funding of Interstate 73.

They expressed their dissatisfaction with the lobbying group representing them in Washington, DC. They're worried that with Brown leaving in a few years, they may need someone pushing their interests.

"We're not in the best situation that we've been in for a long time when the congressman leaves office. Hopefully whoever is elected will have the same respect for the Grand Strand," said Myrtle Beach Mayor John Rhodes. "So it's going to be a learning process for whoever is elected and it's a waiting process for us. Unfortunately, we can't afford to wait and I go back to that's why the importance of a lobbyist now."

The mayors noted that with Brown's help from their current lobbyists, the area did get $40 million for beach renourishment. The mayors decided to meet with several lobbyists over the coming weeks to see if there maybe a better option out there. They say they'll also look closely at anyone who wants to run for office to replace Brown.

"That is the message that we have to get out to our next congressman. You need to work closely with us to help us with our needs," said Mayor Marilyn Hatley of North Myrtle Beach.

The mayors will be in Washington in the coming weeks for a conference plan on meeting with some that already have ties to Horry County then.

"Our lobbyist is going to be more important to us now than ever before because they're going to have to work the congressman and the senators, people we don't know. We are going to have to depend on our lobbyists to lead us down that lane," added Rhodes.

Source:wmbfnews.com/