DTN News - SOUTH AFRICA NEWS: World leaders Remember Nelson Mandela

DTN News - SOUTH AFRICA NEWS: World leaders Remember Nelson Mandela
*Nelson Mandela an Icon a leader and a political stalwart

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Staff Reporter - Reuters 

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 6, 2013: US President Barack Obama said on Thursday the world was not likely see a man such as Nelson Mandela again. He said Mandela's commitment to the peaceful transfer of power during South Africa's transition to democracy inspired the world.

"We've lost one of the most influential, courageous and profoundly good men. He no longer belongs to us; he belongs to the angels.

"I am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from Mandela. The first political thing I did was protest against apartheid. I studied his words and writings. So long as I live I will do what I can to learn from him."

Mandela passed away at 8.50pm on Thursday.

Obama said South Africa was an example to the world.

"We won't likely see the likes of Mandela again, and it falls to us to follow his legacy: never discount the difference that one man can make."

'A great light has gone out'
United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron, said: "A great light has gone out in the world. Nelson Mandela was a hero of our time. I've asked for the flag at No. 10 to be flown at half mast."

Bill Clinton, former US president, said Mandela's enduring legacy will be the "embracing of our common humanity".

"Nelson Mandela taught us so much about so many things. Perhaps the greatest lesson, especially for young people, is that, while bad things do happen to good people, we still have the freedom and responsibility to decide how to respond to injustice, cruelty and violence and how they will affect our spirits, hearts and minds.

"In his 27 years of imprisonment, Mandela endured physical and emotional abuse, isolation and degradation. His trials purified his spirit and clarified his vision, giving him the strength to be a free man even behind bars, and to remain free of anger and hatred when he was at last released.

"Mandela's enduring legacy is that, under a crushing burden of oppression he saw through differences, discrimination and destruction to embrace our common humanity," said Clinton.

United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon, said: "No one did more in our time for the values and aspirations of the UN."

'Grace and courage'
Microsoft founder Bill Gates said Mandela's "grace and courage" had changed the world.

"Every time Melinda and I met Nelson Mandela, we left more inspired than ever. This is a sad day," Gates said.

Former US president George HW Bush, said in a statement: "Barbara and I mourn the passing of one of the greatest believers in freedom we have had the privilege to know. As president, I watched in wonder as Nelson Mandela had the remarkable capacity to forgive his jailers following 27 years of wrongful imprisonment – setting a powerful example of redemption and grace for us all. He was a man of tremendous moral courage, who changed the course of history in his country."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement: "Nelson Mandela was of the most honourable figures of our time. He was the father of his people, a man of vision, a freedom fighter who rejected violence. He set a personal example for his people in the long years he spent in prison. He was never arrogant. He worked to mend the tears in South African society and with his character managed to prevent outbursts of racial hatred. He will be remembered as the father of new South Africa and as an outstanding moral leader."

'One of the great forces for freedom'
Former US president George W Bush in a statement said: "President Mandela was one of the great forces for freedom and equality of our time. He bore his burdens with dignity and grace, and our world is better off because of his example. This good man will be missed, but his contributions will live on forever."

"The name Mandela stirred our conscience and our hearts. It became synonymous with the pursuit of dignity and freedom across the globe. Today, a great light has been extinguished. The boy from the Transkei has finished his long walk. His journey transformed not just South Africa, but humanity itself. As we mark his passing, we give thanks for the gift of Nelson Mandela. We ask that his spirit continues to inspire, guide and enlighten us as we strive to bring freedom and dignity to the family of man, our brothers and sisters, across the world," said Ireland's Prime Minister Enda Kenny. 

New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key said in a statement: "Nelson Mandela was an inspirational leader, and a remarkable man ... For years he symbolised South Africa's hope for a future free from apartheid. Mr Mandela was a force for change, not only in South Africa, but around the world."

Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hailed Mandela as a "true Gandhian" who would continue to inspire future generations after his death.

"A giant among men has passed away. This is as much India's loss as South Africa's. He was a true Gandhian," Singh's office tweeted after the news of Mandela's death.

"His life and work will remain a source of eternal inspiration for generations to come. I join all those who are praying for his soul."

In a separate statement, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee hailed Mandela as "a statesman, world leader and icon of inspiration of humanity".

Indian independence hero Mahatma Gandhi had his political baptism in South Africa after arriving there in 1893, with his experience of racism in the country shaping his future political activism back home.

India was the first country to sever trade relations with the apartheid regime in Pretoria back in the 1940s. – Additional reporting by Reuters

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Staff Reporter - Reuters 
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DTN News: North Korea Says It Is Ready To Engage With The US For Talks On Nuclear Program

DTN News: North Korea Says It Is Ready To Engage With The US For Talks On Nuclear Program *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) PYONGYANG, North Korea - August 15, 2009: North Korea says it is ready to engage with the US amid recently-expressed willingness by Washington to enter direct talks with Pyongyang over its nuclear program.

North Korea is claimed to have an arsenal of weapons of mass destruction, and claims to possess nuclear weapons. The CIA asserts that North Korea also has a substantial arsenal of chemical weapons. North Korea was a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty but withdrew in 2003, citing the failure of the United States to fulfill its end of the Agreed Framework, a 1994 agreement between the states to limit North Korea's nuclear ambitions, begin normalization of relations, and help North Korea supply some energy needs through nuclear reactors. On October 9, 2006, the North Korean government issued an announcement that it had successfully conducted a nuclear test for the first time. Both the United States Geological Survey and Japanese seismological authorities detected an earthquake with a preliminary estimated magnitude of 4.2 in North Korea, corroborating some aspects of the North Korean claims. In April 2009, reports surfaced that North Korea has become a "fully fledged nuclear power", an opinion shared by IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei. On May 25, 2009, North Korea conducted another nuclear test, which is believed to have been the cause of a magnitude 4.7 seismic event. Although there is no official information about the test’s location it is believed that it happened in the north-eastern region near Kilju, the site of North Korea's first nuclear test.

"We always keep the door open to negotiations," Reuters quoted Kim Yong-Il, a vice minister in the North Korean Foreign Ministry, as saying in Hanoi on Friday on the sidelines of the second annual vice-ministerial policy exchange between the North and Vietnam.

This was the first time since the visit by the former US President Bill Clinton to the country last week, that a high-ranking North official used a foreign meeting to make such comments. Clinton, meeting North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Il, successfully brokered the release of two US journalists held since March on suspicion of illegal entry.

Earlier on Sunday following Clinton's visit, US officials hinted at their willingness to hold direct talks with Pyongyang over its nuclear program.

Despite deeming as dead the six-party talks, North Korea has expressed its readiness to enter negotiations with the US based on diplomacy. Pyongyang maintains that Washington should first abandon its hostile attitude.

The US and international efforts have failed to convince the North to abandon its nuclear program, which Washington perceives as illicit.

Pyongyang says it has "no choice" but to maintain its nuclear arsenal in the face of the strategic threat posed by the United States.

DTN News: Former President Bill Clinton Deflects Questions On Mission To North Korea

DTN News: Former President Bill Clinton Deflects Questions On Mission To North Korea

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) NEW YORK, USA - August 7, 2009: Former President Bill Clinton said Thursday that, while negotiating the release this week of two American journalists detained in North Korea, he went no further than previous Obama administration statements in expressing regret for the journalists having entered the country illegally. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton speaks at a news conference with Robert J. Coury, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mylan (2nd from L) and Jeffrey B. Kindler, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pfizer (L) and Nimmagadda Prasad, founder of Matrix, in New York, August 6, 2009. Through his Clinton Foundation the former U.S. President has worked with drug manufacturers to provide more affordable HIV/AIDS therapy in the developing world. North Korea pardoned and released the two journalists after Clinton met in Pyongyang on Tuesday with the country's ailing dictator, Kim Jong-Il. North Korea said later that Clinton had apologized; the White House denied that any apology was offered. On Thursday, Clinton spoke publicly for the first time about the trip the White House has described as a "private humanitarian mission." While not specifically addressing whether his remarks constituted an apology, Clinton said the secretary of state -- his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton -- had already expressed regret for the journalists' breach of the North Korean border. "I was not asked for any more, nor did I offer any more," he said. Clinton, appearing at a news conference about his foundation's efforts to combat AIDS, deflected questions about his impressions of Kim and about whether he had made concessions to the North Koreans to free the journalists. "My job was to do one thing, which I was honored to do, as an American and as a father," he said. "I wanted those young women to be able to come home." "Anything I say beyond that could inadvertently affect the decisions and moves either here or in North Korea, and the attitudes of our allies," Clinton continued. The two journalists, Euna Lee, 36, and Laura Ling, 32, were detained by North Korean soldiers on March 17, and then sentenced to 12 years in a North Korean prison camp for illegal entry. The former president answered questions at his Harlem-based William J. Clinton Foundation, in a room packed with about 150 reporters, at a news conference intended to announce the foundation's new agreements for low-cost AIDS and tuberculosis drugs for the developing world. Clinton did not directly respond to a question about whether the trip has helped to restore him to the role of elder statesman, an image that suffered because of controversial comments he made during his wife's presidential campaign. "As soon as the election was over, I went back to work here," he said. "I just let my work speak for itself." "There can only be one president at a time," said Clinton, adding that he does not want his statements to restrict the administration's ability to chart a way forward. "It's not helpful and it's not necessary." Clinton described a "deeply emotional" first encounter with Lee and Ling. He said they were "delightful" on the trip home to Los Angeles by private plane, so happy and excited they couldn't sleep. Lee talked frequently about being reunited with her young daughter, he said. The two journalists ate huevos rancheros for breakfast when the private plane stopped at an American base in Japan, Clinton said, and were careful to measure their food intake because they had been on a radically different diet for almost five months. "It was basically a lovely thing," he said.

DTN News: Bill Clinton Has Quite A Story To Tell

DTN News: Bill Clinton Has Quite A Story To Tell

*Source: DTN News / Reuters By Steve Holland (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON., USA - August 6, 2009: After his talks with reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, Bill Clinton sure has a story to tell. And one of the first in line to hear his tale is President Barack Obama. "I suspect that President Clinton will have some interesting observations from his trip and I will let him provide those to me," Obama told MSNBC on Wednesday. Freed U.S. journalists Laura Ling (2nd L) and Euna Lee (R) address the media in Burbank, California August 5, 2009, after their return to the United States from North Korea. Listening to Ling are Joel Hyatt (L), co-founder of Current TV, former President Bill Clinton (C) and former Vice President Al Gore (2nd R). The former president was chosen by the North Koreans from among four possible envoys proposed to them to try to gain freedom for two American reporters sentenced to 12 years of hard labor in North Korea. Other candidates for the task were other prominent Democrats: New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry and the man who served as Clinton's vice president, Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore. Thus, Clinton became the most senior American envoy to spend time face-to-face with Kim in nearly a decade. Kim is ailing and is widely believed to have suffered a stroke in August 2008. There have been rumors about pancreatic cancer and uncertainty about who will succeed him. North Korea-watchers in and out of the U.S. government are wanting to know how he looked, how he seemed and what he talked about. Some analysts have speculated Clinton's visit could open the way to direct talks with the communist state over its nuclear weapons program. "I think it'll be very interesting," said Republican Senator John McCain. "He's the first Westerner to see Kim since his reported stroke and other problems. I think former President Clinton will have some interesting information." In the secret negotiations that led to the rescue mission, Clinton made clear to Obama administration officials he only wanted to go if he had some certainty that Americans Laura Ling, 32, and Euna Lee, 36, would be released to his custody. "We considered the request carefully," said a senior administration official. "We tested directly with the North Koreans repeatedly. We sought and received North Korea's agreement in fact that a visit by President Clinton would secure the release of Ms. Ling and Ms. Lee." 'INCREDIBLE' Clinton had a meeting with Kim for an hour and 15 minutes and a dinner with him that lasted about two hours. In Clinton's entourage were his former White House chief of staff, John Podesta, and Clinton's personal physician, Roger Band. Asia expert Nick Szechenyi of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said the up-close look at Kim was probably one of the most fascinating aspects of Clinton's visit.

"Instead of trying to analyze photographs, for example, and trying to determine the extent of any physical damage that might have been incurred as a result of a stroke, Bill Clinton was able to sit down for a couple of hours and engage this individual face to face," he said. "That's incredible and in that sense it's kind of a shock that the North Koreans allowed this," he said. A congressional aide who asked to remain unidentified said: "President Clinton is going to be able to offer a candid assessment of North Korea and the state of the Dear Leader's health, who's in charge, the leadership organizational chart. He's going to be able to impart a great deal." Clinton's mission gave Obama a foreign policy success at a time when he could use one, given that his job approval ratings have been drooping a bit. It allowed Clinton to bask in the kind of American spotlight he has not enjoyed in some time. Politico called him an "international man of history" and the New York Post declared, "Bubba gets the chicks." White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama wanted to get together with Clinton soon. Will Obama seek out Clinton again? "Look, I think if the president is ever looking for people to help, former presidents are always a pretty good group to try," said Gibbs. (Editing by Peter Cooney)

DTN News: Clinton's Surprise Visit To North Korea Marks New Challenge

DTN News: Clinton's Surprise Visit To North Korea Marks New Challenge

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON, USA - August 6, 2009: Former U.S. President Bill Clinton made a surprise visit to North Korea and met its reclusive leader on Tuesday to win the freedom for two jailed American journalists.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton greets U.S. journalists Laura Ling (in green) and Euna Lee (in red) as they board a chartered plane at an airport in Pyongyang August 5, 2009 in this photo released by China's official Xinhua News Agency. North Korea said on Wednesday it had pardoned the two jailed American journalists after Clinton met the reclusive state's leader Kim Jong-il, a move some analysts said could pave the way to direct nuclear disarmament talks. Though the Obama administration insists it was a private, humanitarian visit, some critics see it as the U.S. softening its stance on its North Korea policy. This may be the end of an ordeal for two journalists, but President Bill Clinton's visit resulting in their release marks the beginning of a much larger challenge between the U.S. and North Korea. Clinton's visit came at a time when the U.S. and the international community have been pressuring North Korea, imposing strict sanctions after the communist state conducted a nuclear test, fired ballistic missiles and abandoned six-party talks on nuclear disarmament. Asian and Pacific affairs expert Peter Brookes warns that Clinton's visit could be seen as the U.S. softening its policy on North Korea. "There's no penalty for the things that they've done. We could get into a situation here of a moral hazard by rewarding bad behavior. We are going to be getting more of it," he said. But East Asia Affairs analyst Dennis Wilder says the U.S. had no choice. "I think the decision to allow him to go was the right one because it got the journalists home. And, as a private citizen on a humanitarian mission, that was very good," he said. Wilder says North Korea has been looking for a way to ease the pressure created by the sanctions and used journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee as hostages. "No question this is a bargaining chip. He never had any intention of putting these two journalist in a gulag even though he gave them a 12 year sentence," he said. The Obama administration has been distancing itself from Clinton's trip, insisting that it was not an official White House visit. "We have successfully completed a humanitarian mission. It was a private mission," she said. But Wilder says that Bill Clinton's ties to the administration are hard to ignore. "Considering that Bill Clinton is not only a member of the Democratic party, a (former) president of the United States and the husband of the current secretary of state, so there are plenty of linkages there that make him not just your ordinary private citizen," he said. Critics say the U.S. has given North Korea the two things it has demanded: a visit from a high level dignitary; and, an apology from the administration. Last month Secretary Clinton gave that apology at a town hall Meeting. "I think everyone is very sorry that it happened." There are no diplomatic relations between North Korea and the U.S. The last time an American official visited North Korea was during Clinton's presidency, nine years ago. Experts say North Korea is trying to reconnect with the U.S. now that a new president is in the White House. The international community will be watching to see how the Obama administration will deal with the communist state and whether the U.S. will continue its hardline against North Korea.

DTN News: North Korea Pardons US Journalists

DTN News: North Korea Pardons US Journalists *Source: DTN News / VOA By Jim Malone

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON, USA - August 5, 2009: North Korean state media reports that leader Kim Jong Il has pardoned two American journalists and ordered their release during a surprise visit by former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Word of the release came on a day when official Washington said little about Mr. Clinton's mission. North Korea's leader Kim Jong-il talks as former U.S. President Bill Clinton looks on in Pyongyang in this photo released by North Korean official news agency KCNA August 4, 2009. Clinton made a surprise visit to North Korea on Tuesday to try to win the release of two jailed American journalists, and met the country's reclusive leader Kim. Bill Clinton traveled to North Korea to secure the release of American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee. The two women were arrested in March for illegally crossing the border from China into North Korea. They were working on a story about refugees for Current TV, which was co-founded by Mr. Clinton's former vice president, Al Gore.

Throughout the day Tuesday, U.S. officials said little about Mr. Clinton's mission, describing the effort as private and sensitive.

Presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs briefed reporters at the White House.

"I put out a statement that this was a private mission that we weren't going to comment on while the former president was on the ground in North Korea, and as a result of that I don't have anything more to add on this at this time," he said.

Reporters also pressed State Department spokesman Robert Wood to comment on the Clinton mission, but without success.

"I don't have anything I can add to it. The White House statement spoke for itself. At this point I don't have anything further on it, so you might want to save your questions," he said.

Mr. Clinton undertook his mission at a time of heightened tension between the United States and North Korea over its nuclear program. Pyongyang conducted a nuclear test in May and has also tested several ballistic missiles in recent months.

Since news of the Clinton mission to North Korea broke, there has been discussion among some experts and policy makers that the visit could set the stage for an improvement in U.S. relations with the government in Pyongyang. Senator Lindsay Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, spoke about that on NBC's Today program.

"You would expect that you would not send a former president knowing that he is not likely to be successful. From the family point of view of the young ladies, this is great news and maybe we can build upon this to do something better when it comes to nuclear weapons," he said.

Many analysts believe that Mr. Clinton would not have gone to North Korea without a reasonable expectation for success.

Juan Zarate worked on the National Security Council during the George W. Bush administration and is now an expert on international threats at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

"If President Clinton returns without having secured their release, it would be a major problem for the Obama administration and I think it would be a problem for the North Koreans too. I think it would show that they are not acting in good faith. For that reason, President Clinton is probably thinking that this is going to be a successful mission," said Zarate.

Mr. Clinton is the second former U.S. president to visit North Korea. Former President Jimmy Carter led a mission in 1994 that eventually led to a breakthrough accord on North Korea's nuclear program.

DTN News: North Korea Reissues Story Clinton Has Left

DTN News: North Korea Reissues Story Clinton Has Left

*Source: DTN News / Reuters (NSI News Source Info) SEOUL, South Korea - August 5, 2009: North Korea's KCNA news agency reissued an earlier story on Wednesday saying that former U.S. President Bill Clinton had left the country. In this photo released by Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service in Tokyo, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, seated left, meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, seated right, in Pyonggyang, North Korea, on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2009. Third from left, back row, is former White House chief of staff John Podesta, others are unidentified. Former US President Bill Clinton met Tuesday with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il on the first day of a surprise visit to Pyongyang, holding "exhaustive" talks that covered a wide range of topics, state-run media said. It had earlier withdrawn the story on its English language service, but gave no reason. The latest story was issued on both its English and Korean services. Clinton had flown to Pyongyang on Tuesday to secure the release of two jailed U.S. journalists. The North's leader Kim Jong-il subsequently issued a special pardon for the two. It was not clear whether the two had left with Clinton.

DTN News: Bill Clinton Greeted Warmly In N. Korea on Mission To Free 2 Journalists

DTN News: Bill Clinton Greeted Warmly In N. Korea on Mission To Free 2 Journalists

*Source: DTN News / AP

(NSI News Source Info) SEOUL, South Korea - August 4, 2009: North Korea welcomed former President Bill Clinton to Pyongyang with flowers and hearty handshakes Tuesday as he arrived in the communist nation on a surprise mission to bring home two jailed American journalists.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton arrives at Sunan airport in Pyongyang August 4, 2009. Clinton made a surprise visit to North Korea on Tuesday to try to win the release of two jailed U.S. journalists, a move some analysts said could mark the isolated state's return to dialogue over nuclear weapons.

Clinton landed in the North Korean capital in an unmarked jet. On arrival he shook hands with Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Kwan and the deputy speaker of parliament.

Footage from television news agency APTN showed Clinton bowing and smiling as a young girl presented him with flowers.

Obama Taking First Air Force One trip As President

Obama Taking First Air Force One trip As President

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON — February 6, 2009: Suffice to say, President Barack Obama likes his new ride. Before taking off today on Air Force One for his first trip as president, Obama told reporters traveling with him that the plane is "spiffy" and showed off his new crew jacket with his name stitched on it.

"It's pretty nice," he told House Democrats tonight in Williamsburg, Va., in an after-dinner speech. "Thank you for giving me a reason to use Air Force One." The president spoke after a 31-minute maiden voyage on the specially outfitted 747 that will be his airborne home and office for the next four years. U.S. President Barack Obama speaks to reporters during his first flight aboard Air Force One February 5, 2009. Obama was traveling to Williamsburg, Virginia, to speak at the House Democratic Issues Conference. Moments before taking off from Andrews Air Force Base, Obama visited the press cabin in the rear of the plane to show reporters his Air Force crew launch jacket, his name stitched on the breast. "What do you think about this spiffy ride?" he asked reporters. "It's not bad." It's the kind of impression the massive blue-and-white plane makes wherever it goes. Obama said he'd been a guest on the plane with former President George W. Bush — though he couldn't recall on which of the two identical 747s in the Air Force's presidential fleet. Before his inauguration, he also flew from Chicago to Washington on one of the fleet's smaller jets. But it wasn't called Air Force One then — the moniker is used only when the president is on board. Obama was clearly impressed finally to have the full experience. The helicopter ride from the White House to Andrews Air Force Base also got the nod. "Very smooth, very impressive," Obama said, adding that the view is "spectacular." "You go right over the Washington Monument and then you kind of curve in along the Capitol," he remarked. The flight from to Williamsburg, Va., was a brief one. Just time enough for an onboard meal of a cheeseburger and fries, according to aides. The purpose of his maiden journey outside Washington was to push his economic rescue package through Congress, a telling choice for a president who took office at a time of deep economic uncertainty. "He's saying that he's willing to go anywhere and talk to anybody in order to get a recovery and reinvestment plan that moves this economy forward," press secretary Robert Gibbs said. Departing from the South Lawn, Obama broke from tradition as he boarded Marine One, the presidential helicopter. He seemed to stun the Marine standing at attention by reaching out to shake his hand. The Marine obliged, shaking the president's hand before returning to a steady salute. Then at Andrews, Obama climbed the stairs and headed straight on the plane — without the traditional wave to onlookers. As for other recent presidents, George W. Bush's first flight as president may sound familiar. Two weeks after his swearing-in, and following the bitter 2000 recount battle, he went to a resort near Pittsburgh to talk to skeptical Democratic lawmakers. The subject was his tax cuts. For Bill Clinton, the first flight was to Detroit for a televised town hall meeting, a format seized on during the 1992 campaign. Calling on the first questioner, Clinton said: "I suspect this is going to be about, well, 'It's the economy, stupid."' In 1989, Bush's father, a former Navy pilot, took his first Air Force One trip as president to the Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia. Long before his son's notorious "Mission Accomplished" speech, Bush spoke on an aircraft carrier — about wasteful military spending. Ronald Reagan, at 69 the oldest man to assume the presidency, took a more leisurely approach. His first out-of-town trip was by helicopter to a restful weekend at Camp David in Maryland. His maiden Air Force One trip was to California — and a restful weekend at his ranch in the Santa Ynez mountains. Presidents invariably reveal their personality on board. The garrulous Clinton would restlessly roam the jet, chatting with aides and reporters or sitting down to play hearts. The younger Bush usually stayed put up front and hardly ever saw the press compartment; aides had warned him offhand remarks there could cause trouble. It's an open question whether Obama will continue visiting reporters as his administration hits the inevitable turbulence. Also unclear is when the new M&Ms will arrive. Air Force One has long stocked boxes with the presidential seal and facsimile signature. But stewards said those bearing the new president's signature are still likely months from arriving.

War on Terrorism Over?

War on Terrorism Over?

Author: John Feffer

(NSI News Source Info) January 31, 2009: Last week, shortly after being inaugurated, President Barack Obama ended the "global war on terror" (GWOT). Or so The Washington Post reported. The new president countermanded the Bush administration's extralegal approaches by mandating the closure of Guantánamo within a year, outlawing the use of torture in interrogations, and putting the CIA out of the secret prisons business. Obama announced that he wanted to "send an unmistakable signal that our actions in defense of liberty will be as just as our cause." Sounds good. But the Post's declaration might be just as premature as President George W. Bush's infamous "mission accomplished" speech on the USS Lincoln that signaled the "end" of the Iraq War. On the civil liberties front, for instance, the administration retains the right to use renditions, by which the CIA secretly abducted suspects and transferred them to third countries without trial. "I think it's a glaring hole," Vincent Warren of the Center for Constitutional Rights said last week on Democracy Now! "I think that one way that the Obama administration could have dealt a more decisive blow to the illegal Bush policies and even the rendition policy, which originated under Bill Clinton, is to specifically reference this and to say that we are going to disavow this." Also, the inmates at the Bagram air base in Afghanistan, which holds more prisoners than Gitmo, and the thousands held in Iraq won't get the case-by-case review accorded to their counterparts in Cuba. Non-military agencies like the CIA, after a six-month review, might get "additional or different guidance" on interrogations -- and who knows what that means.

And, as Politico points out, the guy in charge of the 30-day review of Gitmo is the same fellow who was in charge for the last two years -- Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. That's not exactly a recipe for reform. But even if Obama holds to his word on torture, closes Guantánamo within the year, applies the same yardstick to detainees at Bagram and in Iraq, and eliminates the Clinton-era policy on extraordinary rendition, the death of the "global war on terror," as Mark Twain once said of his own prematurely published obituary, is greatly exaggerated.

Indeed, on the day after it published GWOT's obituary, The Washington Post reported on two U.S. unilateral air strikes in Pakistan that killed 20 suspected terrorists. Although it observed an uncharacteristic silence over these strikes, the Pakistani government has previously expressed outrage at these violations of its sovereignty. Then there's Afghanistan, which will be the new epicenter of U.S. counterterrorism strategy. Here's the relevant excerpt from the official White House statement on foreign policy: "Obama and Biden will refocus American resources on the greatest threat to our security -- the resurgence of al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

They will increase our troop levels in Afghanistan, press our allies in NATO to do the same, and dedicate more resources to revitalize Afghanistan's economic development." Why does Obama believe that he can escape the same outcome in Afghanistan that Bush faced in Iraq? As former Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern argued in a recent appeal for a five-year "time-out" on war, "In 2003, the Bush administration ordered an invasion of Iraq, supposedly to reduce terrorism.

But six years later, there is more terrorism and civil strife in Iraq, not less. The same outcome may occur in Afghanistan if we make it the next American military conflict." So, is this a kinder, gentler GWOT? Certainly the new Obama administration is more concerned about observing international law. It's more prudent in its willingness to use diplomacy over force. But so far at least, the new president still treats terrorism as a war to be won rather than an endemic problem to be dealt with patiently and largely by law enforcement agencies. We're still at war in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and for the time being in Iraq.

We're still selling arms to Indonesia, Israel, and Colombia as part of an overall counterterrorism approach. The Pentagon's new Africa Command (AFRICOM) still looks at counter-terrorism through a military lens.

Barack Obama Meets With 4 U.S. Presidents

Barack Obama Meets With 4 U.S. Presidents (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON – January 8, 2009: Confronting a grim economy and a Middle East on fire, Barack Obama turned Wednesday to perhaps the only people on the planet who understand what he's in for: the four living members of the U.S. presidents' club. In an image bound to go down in history, every living U.S. president came together at the White House on Wednesday to hash over the world's challenges with the president-elect. There they stood, shoulder-to-shoulder in the Oval Office: George H.W. Bush, Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. President-elect Barack Obama is welcomed by President George W. Bush for a meeting at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009, with former presidents, from left, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter. "This is an extraordinary gathering," Obama said, looking plenty at ease in the humbling office that will soon be his. "All the gentlemen here understand both the pressures and possibilities of this office," Obama said. "And for me to have the opportunity to get advice, good counsel and fellowship with these individuals is extraordinary. And I'm very grateful to all of them." Bush, blistered without mercy by Obama during the campaign season, played the role of gracious host. "All of us who have served in this office understand that the office transcends the individual," Bush said as Obama nodded in thanks. "And we wish you all the very best. And so does the country." It was a moment of statesmanship that tends to happen when presidents get together, no matter how bitter their previous rivalries. In a photo opportunity that lasted less than two minutes, Carter, Clinton and the senior Bush smiled but said nothing. They deferred to the nation's incoming and outgoing leaders. Earlier, Bush and Obama met privately in the Oval Office in a chat expected to cover events of the day, mainly the troubled economy and Middle East. The two have shown solidarity since Obama's win in November, with one previous Oval Office sit-down and at least a few phone calls in recent weeks. All sides were determined to say as little as possible about what was discussed. Presidents — new, old, incoming — like to keep their conversations private. Without offering any specifics, Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs said all the presidents "had helpful advice on managing the office as well as thoughts on the critical issues facing the country right now. The president-elect is anxious to stay in touch with all of them in the coming years." From the White House, press secretary Dana Perino said the discussion was "wide-ranging" but declined to comment further. Before the gathering, she had said she could not imagine the leaders would meet without discussing the Middle East, where conflict rages in Gaza, or the economy, which is sinking. The White House would not even say what the men ate, allowing only that they ordered off the menu of the White House mess, as Bush does all the time. Intentionally or not, Bush opened the media moment in a curious way, suggesting that he was already out the door. "I want to thank the president-elect for joining the ex-presidents for lunch," said Bush, who is in fact still the president until Jan. 20. "One message that I have, and I think we all share, is that we want you to succeed," Bush added, a beaming Clinton at his other side. "Whether we're Democrat or Republican, we care deeply about this country." White House aides tried to usher the media out of the Oval Office when Bush stopped speaking. The lighting for the event even went dark. But sometimes, there is more than one president at a time. Obama spoke up on his own, the lights went back on, and the cameras kept rolling. "I just want to thank the president for hosting us," Obama said. When a reporter asked Obama what he could learn from the mistakes of the four presidents surrounding him, he smiled and said he planned to learn from their successes. The get-together was Obama's idea, and Bush liked it. The lunch lasted about 90 minutes, held in a small dining room off the Oval Office. Carter, Clinton and the two Bush presidents were last together at the Washington funeral service of President Gerald Ford in 2007. And presidents have gathered at other occasions over the years. But not since October 1981 — 27 years ago — had all of the living presidents gathered at the White House.