Denver - Tonight at the University of Denver, President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, will square off in the first of three debates leading up to the November 6 General Election.
The stakes are high for both candidates as polls indicate a statistically even race, with the President holding an advantage in several hotly contested swing states. Speculation is running high as to the approach each candidate will take, as “personality” and “style” will count as much as substance in swaying voters who are still undecided about their preference. President Obama recently played down any advantage that he might hold by suggesting he is not a great debater while also acknowledging Mr. Romney’s command of issues. Privately and not so quietly some of the Republican’s surrogates and key supporters acknowledge that Romney must make a strong showing to avoid any further erosion in voter support of his candidacy and to stand a chance at convincing independents to get behind his candidacy. Tonigt's contest could be described as a debate in name only, as for the first time in history of presidential debates, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) released the topics to the presidential candidates prior to a debate. The debate will focus on the two hot-button issues, the economy and health care, with the economic recovery up front tonight as the official monthly employment data will be released this Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Economic issues were considered to play into the hands of the Republican ticket at the start of the campaign but several missteps by Mitt Romney have eroded that advantage. Romney’s reluctance to fully disclose his tax returns to the extent that President Obama has - or that his father had done when he ran for president - and his late release of a tax “summary” gave the Democrats ammunition in their criticism of the Republican challenger. The Romney campaign has also failed to disclose the candidate's plan to close the budget deficit and detail which federal government programs he would specifically cut to close the gap and in what timeframe. Romney’s most damaging incident that sidetracked his economic argument was the recent revelation of his remarks before a wealthy group of political donors. The secret videotape that surfaced captured the Republican presidential candidate lambasting supporters of President Obama and charging that 47 percent of them were simply leaving off the government, behaving like victims and not worth pursuing as voters. President will likely face questions over job creation during his first term and doggedly high unemployment rates, while also being pressed to make a case for his re-election in the face of a tepid recovery. Though foreign policy has taken a back seat during the campaign, recent events in the Middle East and the killing of U.S. Libyan Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans in the attack on the embassy in Benghazi will likely prompt questions for the President on his national security policy. The tension with Iran and strain in relations with the Israeli government will also be a focus and an area that Mitt Romney will likely try to exploit to gain credibility on foreign policy in the eyes of voters. Health care, and specifically the new health care law or “Obamacare,” will also be on the spot. It is fertile ground for a real debate since both candidates have made their mark in health policy; Romney as governor of Massachusetts and President Obama in fostering national health care. This is a potential landmine for Romney given his criticism of the President and his embrace of a similar plan as “Obamacare” while serving as governor; a plan hailed by the the late Senator Ted Kennedy. Romney is also vulnerable on health care given his running mate Rep. Paul Ryan’s controversial Medicare proposal that has been widely criticized by the nation’s senior citizen’s advocacy groups. President Obama could be faced with questions regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s upholding of the health care law by defining it as a tax, and be challenged on why voters should not consider the law a tax increase. The President could face questioning over the reluctance of states to set-up health insurance exchanges as mandated by the law, and prompted for reaction to Republicans announced intention to repeal the law should they gain the majority in Congress. The first debate takes place just a day after a Pennsylvania judge stayed the full implementation of the state’s controversial voter ID law for the November 6 election. The law, along with similar measures in others states, has been pushed by Republicans who claim they are necessary to combat voter fraud. Democrats, and many newspapers, have taken offense to the laws, charging that they are merely an effort to suppress the votes of minorities, the poor and immigrants; groups likely to support the President. Courts have consistently tabled or struck down the recent wave of voter ID laws and further challenging their credibility was the recent revelation that a firm hired by the Florida Republican Party is alleged to have engaged in widespread fabrications of voters registrations in the state. Beyond the substantive policy aspects in tonight’s line of questioning there are some stylistic issues each candidate must work to address. The President at times can be long-winded in how he responds to questions, and deliberate in getting to his answer. As the incumbent he also has to straddle the line, making sure he remains “presidential” while also being aggressive. Mitt Romney has struggled to connect with voters and comes across as aloof and as a man of wealth who has no understanding of the realities of most working Americans. He also comes across as indecisive and noncommittal in his positions; frequently flipping in whatever direction the political winds blow. Romney has to be aggressive but he must avoid coming across as disrespectful because a significant faction of his base has engaged in vile attacks upon the President. If Romney displays the same disdain as some of his supporters have toward the President, it might please his base but will turnoff independent voters. Whatever the outcome of tonight’s first debate, both camps will declare victory and start spinning the story of their candidate’s advantage before the debate moderator Jim Lehrer can wish the audience goodnight. The debate itself, at the University of Denver, will be aired at 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. EST on every major network and cable news channel.
In August 2006, Ignatieff said he was "not losing any sleep" over dozens of civilian deaths caused by Israel's attack on Qana during its military actions in Lebanon. Ignatieff recanted those words the following week. Then, on October 11, 2006, Ignatieff described the Qana attack as a war crime (committed by Israel).After very negative reactions by some within his own party he also recanted his accusations about a war crime and said that it was up to investigators to determine that. He has also said that there may be circumstances when coercive interrogations may need to be used and indefinite detention allowed to combat terrorism. This is exactly the sort of human rights ideas that Harvard is looking for obviously. Several times Ignatieff seems toforget he id a Canadian and identifies himself as an American. As Ignatieff returns to his lectern at Harvard it will be almost ten years to the day when he published his cover story "The American Empire? Get used to it?" in the New York Times Magazine. Among other topics he gives a ringing endorsement of the Iraq war. He changed his mind much later. In the article he defends U.S. imperialism as a type of benign progressive empire building process. Ignatieff writes:
"America's empire is not like empires of times past, built on colonies, conquest and the white man's burden ... The 21st century imperium is a new invention in the annals of political sciences, an empire lite, a global hegemony whose grace notes are free markets, human rights and democracy, enforced by the most awesome military power the world has ever known."While Ignatieff may have failed in Canadian politics he is still a star on the academic stage and is still supporting the benign Empire and chastising Russia and China on Syria. The U.S. again is the defender of freedom and democracy against these dictatorial regimes. However as Ignatieff's article also points out Qatar and Saudi Arabia, U.S. allies, are also sending arms to Syria and neither is a democracy and the Saudis no defender of rights.. Al Qaeda is on the rebels' side as well. Ignatieff forgets too that not that long ago Syria was favored as a place to render terror suspects precisely because it had brutal prisons that used torture to elicit information often quite wrong but useful as verifying what intelligence officers wanted to believe.
Tracked by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), after a tip-off from MI6 gained from London-based informants ,Belhadj was arrested with his pregnant wife in 2004 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia...Transferred on the same plane to Bangkok, he was then placed in the custody of the CIA, where he was retained at a secret prison at the airport.Returned to Libya on the rendition aircraft N313P,[ he was held at the Abu Salim prison for seven years.The Justice Department even under Obama has tried to convince everyone to forget these crimes and move on. Obama wants to move forward and not dwell on the past. The torturers involved in rendition are the untouchables. While continuing to outlaw torture Obama has not even outlawed rendition. The situation would certainly not improve with Romney at the helm. There is a long article at this site that shows some of the torture boxes used in Libya by the CIA.
