Yahoo! News: Elections

Obama sets firm date to end Iraq war he inherited (AP) Posted: 27 Feb 2009 07:34 PM PST AP - President Barack Obama consigned the Iraq war to history Friday, declaring he will end combat operations within 18 months and open a new era of diplomacy in the Middle East.

Court rejects Obama bid to stop wiretapping suit (AP) Posted: 27 Feb 2009 06:51 PM PST AP - The Obama administration has lost its argument that a potential threat to national security should stop a lawsuit challenging the government's warrantless wiretapping program.

Afghan: Taliban has 10,000 to 15,000 fighters (AP) Posted: 27 Feb 2009 01:32 PM PST AP - Afghanistan's interior minister says there may be between 10,000 and 15,000 Taliban fighting inside his country, and the insurgent group is operating across about 17 provinces. Mohammad Hanif Atmar offered a rare estimate of the size of his government's most organized and potent opponent during a visit to Washington. A large delegation of senior Afghan officials was in the U.S. capital this week, along with a delegation from Pakistan.

AP Source: Obama to rescind Bush abortion rule (AP) Posted: 27 Feb 2009 06:20 PM PST AP - President Barack Obama plans to repeal a Bush administration rule that has become a flash point in the debate over a doctor's right not to participate in abortions. The regulation, instituted in the last days of the Bush administration, strengthened job protections for doctors and nurses who refuse to provide a medical service because of moral qualms.

RNC finance director quits (Politico) Posted: 27 Feb 2009 06:27 PM PST Politico - The finance director for the Republican National Committee resigned abruptly Friday afternoon, and a source familar with the situation said he was forced out.

Gates prefers small US force in Iraq after 2012 (AP) Posted: 27 Feb 2009 11:32 AM PST AP - Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he thinks it would be a good idea to keep a small number of U.S. forces in Iraq past a deadline agreed to by the U.S. and Iraq.

Analysis: Obama's budget goals depend on recovery (AP) Posted: 27 Feb 2009 01:56 PM PST AP - President Barack Obama's ambitious plans for a new era of big-government activism depend on a full economic recovery — and those prospects don't look good anytime soon.

Abortion foes vow to fight a Sebelius nomination (AP) Posted: 27 Feb 2009 03:19 PM PST AP - National anti-abortion groups promise a vigorous fight if President Barack Obama nominates Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as U.S. health and human services secretary.

High court asked to dismiss enemy combatant case (AP) Posted: 27 Feb 2009 03:28 PM PST AP - Suspected al-Qaida sleeper agent Ali Al-Marri is now facing criminal charges, but the Obama administration is refusing to rule out the future use of indefinite detention for terrorism suspects picked up in the United States.

US sees serious threat in Mexico drug violence (AP) Posted: 27 Feb 2009 12:22 PM PST AP - Spiraling drug violence in Mexico, narcotics trafficking elsewhere in Latin America and a thriving opium trade in Afghanistan pose significant national security threats to the United States, the Obama administration said Friday.

Obama attends Washington Wizards basketball game (AP) Posted: 27 Feb 2009 07:34 PM PST AP - President Barack Obama took a break from politics Friday to sit courtside at a basketball game between his hometown team Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards.

Biden takes the chair, again (Politico) Posted: 27 Feb 2009 06:48 PM PST Politico - PHILADELPHIA – It was almost as if he were a Senator again, chairing a committee hearing.

Obama budget gives Dems a roadmap, GOP a target (AP) Posted: 27 Feb 2009 06:17 PM PST AP - With ambitious plans to change health care, energy, farm payments, taxes and more, President Barack Obama's budget gives congressional Democrats goals to reach for. And highlights political targets for Republicans to aim at. "Our work is well cut out for us," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said as she praised a "wonderful blueprint" from the administration that looks beyond reviving a weak economy and restoring order to the credit markets.

Romney: Bush blew it on stimulus (Politico) Posted: 27 Feb 2009 05:42 PM PST Politico - Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney blamed President George W. Bush for the Republican Party’s slow start in advancing clear alternatives to the stimulus package, and said the party needs a more unified voice if it is to stand up to the Democrats.

Manhattan DA stepping down after 35 years on job (AP) Posted: 27 Feb 2009 03:24 PM PST AP - Robert Morgenthau, Manhattan's district attorney since 1974, announced Friday that he won't run for re-election this year, saying "enough is enough" after decades of locking up murderous mobsters, corrupt CEOs and thousands of other criminals.

Every Vote Counts in Crowded Primary for Emanuel's House Seat (CQPolitics.com) Posted: 27 Feb 2009 03:05 PM PST CQPolitics.com - Chicago's North Side will be bone-chillingly cold during the final days before the special election primary on March 3. But the nearly two dozen candidates to succeed Rep. Rahm Emanuel have no choice but to pound that pavement.

Obama Budget May Strain Democratic Unity in Congress (Bloomberg) Posted: 27 Feb 2009 02:58 PM PST Bloomberg - Feb. 27 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama’s $3.55 trillion budget request, pairing a health-care overhaul with a tax increase for the richest Americans, risks straining the Democratic unity that defined the first weeks of his presidency.

McCain Ruling: No Harm, No Foul (CQPolitics.com) Posted: 27 Feb 2009 02:51 PM PST CQPolitics.com - The Federal Election Commission has ruled that Sen. John McCain broke no laws when he withdrew from the public financing program during his 2008 primary bid for the White House.

Obama sets Iraq deadline, unveils new strategy (Reuters) Posted: 27 Feb 2009 02:46 PM PST Reuters - President Barack Obama said on Friday he would end U.S. combat operations in Iraq in 18 months but leave up to 50,000 troops there to provide stability, a decision that riled Democrats who favored a larger withdrawal.

Obama calls Lebanese president Suleiman (AP) Posted: 27 Feb 2009 02:42 PM PST AP - President Barack Obama has assured Lebanon's president that he supports that country's sovereignty.

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