LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 16/08

Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 1,21-28. Then they came to Capernaum, and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!" Jesus rebuked him and said, "Quiet! Come out of him!" The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. All were amazed and asked one another, "What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him."
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

Releases, Editorials, and reports
Regional frustration would expose Lebanon to even more danger.The Daily Star. January 15/08
The Road Map of Candidates Positions to Enter the White House.By: Raghida Dergham .January 15/08

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for January 15/08
Three Deaths Linked to Cold Weather-Naharnet
Kouchner: Lebanon's Crisis back to U.N. if Arab Plan Fails-Naharnet
Iran, Not Syria, Has The Keys to Lebanon's Settlement-Naharnet
Ban Frustrated over Lebanon Crisis-Naharnet
Mubarak: Dangerous Repercussions for Damascus Summit if Lebanon ...Naharnet
Suleiman: Army Protected against Sectarian Tension-Naharnet
Moussa Contacts Lebanese Leaders amid Hints of Possible Aoun-Hariri Meeting-Naharnet
Record lows from Saudi to Syria, Iran and Iraq-Al-Arabiya
Bush brings anti-Iranian message to Saudi Arabia-AFP
'Quick withdrawal' from Iraq by US 'would be disastrous-AFP
Iran ridicules tough speech by Bush as 'desperate-Daily Star
UN rights group set to label detentions in Hariri slaying 'illegal' - local daily-Daily Star
UN will handle Lebanese crisis if Arab plan fails - Kouchner-Daily Star
Olmert attributes rocket attack last week to 'international terror groups-Daily Star
Nahr al-Bared and beyond-Daily Star
Refugees still face dire conditions at Nahr al-Bared, despite relief efforts-Daily Star
LAU students to host award ceremony to honor Lebanese actors-Daily Star
Lebanese amputees to receive used artificial limbs-Daily Star
Local authorities meet with UNIFIL to discuss attack-Daily Star
Sarkozy sees almost $60 billion in deals resulting from Saudi trip-Daily Star
Damascus slams Arab leaders for tolerating Bush's 'criticism of Syria'-Ha'aretz
Al-Faisal Urges Syria to Convince its Allies of the Arab Initiative-Naharnet
Aoun For Changing Lebanon to a Presidential Republic-Naharnet
Bush makes first visit to Saudi Arabia. AP
Bread Riot Blocks Traffic in South Beirut-Naharnet
Muallem to Germany to Discuss Lebanon-Naharnet
Freezing Lebanon Cold-Naharnet
Sarkozy Signs Bilateral Deals with Riyadh-Naharnet
A Road Map for Syria's Comeback to Lebanon-Naharnet
Non-Traditional Methods Needed to Curb Syrian Regime-Naharnet
Arab Initiative or Declaration of Principles?-Naharnet
Israel Blames International Terrorists For Rocket Firing From Lebanon-Naharnet

A Road Map for Syria's Comeback to Lebanon
Naharnet/Syria has not "cashed the price it wants for facilitating the presidential election" in Lebanon and it appears that no one is willing to pay such a price, an-Nahar's Emile Khoury wrote Monday. Syria, he wrote, is offering its Lebanese opponents two options, either veto powers for its allies in forthcoming governments or early parliamentary elections. The full-package "price" that Syria wants for instructing its allies to facilitate the presidential election is an eight-point list that includes: A comprehensive reconciliation with Saudi Arabia, convening the forthcoming Arab Summit conference in Damascus, Lebanon's ruling structures should be accepted by Syria, including the formation of a government in which its allies have veto powers. The list also stresses that the charge sheet in the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri and related crimes should not include any charges against the Syrian Regime or its senior officials. Arab states should support Iran in its nuclear crisis with the international community. Hizbullah should maintain its weapons for as long as thorough peace has not been achieved with Israel. Implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 and 1559 throughout "Lebanese dialogue" and the holding of early parliamentary elections. Would the anti-Syrian factions be prepared to pay such a price? Khoury asked. Beirut, 14 Jan 08, 14:37

Three Deaths Linked to Cold Weather
Naharnet/At least three deaths were linked to the cold weather that has gripped Lebanon over the past five days with temperatures dipping as low as 10 below zero.The daily An Nahar on Tuesday said the latest victim was a homeless man whose body was found frozen on a sidewalk in the northern city of Tripoli.
It said two other people from Marjayoun and Nabatiyeh in south Lebanon also have died from exposure to the bone-chilling cold weather. The cold wave has inflicted hundreds of thousands of dollars on crops. It was accompanied by ground frost that was measured five centimeters in parts of Lebanon.
Beirut, 15 Jan 08, 08:34

Mubarak: Dangerous Repercussions for Damascus Summit if Lebanon Crisis not Solved
Naharnet/Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has warned of "dangerous repercussions" for the Arab League summit to be held in Damascus in March.
"I hope that the Lebanon crisis will find its road to success without delay so it won't have harmful repercussions," Mubarak said in an interview with a Swiss newspaper. Mubarak stressed that the Lebanon situation is "purely Lebanese and no party, regional or external, should interfere in it." He cautioned that the "Middle East is witnessing a lot of crises and is in need for peace, stability and development and not for new conflict pits." Beirut, 15 Jan 08, 08:06

Ban Frustrated over Lebanon Crisis
Naharnet/United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon expressed his "frustration" and "disappointment" over the postponement of Lebanese presidential elections.
Ban also urged the feuding political sides to accept the Arab League plan without "delay."He told the daily As Safir in remarks published on Tuesday that the "Arab initiative should have been taken seriously." Ban uncovered that he had contacted Arab League chief Amr Moussa and other leaders in the region to "move forward" to solve the Lebanon impasse.He pledged to continue efforts in this regard. Beirut, 15 Jan 08, 07:36

Kouchner: Lebanon's Crisis back to U.N. if Arab Plan Fails
Naharnet/French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said that Lebanon's political crisis would have to be taken to the United Nations if an Arab plan to end the ongoing standoff failed. "If it's not working with our friends of the Arab League, we will come back to the U.N.," Kouchner, who was accompanying French President Nicolas Sarkozy to Riyadh, told reporters late Monday. "But we strongly hope that it will work," he said without elaborating on the possible resort to the U.N. Sarkozy told the Saudi Shura (consultative) Council on Monday that France "unreservedly supports" the Arab League plan, describing it as "fully compatible" with proposals made by France. "Like Saudi Arabia, France will spare no effort to enable the Lebanese parliament to elect as soon as possible a president which the diverse components of the Lebanese nation will deem representative," Sarkozy said. The Arab League's three-point plan calls for the election of army commander Gen. Michel Suleiman as president, the formation of a national unity government in which no one party has veto power, and the adoption of a new electoral law. Lebanon has been without a president since pro-Syrian Emile Lahoud stepped down on November 24 with no elected successor because of bitter rivalry between pro- and anti-Syrian camps. Arab League chief Amr Moussa left Lebanon on Saturday without clinching an agreement on the plan but vowed to return on Wednesday to continue negotiations. The ruling March 14 coalition has given the Arab plan its full support. But Hizbullah, which leads the Syria- and Iran-backed opposition, insists the opposition have a third of the seats in a new 30-member government in order to have veto power. Saudi Arabia urged Syria to use its influence on the opposition to persuade it to accept the Arab blueprint.(AFP) Beirut, 15 Jan 08, 07:16

Moussa Contacts Lebanese Leaders amid Hints of Possible Aoun-Hariri Meeting
Arab League chief Amr Moussa has contacted Lebanese leaders ahead of a planned visit to Beirut amid reports he is seeking to bring together MP Saad Hariri and Gen. Michel Aoun. Moussa's late Monday contacts included, in addition to Aoun and Hariri, Prime Minister Fouad Saniora and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
The daily As Safir on Tuesday said it appears that Moussa is hoping to achieve progress in his Wednesday trip to Beirut by bringing together Aoun with Hariri.
It quoted Moussa as saying that he will submit a report on the outcome of his Lebanon mission to the Arab foreign ministers on Jan. 27.
Moussa said that in light of this repot a decision would be taken as to whether there is a need for the Arab foreign ministers to come to Lebanon.
As Safir quoted French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner as saying from Riyadh that he expects the Hariri-Aoun meeting to take place Tuesday or Wednesday.
The daily said sources at Rabiyeh refused to confirm or deny the possibility of such a meeting. Moussa will also try to persuade the warring politicians to resume inter-Lebanese dialogue. Lebanese media said Moussa is scheduled to visit Damascus on Friday for talks with Syrian officials on the Lebanese presidential crisis.
The German Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, said Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem is planning a visit to Berlin for talks on the fresh Middle East peace process and stability in Lebanon. Beirut, 15 Jan 08, 07:26

Bread Riot Blocks Traffic in South Beirut
Naharnet/Army and police patrols arrested eight agitators who were encouraging a crowd to block traffic in Beirut's southern suburb of Ghobeiry Monday following a rumor about an increase of bread price. A security source said a crowd of about 100 people started fire to rubber tires and blocked traffic along the road linking the Kuwaiti Embassy traffic circle to Ghobeiry square chanting slogans against Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's majority government. Army and police patrols rushed to the area, dispersed protestors and reopened the road to traffic after a closure of about one hour, a security source said. No group has claimed responsibility for the protest, which was carried out despite denials of a price raise by the ministry of economy and the bakery union. Beirut, 14 Jan 08, 15:32

Aoun For Changing Lebanon to a Presidential Republic
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun said Monday he supports changing Lebanon into a presidential republic allowing the people to elect the president directly without going through parliament. In a statement to reporters after a meeting by his Change and Reform Parliamentary bloc, Aoun also said he supports the formation of a neutral government to organize parliamentary elections. Aoun attacked al-Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri saying: "If Hariri does not want to meet me, I too don't want to meet him. But this is not a love affair, there are issues that should be tackled."Aoun said he is committed to a 10+10+10 power-sharing formula in any forthcoming government, stressing that any party should not get more than one third of the cabinet seats. He stressed on his opposition to the naturalization of Palestinians in Lebanon. Beirut, 14 Jan 08, 17:23 

Muallem to Germany to Discuss Lebanon
Naharnet/Germany said Monday that Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem was planning a visit to Berlin for talks on the fresh drive for a Middle East peace accord and stability in Lebanon. "There are plans for a visit by the Syrian foreign minister and you will be informed at the appropriate time whether and under what conditions such a meeting will take place," foreign ministry spokesman Martin Jaeger told reporters at a regular government news conference.
"If a meeting does take place, the issues are obvious: you know that we have always stressed the importance of the role of the regional powers in the context of the Middle East peace process and that Syria as well as other countries play a key role in that." Jaeger noted that the United States had invited a Syrian delegation to take part in an international meeting in Annapolis, Marlyand in November to re-launch attempts to establish a Palestinian state despite long-running animosity between Washington and Damascus. "We want to continue on this path and evaluate with Syria its willingness to make constructive contributions," Jaeger said.
He added that Lebanon would also be high on the agenda of any talks. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier paid a rare visit to Damascus in December 2006 a month before Berlin revived the so-called Middle East Quartet grouping the European Union, the United States, Russia and the United Nations as Germany assumed the EU presidency.
The trip was sharply criticized by Israel.
Steinmeier had in August 2006 cancelled a visit to Damascus hours before his planned arrival after President Bashar Assad described Israel as "an enemy" and said that it was an honor for Syria to support Hizbullah in its struggle against Israel.
During his stay, Steinmeier urged Syria to do "everything in its power" to prevent the destabilization of Lebanon.
Syria on Sunday backed Arab League chief Amr Moussa's efforts to persuade Lebanese political factions to agree on a compromise plan allowing the election of a new president in Beirut. Lebanon has been without a president since pro-Syrian Emile Lahoud stepped down on November 24 with no elected successor because of bitter rivalry between the pro- and anti-Syrian camps.(AFP) Beirut, 14 Jan 08, 16:11

Syrian intelligence, Iran-backed Hizbullah running network of insurgency cells in Lebanon
Written by Geostrategy-Direct
Monday, 14 January 2008 -ABU DHABI — Syria is running up to 15 insurgency cells in Lebanon with the backing and support of Hizbullah.
A French parliamentarian said Syria has maintained between 10 and 15 cells in Lebanon. The unidentified parliamentarian said the Syrian-sponsored cells were being protected and supported by the Iranian-sponsored Hizbullah. The Syrian cells were said to have been established in Palestinian refugee camps, Beirut and the Bekaa Valley. The cells were said to have been directed by Syrian intelligence and supported by Hizbullah, Amal and the Syrian Socialist Nationalist Party.
The parliamentarian said Lebanon has arrested four Syrians who work for Syrian intelligence. The alleged Syrian agents were arrested in the summer of 2007 and identified as Mohammed Abdul Rahim, Ahmed Mohammed Asili, Barakat and Hassan Abdullah Salah Eddin Mohammed Saleh. Over the last year, Iran and Syria have bolstered their direct involvement in Lebanon. Iran has reshuffled senior commanders of Hizbullah in wake of the 2006 war with Israel. In one recent move, Iran replaced the head of Hizbullah's air defense command. "These terrorist cells that have been formed over the past two years, along with those cells that were left behind by Syria following its military withdrawal from Lebanon in 2005, are behind the assassination of leaders of March 14 hostile to Damascus," the parliamentarian told the Kuwaiti daily Al Siyassa. The French parliamentarian was identified as a member of the National Assembly's National Security and Foreign Relations Committee. The disclosure was said to have been based on French intelligence. The Syrian-sponsored cells were said to contain Al Qaida-aligned Sunnis trained by Damascus. The parliamentarian said the cells resembled Fatah Al Islam, which waged a 106-day war against the government of Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora in mid-2007. Fatah Al Islam was defeated by the Lebanese Army and many of its operatives were permitted to flee to Syria. This included the group's leader Shaker Al Absi.

Al-Faisal Urges Syria to Convince its Allies of the Arab Initiative
Naharnet/Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal on Monday urged Syria to convince its Lebanon allies to accept the Arab initiative aimed at settling the presidential crisis.Al-Faisal, talking to reporters in Riyadh, also expressed the belief that success of the Arab initiative is "still possible."
"Syria is required to convince those who listen to its word in Lebanon of the solution that it had endorsed."
He said "hope persists" that the various factions in Lebanon would approve implementation of the Arab initiative.
Al-Faisal also expressed hope that Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, who returns to Beirut on Wednesday, would succeed in achieving a "consensus settlement to elect (Army Commander Gen.) Michel Suleiman President. "Syria should invest its influence in Lebanon to convince those who listen to its word of the solution adopted by the Arab League." He explained that the word "influence" had been used by Syrian Vice President Farouq al-Sharaa while stating that "Syria has the greatest influence over the domestic situation in Lebanon." "Syria is required to invest this influence in the interest of Lebanon's independence and sovereignty." Al-Faisal described the Arab initiative as a "just solution in light of which a president can be elected with semi-unanimity."Beirut, 14 Jan 08, 18:12

Special Groups' in Iraq are trained, funded, and coordinated from Iran
BAGHDAD — U.S. military officials said Shi'ite militias in Iraq, financed by Iran, have enhanced their capabilities in intelligence, improvised explosive devices and communications. The officials said the militias could threaten local government and the oil industry in southern Iraq.
"We believe they'll continue to be influenced by those who seek to disrupt the government of Iraq and coalition forces," U.S. Army Col. Charles Flynn said.
At a Jan. 7 briefing, Flynn, a brigade commander, cited the Iranian-sponsored Special Groups, which operates in central and southern Iraq. Flynn, head of the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division, said Special Groups have been trained, financed and directed by Teheran.
Officials said Special Groups has been using advanced IEDs termed explosively-formed penetrators. EFPs were meant to destroy U.S. main battle tanks as well as other armed platforms.
The 1st Brigade Combat Team has trained and mentored Iraqi forces to detect and neutralize EFPs. The Iraqi forces, bolstered by civilian authorities, have also been assisted in the construction of combat outposts along supply routes. "We have multiple contracts covering nearly 800 kilometers of highway," Flynn said. "These crews remove debris, fill in holes, and their mere presence has reduced the ability of EFP and IED cells to operate." The emergence of the Special Groups was reported amid a decline of the Mahdi Army, led by Shi'ite cleric Muqtada Sadr. Flynn said the Mahdi Army has lost significant public support in southern Iraq.
"I attribute this decline to Muqtada Sadr's standdown and the resulting fractures within Jaysh Al Mahdi [Mahdi Army]," Flynn said. "As a result, we expect Muqtada Sadr to take a more active role in the political arena." Since July 2007, officials said, attacks on coalition and Iraqi bases have steadily declined. They cited increased patrols, improved intelligence, the use of joint security stations and better outreach also have helped. "Since arriving, our partnership has matured and we now conduct joint patrols and joint checkpoints," Flynn said. "This work is enabled by establishing those joint security stations to build trust and share information and intelligence. These are powerful positions as they afford U.S. and Iraqi forces to partner in defeating any extremist threats that may emerge."
Geostrategy-Direct - www.geostrategy-direct.com

The Road Map of Candidates Positions to Enter the White House
Translation - DarAlHayat.Com)
01/11/2008
If the US presidential elections will in fact be a National Security election, as it is believed, they will be at the center of interest, concern and expectation of the whole world because American national security has become international as a result of the type of threats to American security. In this phase of the elections, attention is focused on the questions of gender and color, since the competition between the African-American Senator Barack Obama (Illinois) and Senator Hillary Clinton (New York), the former First Lady, represents a wonderful historical development for the US and the world. There is a great deal of enthusiasm reinforced by the potential precedent of putting a woman or a black man in the White House. The momentum is gathering for "change" in the sense of removing Republicans from the Presidency so that the Democrats will have both the presidency and the majority in Congress. Angry voices about the US' involvement in the war on Iraq are growing louder, while there is a rising resentment toward president George W Bush and his era. But all that is taking place in the context of politics and is a far cry from scrutinizing policy. So when the storm of the primaries calms down, the American conversation will surely turn from demanding "change" to examining the quality of that change at a time of huge challenges to American national security. At that time, experience for instance, might win over enthusiasm for untested new leadership, especially if major events occur in places like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq or Iran, or if there is a big major terrorist attack inside or outside the US. On the other hand, the surprise might come from the new generation and the desire for vital and fresh leadership, especially if the economy deteriorates and becomes the force behind the elections, instead of national security.
In any case, the next president of the US will not come to office only as a result of voting within the US, but also, as a result of events happening outside the country. The contribution of traditional powers and states will be coupled with that of non-state actors, such as militias and regional and international terrorist movements. It could be said today that George W. Bush indeed succeeded in the crux of his strategic policy to guarantee US national security, i.e. to take terrorist attacks, as he says, away from American cities. He has justified the war on Iraq stating that it took the battle against terror faraway from American territory. Since terror has not struck the United States since the Iraq war, Mr. Bush can claim that his policy is the right one. Such a claim will not automatically lead voters, who are angry at the war in Iraq, to a surprising embrace of the "achievements" of this president who is hated by about half of Americans. The debate on this point is serious and inconclusive; neither side can prove whether protecting American soil resulted from the “invitation” by Bush to Al-Qaeda and its like to join battle in Iraq- which they did. Logically, and regardless of the “morality” of using Iraq and its people as a substitute arena for the war on terror instead of US cities, there have not been any attacks on American cities since the Iraq war. From this narrow standpoint, Bush can say that he has succeeded in protecting US security within the country's borders. And this is a useful basis for anyone who is close to Bush's policy on Iraq, namely Senator John McCain of Arizona. McCain, 71, fought in the service of his country in Vietnam and endured torture; he fought before for the White House and ran against Bush. In 2002, he voted for the invasion of Iraq and supported the recent surge of US troops. He is firmly against withdrawal from Iraq in defeat or surrenders and opposes setting a timetable for the withdrawal.
As for Iran, McCain supports an alliance with Europe to impose economic and diplomatic sanctions. He says that there is no such thing as unconditional diplomacy and that the military option should remain on the table with Iran. He insists on succeeding in Iraq and not bowing to Iran; he points to Iran's proxy wars with the US in Iraq and says that the mullahs in Iran have not paid the price for frustrating US efforts. McCain rejects the idea of relieving Iran and Syria of responsibility for harming Lebanese sovereignty and arming Hezbullah and other militias against the Lebanese State. He believes in the necessity of ending impunity of those who adopted political assassinations as a means to intervene in the domestic affairs of other states. He holds Iran responsible for funding Hamas and Hezbullah and providing weapons to the latter via Syria; he is demanding that Tehran and Damascus immediately halt their intervention in Lebanese and Palestinian affairs. He supports the establishment of a Palestinian State and affirms that there will be no solution but a "political one." He is very firm in his pledge to fight terror in all its forms, wherever it is and whenever it takes place. These positions render him closer to a "continuity" of Bush's policy. If the surge in Iraq continues to work, if US cities are not victims of a terror attack, and if Bush's policy toward Iran succeeds-either by convincing it to give up its provocative policies or by standing up to it- this will boost McCain's chances as a serious "US national security candidate."
All of the Democratic candidates are radically opposed to the policies of Bush; they support the Baker-Hamilton report, which called for engagement, dialogue and negotiation with Iran and Syria with no preconditions, in order to facilitate an American exit from Iraq. Most of these candidates want a timetable for withdrawal as quickly as possible; most want to remove the military option off the table in dealing with Iran. Some of them, like Barack Obama, want to return today to completing the war against al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and take this as a goal and a means for exiting the Iraq quagmire.
Hillary Clinton is different from Barack Obama, but remains in the framework and under the influence of the principles of the Baker-Hamilton report-this report, which seems to enchant the Democrats. She voted for the invasion of Iraq in 2002 and now opposes the war saying that if she had known at the time what she knew now, she would not have voted with the war. Today, she wants a gradual withdrawal to begin within 60 days of her entering the White House, and a complete withdrawal by 2013. For his part, Obama opposed the war from the beginning, and opposes the surge, which has proven its success. He wants to withdraw a contingent or two every month, to complete the withdrawal within 16 months of becoming president.
As for Iran, Clinton wants direct, unconditional diplomacy with the mullahs of Iran, but she's not ready to sit down with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. She supports the strategy of economic sanctions and wants the military option to remain on the table, but won't resort to it without congressional approval. Obama, meanwhile, wants direct diplomacy and supports the strengthening of sanctions. He's ready to meet with Ahmadinejad without preconditions, and wants to remove the military option from the table. Some people consider Obama "very leftist," but his "intelligence and honesty" render him popular, along with his "cleanness," compared to the "Clintonites," as someone who knows Clinton and her husband, the former president, puts it. They want "change", not just vis-à-vis the Republicans, and particularly the Bush family, but also want "change" in the leadership of the Democrats, as practiced by the Clintons.
One such proponent of change says that the biggest challenge to US national security lies in China's competing with the US as the sole superpower of the 21st century- provided that China be able to build a true middle class, and quickly. As for Iran, it will become a friend of the US in the next two years, after the mullahs get rid of Ahmadinejad, in this view. Therefore, the type of challenge for US national security will be qualitatively different than that of the past and will require a young, different kind of leadership. Supporters of Obama, in general, back him because he is different than George W Bush. But there are also those who support him because they find him similar to Bush, in terms of his thinking about the place and status of the US in the world. There are those who consider Obama a way to save the Democratic Party from its traditionalists and encourage the acceptance of a new generation of leaders, instead of looking at the Democratic candidate as a black or a woman.
The Democratic presidential candidate in 1984, Gary Hart, wrote in The Huffington Post that “this is not a time to put gender or race above what is best for the country” citing the big challenges facing the US: huge debts, budget deficit, the deterioration of the educational system, corruption in health care, the declining international respect for the world's only superpower. Hart wrote, “Only a new generation of leaders can solve these new challenges, because only a new generation of leaders is unbound by old policies, old commitments and arrangements, old deals and old friendships.” These comments are directed at the "Clintonites" as much as they are at the "Bushites." However, it's clear that there are those inside the Democratic establishment who don't agree, and support Hilary.
There are those who dream of a return of the economic prosperity of the 1990s. Then there are women who woke up the morning of the New Hampshire primaries Tuesday and decided ‘not so fast’; they were displeased with preventing a woman from reaching the White House- at least so early in the race. Then there is the military establishment, which trusts and respects Hillary Clinton and finds her aware, understanding and ready to meet their requirements for national security, while she can also draw on the experience of a former president.
It's too early to predict what will happen in the primaries, and none of the candidates can be ruled out completely, especially among the Republicans. Logically, at this point, it is reasonable to conclude that the race for the Democrat’s nomination is between Clinton and Obama. Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani appears to be the most extremist and dangerous, ready to invade or undertake military action; he harbors tremendous hatred for the Palestinians because of his blind, extremist love for Israel. Mitt Romney, the businessman with no experience in major strategic policy, fluctuates also in his stances on social issues.
Mike Huckabee looks like a "one man ball of destruction," which will destroy the other candidates, as a leading Republican put it. In his opinion, Huckabee destroyed Romney in the Iowa caucuses, and will destroy Fred Thompson in South Carolina, and Giulani in Florida. And this is exactly what McCain would want. Huckabee, the "man of destruction," is also known in party circles as the “crazy man of the right.” But if he can truly and seriously free himself of this impression, he might become McCain's vice-presidential choice.
The Republicans are banking on two things, among others, as they seek to retain the White House: the mistakes of the Democrats in Congress; and Americans' fear of putting both branches of government-legislative and executive- in the hands of one party. According to a leading Republican, this will be a national security election for the first time since the end of the Cold War in 1988. In his opinion, US voters will be heading to the polls with national security on their minds.
Therefore, what happens in Iraq, Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Pakistan will influence the election of the next president of the United States. But to bet now on strategic policy of the candidates is premature; this is the phase of politics not the policies. The details might differ greatly at the moment, but when it comes to threats against US national security, these differences will disappear and astonish both observers and participants in the US presidential elections.