Click here to view this media It must bug Mike Huckabee to be announcing what everyone already kind of figured was going to happen — namely, that he wouldn’t be running for the GOP nomination for president in 2012 — but he went ahead tonight and did it anyway by sounding for awhile as though he were going to do it, and then pulling the ol’ switcheroo … that we all figured was coming: Mike Huckabee said Saturday there would be no sequel to his surprisingly strong 2008 White House bid, in which he won the Iowa Republican caucus and finished second in the primaries to Sen. John McCain. “All the factors say go, but my heart says no,” Huckabee, who was considered the GOP frontrunner in several national polls, said on his Fox News Channel show. Before his announcement Saturday night, Huckabee hadn’t shared his decision with his closest advisers. The weirdest part of the whole affair came after the announcement: For some strange reason — as if to underscore just how television-driven this whole Republican nomination has become, and indeed to drive home the reality that it’s becoming the Fox News primary — Donald Trump, Fox’s new Monday-morning hire, came on immediately afterward and said how glad “some people” were that Huckabee wasn’t running. Can someone explain what that was all about? Full transcript is below. HUCKABEE: The pundits and members of the political class who have spoken with certainty about my decision to run or not for President in 2012 are amusing if not amazing to think that they knew what even I didn’t know until late this week. The past few months have been times of deep personal reflection. Even though I wasn’t actively establishing a campaign organization or seeking financial support to run again, polls have consistently put me at or near the top to be the Republican nominee. When possible candidates were discussed in the media and despite polls that showed me in the lead, my name would often go unmentioned while a candidate barely registering single digits was touted as a “front-runner.” I found comfort that the nomination would not be made by commentators, columnists, or consultants, but by the rank and file voters in the Republican primary, and their support is strong and has been growing. Concerns that I had about raising the necessary funds to be competitive or being able to win in states outside the South were answered when signs of strong financial support materialized and when polls showed me winning in states like Pennsylvania, Maine, and even New Jersey. That kind of shattered the notion that I was only a regional candidate or only supported by social conservatives. I had not done much toward a race because my life was filled with work that I truly love here at Fox News, doing radio commentaries on my daily Huckabee Report on 600 radio stations, traveling the country for speaking engagements, and helping good conservative, pro-life candidates who were running for office. Other people probably thought about it more than I did. I don’t have an issue with my family being supportive. My wife actually encouraged me to do it, despite knowing full well it would subject her and the rest of the family to brutal and savage personal attacks. My adult children have also made it clear they would be with me no matter what. When people asked me what it would take for me to run, I would tell them the same thing—pray for me to have clarity in the decision. I don’t expect everyone to understand this, but I’m a believer and follower of Jesus Christ. That relationship is far more important to me than any political office. For me, the decision is ultimately not a political one, a financial one, or even a practical one —it’s a spiritual one. The past few weeks, the external signs and signals and answers to many of the obstacles point strongly toward running. When I am with people encouraging me to run, it’s easy to feel the strength of their partnership and commitment to help me to the finish line. Only when I was alone, in quiet and reflective moments did I have not only clarity, but an inexplicable inner peace—a peace that exceeds human understanding. All the factors say GO, but my heart says NO. And that is the decision I have made and in it have finally found resolution. I don’t fully understand it myself—but I’m sure the pundits will. But I know that under the best of circumstances, being President is a job that takes one to the limit of his or her human capacity. For me, to do it apart from an inner confidence that I was undertaking it with God’s full blessing is unthinkable. I can’t know or predict the future, but I know for now my answer is clear and firm. I will not seek the Republican nomination for President this year. I will gladly continue doing what I do and helping others in their campaigns for Congress, governorships, and other positions. I’ll certainly give more detail about this decision in due time and especially to those who have faithfully and so sacrificially been part of the process. I know I will deeply disappoint many people I love. So many good and dear people have put forth extraordinary effort without any assurance I would mount a campaign. It pains me to let them down. I also know my decision will delight just as many who aren’t that fond of me. I am eternally grateful for the faithful support of my wife, children and real friends who promised to stand with me no matter what. I had come to believe I would be in the race for President. I won’t be. But I will for sure be re-dedicating myself to standing for and communicating the principles of common sense, Constitutional government, and civil discourse that I believe are critical to the survival of our great Republic. From New York, This is MH, goodnight God bless, and I’ll be back next week.
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Click here to view this media Utah’s Senator Orrin Hatch is terribly upset with the mean old Democrats for setting up those poor little oil company executives during their hearing this week. Utah’s Orrin Hatch accuses Democrats of setting up oil company CEO’s for public grilling : Sen. Orrin Hatch isn’t wasting words on what he thinks of harsh criticism that oil company CEOs are taking on Capitol Hill. He’s letting a portrait of a dog sitting on a pony tell part of the story. At a hearing on gas prices, the Utah Republican said that Senate Democrats are conducting a dramatic hearing to “make some political hay at the expense of our witnesses today.” Somebody’s got to be looking out for the little guy. Hatch complained to the Morning Joe crew here that the hearings were “selective” and “because they’re politically unpopular.” Hatch and the Republicans complaining about the Democrats playing politics while they stand up for these oil company executives is about as humorous as his his counterparts in the House asking Democrats not to attack them for their proposed Medicare cuts earlier in the week as TPM reported here — GOP Freshmen On Medicare Attacks: Let’s Let Bygones Be Bygones . Someone needs to remind Hatch about the Republicans attacks on Planned Parenthood and ACORN among others before he’s allowed to complain about anyone being singled out for political attacks. The Democrats would be foolish not to go after them on either of these issues.
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Reports allege energy secretary pressed witness not to discuss claims against him Energy secretary Chris Huhne was under fresh pressure over claims that he tried to avoid a driving ban as details emerged of a taped phone call during which he allegedly pressed a witness not to discuss the allegations. Last weekend Huhne’s estranged wife Vicky Pryce, from whom he separated last year, claimed that the Liberal Democrat cabinet minister “pressurised people” to take on his penalty points to avoid a driving ban. Huhne strenuously denied the claims. Last night the Sunday Times claimed it had obtained details of a phone call in which Huhne urged a witness to stay silent about the allegations. Huhne was reported as having said: “If I were you … do not talk. I would have thought you would not want to talk.” The paper suggested police were ready to launch inquiries into the allegations. Persuading someone to take penalty points is illegal. Further details of the phone call, which is said to have taken place before the controversy broke last weekend, emerged in the Mail on Sunday . It reports Huhne as warning the person who took the penalty points not to let “the genie” out of the bottle by revealing what happened. According to the paper he said: “There is no evidence for this story unless you give it some legs by saying something. The last thing you want is a half-baked story saying you’ve taken points for me.” Huhne is said to have added: “The story they are trying to stand up is that ‘Cabinet minister persuaded XXX to take points’. The only way they can stand that up is by getting you to talk to them.” At one point during the 13-minute conversation, Huhne insisted there was no truth in the allegation. “There’s no question of it coming out, because it’s simply not true, that’s it.” A week ago Pryce said she was “aware that he pressurised people to take his driving licence penalty points.” Asked whether the energy secretary had asked someone to take his points, she also said: “Yes, he did. But, look, there is such huge pressure on politicians to be everywhere at once, especially early in their career, so that they are visible – huge pressure – and he does drive a bit like a maniac.” The claims from Pryce, who is writing a “tell all” book about their break-up, are understood to relate to events in 2003, when Huhne was an MEP and before he became the Liberal Democrat MP for
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The ever-elusive icon defended himself against critics Friday by releasing a scathing statement that revealed a massive media snafu. After Dylan played in China for the first time last month, news began spreading that his playlist was censored by the Chinese government and he was criticized by many for not playing his traditional “protest songs Perhaps the
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Click here to view this media This video has actually been around since 1997, when it was shot and released for National Geographic. I’d seen other video footage of orcas stunning sharks by ramming them on their sides and rendering them immobile, but this one was really remarkable. More here. And here.
Continue reading …Queen’s visit to Ireland could mark the start of a new era, says Gerry Adams
May 14, 2011 No Comment
Sinn Féin leader says Queen’s visit offers ‘unique opportunity’ for mutual respect and equality on both sides Gerry Adams, the leader of Sinn Féin, has said that the Queen’s visit to Ireland could mark moves towards a new and better relationship between the country and Britain. His remarks come as an unprecedented security operation gets under way in the Republic to protect the Queen from terrorist attacks or street disorder. The public will be kept back from the royal entourage as it passes along Dublin’s quays, north of the river Liffey and the city’s main thoroughfare, O’Connell Street. Adams, the Sinn Féin president, said the three-day royal tour could provide “a unique opportunity” for mutual respect and equality on both sides of the Irish Sea. His comments, in a column for the Irish Examiner , mark a change in his attitude to the historic visit. He said he had nothing against the Queen but he was opposed to the idea of monarchies in principle. He hoped the visit would hasten the day when a new and better relationship could be formed, but that would depend on what the Queen said. Adams maintained that the visit was troubling for many people and found suggestions that the state visit was an indication that Irish people had matured insulting and patronising. In March, the Sinn Féin president had described the visit as premature. His comments came as security forces on both sides of the border began a clampdown on republican dissidents who have vowed to disrupt the visit. In Northern Ireland, police arrested a man and a woman in Co
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Socialist presidential hopeful Dominique Strauss-Kahn sues a newspaper over claims about his lifestyle, as critics say his extravagance rules out his leftwing candidature The rumours of dangerous liaisons and sexual conquests have had little effect on his chances of occupying the highest office in the land. But the presidential ambitions of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, chief of the International Monetary Fund and the man French Socialists hope will be the next occupant of the Elysée Palace, may yet be dented by a new revelation: he likes, allegedly, to wear expensive suits. Even before he has officially thrown his hat into the election ring – as he is expected to do within weeks – Strauss-Kahn is fighting off a very French furore over assertions his tastes are too luxurious to lay claim to the left. Now Strauss-Kahn is suing a French newspaper that claimed staples of his lifestyle included luxury homes and sought-after works of art. In its report, France Soir also said he had worn several handmade suits ordered from US President Barack Obama’s tailor in Washington DC, a claim hotly denied. The tailor, a 75-year-old Frenchman from Marseille, sells suits for between £4,300 and £21,000. Last night, calls to Strauss-Kahn’s lawyer went unanswered. While the French are prepared to forgive their leaders’ sexual peccadilloes – including lovers and secret families – they are less forgiving of displays of wealth. Nicolas Sarkozy was nicknamed the “bling-bling president” after flashing his Rolex and holidaying on luxury yachts wearing Aviator sunglasses. Questions over Strauss-Kahn’s wealth were raised two weeks ago after he was pictured climbing into a friend’s £87,000 Porsche Panamera S outside his £3.5m Paris home alongside his heiress wife. The fallout from “Porsche-gate” seems to have proved more damaging to his popularity among voters than Strauss-Kahn’s reputation as a ‘”great seducer”. For months opinion polls have suggested that he is the only potential opposition candidate who might unseat Sarkozy in next year’s election, but after the France Soir reports François Hollande, the former Socialist party leader who is also seeking the party’s nomination as presidential candidate, leapt to within a few points of him. Hollande’s ex-wife Ségolène Royal, who lost to Sarkozy in 2007, is another Socialist contender to be leader, along with two other hopefuls. In its report on Thursday, the newspaper said that since Strauss-Kahn and his wealthy wife, Anne Sinclair, a former television presenter, had arrived in the US capital for his IMF job in 2007 they had lived a life of luxury. The couple was said to have bought a £2.5m home in the upmarket Washington district of Georgetown. Other reports revealed that Strauss-Kahn, who allegedly earns £22,000 net a month, also has an apartment in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, which he shares with his wife and which was bought for £2.2m in 1990, another apartment on the expensive Place des Vosges in the 4th arrondissement bought in 2007 for £3.4m, and a riad in Marrakech. That the Strauss-Kahns are wealthy has never been a secret. Sinclair is the granddaughter of Paul Rosenberg, a celebrated dealer of modern art, and has inherited part of his collection, which is said to include at least one Picasso. In many countries, such wealth would not necessarily be viewed as an impediment to a leftwing politician’s career. In France, however, the flashiness has appalled some observers. “Can one be leftwing and very rich?” asked Jean-Jacques Bourdin, a commentator on French radio station RMC. “If Sarkozy represented for many the ‘bling-bling’ right then Dominique Strauss-Kahn is, whether he likes it or not, a representative of the left ‘vroom vroom’. “He finds himself today in a very worrying situation for a future socialist presidential candidate. Because in the collective subconscious to be leftwing and to have lots of money… doesn’t always go together,” said Bourdin. However, supporters were quick to jump to Strauss-Kahn’s defence. Michèle Sabban, vice-president of the Île-de-France socialists, told journalists: “Dominique is staying true to himself. He admits his relationship with money and that’s good. Besides, have you ever seen a poor president?” Another supporter, local councillor Hussein Mokhtari, added: “So he has to eat sandwiches and drive a 2CV when he is head of the IMF and he is representing France?” Even political enemies such as Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the Left party and a rival presidential candidate, dismissed criticism of his wealth. “Being leftwing is a conviction, a commitment; never would a man of the left say to another ‘profit and shut up …’ I think someone who is rich can also be of the left depending on how his wealth was gained.” France Europe Nicolas Sarkozy Kim Willsher guardian.co.uk
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Libyan dictator plans a gradual transition from autocratic rule, say officials, as ICC arrest warrant is prepared From his hiding place in Tripoli, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi is desperately trying to pave a way for an exit from public life. Sources say the veteran autocrat’s grand plan is to retire to a godfather-like role in the nation he has ruled for more than 40 years and then allow institutions to grow that will eventually replace his hold on power. This, he hopes, will convince Nato to stop its two-month campaign of almost nightly air strikes, which have decimated Libya’s military and defences and reinforced a rebellion that is steadily eroding the country’s power base. Interviews with four regime members have confirmed that Gaddafi knows his time is up. “But he isn’t going to run away to Venezuela,” one official said. “He wants to move to the background and lead a dignified life. He himself has said he wants to be like the Japanese emperor, or Castro.” “He knows and we know that Libya doesn’t have a future through imposing his cult of personality on the people and the world,” said a second official. “There is no question that the country needs reforms, many reforms.” Over the past fortnight, as rebels who sacked the east of the country have also started to tip the balance in the loyalist stronghold of Misrata, Gaddafi has tried to usher in the first changing of the guard since he seized power in 1969. He has empowered tribal leaders to talk on national issues and given Libya’s low-profile prime minister an international stage. At his only public appearance, Gaddafi anointed them as arbitrators – a role officials say will increase through a gradual negotiated transition from autocratic rule. Nato jets again struck the Gaddafi compound in the heart of Tripoli overnight on Friday, hours after the dictator had appeared to taunt European leaders whom he is convinced are trying to assassinate him. “I am in a place where you cannot reach me,” he said in an audio recording. Gaddafi’s advisers say that he has reportedly become so wary of his apparent pursuers that he no longer trusts video cameras, fearing that they transmit a signal that could lead to his location. On the audio recording he condemned as “cowardly crusader aggression” a Nato strike on a guest house in the eastern city of Brega that killed 11 Muslim imams and wounded four more. Nine of the imams were buried amid angry scenes in Tripoli. Nato claims that the site it targeted in a pre-dawn raid on Friday was a “known command and control centre”. The Libyan government said it was a guest house where the imams were resting before leading a peace mission deep into rebel-held territory. They provided GPS co-ordinates in an attempt to prove that there were no military facilities near the site. However, Sky News spoke to former engineer Frek Landmeter, from the Netherlands, who said he built a bunker beneath the site in 1988. He provided GPS co-ordinates, which matched those given by the government and said the bunker was unusually large and at the time was considered a top-secret installation for the Libyan regime. Landmeter told Sky that the guest house bombed was not above the bunker entrance. He said it was next to it, but still covered the underground site. Meanwhile, an international arrest warrant for Gaddafi will be ready as early as tomorrow. The International Criminal Court has said it will also seek warrants for at least one of Gaddafi’s sons and his intelligence chief. Muammar Gaddafi Libya Middle East Africa Nato Martin Chulov guardian.co.uk
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Jennifer Mills-Westley the British woman killed in a supermarket in Tenerife had complained of harassment The British woman beheaded in a supermarket on the Spanish island of Tenerife was named as it emerged that she had complained of being harassed moments before she was attacked. Jennifer Mills-Westley, 60, from Norwich, was killed on Friday in a frenzied and unprovoked knife attack in the town of Arona, part of the Los Cristianos beach resort. Her daughter Sarah said: “Mum retired a number of years ago and was fully enjoying her retirement travelling between Tenerife and France where she spent time visiting her daughter and grandchildren, and her other daughter in Norfolk. She was full of life, generous of heart, would do anything for anyone. We now have to find a way of living without her love and light and we would ask at this difficult time for some privacy as we try to come to terms with our loss.” Spanish police identified the alleged killer as Deyan Valentinov Deyanov, 28, an unemployed Bulgarian. The attack began in a supermarket. Witnesses say the assailant grabbed a knife from inside a shop and stabbed the dead woman at least 14 times. He then decapitated her, carrying the severed head out into the street claiming to be “a prophet from God”. Local media reported that he left the supermarket shouting: “I am God’s avenger and I come to mete out justice.” It was initially believed the murder was a random incident. But a report on a British expat website said that Mills-Westley had reported Deyanov to a guard at the town’s social security office for threatening behaviour. Deyanov ranted at the security guard and was moved on. Several minutes later Mills-Westley left the office and entered the supermarket, which was next door. Minutes later the attack took place and the same security guard, named locally as Juan Antonio Hernandez Delgado, heard the commotion and chased the killer down the street before wrestling him to the ground. Further reports gave an impression of a disturbed individual. Locals said Deyanov had been known for threatening and often violent behaviour, once having punched a local shipowner who refused to tell him the time, smashing his teeth. Jose Alberto Gonzalez Reveron, mayor of Arona, said video footage “showed the man became enraged” inside the store. Christina Perez, a legal representative at a nearby court, said a group of lawyers had seen the man leave the shop. “They saw the man running out of the supermarket with the head in his hands. A security man from the complex ran after him and jumped on to him so he fell, and then he threw the head on to the road.” Mills-Westley’s former employer, Norfolk county council, offered its condolences, praising her work teaching road safety to youngsters. “Our deepest sympathies go to Jenny’s family and friends following this terrible news,” the authority said in a statement. “Jenny was a popular and well respected member of staff, who during her time with Norfolk county council worked as a road safety officer working with many schools and children to teach cycling safety training.” The Foreign Office has confirmed that consular officials are liaising with the authorities in Los Cristianos, which is home to a large British expat community. Spain Barry Neild guardian.co.uk
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David Cameron’s promise to tackle trafficking said to be in disarray after an exodus of expert Home Office staff David Cameron’s promise to tackle human trafficking is said to be in disarray after an exodus of expert Home Office staff and the sidelining of the official in charge of the policy. A former police officer – one of the most senior figures to have been involved in investigating trafficking, who requested anonymity for fear of repercussions – said: “One of the concerns is the lack of continuity of staff at the Home Office. The entire original team has gone.” Cameron has repeatedly stated that trafficking is a priority for the coalition; only last week immigration minister Damian Green told parliament: “The UK is a world leader in its anti-trafficking work, but that does not mean we should stand still.” But the inter-ministerial group on human trafficking has met only once, while specific targets for tackling the issue no longer feature on the Home Office website. The voluntary sector, meanwhile, claims that officials are refusing to set agendas on trafficking or provide detailed timescales for action. The government was due to unveil its four-part strategy to disrupt trafficking in March, but sources say it will appear in June at the earliest. Even the government’s recent decision to endorse the EU directive on human trafficking has led to concerns among MPs, who fear that ministers will be unwilling to appoint an independent rapporteur who would investigate government policies on trafficking and tell parliament whether the UK is fulfilling its obligations. There are also concerns over the treatment of victims after they have escaped from their abusers. Evidence suggests that such women are being classified as illegal immigrants rather than victims of a crime. The Poppy Project, widely acknowledged as the UK’s leading organisation for trafficking victims, and which last week had its Home Office funding removed after eight years, said there had been four attempts at forced deportations of victims in the past three weeks, compared with two in the previous three years. A Home Office spokesman said: “There has been no delay. The strategy will be published shortly. The government remains committed to working with our international partners and seeking the views of expert groups in the UK to tackle this awful crime.” Opting into the EU trafficking directive and a new border police command would help target organised criminals. A Home Office source said the changes to personnel were a routine staff redeployment and rejected claims of a lack of expertise among officials. Anti-trafficking plans, he said, would appear on the Home Office website when the strategy was published. Human trafficking Prostitution Mark Townsend guardian.co.uk
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