Morning Buzz: April 7, 2008

As the Olympic torch made its way today through Paris, it had to be extinguished at least twice amid street protests over China's human rights record and the Chinese government's recent crackdown in Tibet. There were also protesters on hand yesterday when the torch made its way through London, and 37 people were arrested. Protests are planned for when it comes through San Francisco and New Delhi. The torch will arrive in China on May 4.

As all three senators running for the White House alight in Washington this week to question Gen. David Petraeus about the state of the Iraq war, John McCain said the United States is "no longer staring into the abyss of defeat," despite the recent resurgence of violence in Iraq. While McCain has continued to speak on the progress of Iraq as part of his campaign rhetoric, his Democratic rivals have chosen to stay focused on the slumping economy. Petraeus will answer questions from the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees when he appears on Capitol Hill on Tuesday and Wednesday.

If your air travel has been expensive or your flight has been late, you're not the only one. The entire industry posted declines for last year in every area of the Airline Quality Rating, the Associated Press is reporting today. The number of complaints airlines received from customers shot up by 60 percent last year, and a quarter of flights were not on time.