Sunday's rescue of hijacked sea Captain Richard Phillips from his Somali pirate kidnappers dominates today's headlines, with President Obama's performance in the standoff receiving much praise. Under the headline "An Early Military Victory For Obama," the Washington Post says the incident was "one of the earliest tests of the new American president," and "the result...left Obama with an early victory that could help build confidence in his ability to direct military actions abroad." The AP says "Obama's 'no drama' handling of the...crisis proved a big win for his administration in its first critical national security test."
ABC World News added that the President "called Captain Phillips aboard the USS Boxer this evening. He also spoke to Phillips' wife in Vermont. And, of course, he had high praise for the Navy." Another AP dispatch recounts that Obama "first gave permission" to use force "around 8 p.m. Friday, and upgraded it at 9:20 a.m. Saturday." The Hill notes the President said in a statement last night, "We must continue to work with our partners to prevent future attacks, be prepared to interdict acts of piracy and ensure that those who commit acts of piracy are held accountable for their crimes." In his statement, the Wall Street Journal reports, the President also "hailed the captain's courage as 'a model for all Americans.'"
McClatchy reports that Vice Adm. William Gortney, commander of the US Fifth Fleet, "said US Navy SEAL snipers perched at the back of the USS Bainbridge - a guided-missile destroyer floating about 30 yards off the 28-foot lifeboat where Phillips was being held -- opened fire on the pirates when one of them pointed an AK-47 rifle at Phillips's back." Gortney said "the SEALs felt Phillips's life was in 'imminent danger.'" On its front page, the Financial Times says "it was unclear on Sunday whether US sailors rescued Mr Phillips after another attempted escape, or whether they conducted a covert operation to free the Vermont man." The New York Times reports the Justice Department "will be reviewing evidence to decide whether charges will be brought against the surviving pirate." The Washington Post notes that the pirates "rarely harm their hostages, trading them for millions in ransom." while the New York Times reports the recent "spate of attacks on ships off Somalia and the rescue Sunday...have reinvigorated a long-simmering debate over whether the crews of commercial vessels should be armed." In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal says the pirates will "continue to terrorize innocents until what we call the 'civilized world' demonstrates that they will suffer the same fate as the pirates who made the mistake of kidnapping...Phillips." Fred C. Iklé, "distinguished scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies," writes in the Washington Post that "it remains a scandal that Somali pirates continue to routinely defeat the world's naval powers."
The Wall Street Journal reports Gen. Raymond Odierno, the top US commander in Iraq, "said the US is on track to withdraw combat troops from Iraq by August 2010 but could adjust the pace over the next 18 months depending on the stability of the country." On CNN's State of the Union, Odierno "said key to the US withdrawal is that Iraqi security forces be able to take over military operations and maintain the level of stability that he said appears to be taking hold in Iraq." The Hill also notes Odierno "said on Sunday that US forces may have to remain in Iraqi cities past the June 31 deadline for withdrawal," even as he "refused to commit to meeting the deadline, instead saying that the military would 'continue to conduct assessments with the Iraqi government'" regarding troop presence in the troubled cities of Mosul and Baqubah."
The New York Times quotes Odierno saying, "If we believe that we'll need troops to maintain a presence in some of the cities, we'll recommend that. ... But ultimately it will be the decision of Prime Minister Maliki." However, "when asked by" CNN's John King "what the chances are -- on a scale of 1 to 10 -- that the United States would leave Iraq on schedule by the end of 2011," Odierno said, "I believe it's a 10." The Washington Times reports "the general's reluctance to promise that troops will leave Baghdad and other major Iraqi cities by the end of June came the same day as a roadside bomb killed an American soldier north of Baghdad on Sunday, the sixth US combat death in three days."
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The Jerusalem Post reports Israeli President Shimon Peres "had some unusually aggressive words for Iran Sunday, seemingly threatening military action if US President Barack Obama's overtures to the Islamic republic fail to bear fruit." Peres "went on to say that he hoped Obama's call for dialogue with Ahmadinejad would be heeded, but warned that if such talks don't soften the Iranian president's approach 'we'll strike him.'" However, AFP reports Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani said Sunday that "world powers must accept the Islamic republic as a nuclear power as top officials vowed no let-up in Tehran's sensitive uranium enrichment drive." In a speech to parliament, Larijani said the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany have "no reason to deny or refuse Iran's nuclear technology," adding that "the expected negotiations" proposed by the group "will be based according to the rights mentioned in the Non-Proliferation Treaty."
ElBaradei Blasts Bush, Cheney Roger Cohen, in his column for the New York Times, says Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, claims "'a combination of ignorance and arrogance' under the Bush administration squandered countless diplomatic opportunities with Iran and so allowed it to forge ahead with its nuclear program." In an interview, ElBaradei referred "twice to Dick Cheney as 'Darth Vader,'" and said "US policy consisted of two mantras -- Iran should not have the knowledge and should not spin one single centrifuge. They kept saying, wait, Iran is not North Korea, it will buckle. That was absolutely a mistake." ElBaradei also said, "Israel would be utterly crazy to attack Iran."
On its front page, the Financial Times reports Neil Barofsky, "the official policing the $700bn Tarp fund says he is investigating whether banks have 'cooked their books' to secure bail-out money." Barofsky "told the Financial Times he was seeking evidence of wrongdoing on the part of banks receiving help from the fund, which was designed to ease credit conditions and support distressed industries." Barofsky, who "has been dubbed the 'Tarp cop,'" said, "I hope we don't find a single bank that's cooked their books to try to get money but I don't think that's going to be the case." The Wall Street Journal also reports, "The committee overseeing federal banking-bailout programs is investigating the lending practices of institutions that received public funds, following a rash of complaints about increases in interest rates and fees." Elizabeth Warren, chairwoman of the Congressional Oversight Panel, "said the panel is working on a report examining instances of potentially inappropriate lending by banks that got taxpayer capital."
AIG Official: Bonus Fallout Hurt Taxpayers The Wall Street Journal reports, "American International Group Inc.'s financial-products unit is on track to wind down by year end, but the controversy over bonuses that led to the loss of some key people may have made the process more costly for taxpayers, the unit's head said." AIG Financial Products head Gerry Pasciucco, "in his first extensive public interview since the bonus dustup last month, said 20 of the unit's 370 employees quit amid the controversy, in which taxpayers and members of Congress decried retention payments to employees at the unit that helped topple the big insurer." Pasciucco "says the controversy 'hurt morale' and 'stunned people such that our wind-down has slowed down.' He added, 'Taxpayers probably have been damaged.'"
Following Sunday's Washington Post story and some internet reports on the Obamas' new dog, other media outlets proceeded to report the story. USA Today reports, "The White House puppy has been appointed, at last, and Washington is in a barking frenzy. And, of course, it was leaked. Shocking. ... Naturally, for this day and age, two websites got there first: the celebrity news site TMZ.com and a heretofore unknown site called FirstDogCharlie.com, which posted a picture Saturday of Bo wearing a colorful Hawaiian lei around his neck." ABC World News reported, "Meet Bo, a six month old Portuguese Water Dog, given to the Obama family by Senator Ted Kennedy, who has three of them. According to NBC Nightly News, "Bo is what's known as a second chance dog given up by a previous owner." The New York Times notes the dog "is officially due to arrive at the White House on Tuesday."
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The Chicago Sun-Times reports this morning that disgraced ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich's (D) camp was told last year that Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D) "would raise up to $5 million in campaign cash for the ex-governor if he was appointed" to President Obama's Senate seat, an "overture" which "came from at least two members of the local Indian community who approached the Blagojevich fund-raising team last fall, sources say," and allegedly identified themselves as representatives of Jackson. The Sun-Times adds, "This is the first revelation that a proposal for the Jackson appointment involved an alleged promise that he'd raise campaign cash for the ex-governor. Also, the amount of money allegedly offered to Blagojevich is significantly higher than what's been reported so far. Sources did not disclose what role, if any, Jackson played in authorizing the offers to Blagojevich."
Roll Call reports, "Since the enactment of a new campaign finance reform law that banned so-called soft money in 2002, both parties have come to covet the largess of self-funding candidates in recent election cycles" but "with the current economic hard times hitting just about everyone and forcing across-the-board belt-tightening, the prospect of seeing fewer millionaires who can help support their campaigns in 2010 suddenly seems very real."
Roll Call reports that the National Republican Congressional Committee "is set to launch a recess ad offensive today, primarily with "robocalls" but also with some radio spots, hitting Democrats in 43 districts for helping to 'rubber stamp' spending bills for Speaker Nancy Pelosi."
The NY20 special election was supposed to be an early referendum on the Obama administration. In an analysis, The Hill says that in the contest between Jim Tedisco (R) and Scott Murphy (D) in the special election, "both parties are trying to claim a victory neither has actually achieved," and "political observers and analysts have largely drawn the conclusion that such a razor-thin election can only be seen as a draw." With counting ongoing, the New York State Board of Elections shows Murphy leading by 35 votes.
The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Rob Portman's (R) Ohio Senate campaign has brought in $3.1 million for his campaign through the end of March, including $1.4 million transferred from his old US House campaign fund, while the AP adds that Lt. Gov. Fisher (D) "said last week that he has raised more than $1 million" for the contest, and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner (D), another Senate hopeful, "has declined to reveal her first-quarter total."
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The late night shows were in reruns on Friday.
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