African leaders at their summit in Ethiopia have been told they must get involved with the crisis in Kenya.
AU commission chairman Alpha Oumar Konare told them they could not just sit by. "If Kenya burns, there will be nothing for tomorrow," he said.
More than 850 people have died in political and ethnic clashes since last month's elections, which the opposition says were rigged.
In Nairobi, talks between government and opposition have begun.
Mr Konare - the AU's top executive - said it was the AU's duty to support the mediation process which is led by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
'Special responsibility'
The current UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged Kenyan leaders to find a peaceful way out.
"President [Mwai] Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga... have a special responsibility to solve the crisis peacefully," he told the summit.
In Kenya itself, just as substantive peace talks began in Nairobi, tension rose in the Rift Valley town of Eldoret when a traffic policeman shot dead an opposition MP - the second to be killed this week.
Kenyan police say the killing was an act of revenge by a jealous boyfriend.
But shops closed as angry protestors marched through the town. Opposition leaders say the shooting was political.
Violence first broke out after the 27 December presidential elections, which the opposition Orange Democratic Movement says Mr Kibaki's government rigged.
Mr Kibaki is among more than 40 leaders present at the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, even though the ODM called on the AU not to recognise him.
Mr Odinga, by contrast, has not been invited.
All eyes
The BBC's Will Ross, reporting from the conference, says all eyes will be on Mr Kibaki.
He says Mr Kibaki is likely to brief at least some of the African leaders on events in Kenya, especially the talks between government and opposition.
The Kenyan crisis may then be pushed away, which could be convenient for an organisation which often struggles to tackle the continent's problems with any great urgency, he says.
Despite Mr Konare's plea, the official theme of the AU summit is industrialisation.
But other subjects are likely to include
Sudan, where the AU and the UN have promised to create the world's largest peacekeeping force in Darfur
Somalia, where members are keen to strengthen the small Ugandan and Burundian forces in the country, and
the AU's own internal organisation
Our correspondent says many Africans hope other urgent issues such as Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo will also be tackled.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Giuliani quits White House race
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has pulled out of the Republican race for the White House after disappointing primary results in Florida.
Mr Giuliani announced he was giving his support to Arizona Senator John McCain, describing him as "an American hero".
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California will also endorse Mr McCain.
Earlier on Wednesday, Democrat John Edwards left the race, without backing any of his rivals, after failing to win a single party nomination contest.
Mr Edwards contested Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and his native South Carolina, but only in Iowa did he get higher than third place, and that only by the narrowest of margins.
He told supporters in New Orleans, where he launched his latest White House bid in 2006: "It's time for me to step aside so that history can blaze its path."
Heated debate
Mr Giuliani announced his withdrawal just before the remaining Republican candidates began a televised debate at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California, on Wednesday evening.
With the two other candidates - former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and Texas Congressman Ron Paul - often struggling to be heard, the 90-minute debate was dominated by the verbal jousting of the two front-runners.
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney accused Mr McCain of "dirty tricks" for accusing him - just before Tuesday's Florida primary - of supporting a date for withdrawing troops from Iraq.
"It's offensive to me that someone would suggest that I have," said Mr Romney.
Mr Romney said Mr McCain was out of the conservative mainstream, having twice voted against President Bush's tax cuts, which the Republican establishment had embraced.
Mr McCain countered that he was proud of his conservative credentials, and questioned Mr Romney's administrative record in Massachusetts.
"His job creation was the third worst in the country," said the Arizona senator.
The simmering tensions were indicative of the pressure that is building ahead of next week's "Super Tuesday", when 20 states hold their nominating votes in what could be a decisive day in the race for the White House.
Rudy's gamble
In contrast to the heated exchanges in Simi Valley, Mr Giuliani's address was light-hearted.
This man is a national hero and I'm honoured by his friendship
John McCain on Rudy Giuliani
He said he had thought he was the sort of person who had the qualities to make a good president of the United States, "but the voters made a different choice".
"John McCain is the most qualified candidate to be the next commander in chief of the United States," Mr Giuliani said. "He's an American hero and America could use heroes in the White House."
He added that Mr McCain was a longstanding friend and he would campaign alongside him whenever and wherever he was needed.
Mr McCain returned the compliments, praising Mr Giuliani's leadership as mayor in the wake of the attacks on the US on 11 September 2001.
He described his former rival as "my strong right arm and my partner".
"This man is a national hero and I'm honoured by his friendship," he said.
Mr Giuliani was seen by his supporters as a tough commander in chief, while other Republicans were wary of his attitude on social issues, like abortion.
When he entered the race more than a year ago he led some national polls and had an impressive war chest. He is reported to have spent up to a million dollars a week on TV advertising in Florida alone.
Correspondents say his decision to focus his efforts on Florida was always going to be either a stroke of political genius or an unwise gamble that would see him fall at the first hurdle.
Mr Giuliani won 15% of the vote, behind Mr McCain with 36% and Mitt Romney with 31% and just ahead of Mike Huckabee who won 13%.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Mom Blames Bullying For Son's Suicide
She's also critical of teachers, saying boy 'was screaming for help'
The bedroom bears the telltale signs of a typical boy on the cusp of his teen years: discarded food wrappers, video game consoles, clothes scattered on the floor.
The disarray hides tragedy inside the suburban Kansas City home. The room is a memorial to 12-year-old Brandon Myers, who killed himself in February 2007.
For Kim Myers, Brandon's death is the result of what she calls incessant bullying that her son's teachers and other administrators at Voy Spears Elementary School failed to stop
"He was teased in class on the day he died for acting depressed," said Myers, a single parent. "He was screaming for help. If he had got the help he needed, he would still be alive."
Teen suicide has long been considered one of the greatest risks faced by vulnerable adolescents. But an increasing number of mental health experts are warning that younger children such as Brandon are also susceptible.
A nationwide survey of more than 15,000 students in grades six to 10 showed that 30 percent reported experience with bullying — 11 percent as targets, 13 percent as bullies themselves and an additional 6 percent who said they had been both aggressor and victim. The survey was published in 2001.
Nationally, more than 3,000 children ages 10-14 committed suicide from 1995 through 2004, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Missouri, 34 children in that age group took their own lives from 2001 through 2005, state records show.
Many of the details of how Brandon was harassed _ and the school's response _ are incomplete. Myers has hired an attorney and said she plans to sue the Blue Springs School District for her son's wrongful death. She and her ex-husband, Brandon's father, don't want to jeopardize the pending lawsuit by discussing it publicly.
A lawyer for the school district said officials would discuss only Brandon's "educational experience" with The Associated Press, and then only with his parents' permission.
The case is not without precedent. In 2005, a teenager from Tonganoxie, Kansas, who was bullied for years by classmates who believed he was gay was awarded $440,000 in a settlement against his school district. The young man, who said he is not gay, was harassed with homophobic slurs from seventh grade until he quit school his junior year.
Born with cleft palate
The direct effect of bullying on those self-inflicted deaths is impossible to determine. But as in the case of Megan Meier — a 13-year-old suburban St. Louis girl who committed suicide after receiving cruel messages on her MySpace page — the social pressures that drive some children to suicide are immense, said bullying expert Hilda Quiroz.
"Schools are social settings," said Quiroz, a former teacher who now works for the California-based National School Safety Center. "And in social settings, there are kids who wield power."
Bullying victims direct their anger in two directions, Quiroz said: at themselves or toward others, including their tormentors.
"Children sometimes turn inward and hurt themselves, or they turn outward and bring weapons to school," she said.
For Brandon, life didn't come easy. Born with a cleft palate, he endured several corrective surgeries that improved his smile but didn't get rid of a pronounced speech impediment.
His parents divorced when he was five. Diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in the third grade, and later depression, he took a daily chemical cocktail to combat those impulses and regularly saw a counselor outside school.
In the days and weeks leading up to his suicide, Brandon dropped several hints to classmates and teachers that his troubles may have grown life-threatening, Kim Myers said. She didn't learn of those warning signs until it was too late.
The day after Christmas would have been Brandon's 13th birthday. His absence made the holiday a painful one for his older brother and sister and his parents too.
"This is the first year he's not been around," said his father, Randy Myers. "We're struggling."
Down the block from Brandon's house, a solitary plaque marks his shortened life, a tribute to the passion that drove him to awaken in the pre-dawn darkness each morning so he could fish at the neighborhood lake before school.
"Forever Fishing," the plaque reads. "Brandon Myers."
Fishing was an escape for Brandon. He would go fishing with his buddy Trystyn, or with his mother's boyfriend at nearby Lake Lotawana. Summertime meant bullfrog hunting trips with his grandfather
Inside Trystyn Wagner's home, toy frogs of all shapes and sizes surround a hallway display of baseball cards, fishing photos and other reminders of his late best friend.
A few days before Brandon's death, the two friends argued over a girl. They quickly patched up the dispute, but guilt from that encounter and its proximity to Brandon's suicide hangs over Trystyn, his mother said.
"He said he wanted to be next to Brandon," said Amy Wagner, who said she has since moved Trystyn and his younger sister to a private school as a result of what she calls her son's own bullying experience.
"It's just been a nightmare," she said.
Drawing, note were warnings
During an investigation of Brandon's death, Trystyn told police that Brandon drew a picture of himself hanging from a rope. The drawing was found by another student and turned in to a teacher, according to a police incident report.
Another classmate later shared a note from Brandon that further hinted at his risks of suicide.
I "have had enuf of this crap(p)y life," the note reads. "I will hang myself tonight so if you have anything to say to me I suggest you tell me before 4:35 p.m. tonight."
The note, a copy of which was provided to the AP by Kim Myers, asked the unknown classmate to tell other students in Brandon's class and listed the phone numbers for two students he wished to alert.
Kim Myers said she first learned of the warning note in May, nearly three months after Brandon's death, from a Lee's Summit police officer. The note was given to school officials on March 2 by a student's parent.
The unidentified student's mother told police and school officials that she found the note folded on a table in her home two days after Brandon's death, and brought it to school later that week.
Brandon's unkempt bedroom isn't the only reminder Kim Myers carries of his brief life. She wears a frog ring on her right hand, a Mother's Day gift to commemorate her son's amphibious passion.
She keeps a jar of green BB gun pellets in his honor — tiny memorials that have mysteriously turned up in the most unlikely of places, from the doctor's office where she works to the beaches of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where she and her mother traveled to seek peace after Brandon's death.
"As soon as I picked it up the tide came in and washed everything away," she recalled.
"I think it's him talking to me ... letting me know he's around. He's watching over me."
The bedroom bears the telltale signs of a typical boy on the cusp of his teen years: discarded food wrappers, video game consoles, clothes scattered on the floor.
The disarray hides tragedy inside the suburban Kansas City home. The room is a memorial to 12-year-old Brandon Myers, who killed himself in February 2007.
For Kim Myers, Brandon's death is the result of what she calls incessant bullying that her son's teachers and other administrators at Voy Spears Elementary School failed to stop
"He was teased in class on the day he died for acting depressed," said Myers, a single parent. "He was screaming for help. If he had got the help he needed, he would still be alive."
Teen suicide has long been considered one of the greatest risks faced by vulnerable adolescents. But an increasing number of mental health experts are warning that younger children such as Brandon are also susceptible.
A nationwide survey of more than 15,000 students in grades six to 10 showed that 30 percent reported experience with bullying — 11 percent as targets, 13 percent as bullies themselves and an additional 6 percent who said they had been both aggressor and victim. The survey was published in 2001.
Nationally, more than 3,000 children ages 10-14 committed suicide from 1995 through 2004, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Missouri, 34 children in that age group took their own lives from 2001 through 2005, state records show.
Many of the details of how Brandon was harassed _ and the school's response _ are incomplete. Myers has hired an attorney and said she plans to sue the Blue Springs School District for her son's wrongful death. She and her ex-husband, Brandon's father, don't want to jeopardize the pending lawsuit by discussing it publicly.
A lawyer for the school district said officials would discuss only Brandon's "educational experience" with The Associated Press, and then only with his parents' permission.
The case is not without precedent. In 2005, a teenager from Tonganoxie, Kansas, who was bullied for years by classmates who believed he was gay was awarded $440,000 in a settlement against his school district. The young man, who said he is not gay, was harassed with homophobic slurs from seventh grade until he quit school his junior year.
Born with cleft palate
The direct effect of bullying on those self-inflicted deaths is impossible to determine. But as in the case of Megan Meier — a 13-year-old suburban St. Louis girl who committed suicide after receiving cruel messages on her MySpace page — the social pressures that drive some children to suicide are immense, said bullying expert Hilda Quiroz.
"Schools are social settings," said Quiroz, a former teacher who now works for the California-based National School Safety Center. "And in social settings, there are kids who wield power."
Bullying victims direct their anger in two directions, Quiroz said: at themselves or toward others, including their tormentors.
"Children sometimes turn inward and hurt themselves, or they turn outward and bring weapons to school," she said.
For Brandon, life didn't come easy. Born with a cleft palate, he endured several corrective surgeries that improved his smile but didn't get rid of a pronounced speech impediment.
His parents divorced when he was five. Diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in the third grade, and later depression, he took a daily chemical cocktail to combat those impulses and regularly saw a counselor outside school.
In the days and weeks leading up to his suicide, Brandon dropped several hints to classmates and teachers that his troubles may have grown life-threatening, Kim Myers said. She didn't learn of those warning signs until it was too late.
The day after Christmas would have been Brandon's 13th birthday. His absence made the holiday a painful one for his older brother and sister and his parents too.
"This is the first year he's not been around," said his father, Randy Myers. "We're struggling."
Down the block from Brandon's house, a solitary plaque marks his shortened life, a tribute to the passion that drove him to awaken in the pre-dawn darkness each morning so he could fish at the neighborhood lake before school.
"Forever Fishing," the plaque reads. "Brandon Myers."
Fishing was an escape for Brandon. He would go fishing with his buddy Trystyn, or with his mother's boyfriend at nearby Lake Lotawana. Summertime meant bullfrog hunting trips with his grandfather
Inside Trystyn Wagner's home, toy frogs of all shapes and sizes surround a hallway display of baseball cards, fishing photos and other reminders of his late best friend.
A few days before Brandon's death, the two friends argued over a girl. They quickly patched up the dispute, but guilt from that encounter and its proximity to Brandon's suicide hangs over Trystyn, his mother said.
"He said he wanted to be next to Brandon," said Amy Wagner, who said she has since moved Trystyn and his younger sister to a private school as a result of what she calls her son's own bullying experience.
"It's just been a nightmare," she said.
Drawing, note were warnings
During an investigation of Brandon's death, Trystyn told police that Brandon drew a picture of himself hanging from a rope. The drawing was found by another student and turned in to a teacher, according to a police incident report.
Another classmate later shared a note from Brandon that further hinted at his risks of suicide.
I "have had enuf of this crap(p)y life," the note reads. "I will hang myself tonight so if you have anything to say to me I suggest you tell me before 4:35 p.m. tonight."
The note, a copy of which was provided to the AP by Kim Myers, asked the unknown classmate to tell other students in Brandon's class and listed the phone numbers for two students he wished to alert.
Kim Myers said she first learned of the warning note in May, nearly three months after Brandon's death, from a Lee's Summit police officer. The note was given to school officials on March 2 by a student's parent.
The unidentified student's mother told police and school officials that she found the note folded on a table in her home two days after Brandon's death, and brought it to school later that week.
Brandon's unkempt bedroom isn't the only reminder Kim Myers carries of his brief life. She wears a frog ring on her right hand, a Mother's Day gift to commemorate her son's amphibious passion.
She keeps a jar of green BB gun pellets in his honor — tiny memorials that have mysteriously turned up in the most unlikely of places, from the doctor's office where she works to the beaches of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where she and her mother traveled to seek peace after Brandon's death.
"As soon as I picked it up the tide came in and washed everything away," she recalled.
"I think it's him talking to me ... letting me know he's around. He's watching over me."
Fighting Spreads In Western Kenya
At least 17 people are reported to have been killed in another day of violence in western Kenya, apparently linked to last month's disputed elections.
The victims are said to have been beaten, hacked or burned to death by mobs as fighting spread to Naivasha.
The town is about 60km (37 miles) south of Nakuru, also the scene of recent inter-ethnic fighting.
Former UN chief Kofi Annan has been holding talks to try to end the month-long political deadlock in Kenya.
He met opposition leader Raila Odinga in the capital, Nairobi, on Sunday, and called on the two rival parties to nominate officials for further talks.
Mr Annan visited the violence-racked Rift Valley on Saturday, and later said he had seen tragic, heart-wrenching scenes, and "gross and systematic abuse of human rights".
Mr Odinga accuses his rival, President Mwai Kibaki, of stealing December's presidential election.
Dozens of people are reported to have been killed in Rift Valley region in the past few days. In all at least 750 people have died since the disputed election, and about a quarter of a million have been made homeless.
Hacked to death
The fighting in Naivasha is thought to have broken out late on Saturday, descending quickly into sickening brutality, says the www.dnewsbreak.blogspot.com's Adam Mynott in Nairobi.
Reports are unclear but at least nine people are said to have been hacked or clubbed to death as they tried to flee mobs with machetes.
In other cases people were locked inside their homes, which the mobs then ignited with petrol. At least eight charred bodies were said to have been recovered.
Police tried to disperse youths blocking the main road by firing over their heads. By Sunday afternoon the town was reported to be much calmer.
The mobs appeared to from the Kikuyu tribe of President Kibaki, which bore the brunt of the violence that erupted after the election.
"We have moved out to revenge the deaths of our brothers and sisters who have been killed, and nothing will stop us," said Anthony Mwangi, hefting a club in Naivasha.
"For every one Kikuyu killed, we shall avenge their killing with three," he told the Associated Press news agency.
Some of those fleeing the violence have taken shelter in some of the horticultural farms around Naivasha, on the main road between Nakuru and Nairobi, our correspondent says.
The area's huge horticulture and flower-growing industry employs more than 20,000 people, and supplies a third of Europe's cut flowers.
Further north, Kenya's fourth biggest city Nakuru has also been the scene of deadly violence between rival Luo and Kikuyu communities.
Clashes erupted on Thursday between fighters armed with machetes, spears and bows and arrows.
There were no reports of further fighting from Nakuru on Sunday. But the ruins of torched buildings smouldered, and a reporter for news agency AFP said bodies lay in the city's deserted slums.
Annan call
Meanwhile, further south in Nairobi, Mr Annan has embarked on a sixth day of talks aimed at mediating a solution to the crisis.
He met Mr Odinga, after meeting Mr Kibaki on Saturday.
On Saturday, he visited Eldoret in the Rift Valley, scene of some of the worst post-election violence took place and spoke to refugees living in camps.
"We saw gross and systematic abuse of human rights, of fellow citizens and it is essential that the facts be established and those responsible held to account," he said.
Fundamental changes, he added, were needed in Kenya to prevent a repetition of inter-ethnic violence.
"We cannot accept that periodically, every five years or so, this sort of incident takes place and no-one is held to account," he said.
African Union chief Alpha Oumar Konare also urged Kenya to seek a political solution to its problems.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Barack Obama Wins
Barack Obama routed Hillary Rodham Clinton in the racially charged South Carolina primary Saturday night, regaining campaign momentum in the prelude to a Feb. 5 coast-to-coast competition for more than 1,600 Democratic National Convention delegates.
The choice in this election is not about regions or religions or genders," Obama said at a boisterous victory rally. "It's not about rich versus poor, young versus old and it's not about black versus white. It's about the past versus the future."
The audience chanted "Race doesn't matter" as it awaited Obama to make his appearance after rolling up 55 percent of the vote in a three-way race.
But it did, in a primary that shattered turnout records.
About half the voters were black, according to polling place interviews, and four out of five of them supported Obama. Black women turned out in particularly large numbers. Obama, the first-term Illinois senator, got about a quarter of the white vote while Clinton and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina split the rest.
Clinton flew to Nashville as the polls closed, and looked ahead. "Now the eyes of the country turn to Tennessee and the other states voting on Feb. 5," she said, adding "millions and millions of Americans are going to have their voices heard."
Edwards finished a distant third, a sharp setback in the state where he was born and scored a primary victory in his first presidential campaign four years ago. Even so, he vowed to remain in the race, his goal, he said, to "give voice to all those whose voices aren't being heard."
The victory was Obama's first since he won the kickoff Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3. Clinton, a New York senator and former first lady, scored an upset in the New Hampshire primary a few days later. They split the Nevada caucuses, she winning the turnout race, he gaining a one-delegate margin. In an historic race, she hopes to become the first woman to occupy the White House, and Obama is the strongest black contender in history.
The South Carolina primary marked the end of the first phase of the campaign for the Democratic nomination, a series of single-state contests that winnowed the field, conferred co-front-runner status on Clinton and Obama but had relatively few delegates at stake.
That all changes in 10 days' time, when New York, Illinois and California are among the 15 states holding primaries in a virtual nationwide primary. Another seven states and American Samoa will hold Democratic caucuses on the same day.
Obama took a thinly veiled swipe at Clinton in his remarks.
"We are up against conventional thinking that says your ability to lead as president comes from longevity in Washington or proximity to the White House. But we know that real leadership is about candor, and judgment, and the ability to rally Americans from all walks of life around a common purpose — a higher purpose," Obama said.
Looking ahead to Feb. 5, he added that "nearly half the nation will have the chance to join us in saying that we are tired of business-as-usual in Washington, we are hungry for change, and we are ready to believe again."
Nearly complete returns showed Obama winning 55 percent of the vote, Clinton gaining 27 percent. Edwards had 18 percent and won only his home county of Oconee.
Obama also gained 25 convention delegates, Clinton won 12 and Edwards eight.
Overall, Clinton has 249 delegates, followed by Obama with 167 and Edwards with 58.
Obama also gained an endorsement from Caroline Kennedy, who likened the Illinois senator to her late father, President John F. Kennedy.
"I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them," she wrote on The New York Times op-ed page. "But for the first time, I believe I have found a man who could be that president — and not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans."
All three contenders campaigned in South Carolina on primary day, but only Obama and Edwards arranged to speak to supporters after the polls closed. Clinton left for Tennessee as the polls were closing. After playing a muted role in the earlier contests, the issue of race dominated an incendiary week that included a shift in strategy for Obama, a remarkably bitter debate and fresh scrutiny of former President Clinton's role in his wife's campaign.
Each side accused the other of playing the race card, sparking a controversy that frequently involved Bill Clinton.
"They are getting votes, to be sure, because of their race or gender. That's why people tell me Hillary doesn't have a chance of winning here," the former president said at one stop as he campaigned for his wife, strongly suggesting that blacks would not support a white alternative to Obama.
Clinton campaign strategists denied any intentional effort to stir the racial debate. But they said they believe the fallout has had the effect of branding Obama as "the black candidate," a tag that could hurt him outside the South.
Nearly six in 10 voters said the former president's efforts for his wife was important to their choice, and among them, slightly more favored Obama than the former first lady.
Overall, Obama defeated Clinton among both men and women.
The exit polls showed the economy was the most important issue in the race. About one quarter picked health care. And only one in five said it was the war in Iraq, underscoring the extent to which the once-dominant issue has faded in the face of financial concerns.
The exit poll was conducted by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International for The Associated Press and the networks.
The choice in this election is not about regions or religions or genders," Obama said at a boisterous victory rally. "It's not about rich versus poor, young versus old and it's not about black versus white. It's about the past versus the future."
The audience chanted "Race doesn't matter" as it awaited Obama to make his appearance after rolling up 55 percent of the vote in a three-way race.
But it did, in a primary that shattered turnout records.
About half the voters were black, according to polling place interviews, and four out of five of them supported Obama. Black women turned out in particularly large numbers. Obama, the first-term Illinois senator, got about a quarter of the white vote while Clinton and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina split the rest.
Clinton flew to Nashville as the polls closed, and looked ahead. "Now the eyes of the country turn to Tennessee and the other states voting on Feb. 5," she said, adding "millions and millions of Americans are going to have their voices heard."
Edwards finished a distant third, a sharp setback in the state where he was born and scored a primary victory in his first presidential campaign four years ago. Even so, he vowed to remain in the race, his goal, he said, to "give voice to all those whose voices aren't being heard."
The victory was Obama's first since he won the kickoff Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3. Clinton, a New York senator and former first lady, scored an upset in the New Hampshire primary a few days later. They split the Nevada caucuses, she winning the turnout race, he gaining a one-delegate margin. In an historic race, she hopes to become the first woman to occupy the White House, and Obama is the strongest black contender in history.
The South Carolina primary marked the end of the first phase of the campaign for the Democratic nomination, a series of single-state contests that winnowed the field, conferred co-front-runner status on Clinton and Obama but had relatively few delegates at stake.
That all changes in 10 days' time, when New York, Illinois and California are among the 15 states holding primaries in a virtual nationwide primary. Another seven states and American Samoa will hold Democratic caucuses on the same day.
Obama took a thinly veiled swipe at Clinton in his remarks.
"We are up against conventional thinking that says your ability to lead as president comes from longevity in Washington or proximity to the White House. But we know that real leadership is about candor, and judgment, and the ability to rally Americans from all walks of life around a common purpose — a higher purpose," Obama said.
Looking ahead to Feb. 5, he added that "nearly half the nation will have the chance to join us in saying that we are tired of business-as-usual in Washington, we are hungry for change, and we are ready to believe again."
Nearly complete returns showed Obama winning 55 percent of the vote, Clinton gaining 27 percent. Edwards had 18 percent and won only his home county of Oconee.
Obama also gained 25 convention delegates, Clinton won 12 and Edwards eight.
Overall, Clinton has 249 delegates, followed by Obama with 167 and Edwards with 58.
Obama also gained an endorsement from Caroline Kennedy, who likened the Illinois senator to her late father, President John F. Kennedy.
"I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them," she wrote on The New York Times op-ed page. "But for the first time, I believe I have found a man who could be that president — and not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans."
All three contenders campaigned in South Carolina on primary day, but only Obama and Edwards arranged to speak to supporters after the polls closed. Clinton left for Tennessee as the polls were closing. After playing a muted role in the earlier contests, the issue of race dominated an incendiary week that included a shift in strategy for Obama, a remarkably bitter debate and fresh scrutiny of former President Clinton's role in his wife's campaign.
Each side accused the other of playing the race card, sparking a controversy that frequently involved Bill Clinton.
"They are getting votes, to be sure, because of their race or gender. That's why people tell me Hillary doesn't have a chance of winning here," the former president said at one stop as he campaigned for his wife, strongly suggesting that blacks would not support a white alternative to Obama.
Clinton campaign strategists denied any intentional effort to stir the racial debate. But they said they believe the fallout has had the effect of branding Obama as "the black candidate," a tag that could hurt him outside the South.
Nearly six in 10 voters said the former president's efforts for his wife was important to their choice, and among them, slightly more favored Obama than the former first lady.
Overall, Obama defeated Clinton among both men and women.
The exit polls showed the economy was the most important issue in the race. About one quarter picked health care. And only one in five said it was the war in Iraq, underscoring the extent to which the once-dominant issue has faded in the face of financial concerns.
The exit poll was conducted by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International for The Associated Press and the networks.
Kofi Annan Blasts Kenyans Authorities
Former UN head Kofi Annan has condemned "gross and systematic abuses of human rights" in Kenya, after a visit to violence-hit parts of the country.
Mr Annan said conflict may have been triggered by disputed elections, but it had evolved into "something else".
The facts had to be established and those responsible held to account, Mr Annan said on his return to Nairobi.
Dozens more deaths were reported on Saturday, with corpses bearing the marks of brutal violence.
Police brought 16 badly burnt bodies to the mortuary in Nakuru, the capital of Rift Valley province. Nine other bodies had been recovered the previous evening, reports said.
Some 15 bodies - covered in arrow wounds - were reported to have been recovered following fighting between rival communities in the district of Molo.
Mr Annan - in Kenya to mediate attempts for a political solution - was flown over Nakuru on Saturday as part of a tour that also included visits to Eldoret and Molo.
Hospital staff in Nakuru said they had received the bodies of nine more people, hacked by machetes or killed by arrows.
Earlier the authorities had imposed an overnight curfew across the city in the wake of renewed inter-ethnic conflict.
Rival gangs of young men battled with machetes, metal bars, bows and arrows, while thick smoke billowed up from burning buildings.
The violence came despite hopes of progress after President Mwai Kibaki met opposition leader Raila Odinga for the first time on Thursday since December's disputed polls.
Burnt forests
Mr Annan set off from Nairobi shortly after first light on Saturday to see for himself some of the destruction and human misery caused by more than three weeks of violence.
He visited some of the thousands of people in Eldoret whose homes have been destroyed or who moved to the town to try to find shelter.
The former UN chief also boarded a helicopter to fly to Molo district where many have been killed.
Speaking in the capital, Nairobi, Mr Annan said: "What we saw was rather tragic. We visited several IDP [internally displaced persons] camps, we saw people pushed from their homes, from their farms, grandmothers, children, families uprooted.
"And I think it is important that all Kenyans respond with sympathy and understanding, and not try to revenge."
He also said there needed to be fundamental changes to Kenya's institutions to prevent a repetition.
"We cannot accept that periodically, every five years or so, this sort of incident takes place and no-one is held to account. Impunity cannot be allowed to stand," Mr Annan added.
Tanzania's former President, Benjamin Mkapa, travelling with Mr Annan, said: "The political crisis in the country [has caused] a state of agony and despair. We console the people."
Barricade
There has been sporadic gunfire in Nakuru on Saturday.
The BBC's Adam Mynott says that some protesters erected a barricade across the main road and many homes have been burnt in the town.
Hundreds of people have sought refuge in churches or friends' homes.
There are also reports of truckloads of many young men being moved overnight to a village on the outskirts of the town.
The unrest triggered by the election on 27 December has driven 250,000 people from their homes. Mr Odinga says he was robbed of the presidency.
Mr Annan said conflict may have been triggered by disputed elections, but it had evolved into "something else".
The facts had to be established and those responsible held to account, Mr Annan said on his return to Nairobi.
Dozens more deaths were reported on Saturday, with corpses bearing the marks of brutal violence.
Police brought 16 badly burnt bodies to the mortuary in Nakuru, the capital of Rift Valley province. Nine other bodies had been recovered the previous evening, reports said.
Some 15 bodies - covered in arrow wounds - were reported to have been recovered following fighting between rival communities in the district of Molo.
Mr Annan - in Kenya to mediate attempts for a political solution - was flown over Nakuru on Saturday as part of a tour that also included visits to Eldoret and Molo.
Hospital staff in Nakuru said they had received the bodies of nine more people, hacked by machetes or killed by arrows.
Earlier the authorities had imposed an overnight curfew across the city in the wake of renewed inter-ethnic conflict.
Rival gangs of young men battled with machetes, metal bars, bows and arrows, while thick smoke billowed up from burning buildings.
The violence came despite hopes of progress after President Mwai Kibaki met opposition leader Raila Odinga for the first time on Thursday since December's disputed polls.
Burnt forests
Mr Annan set off from Nairobi shortly after first light on Saturday to see for himself some of the destruction and human misery caused by more than three weeks of violence.
He visited some of the thousands of people in Eldoret whose homes have been destroyed or who moved to the town to try to find shelter.
The former UN chief also boarded a helicopter to fly to Molo district where many have been killed.
Speaking in the capital, Nairobi, Mr Annan said: "What we saw was rather tragic. We visited several IDP [internally displaced persons] camps, we saw people pushed from their homes, from their farms, grandmothers, children, families uprooted.
"And I think it is important that all Kenyans respond with sympathy and understanding, and not try to revenge."
He also said there needed to be fundamental changes to Kenya's institutions to prevent a repetition.
"We cannot accept that periodically, every five years or so, this sort of incident takes place and no-one is held to account. Impunity cannot be allowed to stand," Mr Annan added.
Tanzania's former President, Benjamin Mkapa, travelling with Mr Annan, said: "The political crisis in the country [has caused] a state of agony and despair. We console the people."
Barricade
There has been sporadic gunfire in Nakuru on Saturday.
The BBC's Adam Mynott says that some protesters erected a barricade across the main road and many homes have been burnt in the town.
Hundreds of people have sought refuge in churches or friends' homes.
There are also reports of truckloads of many young men being moved overnight to a village on the outskirts of the town.
The unrest triggered by the election on 27 December has driven 250,000 people from their homes. Mr Odinga says he was robbed of the presidency.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Republican Rivals Unite In Attacking Clinton
Republican presidential hopefuls heading to a key Florida primary put on a show of civility Thursday during a debate that contrasted with the bitter squabbling between Democratic front-runners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
The four leading Republican candidates all expressed support for the Iraq war, called for deeper tax cuts and even exchanged compliments, keeping their sharpest barbs for Senator Clinton.
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and Senator John McCain, who lead the Republican field, both lashed out at the former first lady's stance on the Iraq war.
Americans "don't want us to raise the white flag of surrender like Senator Clinton does," McCain said during the 90-minute debate in Boca Raton, Florida. "They know they can win."
Romney also called for increasing the size of the US armed forces by 100,000 troops to about 1.6 million.
The debate was seen as a crucial test ahead of Tuesday's Florida primary, considered pivotal for the Republicans because it delivers 57 delegates to the national assembly that will nominate the party's presidential candidate.
It is also the last major vote in the Republican race before a blitz of state primaries on February 5 known as Super Tuesday.
The race is seen as a make-or-break test for former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who has staked his all on the state's primary but has seen support erode rapidly as his rivals picked up victories in smaller states.
Giuliani dismissed speculation the Florida primary would sound the death knell for his campaign.
"I think we'll do very well in Florida and very well on February 5th," he said.
A voter intention poll out Thursday indicated Romney and McCain were running neck-and-neck in the Florida race.
The Mason Dixon poll, conducted for a group of Florida newspapers, had Romney taking 30 percent and McCain 26 percent, with a margin of error of plus or minus five percentage points.
Giuliani was in third place with 18 percent of likely voters and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee had 13 percent.
Buoyed by recent victories in South Carolina and Louisiana, McCain has picked up a crop of endorsements, including one from General Norman Schwarzkopf, who led allied forces in the 1991 Gulf War, and another from Rambo actor Sylvester Stallone.
McCain's status as a Vietnam war hero could help him in Florida, a state that is home to many war veterans and military bases.
Romney, for his part, has focused on his economic credentials at a time when many Americans fear the country could be headed toward recession.
"I spent my life in the real economy," Romney said in a television campaign ad, playing up his history as a venture capitalist with a reputation for successfully turning around ailing companies.
On the Democratic side, the candidates stayed away from Florida where their primary will not count because it is being held earlier than allowed under national party rules.
Clinton and Obama, a senator for Illinois, were campaigning hard in South Carolina, which holds a Democratic primary on Saturday.
Their campaigning has been overshadowed in recent days by a blazing dispute between Clinton's husband, former president Bill Clinton, and Obama.
Obama is leading by double digits in South Carolina, with a Zogby poll on Thursday giving him 39 percent, with Clinton getting 24 percent. John Edwards is running third with 19 percent.
After winning in the first vote in Iowa, Obama is counting on a new victory in South Carolina to boost his momentum going into Super Tuesday, after he lost the last votes in New Hampshire and Nevada to Clinton.
But Clinton got a strong boost from the New York Times, which gave her a glowing endorsement.
"Hearing her talk about the presidency, her policies and answers for America's big problems, we are hugely impressed by the depth of her knowledge, by the force of her intellect and by the breadth of, yes, her experience," the paper said.
The four leading Republican candidates all expressed support for the Iraq war, called for deeper tax cuts and even exchanged compliments, keeping their sharpest barbs for Senator Clinton.
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and Senator John McCain, who lead the Republican field, both lashed out at the former first lady's stance on the Iraq war.
Americans "don't want us to raise the white flag of surrender like Senator Clinton does," McCain said during the 90-minute debate in Boca Raton, Florida. "They know they can win."
Romney also called for increasing the size of the US armed forces by 100,000 troops to about 1.6 million.
The debate was seen as a crucial test ahead of Tuesday's Florida primary, considered pivotal for the Republicans because it delivers 57 delegates to the national assembly that will nominate the party's presidential candidate.
It is also the last major vote in the Republican race before a blitz of state primaries on February 5 known as Super Tuesday.
The race is seen as a make-or-break test for former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who has staked his all on the state's primary but has seen support erode rapidly as his rivals picked up victories in smaller states.
Giuliani dismissed speculation the Florida primary would sound the death knell for his campaign.
"I think we'll do very well in Florida and very well on February 5th," he said.
A voter intention poll out Thursday indicated Romney and McCain were running neck-and-neck in the Florida race.
The Mason Dixon poll, conducted for a group of Florida newspapers, had Romney taking 30 percent and McCain 26 percent, with a margin of error of plus or minus five percentage points.
Giuliani was in third place with 18 percent of likely voters and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee had 13 percent.
Buoyed by recent victories in South Carolina and Louisiana, McCain has picked up a crop of endorsements, including one from General Norman Schwarzkopf, who led allied forces in the 1991 Gulf War, and another from Rambo actor Sylvester Stallone.
McCain's status as a Vietnam war hero could help him in Florida, a state that is home to many war veterans and military bases.
Romney, for his part, has focused on his economic credentials at a time when many Americans fear the country could be headed toward recession.
"I spent my life in the real economy," Romney said in a television campaign ad, playing up his history as a venture capitalist with a reputation for successfully turning around ailing companies.
On the Democratic side, the candidates stayed away from Florida where their primary will not count because it is being held earlier than allowed under national party rules.
Clinton and Obama, a senator for Illinois, were campaigning hard in South Carolina, which holds a Democratic primary on Saturday.
Their campaigning has been overshadowed in recent days by a blazing dispute between Clinton's husband, former president Bill Clinton, and Obama.
Obama is leading by double digits in South Carolina, with a Zogby poll on Thursday giving him 39 percent, with Clinton getting 24 percent. John Edwards is running third with 19 percent.
After winning in the first vote in Iowa, Obama is counting on a new victory in South Carolina to boost his momentum going into Super Tuesday, after he lost the last votes in New Hampshire and Nevada to Clinton.
But Clinton got a strong boost from the New York Times, which gave her a glowing endorsement.
"Hearing her talk about the presidency, her policies and answers for America's big problems, we are hugely impressed by the depth of her knowledge, by the force of her intellect and by the breadth of, yes, her experience," the paper said.
Clinton, McCain win New York Times endorsements
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The New York Times on Thursday endorsed Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton and Republican Sen. John McCain for their party's nominations to contest the U.S. presidential election in November
In selecting Clinton, a New York senator, the influential newspaper's editorial board said her experience gave her an advantage over her chief rival in the Democratic race, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, though on the major issues they were not that different.
"Hearing her talk about the presidency, her policies and answers for America's big problems, we are hugely impressed by the depth of her knowledge, by the force of her intellect and by the breadth of, yes, her experience," the newspaper said.
During her years in the Senate, Clinton has immersed herself in national security issues and has won the respect of world leaders and many in the American military, the newspaper said, adding that she would be a strong commander in chief.
Clinton is embroiled in a tight nomination battle with Obama, who would be the first African American president if elected. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards has been running in third place.
The newspaper urged Clinton to take the lead in changing the tone of the campaign, in which the Obama and Clinton camps have been trading harsh accusations in a bitter public fight.
"It is not good for the country, the Democratic Party or for Mrs. Clinton, who is often tagged as divisive," the newspaper said.
In backing McCain, the Times editorial board said it had strong disagreements with all the Republicans running for the presidency, but among them the Arizona senator was an easy choice.
McCain's chief rivals for the Republican nomination are former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.
"Senator John McCain of Arizona is the only Republican who promises to end the George Bush style of governing from and on behalf of a small, angry fringe. With a record of working across the aisle to develop sound bipartisan legislation, he would offer a choice to a broader range of Americans than the rest of the Republican field," the newspaper said.
The Times said McCain has shown he has the character to stand on principle, that he was an early advocate for battling global warming and he was one of the first prominent Republicans to point out how badly the war in Iraq was being managed.
" A genuine war hero among Republicans who proclaim their zeal to be commander in chief, Mr. McCain argues passionately that a country's treatment of prisoners in the worst of times says a great deal about its character," the newspaper said.
The New York paper said it could not endorse Giuliani, describing the city's former mayor as a "narrow, obsessively secretive, vindictive man" whose "arrogance and bad judgment are breathtaking."
Giuliani brushed off the paper's portrayal when asked about it during a Republican debate in Boca Raton, Florida.
"I think there are some serious ideological differences," Guiliani said. "That probably was some of the nicest language they've written about me in the last six months."
In selecting Clinton, a New York senator, the influential newspaper's editorial board said her experience gave her an advantage over her chief rival in the Democratic race, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, though on the major issues they were not that different.
"Hearing her talk about the presidency, her policies and answers for America's big problems, we are hugely impressed by the depth of her knowledge, by the force of her intellect and by the breadth of, yes, her experience," the newspaper said.
During her years in the Senate, Clinton has immersed herself in national security issues and has won the respect of world leaders and many in the American military, the newspaper said, adding that she would be a strong commander in chief.
Clinton is embroiled in a tight nomination battle with Obama, who would be the first African American president if elected. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards has been running in third place.
The newspaper urged Clinton to take the lead in changing the tone of the campaign, in which the Obama and Clinton camps have been trading harsh accusations in a bitter public fight.
"It is not good for the country, the Democratic Party or for Mrs. Clinton, who is often tagged as divisive," the newspaper said.
In backing McCain, the Times editorial board said it had strong disagreements with all the Republicans running for the presidency, but among them the Arizona senator was an easy choice.
McCain's chief rivals for the Republican nomination are former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.
"Senator John McCain of Arizona is the only Republican who promises to end the George Bush style of governing from and on behalf of a small, angry fringe. With a record of working across the aisle to develop sound bipartisan legislation, he would offer a choice to a broader range of Americans than the rest of the Republican field," the newspaper said.
The Times said McCain has shown he has the character to stand on principle, that he was an early advocate for battling global warming and he was one of the first prominent Republicans to point out how badly the war in Iraq was being managed.
" A genuine war hero among Republicans who proclaim their zeal to be commander in chief, Mr. McCain argues passionately that a country's treatment of prisoners in the worst of times says a great deal about its character," the newspaper said.
The New York paper said it could not endorse Giuliani, describing the city's former mayor as a "narrow, obsessively secretive, vindictive man" whose "arrogance and bad judgment are breathtaking."
Giuliani brushed off the paper's portrayal when asked about it during a Republican debate in Boca Raton, Florida.
"I think there are some serious ideological differences," Guiliani said. "That probably was some of the nicest language they've written about me in the last six months."
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Bill Clinton: Race, gender key in S.C.
DILLON, S.C. - He's not on the ballot but Bill Clinton seemed to dominate the South Carolina presidential campaign, disparaging Barack Obama and journalists and predicting that many voters will be guided mainly by gender and race loyalties.
The former president suggested that his wife, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, may lose Saturday's Democratic primary because many black voters will side with Obama. The unusually direct comment on the possible role of race in the election was in keeping with the Clintons' bid to portray Obama as the clear favorite, thereby lessening the potential fallout if it proves true.
Voting for president along racial and gender lines "is understandable, because people are proud when someone who they identify with emerges for the first time," the former president told a Charleston audience Wednesday while campaigning for his wife, a role he has played all week.
His comments and a later outburst with a reporter came on a day when Obama continued to challenge Hillary Clinton's candor and trustworthiness. He said his chief rival has indulged in double-talk on bankruptcy laws, trade and other issues.
The atmosphere grew more charged after Clinton's campaign aired a radio ad in South Carolina suggesting Obama approved of Republican ideas. Obama responded with his own radio spot that says, "Hillary Clinton will say anything to get elected."
Politicians "don't always say what they mean, or mean what they say," the Illinois senator told about 900 people at Winthrop University, in Rock Hill, Wednesday. "That is what this debate in this party is all about."
At each of three main stops Wednesday, Obama mocked Clinton for saying she voted for a 2001 bankruptcy bill but was happy it did not become law.
"Senator Clinton said, `Well, I voted for it, but I hoped the bill would die,'" he said, drawing hoots from the university crowd.
Bill Clinton, campaigning on the coast while Obama was inland, said Obama and the media had stirred up tensions over race in response to some Democrats' criticisms of the couple's strategies.
"I never heard a word of public complaint when Mr. Obama said Hillary was not truthful," and had "no character, was poll-driven. He had more pollsters than she did," the ex-president said in a heated exchange with a CNN reporter. "When he put out a hit job on me at the same time he called her the senator from Punjab, I never said a word."
It was not clear what he meant by "hit job."
The former president has accused Obama of exaggerating his anti-war record and handing out undeserved praise to Republicans. Clinton said he personally witnessed Obama's union forces intimidating Nevada caucus-goers and said an Obama radio ad suggested how Democrats could keep votes from his wife.
Last year, Obama's campaign circulated a memo describing Hillary Clinton as "D-Punjab," a reference to her Indian-American donors. Obama has said that was a mistake.
Bill Clinton said civil rights leaders Andrew Young and John Lewis have defended his wife. "They both said that Hillary was right and the people who attacked her were wrong and that she did not play the race card, but they did," he said.
Clinton said the news media is much tougher on his wife than on Obama. At the end of the exchange, he told the CNN reporter, "Shame on you."
Clinton also told about 100 people in Charleston that he was proud of the Democratic Party for having a woman and a black candidate and he understands why Obama is drawing support among blacks, who may comprise up to half of Saturday's turnout.
"As far as I can tell, neither Senator Obama nor Hillary have lost votes because of their race or gender," he said. "They are getting votes, to be sure, because of their race or gender — that's why people tell me Hillary doesn't have a chance of winning here."
The former president suggested that his wife, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, may lose Saturday's Democratic primary because many black voters will side with Obama. The unusually direct comment on the possible role of race in the election was in keeping with the Clintons' bid to portray Obama as the clear favorite, thereby lessening the potential fallout if it proves true.
Voting for president along racial and gender lines "is understandable, because people are proud when someone who they identify with emerges for the first time," the former president told a Charleston audience Wednesday while campaigning for his wife, a role he has played all week.
His comments and a later outburst with a reporter came on a day when Obama continued to challenge Hillary Clinton's candor and trustworthiness. He said his chief rival has indulged in double-talk on bankruptcy laws, trade and other issues.
The atmosphere grew more charged after Clinton's campaign aired a radio ad in South Carolina suggesting Obama approved of Republican ideas. Obama responded with his own radio spot that says, "Hillary Clinton will say anything to get elected."
Politicians "don't always say what they mean, or mean what they say," the Illinois senator told about 900 people at Winthrop University, in Rock Hill, Wednesday. "That is what this debate in this party is all about."
At each of three main stops Wednesday, Obama mocked Clinton for saying she voted for a 2001 bankruptcy bill but was happy it did not become law.
"Senator Clinton said, `Well, I voted for it, but I hoped the bill would die,'" he said, drawing hoots from the university crowd.
Bill Clinton, campaigning on the coast while Obama was inland, said Obama and the media had stirred up tensions over race in response to some Democrats' criticisms of the couple's strategies.
"I never heard a word of public complaint when Mr. Obama said Hillary was not truthful," and had "no character, was poll-driven. He had more pollsters than she did," the ex-president said in a heated exchange with a CNN reporter. "When he put out a hit job on me at the same time he called her the senator from Punjab, I never said a word."
It was not clear what he meant by "hit job."
The former president has accused Obama of exaggerating his anti-war record and handing out undeserved praise to Republicans. Clinton said he personally witnessed Obama's union forces intimidating Nevada caucus-goers and said an Obama radio ad suggested how Democrats could keep votes from his wife.
Last year, Obama's campaign circulated a memo describing Hillary Clinton as "D-Punjab," a reference to her Indian-American donors. Obama has said that was a mistake.
Bill Clinton said civil rights leaders Andrew Young and John Lewis have defended his wife. "They both said that Hillary was right and the people who attacked her were wrong and that she did not play the race card, but they did," he said.
Clinton said the news media is much tougher on his wife than on Obama. At the end of the exchange, he told the CNN reporter, "Shame on you."
Clinton also told about 100 people in Charleston that he was proud of the Democratic Party for having a woman and a black candidate and he understands why Obama is drawing support among blacks, who may comprise up to half of Saturday's turnout.
"As far as I can tell, neither Senator Obama nor Hillary have lost votes because of their race or gender," he said. "They are getting votes, to be sure, because of their race or gender — that's why people tell me Hillary doesn't have a chance of winning here."
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Update ON Heath Ledger
NEW YORK - A makeshift memorial of flowers and candles grew Wednesday outside the apartment building of Heath Ledger, whose Oscar-winning director in "Brokeback Mountain" called his death a "heartbreaking" ending to a superb acting career and life.
An autopsy on the 28-year-old actor was inconclusive, the medical examiner's office said Wednesday. It will take about 10 days to complete the investigation, said Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the office.
The Australian-born actor was found dead Tuesday by his housekeeper and masseuse‚‚ lying naked and face-down at the foot of his bed, police said.
Police on Wednesday said they found bottles of prescription sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication in his bedroom and in the bathroom; there were still pills in the bottles.
Earlier, police said the death was caused by a possible drug overdose and appeared to be accidental.
News of the death stunned family, fans and colleagues.
"Working with Heath was one of the purest joys of my life," said Ang Lee, who directed Ledger in "Brokeback Mountain."
"He brought to the role of Ennis more than any of us could have imagined a thirst for life, for love and for truth, and a vulnerability that made everyone who knew him love him. His death is heartbreaking."
Speaking in Perth, Ledger's father called the death "tragic, untimely and accidental."
Kim Ledger called his son "down-to-earth, generous, kind-hearted, life-loving, unselfish" and "extremely inspirational to many."
"Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life," he said. "Please now respect our family's need to grieve and come to terms with our loss privately."
Khaled Ali, 41, a stage manager for a Broadway show, dropped off a candle outside Ledger's building on his way to work Wednesday morning. He said he and his fellow cast members were devastated.
"I felt a connection with him as an actor, as a fellow in the theater community," he said. "With 'Brokeback Mountain' he touched me personally in telling the story of my community. It was very touching."
Ledger was known for grueling, intense roles that became his trademark after he got his start in teen movies like "10 Things I Hate About You."
He avoided the safe path in favor of roles that forced him to bury his Australian accent and downplay his leading-man looks: the tormented gay cowboy Ennis Del Mar in "Brokeback Mountain," a drug addict in "Candy," an incarnation of Bob Dylan in "I'm Not There."
In what may be his final finished performance, he took a rare role in a guaranteed summer blockbuster, playing Batman's nemesis, the Joker, in the upcoming "The Dark Knight." But the role was nothing he could phone in; it forced him to rebrand a character last played on the big screen by Jack Nicholson.
"I had such great hope for him," said Mel Gibson, who played Ledger's father in "The Patriot." "He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss."
Ledger split last year with Michelle Williams, who played his wife in "Brokeback." The two had a daughter, the now 2-year-old Matilda, and had lived together in Brooklyn's Boerum Hill neighborhood.
Early Wednesday, Williams and Matilda left Trollhattan, Sweden, where the 27-year-old actress had been shooting scenes for the upcoming film "Mammoth," said Martin Stromberg, a spokesman for film production company Memfis Film.
"She received the news at her hotel late last night," Stromberg said, adding he had not spoken to the actress after she learned of Ledger's death.
The actor's personal strife was accompanied by professional anxiety.
Ledger said in an interview in November that "Dark Knight" and last year's "I'm Not There," took a heavy toll. He said he "stressed out a little too much" during the Dylan film, and had trouble sleeping while portraying the Joker, whom he called a "psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy."
"Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night," Ledger told The New York Times. "I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going." He said he took two Ambien pills, which only worked for an hour.
News of Ledger's death spread quickly, from the crowd of 300 people that gathered Tuesday outside his Manhattan apartment to the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, where those with close ties to the actor included Naomi Watts, who dated him after they met on the set of "Lords of Dogtown," a fictionalized story about the birth of modern skateboarding.
Ledger was born in 1979 in the western Australian city of Perth to a mining engineer and a French teacher, and got his first acting role playing Peter Pan at age 10 at a local theater company. He began acting in independent films as a 16-year-old in Sydney and played a cyclist hoping to land a spot on an Olympic team in a 1996 television show, "Seat."
After several independent films, Ledger moved to Los Angeles at age 19 and starred opposite Julia Stiles in "10 Things I Hate About You," a reworking of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew." Offers for other teen flicks came his way, but Ledger turned them down, preferring to remain idle than sign on for projects he didn't like.
"It wasn't a hard decision for me," Ledger told The Associated Press in 2001. "It was hard for everyone else around me to understand. Agents were like, 'You're crazy,' my parents were like, 'Come on, you have to eat.'"
He began to gravitate toward more independent films after roles in "Monster's Ball," "The Patriot" and "A Knight's Tale." His work in 2005's "Brokeback Mountain" earned him an Academy Award nomination for best actor.
In the 2006 film "Candy," Ledger played a poet wrestling with a heroin addiction along with his girlfriend. Neil Armfield, who directed Ledger in the film, said the actor had "handled his career incredibly well," steering himself toward more challenging roles.
"He made a decision about four years ago to stop being led by producers and managers and to forge his own way," Armfield told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.
He brought the same intensity to "Dark Knight." Glimpsed in early teaser trailers, Ledger is more depraved and dark than comical. The film's director, Christopher Nolan, said this month that Ledger's Joker would be wildly different from Nicholson's.
"It was a very great challenge for Heath," Nolan said. "He's extremely original, extremely frightening, tremendously edgy. A very young character, a very anarchic presence that taps into a lot of our basic fears and panic."
Ledger was a widely recognized figure in his SoHo neighborhood, where Michelle Vella said she frequently saw him carrying his 2-year-old daughter on his shoulders, or having ice cream with her.
"It's a shock; he's so young," said Taren Dolbashian, who also had seen Ledger with his daughter. "He always seems so happy."
Near the entrance to the building housing Ledger's loft, about two dozen bouquets and a dozen candles formed a memorial.
One note said, "I couldn't find anything bad about you."
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Gazans flood through Egypt border
Thousands of Palestinians have surged into Egypt from the Gaza Strip after masked militants blew several holes in a border wall.
Gazans rushed to buy food, fuel and other supplies that have become scarce because of an Israeli blockade - aimed at stopping rocket attacks from Gaza.
Egypt has backed the closure and the militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, has urged it to open its border.
Egyptian border guards took no action against the raid, eyewitnesses said.
Gaza has been short of fuel and other essential goods since last week, when Israel imposed the blockade.
It was eased slightly on Tuesday to allow some fuel and medicines through.
Early on Wednesday gunmen set off a number of explosions along the wall on the border.
Among the thousands of Gazans who crossed into Egypt near the town of Rafah was Ibrahim Abu Taha, a father of seven.
"We want to buy food, we want to buy rice and sugar, milk and wheat and some cheese," he told the Associated Press news agency.
Water cannon
Earlier on Wednesday, a Hamas militant was killed during an exchange of fire near Gaza's border with Israel, Palestinian officials said.
Both incidents came a day after 60 women were injured when Egyptian police broke up a protest against the siege at the Rafah crossing.
The BBC's Ian Pannell, who is on the Egyptian side of the border, says thousands of Palestinians have crossed through the breached wall and were stocking up on essentials, petrol and cigarettes.
Among them was Ibrahim Abu Taha, a father of seven, who told the Associated Press news agency:
"We want to buy food, we want to buy rice and sugar, milk and wheat and some cheese."
Water cannon
In 2005, Hamas militants blew up holes in the border with Egypt following the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip.
Wednesday's scenes at the Rafah crossing come a day after Egyptian police broke up a protest there by women.
In New York on Tuesday, Israeli and Palestinian envoys had clashed at the United Nations Security Council during a debate on Israel's blockade.
The Palestinian UN observer accused Israel of fuelling violence, while the Israeli envoy said his country had to protect its people from rocket attacks.
The council was considering a call for Israel to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza freely.
Tuesday's council debate had been requested by Arab and Islamic states amid a growing international outcry at what the European Union termed the "collective punishment" of Gaza's 1.5m residents.
Some council members have been pushing for a compromise resolution, condemning the rocket attacks and recognising "Israel's rights to self-defence", but also urging the Israelis to lift the closure.
However Israeli representative Gilad Cohen denied that Israel was violating international law.
"It is the duty of all states to ensure the right to life and safety of its people, especially from vicious acts of violence and terrorism," he said, adding that Israel would "ensure the humanitarian welfare" of Gaza.
Missing U.S. Marine Spotted iIn Mexico
GUADALAJARA, Mexico - Missing Marine Cesar Laurean, wanted in the slaying of a pregnant colleague, visited relatives in Mexico last week but left without saying where he was headed, a man identified as his cousin said Tuesday.
Juan Antonio Ramos Ramirez told The Associated Press that Laurean walked into his liquor store last Monday or Tuesday and the two cousins chatted for 10 minutes about their families. Laurean then told Ramos Ramirez that he had to get back to two friends outside, but he might return. He never came back.
CNN first reported Tuesday that Laurean had briefly stopped by Ramos Ramirez's liquor store in Zapopan, just outside Guadalajara.
Days later, Ramos Ramirez saw a television report that Laurean was wanted in the United States for killing 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach.
"We were completely shocked," he said.
Authorities have said they suspected that Laurean had fled to Mexico, but the comments from Ramos Ramirez were the first public confirmation that the Marine had been in the country.
Mexican and U.S. officials said they were looking into the report, but didn't have any more information.
The Marines first began searching for Lauterbach on Dec. 17, after Lauterbach failed to show up for work. Local authorities took up the case Dec. 19, after her mother reported her missing. Three weeks later, officials found Lauterbach's burned remains in a fire pit in Laurean's back yard.
Lauterbach had earlier accused Laurean of rape. Laurean left a note for his wife, Christina, that said Lauterbach slit her own throat with a knife, and he then buried her in the woods near their home.
An autopsy found that Lauterbach died of blunt force trauma to the head.
CNN reported Tuesday night that Laurean had mailed two other letters to his family before crossing the border. On Jan. 11, Laurean boarded a bus in Raleigh, N.C., headed for Houston, where he caught a second bus to Mexico for about $170, CNN quoted an unidentified law enforcement official as saying.
The second bus driver told authorities Laurean identified himself as Armando Ramirez, the same official said.
CNN also showed video of a man authorities believe is Laurean withdrawing money from Lauterbach's bank account at an ATM on Dec. 24.
Ramos Ramirez said he didn't contact police about his cousin because he believes Laurean is innocent.
"It didn't seem right to contact police," he said. "He is a normal person, with no tendency for doing bad things."
He said police still hadn't contacted him about his cousin late Tuesday, despite the international manhunt.
Officials in Jalisco state, home to Guadalajara, said they hadn't been formally notified of Laurean's warrant.
Ramos Ramirez said Laurean and most of the Marine's family moved to the U.S. more than 10 years ago, and he had seen Laurean only three other times since. The second time, five years ago, Laurean came for vacation and spent a few days with Ramos Ramirez's mother, Maria Ramirez.
Laurean hasn't contacted any other family members in Mexico, Ramos Ramirez said.
He said Laurean didn't stay long, and didn't say anything about why he was in Mexico or where he was headed next. Ramos Ramirez said he wasn't surprised by the brief visit because Laurean isn't very close to relatives in Mexico. His cousin seemed calm, he added.
"It was like any visit," Ramos Ramirez said
Juan Antonio Ramos Ramirez told The Associated Press that Laurean walked into his liquor store last Monday or Tuesday and the two cousins chatted for 10 minutes about their families. Laurean then told Ramos Ramirez that he had to get back to two friends outside, but he might return. He never came back.
CNN first reported Tuesday that Laurean had briefly stopped by Ramos Ramirez's liquor store in Zapopan, just outside Guadalajara.
Days later, Ramos Ramirez saw a television report that Laurean was wanted in the United States for killing 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach.
"We were completely shocked," he said.
Authorities have said they suspected that Laurean had fled to Mexico, but the comments from Ramos Ramirez were the first public confirmation that the Marine had been in the country.
Mexican and U.S. officials said they were looking into the report, but didn't have any more information.
The Marines first began searching for Lauterbach on Dec. 17, after Lauterbach failed to show up for work. Local authorities took up the case Dec. 19, after her mother reported her missing. Three weeks later, officials found Lauterbach's burned remains in a fire pit in Laurean's back yard.
Lauterbach had earlier accused Laurean of rape. Laurean left a note for his wife, Christina, that said Lauterbach slit her own throat with a knife, and he then buried her in the woods near their home.
An autopsy found that Lauterbach died of blunt force trauma to the head.
CNN reported Tuesday night that Laurean had mailed two other letters to his family before crossing the border. On Jan. 11, Laurean boarded a bus in Raleigh, N.C., headed for Houston, where he caught a second bus to Mexico for about $170, CNN quoted an unidentified law enforcement official as saying.
The second bus driver told authorities Laurean identified himself as Armando Ramirez, the same official said.
CNN also showed video of a man authorities believe is Laurean withdrawing money from Lauterbach's bank account at an ATM on Dec. 24.
Ramos Ramirez said he didn't contact police about his cousin because he believes Laurean is innocent.
"It didn't seem right to contact police," he said. "He is a normal person, with no tendency for doing bad things."
He said police still hadn't contacted him about his cousin late Tuesday, despite the international manhunt.
Officials in Jalisco state, home to Guadalajara, said they hadn't been formally notified of Laurean's warrant.
Ramos Ramirez said Laurean and most of the Marine's family moved to the U.S. more than 10 years ago, and he had seen Laurean only three other times since. The second time, five years ago, Laurean came for vacation and spent a few days with Ramos Ramirez's mother, Maria Ramirez.
Laurean hasn't contacted any other family members in Mexico, Ramos Ramirez said.
He said Laurean didn't stay long, and didn't say anything about why he was in Mexico or where he was headed next. Ramos Ramirez said he wasn't surprised by the brief visit because Laurean isn't very close to relatives in Mexico. His cousin seemed calm, he added.
"It was like any visit," Ramos Ramirez said
Study: False statements preceded war
WASHINGTON - A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.
The study concluded that the statements "were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses."
The study was posted Tuesday on the Web site of the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism.
White House spokesman Scott Stanzel did not comment on the merits of the study Tuesday night but reiterated the administration's position that the world community viewed Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, as a threat.
"The actions taken in 2003 were based on the collective judgment of intelligence agencies around the world," Stanzel said.
The study counted 935 false statements in the two-year period. It found that in speeches, briefings, interviews and other venues, Bush and administration officials stated unequivocally on at least 532 occasions that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or was trying to produce or obtain them or had links to al-Qaida or both.
"It is now beyond dispute that Iraq did not possess any weapons of mass destruction or have meaningful ties to al-Qaida," according to Charles Lewis and Mark Reading-Smith of the Fund for Independence in Journalism staff members, writing an overview of the study. "In short, the Bush administration led the nation to war on the basis of erroneous information that it methodically propagated and that culminated in military action against Iraq on March 19, 2003."
Named in the study along with Bush were top officials of the administration during the period studied: Vice President Dick Cheney, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and White House press secretaries Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan.
Bush led with 259 false statements, 231 about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 28 about Iraq's links to al-Qaida, the study found. That was second only to Powell's 244 false statements about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 10 about Iraq and al-Qaida.
The center said the study was based on a database created with public statements over the two years beginning on Sept. 11, 2001, and information from more than 25 government reports, books, articles, speeches and interviews.
"The cumulative effect of these false statements — amplified by thousands of news stories and broadcasts — was massive, with the media coverage creating an almost impenetrable din for several critical months in the run-up to war," the study concluded.
"Some journalists — indeed, even some entire news organizations — have since acknowledged that their coverage during those prewar months was far too deferential and uncritical. These mea culpas notwithstanding, much of the wall-to-wall media coverage provided additional, 'independent' validation of the Bush administration's false statements about Iraq," it said.
Teenage Girl 'Critical' After Knife Attack
A 14-year-old girl is fighting for her life in hospital after a knife attack in a park, police have said.
Jessica Knight was found with multiple stab wounds by a passer-by in Astley Park, in Chorley, Lancashire.
Det Supt Steve Brunskill, leading the police investigation, said: "This is a particularly nasty assault on a defenceless young girl.
"I am appealing for anyone who was in the Astley Village or Astley Park area between 4.30pm and 5.30pm yesterday to contact the incident room at Chorley.
"I am particularly interested to hear from anyone who may have seen any suspicious behaviour or who has noticed anything in the area recently that has aroused their suspicion."
Mr Brunskill added: "In particular, if you know of anyone who returned home after 5.15pm yesterday in an agitated state, who may also have been blood-stained, then we need to speak to you."
Officers are with Jessica's family at the hospital and are waiting to speak to her to piece together what happened.
Extra officers, including mounted officers and neighbourhood policing teams, will be on patrol in the area.
Officers will be visiting local schools to give reassurance to teachers and pupils and a mobile police station will also be in place in the Astley Village area.
:: Anyone with information can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Jessica Knight was found with multiple stab wounds by a passer-by in Astley Park, in Chorley, Lancashire.
Det Supt Steve Brunskill, leading the police investigation, said: "This is a particularly nasty assault on a defenceless young girl.
"I am appealing for anyone who was in the Astley Village or Astley Park area between 4.30pm and 5.30pm yesterday to contact the incident room at Chorley.
"I am particularly interested to hear from anyone who may have seen any suspicious behaviour or who has noticed anything in the area recently that has aroused their suspicion."
Mr Brunskill added: "In particular, if you know of anyone who returned home after 5.15pm yesterday in an agitated state, who may also have been blood-stained, then we need to speak to you."
Officers are with Jessica's family at the hospital and are waiting to speak to her to piece together what happened.
Extra officers, including mounted officers and neighbourhood policing teams, will be on patrol in the area.
Officers will be visiting local schools to give reassurance to teachers and pupils and a mobile police station will also be in place in the Astley Village area.
:: Anyone with information can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Thompson quits White House race
Former US Senator Fred Thompson has withdrawn from the Republican presidential race, after a string of poor finishes in early voting rounds.
"I have withdrawn my candidacy... I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort," he said in a short statement.
It follows his third place result in Saturday's South Carolina primary - a state he had said he needed to win.
Mr Thompson did not say if he would endorse any of his former rivals.
The ex-Tennessee senator ended his statement by saying that he and his wife, Jeri, would "always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people".
Desire questioned
The actor-politician entered the race in September, months after his rivals had started campaigning.
After climbing into second place in national polls in October, his support steadily plunged as his many critics questioned how seriously he desired the job, says the BBC's Vincent Dowd in Washington.
He finished third with 16% in the South Carolina primary, behind John McCain on 33% and Mike Huckabee with 30%.
The former star of the Law and Order TV series will have thought hard about whether the next Republican primary in Florida at the end of this month offered any hope of a revival - clearly he decided it did not, our correspondent says.
Still wide open
Even with Mr Thompson's departure the Republican race remains wide open, with three candidates each having won in the six states that have voted, our correspondent says.
The remaining Republican presidential contenders are focusing on Florida ahead of that state's primary on 29 January.
Polls suggest Mr McCain has a narrow lead in the Sunshine State over ex-New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and Mr Huckabee.
The Democratic White House hopefuls are gearing up for Saturday's South Carolina primary, a day after Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton clashed in a TV debate.
The two senators continued to trade blows on the campaign trail on Tuesday.
The former first lady claimed Mr Obama had been "looking for a fight", while he repeated his claim that the Clintons had been attacking him in "not accurate" ways.
All the contenders are looking towards the potentially decisive "Super Tuesday" on 5 February, when 22 states will vote for a candidate from either side to stand in November's presidential election.
Australian Open 2008 Live Updates
Maria Sharapova produced a magnificent display of clean hitting to thrash world number one Justine Henin 6-4 6-0 in the Australian Open quarter-finals.
Maria Sharapova produced a magnificent display of clean hitting to thrash world number one Justine Henin 6-4 6-0 in the Australian Open quarter-finals.
The Russian came out flying to break in the second game and though Henin pulled it back in game nine, a fantastic cross-court backhand won her the set.
Sharapova then waltzed through the second with a succession of winners to end Henin's 32-match winning run.
The fifth seed will now take on Jelena Jankovic in the last four on Thursday.
It is the fourth year running she has reached that stage and few will back against her going all the way after a quite awesome performance which left her Belgian opponent in a daze.
Right from the start she thundered powerful groundstrokes to the corners, leaving Henin struggling to stay in rallies.
The top seed has not been at her best in Melbourne and that lack of fluency was ruthlessly exposed.
Sharapova, 20, had lost six of their eight previous meetings but a seventh never looked likely as she smashed 30 winners to take the opening set.
606: DEBATE
Very impressive performance by Sharapova - she blew Henin off the court
Mikesiva
It was one-way traffic in the second, with Henin suffering her first 6-0 rout since 2002 and first defeat since Wimbledon.
"I really felt like I was in my own bubble," said Sharapova, who lost in last year's final to Serena Williams.
"I wasn't trying to pay attention to her record or how many tournaments she won, which is an increbible number.
"It's amazing when you go out on the court and feel you're doing the right things to beat such an amazing player as her. It's just incredible."
Henin tipped her conqueror to lift the trophy on Saturday after being outclassed in an hour and 38 minutes.
The 25-year-old has been troubled by a knee injury but refused to put her defeat down to that.
"A lot of things can happen but she looks like she's the player who is really confident now, and she has a great chance to do it," Henin said.
"She was really aggressive, attacking the ball, and I was way too far back. She's improved quite a lot in the last few weeks and came back much better than she was last year.
"I was a bit anxious, because I knew I wasn't really 100%. It's not an excuse about what happened on the court, because she was much better than me.
"She served consistently and it looked like it was her day and probably her tournament. She's in great shape."
Monday, January 21, 2008
Remains of 'Immense' Rodent Discovered
LONDON (Jan. 16) - Eeek! Imagine a rodent that weighed a ton and was as big as a bull. Uruguayan scientists say they have uncovered fossil evidence of the biggest species of rodent ever found, one that scurried across wooded areas of South America about 4 million years ago, when the continent was not connected to North America.
A herbivore, the beast may have been a contemporary, and possibly prey, of saber-toothed cats - a prehistoric version of Tom and Jerry.
For those afraid of rodents, forget hopping on a chair. Its huge skull, more than 20 inches long, suggested a beast more than eight feet long and weighing between 1,700 and 3,000 pounds.
Although British newspapers variously described it as a mouse or a rat, researchers say the animal, named Josephoartigasia monesi, actually was more closely related to a guinea pig or porcupine.
"These are totally different from the rats and mice we're accustomed to," said Bruce Patterson, the curator of mammals at the Field Museum in Chicago, adding that it was the biggest rodent he had ever heard of.
An artist's rendering showed a creature that looked like a cross between a hippopotamus and guinea pig.
The fossil was found in 1987 about 65 miles west of the capital of Montevideo, near the vast River Plate estuary - a muddy waterway separating Uruguay from Argentina that empties into the South Atlantic. That area is site of ancient riverbanks and other deposits where fossils have been found, he said.
An Argentine fossil collector identified as Sergio Viera donated the skull to Uruguay's National History and Anthropology Museum nearly two decades ago, said museum director Arturo Toscano.
It spent years hidden away in a box at the museum and was rediscovered by curator Andres Rinderknecht, who enlisted the help of fellow researcher Ernesto Blanco to study it.
Blanco told The Associated Press he was shocked when he first came face to face with the fossil, saying it looked even bigger than a cow skull.
"It's a beautiful piece of nature," he said in an interview. "You feel the power of a very big animal behind this."
Blanco said the skull's shape and the huge incisors left no doubt they were dealing with a rodent, but he cautioned that the estimate of the animal's bulk was imprecise.
The extinct rodent clearly outclassed its nearest rival, the Phoberomys, found in Venezuela and estimated to weigh between 880 and 1,500 pounds.
Blanco said the rodent was far more enormous than any South American rodent alive today, surpassing even the present-day capibara that can weigh up to 110 pounds.
He said the animal's teeth pointed to a diet of aquatic plants.
"From what we can tell, we know it was a herbivore that lived on the shores of rivers or alongside streams in woodland areas," Rinderknecht told the AP. "Possibly it had a behavior similar to other water-faring rodents that exist today, such as beavers, which split their time between land and water."
But he said the rodent appears to have had no tail, adding that follow-up studies are being planned to better determine its diet and other traits.
The creature may have been a contemporary to the saber-toothed cats and giant carnivorous birds that roamed the area millions of years ago, but Blanco said it was not clear whether such predators had the power necessary to bring down the huge beast.
"This investigation began about a year and a half ago but it's still not complete," Rinderknecht said, adding that the next step may be a CT scan of the skull "to better determine its interior dimensions."
The research by Rinderknecht and Blanco was published Wednesday in this week's issue of biological research journal, Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Scientists uninvolved with the finding agreed that this was one really big rodent.
"I think it's a very important discovery - it is certainly an immense animal," said Mary Dawson, a paleontologist at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. She said it and other rodents grew bigger by filling the ecological niche taken elsewhere by rhinoceroses and hippopotamuses.
"They got large taking the role of some herbivores that were not present at that time - South America was still an island continent," she said. But when North and South America were linked about 3 million years ago, the rodents were swamped by North American animals and eventually died out.
"It's too bad they're extinct, I'd love to see those things," she said.
Patterson said its discovery gave scientists more insight into the fauna of the prehistoric South American continent, when it hosted creatures such as marsupial predators and hoofed animals known to scientists as archaic ungulates.
"These were things with trunks on their noses, huge claws on their hands, they look like somebody just made them up," he said.
Little trace of big rodent is left. Its closest surviving cousin, the pacarana, is endangered. The sharp-clawed 33-pound rodent lives in the hills around the Andes Mountains. It is considered among the largest living rodents, but its slow rate of reproduction - and reputation among humans as a tasty treat - means its prospects are grim.
Blanco said he was thrilled with the discovery of the huge rodent after so many years.
"When you start to open all these boxes, often times you find all kinds interesting pieces of paleontology," he said.
"The collector alerted us that it was an important fossil," Toscano said, adding that the skull remains carefully packed in a box in the museum's paleontology collection.
Both Blanco and Toscano said they hoped the find would attract more resources to museums in the developing world such as Uruguay's - which is so strapped for cash it has been unable to hold public exhibitions since 2000.
A herbivore, the beast may have been a contemporary, and possibly prey, of saber-toothed cats - a prehistoric version of Tom and Jerry.
For those afraid of rodents, forget hopping on a chair. Its huge skull, more than 20 inches long, suggested a beast more than eight feet long and weighing between 1,700 and 3,000 pounds.
Although British newspapers variously described it as a mouse or a rat, researchers say the animal, named Josephoartigasia monesi, actually was more closely related to a guinea pig or porcupine.
"These are totally different from the rats and mice we're accustomed to," said Bruce Patterson, the curator of mammals at the Field Museum in Chicago, adding that it was the biggest rodent he had ever heard of.
An artist's rendering showed a creature that looked like a cross between a hippopotamus and guinea pig.
The fossil was found in 1987 about 65 miles west of the capital of Montevideo, near the vast River Plate estuary - a muddy waterway separating Uruguay from Argentina that empties into the South Atlantic. That area is site of ancient riverbanks and other deposits where fossils have been found, he said.
An Argentine fossil collector identified as Sergio Viera donated the skull to Uruguay's National History and Anthropology Museum nearly two decades ago, said museum director Arturo Toscano.
It spent years hidden away in a box at the museum and was rediscovered by curator Andres Rinderknecht, who enlisted the help of fellow researcher Ernesto Blanco to study it.
Blanco told The Associated Press he was shocked when he first came face to face with the fossil, saying it looked even bigger than a cow skull.
"It's a beautiful piece of nature," he said in an interview. "You feel the power of a very big animal behind this."
Blanco said the skull's shape and the huge incisors left no doubt they were dealing with a rodent, but he cautioned that the estimate of the animal's bulk was imprecise.
The extinct rodent clearly outclassed its nearest rival, the Phoberomys, found in Venezuela and estimated to weigh between 880 and 1,500 pounds.
Blanco said the rodent was far more enormous than any South American rodent alive today, surpassing even the present-day capibara that can weigh up to 110 pounds.
He said the animal's teeth pointed to a diet of aquatic plants.
"From what we can tell, we know it was a herbivore that lived on the shores of rivers or alongside streams in woodland areas," Rinderknecht told the AP. "Possibly it had a behavior similar to other water-faring rodents that exist today, such as beavers, which split their time between land and water."
But he said the rodent appears to have had no tail, adding that follow-up studies are being planned to better determine its diet and other traits.
The creature may have been a contemporary to the saber-toothed cats and giant carnivorous birds that roamed the area millions of years ago, but Blanco said it was not clear whether such predators had the power necessary to bring down the huge beast.
"This investigation began about a year and a half ago but it's still not complete," Rinderknecht said, adding that the next step may be a CT scan of the skull "to better determine its interior dimensions."
The research by Rinderknecht and Blanco was published Wednesday in this week's issue of biological research journal, Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Scientists uninvolved with the finding agreed that this was one really big rodent.
"I think it's a very important discovery - it is certainly an immense animal," said Mary Dawson, a paleontologist at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. She said it and other rodents grew bigger by filling the ecological niche taken elsewhere by rhinoceroses and hippopotamuses.
"They got large taking the role of some herbivores that were not present at that time - South America was still an island continent," she said. But when North and South America were linked about 3 million years ago, the rodents were swamped by North American animals and eventually died out.
"It's too bad they're extinct, I'd love to see those things," she said.
Patterson said its discovery gave scientists more insight into the fauna of the prehistoric South American continent, when it hosted creatures such as marsupial predators and hoofed animals known to scientists as archaic ungulates.
"These were things with trunks on their noses, huge claws on their hands, they look like somebody just made them up," he said.
Little trace of big rodent is left. Its closest surviving cousin, the pacarana, is endangered. The sharp-clawed 33-pound rodent lives in the hills around the Andes Mountains. It is considered among the largest living rodents, but its slow rate of reproduction - and reputation among humans as a tasty treat - means its prospects are grim.
Blanco said he was thrilled with the discovery of the huge rodent after so many years.
"When you start to open all these boxes, often times you find all kinds interesting pieces of paleontology," he said.
"The collector alerted us that it was an important fossil," Toscano said, adding that the skull remains carefully packed in a box in the museum's paleontology collection.
Both Blanco and Toscano said they hoped the find would attract more resources to museums in the developing world such as Uruguay's - which is so strapped for cash it has been unable to hold public exhibitions since 2000.
Update on Britney's Breakdown
Britney's Breakdown: Everyone's Got an Opinion
Check Out What Hollywood Has to Say About Britney
Stars can't stop talking about Britney Spears' latest spree of bizarre behavior. Shortly after her Jan. 3 breakdown and two-night stint in the hospital, the fallen pop star skipped a crucial hearing in her child custody case with ex-husband Kevin Federline, which led a court commissioner to rule that Spears can't see her two sons until another hearing in February.
Since then, she's been spotted all over town on the arm of her purported new boyfriend, Adnan Ghalib, going on shopping sprees and hitting Hollywood clubs.
Now, a new batch of celebrities is sounding off on Spears.
Movie star and fellow mom Demi Moore offered some sympathy for Spears, who's been relentlessly followed by the paparazzi and media: "No one has seen it worse than Britney Spears," Moore, 45, told V magazine. "How can anyone see that and think that's an OK way to expect anybody to live, no matter where they're at in their life? ... I do think the boundaries could use a little reshaping, redefining what an invasion of privacy is."
"American Idol" alum Clay Aiken echoed 2007's oft-viewed YouTube plea of die-hard Spears fan Chris Crocker: "We have a presidential election going on, and for whatever reason, this is what people are interested in," he told "Entertainment Tonight," Thursday. "I think that is probably the saddest thing. Leave her alone, just leave her alone."
Rosie O'Donnell, the always opinonated former "View" moderator, weighed in on the Spears situation on her blog, comparing her to another famous woman who was hounded by the paparazzi, Princess Diana. "She will be trying to get away, but they will chase her, just as they chased her into that church yesterday," O'Donnell wrote on her Jan. 15 blog, the day after Spears skipped a child custody hearing to go to lunch and church. "There were dozens of them, jostling their way into the sanctuary, elbowing past each other, just to creep closer to her. Even her last-minute, folded-hand prayers can't be kept sacred. There can be no silent moments in a crowd; no silence, and no secrets."
Former "America's Next Top Model" judge and ex-model Janice Dickinson had harsher words for the pop star and her mom. "My opinion on Britney Spears, is Mrs. [Lynne] Spears should be jailed. Britney's mom is responsible for all this stuff going on," Dickinson told "Access Hollywood," Jan. 13. As for Spears, "I'd slap her silly!" she said. But the former alcohol addict, now in recovery, continued, "I would beg Britney just to give it all up. I would say, 'You're rich enough! Give it up and try to focus on the two boys.' I seriously hope that Britney doesn't kill herself. I seriously hope that she doesn't damage herself."
Boomerang Comes Back After 25 Years
BRISBANE, Australia (Jan. 17) - Boomerangs really do come back - even after 25 years. Officials in an Australian Outback town were surprised when a boomerang arrived in the post. Along with it was a note from a guilt-ridden American who said he stole it years earlier from a museum in the mining town of Mount Isa, and now felt rotten about it.
"I removed this back in 1983 when I was younger and dumber," said the note, according to Mount Isa Mayor Ron McCullough. "It was the wrong thing to do, I'm sorry, and I'm going to send it back," said the note.
McCullough on Thursday gave the contrite thief's first name as Peter but said it would be unfair to release his full identity.
McCullough said the parcel was sent to the location of the old museum, now a paper manufacturing plant and community center, and was then handed to the Mount Isa council. He declined to reveal the value of the donation.
McCullough said the boomerang would be returned to its rightful owner, if he could be found.
Boomerangs were traditionally used by Aborigines as a hunting weapon. A typical returning boomerang can travel up to 150 feet in the air before returning to the thrower.
"I removed this back in 1983 when I was younger and dumber," said the note, according to Mount Isa Mayor Ron McCullough. "It was the wrong thing to do, I'm sorry, and I'm going to send it back," said the note.
McCullough on Thursday gave the contrite thief's first name as Peter but said it would be unfair to release his full identity.
McCullough said the parcel was sent to the location of the old museum, now a paper manufacturing plant and community center, and was then handed to the Mount Isa council. He declined to reveal the value of the donation.
McCullough said the boomerang would be returned to its rightful owner, if he could be found.
Boomerangs were traditionally used by Aborigines as a hunting weapon. A typical returning boomerang can travel up to 150 feet in the air before returning to the thrower.
Lohan and Murphy lead Razzie race
Lindsay Lohan's thriller I Know Who Killed Me has been nominated for nine Razzie awards, while Eddie Murphy's Norbit is up for eight.
The LA-based Razzies, which honour the year's worst Hollywood films, have given Murphy five nods - the most an individual has received in one year.
He plays three characters in the film about a man who meets his ideal woman while engaged to a battleaxe.
Lohan got two nods for playing two characters who may be the same person.
Both movies are up for worst film.
It is quite a turnaround in Murphy's fortunes, as he was up for an Oscar last year for Dreamgirls. He shares a worst screenplay nomination for co-writing Norbit.
"We decided that each of his characters was so offensive that he deserved individual nominations," said Razzies founder John Wilson.
He added that Lohan, whose characters are a small-town girl abducted by a psychopath and an alter-ego stripper who's missing body parts, got more votes than any other actor since Sofia Coppola in The Godfather Part III.
"I Know Who Killed Me is the most fabulously brainless movie since Showgirls, which Razzie voters picked as the worst movie of the 1990s," said Mr Wilson.
"By the end of it, you still don't know what happened. Are they twins or aren't they? Did she imagine it? Can I please have my hour and 50 minutes back?"
The other worst-picture nominees were Bratz, a live-action film based on the childrens' dolls; Daddy Day Camp, with Cuba Gooding Jr starring in the sequel to Murphy's Daddy Day Care; and I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, Adam Sandler and Kevin James' comedy about firefighters posing as a gay couple.
Sandler and Gooding were both up for worst actor along with Nicolas Cage for Ghost Rider and Jim Carrey for The Number 23.
The four stars of Bratz shared a nomination for worst actress, along with Jessica Alba for three films - Awake, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Good Luck Chuck.
24 star Elisha Cuthbert was nominated for Captivity while Diane Keaton got a nod for Because I Said So.
The Razzie nominations came out a day before the Oscar nominations, and the awards are held on 23 February, the day before the Oscars.
Paparazzi chasing Britney arrested
Four paparazzi have been arrested for reckless driving while chasing Britney Spears' car in the San Fernando Valley.
Los Angeles police Lt. Mario Munoz said officers observed several cars following a white Mercedes-Benz around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday in Mission Hills.
The cars were following Spears' car too closely and traveling at unsafe speed. They also made several unsafe lane changes, authorities said.
Munoz said officers stopped the Mercedes, interviewed Spears and released the 26-year-old pop star after verifying her driver's license.
But the four photographers in the cars chasing her were booked for investigation of reckless driving.
Spears has been a favorite of the paparazzi, especially since her marriage to Kevin Federline fell apart last year. She was a fixture on the club circuit and famously shaved her head in a parlor in nearby Tarzana.
She currently is locked in a legal battle with Federline over custody of their two boys. Her visitation rights have been temporarily suspended.
Mexico arrests top drugs suspect
Mexican special forces have captured a man suspected of being a senior member of the powerful Sinaloa drugs cartel.
Alfredo Beltran Leyva was detained on Sunday in the north-western city of Culiacan along with three other people, an army spokesman said.
They were allegedly carrying $900,000 (£460,000) in cash in two suitcases and a Kalashnikov rifle.
Mexico is in the grip of so-called "narco wars" - the fight between drug cartels and the security forces.
Dressed in jeans, a dark jacket and boots, the handcuffed Mr Beltran Leyva was shown off to reporters before being flown to an unknown destination by the military.
Prosecutors say he is a close associate of Mexico's most wanted man, Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman, head of the Sinaloa cartel.
He was allegedly in charge of transporting drugs, bribing officials and laundering money for the cartel.
He is also said to have commanded teams of sicarios, or hitmen.
Poll: More Americans think U.S. ready for black president
(CNN) -- Four decades after Martin Luther King Jr.'s death -- and just weeks after Barack Obama's win in the Iowa caucus -- a CNN poll finds more Americans than ever before believe the country is ready for a black president.
Seventy-two percent of white Americans and 61 percent of black Americans surveyed in a new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Monday say the nation is ready for a black commander in chief.
That number is higher than it was two years ago, when 65 percent of whites and 54 percent of blacks felt the same way. It's also higher than the proportion of either men or women -- 64 percent and 65 percent, respectively -- who currently believe the nation is ready for a woman in the White House.
The top six concerns for both whites and blacks in making their presidential choice this year are exactly the same in the following order -- the economy, Iraq, terrorism, health care, gas prices and Iran -- though blacks place a higher level of importance on all those issues.
But the groups part ways over the issue of race relations. That concern is roughly as important as taxes to black voters this election year, with roughly 41 percent saying it will have a major impact on their presidential vote. But just 12 percent of whites feel the same.
Roughly four in 10 individuals in both groups say that the country has fulfilled all, or at least a great deal, of King's dream. However, they have different views on whether King's dream will ever be fully realized in the United States. When asked whether race relations will always pose a problem in the United States, about half of black Americans, 52 percent, said yes -- and just 43 percent of whites shared that view. When posed the same question in 1993, 55 percent of blacks and 53 percent of whites thought race relations would always be a problem for the United States.
The survey, which includes interviews with 1,393 adult Americans, including 743 whites and 513 blacks, was conducted by telephone January 14-17 and has a sampling error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
Seventy-two percent of white Americans and 61 percent of black Americans surveyed in a new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Monday say the nation is ready for a black commander in chief.
That number is higher than it was two years ago, when 65 percent of whites and 54 percent of blacks felt the same way. It's also higher than the proportion of either men or women -- 64 percent and 65 percent, respectively -- who currently believe the nation is ready for a woman in the White House.
The top six concerns for both whites and blacks in making their presidential choice this year are exactly the same in the following order -- the economy, Iraq, terrorism, health care, gas prices and Iran -- though blacks place a higher level of importance on all those issues.
But the groups part ways over the issue of race relations. That concern is roughly as important as taxes to black voters this election year, with roughly 41 percent saying it will have a major impact on their presidential vote. But just 12 percent of whites feel the same.
Roughly four in 10 individuals in both groups say that the country has fulfilled all, or at least a great deal, of King's dream. However, they have different views on whether King's dream will ever be fully realized in the United States. When asked whether race relations will always pose a problem in the United States, about half of black Americans, 52 percent, said yes -- and just 43 percent of whites shared that view. When posed the same question in 1993, 55 percent of blacks and 53 percent of whites thought race relations would always be a problem for the United States.
The survey, which includes interviews with 1,393 adult Americans, including 743 whites and 513 blacks, was conducted by telephone January 14-17 and has a sampling error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
Poll: More Americans think U.S. ready for black president
(CNN) -- Four decades after Martin Luther King Jr.'s death -- and just weeks after Barack Obama's win in the Iowa caucus -- a CNN poll finds more Americans than ever before believe the country is ready for a black president.
Seventy-two percent of white Americans and 61 percent of black Americans surveyed in a new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Monday say the nation is ready for a black commander in chief.
That number is higher than it was two years ago, when 65 percent of whites and 54 percent of blacks felt the same way. It's also higher than the proportion of either men or women -- 64 percent and 65 percent, respectively -- who currently believe the nation is ready for a woman in the White House.
The top six concerns for both whites and blacks in making their presidential choice this year are exactly the same in the following order -- the economy, Iraq, terrorism, health care, gas prices and Iran -- though blacks place a higher level of importance on all those issues.
But the groups part ways over the issue of race relations. That concern is roughly as important as taxes to black voters this election year, with roughly 41 percent saying it will have a major impact on their presidential vote. But just 12 percent of whites feel the same.
Roughly four in 10 individuals in both groups say that the country has fulfilled all, or at least a great deal, of King's dream. However, they have different views on whether King's dream will ever be fully realized in the United States. When asked whether race relations will always pose a problem in the United States, about half of black Americans, 52 percent, said yes -- and just 43 percent of whites shared that view. When posed the same question in 1993, 55 percent of blacks and 53 percent of whites thought race relations would always be a problem for the United States.
The survey, which includes interviews with 1,393 adult Americans, including 743 whites and 513 blacks, was conducted by telephone January 14-17 and has a sampling error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
Seventy-two percent of white Americans and 61 percent of black Americans surveyed in a new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Monday say the nation is ready for a black commander in chief.
That number is higher than it was two years ago, when 65 percent of whites and 54 percent of blacks felt the same way. It's also higher than the proportion of either men or women -- 64 percent and 65 percent, respectively -- who currently believe the nation is ready for a woman in the White House.
The top six concerns for both whites and blacks in making their presidential choice this year are exactly the same in the following order -- the economy, Iraq, terrorism, health care, gas prices and Iran -- though blacks place a higher level of importance on all those issues.
But the groups part ways over the issue of race relations. That concern is roughly as important as taxes to black voters this election year, with roughly 41 percent saying it will have a major impact on their presidential vote. But just 12 percent of whites feel the same.
Roughly four in 10 individuals in both groups say that the country has fulfilled all, or at least a great deal, of King's dream. However, they have different views on whether King's dream will ever be fully realized in the United States. When asked whether race relations will always pose a problem in the United States, about half of black Americans, 52 percent, said yes -- and just 43 percent of whites shared that view. When posed the same question in 1993, 55 percent of blacks and 53 percent of whites thought race relations would always be a problem for the United States.
The survey, which includes interviews with 1,393 adult Americans, including 743 whites and 513 blacks, was conducted by telephone January 14-17 and has a sampling error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
Clinton, Obama engage in bitter debate
Democratic presidential rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama accused each other of repeatedly and deliberately distorting the truth for political gain Monday night in a highly personal, finger-wagging debate that ranged from the war in Iraq to Bill Clinton's role in the campaign.
Obama told the former first lady he was helping unemployed workers on the streets of Chicago when "you were a corporate lawyer sitting on the board at Wal-Mart."
Moments later, Clinton said that she was fighting against misguided Republican policies "when you were practicing law and representing your contributor ... in his slum landlord business in inner city Chicago."
Obama seemed particularly irritated at the former president, whom he accused in absentia of uttering a series of distortions to aid his wife's presidential effort.
"I'm here. He's not," she snapped.
"Well, I can't tell who I'm running against sometimes," Obama countered.
The two rivals, joined by former Sen. John Edwards, debated at close quarters five days before the South Carolina primary — and 15 days before the equivalent of a nationwide primary across 20 states that will go a long way toward settling the battle for the party's nomination.
Hillary Clinton was the national front-runner for months in the race, but Obama won the kickoff Iowa caucuses three weeks ago, knocking her off-stride. She recovered quickly, winning the New Hampshire primary in an upset, and on Saturday, won the popular vote in the Nevada caucuses while Obama won one more delegate than she.
The Democratic electorate in South Carolina is expected to be roughly 50 percent black, an evident advantage for Obama in a historic race that matches a black man against a woman.
Even in the superheated atmosphere of the primary, the statements and exchanges between Clinton and Obama were unusually acrimonious. The debate came as the two campaigns continued to complain about dirty politics and disenfranchisement of voters in last Saturday's Nevada caucuses.
Obama suggested the Clintons were both practicing the kind of political tactics that had alienated voters.
"There was a set of assertions made by Senator Clinton as well as her husband that are not factually accurate," Obama said. "I think that part of what people are looking for right now is someone who is going to solve problems and not resort to the same typical politics that we've seen in Washington."
Clinton countered: "I believe your record and what you say should matter."
Edwards, who badly trails his two rivals, tried to stay above the fray while pleading for equal time.
"Are there three people in this debate, not two?" he asked.
"We have got to understand, this is not about us personally. It's about what we are trying to do for this country," Edwards said to applause from the audience.
Hillary Clinton, who was close with the Walton family, served on the Wal-Mart board from 1986 to 1992. In 2006, her Senate campaign returned $5,000 to the company's political action committee while citing differences with company policies.
A blind trust held by Clinton and her husband, the former president, included stock holdings in Wal-Mart. They liquidated the contents of the blind trust in 2007 because of investments that could pose conflicts of interest or prove embarrassing as she ran for president.
Chicago real estate developer and fast food magnate Antoin "Tony" Rezko was a longtime fundraiser for Obama. Prosecutors have charged him with fraud, attempted extortion and money laundering in what they allege was a scheme to get campaign money and payoffs from firms seeking to do business before two state boards.
Obama's campaign said Saturday it was giving to charities more than $40,000 from donors linked to Rezko. In 2006, when charges against Rezko were made public, Obama gave $11,500 in Rezko contributions to charities.
Often speaking over each other, Obama and Clinton bitterly complained about each other's legislative records. Obama questioned why the New York senator had voted for a bankruptcy bill that she later said she was glad hadn't passed, and Clinton criticized Obama for voting "present" on dozens of occasions while a member of the Illinois legislature.
"Senator Obama, it's hard to have a straight up debate with you because you never take responsibility for any vote," Clinton said to loud boos. "On issue after issue, you voted present ... Whenever someone raises that, there's always some sort of explanation."
Obama accused Clinton of playing loose with the facts and saying anything to get elected, while Edwards joined Clinton in criticizing Obama for the "present" votes.
"Why would you over 100 times vote present?" Edwards pointedly challenged Obama. He said he didn't simply refuse to vote on controversial bills in Congress. "It would have been safe for me politically ... but I have a responsibility to take a position even if it costs me politically."
Obama said most of his present votes didn't have political consequences but were because of technical or legal concerns.
"Don't question, John, that on issue after issue that is important to the American people, I haven't followed. I have led," Obama said.
"Present" votes are common in the Illinois legislature, and they have the same impact as a "no" vote. Legislators use them for a variety of reasons, from registering doubts about a measure's legality to avoiding a firm position.
Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn, an influential leader in South Carolina, suggested on Monday that Bill Clinton tone down his rhetoric. Questioned about it, Hillary Clinton said her husband was "a tremendous asset. .. I believe that this campaign is not about our spouses. It is about us. It is about each of us individually."
Obama said he would expect the ex-president to campaign for his wife, but "I have been troubled ... the degree to which my record is not accurately portrayed."
With the holiday honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., as a backdrop, the candidates also addressed questions of racial equality.
Clinton and Edwards compared their records on helping to alleviate poverty, while Obama was asked if he agreed with the famed black novelist Toni Morrison who dubbed Bill Clinton "the first black president."
Obama praised the former president's "affinity" with black people but also drew laughs.
"I would have to investigate more, Bill's dancing abilities and some of this other stuff before I accurately judged whether he was, in fact, a brother," Obama said.
"I'm sure that can be arranged," Clinton joked.
The debate was sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus Institute and CNN.
Obama told the former first lady he was helping unemployed workers on the streets of Chicago when "you were a corporate lawyer sitting on the board at Wal-Mart."
Moments later, Clinton said that she was fighting against misguided Republican policies "when you were practicing law and representing your contributor ... in his slum landlord business in inner city Chicago."
Obama seemed particularly irritated at the former president, whom he accused in absentia of uttering a series of distortions to aid his wife's presidential effort.
"I'm here. He's not," she snapped.
"Well, I can't tell who I'm running against sometimes," Obama countered.
The two rivals, joined by former Sen. John Edwards, debated at close quarters five days before the South Carolina primary — and 15 days before the equivalent of a nationwide primary across 20 states that will go a long way toward settling the battle for the party's nomination.
Hillary Clinton was the national front-runner for months in the race, but Obama won the kickoff Iowa caucuses three weeks ago, knocking her off-stride. She recovered quickly, winning the New Hampshire primary in an upset, and on Saturday, won the popular vote in the Nevada caucuses while Obama won one more delegate than she.
The Democratic electorate in South Carolina is expected to be roughly 50 percent black, an evident advantage for Obama in a historic race that matches a black man against a woman.
Even in the superheated atmosphere of the primary, the statements and exchanges between Clinton and Obama were unusually acrimonious. The debate came as the two campaigns continued to complain about dirty politics and disenfranchisement of voters in last Saturday's Nevada caucuses.
Obama suggested the Clintons were both practicing the kind of political tactics that had alienated voters.
"There was a set of assertions made by Senator Clinton as well as her husband that are not factually accurate," Obama said. "I think that part of what people are looking for right now is someone who is going to solve problems and not resort to the same typical politics that we've seen in Washington."
Clinton countered: "I believe your record and what you say should matter."
Edwards, who badly trails his two rivals, tried to stay above the fray while pleading for equal time.
"Are there three people in this debate, not two?" he asked.
"We have got to understand, this is not about us personally. It's about what we are trying to do for this country," Edwards said to applause from the audience.
Hillary Clinton, who was close with the Walton family, served on the Wal-Mart board from 1986 to 1992. In 2006, her Senate campaign returned $5,000 to the company's political action committee while citing differences with company policies.
A blind trust held by Clinton and her husband, the former president, included stock holdings in Wal-Mart. They liquidated the contents of the blind trust in 2007 because of investments that could pose conflicts of interest or prove embarrassing as she ran for president.
Chicago real estate developer and fast food magnate Antoin "Tony" Rezko was a longtime fundraiser for Obama. Prosecutors have charged him with fraud, attempted extortion and money laundering in what they allege was a scheme to get campaign money and payoffs from firms seeking to do business before two state boards.
Obama's campaign said Saturday it was giving to charities more than $40,000 from donors linked to Rezko. In 2006, when charges against Rezko were made public, Obama gave $11,500 in Rezko contributions to charities.
Often speaking over each other, Obama and Clinton bitterly complained about each other's legislative records. Obama questioned why the New York senator had voted for a bankruptcy bill that she later said she was glad hadn't passed, and Clinton criticized Obama for voting "present" on dozens of occasions while a member of the Illinois legislature.
"Senator Obama, it's hard to have a straight up debate with you because you never take responsibility for any vote," Clinton said to loud boos. "On issue after issue, you voted present ... Whenever someone raises that, there's always some sort of explanation."
Obama accused Clinton of playing loose with the facts and saying anything to get elected, while Edwards joined Clinton in criticizing Obama for the "present" votes.
"Why would you over 100 times vote present?" Edwards pointedly challenged Obama. He said he didn't simply refuse to vote on controversial bills in Congress. "It would have been safe for me politically ... but I have a responsibility to take a position even if it costs me politically."
Obama said most of his present votes didn't have political consequences but were because of technical or legal concerns.
"Don't question, John, that on issue after issue that is important to the American people, I haven't followed. I have led," Obama said.
"Present" votes are common in the Illinois legislature, and they have the same impact as a "no" vote. Legislators use them for a variety of reasons, from registering doubts about a measure's legality to avoiding a firm position.
Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn, an influential leader in South Carolina, suggested on Monday that Bill Clinton tone down his rhetoric. Questioned about it, Hillary Clinton said her husband was "a tremendous asset. .. I believe that this campaign is not about our spouses. It is about us. It is about each of us individually."
Obama said he would expect the ex-president to campaign for his wife, but "I have been troubled ... the degree to which my record is not accurately portrayed."
With the holiday honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., as a backdrop, the candidates also addressed questions of racial equality.
Clinton and Edwards compared their records on helping to alleviate poverty, while Obama was asked if he agreed with the famed black novelist Toni Morrison who dubbed Bill Clinton "the first black president."
Obama praised the former president's "affinity" with black people but also drew laughs.
"I would have to investigate more, Bill's dancing abilities and some of this other stuff before I accurately judged whether he was, in fact, a brother," Obama said.
"I'm sure that can be arranged," Clinton joked.
The debate was sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus Institute and CNN.
5 dead as planes collide in SoCal
CORONA, Calif. - Authorities were trying Monday to learn why two small planes collided over a row of businesses, dropping a macabre shower of debris and body parts and killing someone inside an auto dealership when one of the aircraft punctured the roof.
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All four people aboard the two aircraft also were killed in Sunday's crash, on a clear crisp afternoon that seemed ideal for flying.
No one else was hurt, though wreckage fell on three car dealerships, all of which remained closed to customers as investigators combed through the debris in Corona, about 45 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
People in the area after the collision along the 91 Freeway described a horrific sight. Marisela Garay was working a few hundred yards away at Lucky Greek Burgers when she saw the planes come down.
She and some customers ran outside, where they saw blood and what looked like body parts on the ground.
"There was a lot of stuff everywhere. I was shocked, I couldn't believe what happened," said Garay, 17.
"There were bodies falling out of the sky," witness Hector Hernandez told KCBS-TV. "One of them crashed into the top of a Ford Mustang, and another one fell not too far behind that one on the parking lot."
In one of the car lots, the twisted hull of a plane rested against two vehicles.
Witnesses told authorities that one of the planes slammed into the other. One of the aircraft shattered on impact, while the other spiraled to the ground, left mostly intact.
Authorities haven't released the planes' origins or destinations. The crash occurred about a mile south of the Corona Municipal Airport, which doesn't have a manned control tower.
The crash is the sixth in the area over the past 10 years.
Without the aid of air traffic controllers, pilots are supposed to use visual flight rules when there are clear conditions. Pilots are responsible for their own safety, making sure they steer clear from aircraft and other potential hazards.
Pilots can communicate by radio with one another, but not all do, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.
Investigators will likely try to determine if there were any other pilots in the area who saw the crash or heard any transmission between the two planes, he said.
Two people were killed from each plane, National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Wayne Pollack said.
The Riverside County Coroner's Office identified the dead as Scott Gayle Lawrence, 55, of Cerritos; Paul Luther Carlson, 73, also of Cerritos; Brandon William Johnson, 24, of Costa Mesa; Anthony Joel Guzman, 20, of Hesperia; and Earl Smiddy, 58, of Moreno Valley.
Smiddy was crushed in the car dealership.
Investigators said Sunday night they would have to open up the fuselage of the planes to ensure that there were no additional victims. NTSB investigators declined to comment on that effort Monday until news conference set for late afternoon.
One of the planes was a Cessna 172 registered to William A. Reinke of La Habra, according to aircraft databases. Reached at his home Sunday night, Reinke declined to comment.
The second plane, a Cessna 150, is registered to Air Corona Inc., based in Dover, Del. Many plane owners register their aircraft in Delaware even if they are not based there because of the state's low taxes.
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All four people aboard the two aircraft also were killed in Sunday's crash, on a clear crisp afternoon that seemed ideal for flying.
No one else was hurt, though wreckage fell on three car dealerships, all of which remained closed to customers as investigators combed through the debris in Corona, about 45 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
People in the area after the collision along the 91 Freeway described a horrific sight. Marisela Garay was working a few hundred yards away at Lucky Greek Burgers when she saw the planes come down.
She and some customers ran outside, where they saw blood and what looked like body parts on the ground.
"There was a lot of stuff everywhere. I was shocked, I couldn't believe what happened," said Garay, 17.
"There were bodies falling out of the sky," witness Hector Hernandez told KCBS-TV. "One of them crashed into the top of a Ford Mustang, and another one fell not too far behind that one on the parking lot."
In one of the car lots, the twisted hull of a plane rested against two vehicles.
Witnesses told authorities that one of the planes slammed into the other. One of the aircraft shattered on impact, while the other spiraled to the ground, left mostly intact.
Authorities haven't released the planes' origins or destinations. The crash occurred about a mile south of the Corona Municipal Airport, which doesn't have a manned control tower.
The crash is the sixth in the area over the past 10 years.
Without the aid of air traffic controllers, pilots are supposed to use visual flight rules when there are clear conditions. Pilots are responsible for their own safety, making sure they steer clear from aircraft and other potential hazards.
Pilots can communicate by radio with one another, but not all do, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.
Investigators will likely try to determine if there were any other pilots in the area who saw the crash or heard any transmission between the two planes, he said.
Two people were killed from each plane, National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Wayne Pollack said.
The Riverside County Coroner's Office identified the dead as Scott Gayle Lawrence, 55, of Cerritos; Paul Luther Carlson, 73, also of Cerritos; Brandon William Johnson, 24, of Costa Mesa; Anthony Joel Guzman, 20, of Hesperia; and Earl Smiddy, 58, of Moreno Valley.
Smiddy was crushed in the car dealership.
Investigators said Sunday night they would have to open up the fuselage of the planes to ensure that there were no additional victims. NTSB investigators declined to comment on that effort Monday until news conference set for late afternoon.
One of the planes was a Cessna 172 registered to William A. Reinke of La Habra, according to aircraft databases. Reached at his home Sunday night, Reinke declined to comment.
The second plane, a Cessna 150, is registered to Air Corona Inc., based in Dover, Del. Many plane owners register their aircraft in Delaware even if they are not based there because of the state's low taxes.
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