Obama has advantage in head-to-head with McCain

Sen. John McCain became the likely Republican nominee after Mitt Romney decided to suspend his campaign Thursday. Now, the Democrats are debating who would do better against the Arizona Republican.

Two polls this month have asked registered voters nationwide how they would vote if the choice were between McCain and Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton.

A CNN poll, conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation February 1-3, shows Clinton three points ahead of McCain, 50 percent to 47 percent. That's within the poll's margin of error of 3 percentage points, meaning that the race is statistically tied..

A Time magazine poll, conducted February 1-4, also shows a dead heat between Clinton and McCain. Each was backed by 46 percent of those polled.

Sen. Barack Obama believes he can do better, arguing "I've got appeal that goes beyond our party."

In the CNN poll, Obama leads McCain by 8 points, 52 percent to 44 percent. That's outside the margin of error, meaning that Obama has the lead.

And in the Time poll, Obama leads McCain by 7 points, 48 percent to 41 percent -- a lead also outside of the poll's margin of error of 3 percentage points.

In both polls, Obama looks stronger than Clinton. Why?

Obama's explanation: "I think there is no doubt that she has higher negatives than any of the remaining Democratic candidates. That's just a fact, and there are some who will not vote for her."

That was three weeks ago. Now, only two Democratic candidates remain.

Clinton does have higher negatives than Obama -- and McCain. Forty-four percent of the public say they don't like Clinton, compared with 36 percent who don't like McCain and 31 percent who don't like Obama, according to the CNN poll conducted February 1-3.

Why does Obama do better against McCain than Clinton? Obama does do a little better than Clinton with independents and Republicans.

But the big difference is men: Men give McCain an 18-point lead over Clinton, 57 percent to 39 percent, according to the CNN poll. The margin of error for that question was plus or minus 5 percentage points.

But if McCain and Obama went head to head, McCain's lead among men shrinks to three, 49 percent to 46 percent -- statistically a tie.

Women, on the other hand, vote for either Clinton or Obama by similar margins.

Some Democrats may be worried about how Obama will fare with white voters. Whites give McCain a 15-point lead over Clinton, (56 percent for McCain, 41 percent for Clinton).

But Obama actually fares better than Clinton with white voters. McCain still leads, but by a smaller margin, (52 to 43 percent).

Obama argues that he can reach across party lines. And he does do a little better than Clinton with Independents and Republicans, at least in these polls.

But the big difference is that Clinton doesn't draw very well with men. Obama does.

Alleged bin Laden bodyguard charged

An alleged close associate of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is facing a number of charges, including providing material support for terrorism, the U.S. Office of Military Commissions said Friday.

Ahmad Sulayman al Bahlul of Yemen is being held at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

He is also charged with conspiracy and solicitation to commit murder of protected persons, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects, murder in violation of the Law of War, destruction of property in violation of the Law of War, and terrorism.

Al Bahlul is alleged to have traveled in 1999 to Afghanistan, where he underwent "military-type training" and joined al Qaeda, the Office of Military Commissions said in a statement.

Al Bahlul "served as the personal secretary and media secretary" for bin Laden and created a propaganda video about the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole in a Yemeni port and video "wills" of two of the hijackers responsible for the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, the statement said.

He is also alleged to have been a bodyguard for bin Laden.

In 2004, al Bahlul told a military tribunal that he was a member of al Qaeda and asked to represent himself in tribunal proceedings. Those proceedings ended when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2006 that President Bush lacked the authority to set up such tribunals, prompting Congress to pass the Military Commissions Act later that year.

According to a summary of evidence memo created for the 2004 tribunal, al Bahlul trained in Afghanistan for five weeks, learning basic tactics and the use of several weapons. He also attended two months of advanced training, the document says.

Bin Laden appointed him "media office director and public relations secretary," according to the document, which also says he was heavily armed -- including wearing a suicide belt -- whenever he was with the al Qaeda leader.

The Office of Military Commissions said that al Bahlul will appear before a military trial judge for arraignment within 30 days of being served the charges against him and that the trial would begin within 120 days, according to the Military Commissions Act.

Georgia refinery blast: 'Like walking into hell'

Firefighters searched Friday for signs of six people missing after a sugar refinery explosion in Georgia sent 62 people to hospitals, nine of them severely burned, authorities said.

The Imperial Sugar refinery in Port Wentworth, Georgia, exploded Thursday night -- the blast so powerful it shook homes miles across the Savannah River in neighboring South Carolina. No fatalities were reported, but authorities said Friday morning the search for the missing had gone from a rescue to a recovery effort.

"There was an explosion into the air with debris and a fireball that was probably five or six times as tall as the tallest trees here," said Lt. Alan Baker of the Port Wentworth Police Department. "It's the biggest explosion I've ever seen in my life."

Capt. Matt Stanley of the Savannah Fire Department said it was possible that sugar dust from refining process had ignited, sparking the blast.

The Imperial Sugar refinery in Port Wentworth, Georgia, exploded Thursday night -- the blast so powerful it shook homes miles across the Savannah River in neighboring South Carolina. No fatalities were reported, but authorities said Friday morning the search for the missing had gone from a rescue to a recovery effort.

"There was an explosion into the air with debris and a fireball that was probably five or six times as tall as the tallest trees here," said Lt. Alan Baker of the Port Wentworth Police Department. "It's the biggest explosion I've ever seen in my life."

Capt. Matt Stanley of the Savannah Fire Department said it was possible that sugar dust from refining process had ignited, sparking the blast.

Lt. Baker and his wife, Joyce Baker, were at nearby City Hall when the blast "shook the ground," he told CNN's "American Morning."

Joyce Baker, who teaches first aid for the Red Cross, said she raced to the scene and pitched in.

"It was like walking into hell," she said.

"We had approximately 13 men who were coming out [of the plant], and they were burned -- third-degree burns on their upper bodies," she said. "And they were trying to sit down and the only thing that they wanted was to know where the friends were."

Sixty-two people were taken to Savannah-area hospitals, said Buzz Weiss, spokesman for the Georgia Emergency Management Agency. Forty of them were treated and released; 13 were admitted; and nine were airlifted to the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta.

Ambulances and emergency workers from 12 counties had been called in to help, Weiss said.

Dr. Jay Goldstein, an emergency room doctor at Memorial Health, said many of the victims treated at the hospital were in critical condition. "We've seen people that have had burns to their hands all the way to about 80 to 90 percent of their body," he said.

The U.S. Coast Guard closed the Savannah River around the port, and Coast Guard helicopters searched the water for people who may have been thrown by the blast.

Flames burned overnight and spread from a main building to other parts of the refinery, Stanley said, describing the site as resembling a "small war zone."

"The fire is not under control. It is somewhat contained," Stanley said. "It is somewhat smaller than it was earlier this evening, which is a good sign."

He said firefighters are trying to keep the fire from spreading to other parts of the facility where there are flammable materials.

The Savannah Fire Department used a tugboat to pump water onto the blaze from the Savannah River.

"Right now, what we're dealing with is a very unstable structure," said Savannah Fire Chief Charles Middleton. "The explosion did damage to a good portion of the facility."

Middleton said the damage made it difficult for fire and rescue workers to enter much of the four-story plant.

The refinery is the major employer in the riverside town just northwest of Savannah.

In October, the U.S. Department of Labor issued new inspection guidelines for workplaces that handle combustible dust particles, including sugar dust.

Plants where a lot of sugar dust is present are classified by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration as "hazardous locations," the same classification as coal preparation plants and producers of plastics, medicines and fireworks, according to the OSHA Web site

Police: 3 shot dead on Louisiana Tech campus

female student shot two other women and herself Friday morning inside a classroom on the campus of Louisiana Technical College in Baton Rouge, authorities said.

Baton Rough police Sgt. Don Kelly said officers responding to a 911 call found all three victims already dead in a second-floor classroom.

About 20 people were in the classroom at the time of the shooting, Kelly said. He would not give the specific room number or say what kind of class it was.

No shots were fired anywhere else, Kelly said.

Technicians from the local coroner's office were seen unloading stretchers from a

Putin vows 'arms race' response

Russia's President Vladimir Putin says the world is engaged in a new arms race and Nato is failing to accommodate Russia's concerns.
In a state council address, Mr Putin condemned Nato's expansion and the US plan to include Poland and the Czech Republic in a missile defence shield.

"It is already clear that a new phase in the arms race is unfolding in the world," Mr Putin said.

He said other countries were spending far more than Russia on new weapons.

But Russia would always respond to the challenges of a new arms race by developing more hi-tech weaponry, he said.

Military muscle

Referring to Nato's activities in Central and Eastern Europe, Mr Putin said "there are many discussions on these, but... we have still not seen any real steps towards finding a compromise".

"In effect, we are forced to retaliate, to take corresponding decisions. Russia has, and always will have, responses to these new challenges," he said.

In December, Russia said it was planning naval exercises in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

It has also resumed long-range patrols by its bomber aircraft.

The practice was suspended after the collapse of the Soviet Union and was revived last August, as part of a more assertive foreign policy pursued by President Putin.

Higher oil prices have enabled Russia to reinvest in its armed forces, but its military capabilities remain far below what they were during the Soviet era, correspondents say.

Twisters kill at least 52 in Southern states

LAFAYETTE, Tenn. - Rescue crews, some with the help of the National Guard, went door-to-door looking for more victims a day after a cluster of tornadoes tore through the South, killing at least 52 people and injuring several hundred.

Residents in five states tried to salvage what they could Wednesday from homes reduced to piles of debris. Tens of thousands were without power after dozens of twisters were reported in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama.

Seavia Dixon, whose home in Atkins, Ark., was shattered, stood in her yard, holding muddy baby pictures of her son, who is now a 20-year-old soldier in Iraq. Only a concrete slab was left.

The family’s new white pickup truck was upside-down, about 150 yards from where it was parked before the storm. Another pickup truck the family owned sat crumpled about 50 feet from the slab.

“You know, it’s just material things,” Dixon said, her voice breaking. “We can replace them. We were just lucky to survive.”

In many places, the storms struck as Super Tuesday primaries were ending. As the extent of the damage quickly became clear, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee paused in their victory speeches to remember the victims.

At least 28 people were killed in Tennessee, 13 in Arkansas, seven in Kentucky and four in Alabama, emergency officials said.

Among the victims were Arkansas parents who died with their 11-year-old daughter in Atkins, a community of about 3,000 approximately 60 miles northwest of Little Rock.

The family died from trauma when their home “took a direct hit” from the storm, Pope County Coroner Leonard Krout said.

Ray Story tried to get his 70-year-old brother, Bill Clark, to a hospital after the storms leveled his mobile home in Macon County, about 60 miles northeast of Nashville. Clark died as Story and his wife tried to navigate debris-strewn roads in their pickup truck, they said.

“He never had a chance,” Story’s wife, Nova, said. “I looked him right in the eye and he died right there in front of me.”

President Bush said he called the governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee and assured them the administration was ready to help and to deal with any emergency requests.

“Loss of life, loss of property — prayers can help and so can the government,” Bush said. “I do want the people in those states to know the American people are standing with them.”

Ala., Fla., Ga. on tornado watch
The system moved eastward to Alabama Wednesday, bringing heavy rain and gusty wind, causing several injuries in counties northwest of Birmingham. The National Weather Service posted tornado watches for parts of southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and western Georgia. Weather service experts also investigated damage in Indiana to see if it was caused by tornadoes.

An apparent tornado damaged eight homes in Walker County, Ala., and a pregnant woman suffered a broken arm when a trailer home was tossed by the wind, said county emergency management director Johnny Burnette.

“I was there before daylight and it looked like a war zone,” he said.

Northeast of Nashville, a spectacular fire erupted at a natural gas pumping station. The station took a direct hit from the storm, but no deaths connected to the fire were reported.

About 200 yards from the edge of the plant, Bonnie and Frank Brawner picked through the rubble of their home for photographs and other personal items. The storm sheared off the second story of the home.

“We had a beautiful neighborhood, now it’s hell,” said Bonnie Brawner, 80.

University hit hard

In Jackson, Tenn., more than 20 students on Tuesday night found themselves stuck behind wreckage and jammed doors in battered dormitories at Union University.

“I’ve never been through anything like that before — the noise. Your ears pop. It makes your skin kind of crawl. It’s really creepy,” said sophomore Andrew Norman, 20, one of eight men who huddled in a bathroom during the storm. Afterward, they had to crawl out a bathroom window because wreckage blocked other exits.

Tornadoes had hit the campus in the past, and students knew the drill when they heard sirens, said Union University President David S. Dockery. “When the sirens went off the entire process went into place quickly,” Dockery said. Students “were ushered into rooms, into the bathrooms, interior spaces.”

He said about 50 students were taken to a hospital and nine stayed through the night. But all would be fine, he said. The students “demonstrated who they are and I’m so proud of them.”

“We’ve seen damage on this campus before but nothing that even comes close,” Dockery told reporters in the televised news conference. “You see these major buildings — $20 million academic buildings — that roofs are off of them. It’s hard to even think about what is in front of us in terms of rebuilding.”

In Memphis, high wind collapsed the roof of a Sears store at a mall. Debris that included bricks and air conditioning units was scattered on the parking lot, where about two dozen vehicles were damaged.

A few people north of the mall took shelter under a bridge and were washed away in the Wolf River, but they were pulled out with only scrapes, said Steve Cole of the Memphis Police Department.

In Mississippi, Desoto County Sheriff’s Department Cmdr. Steve Atkinson said a twister shredded warehouses in an industrial park in the city of Southaven, just south of Memphis.

“It ripped the warehouses apart. The best way to describe it is it looks like a bomb went off,” Atkinson said.

Winter tornadoes are not uncommon. The peak tornado season is late winter through midsummer, but the storms can happen at any time of the year with the right conditions.

But this batch was the nation’s worst in a 24-hour period since May 3, 1999, when some 50 people died in Oklahoma and Kansas.

Severity tied to La Nina?
The tornadoes could be due to La Nina, the cooling of the tropical Pacific Ocean that can cause changes in weather patterns around the world. It is the opposite of the better-known El Nino, a periodic warming of the same region.

Recent studies have found an increase in tornadoes in parts of the southern U.S. during the winter during a La Nina. On Jan. 8, tornadoes were reported in Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. Two died in the Missouri storms.

In this round of storms, there were 67 witness accounts of tornadoes but the number of twisters likely won’t be that high because some probably saw the same funnel cloud, said Greg Carbin, the warning coordination meteorologist at the National Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla. He said a reasonable guess is that 30 to 40 tornadoes touched down.

Most communities had ample warning that the storms were coming — forecasts had warned for days that severe weather was possible. But in at least one rural community, there was no siren to alert residents the severe weather had arrived.

In Kentucky’s Allen County, officials have requested funding for a siren at the fire station, but don’t have one yet. Even if they did, officials wondered if it would have helped.

“It came in quick,” Judge-Executive Bobby Young said. “Probably, warning devices wouldn’t have helped any.”

Why Blacks Should Consider McCain

Feb. 6, 2008 -- The old saying holds that in politics you don't have to win, you just have to not lose. But what the saying doesn't tell you is that sometimes what looks like victory is actually a step backward. And that will be the case for black folk should Hillary Clinton win the Democratic Party nomination and the presidency.


It was clear from the first vague rumblings of her presidential ambitions that H.C. would be the definitive establishment candidate. Her husband is likely the most powerful individual in the Democratic Party and his charisma, cache and connections are largely responsible for the aura of inevitability that surrounded her campaign early on.

Sen. Barack Obama's stunning Iowa and South Carolina victories, along with his strong showings during the other primaries, neutralized Clinton's argument that she was the most electable candidate. But, she has another unspoken advantage: The Democratic Party nominating system includes 800 "super-delegates" who can, theoretically, vote however they choose but are most likely to back the candidate most favored by the party establishment. If it comes down to the super-delegates deciding the nominee and Clinton emerges victorious, you can count on the 2008 Democratic Convention looking a whole lot like the one in 1968.
The Clintons have thus far run one of the most underhanded and bitter political campaigns in recent history. And while there is no reason to suspect that they are racist, they are clearly willing to play upon the sympathies of whites who are--which is probably worse. This was evident by the twin "accidents" in which Clinton staff member Billy Shaheen and that pillar of the booty-shake community BET founder Bob Johnson attacked Sen. Obama for his youthful dalliances with drugs. Any lingering doubt about who they were playing to was erased when Bill Clinton essentially dismissed Obama's South Carolina victory by comparing it to Jesse Jackson's wins there in 1984 and 1988.


Apparently none of the high-profile black leaders who are backing Hillary Clinton have been able to prohibit the kind of cynical race hustling that marked the South Carolina primary. (This recalls the old saying that the problem is not that black leaders so often sell out, but that their asking price is so pitifully low.)

But in the wake of the Sister Souljah episode (not to mention Bill Clinton's stiff-arming of his black nominee for the Justice Department (Lani Guinier) and his short-lived Surgeon General (Jocelyn Elders) it must appear that there is nothing the black community won't forgive you for provided you show up at one of our churches and hum a spiritual every so often. As a matter of principle, no candidate, no matter how deep their alleged ties to the black community, should be allowed to race-bait a black politician and still receive the majority of our vote.


All this points to one clear – if unlikely – conclusion: if Hillary Clinton receives the Democratic Party nomination, African Americans should consider voting for John McCain. But before you fix your lips to call me a sellout consider this: Carter G. Woodson once remarked that any race that consistently gives its vote to one political party is asking to be taken advantage of.

If politics is the art of advancing one's interests, the 2008 election, and the Clinton campaign in particular, indicate that the Democratic Party has become so cavalier with black folk that our interests are nearly invisible. In short, South Carolina (not to mention that LBJ did more than MLK comment) revealed that the Clintons operate on the presumption that they can alienate black voters and still rely upon our support in the general election.

At present no reasonable third party candidate has emerged (unless you count Cynthia McKinney, the fisticuff-prone Green Party candidate who might take "fighting for your rights" literally.) So a vote for McCain would be a short-term loss that would facilitate a long-term win.


With the congressional balance tilting in favor of Democrats, McCain would have a hard time getting reactionary legislation passed or right-wing Supreme Court nominees approved (not that he is a darling of the GOP right-wing anyway.) He has made a big show of his support for remaining in Iraq but truthfully no one will be able to guarantee a quick withdrawal from the region. And to his credit, McCain clearly opposed the Bush Administration's mad attempts to justify torture and broke with the right-wing on immigration reform.


More importantly, John McCain would be 72 by the time he took office, and 76 in 2012. Given the fact that he is a divisive figure in the GOP -- and that he would turn 76 during the 2012 campaign -- it is likely that he would face a strong challenge from within the party during the next election cycle. From the outset, McCain's candidacy has had the look of a one-termer.


I am a lifelong registered independent, operating on the belief that the Democratic Party should at least have to work for our support. If even 20 percent of the black vote went to McCain it would send a clear message to the Democrats that our days of being a cheap date are over.