GREENFIELD, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa couple have discovered an eerie presence in their pear tree, just in time for the approaching Halloween season.
Des Moines television station KCCI (http://bit.ly/p3VYpL ) reports that Phil and JaNelle Lovely recently discovered a pumpkin that appears to be growing in the tree at their Greenfield home, 50 miles southwest of Des Moines.
They say they have no …
A new analysis of U.S. health data links children's attention-deficit disorder with exposure to common pesticides used on fruits and vegetables.
While the study couldn't prove that pesticides used in agriculture contribute to childhood learning problems, experts said the research is persuasive.
"I would take it quite seriously," said Virginia Rauh of Columbia University, who has studied prenatal exposure to pesticides and wasn't involved in the new study.
More research will be needed to confirm the tie, she said.
Children may be especially prone to the health risks of pesticides because they're still growing and they may …
DETROIT - High gas prices and a summer of heavy discounting sentsales of sport utility vehicles plummeting last month for U.S.automakers. Asian manufacturers, who had avoided the employee-pricing lures Detroit offered, saw their results less affected.
Several automakers reported strong car sales in their monthlyreports released Monday, but SUVs took a hit industrywide in the U.S.market as gas prices skyrocketed following Hurricane Katrina.
Sales of the GMC Envoy and Chevrolet Tahoe fell more than 50percent compared to last September. The Cadillac Escalade, MazdaTribute, Ford Explorer, Ford Expedition, Toyota Sequoia and NissanArmada all saw their sales fall by 18 …
MOSCOW (AP) — Raoul Wallenberg, who saved tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews before vanishing into Soviet captivity, may have been alive after the official 1947 date of his death — but only for a few days, says the chief archivist of Russia's counterintelligence service.
The disappearance of the 32-year-old Swedish diplomat is an abiding mystery of World War II. His defiance of the Nazis is commemorated worldwide in statues, in streets named for him and in postage stamps bearing his likeness, and to this day inspires scholarly articles, popular books and Hollywood movies.
It also has been a perpetual embarrassment for Moscow, which has failed to dislodge a stubborn belief, …
Best Buy Co. Inc. rattled investors Wednesday, warning that an already grim holiday shopping season that's expected to be the worst in decades might be getting worse.
Days after its rival Circuit City filed for bankruptcy protection, the nation's largest consumer electronics chain dramatically cut its fiscal 2009 earnings outlook and said it was being hammered by the worst retail environment the 42-year-old company has yet to endure.
"Rapid, seismic changes in consumer behavior have created the most difficult climate we've ever seen," Chief Executive Brad Anderson said in a statement. "Best Buy simply can't adjust fast enough to maintain our …
Tony Armas drove in six runs with two homers, including a grandslam in a 12-run sixth inning, and Spike Owen scored a record-tyingsix runs last night as the visiting Boston Red Sox routed Cleveland24-5, the most runs scored against the Indians in their 86-yearhistory.
Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd (12-9) allowed eight hits in seven inningsto gain his first victory since July 8 as the Red Sox scored the mostruns by an American League team this season. Boyd had lost all threeof his starts since returning from his suspension Aug. 1, compiling a5.95 earned-run average in that span.
Owen's six runs tied the modern major league record. The lastplayer and the only American …
CHICAGO - Tribune Co., parent of the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and Chicago Cubs, said Wednesday its second-quarter earnings sank 59 percent on a deepening slump in advertising revenue and some hefty charges and non-operating losses.
The results fell slightly short of estimates on Wall Street, but Tribune's lagging stock rebounded after CEO Dennis FitzSimons reiterated confidence in the company's pending $8.2 billion buyout.
"Our going-private transaction is on track and the financing for it is fully committed," FitzSimons said in a statement. "We anticipate closing the transaction in the fourth quarter, following FCC approval, and expect to be in full compliance …
An economic downturn can have a positive side: U.S. highway deaths in 2008 fell to their lowest level since John F. Kennedy was president.
The recession and $4 per gallon gas meant people drove less to save more. Experts also cited record high seat belt use, tighter enforcement of drunken driving laws and the work of advocacy groups that encourage safer driving habits.
Preliminary figures being released by the government Monday show that 37,313 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes last year. That's 9.1 percent lower than the year before, when 41,059 died, and the fewest since 1961, when there were 36,285 deaths.
A different measure, also …
In a move applauded by housing activists around the city, newfederal housing legislation has eliminated one of the most seriousthreats to Chicago's low-income housing stock.
The new law, which takes effect in January, places a host ofrestrictions on developers seeking to prepay mortgages on housingprojects that received financial support from the U.S. Department ofHousing and Urban Development.
The severity of the restrictions is expected to force owners ofHUD-sponsored property to preserve more than 10,000 low-incomeapartments in Chicago.
"These are critical properties and it is imperative that we holdonto them," said Salvatore V. Ferrera, president of …
SHANGHAI (AP) — Four-time Olympian Therese Alshammar of Sweden has won the women's 50-meter freestyle on the final night of the world swimming championships.
Alshammar finished in 24.14 seconds ahead of two swimmers from the Netherlands — Ranomi …
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday he had reason to believe that long-stalled peace talks with the Palestinians could resume in a matter of weeks.
Netanyahu did not give details, but an official indicated Israel would take a step to make it possible for the Palestinians to agree to talks. He did not elaborate and spoke on condition of anonymity because no offer has been made.
Palestinians have been insisting that Israel halt all construction in Jewish West Bank settlements before peace talks are restarted. They rejected a partial 10-month freeze Netanyahu imposed in late November as insufficient, because it does not include east …
WASHINGTON George W. Bush made one campaign pledge to businessesthat he'll find difficult to keep, analysts say. He's unlikely to beable to do much about lifting federal regulations, even the ones theClinton administration imposes in its final weeks.
"He can't take a pen and say never mind," said Baruch Fellner, anattorney at Gibson Dunn and Crutcher. Fellner represents the NationalAssociation of Manufacturers and other business groups suing to blockworkplace-safety rules that they say will cost industry $100 billiona year.
The ergonomics rules made final Nov. 13 are among severalinstances in which President Clinton's administration is issuingcontroversial rules after years of study. And Republicans note thathe still has a month to issue more.
"From pesticides to ergonomics, you're going to continue to seethe president use executive authority to bypass Congress," saidMichael Sommers, a spokesman for Rep. John Boehner. The OhioRepublican has questioned new rules by the National Labor RelationsBoard that govern benefits for temporary workers.
A Supreme Court ruling during former President Ronald Reagan'sadministration requires hearings and a review process that couldgrind on for years before any rules are rescinded.
"A new administration would have to go into 600 pages oflegislation and have to explain why (the standards) are no longervalid," said Randy Johnson, vice president of labor and employeebenefits at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The Clinton administration may issue more rules but says it isn'trushing just to take advantage of Clinton's final days in office,said Linda Ricci, spokeswoman for the White House Office ofManagement and Budget.
"It's the prerogative of any president to use the rule-makingauthority to achieve goals," she said.
Before issuing final regulations, the administration has generallygone through several rounds of proposals, each of which was subjectto public comment and, often, congressional hearings and delays. Theworkplace-safety rules issued by the Occupational Safety and HealthAdministration were in the works for years, and were repeatedlydelayed by Congress. An attempt to delay them again until the nextadministration collapsed just a few days ago.
Other proposals being closely watched by businesses include:
A regulation, known as the "responsibility rule" by supporters andthe "blacklist" provision by opponents, that would require companiesvying for government contracts to show they've not violated tax,labor, employment and other laws.
An Environmental Protection Agency standard to reduce the sulfurcontent of diesel fuel by 2006 and require modifications in truck andbus diesel engines to cut down pollution. The oil industry opposesthe fuel proposal and has come out with its own plan to reduce sulfurcontent.
An EPA standard that would assess the risk of pesticides such asdiazinon as part of food-safety requirements. Chemical manufacturers are against these proposals. On Dec. 5, the EPA announced anagreement with chemical manufacturers Syngenta AG, the world'slargest farm-chemical maker, and Makhteshim-Agan Industries Ltd. tophase out the use of diazinon in home- and garden-care products.
This section is a forum for discussion and discemment. Letters exprass ths opinion of the writer only, not necessarily tho position of Canadian Mennonite, ths five area churches or Mennonite Church Canada. Letters should address issues rather than criticizing individuals and include contact Information. We will send copies of letters referring to other parties to them to provide an opportunity to respond in a future issue if their views have not already been printed in an earlier letter. Please send letters to be considered for publication to letters@canadianmennonite.org or to Canadian Mennonite, 490 Dutton Drive, Unit C5, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6H7, "Attn: Letter to the Editor." Letters may be edited for length, style andadherence to editorial guidelines.
Botter to cope with climate change than try to reverse it
I was interested to see yet another editorial on the seriousness of climate change in the Feb. 5 issue ("Hurting the least of these," page 2).
Despite our protestations, I have not noticed any reaction from my Mennonite friends who continue to drive their SUVs and oversized trucks just as they always have, visiting relatives distributed far and wide all over western Canada with the same regularity.
Please do not dismiss me as one who does not believe that there have been some very unusual changes in climate in recent years, but I do have considerable doubts about the increase in carbon dioxide in our atmosphere being the principal factor in these changes. Climate is just not that simple.
There is really no experimental evidence that can be repeated by different scientists that would confirm the overarching effects of carbon dioxide repeatedly trumpeted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and that, after all, is the standard litmus test expected of most scientific research.
Personally, I believe that we would be much better advised to develop ways to best cope with the climate changes that are happening rather than devoting a large portion of our efforts to trying to reverse the trend.
No thinking Canadian would support carbon taxes because, like other governments before them, this one would take the taxes and put the money into the general revenue.
As for more expensive and "efficient" technologies, it takes more ethanol by weight than regular gas to produce the same amount of energy and just as much carbon dioxide is produced. And there have been recent food riots in Mexico because the poor are finding their largely corn-based food staples are rising in price which, they believe, is the result of increased ethanol production north of the border.
And it requires more energy to produce hydrogen fuel cells than the energy that can be obtained from the cells, even at 100 percent efficiency.
And as for "placing limits on how much fossil fuel a person could use in a year," we do not need "energy police" in Canada. I don't want to live in a fascist dictatorship, thank you.
-Clyde Ovens, Calgary, Atta.
Worship conference coverage 'refreshing'
Thank you for the coverage of the Refreshing Winds worship conference at Canadian Mennonite University in the Feb. 19 issue of Canadian Mennonite. As a first-time attendee, the report ("Christian work flows out of Christian worship," page 32), meditative poem ("When our dancing turns to mourning," page 6), and pictures reminded me anew of the positive influence the weekend had on me.
I would like to add a note about Irma Fast Dueck's involvement. Her "Symbol, sign and ritual" workshop was powerful and her work as master of ceremonies for the sessions added much to the spirit of the conference.
Thanks for inspiring reading.
-Peggy Hiebert, Kelowna, B.C.
Vietnamese pastor abusing his freedom
On page 33 of the Feb. 19 issue, there was another story on the continuing saga of the Mennonite Church's conflict in Ho Chi Minh City, District 2 ("Congregation continues to meet after yet another conflict with authorities").
Since we have many non-Christian Vietnamese friends in Vietnam, we have been following this story with interest and despair. Our friends believe that Nguyen Hong Quang is abusing his political and religious freedoms, and is deliberately taunting the authorities.
The Vietnamese press has described Nguyen as a "hooligan" and troublemaker. It ignored the religious context of the conflict and focused on the political and legal issues Nguyen is reported to have violated.
Also, we think it is time that the American author of these stories is identified along with his relationship to the so-called "Vietnamese Ministries" organization. If he objects to being identified, then Canadian Mennonite should not print his stories.
The story contains a repeated call for "the worldwide church to pray for the churches and authorities in Vietnam." We would urge people to pray specifically that Nguyen finds the right balance between assertion/confrontation and negotiation/peacemaking.
-Joanna and Doug Durst, Regina
Seeing Christ in St. Kevin
St. Kevin of Glendalough was a sixth century Irish hermit who lived in a hole more or less in the rock wall of a cliff, emerging in winter to stand for hours stark naked in the icy waters or in the summer to hurl himself-naked again-into poisonous nettle bushes.
He eventually allowed a monastic community to form around him. They were not all able to fit into the hole in the cliff face, which was about a metre wide and high and two metres deep, so St. Kevin agreed reluctantly to move to the shore of the lake, where his disciples built a tiny church for their master-a wonder of Irish engineering that stands to this day-and small huts for themselves that have long since disappeared.
Although they lived singly, they gathered together to chant the Psalms at the appointed monastic hours, which caused them to rise twice each night and walk to the chapel in the cold dark to sing their office.
Soon enough, even the level shore of the lake proved to be inadequate to St. Kevin's community, for people began to come from all over Ireland to sit at the feet of the monks and to learn all they had to teach.
This is of great interest to me because I only lived a short walk from this holy place. To walk in the place of a saint and monks who kept alive the Christian faith is something that sends a shiver up my back. I have climbed the face of that cliff many a time and to think that St. Kevin had stayed in such a gloomy place for so many years had a profound effect on me as young lad growing up.
Can anybody dare tell me that there is no Christ when I have seen things of this nature? Without Christian people of that time, who can tell what kind of a God we might be worshipping today.
-Bill J. Heavener, Cochrane, Ont.
Stories bode well for church's future
I just want to let you know I enjoy and appreciate reading Canadian Mennonite. It seems to become more interesting and helpful as time goes on. "Seniors and the future of the church" by Robert J. Suderman, "Pensive in Egypt" by Barrette Plett, "Berries, 'cold gravy' and generosity" by Mike Strathdee and more in the Feb. 5 issue give hope for the future generations. And DeskTop reading makes for a good start. Thanks to the writers.
-Mary J. Mireau, Saskatoon
High Church worship meaningful for many
Thank you for your fine articles on High Church worship (March 5, pages 4 to 9).
From my observation, the so-called High Church worship phenomenon already has deep roots in the Mennonite community. The only mystery is why it had been left unaddressed in the Mennonite media for so long. Instead, the frequent focus of most worship discussion has been on the more "spontaneous" forms of worship making inroads into the community. Many in our Mennonite communion, however, continue to experience spiritual vitality in the more ritualized forms of worship.
While spontaneity connotes spiritual energy to some, others find deep meaning and spiritual fulfillment in services that are thoroughly planned. Indeed, the planning process itself should be a deeply meaningful spiritual exercise. The Spirit is present in the preparatory writing, praying and, yes, thinking. Similarly, the music is seen as deeply integrated with the Scripture readings, the sermon, the prayers and every other aspect of the service. Words are still the dominant means by which we communicate and express our faith-whether in prayer, hymn, anthem or sermon. It is incumbent upon us, therefore, to choose each word carefully and deliberately in order to allow our language to communicate as effectively as possible what it is we wish to say to God and to each other.
Furthermore, the richness of Christian tradition is seen as a valuable asset to the worshipping community. Both words and music draw deeply from these historic spiritual wells. One Mennonite leader, who switched his membership to the Anglican Church, informed me that he did so because in his area of the country the Mennonite churches no longer held to their historic doctrines, while the Anglican congregation in that region was both theologically and liturgically closest to the Saskatchewan Mennonite congregation in which he was raised.
He is not alone. As many seek to abandon the theological heritage of their denomination, others feel they have to leave the Mennonite communion in order to locate their Mennonite theological and liturgical heritage-and to connect their faith with the wider Christian communion. Let us embrace the diversity of worship among us and therein also find Christian unity.
Finally, while I appreciated John Longhurst's review of Vespers at CMU, it should be noted that monthly Vespers were already a regular feature at Canadian Mennonite Bible College when I was a student there from 1976-79, which means they predate even my own experience.
-Edmund Pries, Kitchener, Ont.
Verizon Wireless has started selling a book-sized device that boosts cell phone signals within a home for $250, making it easier for people to drop a home phone line and rely solely on wireless.
The Verizon Wireless Network Extender needs to be connected to a broadband Internet line. Then it acts a miniature cellular tower, listening for signals from a subscriber's cell phone. It covers up to 5,000 square feet, the company said Monday.
Such devices are known as "femtocells." Verizon Wireless, the country's largest carrier, is following in the footsteps of Sprint Nextel Corp., which started selling a femtocell under the Airave brand nationwide last year.
The Airave costs $100, but Sprint charges an extra $5 per month for use. Verizon Wireless is not charging a monthly fee.
AT&T Inc. is testing femtocells in employees' homes, and plans to conduct customer trials in at least one market in the second quarter, spokesman Mark Siegel said.
The Verizon Wireless and Sprint femtocells are made by Samsung Electronics Co. and relay voice and low-speed data connections. The AT&T unit will also relay fast "3G" data connections.
T-Mobile USA has chosen a different technological route to expand indoor coverage. It sells Wi-Fi routers and phones that can place calls over Wi-Fi in addition to regular wireless calls.
Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications Inc. of New York and Vodafone Group PLC of Britain.
___
On the Net:
Verizon's Network Extender: http://tinyurl.com/bjs3ed
The federal subpoena issued to Illinois Senate Democrats investigating potential campaign abuse is not a "witch-hunt" to snare Senate President Emil Jones Jr., Sen. Donne Trotter (D-17th) said Wednesday.
Cindy Davidsmeyer, a spokesperson for Jones said: "There is a subpoena that we are complying with fully, and the Senate President is confident that his staff has done nothing wrong."
In an interview with the Chicago Defender, Trotter confirmed Jones has been subpoenaed by the U.S. attorney's office. However, he made it clear that the Senate Democrats are under investigation.
"It's an ongoing investigation that started in the House," explained Trotter.
Referring to House Speaker Mike Madigan, Trotter said earlier it was the Speaker who was questioned about using staff for campaign purposes. "That is why Lee Daniels had to step down, because he was using his staff as workers for candidates running for office," said Trotter.
"You aren't supposed to be political or use tax dollars when you run for office. That is why we have campaign fund-raisers to pay for workers. But you don't have workers paid for by state dollars," said Trotter.
"The president (Jones) is confident that he will pass scrutiny with them. It's not routine, but, it's an ongoing investigation," Trotter stated.
However, Trotter made it clear that the investigation "is not aimed at Senate President Jones.
"Mike Madigan had to go through it after it was alleged he had rented an office with state dollars and had volunteers for various office headquarters in a state-paid office.
"There has to be a separation between your legislative and campaign offices. Under Lee Daniels, there wasn't that separation....
"I think the Senate Republicans will be next..., but, this is not a witch-hunt.... It is their job to investigate.... It's not just an investigation that's out to get Emil Jones or Mike Madigan."
Photograph (Emil Jones)
Marseille will be without its record signing Lucho Gonzalez for up to six weeks after the Argentina midfielder fractured his left collarbone in a friendly against St. Etienne on Wednesday.
Gonzalez, who joined Marseille from Porto for euro18 million ($25 million), left the field with his left arm in a sling accompanied by the club's doctor after being pushed to the ground by an opponent and landing heavily.
"We envisage that he will return during the first two weeks of September, which indicates an absence of four to six weeks," Marseille said on its Web site. "He will receive daily treatment."
The 28-year-old Gonzalez has played 43 games for Argentina, scoring six times. He tore the meniscus in his left knee in a Champions League match against Manchester United in April.
Marseille finished second in the French league last season, three points behind champion Bordeaux. Marseille begins the new season away to Grenoble on Aug. 8.
Marseille beat Saint-Etienne 1-0, with Ivory Coast forward Bakari Kone scoring.
Marth Stewart is proving she's adept at more than homemaking.
The shares of her company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc.,are trading 40 percent above their late-October-low as investorsspeculate prosecutors lack evidence to bring a criminal insider-trading case against the media company's founder.
A month ago, investors were concerned that federal investigatorswere close to filing charges against Stewart, the company's founderand CEO, raising the prospect of near-fatal damage to her brand name.The New York-based media company also said fourth-quarter profitwould be reduced by costs from the ongoing investigation.
Since then, Martha Stewart Living shares have surged almost byhalf, easily outdistancing the 3 percent gain in the Standard &Poor's 500 index. They closed Monday at $10.08, down 49 cents.
Now investors are saying the shares are rising because theinvestigation of Stewart appears to have stalled, and consumerscontinue to buy the company's products and publications, includingMartha Stewart Living magazine.
"My gut instinct is that people are taking more time to look atthe operation, and see that it's more than just Martha," said NorthAmerican Management Corp.'s David Baker, who manages about $450million and held 41,700 Martha Stewart Living shares on Sept. 30.
Stewart's sale of 3,928 shares of ImClone Systems Inc. lastDecember is still creating legal difficulties for her. The Securitiesand Exchange Commission staff has informed Stewart that it intends torecommend filing civil charges against her.
Stewart sold her ImClone shares on Dec. 27, one day before federalregulators rejected the company's application for a cancer drug. Shehas denied acting on inside information and said she sold the sharesbecause of an agreement with her broker to do so whenever the pricedropped below $60.
Investors have valued Martha Stewart shares based on how theyhandicap the outcome of the investigation.
"The stock is reacting to lots of speculation that was negativeand now is much more positive," said Adams Harkness & Hill analystLaura Richardson, who has a "reduce" rating on the shares and doesn'town them personally.
No new developments in the case have become public since a reportin October that the SEC's enforcement staff will recommend civilsecurities charges against her. SEC spokesman John Heine declined tocomment on the status of the case.
Douglas Faneuil, an assistant to Stewart's broker, pleaded guiltyto a misdemeanor on Oct. 2 and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.Former ImClone Chief Executive Samuel Waksal pleaded guilty toinsider trading without implicating Stewart.
"The whole body of evidence at this point doesn't look like it'sgoing to put Martha in jail," Richardson said.
Martha Stewart Living posted a 42 percent drop in third-quarterprofit and said fourth-quarter results would miss forecasts. Thecompany blamed the decline on $2 million in legal fees and corporatecosts related to the investigation.
Aside from those costs, the company's two biggest revenue sources,publishing and merchandise, generated increases.
Kmart Corp. has said it will keep selling Martha Stewart Living-branded products, which have been among its most popular products.The discount retailer has been running a TV spot featuring Stewart'svoice in television ads for her new holiday collection.
Martha Stewart Living also is showing indications it might belooking for ways to rely less on Stewart's public image. The companycanceled a prime-time holiday television special, showcasingStewart's flair for cooking and crafts, that in the past had run onViacom's CBS network.
Martha Stewart Living magazine will feature other editors besidesStewart, while a new magazine called Everyday Food will appear nextyear on newsstands without Stewart's name in the title.
Some investors and analysts said the investigation has forced thecompany to reduce its reliance on one dominant personality to sellproducts.
"It's something everyone knew had to be done, and this fast-forwarded that process," North American Management's Baker said."This is an opportunity, though Martha may never think so."
Bloomberg News
Martha Stewart shares climb as investigation stalls
The assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan jolted the race for the White House on Thursday, sending candidates in both parties scrambling for political advantage.
Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, who have made experience a cornerstone of their campaigns, said the murder of the charismatic opposition leader was proof of a need for a U.S. president who is ready to take command.
"I know from my lifetime of experience you have to be prepared for whatever might happen, and that's particularly true today," Clinton said in an Associated Press interview while campaigning in Iowa.
She declined to be drawn into a discussion about the impact on a leading rival, Barack Obama, the first-term senator from Illinois who has stressed a need for change in Washington.
McCain was not so reticent about comparing his experience with that of other Republican contenders.
"My theme has been throughout this campaign that I'm the one with the experience, the knowledge and the judgment. So perhaps it may serve to enhance those credentials to make people understand that I've been to Pakistan, I know Musharraf, I can pick up the phone and call him. I knew Benazir Bhutto."
Asked later by reporters about his rivals, he said former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee does not have "the same experience and background on national security issues that I do."
He said former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani had done a great job with a "post-crisis situation" after terrorists brought down the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001. McCain added, "I'm not saying he is without credentials. I'm saying I am the one with the most credentials and the most experience and the most judgment."
Giuliani, meanwhile, issued a statement that said the assassination was further evidence that the United States needs to increase its efforts against terrorism _ and he began running an a new TV ad focusing on the Sept. 11 attacks.
McCain made no mention of another leading Republican rival, Mitt Romney. But the former Massachusetts governor was eager to join the debate.
"If the answer for leading the country is someone that has a lot of foreign policy experience, we can just go down to the State Department and pick up any one of the tens of thousands of people who spent all their life in foreign policy," he said while campaigning in New Hampshire.
Instead, he said, what is needed is a chief executive with leadership and the ability to assemble "a great team of people to be able to guide and direct them to understand what decision has to be made."
Bhutto's assassination occurred one week before the Iowa caucuses, the first test of the 2008 race for the White House, and provided a reminder of the importance of national security in an era of terrorism. The caucuses and the New Hampshire primary five days later are key races in the political parties' state-by-state process of selecting presidential nominees. Candidates who do poorly in those early voting states often drop out of the race while those who win support are able to secure a valuable advantage in representing their party as the presidential candidate.
After several months of near-constant campaign focus on the war in Iraq, foreign policy had taken on a less pronounced role in recent months. With violence in the war receding, at least for the present, some public opinion polls have shown more people expressing concern about the economy than events overseas.
In Iowa, officials disclosed that internal polling by the top three Democratic campaigns showed Clinton, Obama and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards in a virtual dead heat. Edwards had slight momentum going into Christmas, said these officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity while discussing confidential information.
Among Republicans, private as well as public polls in Iowa show Huckabee with the lead over Romney, who had been the front-runner in the state for months. In New Hampshire, Romney polls narrowly ahead of McCain, who has made gains in recent weeks as Giuliani and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson have faded.
Bhutto was assassinated Thursday by an attacker who shot her after a campaign rally and then blew himself up. The death triggered further unrest in the nuclear-armed nation, a key ally of the United States in the fight against terrorism.
Alone among the White House contenders, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson _ a former U.N. ambassador and energy secretary, called on President George W. Bush to pressure Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to step aside in favor of a coalition government.
"Until this happens, we should suspend military aid to the Pakistani government," he said in a statement. "Free and fair elections must also be held as soon as possible," added Richardson, who served as ambassador to the United Nations for a portion of the Clinton administration.
Obama said he had asked the administration for intelligence briefings on a dicey situation.
In a criticism of current policy, he said the war in Iraq had diverted troops and other resources needed to track down al-Qaida terrorists who move between Afghanistan and Pakistan. "I've been saying for some time that we've got a very big problem there," he said.
Edwards declined to endorse Richardson's idea on Musharraf, saying "I don't think now is the time to talk about things like that." He later talked with the Pakistani president and said he urged him to "continue on the path to democratization, to allow international investigators to come in to determine what happened."
Giuliani said of Bhutto: "Her death is a reminder that terrorism anywhere _ whether in New York, London, Tel-Aviv or Rawalpindi _ is an enemy of freedom. We must redouble our efforts to win the terrorists' war on us."
Said Huckabee: "The terrible violence surrounding Pakistan's upcoming election stands in stark contrast to the peaceful transition of power that we embrace in our country through our Constitution. On this sad day, we are reminded that while our democracy has flaws, it stands as a shining beacon of hope for nations and people around the world who seek peace and opportunity through self-government."
Demcoratic Sen. Joseph Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters in Iowa that he had twice this past fall urged Musharraf "to provide better security for Ms. Bhutto and other political leaders. ... The failure to protect Ms. Bhutto raises a lot of hard questions for the government and security services that must be answered."
____
AP Writers Ron Fournier, Mike Glover, Glen Johnson, Nedra Pickler and Liz Sidoti contributed to this story.
Chris Kaman had 20 points and seven rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers snapped an eight-game losing streak, recovering after squandering a big second-half lead to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 101-93 on Wednesday night.
Drew Gooden added 16 points and 11 rebounds, Baron Davis had 14 points and seven assists, and Eric Gordon had 14 points for the Clippers, 5-15 since Kim Hughes took over as interim head coach.
Brandon Jennings had 21 points to lead Milwaukee, which had won six straight games and 12 of its previous 13. John Salmons added 20 points, and Andrew Bogut had 18 points and 11 rebounds.
The Clippers led by 16 early in the second half, but the Bucks closed the third quarter with an 18-2 run to take a 74-72 lead.
The Clippers responded with a 14-2 run to start the fourth quarter and held on for their first victory since beating Utah 108-104 on March 1.
The Clippers used a 13-3 run over the final 4:27 of the second quarter to take a 52-43 lead. They tacked on the first six points of the third quarter to take their biggest lead, 59-43, after Gooden's basket with 10:36 remaining.
Kaman, coming off a 3-for-15 night in the Clippers' 106-100 loss to New Orleans on Monday, made 5 of 6 shots in the first quarter. He finished 8 of 13 from the field, helping the Clippers shoot 53 percent (34 of 64) to the Bucks' 45 percent (37 of 83).
Jennings, from nearby Compton, had struggled in his previous appearance at Staples Center, going 4 for 17 from the field and scoring 10 points in a 95-77 loss to the Lakers on Jan. 10. But he scored 16 points during the third quarter, including 12 during the Bucks' run to close the period.
NOTES: Bucks coach Scott Skiles said forward Carlos Delfino, inactive because of a left ankle injury, would be reevaluated Thursday. "We're hoping it's just a one-game deal," Skiles said. Delfino started the previous 26 games. ... Although it was the 69th game for the Clippers and the 66th for the Bucks, it was the first time the teams met this season. They will play again March 30 in Milwaukee. The teams split the series each of the last two seasons.
The Last King Of Scotland (15)
BASED on the novel by Giles Foden, The Last King Of Scotlandexperiences the rise of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin (Whitaker) throughthe eyes of fictitious doctor Nicholas Garrigan (McAvoy), who becomesthe president's personal physician.
Abandoning his post at a mission clinic run by Dr Merrit (Kotz)and his wife Sarah (Anderson), Nicholas moves to Kampala to attend toAmin and to work alongside Dr Junju (Oyelowo) at the capital'simpressive new hospital.
Nicholas is quickly seduced by his host's wealth and power, and iseven more taken with Kay (Washington), one of Amin's young wives.
They embark on an illicit affair and once Amin discovers thebetrayal, Nicholas glimpses the brutal, unforgiving despot behind thepolished media facade.
The Last King Of Scotland begins rather gently but soon gathersdramatic momentum, and the final 20 minutes are a tour de force ofedge-of-the-seat suspense, replete with scenes of sickening andgraphic violence, which will leave some viewers feeling queasy.
Whitaker's Oscar-winning verbal fireworks blow everyone else offscreen and McAvoy struggles to make an impact as the good man inAfrica, who pays a terrible price for his disloyalty.
Peter Morgan and Jeremy Brock's screenplay provides Washington andAnderson with little emotional meat to sink their teeth into as thewomen whose romantic dalliances with Nicholas shape his fate.
Macdonald shoots on location in Uganda, using many authenticlocations including the Parliament building, the Mulago Hospital andEntebbe Airport where the climactic hostage crisis unfolds.
DVD extras includes a director commentary, Forest Whitaker - IdiAmin featurette, Capturing Idi Amin documentary, Fox Movie Channelpresents Casting Sessions - The Last King Of Scotland featurette.
