Yar Adua Dead:

There are rumors circulating that Nigerian president Mr. Yar’Adua has been dead. Few weeks ago, he flew to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment but there is no news about him after that and people in Nigeria have started speculating that either the President has been dead.

The most respected newspaper of Nigeria “Next” claims that his brain has been seriously damaged and he is not recognizing anybody including his wife. Till now, it is confirmed that he is not dead as doctors have not declared him dead.

Nigeria is most populous country in Africa also it is the second largest oil producer in the region. There is danger of constitutional crisis in a country that has remained in the military rule for 33 years, ended in 1999. The high management authorities are hiding the news about his condition in an order to prevent country from violence and military take over.

Chris Dodd:

Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut, a leading Democrat whose political star fell along with the nation’s economy, is expected to announce today that he has decided against running for reelection this November, sources briefed on the decision told The Washington Post. Dodd, in his fifth term, chairs the Senate Banking Committee.

His retirement would be the second such announcement by a Senate Democrat in 24 hours; North Dakota’s Byron Dorgan said yesterday that he would not run this fall. The announcements dealt another blow to Democrats already struggling to protect their Senate majority.

Dorgan, a moderate who was first elected to the Senate in 1992 after serving a dozen years in the House, said he reached the decision after discussing his future with family over the holidays. Dorgan, 67, said he “began to wrestle with the question of whether making a commitment to serve in the Senate seven more years was the right thing to do.’’

Dorgan’s decision stunned members of his party, who control the Senate but face spirited challenges from Republicans in several states. Democrats were confident heading into the new year that Dorgan would run for reelection even as rumors intensified that Republican Governor John Hoeven would challenge him in November.

Early polling showed Dorgan trailing Hoeven in a hypothetical contest, and Democrats expected a competitive race if the matchup materialized. Democrats insist they will field a strong candidate to run in Dorgan’s place, and recruitment was underway with Representative Earl Pomeroy’s name emerging.

Dorgan’s announcement could complicate efforts by Democrats to maintain their advantage in the Senate, where they hold an effective 60-40 majority, including two independents who align themselves with Democrats. That is just enough to break Republican filibusters if the Democrats and independents stick together.

Many Democratic incumbents could face challenges amid high unemployment rates and concerns about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. At least three, including majority leader Harry Reid of Nevada, are in serious trouble.

Chairman says Republicans ‘screwed up’ over the years
WASHINGTON - GOP chairman Michael Steele believes Republicans have “screwed up’’ for the most part in the years since Ronald Reagan was president. And, he adds in an interview on the heels of his new book’s release, Republicans won’t win back the House in fall elections and might not be ready to lead even if they do.

That forecast of failure sparked a pushback yesterday at the National Republican Congressional Committee and delight at its counterpart, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Asked Monday by talk-show host Sean Hannity if Republicans can regain the House in November, Steele said, “Not this year.’’

NRCC spokesman Ken Spain said that recapturing the majority remains a GOP goal, while the DCCC pointed to Steele’s comments as further evidence of a civil war within the GOP and party disarray.

Steele’s new book, “Right Now: A 12-Step Program for Defeating the Obama Agenda,’’ released Monday by Regnery Publishing, offers his blueprint for the party’s resurgence. The first step for Republicans, he says, is admitting that they have compromised their principles in the past decade.

Steele focuses much of the book on familiar GOP denunciations of Obama’s policies (“a roadmap to failure’’), the $787 billion stimulus bill (“a reckless, wasteful, pork-laden spending spree’’), liberal views on man-made global warming (“A threat to life on Earth? Depends on whom you ask’’), and other issues.

To regain the public confidence, Steele says the GOP should, among other things, expose the “reign of error’’ inherent in liberal policies, contrast conservative and liberal principles, and highlight the damage caused by Obama’s policies while explaining conservative solutions. More surprising, the GOP chairman criticizes President George H.W. Bush for raising taxes two years after Reagan left office.

White House gate-crasher is D.C. event planner
WASHINGTON - The third gate-crasher at November’s White House state dinner turns out to be a local event planner who came in with members of the Indian delegation.

Carlos Allen, who runs an event business called Hush Galleria in the nation’s capital, has met with the Secret Service several times about the incident, said Allen’s lawyer.

The Secret Service did not learn of a third uninvited guest until mid-December, two weeks after a Dec. 3 House hearing about the breach, according to a government official who spoke on condition of anonymity because this is an ongoing investigation. Allen’s lawyer said his client is cooperating.

Parker Griffith:

Democratic Rep. Parker Griffith announced Tuesday that he's switching parties – saying he can no longer align himself “with a party that continues to pursue legislation that is bad for our country, hurts our economy and drives us further and further into debt.”

“Unfortunately there are those in the Democratic Leadership that continue to push an agenda focused on massive new spending, tax increases, bailouts and a health care bill that is bad for our healthcare system,” Griffith said in a statement. “I have always considered myself to be an independent voice and I have tried to be that voice in Congress – but after watching this agenda firsthand I now believe that the differences in the two parties could not be more clear and that for me to be true to my core beliefs and values I must align myself with the Republican party and speak out clearly on these issues.

Griffith’s party switch comes on the eve of a pivotal congressional health care vote and will send a jolt through a Democratic House Caucus that has already been unnerved by the recent retirements of a handful of members who, like Griffith, hail from districts that offer prime pickup opportunities for the GOP in 2010.

The switch represents a coup for the House Republican leadership, which had been courting Griffith since he publicly criticized the Democratic leadership in the wake of raucous town halls during the summer.

Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor, the No. 2 Republican in the House, hailed Griffith's move from a large majority to a small minority as proof that the Democrats have become “completely disconnected from seniors, young workers and and families in America.”

Liberals countered that Griffith was essentially a Republican all along, and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said he should give back the money Democrats have contributed to his campaign.

"House Democratic members and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee took Parker Griffith at his word and, as a result, invested a great deal in working with Alabamans to bring Mr. Griffith to Congress," he said in a statement. "Mr. Griffith, failing to honor our commitment to him, has a duty and responsibility to return to Democratic Members and the DCCC the financial resources that were invested in him. His constituents will hold him accountable for failing to keep his commitments."

Griffith, who captured his seat in a close 2008 open seat contest, will become the first Republican to hold the historically Democratic, Huntsville-based district. A radiation oncologist who founded a cancer treatment center, Griffith cited the Democratic health care bill as a major reason for his switch.

“I want to make it perfectly clear that his bill is bad for our doctors, our patients and will have unintended consequences far beyond what we know today,” he said. “As a doctor and as a Republican, I plan to once again oppose this measure and hope that we can defeat this bill that is a major threat to our nation.”

While the timing of his announcement was unexpected, Griffith’s party switch will not come as a surprise to those familiar with his voting record, which is one of the most conservative among Democrats. "He has bucked the Democratic leadership on nearly all of its major domestic initiatives, including the stimulus package, health care legislation, the cap-and trade energy bill and financial regulatory reform. "He was one of only 11 House Democrats to vote against the stimulus.

“Look at his voting record – he’s had substantial differences philosophically with the Democratic agenda here in Congress,” said an Alabama ally who is familiar with Griffith’s decision. “It’s something that’s been discussed for the last several months… talking to people in his family. And it genuinely is a reflection of where he feels. It’s his own personal conviction.”

The Obama administration’s decision to scrap plans to build a missile defense shield in Eastern Europe further frustrated Griffith, according to GOP sources, because his district contains the base for Boeing’s ground-based missile defense research.

Ironically, a National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman called Griffith a “woefully ineffective advocate for Tennessee Valley jobs” after the decision was announced in September.

Signs of Griffith’s dissatisfaction with his party began to surface publicly during the summer recess, when he received an earful of criticism from constituents.

Mrs Obama

President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama hosted their first state Tuesday night, including their closest friends from Chicago among the guests honoring India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharon Kaur, with Chicago songsters Jennifer Hudson and Kurt Elling performing.

The glitzy dinner -- planned for months by White House social secretary Desiree Rogers, another Chicago pal -- let the Obama's put their stamp on diplomatic entertaining.
The dinner -- American food influenced by Indian cuisine -- was created by star chef Marcus Samuelsson with herbs and lettuce coming from Mrs. Obama's White House garden. The White House beehive produced honey for the poached pears.

The guests -- about 330 --dined at round tables of 10 covered with mint-green linens under a pavilion built for the event on the South Lawn, erected because no room in the White House could handle such a large crowd. The Obamas were not breaking any record. By the time President Bill Clinton left office, official and state dinners were running to 900 people.

In the afternoon, Mrs. Obama previewed the dinner with a session on state dinner protocol and history with about 20 girls in her White House mentoring project, wearing a skirt by the Indian American designer Rachel Roy.

A few hours later, Mrs. Obama, in a glamorous updo, appeared in a stunning gold and cream floor length strapless gown by Indian born designer Naeem Khan.

I watched a stream of guests arrive at the White House area called "booksellers row." When Chicago business executive John Rogers -- Desiree's ex and a close friend of the president and first lady -- came by, I asked him what he was looking forward to in the dinner. "Seeing all my close friends," said Rogers. Other Chicago buddies -- Judd Miner, Marty Nesbit, Eric Whitaker and their spouses streamed by.

There were movie moguls David Geffen, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steve Spielberg and Hollywood superagent Ari Emanuel, brother of White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.

It was Hollywood and Chicago, meeting up in Washington.

The Menu

Potato and eggplant salad

White House arugula with onion seed vinaigrette

2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Modus Operandi, Napa Valley, California

Red lentil soup with fresh cheese

2006 Riesling Brooks "Ara" Willamette Valley, Oregon

Roasted potato dumplings with tomato chutney

chick peas and okra

or green curry prawns

caramelized salsify with smoked collard greens and coconut aged basmati

2007 Grenache, Beckmen Vineyards, Santa Ynez, California

Pumpkin pie tart

pear tatin

whipped cream and caramel sauce

Sparkling Chardonnay, Thibaut Janisson Brut, Monticello, Virginia

Petits fours and coffee

Cashew brittle

Pecan pralines

Passion fruit and vanilla gelees

Chocolate-dipped fruit

credit:http://www.suntimes.com

Abel Maldonado:

Abel Maldonado, a moderate Republican from Santa Maria who has parted with his caucus on key votes at the request of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, has been chosen by Schwarzenegger to be the next lieutenant governor.

Schwarzenegger, a fellow Republican, made the announcement Monday at a taping of "The Jay Leno Show."

If confirmed by the Legislature, Maldonado would replace John Garamendi, a Walnut Grove Democrat, who was recently elected to Congress.

The governor called Maldonado "a terrific, loyal man that has worked very hard in public service." He added: "But he's also into bipartisanship and post-partisanship, so he can cross the aisle. He makes decisions based on what's best for the people rather than what's best for the party."

Conservatives view Maldonado, who voted for tax increases last year despite having signed a pledge not to do so, as heretical. Moreover, Democratic leaders, who hold the legislative majority, warned Schwarzenegger against appointing a GOP politician with designs on being elected to the job when the current term expires next year.

The 42-year-old Maldonado has long been interested in higher office.

He has also been among the few ideological allies Schwarzenegger has had in the Legislature. In February, Maldonado was one of six Republicans to support Schwarzenegger's push for a temporary tax increase as part of the state's spending plan.

But first, he insisted that the package include a proposition for the statewide ballot that would open primary elections in California to voters of all political parties. The measure, which would benefit political moderates such as him, will go before voters in June.

Maldonado comes from an immigrant family that built its small family farm into a thriving agricultural business with several hundred acres of land and a large staff. He spoke at two national Republican Party conventions, including last year's. He ran for state controller in 2006, losing to a more conservative Republican in the primary election.

The lieutenant governorship is largely a ceremonial post, though the official sits on several boards, including the University of California regents, the California State University trustees and the State Lands Commission. The latter board, with Garamendi as the swing vote, rejected the expansion of an offshore oil drilling platform near the Santa Barbara coast earlier this year.

The Legislature has 90 days to act on Maldonado's appointment. If a majority of either house disapproves, the nomination is rejected.

Several of Maldonado's colleagues in the state Senate are running for lieutenant governor and are likely to pressure others to vote against him.

"I don't see the Senate confirming him," said one such senator, Democrat Dean Florez of Shafter, in a statement Monday.

But Democrats could have something to gain by approving Maldonado. His Senate district is one of the state's few swing districts, and voter registration there leans Democratic.

If he vacated the seat, Democrats might win it, gaining one of the two remaining votes they need to secure a two-thirds majority in the Senate. Two-thirds support is necessary to raise taxes and pass a budget in the Legislature.

State Sen. Jeff Denham (R-Atwater) has said that if Maldonado is confirmed and runs for the office next year, Denham will run against him. "It is difficult to see how a candidate who has voted for a massive tax increase could possibly win a statewide Republican primary," Denham said.

Monday was not the first time Schwarzenegger dropped political news on a Jay Leno program.

It was on the "Tonight Show" that Schwarzenegger first announced his candidacy for governor in the recall election of 2003.





credit: http://www.latimes.com

Voters disappointed over health care and other legislative efforts have now sent 5 million "pink slips" to members of Congress, the conservative Web site WorldNetDaily said Tuesday.

Several Republican lawmakers joined WorldNetDaily figures to endorse the campaign Tuesday on Capitol Hill.

"These pink slips are a call for fiscally responsible and constitutionally responsible Americans," said Rep. Steve King of Iowa.

A pink slip is symbolic of job dismissal, a theme not lost on Rep. Trent Franks, R-Arizona, who said members need to vote the will of the people or be fired in the next election.

Standing in front of posterboards on which dozens of the pink pieces of paper had been attached, Franks told reporters, "You are looking at just a sample of the 5 million pink slips that Americans have sent to Congress."

Those Americans, he said, are "people who are saying to members of Congress that 'we are fed up with the absolute out-of-control spending, and we are going to respond and do what we can to take our country back.' "

Neither the Web site nor the pink slips mention political parties as part of the protest campaign. At least one Republican at Tuesday's event, Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, said she had been surprised to receive some of the slips because she agrees with the points being made.

The explanation may lie in the fact that for about $30, visitors to WorldNetDaily's online store can order the delivery of a "notice" to every member of Congress.

The slips say lawmakers should oppose four things: "government health care," "cap and trade," "hate crimes" and "any more spending."

A commercial firm hired by the Web site then delivers the messages.

The effort began in September.

Franks was forceful in suggesting that the campaign was inspired by rising opposition to Democrats.

"American people really blew it in the last election," he said, calling on them to urge lawmakers to oppose a list of policies from the Obama administration.

World Net Daily, among its other products, offers the online sale of a bumper sticker that says "You lie!" The words have become a slogan against a range of Democratic issues, popularized after an outburst in September by Republican Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina during a presidential speech about health care.

Wilson apologized for the remarks but declined to say whether he would return any campaign donations linked with the incident.


credit: http://www.cnn.com