Monday September 19, 2005

Bush Watch: Daily Featured Stories

New York Times

Washington Post

Boston Globe

Yesterday's Feature Stories And Headlines

Respondents favored headlines first over features first, 55% to 45%, so the headlines will be listed first below. For those who prefer to read the features first, simply click on "Daily Featured Stories" above or "Today's Featured Stories" below.

Today's Featured Stories

Global Warming Is Past The Point Of No Return, bw
North Korea-6 Nation Nuke Agreement, bw
Iran Nuke Standoff Will Go To UN, bw
Bushonomics: Deficits To Kill FDR's New Deal, bw
Hurricane Sheehan Hits New York, bw
Clinton Joins Criticism Of Bush Racism/Poorism, bw
Bush Gvt. Asks Citizens For Iraq Rebuilding Contributions, bw
9/11 Communications Failed [And So Did New Orleans'], bw
Chavez At The UN, bw
Tone Deaf Bush Stomps On Satchmo, bw
Playing The Plame Game, bw
Bush And The Disaster, bw
Bush's Iraq War, bw
The Hurricane Disaster: Aftermath, bw
Supreme Court: Roberts And O'Connor, bw

For some severely ill, there was no escape from New Orleans, Davis
Consumer sentiment index drops sharply, AP

Uncle Sam's rich uncles overseas, Francis
Iran bids to redefine nuclear limits, Peterson

Back to business in New Orleans , Cecilia M. Vega, Chuck Squatriglia
Afghan ballot includes women -- and warlords, Declan Walsh
Schwarzenegger would limit public workers' unions political clout, Carla Marinucci, John Wildermuth
Roberts keeps views under wraps, Bob Egelko
Protests delay start of civilian border patrols , Tyche Hendricks
S.F. group helping the poor to build their assets, Ilana DeBare
Pentagon's wider nuclear scenario, Editorial
Seven steps you can take to fight warming of planet, Jonathan Curiel
Right-wing comic book critiques America, Christopher Dreher
Schwarzenegger's anti-union strategy bears political risk in blue state, Beth Fouhy

N. Korea Waives Nuclear Programs, Mark Magnier and Barbara Demick
Now, Every Keystroke Can Betray You, Joseph Menn
For New Orleans, 2 More Storms Brewing, Scott Gold, Ralph Vartabedian and Susannah Rosenblatt
Isolated rural Mississippi residents helped one another, Elizabeth Mehren
Schwarzenegger Needs More Than GOP Can Give, Michael Finnegan
California's Levees Are in Sorry Shape, Bettina Boxall
Time to be Arnold again, Editorial
The devolution of a believer, John Darnton
Is Al Qaeda asking to negotiate?, Allen J. Zerkin

Disaster Planning: Don't dare wait, Editorial
First Person: The poor shamed us into seeing them, Janet Pelz

Treasures Mix with Piles of Trash as a Huge Disposal Effort Looms , Nesmith
More than 2,000 Children Remain Separated from Parents, Guardians , Boyd
Displaced Mississippians Find Temporary Home Aboard Cruise Ship , Garcia
Iraq's Parliament Approves New Constitution , Youssef
Germany's Elections too close To Call, According to Exit Polls , Schofield

Germany plunges into political limbo based on election exit polling numbers, CBC News
Iran denies uranium enrichment agenda, EU powers start nuclear resolution, CBC News
Polls close as Afghans vote for new parliament, CBC News
Canadian warships leave U.S. Gulf Coast after finishing hurricane mission , Canadian Press

Martin pitches softwood to China, Daniel LeBlanc and Peter Kennedy
No regrets about Arar, U.S. ambassador says, Jim Brown
Liberals surge ahead in Canadian polls, Donald McKenzie
Canada, Danes thaw Arctic fight, Jim Bronskill

Martin's U.N. blast, Editorial
Every sky has a cloud for Harper, Chantal Hébert

Iraqi MP is shot dead in ambush, BBC
More UK troops 'ready for Iraq', BBC
Afghanistan holds landmark vote, BBC
Puzzle of the stay-away voter in Afghanistan, Soutik Biswas, BBC
China's economy could soon put the West in the shade, Quentin Sommerville, BBC
Iran warning on sactions threat, BBC
Iran outmanoeuves the West over its nuclear programme, BBC, Paul Reynolds
Health warning over New Orleans, BBC
Mugabe defends urban demolitions, BBC

Paralysis in Berlin , Lead article
Afghans ignore Taliban threats to go to the polls , Walsh
Lib Dems to call for 'end of occupation' of Iraq , Tempest
Africa's time has come - and may have gone , Elliot
BBC and No 10 try to gloss over Murdoch indiscretion, Gibson and White
Is the BBC full of hatred of America? , Moss
History will judge Blair as a defender of Bush's agenda above Britain's , Patten
Memoirs of former Labour spin doctor reveal sex, lies and political scrapes, Gillan
Bishops criticise US over foreign policy and war on terror , Bates
Rice too busy for women foreign ministers' dinner , Wilson
Insurers leave US victims high and dry , Berlins
Decent job, income still the best path out of racism, fundamentalism, Younge
US doctors prepare for first human face transplant , Glaister
Britain saturated with American film, literature, television: The Diet , Ravenhill
Welcome back, BD , Grant
The ideas interview : Edward Castronova, Sutherland

What has happened to Iraq's missing $1bn?, Cockburn
Israelis warm to security role for EU on Gaza's border with Egypt, Castle and Silver
Britain 'is sleepwalking into New Orleans-style segregation', Brown and Judd
Downing Street furious as official's diary accuses Blair of 'relishing' Iraq invasion, Brown
President's nephew is arrested for drunkenness, Buncombe
China struggles to cope with suicide epidemic, Eimer
A day at the polls, Afghanistan-style. Rule of the gun far from over, Huggler
Opec ministers prepare to lift quotas to stabilise prices, Shah
It's clean... but is it green?, Hanks

Canada 'complicit' in Iraq, says Galloway, AP
Poison antidotes to be stockpiled for WTO meeting, AP
Afghanistan: Hope for a narco-state, Editorial comment
No let-up expected in US base rate rises, Hamilton
Wrangle yourself a new bank, Shennan

Afghanistan: Election Day Passes, Peacefully , Pajhwok
Politics: China's Nuclear Policy in Iran, N. Korea Gets Critical , Bezlova

Alliances shifting in post-Iraq world, Sanger
Afghanistan holds landmark elections, ap
The old Bush magic isn't working, Rich

The American Lefts, North and South, El Pais
20 years after deadly quake, city recovers , El Universal
Earthquake helped fuel democracy movement , El Universal
Nicaraguan Government Refuses to Hold Talks With Opposition, Prensa Latina
Costa Rican Indigenous Schools Lack Funds, Tico Times
Time for action in education, Jamaica Observer
Ecuador concerned by Colombia's herbicide use, Reuters
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela - Hope In The Eyes Of Millions, Znet
Lula's party elects new leaders, BBC
Paraguayan Senate Urged to Reject Privatization Law, Prensa Latina
Cash-starved city in Paraguay fights war on counterfeit goods, Financial Express
Women are playing a major role in the revolutionary Argentine workers' initiative, IPS
Catholic Church calls Chilean wealth distribution “scandalous” , Mercosur
Survey: MAS, Favorite ahead of Bolivian Elections, Prensa Latina
Bolivian Indian leader ahead in public opinion poll, Mercosur
Helping Peru's 'invisible' women, BBC

Abbas tells Israel not to interfere in Hamas vote row, AFP
Germany in limbo after election stalemate, AFP

Buoyed by polls, Sharon heads home for battle with Netanyahu, staff
PM in U.S.: Ma'aleh Adumim will be linked to Jerusalem, Bush adm agrees, AP
Government to increase settler payouts by NIS 1.5 billion, Zvi Zrahiya
Israel said mulling EU role for Gaza-Egypt border security, staff
Court: state positions security wall to facilitate settlement expansion, Editorial
Modi'in Illit: The Zionist response to off-shoring, Ruth Sinai

Afghans defy threats, turn out to vote, Agencies
Two killed in Turkey blasts, Agencies

Musharraf Talks to Jewish Leaders, Barbara Ferguson
Only the Palestinian Authority can decide who will participate in Palestinian elections, Editorial
Tel Aviv Not to Charge Cops Over Killing of Arabs, AFP
Political Crisis Pushes Somalia Closer to War, Reuters

Iran's offer for 'serious partnerships' can provide new levels of transparency, Editorial
The EU should hold to its word on Turkey, Martti Ahtisaari

Now Mubarak has to deliver on his campaign pledges, Gamal Essam El-Din
The less obvious winners and losers in the Egyptian presidential elections, Amira Howeidy
Mubarak won but radical changes are on the cards, AmrEl-Choubaki

Ahmadinejad's New York shock hits Vienna , staff
Fighting for a piece of the pie in Central Asia, Hossein Amiri

China's Nuclear Policy in Iran, N. Korea Gets Critical, Inter Press Service
China to Underpin Resources Demand: BHP, The Age
Cummins Begins Joint Venture to Make High-Tech Diesels , Indianapolis Star
China's New Cotton Strain to Raise Output by 25%, People's Daily Online

Federal Authorities Targeting Fraud in Fen-Phen Claims, Emilie Lounsberry
Genzyme Halts Drug Test After Death, Stephen Heuser
Self-interest Taints GP Learning Curve, Con Costa
Vioxx Likely Leads to Heart Problems-Expert Witness , Jon Hurdle
Study Shows Increase in Defibrillator Defects, Steve Sternberg
US FDA says Chiron Bid May Include New Vaccine Formula, Reuters

How We'll Overcome Tyranny, Reader Contr.
Saudis Confirm Bush Radicalizing Region, ABC TV
Pure Vonnegut on Bush: Scathing, Buzz Review
GOP To Sacrifice Iraq Lies ScapeGoat , CIA , NY Times
Brit Army Officer, ' Betrayed by Our Leaders.', Observer

Conflict Studies: college campus activism, Beckel, Dembosky, Macabasco, etc
A Failed State, Wypijewski

Bush's Changing Tune, Jackson
Religious Terror, Fisk

NYT > Opinion Page
Note: This is the first day of a new policy on access to the op-ed pieces. The policy is explained on this page.

[TS] Good Grief
by BOB HERBERT
18 Sep 2005 at 10:00pm
The country has put its faith in President Bush many times before, and come up empty.
Innocence Abroad
by ANN ALTHOUSE
18 Sep 2005 at 10:00pm
Judges in the United States should cite foreign rulings.
Taking Full Responsibility
18 Sep 2005 at 10:00pm
Every dollar that is saved by letting the tax cuts expire as scheduled is one less dollar the nation will need to borrow for Katrina.
Dangling Particles
by LISA RANDALL
17 Sep 2005 at 10:00pm
Why writing accurately about science is so hard.
Penguin Family Values
17 Sep 2005 at 10:00pm
It may be fun to find a moral lesson in the documentary "March of the Penguins," but anthropomorphism, like after-shave, is best used sparingly.
Frank Rich: The old Bush magic isn't working
by Frank Rich
19 Sep 2005 at 3:00am
The worst storm in American history proved perfect for exposing President Bush.
Nicholas D. Kristof: A wimp on genocide
by Nicholas D. Kristof
19 Sep 2005 at 3:00am
The United States successfully blocking a UN declaration saying that countries have an ''obligation'' to respond to genocide reflects President Bush's feckless response to genocide in Darfur.
The world needs a stronger UN
by Melita Gabric
19 Sep 2005 at 3:00am
We should be thinking about how to reform and strengthen the United Nations, and not diminish or dilute it.
Editorial Observer: The Great Firewall of China
by Tina Rosenberg
19 Sep 2005 at 3:00am
American and European businesses are not molding China; China is molding them.
Katrina words: Usages in a cataclysm
by William Safire
19 Sep 2005 at 3:00am
How to describe the long-trapped residents of New Orleans and other Gulf Coast cities has quickly become a matter of controversy.
Turkey and Europe
19 Sep 2005 at 3:00am
Jonathan Power downgrades one thousand years of Turkish history of tolerance to one event in 1945 (RCaution on Turkey,R Views, Sept. 16), but this is not enough to taint the country. It was the Ottoman Empire that gave safe heaven to the thousands of Jews expelled from Spain in 1492.
In Petition to Government, Tribe Hopes for Return to Whaling Past
by SARAH KERSHAW
18 Sep 2005 at 10:00pm
The Makah Indians see themselves as whalers and continue to identify themselves spiritually with whales.
Voting Panel Will Propose New Calendar for Primaries
by DAVID E. ROSENBAUM
18 Sep 2005 at 10:00pm
The panel is recommending four regional presidential primaries in election years rather than allowing states to hold primaries whenever they wish.
Speed Cited in Chicago Train Derailment
by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
18 Sep 2005 at 10:00pm
A commuter train was going 69 miles per hour in a 10 m.p.h. zone just before it derailed, killing two people and injuring dozens.
Tourists Evacuated From Florida Keys as Storm Intensifies
by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
18 Sep 2005 at 10:00pm
MIAMI, Sept. 18 (AP) - Thousands of tourists jammed the highways on Sunday after they were told to evacuate the lower Florida Keys because Tropical Storm Rita had developed over the Bahamas and was moving toward the vulnerable, low-lying island chain.
German Election Is Inconclusive; No Clear Winner
by RICHARD BERNSTEIN
18 Sep 2005 at 10:00pm
The vote produced the unusual spectacle of both main candidates, Gerhard Schröder and Angela Merkel, claiming a mandate.
Afghan Voters Take Next Step to Democracy
by CARLOTTA GALL and SOMINI SENGUPTA
18 Sep 2005 at 10:00pm
Undeterred by threats from insurgents, Afghans voted in the country's first free legislative elections in more than 25 years.

Ukraine's Orange Split
by Post
UKRAINE'S DEMOCRATIC revolution has ended the way most do, with the victorious coalition dividing into factions that are now battling each other. For the most part, this is a healthy development. The Orange Revolution movement that overturned a corrupt and autocratic regime last year was united by the cause of democracy and independence from Russia. Once that was achieved, ideological and policy differences were bound to surface. In Ukraine's case, President Viktor Yushchenko, a moderate and market-oriented reformer, has finally split with Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who espouses populist and statist policies. No violence has accompanied their rupture, and a parliamentary election scheduled for March provides a good opportunity for the country to choose between them.
Talking Tolls
by Post
ADISAPPOINTING, if predictable, quirk of Virginia's gubernatorial campaign is that the two major candidates insist on ignoring the dimensions of the state's most urgent problem: its pitifully clogged highway system and inadequate mass transit network. Maintenance and expansion needs have been neglected for so long that the most definitive study says they will cost an extra $108 billion over the next 20 years -- and that's additional expenditures, beyond the $95 billion the state already expects to spend by 2025. Where in the world would Virginia find the money, or even half that much? Neither Republican Jerry W. Kilgore, the former attorney general, nor Democratic Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine is saying, doubtless because the answer must include the politically suicidal words "taxes" and "tolls."
Water Vapor Discovered on Tiny Moon of Saturn
by Guy Gugliotta
The original idea was to fly within 600 miles of Enceladus, orbiting 148,000 miles from Saturn, but some researchers suspected the icy moon might have an atmosphere. Fly closer, they suggested.
NATION IN BRIEF
by Post
LOS ANGELES -- Two people accused of posing as American Red Cross volunteers and taking in as much as $2,000 have been charged in the first federal case involving an alleged Hurricane Katrina relief scam, prosecutors said.
Derailed Train Was Speeding
by Post
CHICAGO, Sept. 18 -- A commuter train was going far over the speed limit just before it derailed, killing two people and injuring dozens, the acting chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board said Sunday.

Divided German Voters Leave New Leadership Uncertain
by Craig Whitlock
BERLIN, Sept. 18 -- German voters dumped Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's government Sunday but split their ballots among so many different parties that none was able to muster enough support to replace it.
With Violence Muted, Afghans Go to Polls For Historic Election
by N.C. Aizenman
Hundreds of thousands of proud voters flocked to schools, mosques and tents across Afghanistan Sunday to cast ballots in the nation's first legislative elections since 1969, as threats by militants to disrupt the vote with violent attacks largely failed to materialize.
Tropical Storm Nears Florida
by Post
MIAMI, Sept. 18 -- Thousands of tourists jammed the highways Sunday after they were told to evacuate the lower Florida Keys because Tropical Storm Rita strengthened over the Bahamas and moved toward the vulnerable, low-lying island chain.
Musharraf Denies Rape Comments
by Glenn Kessler
Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the president of Pakistan, has denied telling The Washington Post in an interview last week that claiming rape has become a "moneymaking concern" in Pakistan and that many Pakistanis felt it was an easy way to make money and get a Canadian visa.
Bird Flu Suspected in Children And Among Birds at Jakarta Zoo
by Post
JAKARTA, Indonesia, Sept 19 -- Two children have been hospitalized in Indonesia with suspected cases of bird flu and a zoo in Jakarta has been closed after tests showed some exotic birds had the virus, the health minister said Monday.

Hospital absorbed mayor's room fees
by Stephen Kurkjian, Globe Staff
19 Sep 2005 at 4:00am
Brigham and Women's Hospital wrote off more than $5,000 in room fees accumulated by Mayor Thomas M. Menino for stays in the hospital's deluxe, private unit in 2003 and 2004, according to Menino and the hospital's spokesman.
German vote leaves parties in a standoff
by Colin Nickerson, Globe Staff
19 Sep 2005 at 4:00am
BERLIN -- In parliamentary elections that were watched closely in Washington and in European capitals, Germany appeared caught in a tense political limbo last night as neither of the two main parties won enough seats yesterday to form a government or even to easily form a governing coalition with other parties.
Many gas guzzlers are gathering dust
by Don Aucoin, Globe Staff
19 Sep 2005 at 4:00am
In May, Holly Kennedy bought an SUV. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Irish melancholy from new and old wounds
by James Carroll
19 Sep 2005 at 4:00am
RECOVERY AND setback, accomplishment and catastrophe, optimism and dashed hopes -- these, apparently, are the melancholy facts of the Irish condition. I speak politically and personally. An ultimate breakthrough to peace seemed to take place last month with a formal -- if long overdue -- renunciation of violence by the IRA. The British government responded by beginning the dismantling of ...
Muslims and the Holocaust
by Cathy Young
19 Sep 2005 at 4:00am
RECENTLY IN England, four Muslim-staffed committees appointed to advise Prime Minister Tony Blair and his Cabinet on issues related to Islam have come up with a recommendation: Get rid of an official event viewed as offensive to Muslims. What event would that be? A celebration of the Crusades, perhaps? No, Holocaust Memorial Day.
Prochoice, out of touch
by Joan Vennochi, Globe Columnist
18 Sep 2005 at 4:00am
HELLO, NARAL? It is getting easier to ignore you. The same is true of Planned Parenthood.
Strange bedfellows in Afghanistan
by Fotina Christia
18 Sep 2005 at 4:00am
BEFORE ITS RISE to fame as a battleground in the war on terror, Afghanistan was known as a bubbling geyser of the Cold War. During the 1980s Afghan communists, installed and backed by the Soviet Army, struggled for years to overcome resistance from US-backed mujahideen. Now -- over a decade after the Soviet withdrawal and bloody ethnic strife that followed ...

Global Warming 'Past The Point Of No Return', Connor

N. Korea Vows to Quit Arms Program
by Edward Cody
BEIJING, Sept. 19 -- China announced Monday that negotiators from six nations have reached agreement under which North Korea pledged to dismantle its nuclear arms program in return for recognition and aid from the United States and its Asian allies.

North Korea Says It Will Abandon Nuclear Efforts
by JOSEPH KAHN
18 Sep 2005 at 10:00pm
North Korea agreed to end its nuclear weapons program in return for security, economic and energy benefits, potentially easing tensions with the United States.

U.S. and Allies Seek Iran Resolution at U.N.
by JOEL BRINKLEY
18 Sep 2005 at 10:00pm
The U.S. and its allies said that they would push for a resolution critical of Iran from the United Nations nuclear monitoring agency.

'We Don't Need Nuclear Arms'
by Post
Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said little during a lengthy interview with Lally Weymouth of Newsweek and The Post to dispel the impression that he is a hard-liner who intends to take his country in a different direction. Excerpts:

Iran's President Does What U.S. Diplomacy Could Not
by Dafna Linzer
NEW YORK, Sept. 18 -- Five weeks ago, Iran's new president bought his country some time. Facing mounting criticism after walking away from negotiations with Europe and restarting part of Iran's nuclear program, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad asked the world to withhold diplomatic pressure while he put together...

A new nuclear arsenal? Just guess who the dupes will be, Wishart
Cartoon: Leftovers in Iran, Rowson
EU hits back over Iran's nuclear defiance, Traynor
This nuclear madness , Preston

Pentagon May Have Doubts on Preemptive Nuclear Moves
by Walter Pincus
The Pentagon may be having second thoughts about proposed revisions to its nuclear weapons doctrine that would allow commanders to seek presidential approval for using atomic arms against nations or terrorists who intend to use chemical, biological or nuclear weapons against the United States, its...

A Fix for First Responders
by John McCain, Joseph Lieberman, Jane Harman and Curt Weldon
It was four years ago this month that our brave police officers, firefighters and other emergency response personnel raced into the smoldering buildings of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon to try to save the lives of thousands. Unfortunately, their efforts were hindered by a communications system that failed to allow these first responders to communicate with each other, something known as "interoperability." In some cases, not only could the first responders who entered the twin towers not communicate with each other, they were also unable to reach their base commanders in the lobby or at headquarters because the radio communications could not travel great distances or penetrate the thick steel walls and concrete floors.

What About An Emergency Communications System That Works?
by William Fisher, Bush Watch, August 26, 2005
On September 11, 2001, a New York City police helicopter hovered above the World Trade Center. Two minutes earlier, the first of the twin towers had collapsed. It would be twenty-one minutes before the second tower was to collapse. “About 15 floors down from the top, it looks like it’s glowing red,” the pilot of one helicopter radioed. “It’s inevitable.” Seconds later a second pilot radioed, “I don’t think (the second tower) has too much longer to go. I would evacuate all people within the area of that second building.” New York City police received the call to evacuate the buildings. Fire and rescue personnel did not because they operated on a different radio system. As a result, dozens of police officers and several hundred fire and rescue personnel perished in the collapse.

'Whatever It Costs'
by Sebastian Mallaby
It's hard to say what's worse: The incompetence of the administration's initial hurricane response or the cowardice of its follow-up. Faced with a small hit to his ratings, the president who once boasted of ignoring polls is rushing to spend billions of other people's dollars on saving his political skin. His philosophy is, "It's going to cost whatever it costs." That phrase should be the title of some future history of the Bush era.

GOP to propose budget cuts to cover Katrina costs, AP
Expect debt from rebuilding, Taylor
The Need for Caution, Creativity, and Cooperation in Rebuilding New Orleans After the Flood Waters Recede, Gelfand
How Will Homeowners Insurance Litigation After Hurricane Katrina Play Out?, Scales
Katrina and the Poverty of America: The Poor Have No Lobbysts, Cook

NYTimes Bush Mole, J Miller Rots in Jail, WaPo
Over 40 in Congress Call Bush on Plame , GaelicStarOver
Judith Miller's Visitors List Revealed--Bolton's Name 'Raises Eyebrows' , Staff

Mr. Bush's Tuba, Sublette
Bush, and Satchmo, in New Orleans , Mitchell

Clinton Levels Sharp Criticism at the President's Relief Effort
by PHILIP SHENON
18 Sep 2005 at 10:00pm
Former President Bill Clinton said the storm highlighted class divisions in the country that often played out along racial lines.

[TS] Tragedy in Black and White
by PAUL KRUGMAN
18 Sep 2005 at 10:00pm
Race is the biggest reason the United States is ruled by a political movement that is hostile to the idea of helping citizens in need.

The Other America, 2005
by Post
"Unfortunately, many Americans live on the outskirts of hope -- some because of their poverty, and some because of their color, and all too many because of both. Our task is to help replace their despair with opportunity."

Clinton launches withering attack on Bush on Iraq, Katrina budget, AFP

Mother Who Lost Son in Iraq Continues Fight Against War
by MARC SANTORA
18 Sep 2005 at 10:00pm
Cindy Sheehan brought her campaign to end the war to New York, where she accused Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of not doing enough to challenge the Bush administration's Iraq policies.

Bush Government Seeking Donations To Rebuild Iraq, ct
Among Largest Thefts In History: What Has Happened To Iraq's Missing $1 Billion?, ind

Latin America Tackles Poverty, Economist
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Goodall
Venezuela Dismisses U.S. Drug Control Decertification, Venezuelanalysis
Venezuelan president Chavez campaigns in Hispanic Bronx, Mercosur
Chavez at the UN, Chavez

Fixing government after Katrina
by Yossi Sheffi
19 Sep 2005 at 4:00am
THE RESPONSE of government to Hurricane Katrina is being dissected to determine why the initial reaction was lackadaisical even though officials knew the disaster was coming. One reason could be the culture of the organizations involved. If this root cause is not addressed systematically then all the special commissions, forecasting tools, special gear, and training available will not fix the ...

Kat: Bush Criminally Negligent , Populist.Com Ed
FEMA: Vast Fraud Across Florida in 04, Sun-Sentinel
La. Kat Schools Fund Lacks Teacher's Pay, Yahoo

Gunmen Kill a Lawmaker in an Attack Near Baghdad
by ROBERT F. WORTH
18 Sep 2005 at 10:00pm
A Kurdish member of the Iraqi National Assembly was fatally shot in an attack north of the capital on Saturday night.

Relentless Rebel Attacks Test Shiite Endurance
by SABRINA TAVERNISE and ROBERT F. WORTH
18 Sep 2005 at 10:00pm
Insurgents in Iraq have shifted their focus to killing Shiite civilians, with the number of attacks rising sharply since the spring.

Accountability for Syria
19 Sep 2005 at 3:00am
If President Bashar Assad of Syria persists in his disastrous policies in Iraq, as he did for so long in Lebanon, the regime he undermines could be his own.

U.S. Claims Success in Iraq Despite Onslaught
by Ellen Knickmeyer
BAGHDAD -- Using enemy body counts as a benchmark, the U.S. military claimed gains against Abu Musab Zarqawi's foreign-led fighters last week even as they mounted their deadliest attacks on Iraq's capital.

Billions plundered from Iraq military, AFP
Iraqi lawmakers back draft constitution amid shootings, car bombings, executions, Agencies
Iraqi Parliament OKs Charter Amid More Violence, Agencies
Few Saudi fighters in Iraq, most fighters were not militants before US invasion, Reuters
Iraqis Being Bombarded With Propaganda, El-Tablawy
Nowhere to run: Civilians caught in the middle at Tal Afar battle, Nermeen Al-Mufti

Caution Urged for Reopening of New Orleans
by WILLIAM YARDLEY
18 Sep 2005 at 10:00pm
The official in charge of the federal hurricane response said that the city, still largely without power or drinking water, was moving too quickly to bring people back.

In a Parking Lot, Under a Tent and Amid the Chaos, Sunday Goes On
by MICHAEL BRICK
18 Sep 2005 at 10:00pm
In New Orleans, where the parades end when Lent begins, this Sunday brought works and deeds in great number and little time for preaching.

Hundreds Come Back To Parts of Drying City
by Peter Whoriskey
NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 18 -- As federal and local officials argued about when residents should be permitted to return to this evacuated city, hundreds of people have ignored orders to keep out and found their way past scattered armed checkpoints to reoccupy their homes.

Evacuees' return to city called premature
by Keith O'Brien, Globe Correspondent
19 Sep 2005 at 4:00am
NEW ORLEANS -- With Tropical Storm Rita headed for the Gulf of Mexico and some residents set to return to dry parts of the city today, the head of the federal relief effort continued yesterday to question Mayor C. Ray Nagin's timeline for reopening the city while some poor New Orleanians were starting to wonder how they would ever get ...

Our Lost Community
by William Raspberry
Americans of a certain age like to remember when there was a thing called community. Not community as in such political blocs as the "gay community" or the "Hispanic community," but community as in neighbors who could count on each other in time of trouble.

By Hook or by Crook, Surviving Storm
by Sally Jenkins
GULFPORT, Miss. -- Hurricane Katrina has transformed Mississippi's mayors into car thieves, and senators into blockade runners. Isolated by the initial hit of the storm and failed by the slow federal response, citizens have fended for themselves in some original and not entirely legal ways. Brent...

Answer the questions
by Jeff Jacoby, Globe Columnist
18 Sep 2005 at 4:00am
IT WAS Day Three of the John Roberts confirmation hearings, and Senator Joseph Biden, frustrated at his inability to draw out the Supreme Court nominee on a host of legal issues, was nearing the end of his allotted 20 minutes.

'NYT' and 'Wash Post' Split on Roberts for Court , Staff