The latest news on Health Care, Financial Reform, Bank of America, Stem Cells, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Bhopal Anniversary, Iran, Israel, Honduras, and Select Op-Eds.
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Quote of the Day. "You need a little of this, a dash of that, a sprinkle of salt or whatever, to make a recipe come together and be really good ... The same thing with peace ... You need justice, you need equality, you need human rights and more." 1997 Peace Prize laureate Jody Williams, who won for her work to ban land mines, describing Ingredients for Peace, a new cookbook that offers recipes from more than 60 Nobel Peace Prize laureates and peace activists. (USA Today)
FAITH IN THE NEWS
US Christians say Obama's Afghanistan surge 'a mistake' “Jim Wallis, founder and editor of Sojourners Magazine and of the Washington DC-based Christian community of the same name, said that many faith leaders would be disillusioned with the President, feeling that they had been promised fundemantal change in foreign policy and an end to a 'reliance' on military solutions.”
Catholics hopeful, dejected by Obama plan to add troops in Afghanistan “Catholic groups with a stake in matters of war and peace were alternately hopeful and dejected by President Barack Obama's plan to add 30,000 troops to the war effort in Afghanistan.”
Christians Must Engage Real and Virtual Worlds, Say New Media Enthusiasts “It may be easy to dismiss the value of digital relationships but that is where many people are in the digital age and if Christians are committed to the command of Jesus to go and make disciples, then they need to be there too.”
NEWS AT HOME
Afghanistan. Lawmakers scrutinize new Afghan strategy “Lawmakers from both parties searched for weaknesses Wednesday in President Obama's newly announced Afghan strategy, focusing on what many said was a contradiction between his promise to begin removing U.S. troops in 18 months and his caveat that departures will depend on 'conditions on the ground.'" Obama Team Defends Policy on Afghanistan “Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and the nation’s top military officer on Wednesday laid out a muscular defense of President Obama’s decision to send 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, but they made clear that his plan to begin withdrawing those forces by July 2011 was flexible.” Obama's Afghanistan strategy has a familiar look “In crafting his new Afghanistan policy, President Obama borrowed liberally from an unlikely source: the playbook of George W. Bush.” Afghanistan plan roils the Hill “Anxious Democrats show little appetite for seriously blocking President Barack Obama’s new war strategy for Afghanistan and appear to be looking for ways instead to bridge their differences with the White House before funding is debated next year.” More modest aims in Afghanistan reflect Biden's hand in strategy “President Obama's decision to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan looks at first like a defeat for his vice president, who pushed hard for holding down the number of U.S. troops in the country. But the plan also gives Vice President Biden a lasting victory: a strategy that lays out far more modest goals for the embattled nation.”
Health Care. Senate Breaks Health Stalemate; First Votes Today “At the end of a third day of Senate debate over sweeping health care legislation, Democrats and Republicans said Wednesday night that they had broken an impasse over the seemingly simple question of how and when to vote on the first amendments.”
Jobs. As Obama opens jobs summit, he faces limited options for growth “Creating jobs is a political and economic imperative for President Obama, who is holding a high-profile jobs summit Thursday that aides hope will demonstrate his concern for the plight of everyday Americans.” Obama puts renewed focus on job creation “Even before Barack Obama took the oath of office, his economic advisers projected that without hundreds of billions of dollars in government spending, the U.S. economy could lose another 3 million to 4 million jobs on top of the 3.1 million lost in 2008.” Conflicting opinions, ideas expected at White House jobs summit “On the eve of what is likely to be another 10 percent-plus monthly unemployment report, President Barack Obama has invited business, labor, financial, academic and nonprofit leaders to Washington to discuss job creation.” Repaid Bailout Money May Go to Jobless Benefits “Under pressure from Democrats in Congress, the Obama administration has begun talks with lawmakers about tapping unspent money from the government’s financial bailout program to help offset additional spending to create jobs and aid the long-term unemployed.”
Financial Reform. Black Caucus Seeks to Ease Radio’s Woes “One of most intriguing mysteries here in recent weeks is why members of the Congressional Black Caucus have chosen to buck their party and president in trying to stall financial regulation reform.” Black Caucus, White House Clash “A clash between the Obama administration and the Congressional Black Caucus intensified Wednesday, illustrating how lawmakers' unease about the economy has the potential to derail White House priorities.”
Bank of America. Bank of America says it will repay its TARP loans “Bank of America on Wednesday evening said it will repay all of its $45 billion in government loans, a move that would help remove the stigma of being a bailout recipient and potentially dial back government scrutiny of its operations.”
Immigration. Immigration Detention System Lapses Detailed “Growing numbers of noncitizens, including legal immigrants, are held unnecessarily and transferred heedlessly in an expensive immigration detention system that denies many of them basic fairness.” Agency, advocates assail ICE on detainee transfers “In separate reports released Wednesday, the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security and the nonprofit organization Human Rights Watch criticized the controversial and increasingly common practice of transferring immigration detainees to detention centers far from their families and attorneys.”
Stem Cells. New stem cell lines approved for federal funding “The Obama administration has begun approving new lines of human embryonic stem cells that are eligible for federally funded experiments, opening the way for millions of taxpayer dollars to be used to conduct research that was put off-limits by President George W. Bush.”
NEWS AROUND THE WORLD
Afghanistan and Pakistan. Afghanistan and Pakistan Rattled by Plan for Drawdown “President Obama’s timetable for American forces in Afghanistan rattled nerves in that country and in Pakistan on Wednesday, as American diplomats worked to convince the two countries at the center of the president’s war strategy that the United States would not cut and run.” Turbulent Pakistan presents a conundrum for Barack Obama “Many Pakistanis see the US military presence in their region as the cause of militant extremism, not its cure. Reaction to Obama's speech was ambivalent, with rightwing commentators insisting his true aim is to invade Pakistan and capture its nuclear weapons.”
Bhopal Anniversary. Activists mark Bhopal anniversary with renewed call for justice “Activists marked the 25th anniversary of the Bhopal chemical plant disaster with a torchlit vigil today -- and renewed their demands that those responsible for at least 25,000 deaths be brought to account.”
Iran. Iran President Says Nuclear Enrichment Will Grow “The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said Wednesday that his nation would produce a higher grade of nuclear fuel on its own, escalating its war of words with the international community over its disputed nuclear program.” Arms smuggling heightens fears Iran may be building arsenal “The freighter seized in this port enclave was one of five vessels caught this year carrying large, secret caches of weapons apparently intended for the Lebanese group Hezbollah, the Palestinian organization Hamas or the Quds Force, a wing of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps that supports insurgents in Iraq,”
Israel. Israeli settlers reject PM's plea “Jewish settlers have rejected an attempt by the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to defuse tensions over a pause in building in the West Bank.” Barak softens terms of building freeze in bid to placate settlers “In an effort to placate angry settlement leaders, Defense Minister Ehud Barak promised Wednesday to restore mayors' power to approve minor renovation projects such as enclosing balconies or building pergolas over a porch -- powers they had initially lost under last week's cabinet decision on a settlement freeze.”
Honduras. Honduran Congress upholds coup “The Honduran Congress on Wednesday quashed the last possibility that ousted President Manuel Zelaya could be returned to office, voting that the coup that deposed him five months ago should stand.” Honduras Congress rejects Zelaya “Congress in Honduras has voted overwhelmingly against allowing ousted President Manuel Zelaya to serve out the last two months of his term.”
OPINION
Johnson, Gorbachev, Obama (Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times) “My hunch is that if Mr. Obama wants success in Afghanistan, he would be far better off with 30,000 more schools than 30,000 more troops. Instead, he’s embarking on a buildup that may become an albatross on his presidency.”
Obama's Goldilocks strategy on Afghanistan (E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post) President “Obama has bought himself some time on Afghanistan and lived up to his promise to seek policies that fit into no one's philosophical pigeonholes. He has also split his own party and diminished the enthusiasm of his natural allies, yet earned himself no lasting credit with his domestic adversaries.”
Obama's folly (Andrew J. Bacevich, Los Angeles Times) “Under the guise of cleaning up Bush's mess, Obama has chosen to continue Bush's policies. No doubt pulling the plug on an ill-advised enterprise involves risk and uncertainty. It also entails acknowledging mistakes. It requires courage. Yet without these things, talk of change will remain so much hot air.”
Sojourners' Daily Digest is a compilation of the top news related to our commitments of life and peace, economic and racial justice, and care of creation, with a special focus on news of the engagement of faith in public life.
