Iraq ambassador/nominee dodges fire on the hill

By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service

The U.S. may be one step closer to sending a new ambassador to Iraq. The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee convened on Wedneday to vet Ambassador Designate Christopher Hill. Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) recognized the importance of getting a new ambassador to the region with expedience, but certain Senators have expressed concerns about Hill’s past.

Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), who should be noted is not on the Committee, several weeks ago promised a fight in the Senate confirmation process because of actions that transpired while Hill was heading the six-party talks concerning North Korean nuclear disarmament. Brownback felt that Hill had misled Congress on his intentions to confront the issues of Human Rights with North Korea during the negotiations, since those issues ended up not being addressed.

Hill responded to Brownback’s concerns during the hearing today, and said that although he had agreed before Congress to address human rights, the process was stalled before the issue could be discussed. Human rights would have been on the table during the restoration of diplomatic ties with North Korea, Hill said, but that phase would have come only after the verification of North Korea's nuclear assets, and that verification never took place. Hill had planned on supporting initiatives from then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to put together a human rights program to tie progress in human rights reform to better diplomatic ties. Hill said today that America’s relationship with North Korea would not be normalized until North Korea completely did away with its nuclear stockpiles, and Hill could not fulfill his promise to Congress until the stockpiles had been eliminated.

It’s uncertain when the Senate confirmation vote will take place. There has been talk concerning delaying the vote until after the upcoming Congressional recess.

Rice discusses the world economy

“Our administration, together with Congress and the private sector, is working very closely with other countries and, indeed, with the international financial institutions and authorities,” said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during a speech to the World Steel Association. that touched upon the global economy.

Rice outlined steps the Bush administration has taken to grant more countries access to world markets, including increasing engagement with developing economies, changing the major financial framework to better address economic growth, and signing free trade agreements with 17 countries. Rice also described the Bush administrations efforts to increase foreign aid.

“This administration, working with Congress, has launched the largest international development agenda since the Marshall Plan. We have doubled foreign assistance in the Americas, we have tripled it worldwide, we have quadrupled it in Africa.”

Rice conceded that globalization has brought some negative aspects, including transnational crime and weapons of mass destruction, but said that these concerns need to be met with responsible action and leadership rather than isolationism.

Rice said that education would be another vital aspect of strengthening both the local and global economy.

“It’s important to talk about education, and training, and retraining...education more than any other factor, is the indispensable requirement for every nation to build a confident, constructive, and sustainable engagement with the international system.”

Rice said that her commitment to education will be a major part of her post-Bush administration plans.

“Come January 20th, 2009, 12:01 to be exact, I will again be a private citizen. I know that I will go back to advocate too for a confident engagement with the international system based on the tremendous potential of each and every human being unleashed by the power of education.”

Rice may be subpoenaed by Congress

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) , chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, discussed the influence his committee has on public policy in the United States at the National Press Club. Waxman discussed a number of topics including proceedings involving tobacco executives, steroids in Major League Baseball, Iraq, and Hurricane Katrina. Waxman said his committee is able to enact changes without passing laws due to its visible role in many aspects of American life.

Waxman emphasized the importance of congressional oversight and criticized Republicans for taking a partisan position on the topic. He said the Republican controlled committee investigated numerous trivial topics during the Clinton administration and failed to analyze large profile events during the first six years of Pres. George W. Bush’s administration. Waxman said the committee’s purpose is to monitor government decisions and to make government work for people, not to enhance party politics.

An example given by Waxman of the committee’s failure to better the lives of Americans involved the presence of formaldehyde in the FEMA trailers provided to those without homes following Hurricane Katrina. Waxman accused FEMA of “sitting on its hands” and ignoring its obligations to help those in need while criticizing the Oversight and Government Reform Committee for allowing such events to occur. He stated that FEMA failed to help those in need and that the committee’s indifference allowed FEMA to be run inefficiently.

When asked if Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would be subpoenaed by the committee to discuss when the Bush administration realized that Iraq had no nuclear weapons prior to invasion, Waxman said “maybe” and that the idea is under discussion. Waxman also suggested that the success of the Iraqi insurgency can be attributed in part to the American ambassador’s decision to distribute $8.8 billion to Iraqis without any form of accountability.

Rice: "Replace old patterns of conflict with new patterns of cooperation"

The Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice discussed the United States’ policy towards Asia at the Heritage Foundation. Rice talked about the rise of Asia and how it is reshaping the world today. She explained that the United States is actually in a stronger position in Asia now than at any other time in the past.

Rice explained that the U.S. has been able to create good relations with both Japan and South Korea, and is continuing to work to establish good relations with both China and Russia by resting on common interests. The U.S. is trying to establish mutually beneficial cooperation rather than competition and at this present time has better relations with Northeast Asia than the countries in that region have with each other. Rice also said that the Korean Peninsula is the greatest source of conflict in Northeast Asia.

In order to solve the problem in North Korea, Rice explained that using the six party policy would be best. Each of the six parties has the same goal, ensuring the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Rice also explained that the six party policy has three different phases, the third phase ending with the abandonment and dismantlement of all weapons and nuclear facilities. The parties will not just trust North Korea, they will attain verification at each step therefore making it as hard as possible for North Korea to cheat.

Rice explained that though this policy is not perfect, it is the best among all other alternatives. She said that by working together and replacing “old patterns of conflict with new patterns of cooperation,” the six parties have the best chance of success.

American University students participate in Darfur awareness

During an impassioned speech by Mohamed A. Yahya, Founder and Executive Director of DAMANGA, students at American University participated in the “die-in,” where they lay on the ground to symbolize the dead in Darfur.

At the Eric Friedheim Quadrangle on the main campus of AU, a mock refugee camp was set up, and groups concerned with Darfur had tables with information set up nearby. Among the groups was SaveDarfur.org, a group that says they want students to “Learn More and Take Action.” They said they encourage students and the public to visit their website and send messages to President Bush. They were selling Save Darfur t-shirts and green wrist-bands emblazoned with “Save Darfur. org” and “Not on Our Watch.”

Amnesty International was present as well, handing out buttons that said “End the Killing in Darfur,” and postcards that were pre-addressed to Condoleezza Rice, the Secretary of State. The postcards, they said, are designed to be mailed by concerned citizens to the office of the Secretary, because hopefully the mass amounts of them might catch some attention. The postcards are preprinted about the concern for Darfur, but included a section to write in the person’s name and address. Amnesty International also said they have an email campaign.

A group from Solar Household Energy, Inc. was prominently displaying different forms of inexpensive solar cookers to be used in preparing meals utilizing heat from the sun. Although it was overcast and drizzling, the pot that was sitting in the middle of the solar display was warm. Patricia McArdle, a member of the Board of Directors, explained that the solar cookers were like ‘crock-pots from the sun’ and not only were they inexpensive to buy, but they could actually be made by people using cardboard and mylar. Mylar, she said, could be something like a balloon or a solar blanket. The solar cookers are inexpensive and would keep the inhabitants of the poorer countries from cutting down so much of their forests.

In addition to the solar cookers, Solar Household Energy was displaying a basket that would hold a boiling pot of water (which would keep it warm for hours, in effect doing the same thing as a crock pot) and a coffee can that had been converted into a tiny stove, called a Rocket Stove. The Rocket was simply a coffee can that had been sliced, bent, and reshaped to harness the power of physics and make it possible for a few burning twigs to be able to boil a pot of water.