House Republican Urges Obama To Reject Lobbying Attempt From Sudan Government

By Julianne LaJeunesse- University of New Mexico

U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf's (R-Va.) objection to a Sudan lobbyist presence in Washington, D.C. didn't find much of an audience Thursday, but the Congressman moved past the small crowd, calling on President Barack Obama to reject the Sudanese government's prospective representation at the Capitol.

"Today, I am sending a letter to President Obama urging him to make it clear, in no uncertain terms, to both the State Department and the Treasury Department's office of Foreign Assests Control, that under his administration, the government of Khartoum, will not be granted the necessary waiver to hire a lobbyist," Wolf said. "A modern day accused war criminal is sitting as a head of the state of government of Sudan."

Wolf noted Sudan President Omar al-Bashir's March 2009 arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, and said in June 2004, he was part of a delegation of Congressmen who went to Sudan, where he witnessed what he described as "the nightmare."

When al-Bashir was issued an ICC warrant, the Sudan government said they did not recognize the ICC as a legitimate agency.

Wolf said new consideration of Sudanese representation in the nation's capital, "would be a disgrace and must not be permitted to take place under any circumstances."

The Sudan government has not been represented in Washington, D.C. for more than four years, largely due to what the U.S. government once said was genocide in the country's Darfur region.

Dalai Lama Received By McCain And Pelosi, Not Obama

by Julianne LaJeunesse- University of New Mexico

The 14th Dalai Lama was in Washington, D.C. Tuesday to receive a Lantos Foundation award for his human rights service, and despite a missing President Obama, the religious leader still offered kind words and advice for "America... the greatest democratic country."

"I think American weapons, military forces, of course, is to some people... you can take seriously," the Dalai Lama said. "But the real greatness of America is your ancestors, or the principles. These are, at any cost, you must preserve these principles. That is important."

Some of those principles could be in question with the Obama administration's decision not to receive the Dalai Lama this week. The White House says Obama will meet with the leader after a November session with China's President Hu Jintao in Beijing, a decision which the Dalai Lama says he understands.

At the Lantos Foundation ceremony, which was created to further late Rep. Tom Lantos' work on human rights and justice issues within U.S. policy making, John McCain (R- Ariz.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) praised the work of both Lantos, who died in 2008, and the Dalai Lama's humanitarian efforts. McCain called the Dalai Lama "an example of a moral leader."

McCain called the Dalai Lama, who won the Noble Peace Prize in 1989, a father to Tibet, despite the tensions between the exiled ruler and the Chinese government.

"For over half a century, he has led their struggle, petitioning governments and people of conscience throughout the world to lend their voice to the just demands of Tibetans," McCain said. "He has endured the long trying years, and every setback for their cause, with an unyielding determination that is singular because of the patience, humility, and kindness that are his most admirable qualities."

If Obama and the exiled leader don't meet this year, it will mark the first time in 14 years that a U.S. president has not received the Dalai Lama. In 2007, the Dalai Lama received the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal, a ceremony attended by President George W. Bush.

McCain Urges Quick Action On Plan For More Troops In Afghanistan

By Julianne LaJeunesse - University of New Mexico

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) spoke Tuesday about American international policies in a conference hosted by the Foreign Policy Initiative, an organization that rejects U.S. policies "that would lead us down the path of isolation."

During a speech entitled, "Advancing and Defending Democracy," McCain said that President Obama is admirable for keeping his composure during intensifying U.S. international commitments, but added that he disagreed with the President's recent decision to scrap its plans for a European missile defense shield. Said McCain, America should maintain loyalties to people and plans.

When asked by moderator and Foreign Policy Initiative Founder Bob Kagan about the time it's taking to implement a military plan in Afghanistan, McCain said the longer it takes to get troops there, the more strapped the plan becomes.

"You make a decision to do something, for example, to deploy troops... it takes a period of time before you get them over there," McCain said. "It's not a matter of just putting them on a plane and flying them over. There's all of the equipment, all of the preparations, all of the things necessary for deployment of troops. So even if the President made the decision tomorrow, there would be a period of time where we still don't have sufficient troops to do what's necessary there."

McCain said troops in Afghanistan are necessary because "at least some of Americans may have forgotten that it was Afghanistan where Al Qaeda really received the training in order to orchestrate the attacks on United States of America on 9/11."

The senator said that America's sympathy for troop deployment in Aghanistan is waning and that Obama may have to follow previous leaders who have "gone against the majority of public opinion, either in their party or the country, because they were in times of crisis and they knew that they had to take certain actions."

McCain also commented on the Obama administration's recent system technology change from a planned "antiballistic missile shield" to a smaller SM-3 interceptor system in the Czech Republic and Poland, which he said was "technically correct," but added that "the handling of this issue is very harmful."

Minority Whips Express Disapproval Over President's Address

By Meagan Wiseley, University Of New Mexico - Talk Radio News Service.

In a press conference on Thursday, Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and House Minority Whip. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) expressed overall disappointment with President Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress Wednesday night.

“Bottom line...I thought the speech was partisan, uninformative, disingenuous and not likely to encourage those who have honest disagreements with him to be able to work towards some kind of common solution," said Kyl.

Said Cantor, “There [is] no question that the bar was set very high for this president and his speech last night. His performance did not match those expectations and in fact I don’t think that he did reach that bar.”

Both Kyl and Cantor argued that the nation's health care system can be reformed with small specific bills, as opposed to one comprehensive bill. “Start with what works, guarantee those aspects can be preserved, then we can work to fix the problems,” said Cantor.

Republican Leadership Welcomes Obama Back To Congress, Offers Stern Warnings

Travis Martinez, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said during a press conference Wednesday that they look forward to welcoming back President Barack Obama to the Capitol tonight and hope that he's been paying attention to public opinion. Leader Boehner concluded that after listening to his constituents during the August recess, "the American people want the current [health care] system to work better, but they don’t want big government to run it.”

McConnell also asked for a bi-partisan agreement on the final legislation, but voiced his opposition to any health care bill that raises taxes or takes from medicare.

McConnell also addressed the need for Insurance reform, which he said most Republican members are in agreement towards, with respect to pre-existing conditions, interstate competition and portability.

Leader Boehner stated that the aim of the President's joint address may be to, “double down and put lipstick on this pig”.

Rep. Dr. Charles Boustany (R-La.) has been selected for tonight's republican response. Boustany has worked for twenty years as a cardiac surgeon.