America Looks Ahead to Obama Administration
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Former Clinton adviser Rahm Emanuel offered chief of staff position; Paul Volcker, Robert Rubin mentioned as possible candidates for treasury secretary
U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has begun assembling a White House team in advance of the presidential transition January 20. Mike O'Sullivan reports that after the excitement over the historic election dies down, the next president will face some serious domestic and international issues.
President-elect Barack Obama looks out into the crowd after his acceptance speech at Grant Park in Chicago, 04 Nov 2008Barack Obama outlined some of the challenges facing the nation in his victory speech in Chicago Tuesday night. They include the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, environmental issues and an economic crisis. He predicted setbacks and false starts, but said he is confident the problems can be tackled.
"There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build and threats to meet, alliances to repair. The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there," he said.
Exit polls taken during the election show that more than six in ten Americans view the flagging economy as the most important issue facing the nation. One in ten voters cited other key concerns, such as the war in Iraq, health care and terrorism.
Who will be chosen as Treasury Secretary?
Mr. Obama has just 2 1/2 months to prepare for his transition, and there is speculation over the makeup of his new administration. Some wonder if his campaign advisers may have a formal role, perhaps in the key job of treasury secretary. Speculation surrounding that important job has focused on Paul Volcker, who was federal reserve chairman under President Ronald Reagan, and Robert Rubin, a former treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton. Some wonder if there may even be a role for another Obama supporter, the billionaire investor Warren Buffett.
Chief of Staff Position could go to former Clinton adviser
Senator Obama is starting to assemble his White House staff. News reports say he has offered the job of chief of staff to Rahm Emanuel, a Democratic member of congress who was once a senior adviser to former president Clinton.
The next president should have a sympathetic Congress when he takes the oath of office in January. It will be the first time since the early years of the Clinton presidency when Democrats have held the White House and a majority of seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate. They will still need cooperation from Republicans, especially in the Senate, where Democrats failed to get the 60 seats that would have protected them from procedural blocks known as filibusters. Some newly elected Democrats from conservative states, such as Virginia and North Carolina, may also want to embrace a moderate agenda.
President-elect urged to govern from center
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, 05 Nov 2008In Washington Wednesday, the Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, urged the next president to govern from the center.
"At a time of this economic crisis, our priority should be very clear about what we need to do. Each side of the spectrum can hope to influence the decision. But the fact is that a new president coming in, in my view, must take the country down the middle to solve the problems, to gain the confidence, to take us more strongly in a new direction," he said.
Analysts credit the Obama win to a highly effective campaign, an exceptional ability at fundraising, and a message that resonated with voters across demographic lines. In his victory speech, Senator Obama said he will be president for all Americans, even those who voted against him.
DNC chairman says Obama's message resonates with voters
Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean says the message of the election is clear.
"Americans have given all of us - Democrats, Republicans and Independents - a simple mandate to work together to find big solutions to the big challenges that face our country," he said.
As the president-elect turns his attention to the business of governing, the euphoria over his historic election has not subsided. Senator Obama is the first African American to be elected U.S. president. Another African American leader, Georgia Representative John Lewis, says the Obama victory will inspire future generations. Lewis spoke on NBC Television's Today show about the message of the Obama win.
"It doesn't matter whether you are black or white or Latino or Asian American or Native American, you can grow up in America and be anything that you want to be. People will be saying for years to come, 'If Barack Obama can do it, you can do it too,'" he said.
The man Senator Obama will replace in the White House, President George W. Bush, said this election is uplifting for a generation of Americans who watched the struggle for civil rights unfold, and are seeing the dream fulfilled four decades later.
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Political Experts Say Obama Faces Major Challenges
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President-elect and his team begin to face many choices that confront them as they prepare to assume office in January
The celebration of Barack Obama's election to the US presidency has died down and now the president-elect and his team begin to face the many choices that confront them as they prepare to assume office in January. As VOA's Greg Flakus reports from Houston, political experts and foreign policy analysts say the new president will face some difficult challenges right from the start. President-elect Barack Obama on stage with his wife Michelle and daughters during election night gathering in Grant Park, Chicago, 04 Nov 2008One of the most obvious problems for President-elect Obama is that he will enter office facing problems left over by outgoing President George Bush. Those problems include a financial crisis, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the prospect of Iran developing a nuclear weapon and a number of other situations all of which demand immediate attention.Rice University Political Science professor Earl Black, co-author of the book Divided America, says new presidents have often had to deal with the problems left behind by their predecessor."He will face the situation, for example, that faced Ronald Reagan when he became the Republican president in January, 1981," said Earl Black. "He will have inherited all the problems associated with the previous administration."Black says another problem for President-elect Obama may be the high expectations he has raised among the people who supported him."Since a lot of Obama's message emphasized hope and change and, to a large degree he was somewhat general about those, he has attracted, obviously, millions of supporters not all of whom probably agree on what change they want and what hopes they are hoping to be satisfied," he said.Some of the biggest and most frightful challenges facing the new president will be in foreign affairs. Peter Zeihan, Vice President of Analysis for Stratfor, a Texas-based private intelligence and analysis company, says all presidents entering the White House find their options are limited. But, he says, President Obama will have some special problems to address."First, you have Iraq," he said. "He has promised his supporters that he will pull out as soon and as quickly as possible. However, unless he wants to turn around and re-deploy and go to war with Iran a year or two later, he has to be careful in how he does that. There needs to be some sort of agreement with Iran over the future of Iraq. Barring that, if you just have a naked pullout, there is really absolutely nothing that would stop the Iranians from taking over, whether directly or indirectly."Such a move by Iran, Zeihan says, would endanger the Persian Gulf oil supplies and force a US response. Zeihan says the situation in Afghanistan and the refuge Taliban fighters have in nearby Pakistan will also challenge President Obama."The way that Obama has outlined that he will make a difference in this conflict is by tapping Europeans and calling on NATO allies to do more," he said. "Well, as the Bush administration has discovered, much to its chagrin, the Europeans don't have the forces in the first place to deploy, second, are not willing, as a general rule, to deploy them in combat situations and third, because of the global finance crisis, most of them are pulling their forces home from Afghanistan."Zeihan says the new US president would risk provoking conflict with Pakistan if he sends US forces across the border from Afghanistan to pursue the Taliban and Al Qaeda.He says the third security problem the Obama administration will face internationally is the increasing boldness of Russia, which is aggressively countering US attempts to expand NATO in eastern Europe. Zeihan says these are just some of the challenges for the new president."These are just the three security challenges, all of which, honestly, are more than enough to keep any president busy independently," said Zeihan. "All three together-Whew! I do not envy Obama. I would not have envied McCain, either."Zeihan says US options will be limited in the years ahead because the country is over extended militarily and financially.
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Pelosi Urges Congressional Bipartisanship in Working with President-Elect Obama
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US House of Representatives Speaker says increased number of Democrats should enable Congress to accomplish more
House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi says Democrats look forward to working with President-elect Barack Obama on bipartisan solutions to the U.S. financial crisis and other problems. As VOA's Dan Robinson reports, Pelosi says increased numbers of Democrats in the House and Senate should enable Congress to accomplish more. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, 05 Nov 2008In a note of bipartisanship, Pelosi said Wednesday that when President-elect Obama takes over in the White House in January, he will have to listen to ideas from all points on the political spectrum, and govern from the middle."At a time of this economic crisis, our priority should be very clear about what we need to do," she said. "Each side of the spectrum can hope to influence the decision. But the fact is that a new president coming in, in my view, must take the country down the middle to solve the problems, to gain the confidence, to take us more strongly in a new direction."Pelosi said the expanded Democratic majorities in the House and Senate give the party the opportunity and the responsibility to find common ground.Given what she called two historic political waves for Democrats -- the 2006 mid-term elections and this week's elections -- Pelosi said Americans will hold Congress even more accountable. As for what many congressional Democrats assert has been Republican obstructionism on issues ranging from Iraq war policy to the economy, Pelosi said she hopes for fewer obstacles posed by Republicans to moving legislation through the Senate."That one motivation for a roadblock, which is to protect the president from a veto, will no longer be part of their motivation," she said. "And I think in the spirit of working in a bipartisan way, we will soon find out if people want to be part of the solution."Democrats are still expected to call Congress back for a post-election session this month, to focus on a proposed new multi-billion dollar economic stimulus measure. Republican congressional leaders have acknowledged that the election results underscore the need to change the way they deliver their message, although they insist their core principals will remain unchanged.Pelosi says she hopes Senate Republicans will allow the new economic stimulus package to be taken up and that President Bush will support it. Democratic spending proposals have so far met with skepticism at the White House.Also on Wednesday, the Chairman of the Republican National Committee attributed election results to a withering political environment, encompassing an unpopular war in Iraq and economic problems, as well as overwhelming Democratic campaign spending.At the same time, Mike Duncan asserted that the election results do not constitute the end of Republican conservative principles, saying that President-elect Obama will need their help."If President-elect Obama stands by his word to fulfill the moderate, conservative campaign promises that got him elected, the Republican Party will stand with him," he said. "If he stands, instead, with the hardened leaders of the most liberal Congress in a generation, we must stand against him, and for and with the center-right nation that we serve."Howard Dean is Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. "I think the message of the election is clear," he said. "Americans have given all of us -- Democrats, Republicans and Independents -- a simple mandate to work together to find big solutions to the big challenges that face our country." Senator Obama is reported to have reached into the House Democratic leadership on Wednesday to select Illinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel, as his chief of staff.Emanuel, who has not yet said if he will take the post, served as a top political advisor to former President Bill Clinton, and played a central role in building and expanding the Democratic majority on Capitol Hill.
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China Looking at Possible Meeting Between Hu, Obama
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Chinese President Hu Jintao could meet president-elect Barack Obama on sidelines of G-20 meeting in Washington, DC next week
Chinese President Hu Jintao (file photo)China says that while President Hu Jintao will hold bilateral meetings during a G-20 summit in Washington next week, a possible meeting with U.S. President-elect Barack Obama is still in the works.Deputy Foreign Minister He Yafei told reporters in Beijing Thursday that the two sides are taking steps to arrange a meeting. World leaders are to discuss a response to the global financial crisis at the Washington summit for the Group of 20 industrialized and emerging countries on November 15.Meanwhile, China's Foreign Ministry urged Mr. Obama to properly handle the issue of Taiwan when he steps into office. Spokesman Qin Gang called on the president-elect to oppose Taiwan independence and halt arms sales to the island.The spokesman added that U.S. handling of Taiwan is key to good relations between Beijing. China and Taiwan split in 1949 during a civil war, and Beijing has threatened to use military force if Taipei formally declares independence.China has hundreds of missiles aimed at Taiwan and claims the self-ruled island is part of its own territory.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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IMF Cuts Global Growth Forecast
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Report says world economic growth will slow from 5 percent in 2007 to just over 2 percent in 2009
The International Monetary Fund says prospects for global growth have deteriorated over the past month.A report issued Thursday by the IMF says world economic growth will slow from 5 percent in 2007 to just over 2 percent in 2009.The report says many advanced economies will shrink slightly next year, with the United States and Europe hit by tightening financial conditions and falling confidence.The slowing growth is also expected to hurt developing nations by cutting demand for the commodities that are important to many of these economies.But the report also says global action to support the economy may improve growth.The report comes just after the Bank of England and the European Central Bank slashed key interest rates in an effort to bolster the battered economy. The Bank of England Thursday cut its benchmark lending rate a sharp 1.5 percentage points, bringing the interest rate to its lowest level in half a century - 3 percent.European Central Bank officials also reduced their benchmark rate by .5 percentage points, to 3.25 pCity workers walk by Bank of England in City of London, 06 Nov 2008ercent.The British and European actions follow rate cuts by other central banks around the world, aimed at making it easier for businesses to borrow the money needed to expand their operations and hire new people.European stock indexes were down sharply in midday trading, following the announcements, and U.S. stock futures were also lower. Earlier, trading on Russia's MICEX was suspended for an hour after stocks took a sharp dive. Key Asian stock indexes also plunged after Japanese-based automakers Toyota and Isuzu announced larger-than-expected cuts in their full year earnings forecast. Also Thursday, France cut its economic growth forecast for 2009 and 2010. Finance Minister Christine Lagarde blamed the financial crisis for the damage to the French economy, and said the growth forecast was the lowest ever made by the French government.
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Bomb Kills 9 at Pakistani Tribal Leader Meeting
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Officials say attack occurred in semi-autonomous Bajaur region, bordering Afghanistan
Pakistani officials say a bomb exploded Thursday in the country's northwest at a meeting of tribal leaders who oppose al-Qaida and Taliban extremists, killing at least nine people and wounding more than 40 others.Authorities said it appeared to have been a suicide bombing, while tribal leaders were drawing up a plan to force militants out of their area.The attack occurred near the town of Khar in the semi-autonomous Bajaur region bordering Afghanistan, where many militants have gathered after being driven out of other Pakistani regions.The government has increased attacks in the Bajaur region as well, killing at least 11 suspected militants earlier Thursday in raids by Pakistani fighter jets.The U.S. military has also been targeting Pakistan's tribal areas, from where many of the militants launch attacks in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.In an interview with the Associated Press, the chief of U.S. Central Command, General David Petraeus, said three of the top 20 extremist leaders had been killed in the region recently. He did not identify those killed.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
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Taiwan President Meets With Senior Mainland Official
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Despite rowdy protest on streets of Taipei, Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou met with Chinese envoy who signed historic cross-strait transportation deals earlier this week
Despite rowdy protest on the streets of Taipei, Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou has met with the Chinese envoy who signed historic cross-strait transportation deals earlier this week. Thibault Worth reports from Taipei.Pro-Taiwan supporters stand on top of police barricades and shout slogans in protest against the visit of China's top negotiator with Taiwan, Chen Yunlin, in Taipei, Taiwan, 06 Nov 2008The meeting Thursday took place five hours earlier than expected, to dodge protesters angry about the visit by Chen Yunlin, the chairman of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straight. But it lasted only five minutes. Taiwan President Ma praises the landmark deal Chen signed Tuesday to increases transportation links between the island and mainland China. Ma adds, however, that significant differences remain between the two sides regarding Taiwan's security and international status.The meeting, while brief, was the highest-level contact between a Taiwan president and an official from the mainland government in nearly 60 years.During the meeting, Chen notably did not refer to Mr. Ma by his title of president. Taiwan and China split in 1949 after a civil war, and Beijing does not recognize Taiwan's democratically elected government.Despite the surprise meeting time, protesters thronged the streets of Taipei through most of the day chanting, "Taiwan is my country" and other slogans. Many Taiwanese fear that closer ties with China may come at the expense of Taiwan's sovereignty. Protesters were also angry that Chen failed to call his host, "President Ma."Protesters have dogged Chen since he arrived in Taiwan on Monday. On Wednesday night, nearly a thousand protesters trapped Chen inside a hotel while he was attending a dinner banquet.China, which is ruled by the Communist Party, claims sovereignty over Taiwan. The Beijing government repeatedly has said the island will be reunited with the mainland, by force, if necessary. Many island residents favor formal independence from the mainland, but Mr. Ma's administration favors greater economic integration.
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Rice in Middle East for More Peace Talks
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US secretary of state says Bush administration will pursue Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking efforts until President Bush leaves office in January
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (file photo)U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Israel for more talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials on the regional peace process. Rice will meet the caretaker Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni Thursday in Tel Aviv and go to Ramallah in the West Bank Friday for talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.Rice has said the Bush administration will pursue Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking efforts until President Bush leaves office in January, though she conceded Thursday that appears increasingly unlikely.Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and Palestinian President Abbas revived peace talks late last year with a desire to reach a final deal by the time Mr. Bush leaves office. But Israeli and Palestinian officials have expressed doubt a final peace deal can be reached by then. Mr. Olmert is acting as Israel's caretaker prime minister after resigning from office last month to fight corruption allegations. He is expected to remain in his post until Israel holds early elections in February. On Wednesday, Israeli officials said Palestinian militants fired dozens of rockets into southern Israel, after an Israeli raid Tuesday killed at least six militants in the Gaza Strip.The Palestinian militant group Hamas claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks, including one near the Israeli city of Ashkelon. There were no reports of casualties.Israel's defense minister, Ehud Barak, told reporters on Wednesday, Israel had no intention of violating the truce but had to act to thwart a threat against Israeli soldiers. Israeli officials said they were targeting militants who were firing mortars at Israeli forces on Tuesday.The cease-fire calls for Gaza militants to stop attacks on southern Israel and for Israel to stop military raids and air strikes in Gaza.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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US Responds to Iraq Security Pact Changes
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Iraqi officials did not give details on pact that would allow US troops to remain in country after UN mandate expires at end of December
Iraqi officials say the United States responded officially Thursday to Iraqi proposals for changing a security pact between the two countries.Officials did not give any specifics about the response.U.S. and Iraqi officials have been trying since May to finalize a deal that would allow U.S. troops to remain in Iraq after a U.N. mandate expires at the end of December.Iraq is proposing changes to a draft agreement to give Baghdad more authority over U.S. troops and guarantee that Iraqi territory will not be used to attack other countries.In violence Thursday, Iraqi police say two roadside bombs exploded during the morning rush hour in Baghdad, killing at least four people and wounding seven others.Police say the bombs targeted a checkpoint in the center of the capital - the Sheik Omar district. Two of the victims were civilians.US soldiers (L) secure area as Iraqi soldiers inspect car damaged by roadside bomb in Sadr City, Baghdad, 06 Nov 2008Iraqi authorities also say a roadside bomb wounded nine people in the capital's Shi'ite district, Sadr City.On Wednesday, a car bomb exploded at a checkpoint on the road to Baghdad's airport, killing four people, including two policemen, and wounding nine others.The bombings follow a series of attacks Monday and Tuesday that left at least 24 people dead. The latest violence also follows U.S. military reports that violence was at a four-year low.Meanwhile, the U.S. military says coalition forces conducted multiple operations Thursday in Mosul, capturing nine people with suspected ties to al-Qaida in Iraq.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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Bhutan Hands Raven Crown to New King
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At precise time pre-determined by Buddhist astrologers, Jigme Khesar Namgyel became small nation's 5th king
The small Himalayan nation, Bhutan, officially has a new king. The coronation of the fifth king of the hereditary dynasty took place Thursday in the Bhutanese capital, Thimpu. VOA Correspondent Steve Herman witnessed the event and files this report. In an esoteric Buddhist ceremony in a 17th Century fortress, the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan crowned a new monarch. At the precise, auspicious moment determined by Buddhist astrologers - 8:31 in the morning - on the pedestal of the Ceremonial Golden Throne, Bhutan's fourth king, handed the Raven Crown to his son, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. He is now the fifth Druk Gyalpo or king of the Land of the Thunder Dragon. The new King of Bhutan wearing the Raven CrownLater in the morning, wearing the satin and silk crown, adorned with fire-breathing skulls and topped with an embroidered raven's head, the new king accepted felicitations and ceremonial scarves from dignitaries, including a number of foreign ambassadors. In the past two years, Jigme Khesar actually assumed the duties from his father, Jigme Singye, the fourth Druk Gyalpo, who shocked Bhutan in late 2006 by announcing he would abdicate in the prime of his life. Bhutan's Prime Minister Jigme Thinley, speaking to reporters in Thimpu, 05 Nov 2008Bhutan Prime Minister Jigme Thinley explains why the coronation was not held until now. "Last year happened to be a "black" year according to our astrologers," he explained. "It was a year during which no important steps or important developments should be initiated." That meant not only the coronation was delayed but also the celebration for the centenary of the Wangchuck family dynasty, along with Bhutan's first democratic elections and the signing of the constitution. Although this is Bhutan's first coronation in three-and-a-half decades, Prime Minister Thinley says the ceremonies and three days of official celebration are a "modest" affair, by royal directive. Bhutanese bow before a sacred Thongdroel (giant tapestry) unfurled Thursday at the Coronation site, the Tashichho Dzong"We are still a poor country largely dependent on foreign assistance," he noted. "And, so, the [fifth] king was concerned that valuable resources, scarce resources may be spent or frittered away on celebrations that may not have any long-term benefits to our people." The new, Western-educated king is only 28, but Bhutan's government leaders say he has enough experience and is old enough to reign, noting his father assumed the throne at the age of 17. The fourth king guided his small country out of isolation and leaves behind a legacy of ushering in democracy and making environmental preservation and happiness enshrined national priorities.
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