You say tomato. Scoozi (410 W. Huron, 312-943-5900) will beholding its sixth annual Tomato Festival Aug. 18-23. The eventfeatures a variety of tomato-inspired dishes, a prix-fixe wine dinnerand a cooking class. Not to mention the tomato jugglers and troupesof opera singers.
I say tomato. The Italian Village (71 W. Monroe, 312-332-7005)is celebrating the height of the tomato season with its annual TomatoFestival. Tasty cooking ideas using fresh, locally grown …
| AMERICAN LEAGUE | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 001 | 000 | 210—4 | 7 | 0 |
| Tampa Bay | 001 | 000 | 22x—5 | 5 | 2 |
C.Wilson, M.Lowe (7), Rhodes (8) and Napoli; Cobb, Howell (7), Jo.Peralta (8), Farnsworth (9) and Shoppach. W_Jo.Peralta 2-3. L_Rhodes 3-3. Sv_Farnsworth (10). HRs_Tampa Bay, S.Rodriguez (2), Joyce (9), Longoria (4).
___
| Minnesota | 012 | 001 | 300—7 | 10 | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican Sen. John McCain says he plans to vote against confirming Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan.
The Arizona senator's decision makes him the latest in the GOP to oppose President Barack Obama's nominee to succeed retiring Justice John Paul Stevens.
McCain says Kagan is unlikely to exercise judicial restraint, based on her decision as dean …
NACE KEYNOTE ADDRESS
LAS VEGAS - Teamwork is paramount to success of my business endeavor. Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and recent Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Troy Aiktman touched on this subject throughout his keynote address during the Opening General Session of NAE 2006.
From his football experiences to his dealership ownership, charitable contributions and remit NASCAR involvement, Aikman told attendees that success conies from implementing teamwork into a working environment.
Aiktnan told attendees about his "Aikmans End Zone" charity. Established in 1992, the project provufes interactive playroooms for hospitalized children.
"We wanted to help …
KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii - An earthquake with a magnitude of at least 4.5 struck off the northwest coast of the Big Island on Thursday in the same area where two stronger temblors struck last month.
The quake, centered about 11 miles northwest of Puuanahulu, shook homes on the Big Island, Maui and Oahu, but it did not produce a tsunami threat, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
The U.S. Geological Survey estimated its magnitude at 5.0; the Tsunami Warning Center estimated it at 4.5.
Boulders and other debris forced the temporary closure of Highway 19 near Laupahoehoe on the Big Island, …
Police detained more suspects Thursday in a new wave of arrests connected with an alleged secularist plot to bring down the Islamic-rooted government of Turkey, a prosecutor said.
The detentions followed police raids on about 30 locations across Turkey, said Turan Colakkadi, a deputy chief prosecutor for Istanbul. The state-run Anatolia news agency said the headquarters of a secularist metal workers' trade union and an opposition television station were raided.
Colakkadi would not say how many people were detained in the raids, which threaten to aggravate tensions between secularists and Islamists. Anatolia and other news reports said dozens were taken into …
PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (AP) The captain of the frigate Samuel B.Roberts, in his first phone call to the United States since the shipstruck a mine in the Persian Gulf, said he was told twice to abandonship.
But Cmdr. Paul X. Rinn said his crew of "heroes" saved a shipthat was hit so hard its stern rose 15 feet in the air and flamesshot 100 feet through its stacks.
"It was close, really close," Rinn said. "We took a very badhit."
Rinn's account of the Thursday incident came during a 15-minutephone call Saturday to his wife, Pamela, who traveled to Rhode Islandfrom South Carolina for a dinner held by the crew members' wives.
About 25 wives were at the …
CONCORD, N.C. - Jeff Gordon staked his claim to the Nextel Cup title Saturday night, winning his second straight race to widen his lead in the Chase for the championship standings.
The four-time series champion led Kyle Busch on a restart with five laps to go at Lowe's Motor Speedway, but as he tried to hold off his teammate, Ryan Newman slid by both Hendrick Motorsports cars to grab the lead.
Newman seemed to be headed to an easy win, but inexplicably spun out while running by himself to bring out the caution. Gordon inherited the lead, but had a fuel issue that had him stressed about a pickup problem when the race resumed for a two-lap overtime finish.
But his …
Asian stock markets fluctuated Tuesday, pausing from a powerful two-week rally fueled by optimism about company earnings.
Markets were narrowly mixed, with Tokyo's benchmark index weakening after a nine-day winning streak as investors awaited second-quarter results from Japan's Nissan, Sony and mega lender Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group later in the week. Oil prices were steady above $68 a barrel.
Investors found little guidance from Wall Street, where stocks finished slightly higher after trading down for most of the session, caught between disappointing earnings from major U.S. companies and a spike in homes sales last month that suggested the recession is …
Rest assured Uncle Sam will be looking for these returns.According to Forbes, these are the top-paid athletes for '93 listedby salary, endorsement income and total income in millions: Player Salary Other Total 1. Michael Jordan $4.0 $32.0 $36.0
2. Riddick Bowe $23.0 $2.0 $25.0 3. Aryton Senna $14.0 $4.5 $18.5 4. Alain Prost $12.0 $4.0 $16.0 …
WASHINGTON (AP) — Don't look for the Senate's Republican leader to take a different seat during Tuesday night's State of the Union address.
Democrats and Republicans usually sit with fellow members of their parties during the annual speech in the House chamber.
But with calls for more civility in Congress and less partisanship after Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' shooting, some lawmakers are pledging to break with tradition during President Barack Obama's address this year.
Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky told "Fox News Sunday" that he will take a seat at the leadership table on the Republican side of the aisle, as usual
"If people want to mix it up, they …
Results Saturday from the Freestyle World Cup at the Park City Mountain Resort:
Dual Moguls
Men
1. Guilbaut Colas, France.
2. David Babic, United States.
3. Alexandr Smyshlyaev, Russia.
4. Alexandre Bilodeau, Canada
Women
1. Jennifer Heil, Canada.
2. Hannah Kearney, United States.
3. Nikola Sudova, Czech Republic.
4. Eliza Outtrim, United States.
___
Ski …
Rugby's world governing body has been urged by to set up stricter rules on blood substitutions to avoid a repeat of the Harlequins injury scam.
Harlequins officials and a player used a fake-blood capsule to simulate an injury and get a kicker back on the field in a European Cup game, in a scandal that led to long suspensions and tarnished the image of the sport.
Although it reported that cheating was not widespread or systematic at international or domestic levels, an English Rugby Football Union task group announced 16 recommendations Wednesday to avoid issues such as feigning injuries and faking blood substitutions.
One of them suggested that the fourth match official should rule whether they are genuine and the IRB should draw up guidelines to determine the amount of blood that can lead to a replacement.
"The aspiration of the task group was to eliminate cheating in all its forms across the game. This is vital if we are to rebuild the image of the game," RFU president and task group chairman John Owen said.
"These are well thought-out measures, which as a union we will implement within set timelines. The support and involvement of the International Rugby Board and our fellow unions is also important if we are to ensure all the issues are addressed on a global basis."
The party of assassinated Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto said Wednesday it has not decided whether her husband will be its candidate for prime minister after parliamentary elections this month.
Bhutto named her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, to succeed her as leader of the Pakistan People's Party. But party spokesman Farhatullah Babar said it was "premature" to say whether Zardari would be nominated for prime minister when the new Parliament convenes.
"That decision will be taken after the elections" on Feb. 18, Babar said.
Bhutto, a former prime minister, was assassinated Dec. 27 in a bomb and gun attack after she left an election rally in Rawalpindi, a garrison city near the capital, Islamabad.
In a handwritten letter dated Oct. 16 _ two days before her return to Pakistan from exile and 2 1/2 months before her assassination _ Bhutto endorsed Zardari as the next head of the PPP, the country's largest opposition group.
Zardari, who won the support of top aides in the party, has named his son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, as a co-chairman of the party. But the 19-year-old student at Oxford University plans to stay away from politics until he completes his education.
Zardari is a divisive figure in Pakistan. He acquired the nickname "Mr. 10 percent" during Bhutto's two governments, in which he served as a Cabinet minister, for alleged corruption.
Both Bhutto and Zardari rejected the charges as politically motivated.
In the letter, Bhutto recommended that Zardari lead the party "because he is a man of courage and honor ... he has the political stature to keep our party united."
The elections are going ahead despite concerns about the security of voters and candidates and accusations from Bhutto's party that the military-dominated establishment will rig the vote to ensure his survival.
The elections are meant to usher in democracy after eight years of military rule under President Pervez Musharraf, a key U.S. ally. But if the opposition gets a two-thirds majority in the legislature, it could impeach him.
Critics allege Musharraf has failed to stem an increase in Islamic militancy, and that the upcoming vote will rigged in favor of candidates backing Musharraf.
An international media rights group Wednesday accused state-run Pakistan Television of bias against parties opposing Musharraf.
The president has promised free and fair elections "but the absence of fairness in the coverage provided by the only national terrestrial broadcast channel shows that this is not yet the case," Reporters Without Borders said in a statement.
Musharraf's popularity is waning, not only among Islamist radicals but also among liberal-minded Pakistanis, retired military officers, lawyers and intellectuals.
On Tuesday, a group of former military officers rallied in Rawalpindi, condemning Musharraf's handling of a dispute with India over the Himalayan region of Kashmir and demanding that he resign.
Musharraf's spokesman, Rashid Qureshi, spurned the demand Wednesday, saying the former service members were too "insignificant" to make such a call.
"They have no say, neither is anyone listening to them," said Qureshi, who himself is a former army general.
LONDON (AP) — British court: Alleged UBS rogue trader Kweku Adoboli must remain in custody.
.
The area's rivers are late-summer wadeable.
Here's a tip from Geno Altiery.
The writer and Kankakee River guide operates out of the Dam BaitShop in Wilmington.
He calls it the drift-control method, which means presenting thebait on a hook with no weight at the speed of the current.
"The bait is going the exact speed as the current," Altierysaid. "Fish will always hit live bait better if it is going the samespeed as the current."
When Altiery guides fishermen, he also teaches them how to readwater and how to practice selective catch-and-release.
TIP 2: "Ed Mullady's Illinois Kankakee River Fisherman's Atlas"is available for $7.95 plus $2 in handling. Order from SportsmanLetter, 726 S. Elm, Kankakee, IL 60901. A detailed atlas for theIndiana side also is available. For more information, call (815)932-7285.
NO SMALL MATTER: The Illinois Department of Natural Resources isholding a series of meetings about regulating smallmouth bass.Currently, six smallmouth of any size may be caught. As we notedlast week, there has been a call for a 10-inch limit on LakeMichigan.
Two meetings will be held in the area: from 5-8 p.m. on Tuesdayin Aurora at the Fox Valley Park District's Prisco Community Center,150 W. Illinois Ave. and from 7-9 p.m. on Sept. 5 at Lyons VillageHall, 7801 W. Ogden Ave. Any regulation changes would be for nextyear.
BIG FISH: It was a good week for big ones on the lakefront.Larry Brooks of Mundelein caught a 14-pound rainbow on captain MikeOkie's Sagittarius boat out of Diversey Harbor. A nine-pound brownwas pulled in by Will Mulchrone of Chicago on Bill Kelly's Leprechaunout of Diversey Harbor. Dave Zapata of Chicago caught a 20-poundlake trout on the Leprechaun. Dennis Burns of Alsip caught a20-pound chinook salmon on Ed Landmichel's Salmon Seeker from BurnhamHarbor. Gary Karysect of Chicago caught a 9 1/2-pound coho salmon onBob White's King Fisherman out of Diversey.
ONE SECRET LEFT: USA Today ran a front-page story on fishing inthe big cities yesterday. After that article, the secret is out onfishing Lake Michigan in Chicago.
Well, almost. There was no mention of the perch fishing.Captain Gary Zilian's Lamprey boat was featured in the main picture.
FISH TALE: We love fish stories. Always have.
Bill Nichols of The Curve Bait Shop in Rockford lost his rodSunday night. Or rather a flathead catfish is swimming around withit.
"It just flipped right off the dock," Nichols said. "It wasfun. We cast for it for three hours and never did find it."
What people have been finding on the Rock River is flatheads inthe 25- to 31-pound range. Shiners and suckers have been working thebest.
E-mail: outdoordb@aol.com
I open the door to the local Lebanese post office. My mission is to send a parcel of letters from my students to their pen pals in Canada. I put the parcel on the desk.
The postal worker looks it over and calls his co-worker. "Hmmm, it's going to Canada. You'll have to fill out a form." Filling out forms in Lebanon involves at least one coffee break and numerous searches for the correct form.
Just as I finish one form, the man hands me another. "Sorry, that one is only for parcels to Syria." I fill out the second form. Everything is ready, but I know it cannot be that easy.
"Sorry, we don't have enough stamps. Can you come back tomorrow?" I find myself saying, "Sure, no problem." At least the coffee was good.
That is the reality of sustaining a letter exchange between Lebanon and Canada. My students in the village of Khirbet Qanafar communicated with students from Rockway Mennonite Collegiate in Ontario and Westgate Mennonite Collegiate in Manitoba.
My students eagerly waited for their pen pals to write back. When the letters arrived, they spent the whole class reading and re-reading the contents, and passing around pictures. They found that people in Canada see the world quite differently than they do.
One girl here wrote that one of her favourite hobbies was travelling. That means she enjoys the one-and-a-half hour trip to Beirut, the hour-long trip to the beach, or the half-hour trip to the swimming pool. She was startled to discover that travel to a Canadian might mean day-long car trips or trips to other countries.
The similarities have been most interesting. Many share hobbies such as swimming or playing basketball. Others have found that high school, in its oscillation between friendship and enmity, is the same in Canada and Lebanon.
It is this ridding of stereotypes that has made the project worthwhile. A Lebanese student isn't a terrorist, radical fundamentalist or a statistic in a foreign country. A Canadian student is no longer a rich capitalist or a movie star.
This letter exchange has given faces to people on opposite sides of the ocean. In these tiny spaces of friendship, I see God acting to build bridges instead of walls and to bring hope to our violent world.
A few weeks ago, our Washington bureau chief, Lynn Sweet, wrote about the contrasting styles and ideologies between freshman Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), who has made a name for himself by being a loud anti-President Obama Tea Partier, and veteran Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the No. 2 leader in the Senate and a "voice of reason."
Our editorial board followed up with an editorial headlined "Joe Walsh has a loud voice, but nothing to say," which led off with the statement: "Joe Walsh is what's wrong with Washington."
Walsh's ideologies, tactics and buffoonery may, in fact, be what's wrong with Washington — but he's also what's wrong with us. We elected him.
And when I say "we," I mean the residents of the 8th Congressional District who actually bothered to get themselves out to the polls last November — a whole lot of people simply took a pass.
Not that the 8th District was special in its low voter turnout; statewide, only 41.8 percent of those who were eligible to vote actually did so, according to an analysis by the United States Elections Project. That's pretty close to the national average, but you see my point.
Walsh beat out incumbent Melissa Bean by a hair's-breadth 291 votes, despite having spent only $500,000 — less than a third of what Bean poured into her campaign.
But when Walsh squeaked into office, Lake County, where the bulk of the votes for that office were cast, was not exactly shocked.
Bean had seemed mostly absent on the hustings, while Walsh was filling VFW halls and Starbucks alike with people extremely eager to talk Tea Party.
Today, after learning that he is being sued by his ex-wife for $117,437 in unpaid child support, the people who voted for Walsh know way more about him than they did last November when the worst thing he had done was take too long in responding to the musician Joe Walsh's request to stop playing his tunes at campaign rallies.
My gut feeling is that while some of his constituents — the ones who voted against him — will be turned off by the revelation that Walsh may be a deadbeat dad, those who voted for him because he promised to go to Washington to join the shouting match on their behalf will be very forgiving.
Walsh's statement after the Sun-Times story about his wife's case against him was pitch-perfect: "The people of Illinois' 8th congressional district voted for me not because I'm wealthy but because they wanted a fighter in Washington. They did not vote for me because I was a career politician, but because they wanted one of them as their representative in D.C. They wanted someone to stand up to Washington and tell them the spending has to stop. This morning, that is exactly what I am going to continue to do."
Like it or not, that's how it goes — the man won his office fair and square.
In a year when congressmen have left their jobs only after their sexual peccadilloes were put on display for the whole world to see, we have to admit that those who serve in Washington are a reflection of a simple majority of voters' values. And you don't get to complain if you didn't cast a ballot.
Walsh may, as the Sun-Times editorial board opines, be an uncompromising, vitriolic loudmouth with nothing to say.
But "the people" voted him in to yell for them, and he'll continue to do so until they vote him out.
Pull Quote: My gut feeling is that while some of his constituents — the ones who voted against him — will be turned off by the revelation that he may be a deadbeat dad, those who voted for Walsh because he promised to go to Washington to join the shouting match on their behalf will be very forgiving.
STATESBORO, Ga. (AP) — Authorities say someone has been aiming laser beams at aircraft in Georgia, and officers are investigating.
The pilot of a UPS Inc. plane reported being flashed recently by a green laser beam shot toward his plane as it headed toward the airport in the south Georgia town of Statesboro. UPS is the world's largest shipping carrier.
The Statesboro Herald reports (http://bit.ly/v9H7jp) that Bulloch County sheriff's officials also indicate that an Air Evac helicopter pilot recently reported a similar incident.
Both incidents occurred near the Ogeechee River.
Elsewhere in the state, officers searched for the source of a laser beam after a Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport official reported Nov. 12 that someone aimed it into the cockpit of an airplane passing over northwest Georgia. The Atlanta airport is the world's busiest.
Result of Monday's 10th-round match in Australia's National Rugby League:
Parramatta 19, Manly 12
Previous 10th-Round Results
Penrith 34, Cronulla 14
South Sydney 50, Wests Tigers 10
St. George Illawarra 19, Bulldogs 6
Brisbane 28, Gold Coast 6
New Zealand Warriors 24, North Queensland 12
Newcastle 34, Sydney Roosters 18
Melbourne 17, Canberra 6
YANKEes 3, White sox 1
NEW YORK -- The consolation afterward was that this could havebeen so much worse than the 3-1 final score.
When the home opener at Yankee Stadium started, Scott Schoeneweiswas fighting through rust and the White Sox were fighting forbaserunners.
The Sox' fourth starter -- turned No. 3 for matchup reasons --eventually found the form he needed against the Yankees' All-Starlineup, it's just that the offensive support never followed in theSox' defeat.
The problem for the Sox didn't end up being the Derek Jeter-Bernie Williams-Alex Rodriguez-Jason Giambi-Gary Sheffield-JorgePosada-Hideki Matsui afternoonlong intimidation procession. TheYankee that did the most damage was new starter Javier Vazquez, aright-hander who new Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was quite familiarwith.
Vazquez and Guillen spent time together when Guillen was a third-base coach with the Montreal Expos from 2002-03.
"That's the Vazquez I know," Guillen said. "I saw this kid throweven better than that. He threw the ball real well. He hit his spots,threw breaking balls any pitch in the count, held the runners. [You]tip your hat to him, he pitched a great game. So did my guy."
It seemed far from likely that Schoeneweis had the chance to haveany part in a pitchers' duel. After retiring Jeter in the firstinning, he gave up an infield single to Williams and walks toRodriguez and Giambi.
That the Yankees scored only two runs out of the mess might havebeen Schoeneweis' best work of the afternoon. Sheffield brought homethe first run on a 20-foot single up the third-base line, and Posadabrought home the other on a sacrifice fly to deep right.
Schoeneweis managed to load the bases again in the second on a two-out single and back-to-back walks, but got out of that jam byretiring Giambi on a fly ball to right. Starting with Giambi, heretired 10 of the next 11 batters before a Posada solo home run inthe sixth. Schoeneweis also was helped by two diving stops at thirdbase by Joe Crede in the first two innings.
"I just got outpitched, that's the bottom line," said Schoeneweis(0-1), who gave up seven hits in six innings to go along with threeruns and four walks. "We played phenomenal defense today behind me.If we play defense like that all year, and I can battle like that allyear long, we're gonna win a lot of games. I was a littleoverexcited. I wish I could have had those first two innings back."
Most of Schoeneweis' anxiety resulted from not having started amajor-league game since June 2002 when he was with the AnaheimAngels. He entered with 98 consecutive relief appearances.
"I've been really thrilled that I have this opportunity again,"said Schoeneweis, who struggled this spring with an ERA over 9.00."It's something that I hoped from the moment I moved to the bullpen.I was just really excited -- too excited. Now I got that under mybelt and I've had a start and I'll move on."
The Sox, meanwhile, had been fighting for anything they could getoff of Vazquez. Their only run came on a two-out bloop single downthe left-field line by Paul Konerko in the fourth inning that allowedFrank Thomas to score from second and cut the Yankees' lead to 2-1.
After Konerko's single, Vazquez retired 13 consecutive battersbefore turning the game over to closer Mariano Rivera in the ninth.Jose Valentin hit a leadoff single, but Magglio Ordonez hit into aforce play, Thomas popped up and Carlos Lee grounded out to short toend it.
"I love my team," Guillen said. "I came back to the clubhouse andsaid the same things. Keep playing, there is nothing to worry about.I hate to lose to anybody, but stay positive and play the game theway it should be played."'
Last time out, Annabella Sciorra played a trusting young motherwith an ideal marriage whose suburban dream boat got rocked by herno-no nanny. In the new psycho thriller, "Whispers in the Dark," Ms.Pitiful plays a trusting young Manhattan psychiatrist with a badrelationship whose life and career get jarred by people who are offtheir rockers.
Her shift benefits her in one way: "Whispers" has a deeper, morecolorful cast to absorb its idiocies than "Cradle" had. But with theexception of one lulu of a scene (a great/awful classic I should butwon't reveal), there's still no tolerating this as more than anotherbutton-pusher's delight.
The film begins with Sciorra's Dr. Ann Hecker being disturbed byher erotic dreams - dreams, she realizes, that are based on the bondagefantasies presented as fact by a client named Eve (Deborah Unger, inthe film's best - as in actually good - turn). A beautiful, tough,sexy art gallery owner, she's inclined to bare her skin in session aswell as her soul.
"I'm not in love with her?" an intimidated Ann nervously asksher fatherly mentor, Dr. Leo Green (Alan Alda), whose wife (JillClayburgh) also is a shrink. He shrugs it off. Just to make sure,though, Ann quickly falls for the perfect gentle manly man, DougMcDowell (Jamey Sheridan). The guy flies planes. But wouldn'tyou know it - stop reading here if you don't like stuff given away -she discovers he's Eve's many-fabled lover. Then Eve turns up dead,Doug turns up surly (with a dead wife in his closet to boot), anotherof Ann's patients - violent painter Fast Johnny C (John Leguizamo) -turns up arrested, and Ann turns up in the wrong clutches.
What's a cynical but caring Jewish cop (Anthony LaPaglia) to do?Written and directed in supremely disjointed fashion by ChristopherCrowe ("Off Limits"), "Whispers" relies to an obnoxious degree onpulling surprises out of thin air, while conveniently dropping issuesit's raised. It hates women, hates shrinks (there are ethicalhowlers galore), may well hate sex and, in continually offending theaudience's intelligence, certainly hates us.
Well, there's no reason we can't hate back.
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom said Tuesday he will grant a U.S. extradition request for former president Alfonso Portillo, who faces U.S. charges of money laundering related to the alleged embezzlement of $1.5 million in foreign donations.
Colom said the country's courts have already approved the extradition of Portillo, and that he will respect those rulings.
"The president should not get mixed up in the decisions of judges and justices," Colom said. The country's highest court approved the extradition request in August.
Speaking at a news conference, Colom did not give a date for when Portillo might be sent north. The remaining administrative processes can take months before the extradition finally occurs.
In a statement, the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala said it "welcomes the decision of President Alvaro Colom and the government of Guatemala to promote justice and security."
"The Guatemalan authorities have sent a clear message that nobody is above the law," the statement said.
In May, a Guatemalan court found Portillo not guilty of charges that he stole $15 million from the country's Defense Department when he governed the country from 2000 to 2004.
The judges ruled that prosecutors failed to prove through documents or witnesses that Portillo was personally involved in embezzling the funds.
Portillo is charged in a New York federal court with money laundering and embezzling $1.5 million donated by Taiwan to buy schoolbooks for Guatemalan children. He allegedly deposited the money in Miami and transferred it to a Paris account in the name of his ex-wife and daughter.
After leaving office in 2004, Portillo fled to Mexico where he received a work visa and was a financial adviser for a construction materials company.
He was extradited from Mexico to Guatemala in 2008 to face the embezzlement charges at home and remained free until he was arrested on Jan. 26, 2010 on the U.S. extradition request. He was captured at a beach preparing to flee Guatemala by boat.
DISCIPLINE PROBLEM JONATHAN GILMORE ON HANS BELTING Art History After Modernism, by Hans Belting, translated by Caroline Saltzwedel and Mitch Cohen. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 248 pages. $65.
IN HIS 1990 LIKENESS AND PRESENCE, Hans Belting offered a magisterial narrative of the social, political, and religious contexts of imagemaking in late antiquity and the Middle Ages while adamantly refusing to view the creations of that time through the conceptual lenses of artistic autonomy, individual expression, and historical progress that developed only later. Not so much an early history as a prehistory of art (as implied in the subtitle, "A History of the Image Before the Era of Art"), the book served as a touchstone in Germany's emerging debates over the place of images in contemporary culture once they were divorced from the limited contexts of modern art-historical and aesthetic norms.
His current book, first published in German in 1995, addresses what might be termed art after the era of art. Here the question is, Once the imperatives of modernism (which had supplied, Belting argues, our understanding of art tout court) no longer hold sway, what structure of art remains? And when modernism ends in the last significant movements of the 1960s, what becomes of its institutional cohorts, the museum and the academy?
Belting begins by demarcating the territory of contemporary art from that of modernism, focusing not so much on the character of the art as its place within certain structures of making, exhibiting, and interpreting. His discussion circles around three related themes: the loss of the United States' postwar cultural hegemony (in part due to a European turn inward toward the former Eastern bloc); a cultural globalization that challenges Western definitions of art; and the revision of the art-historical canon through inclusion of previously marginalized women and minorities. Belting also addresses the increasingly unstable categories of high and low, the undoing of the traditional idea of the physical "work," and the growing disjunction between the roles of traditional and contemporary art museums. These distinctions are familiar, though perhaps more descriptive of cultural aspirations than current market and institutional fact. Belting, however, wants to advance a stronger thesis than modernist and contemporary art's occupation of different national and cultural matrices. Contemporary art, he argues, does not herald a new period emerging out of the old. Rather, it marks the end of the very idea of such historical development: Here the grand tradition of art history no longer offers artists an objectively unfolding narrative that they feel the need to carry forward but only a ruin to pick through, or a readymade-something that may be staged and restaged in their work but not reinvented. Belting then asks how contemporary art in this "posthistorical" period can be accommodated by an academic discipline of art history forged in the furnace of modernism and thus ill-equipped to engage with what arrives after that period's close.
Belting is aware, of course, that this kind of claim to witness the end of art has a tradition of its own, whether it meant that art had reached its zenith, as in Vasari's lauding of Michelangelo as marking the "perfection of art"; its nadir, as in Vienna School historian Hans Sedlmayr's scornful charge that what was once an organic whole has now deteriorated into "stylistic chaos"; its political obsolescence, as in Berlin Dada's "Art is dead"; or its dissolution, as in postmodern critics' subsuming the history of art into the history of representations, an integration retroactively applied to the whole of art history in the practice of "visual culture." Belting first published his own thesis (The End of the History of Art?) in the early 1980s, roughly simultaneous with but independent of Arthur Danto's essay "The End of Art"-suggesting that something was in the air even as both writers announced that embodying the Zeitgeist was no longer art's essential concern. And like Danto's, Belting's formulation is best captured in the terms Hegel reserved for art in his philosophical bildungs-roman of Spirit, where (as he describes in his Lectures on Aesthetics) art is "set free" after its end, no longer charged with being the engine of Spirit's self-realization. Belting asserts that contemporary artists have dispensed with what Joseph Kosuth spoke of as "historical baggage," disclaiming any compulsion to follow modernism's defining mandates as if they were universal principles.
In all this Belting's real interest seems to be less the fate of art-which he presents as largely autonomous, affecting but rarely affected by the institutions within which it operates-than the fate of art history. His charge is that art history as a scholarly discipline was founded on the presumption that the history of art was essentially one of style-that is, an internal development according to a natural or historical law, amounting to what Heinrich Wolfflin mused as "an art history without names." Belting says that modernist art was complicit in this grand narrative: The avant-garde's Utopian dimensions-say, the collectivist programs of Constructivism, Dada, and de Stijl-embodied an analogous commitment to a single history, which it was their duty to execute, even if these efforts were posed as critiques of the tradition, not its extension. Just as artists in such movements proclaimed that the "predominance of the individual" had to be abolished in favor of the "universal," so Hegelian art historians would speak of particular works of art as recognizable only by virtue of their place within the general principles of stylistic evolution they exemplified. And, in turn, when modernist art ceased to evince a unified style, historians feared that art must have reached a decadent end, portending a "loss of the center," in Sedlmayr's terms, a notion shared in one form or another by thinkers as diverse as Oswald Spengler, Georg Lukacs, and Julius Meier-Graefe. The latter, a friend of "classical" modernism, complained in 1913 of the "surface artists" in whose work "images have become slogans"-anticipating what some late-twentieth-century modernist standard-bearers would say in the face of postmodernist deflation of the ideals they hold dear.
That the ideas of internal evolution and stylistic autonomy were shared by both modernist art and the art history of earlier periods such as the Renaissance is an important thesis, but Belting only alludes to what explanatory forces connect the two: Did modernist artists influence historians of Renaissance art, or was their coordination a product of something like a shared conceptual scheme? Belting also offers an overly narrow account of the way in which early art historians attempted to capture the changes of art in the organic development of styles. For one of the foundational questions of art history was precisely how to explain the way that art, in its internal evolution, was related externally-as epiphenomenon, embodiment, reflection, or epitome-to the societies from which it emerged. Answering this question was, for example, Alois Riegl's aim in his theory of a period- or culture-specific Kunstwollen, and it was what Wolfflin hoped to explain in positing the two roots-tradition and social context-of artistic style.
Belting says that art history now has the fragmented character of the production of art itself, with a plurality of methods and theories and no clear way to adjudicate among them. Indeed, art history today must be defined so disjunctively that it often isn't clear whether there is anything on which feminists, poststructuralists, social historians of art, queer theorists, iconographers, connoisseurs, and so on might agree such that their disagreements could offer a productive exchange. But Belting overstates the contrasting monolithic quality of traditional art history, since one can find a level of alterityeven in the writings of the old guard-Aby Warburg, on the Pueblo Indians, say, or Riegl, in positing a history of ornament against the materialist assumption that it must, as decoration, be a universal answer to a timeless human need.
In any case, Belting charges that art historians have not yet fully recognized the posthistorical state of art, and thus when faced with non-Western art that doesn't fit in the traditional narrative, they seek to expand the canon (through such devices as "global art") rather than historicize the very idea of the canon as something inextricable from a local and limited tradition, now closed. The problem, he argues, is that even a renovated canon in which every part of the world is represented would invariably, in its universalistic pretensions, assimilate such diverse artistic expression into a simultaneously unifying and corrupting European frame, leaving local folk traditions as a kind of exotic "reserve." He finds a prefiguration of this idea in Andre Malraux's "museum without walls," which could formalistically join the artistic expression of an African bronze miniature to a Romanesque relief by presenting both in identically sized photographs on the page.
Belting sees recent technologies of Western art as posing other kinds of problems for academic art history. His comments on video, for example, stress its novel temporal structure, a non-narrative "boring art" (in Nam June Paik's words) whose superficial similarity to mass media serves its critical ends: Requiring slow, meditative contemplation, video asks for participation rather than consumption. While his discussion of such work is subtle and ingenious, it doesn't finally explain why video's novel temporal phenomenology should pose more of a challenge to art history than did, say, the unusual eschatological temporal structure of quattrocento Christian art or the innovative experiential operations of Minimalism.
In the end, although Belting's diagnosis of art history is informed by a considerable erudition and range, he doesn't describe what an alternative art-historical practice might look like, save for a nod here and there to media studies. And he is largely silent on what is lost by art when it reaches the posthistorical moment he proclaims. Art is set free, as Hegel proposed, to do whatever it wants-but at the risk, one might suggest, of no longer being of urgent social concern. Consider a fate familiar to artists of the former Eastern bloc, where, as Ilya Kabakov writes, art was once "a necessity of life, not a professional activity" but has now lost its "place in life," to the extent it has gained the autonomy promised by the West. If Belting had the posthistorical courage of his Hegelian convictions, he might have considered whether the discipline of art history, "in its highest vocation," is also a thing of the past, experiencing immense freedom but at the risk of no longer occupying a central cultural role. Yet just as postmodern art implicitly continued modernism by taking its terms, albeit negatively and critically, as its own, so Belting's account of academic art history is curiously still occupied with deconstructing traditional "principles of art history." Contemporary art, by contrast, seems different-not anxious, oppositional, or nostalgic in its relation to the past. One wonders what an analogous art history, "set free" from the grip of its own tradition, would turn out to be.
[Sidebar]
BELTING SAYS THAT ART HISTORY NOW HAS THE FRAGMENTED CHARACTER OF THE PRODUCTION OF ART ITSELF, WITH A PLURALITY OF METHODS AND THEORIES AND NO CLEAR WAY TO ADJUDICATE AMONG THEM.
[Author Affiliation]
Jonathan Gilmore is a Cotsen Fellow in Princeton University's Society of Fellows in the Liberal Arts.
Asian stock markets gained strongly Monday, with Shanghai's index spiking more than 7 percent, as investors welcomed China's $586 billion stimulus plan aimed at countering the effects of a global slowdown on its economy. European markets opened higher.
Tokyo's Nikkei 225 stock average surged 498.43 points, or 5.8 percent, to 9,081.43, buoyed also by a weakening yen. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index gained 501.20 points, or 3.5 percent, to 14,744.63, though traded well off its highs.
In mainland China, where the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index has fallen by more than two-thirds since peaking last October, the index soared 7.3 percent to 1,874.80. Markets in India, Australia, Singapore and South Korea joined the region's advance.
On Sunday, China unveiled a massive 4 trillion yuan ($586 billion) stimulus package in hopes of keeping economic growth from falling too fast. Demand from the U.S. and the country's other vital export markets has been waning as the global financial crisis takes an economic toll.
China's economic growth slowed to 9 percent in the third quarter, the lowest level in five years and a sharp decline from 11.9 percent the year before _ perilously low for a government that needs to create jobs for millions of new workers and for other Asian countries that have come to depend heavily on Chinese demand.
"The global economy is in trouble and Chinese authorities understand that they can't wait anymore ... They're aware that exports next year will be terrible given the weakening economies in the U.S. and Europe," said Winson Fong, a Hong Kong-based managing director at SG Asset Management, which oversees about $3 billion in equities in Asia.
"This has been overdue," he said. "Investors in mainland China have been waiting for a complete rescue package since the beginning of the year."
Early in Europe, Britain's FTSE 100, Germany's DAX and France's CAC-40 were each about 3 percent higher. Russian shares also gained.
China's announcement came as economic officials from 20 leading nations called Sunday for increased government spending to boost the troubled global economy.
At a meeting in Brazil, finance ministers and central bank presidents from the Group of 20, which includes major wealthy and developing nations, also said emerging economies deserve a prominent role in talks to overhaul the world financial system.
The markets got an added boost from Wall Street, where the major indexes gained Friday despite news that U.S. employers cut 240,000 jobs in October, pushing the jobless rate to a 14-year high of 6.5 percent. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 248.02, or 2.85 percent, to 8,943.81.
U.S. stock index futures were up, suggesting New York trading would open higher. Dow futures were up 139 points, or 1.6 percent, to 9,136.
China's stimulus plan _ a mix of spending, subsidies, looser credit policies and tax cuts that will benefit low-cost housing, rural infrastructure, power grids, social welfare programs and other areas _ lifted shares across most sectors.
"You can imagine how excited investors are after seeing their long-term expectations become reality," said Gao Lingzhi, a strategist at Great Wall Securities in Shenzhen.
Property, resource and financial plays were among the biggest gainers, although energy firms also advanced. Top cement maker Anhui Conch and leading steel producer Baoshan Iron & Steel both spiked the daily maximum of 10 percent in mainland trade on expectations of new construction spending.
In Hong Kong, No. 2 steel maker Angang Steel exploded 28 percent and China Railway climbed almost 22 percent.
Commodity firms helped lead Australia's market higher on hopes a wave of Chinese building as a result of the stimulus measures would underpin demand for resources. BHP Billiton, the world's largest mining company, added 7 percent, and Rio Tinto advanced almost 8 percent.
Australian shares also were helped by speculation that the country's central bank would cut interest rates further after it lowered its forecasts for economic growth over the next two years.
In Japan, Sony Corp. rose 7.6 percent and fellow electronics heavyweight Sharp Corp. was up 7.3 percent. Mitsubish Heavy Industries gained 6.3 percent to 391 yen.
Investors shrugged off bad news about capital investment in Japan, where core machinery orders dropped a record-tying 10.4 percent in the third quarter.
The dollar strengthened to 99.02 yen, up from 98.21 late Friday in New York.
Oil prices rose in tandem with the region's markets, with a barrel of light, sweet crude for December delivery gaining $2.87 to $63.91 in Asian trade. The contract settled at $61.04, up 27 cents, in Friday trade on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
___
AP reporters Elaine Kurtenbach in Shanghai and Shino Yuasa in Tokyo contributed to this report.
GE Energy, a General Electric Co. business, has signed contracts of more than $500 million (euro319.37 million) to build and install gas turbines and generators at Saudi Arabian power plants, the company announced.
GE Energy has won a contract to supply gas turbine generators for a 960-megawatt expansion of the Rabigh Power Plant in Rabigh City. The contract with Saudi Electricity Co. includes technical advice during installation and spare parts.
GE Energy also has won a contract to build and install gas turbines used by four power plants owned by Saudi Electricity Company.
Demand for power in Saudi Arabia is rising by about 8 percent a year, GE Energy said.
"These projects are part of Saudi Electricity Co.'s ongoing efforts to meet the region's soaring power demand," said Joseph Anis, GE Energy's region executive for the Middle East.
The gas turbines will be manufactured at GE Energy plants in Greenville, South Carolina. The generators will be made in Schenectady, New York.
Saudi Arabia is one of GE's key growth regions. GE maintains a work force of more than 600 employees in Saudi Arabia and has joint ventures in energy, health care and appliances.
On the Net:
American home buyers and refinancers are about to be offered atype of mortgage they've never encountered before: A loan that comeswith its own built-in unemployment insurance fund.
Borrowers who take out one of the new financing packages areguaranteed up to six months' worth of their full monthly mortgagepayments - principal, interest, taxes and other escrow items - shouldthey become "involuntarily unemployed" anytime during the first threeyears of the loan term. After three years, they can renew thecoverage. Payments flow directly from the insurance company to thelender, and the unemployed borrower is never recorded as having beenlate or in default.
The program - dubbed "Mortgage Guard" by the insurance companiesthat designed it - is intended to be an option to virtually any typeof home loan. Home builders, for instance, can offer it as an extraattraction at no direct cost to consumers. An individual home sellercould offer it through a lender.
Mortgage lenders are likely to customize and integrate it intotheir own loan menus. One mortgage banker active in over 30 states,for example, plans to introduce it before year's end as the "BreatheEasy" mortgage, with an eighth of a percentage point higher rate onthe typical loan. The program is expected to be available in moststates in the first half of 2000.
Why launch a concept like this in the midst of the strongesteconomy and lowest unemployment rate in decades? The sponsors of theplan, Cincinnati-based Great American Insurance Cos. and MortgagePayment Protection Inc. of Altamonte Springs, Fla., answer this way:Sure the national economy is hot, but mortgage defaults andforeclosures remain a market-by-market problem for lenders. Asignificant percentage of early defaults in home mortgages occur"because of corporate downsizings, mergers and acquisitions, suddenclosures of plants and offices," says Teri Cooper of Mortgage PaymentProtection.
The corporate consolidations of the late 1990s often hit likelightning, throwing hundreds of people out of jobs. "It can bedevastating to homeowners faced with monthly mortgage bills," saysCooper.
As with any insurance, you've got to read the fine print carefullyto see what the new unemployment protection covers - and doesn't. Theinsurance pays for up to six months of mortgage bills if you: Workfor a salary or wages at least 30 hours a week, and have been doingso for at least three months before applying for coverage. Have noknowledge of "any impending involuntary unemployment at the time ofloan closing." If your company has already warned you about upcominglayoffs, you won't qualify for loan payment insurance.
You won't qualify, either, if you're self-employed, work for arelative or own 25 percent or more of the company that employs you.Nor do you qualify if you quit, go on strike, retire or lose your jobbecause of a disability or "criminal conduct."
If you lose your job, you have to "file and qualify for stateunemployment compensation." Payments flow only to your lender onceyou've been out of a job for 31 consecutive days.
The typical cost will be anywhere from an eighth of a percentagepoint to a quarter of a percentage point added onto the note rate.
But is the coverage you get really worth even that size of amonthly add-on? Scott Maxwell, a senior vice president forresidential mortgages for Atlanta-based SunTrust Bank, says borrowers"have to ask themselves: Is there any chance whatsoever that I'mgoing to lose my job" in the next several years? "If the answer isno, don't get it. But if the answer is maybe, then the peace of mindthe insurance gives you might be worth it" compared to losing yourhouse or messing up your credit record. Maxwell plans to test-marketthe insurance on new home buyers beginning next month. WashingtonPost Writers Group
NEW YORK - Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton launched a trailblazing campaign for the White House on Saturday, a former first lady turned political powerhouse intent on becoming the first female president. "I'm in, and I'm in to win," she said.
In a videotaped message posted on her Web site, Clinton said she was eager to start a dialogue with voters about challenges she hoped to tackle as president - affordable health care, deficit reduction and bringing the "right" end to the Iraq war.
"I'm not just starting a campaign, though, I'm beginning a conversation with you, with America," she said. "Let's talk. Let's chat. The conversation in Washington has been just a little one-sided lately, don't you think?"
Clinton's announcement, while widely anticipated, was nonetheless an historic moment in a fast-developing campaign that has already seen the emergence of a formidable black contender, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.
In an instant, Clinton became the most credible female candidate ever to seek the presidency and the first presidential spouse to attempt to return to the White House in her own right. Her husband, Bill, served two terms as president from 1993 to 2001.
"I am one of the millions of women who have waited all their lives to see the first woman sworn in as president of the United States - and now we have our best opportunity to see that dream fulfilled," said Ellen Malcolm, president of EMILY's list, which raises money for Democratic women who run for office.
With her immense star power, vast network of supporters and donors and seasoned team of political advisers, the 59-year-old Clinton long has topped every national poll of potential Democratic contenders.
But her controversial tenure as first lady left her a deeply polarizing figure among voters, leading many Democrats to doubt Clinton's viability in a general election.
In a detailed statement posted on her Web site, Clinton sought to acknowledge and bat away such doubts.
"I have never been afraid to stand up for what I believe in or to face down the Republican machine," she wrote. "After nearly $70 million spent against my campaigns in New York and two landslide wins, I can say I know how Washington Republicans think, how they operate and how to beat them."
Recently, Clinton has clashed with many in her own party over the Iraq war.
Clinton supported the 2002 resolution authorizing military intervention in Iraq. She has refused to recant her vote or call for a deadline for the removal of troops. She has announced her opposition to President Bush's troop increase in Iraq and has introduced legislation capping troop levels.
"A woman candidate could find it easier to run in peacetime, rather than wartime, but Senator Clinton's tried to position herself as a serious person on national security," said Andrew Polsky, a presidential historian at Hunter College. "But that means she's staked out difficult position on the war that won't make it easy for her to get Democratic nomination."
With a $14 million campaign treasury, Clinton starts with an impressive fundraising advantage over the rest of the Democratic field. But Obama has started to secure fundraising commitments from New York, California and other deep-pocketed, Clinton-friendly areas, pushing his New York colleague to accelerate her entry in the race.
Her creation of a presidential exploratory committee, announced Saturday, allows her to raise money for the campaign; she already has lined up campaign staff.
In tone and substance, Clintons' videotaped announcement recalled her first Senate race in New York in 2000, where she conducted a "listening tour" of the state's 62 counties before formally entering the contest.
She promised a three-day series of Web chats with voters beginning Monday and prepared a campaign swing late this coming week through the early voting state of Iowa, while a visit to New Hampshire was in the works.
On Sunday, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was also set to enter the Democratic field; if elected, he would be the first Hispanic president.
For the short term at least, the outsized candidacies of Clinton and Obama were expected to soak up the lion's share of attention.
Obama, who launched his own presidential committee on Tuesday, praised Clinton as a friend and colleague.
"I welcome her and all the candidates, not as competitors, but as allies in the work of getting our country back on track," he said in a statement.
Other Democratic contenders include former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack; Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd; Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, the party's 2004 vice-presidential nominee. Delaware Sen. Joe Biden has said he will run and planned to formalize his intentions soon. Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the party's 2004 standard bearer, is also contemplating another run.
An influential player in her husband's political career in Arkansas, Hillary Clinton leapt to the national scene during the 1992 presidential campaign when husband and wife fought to survive the scandal over Gennifer Flowers' allegations of a lengthy affair with Bill Clinton when he was the state's governor.
The Clintons appeared together on CBS' "60 Minutes" to talk about their marriage - Hillary Clinton's first famous "Stand by Your Man" moment.
As first lady, Clinton headed up a disastrous first-term effort to overhaul the health care insurance system. There was more controversy as the couple battled allegations of impropriety over land deals and fundraising, missing records from her former Arkansas law firm and even her quick and hefty profits from an investment in cattle futures.
There was no letup in the second term. The president found himself denying - then admitting - having a sexual relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. As he battled impeachment and possible removal from office, his wife's poll numbers rose.
Her own political career began to take shape in late 1998 when New York Democrat Daniel Patrick Moynihan announced he would not seek re-election to the Senate seat he had held since 1976.
The campaign trail was not always friendly. For almost every cheer, there was a shouted "Go home, Hillary!" and the emerging Republican theme that carpetbagger Clinton simply wanted to use New York as a launching pad for a later presidential run.
---
Associated Press Writer Marc Humbert contributed to this report from Albany, N.Y.
---
On the Net:
Hillary Rodham Clinton site: http://www.hillaryclinton.com/
Hillary Clinton Launches White House BidNEW YORK - Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton launched a trailblazing campaign for the White House on Saturday, a former first lady turned political powerhouse intent on becoming the first female president. "I'm in, and I'm in to win," she said.
In a videotaped message posted on her Web site, Clinton said she was eager to start a dialogue with voters about challenges she hoped to tackle as president - affordable health care, deficit reduction and bringing the "right" end to the Iraq war.
"I'm not just starting a campaign, though, I'm beginning a conversation with you, with America," she said. "Let's talk. Let's chat. The conversation in Washington has been just a little one-sided lately, don't you think?"
Clinton's announcement, while widely anticipated, was nonetheless an historic moment in a fast-developing campaign that has already seen the emergence of a formidable black contender, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.
In an instant, Clinton became the most credible female candidate ever to seek the presidency and the first presidential spouse to attempt to return to the White House in her own right. Her husband, Bill, served two terms as president from 1993 to 2001.
"I am one of the millions of women who have waited all their lives to see the first woman sworn in as president of the United States - and now we have our best opportunity to see that dream fulfilled," said Ellen Malcolm, president of EMILY's list, which raises money for Democratic women who run for office.
With her immense star power, vast network of supporters and donors and seasoned team of political advisers, the 59-year-old Clinton long has topped every national poll of potential Democratic contenders.
But her controversial tenure as first lady left her a deeply polarizing figure among voters, leading many Democrats to doubt Clinton's viability in a general election.
In a detailed statement posted on her Web site, Clinton sought to acknowledge and bat away such doubts.
"I have never been afraid to stand up for what I believe in or to face down the Republican machine," she wrote. "After nearly $70 million spent against my campaigns in New York and two landslide wins, I can say I know how Washington Republicans think, how they operate and how to beat them."
Recently, Clinton has clashed with many in her own party over the Iraq war.
Clinton supported the 2002 resolution authorizing military intervention in Iraq. She has refused to recant her vote or call for a deadline for the removal of troops. She has announced her opposition to President Bush's troop increase in Iraq and has introduced legislation capping troop levels.
"A woman candidate could find it easier to run in peacetime, rather than wartime, but Senator Clinton's tried to position herself as a serious person on national security," said Andrew Polsky, a presidential historian at Hunter College. "But that means she's staked out difficult position on the war that won't make it easy for her to get Democratic nomination."
With a $14 million campaign treasury, Clinton starts with an impressive fundraising advantage over the rest of the Democratic field. But Obama has started to secure fundraising commitments from New York, California and other deep-pocketed, Clinton-friendly areas, pushing his New York colleague to accelerate her entry in the race.
Her creation of a presidential exploratory committee, announced Saturday, allows her to raise money for the campaign; she already has lined up campaign staff.
In tone and substance, Clintons' videotaped announcement recalled her first Senate race in New York in 2000, where she conducted a "listening tour" of the state's 62 counties before formally entering the contest.
She promised a three-day series of Web chats with voters beginning Monday and prepared a campaign swing late this coming week through the early voting state of Iowa, while a visit to New Hampshire was in the works.
On Sunday, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was also set to enter the Democratic field; if elected, he would be the first Hispanic president.
For the short term at least, the outsized candidacies of Clinton and Obama were expected to soak up the lion's share of attention.
Obama, who launched his own presidential committee on Tuesday, praised Clinton as a friend and colleague.
"I welcome her and all the candidates, not as competitors, but as allies in the work of getting our country back on track," he said in a statement.
Other Democratic contenders include former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack; Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd; Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, the party's 2004 vice-presidential nominee. Delaware Sen. Joe Biden has said he will run and planned to formalize his intentions soon. Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the party's 2004 standard bearer, is also contemplating another run.
An influential player in her husband's political career in Arkansas, Hillary Clinton leapt to the national scene during the 1992 presidential campaign when husband and wife fought to survive the scandal over Gennifer Flowers' allegations of a lengthy affair with Bill Clinton when he was the state's governor.
The Clintons appeared together on CBS' "60 Minutes" to talk about their marriage - Hillary Clinton's first famous "Stand by Your Man" moment.
As first lady, Clinton headed up a disastrous first-term effort to overhaul the health care insurance system. There was more controversy as the couple battled allegations of impropriety over land deals and fundraising, missing records from her former Arkansas law firm and even her quick and hefty profits from an investment in cattle futures.
There was no letup in the second term. The president found himself denying - then admitting - having a sexual relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. As he battled impeachment and possible removal from office, his wife's poll numbers rose.
Her own political career began to take shape in late 1998 when New York Democrat Daniel Patrick Moynihan announced he would not seek re-election to the Senate seat he had held since 1976.
The campaign trail was not always friendly. For almost every cheer, there was a shouted "Go home, Hillary!" and the emerging Republican theme that carpetbagger Clinton simply wanted to use New York as a launching pad for a later presidential run.
---
Associated Press Writer Marc Humbert contributed to this report from Albany, N.Y.
---
On the Net:
Hillary Rodham Clinton site: http://www.hillaryclinton.com/
Hillary Clinton Launches White House BidNEW YORK - Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton launched a trailblazing campaign for the White House on Saturday, a former first lady turned political powerhouse intent on becoming the first female president. "I'm in, and I'm in to win," she said.
In a videotaped message posted on her Web site, Clinton said she was eager to start a dialogue with voters about challenges she hoped to tackle as president - affordable health care, deficit reduction and bringing the "right" end to the Iraq war.
"I'm not just starting a campaign, though, I'm beginning a conversation with you, with America," she said. "Let's talk. Let's chat. The conversation in Washington has been just a little one-sided lately, don't you think?"
Clinton's announcement, while widely anticipated, was nonetheless an historic moment in a fast-developing campaign that has already seen the emergence of a formidable black contender, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.
In an instant, Clinton became the most credible female candidate ever to seek the presidency and the first presidential spouse to attempt to return to the White House in her own right. Her husband, Bill, served two terms as president from 1993 to 2001.
"I am one of the millions of women who have waited all their lives to see the first woman sworn in as president of the United States - and now we have our best opportunity to see that dream fulfilled," said Ellen Malcolm, president of EMILY's list, which raises money for Democratic women who run for office.
With her immense star power, vast network of supporters and donors and seasoned team of political advisers, the 59-year-old Clinton long has topped every national poll of potential Democratic contenders.
But her controversial tenure as first lady left her a deeply polarizing figure among voters, leading many Democrats to doubt Clinton's viability in a general election.
In a detailed statement posted on her Web site, Clinton sought to acknowledge and bat away such doubts.
"I have never been afraid to stand up for what I believe in or to face down the Republican machine," she wrote. "After nearly $70 million spent against my campaigns in New York and two landslide wins, I can say I know how Washington Republicans think, how they operate and how to beat them."
Recently, Clinton has clashed with many in her own party over the Iraq war.
Clinton supported the 2002 resolution authorizing military intervention in Iraq. She has refused to recant her vote or call for a deadline for the removal of troops. She has announced her opposition to President Bush's troop increase in Iraq and has introduced legislation capping troop levels.
"A woman candidate could find it easier to run in peacetime, rather than wartime, but Senator Clinton's tried to position herself as a serious person on national security," said Andrew Polsky, a presidential historian at Hunter College. "But that means she's staked out difficult position on the war that won't make it easy for her to get Democratic nomination."
With a $14 million campaign treasury, Clinton starts with an impressive fundraising advantage over the rest of the Democratic field. But Obama has started to secure fundraising commitments from New York, California and other deep-pocketed, Clinton-friendly areas, pushing his New York colleague to accelerate her entry in the race.
Her creation of a presidential exploratory committee, announced Saturday, allows her to raise money for the campaign; she already has lined up campaign staff.
In tone and substance, Clintons' videotaped announcement recalled her first Senate race in New York in 2000, where she conducted a "listening tour" of the state's 62 counties before formally entering the contest.
She promised a three-day series of Web chats with voters beginning Monday and prepared a campaign swing late this coming week through the early voting state of Iowa, while a visit to New Hampshire was in the works.
On Sunday, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was also set to enter the Democratic field; if elected, he would be the first Hispanic president.
For the short term at least, the outsized candidacies of Clinton and Obama were expected to soak up the lion's share of attention.
Obama, who launched his own presidential committee on Tuesday, praised Clinton as a friend and colleague.
"I welcome her and all the candidates, not as competitors, but as allies in the work of getting our country back on track," he said in a statement.
Other Democratic contenders include former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack; Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd; Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, the party's 2004 vice-presidential nominee. Delaware Sen. Joe Biden has said he will run and planned to formalize his intentions soon. Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the party's 2004 standard bearer, is also contemplating another run.
An influential player in her husband's political career in Arkansas, Hillary Clinton leapt to the national scene during the 1992 presidential campaign when husband and wife fought to survive the scandal over Gennifer Flowers' allegations of a lengthy affair with Bill Clinton when he was the state's governor.
The Clintons appeared together on CBS' "60 Minutes" to talk about their marriage - Hillary Clinton's first famous "Stand by Your Man" moment.
As first lady, Clinton headed up a disastrous first-term effort to overhaul the health care insurance system. There was more controversy as the couple battled allegations of impropriety over land deals and fundraising, missing records from her former Arkansas law firm and even her quick and hefty profits from an investment in cattle futures.
There was no letup in the second term. The president found himself denying - then admitting - having a sexual relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. As he battled impeachment and possible removal from office, his wife's poll numbers rose.
Her own political career began to take shape in late 1998 when New York Democrat Daniel Patrick Moynihan announced he would not seek re-election to the Senate seat he had held since 1976.
The campaign trail was not always friendly. For almost every cheer, there was a shouted "Go home, Hillary!" and the emerging Republican theme that carpetbagger Clinton simply wanted to use New York as a launching pad for a later presidential run.
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Associated Press Writer Marc Humbert contributed to this report from Albany, N.Y.
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On the Net:
Hillary Rodham Clinton site: http://www.hillaryclinton.com/
Byline: NICK HOPKINS
BILL CLINTON was caught in an intimate encounter with his young lover at the White House, it was claimed last night.
The bombshell report on ABC TV implies that an independent witness can substantiate claims of a Presidential affair with 24-year-old Monica Lewinsky.
There was no indication whether the witness was from the Secret Service or the White House staff. But the revelation, if true, is extremely bad news for both parties.
Eyewitness evidence would shoot down all denials by the Clinton camp. It would also torpedo Lewinsky's bid to avoid prosecution for perjury if she goes back on an earlier sworn statement that there was no affair.
Some Washington observers suggested that her only hope of making a deal with special prosecutor Kenneth Starr would be to admit that Clinton told her to lie on oath about their affair.
Such a charge would lead almost inevitably to his impeachment or resignation.
The ABC report came amid a welter of lurid new accusations against Clinton, including one that he had admitted 'hundreds' of affairs.
Some senior Democrats talked openly of the prospect of him resigning, and there were reports that White House aides believe he should postpone tomorrow night's State of the Union address to the nation.
International policy is also being affected.
Clinton must decide soon how to react to Iraq's defiance over weapons inspections.
But he knows that if he launches a military strike he will be accused of trying to divert attention from his personal problems.
Hillary Clinton was said to have taken a leading role in his defence campaign as polls showed public support plunging.
She was credited with a change of tactics which saw his allies adopt a far more aggressive approach and launch a media blitz.
There were suggestions that Clinton might admit an 'emotional relationship' with Lewinsky because they had both suffered turbulent childhoods.
But the emergence of a new witness would destroy any such idea.
The compromising encounter between Clinton and Lewinsky is alleged to have happened in the spring of 1996. It was in a private area of the White House, where Lewinsky was working as an unpaid trainee.
Lewinsky's denial of an 18-month affair came in a sworn statement to lawyers representing Paula Jones, who has accused Clinton of sexual harassment.
She is now alleged to have told a friend that Clinton admitted he could not settle the Jones case because it would 'open the flood gates.' On secretly recorded tapes, she recalled a conversation with Clinton during a visit to the Oval Office.
According to sources, Lewinsky said: 'Why don't you just settle and give Jones some cash and the apology she wanted?' Clinton said: 'I can't. Lewinsky asked: 'Why not?' Clinton: 'Because they'll all come forward.' Lewinsky: 'How many could there be?' Clinton, sighing: 'Hundreds.' Lewinsky's lawyer Bill Ginsburg was yesterday continuing negotations with Starr over a possible deal.
Ginsburg said she was 'dying to tell the story' but said of the rumoured new witness: 'If they have solid evidence I suppose they're not going to be offering imunity.' If Lewinsky decides to confess to an affair, Clinton is in desperate straits.
He and his friend and adviser Vernon Jordan, who are both said to have asked her to lie about an affair, would be left open to charges of obstructing justice and encouraging perjury.
Leon Panetta, Clinton's former White House chief of staff, said yesterday resignation was now a pos-siblity.
He said: 'If these are baseless charges, it'll be okay. On the other hand, if there's something there it would be better for Democrats under those circumstances if Al Gore became president and you had a new message and new individual up there. The worst scenario
is if there's substance to it and it drags on.' Yesterday the Clintons went to church in Washington as usual, refusing to answer questions about the scandal.
Last night the President was said to be watching the Superbowl football championship on TV and he has no scheduled public appearances today.
Cancellation of the State of the Union address, the annual setpiece speech to Congress and the country, would be unprecedented in modern times.
But some aides believe Clinton could not credibly speak to the nation without mentioning the scandal - yet doing so would ruin the dignity of the occasion.
There were clear signs that the Clintons are preparing to dig in and fight the accusations.
Hillary will appear on two morning TV programmes this week and is bound to be asked about the crisis.
Clinton supporters have also clearly been given the green light to start defending him aggressively in public.
His former campaign manager James Carville warned yesterday: 'There's going to be a war. The friends of the president are disgusted by these kinds of tactics.
We're going to fight and we're going to fight very hard. The president emphatically denies it. He has denied it to staff, he has denied to the news media, he has denied it to the American people and he's denied to his Cabinet and denied to his friends.
'I can't get any more emphatic about that.' If Lewinsky does turn against the President, Carville and others are likely to portray her as a fantasist with a record of dishonesty, who simply invented the affair.
CLINTON AFFAIR 'SEEN BY SECRET WITNESS'; AS AMERICA'S FIRST LADY PREPARES TO TAKE ON HER HUSBAND'S CRITICS, PRESIDENT FACES NEW CLAIMS THAT MAY DRIVE HIM FROM THE WHITE HOUSEBehind the smile, the panic sets in.Byline: NICK HOPKINS
BILL CLINTON was caught in an intimate encounter with his young lover at the White House, it was claimed last night.
The bombshell report on ABC TV implies that an independent witness can substantiate claims of a Presidential affair with 24-year-old Monica Lewinsky.
There was no indication whether the witness was from the Secret Service or the White House staff. But the revelation, if true, is extremely bad news for both parties.
Eyewitness evidence would shoot down all denials by the Clinton camp. It would also torpedo Lewinsky's bid to avoid prosecution for perjury if she goes back on an earlier sworn statement that there was no affair.
Some Washington observers suggested that her only hope of making a deal with special prosecutor Kenneth Starr would be to admit that Clinton told her to lie on oath about their affair.
Such a charge would lead almost inevitably to his impeachment or resignation.
The ABC report came amid a welter of lurid new accusations against Clinton, including one that he had admitted 'hundreds' of affairs.
Some senior Democrats talked openly of the prospect of him resigning, and there were reports that White House aides believe he should postpone tomorrow night's State of the Union address to the nation.
International policy is also being affected.
Clinton must decide soon how to react to Iraq's defiance over weapons inspections.
But he knows that if he launches a military strike he will be accused of trying to divert attention from his personal problems.
Hillary Clinton was said to have taken a leading role in his defence campaign as polls showed public support plunging.
She was credited with a change of tactics which saw his allies adopt a far more aggressive approach and launch a media blitz.
There were suggestions that Clinton might admit an 'emotional relationship' with Lewinsky because they had both suffered turbulent childhoods.
But the emergence of a new witness would destroy any such idea.
The compromising encounter between Clinton and Lewinsky is alleged to have happened in the spring of 1996. It was in a private area of the White House, where Lewinsky was working as an unpaid trainee.
Lewinsky's denial of an 18-month affair came in a sworn statement to lawyers representing Paula Jones, who has accused Clinton of sexual harassment.
She is now alleged to have told a friend that Clinton admitted he could not settle the Jones case because it would 'open the flood gates.' On secretly recorded tapes, she recalled a conversation with Clinton during a visit to the Oval Office.
According to sources, Lewinsky said: 'Why don't you just settle and give Jones some cash and the apology she wanted?' Clinton said: 'I can't. Lewinsky asked: 'Why not?' Clinton: 'Because they'll all come forward.' Lewinsky: 'How many could there be?' Clinton, sighing: 'Hundreds.' Lewinsky's lawyer Bill Ginsburg was yesterday continuing negotations with Starr over a possible deal.
Ginsburg said she was 'dying to tell the story' but said of the rumoured new witness: 'If they have solid evidence I suppose they're not going to be offering imunity.' If Lewinsky decides to confess to an affair, Clinton is in desperate straits.
He and his friend and adviser Vernon Jordan, who are both said to have asked her to lie about an affair, would be left open to charges of obstructing justice and encouraging perjury.
Leon Panetta, Clinton's former White House chief of staff, said yesterday resignation was now a pos-siblity.
He said: 'If these are baseless charges, it'll be okay. On the other hand, if there's something there it would be better for Democrats under those circumstances if Al Gore became president and you had a new message and new individual up there. The worst scenario
is if there's substance to it and it drags on.' Yesterday the Clintons went to church in Washington as usual, refusing to answer questions about the scandal.
Last night the President was said to be watching the Superbowl football championship on TV and he has no scheduled public appearances today.
Cancellation of the State of the Union address, the annual setpiece speech to Congress and the country, would be unprecedented in modern times.
But some aides believe Clinton could not credibly speak to the nation without mentioning the scandal - yet doing so would ruin the dignity of the occasion.
There were clear signs that the Clintons are preparing to dig in and fight the accusations.
Hillary will appear on two morning TV programmes this week and is bound to be asked about the crisis.
Clinton supporters have also clearly been given the green light to start defending him aggressively in public.
His former campaign manager James Carville warned yesterday: 'There's going to be a war. The friends of the president are disgusted by these kinds of tactics.
We're going to fight and we're going to fight very hard. The president emphatically denies it. He has denied it to staff, he has denied to the news media, he has denied it to the American people and he's denied to his Cabinet and denied to his friends.
'I can't get any more emphatic about that.' If Lewinsky does turn against the President, Carville and others are likely to portray her as a fantasist with a record of dishonesty, who simply invented the affair.
CLINTON AFFAIR 'SEEN BY SECRET WITNESS'; AS AMERICA'S FIRST LADY PREPARES TO TAKE ON HER HUSBAND'S CRITICS, PRESIDENT FACES NEW CLAIMS THAT MAY DRIVE HIM FROM THE WHITE HOUSEBehind the smile, the panic sets in.Byline: NICK HOPKINS
BILL CLINTON was caught in an intimate encounter with his young lover at the White House, it was claimed last night.
The bombshell report on ABC TV implies that an independent witness can substantiate claims of a Presidential affair with 24-year-old Monica Lewinsky.
There was no indication whether the witness was from the Secret Service or the White House staff. But the revelation, if true, is extremely bad news for both parties.
Eyewitness evidence would shoot down all denials by the Clinton camp. It would also torpedo Lewinsky's bid to avoid prosecution for perjury if she goes back on an earlier sworn statement that there was no affair.
Some Washington observers suggested that her only hope of making a deal with special prosecutor Kenneth Starr would be to admit that Clinton told her to lie on oath about their affair.
Such a charge would lead almost inevitably to his impeachment or resignation.
The ABC report came amid a welter of lurid new accusations against Clinton, including one that he had admitted 'hundreds' of affairs.
Some senior Democrats talked openly of the prospect of him resigning, and there were reports that White House aides believe he should postpone tomorrow night's State of the Union address to the nation.
International policy is also being affected.
Clinton must decide soon how to react to Iraq's defiance over weapons inspections.
But he knows that if he launches a military strike he will be accused of trying to divert attention from his personal problems.
Hillary Clinton was said to have taken a leading role in his defence campaign as polls showed public support plunging.
She was credited with a change of tactics which saw his allies adopt a far more aggressive approach and launch a media blitz.
There were suggestions that Clinton might admit an 'emotional relationship' with Lewinsky because they had both suffered turbulent childhoods.
But the emergence of a new witness would destroy any such idea.
The compromising encounter between Clinton and Lewinsky is alleged to have happened in the spring of 1996. It was in a private area of the White House, where Lewinsky was working as an unpaid trainee.
Lewinsky's denial of an 18-month affair came in a sworn statement to lawyers representing Paula Jones, who has accused Clinton of sexual harassment.
She is now alleged to have told a friend that Clinton admitted he could not settle the Jones case because it would 'open the flood gates.' On secretly recorded tapes, she recalled a conversation with Clinton during a visit to the Oval Office.
According to sources, Lewinsky said: 'Why don't you just settle and give Jones some cash and the apology she wanted?' Clinton said: 'I can't. Lewinsky asked: 'Why not?' Clinton: 'Because they'll all come forward.' Lewinsky: 'How many could there be?' Clinton, sighing: 'Hundreds.' Lewinsky's lawyer Bill Ginsburg was yesterday continuing negotations with Starr over a possible deal.
Ginsburg said she was 'dying to tell the story' but said of the rumoured new witness: 'If they have solid evidence I suppose they're not going to be offering imunity.' If Lewinsky decides to confess to an affair, Clinton is in desperate straits.
He and his friend and adviser Vernon Jordan, who are both said to have asked her to lie about an affair, would be left open to charges of obstructing justice and encouraging perjury.
Leon Panetta, Clinton's former White House chief of staff, said yesterday resignation was now a pos-siblity.
He said: 'If these are baseless charges, it'll be okay. On the other hand, if there's something there it would be better for Democrats under those circumstances if Al Gore became president and you had a new message and new individual up there. The worst scenario
is if there's substance to it and it drags on.' Yesterday the Clintons went to church in Washington as usual, refusing to answer questions about the scandal.
Last night the President was said to be watching the Superbowl football championship on TV and he has no scheduled public appearances today.
Cancellation of the State of the Union address, the annual setpiece speech to Congress and the country, would be unprecedented in modern times.
But some aides believe Clinton could not credibly speak to the nation without mentioning the scandal - yet doing so would ruin the dignity of the occasion.
There were clear signs that the Clintons are preparing to dig in and fight the accusations.
Hillary will appear on two morning TV programmes this week and is bound to be asked about the crisis.
Clinton supporters have also clearly been given the green light to start defending him aggressively in public.
His former campaign manager James Carville warned yesterday: 'There's going to be a war. The friends of the president are disgusted by these kinds of tactics.
We're going to fight and we're going to fight very hard. The president emphatically denies it. He has denied it to staff, he has denied to the news media, he has denied it to the American people and he's denied to his Cabinet and denied to his friends.
'I can't get any more emphatic about that.' If Lewinsky does turn against the President, Carville and others are likely to portray her as a fantasist with a record of dishonesty, who simply invented the affair.
