... Secretary Leon E. Panetta announced the official end to the United States' mission in Iraq on December 15th - nine years after US forces stepped foot on the foreign ground. US troops initially staged a war to rid Iraq of the weapons of mass destruction that they were thought to possess, but after almost a decade in the hostile country, no such weapons were found. Instead, the nine-year invasion revamped American ... Americans, the mission of an Iraq that could govern and secure itself has become real," he continued. "To be sure, the cost was high, in blood and treasure for the United Sta...

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Following a series of political assassinations of Afghanistan's political leaders, the United States' military officers have seen dramatic improvement in securing the country. Following the assassination of Osama bin Laden, President Obama announced the hasty drawdown of the extra "surge" troops he ordered to finish off the al-Qaeda regime. However, there have been several recent acts of violence that have some officials worried. Following the assassination of Ahmed Wali Karzai, the president's half-brother, a suicide car bomber attacked a police headquarters, killing twelve policemen and a ch...

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... presidential election was unlike any other, in a number of ways. There was the possibility of a female vice-president pitted against the possibility of an African-American president - both potential history-making moments. Voting turnouts broke some records, and with the election of Senator Barack Obama, the United States allowed a new era of American politics to be ushered in. And the way it all happened was revolutionary, too. The Internet has, it seems, forever ... YouTube is such an enormously popular website across a diverse demographic and because the new arrangement allowed for t...

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... 're about opening up rights and opening up opportunities. This is a contest of values" (MSNBC). Senator John McCain later agreed with Obama, stating on CBS' "Face the Nation," "The fact is we should honor every man and woman who is serving in the military and should in no way treat them with anything but the highest regard." However, he did add that the candidates were most likely caught off guard, which could ... have been the reason none of them acknowledged the audience's response. "I would bet that every Republican on stage ... ...

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... . When Eisenhower sent troops to storm the beaches of Normandy, he knew full well that thousands were never coming home. What's more is that the men knew it too. Eisenhower was so unsure of his plan that he wrote two letters, one praising the valiant men who stormed the beaches in the event of success, the other taking full blame in case the offensive was defeated. The men knew what they were heading into, and they ... went anyhow; not for a chain of command, but because of complete trust in an inspired and inspiring ... ...

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... that is a policy that was "destined for failure before it was born .The dogs of Afghanistan have found the flesh of your soldiers to be delicious, so send thousands after thousands to them." The message also addressed past controversies over Obama's religion: "You were born to a Muslim father, but you chose to stand in the ranks of the enemies of the Muslims, and pray the prayer of the ... Jews, although you claim to be Christian, in order to climb the rungs of leadership in America. And so you promised to back Israel ... , and you threatened to strike the tribal regions in Pakistan and ...

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... to honor those that gave their lives, but to also honor the concept of American democracy and freedom. In addition to the revolution in language, Lincoln is also calling for a revolution of freedom again, in effect saying that there needs to be a completely revised and re-energized focus on the key foundations of what lead America to be founded in the first place. He is seeking to spark a revolution of American unity through the quoting of Jefferson's writings in the Declaration of ... Independence. There is also the reference to re-consecrating the commitment ... ...

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... not. A lot of what he dreamed he could make happen will have to wait. There will be no paying down the deficit, at least not anytime soon. Unlike Bill Clinton, Obama is coming into an economy that was bleeding profusely from every portal. He will not simply be able to raise taxes and set things right. He laid out some of his strategies in his economic ... plan. Now, when we need the money most of all is the best time to enact these changes. These are ways Obama can raise the needed money. 1. Stick by his plan to end subsidies to the oil companies. Why we are subsidizing one of the most ...

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... entered, winning 17 World Championship races and breaking seven world records. In August of 2008, Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian in the history of U.S. sports when he won eight gold medals - one for every event he competed in - at the Beijing Olympics. Today Michael Phelps is a celebrity of mammoth proportions, both in the U.S. and abroad. In the few short weeks since the Olympics, Michael has hosted Saturday Night Live, appeared on Oprah Winfrey ... , and presented an award on the MTV Music Awards. Phelps also has created the ... ...

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... States Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner joined the group of supporters right before Lagarde was voted in (Rooney) "Minister Lagarde's exceptional talent and broad experience will provide invaluable leadership for this indispensable institution at a critical time for the global economy," Geithner said (Rooney). Lagarde will succeed Dominque Strauss-Kahn, who was recently arrested in New York for sexual assault. Lagarde is the first woman to hold this position ... and German banks, on their ability to compromise (Rooney) "It must be done in a concerted, collective way," she said. "All the ...

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... a focus on removing "barriers that make it harder for you to compete - from the tax code to the regulatory system" (Dennis). In an attempt to reconcile the differences between his administration and the US Chamber of Commerce, Obama walked the block to the Chamber headquarters. Once there, he joked "I'm in the interest of being more neighborly. Maybe we would have gotten off on a better foot if ... groups got off on a bad start after the Chamber spent tens of millions of dollars fighting Obama's health-care bills, opposing key elements of the financial regulation law and helping to deliv...

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... this as a continuing crisis or problem in Turkey. Without a doubt, the events of yesterday were extraordinary in their own right, but it is all back on track. It is not right to speak of a vacuum," he said (Tuysuz). Three of the men who resigned were the commanders of the air force, army, and navy. All were also part of a group of soldiers, approximately 250 in number, who are suspected of plotting coups and are currently awaiting ... for Turkey if military officials don't use their power to strike out against the government in the case of a disagreement. However, others are worried tha...

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... mortars, and rocket propelled grenades to abolish the other side in Sanaa (Sudam). Sanaa residents heard heavy explosions and sporadic gunfire early in the morning, although they were unsure what caused the noises. The noises were reportedly coming from the Hasabah neighborhood, home to Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar, leader of the al-Hashid tribe whose forces oppose the government. The previous day security forces set fire to ... Al-Samaee, a leading youth activist in Taiz. "Killing innocent civilians always leads to war crime charges and that is what we are seeking for Saleh" (Jamjoom). The day...

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... the U.S. to flourish, it is critical for the government to form strong international partnerships. The Visa Waiver program is one way the government is attempting to do just that. Earlier this year, Congress opened the door for a solution to the visa waiver problem between the U.S. and several of its allies. Then, in March, the Hungarian, Slovakian, and Lithuanian governments signed MOUs (memoranda of understand) committing the U.S. government to help them qualify for the waiver program. In exchange, the ... U.S. would receive increased security assistance. These countries follow in the...

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... of the Union." He said the talks are in such infant stages that officials are not even certain that the Taliban members who are engaged in the negotiations are true representatives of the Taliban leader Mullah Omar. In fact, the Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, who would normally head the negotiations, has not even been involved yet (Thompson). "We have said all along that a political outcome is the way most of the wars end," said Gates. "The ... question is when and if they are ready to ... ...

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Hope -- it's something that is hard to define, and in this economic climate, hard to come by. What do the people of the U.S. hope for? The end of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq? An economy that isn't crashing and taking the middle class with it? Universal Health Care? There are so many things wrong in this country, that it's hard to know what to be most angry about. Barack Obama ran on change ... better people. In listening to his speech to the black youth of America, you can see that he wants more for us, no matter what our race. He wants us to believe in ourselves, to strive for loftier g...

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... the challenges of having to deal with two wars in which his country is embroiled, ensuring his country are safe from the threat of terrorism, and work toward helping the United States economy break free from the grips of recession. In many ways, Obama's transition into the White House will be unlike any other presidential changeover. First, this is the first time the country has been in a war situation during a presidential election since the 60s, during the ... , and a mixture of both support and dissention. Such is the lot of any American president, but Obama will have an arguably unpr...

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... new technologies (Kuhnhnen). The program is called The Advanced Manufacturing Partnership and includes six universities paired with manufacturing companies like Ford, Caterpillar, Procter & Gamble, and Northrop Grumman (Murphy). "It's to renew the promise of American manufacturing. To help make sure America remains in this century what we were in the last - a country that makes things. A country that out-builds and out-innovates the rest of the world," Obama said of the partnership (Lee). "Their ... mission is to come up with a way to get ideas from the drawing board to the manufacturin...

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... Spillius). Because there is no exact leader or structure, it is hard to get a grasp on what the Tea Partiers are all about. Some would be content with simply making the Republican Party more conservative. Others wish to completely reorder the political system, mostly by shrinking it drastically (Barstow). One thing most of the Tea Partiers do have in common though is the fact that most ... had previously been uninvolved in politics. Not until the recession hit did many of them feel the need ... that depicting him as a would-be despot only complicates the efforts of finding bipartisan so...

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... the public election process is heavily pushed, the real power of election is held by these electors. The Presidential candidate team who earns the most electoral votes will be named the next President and Vice President of the United States, even if the popular vote swings in the opposite direction of the Electoral College vote. The 538 people given electoral votes are those elected to the Senate and as Representatives of the state in Congress. In this aspect, the people retain the power of the ... named the winners of the election. In the case that no team of candidates earn 270 total ...

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... training. What draws them away from their home countries to train in a place that is foreign to them? The answer can be found in general expertise, the desire to train with the best in a particular sport, and even an attempt to escape persecution. A Matter Of Expertise Many foreign athletes flock to the U.S. to train because of the reputation that the U.S has for expertise in Olympic sport in general. Its overall history of being a major competitor in the Olympics ... and supporting its athletes draws foreign athletes who wish to learn from this tradition and benefit from this support. ...

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... - they may just fade into the background just a little. Many analysts are predicting that the U.S. under Barack Obama will once again commit to the goal of "effective multilateralism" where world affairs are concerned. That would mean that diplomacy is the rule and military action the exception. No matter what decisions and changes Barack Obama makes from his chair in the Oval Office, two things are for ... certain: One is that his decisions will be met ... with approval, and the other is that they won't be. ... ...

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... group of the original civil rights activists did what they had to do... in the 60's and 70's. And they were right to do so...then. But they live in the past as their rush to judgement clearly shows. Fear does indeed play a role in the prospect of a Barack Obama presidency. But let's examine it more closely. The fear factor is not race based, but based on values and judgement. The values of ... Barack Obama are questionable when he supports sex education for 5 year olds in kindergarten. Before you say that it was only because it would teach children about sexual predators, look at the fac...

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... , Clinton has voiced her opinion. "What these women are doing is brave and what they are seeking is right," she commented in an interview with CNN. "This is about Saudi women themselves, they have joined together. They are acting on behalf of their own rights. This is not about the United State, it's not about what any of us on the outside say, it is about the women themselves and their right to raise ... their concerns with their own government." She later added, "We have made clear our views that women everywhere, including women in the kingdom, have the right to make decisions about t...

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... last year will be determined in the U.S. Supreme Court as early as next year (Levey). "While the decision in the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals is disappointing, it is only the first of several opinions we expect on the constitutionality of the law in the coming months," said Karen Harned, executive director of the National Federation of Independent Business Small Business Center. They are challenging the law in the Florida lawsuit. While the end is far from near, the 6th Circuit's opinion marks a small ... dramatically increase premiums (Levey). "If the exercise of power is allowed and t...

• Word Count: 773
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