Obama makes surprise trip to Afghanistan

The primary focus of the president's trip is to meet with and thank U.S. troops. He also will do a secure videoconference meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, after a planned trip to the palace in Kabul as part of the visit was canceled due to bad weather. The new strategy announced last December authorized 30,000 additional troops to be brought in during 2010 to step up the fight. Most of the added forces were in place by October, increasing the U.S. contingent to about 95,000. They are supplemented by 48,000 military personnel from 47 other nations in the coalition, led by NATO.

Post by: Ziying Yuan

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sc-dc-1204-obama-afghanistan-20101203, 0,7077667.story

Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney are tops for GOP voters looking to 2012

Reporting from Washington . Four familiar names lead the pack in a new poll testing the very early landscape in the Republican race for president in 2012.

A new poll finds Republican favorites for the presidential race are Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and Newt Gingrich. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is a distant fifth; Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels is a dark horse.

Three questions to determine if Palin is serious about being a successful presidential candidate: 1) Does she broaden her appeal… 2) Does she become more disciplined?... 3) Does she expand her policy portfolio?... New Q-poll shows Palin performing the worst among other GOPers in a head-to-head against Obama… The president's trip to Portugal was more successful than his trip to Asia… START has become the next big Washington battle… Expect to see more White House staff movement sooner rather than later…

Post by: Ziying Yuan

http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/la-pn-quinnipiac-poll-20101123,0,1130307.story

publicans may be less eager than Obama for bipartisanship

Presidential aides accepted the explanations. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs joked Wednesday that the announcement of a new date for the gathering, Nov. 30, is a sign that " bipartisanship has happened." It appeared to signal that Republicans are less eager than the White House to begin a new era of bipartisanship, and it was a stark example of Obama's diminished ability to bend lawmakers to his would. Many conservative activists don't want the GOP to compromise on any major issues. And as Obama has suggested that he wants to reach a deal on tax cuts with the GOP, his party's base has criticized him.

Post by: Ziying Yuan

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2010/11/17/AR2010111707547.html

Paychecks for CEOs Climb

The chief executives of the largest U.S. public companies enjoyed bigger paydays in their latest fiscal year. This was in a direct relationship to the increase of share prices recovered and profits soared. Once again this is a prime example of chief executives in large public companies soaring in profits and with their paychecks with no regard to anyone else in this recession. According to an analysis of CEOs at these 456 companies and their latest proxy filings for The Wall Street Journal by consulting firm Hay Group, the median pretax value of CEO salaries, bonuses and longterm incentives, such as grants of stock and stock options, rose by 3% to $7.23 million. The overall increase mostly reflects the larger study's inclusion of 65 companies whose fiscal years ended after January 3, thus encompassing more of the recovery. Many boards lowered the bar, with easier targets on bonuses and more reliance on restricted stock not tied to performance goals. Basically, in analysis of this article recently these public companies that have been giving back more to their shareholders and not just all about just the CEO making the "bucks" are getting higher standards by analyses'.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704756804575608434290068118.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTTopStories

Obama returns to Indonesia

Many observers say Obama’s ties to Indonesia, where he spent four years of his childhood, would usher in a new area friendship between the two nations. But a decision to cut short his trip due to travel threats posed by an erupting volcano made some doubt the sincerity of the speech he gave Wednesday morning.

The Friends of Obama, an eccentric group of Indonesians and ex-patriots that includes former classmates, neighbors and teachers, and friends of his half-sister, gathered at a Tex-Mex restaurant to share stories about the boy they knew as "little Barry."

And in the end, perhaps the most important thing to Indonesians was having the world spotlight show a bit of commonality between it and the US.

Post by: Ziying Yuan

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2010/1110/Obama-returns-to-Indonesia-and-for-some-that-s-all-that-mattered

U.S. Senate, governor hopefuls flying around Illinois day before election

The top candidates for U.S. Senate and governor chatted up voters in Chicago this morning before hopping on planes to tour Illinois in frenzied, day-before-the-election campaigning. 

 U.S. Senate hopeful Mark Kirk and GOP governor candidate Bill Brady met bleary-eyed suburban commuters this morning as the crowds stepped off Metra trains. Both candidates said they're feeling comfortable that independent voters will break their way, but Kirk acknowledged anything can happen in Illinois.

After weeks of bombarding their opponents with negative attack ads on TV, Brady and Kirk were softening their partisan edges in the final hours hoping to appeal to independents who may still be on the fence. Kirk and Brady are scheduled to end up at the Wheaton Bowl tonight for a Republican rally.

Post by: Ziying Yuan

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2010/11/us-senate-governor-hopefuls-flying-around-illinois-day-before-election.html

No surprise: Democrats and Republicans differ on election predictions

The 2010 mid-term elections come down to campaign basics in the final nine days until vote counting begins. For now, the two parties agree that Republicans will win more seats than they currently hold, but they differ sharply on how many and whether a major power shift will occur.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele told NBC's "Meet the Press" program that an unprecedented GOP wave would win control of both chambers as well as state legislatures in a broad condemnation of President Barack Obama and Democratic policies.

The Delaware race is a prime example. Christine O'Donnell's primary win over nine-term Republican Rep. Mike Castle made a Senate seat once considered likely Republican now an apparent Democratic victory for previously little-known Chris Coons.

O'Donnell's campaign became a national joke over a long-ago comment that she once "dabbled in witchcraft" and other missteps. It also exposed a rift within the political right between the mainstream Republican establishment, which criticized O'Donnell and other Tea Party backed candidates, and the more conservative Tea Party movement.