Obama declines Fox News debate

Barack Obama has chosen not to attend September's presidential debate co-sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus Institute and Fox News, effectively dooming the debate.



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How Many in U.S. Military Begged Bush Administration to Stop Torture

"No. 1, it’s not going to work," said Col. Brittain P. Mallow. "No. 2, if it does work, it’s not reliable. No. 3, it may not be legal, ethical or moral. No. 4, it’s going to hurt you when you have to prosecute these guys. No. 5, sooner or later, all of this stuff is going to come to light, and you're going to be embarrassed."



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Pope: 'Nothing Positive' From Iraq

In an Easter litany of the world's suffering, Pope Benedict XVI lamented that "nothing positive" is happening in Iraq and decried the unrest in Afghanistan and bloodshed in Africa and Asia.



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U.N. Blasphemy Ban Called Threat to Free Speech, Church-State Separation

An Atheist civil rights group condemned Friday's passage at the United Nations of a proposal for a global ban on "defaming" religion. "This proposal amounts to an international 'blasphemy' statute, and punishes those exercising a right to question and criticize religious superstition," said Ellen Johnson, president of American Atheists



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Why do U.S. presidential candidates need so much money?

The recent fund raising totals by candidates point to what many expect will be the first-ever billion-dollar election. While the figures are astounding, the mostly private campaign finance system currently in place virtually demands that candidates raise vast amounts early and never let up.



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Bush Pisses Off Senate Dems: Appoints Ambassador While They Vacation

Recognizing Fox did not have the votes to obtain Senate confirmation in the Foreign Relations Committee, Bush withdrew the nomination last week. On Wednesday, with the Senate on a one-week break, the president used his power to make recess appointments to put Fox in the job without Senate confirmation.



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Is there any truth to 'the enemy would follow us here?'

It’s become President Bush’s mantra, his main explanation for why he won’t withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq anytime soon. In speech after speech, in statement after statement, Bush insists that “this is a war in which, if we were to leave before the job is done, the enemy would follow us here.” But is it true?



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Cheney Still Insists Iraq/Al-Queda Link Before 9/11

This has been debunked about a million times, hasn't it? Saddam had no meaningful relationship and provided no meaningful support for Al-Queda. Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11 . . .



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Gonzales Aide Resigns Without Testifying Before Congress

CNN's Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer is reporting that the Justice Department's White House Liaison Monica Goodling will resign. But RAW STORY has learned that the move won't assure Goodling will shake the congressional investigators who are on her trail.



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FAA Warned 52 Times Before 9/11

The FAA's security branch generated 105 so-called daily summaries between April 1 and September 10, 2001, the report said. Fifty-two of those summaries mentioned bin Laden or al Qaeda, and five discussed hijacking "as a capability al Qaeda was training for or possessed." With 52 warnings, why [wasn't security increased] in 2001?



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Bush Bypasses Senate to Name Ambassador

President Bush named Republican fundraiser Sam Fox as U.S. ambassador to Belgium on Wednesday, using a maneuver that allowed him to bypass Congress where Democrats had derailed Fox's nomination.



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BREAKING NEWS: Iran 'to release British sailors'

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says 15 British naval personnel captured in the Gulf will be freed. Tony Blair looked like a bitch apologizing! Was great.



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Blackwater seeks to build 800+ Acre Military Training Site in California

Residents in California are trying to fight attempts by military contractor Blackwater USA to build an 842-acre military training facility.



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UK deploying "talking" CCTV security cameras

The world's most monitored society is about to get talked to as well - with 20 regions getting trials of CCTV cameras that allow operators to talk to offenders via loudspeakers. The aim is to publicly humiliate people into behaving "correctly".



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Under the Influence: How Lobbyists Wrote and Bought the Rx Drug Bill -VIDEO

60 Minutes tells the story of how pharmaceutical industry lobbyists literally wrote the historic Medicare Prescription Drug Bill and twisted arms to get the necessary votes to have it passed in the middle of the night.



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Extraordinary move to legalize poppy crops in Afghanistan

Tony Blair is considering calls to legalize poppy production in the Taliban's backyard. The plan could cut medical shortages of opiates worldwide, curb smuggling - and hit the insurgents. Under this pilot program, farmers in Afghanistan, which currently produces 80% of the world's opium, would produce and sell their crop legally to drug companies.



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Bush just lied in his press conference about Iraq

Bush just spoke to the nation, trying to convince the public to support his Iraq quagmire, and he claimed again that the surge, the escalation, was the idea of his commanders in the field, and he's just following their advice. In fact, all of the Joint Chiefs, the heads of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, ALL opposed the surge. He lied, again



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Only 35% of Americans now identify as Republicans

Down from 43% just five years ago. The GOP balloon continues to deflate.



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Breaking: Supreme Court rejects Guantanamo Bay detainees' appeal

The Supreme Court rejected an appeal Monday from Guantanamo detainees who want challenge their five-year-long confinement in court, a victory for the Bush administration's legal strategy in its fight against terrorism.



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Detainee says he confessed to stop torture

The terrorism suspect contends he was forced to admit to a role in the Cole bombing. A military law expert isn't surprised.



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