The Washington Times

Beijing Threatens to Execute 'Key Rioters' ; Ethnic Unrest Kills at Least 156

China's crackdown on Muslim protesters in the western province of Xinjiang took an even more ominous turn Wednesday as a Communist Party official vowed to execute those responsible for the deadly riots. A Chinese Embassy spokesman in Washington told The Washington Times that more than 1,000 people have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the unrest, which has left at least 156 dead and 1,080 injured, according to an official count.

Congress Gives Obama a Lesson in Give and Take

To move his agenda through Congress quickly, President Obama plans to embrace his campaign motto from last year - change - but not in the way he intended. As a candidate, Mr. Obama promised to bring change to Washington. As president, he is learning he must accept alterations to his proposals in order to succeed - to become, in effect, compromiser in chief.

Deeds Vs. Mcdonnell: Tweets Don't Fail Me Now

One Twitters his music playlist. The other Twitters multiplatform requests for money and supporters. They are the candidates for governor of Virginia, a state with one of the highest Internet penetrations, and they aren't shy about Twittering, Facebooking, texting and YouTubing their message to the cell phones, computers and PDAs of potential voters.

Democrats Shy Away From Taxes On Health Care ; Rifts Threaten Obama Deadline

Cracks in President Obama's health care reform plan formed Wednesday as his August deadline appears to be slipping away amid angst from Democrats over taxing employer benefits to help pay for the $1 trillion makeover. Top Democrats, including Sen. Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, who is helping craft the measure, and Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York said the idea isn't politically viable.

Iraqis Stay Silent On Protests in Iran

The street clashes and other political protests that followed Iran's disputed presidential elections last month have dominated regional and world news for weeks but caused barely a ripple in Iran's old rival, Iraq. No statements have been issued by Iraqi political parties that got their start in exile in Iran during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. Although as many as 2,000 Iranian religious pilgrims enter Iraq daily, there have been no demonstrations, like the sympathy protests that have taken pla...

Polluters Not On Board with G-8 ; Largest Economies Agree to Cut Greenhouse Gases

Eight of the world's top economies, including the United States, pledged Wednesday to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions but have failed to win the same agreement from a broader group of top polluting nations. On Iran, the story was similar: Members of the Group of Eight, or G-8, agreed they are getting impatient with Iran's failure to publicly halt its nuclear weapons program, but the nations stopped short of action, instead saying they will take stock of the situation in September.

10 Federal Buildings Breached by Investigators From Gao ; Senators Demand Security Training, Oversight

A congressional watchdog agency easily sneaked bomb parts into 10 federal buildings and assembled them in bathrooms, prompting senators to demand immediate fixes to the Federal Protective Service. The Government Accountability Office in a report released Wednesday said the investigators "walked freely around several of floors of these [high-level] facilities with the device in a briefcase."

Bloated Deficits Endanger Dollar's Global Status ; Obama to Get Earful at G-8 On Greenback's Dwindling Value

Worries about burgeoning U.S. budget deficits are weighing on the dollar and undermining its status as the world's pre-eminent reserve currency. Russia and China have been calling for an alternative to the dollar, citing profligate U.S. deficits and finances, but moves by Japan and other developed nations to defend it in recent days staved off the possibility the Group of Eight would have to address the issue at its meeting in Italy this week.

Deja Vu On Dictatorships and Double Standards

Thirty years ago, Jeane J. Kirkpatrick charged the Carter administration with hypocrisy and doublethink. Why, she asked in "Dictatorships and Double Standards," did President Carter always seem to find fault with the human rights records of friendly powers while letting unfriendly states off the hook? Why, she wondered, was the triumph of unfriendly states considered beneficial to America's "true interests?" Mr. Carter had no good answers. Neither does President Obama, who appears to be headi...

Girl with No Future

It's not the troops; it's not the economy; it's not that it's mountainous and landlocked like Austria and Switzerland. It's the society. I write these words from Ghor province, and it's like the Jurassic Park in Helmand, Kandahar, Zabul, Nangahar ... keep going A person can tool around in towns like Kabul, Jalalabad or Mazar-i- Sharif and build up hopes, but to extrapolate beyond the tangible is folly. Iraq is 1,000 years more advanced than Afghanistan. Nepal is far more connected to and c...

Another Dose of Federal Stimulus Stokes Debate ; Parties Split On New Spending

Talk of another economic stimulus package on Capitol Hill has Republicans sharpening their knives and Democratic leaders vacillating, though some economists and Democrats say the sagging economy badly needs another jolt of federal spending. Sobered by persistent job losses, Democrats suggest they are open to additional stimulus while they simultaneously defend the success of President Obama's $787 billion plan that passed in February.

Democrats Iffy On New Watchdog ; Consumer Agency Proposed

The Obama administration's push for a new regulatory agency to protect consumers and investors from financial scams was met with surprise reluctance from some key House Democrats on Capitol Hill. Michigan Democrat Rep. John D. Dingell said he was skeptical of the plan to weaken the Federal Trade Commission's powers by consolidating regulatory duties now spread over several agencies.

Gop's Kirk Seeks Obama's Old Seat ; Top State Democrat Declines

Rep. Mark Steven Kirk, Illinois Republican, has decided to run for President Obama's former Senate seat, after a top state Democrat turned down aggressive White House efforts to recruit her for a race shaping up to be a major battleground contest next year. Senior Republican Party officials told The Washington Times on Wednesday that the five-term congressman will be a candidate for the seat now held by Sen. Roland W. Burris, a Democrat. Mr. Burris was appointed by then-Gov. Rod R. Blagojevic...

Jackson Resolution Faces Fight ; Critics Speak Out; Bill Seen As Distraction

House Democratic leaders are fretting about a brewing political battle over a resolution to honor King of Pop Michael Jackson. The resolution, promised at the pop star's public memorial Tuesday by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, faces opposition from the late Mr. Jackson's detractors in Congress.

Obama Donor Named Ambassador ; Profited From Brewery Sale Ripped in Campaign

President Obama criticized the foreign takeover of the famous American brewery Anheuser-Busch last year, saying, "We could have and should have done everything possible to find an American buyer." Now he's chosen as his ambassador to Argentina a longtime member of the St. Louis-based company's board of directors, who reported a big windfall on the transaction after the board approved the sale of the maker of Budweiser, Busch and Michelob to a European rival.

Google Taking On Microsoft in Os Market ; Extending Its Chrome Browser

Google Inc. raised the stakes in its rivalry with Microsoft Corp. as the search leader declared it will enter the operating system market next year - targeting the software giant's core business in its latest and most direct challenge to Microsoft yet. Mountain View, Calif.-based Google said its operating system is an extension of its nine-month-old Internet browser, Chrome. The company is eyeing low-cost laptop computers to run the system, which will reach the marketplace by the end of next ...

Imf Forecasts 'Sluggish' Global Recovery

Following the deepest and longest global economic downturn since the Great Depression, the world economy next year will expand moderately faster than predicted, the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday. After world output contracts 1.4 percent this year, the IMF said the global economy will expand 2.5 percent next year, 0.6 percent faster than it forecast in the spring.

Tremors Jar G-8 ; World Leaders Meet On Shaky Ground in Italy

Despite a laundry list of global challenges, the Group of Eight summit that opened Wednesday in the temblor-rattled Italian city of L'Aquila has been overshadowed by a sex scandal, earthquake fears and poor planning by the host government. Some European media have reported that chaotic organization of the summit - which has resulted in Washington's taking the lead - was putting Italy's membership in the elite group of the world's major powers at risk.

Peaceful Vote Draws Obama ; One Observer Sees 'Ulterior' Motive to Visit West African Nation in New Discovery of Oil

President Obama flies to Ghana Friday in his first presidential visit to sub-Saharan Africa, where he is expected to praise the country's electoral successes and economic development, holding it up as a model for other countries on the continent. But Africa watchers say Mr. Obama also is likely to use the visit to announce plans to strengthen security and commercial ties with the small but growing African nation.

Stalking Charge Against Barry Dropped ; Prosecutors Opt Not to Pursue Allegations

Prosecutors will not pursue stalking charges against D.C. Council member Marion Barry, the U.S. attorney's office announced late Wednesday after days of accusations, countercharges and drama involving the former mayor and a one-time girlfriend. Mr. Barry was arrested Saturday by U.S. Park Police and charged with misdemeanor stalking.