Abstracts of reports, editorials
and opinion articles published in Asian and American English
press including The New York Times, Washington Post,
International Herald Tribune, The Indian Express, The Hindu
and The Times of India.
The Washington Post,
3 July 2008
McCain Puts New Strategist Atop Campaign
Facing growing dissatisfaction both inside and outside his campaign, Sen. John McCain ordered a shake-up of his team yesterday, reducing the role of campaign manager Rick Davis and vesting political adviser Steve Schmidt with "full operational control" of his bid for the presidency. Schmidt becomes the third political operative in the past year to take on the task of attempting to guide McCain to the White House. A veteran of President Bush's political operation, Schmidt will be in charge of finding a more effective message in the Arizona Republican's race against Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, who leads in most polls. In a telephone interview, Schmidt said that McCain faces a difficult challenge, given the overall mood of the country, but that he is encouraged by the race remaining relatively tight.
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The NewYork Times,
3 July 2008
Iraq Hints at Delay in U.S. Security Deal
Declaring that there will not be "another colonization of Iraq," Iraq's foreign minister raised the possibility on Wednesday that a full security agreement with the United States might not be reached this year, and that if one was, it would be a short-term pact. American officials, speaking anonymously because of the delicate state of negotiations, said they were no longer optimistic that a complete security agreement could be reached by the year's end.Negotiations are complicated by political currents in both countries. Iraqi officials facing elections in the fall do not want to be seen as capitulating to the United States. At the same time, they are eager for some form of agreement to prevent any rapid departure of American forces.
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The Washington Post,
2 July 2008
McCain Stressing Trade On Latin American Trip
Sen. John McCain arrived here Tuesday night on his third foreign trip since clinching the Republican presidential nomination, the latest attempt to embellish his international credentials at a time when the electorate is increasingly focused on domestic issues.Speaking to reporters on his arrival in Colombia, McCain (Ariz.) said he will stick by his support for free trade because "I have to do what I think is right for America. But I want to add very quickly: I understand the pain people are going through. I understand the challenges." Worse for his chances of winning the White House in the fall, recent surveys show growing majorities of the public think free-trade policies lead to job losses, slow the economy and pose a threat to the country's economic recovery. Almost a third of voters say free trade has probably hurt their family's financial situation.
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The Daily News,
2 July 2008
Pak-US ties high priority: Gilani
Pakistan accords high priority to its strategic relations with the United States and wants to expand bilateral co-operation in all fields including trade, defence, security, education, health, energy, and science and technology, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Tuesday. He was talking to the US congressional delegation led by Congressman Gary Ackerman, who is the chairman of the Sub-committee on the Middle East and South Asian Affairs at Governor House, Karachi.Other members of the delegation included Sheila Jackson (co-chairwoman of the Pakistan-Caucus), Thad McCotter, Randy Neugebauer, Russ Carnahan and Al Green. US Ambassador in Pakistan Anne W Patterson was also present. The government is determined to fight terrorism, Gilani said, noting that it was important to address the root causes of terrorism, which stem from socio-economic disparity and poverty.
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