"...liberty is the future of every nation in the Middle East, because liberty is the right and hope of all humanity. (Applause.)

The same is true of Iran, a nation now held hostage by a small clerical elite that is isolating and repressing its people. The regime in that country sponsors terrorists in the Palestinian territories and in Lebanon -- and that must come to an end. (Applause.) The Iranian government is defying the world with its nuclear ambitions, and the nations of the world must not permit the Iranian regime to gain nuclear weapons. (Applause.) America will continue to rally the world to confront these threats. "

The T-shirt bore the words "2,245 Dead - How Many More??" in reference to the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq, protesters told NBC News. Police handcuffed Sheehan and removed her from the gallery before Bush arrived. Sheehan was to be released on her own recognizance, Schneider said.

"I'm proud that Cindy's my guest tonight," Woolsey said in an interview before the speech. "She has made a difference in the debate to bring our troops home from Iraq."

Woolsey offered Sheehan a ticket to the speech - Gallery 5, seat 7, row A - earlier Tuesday while Sheehan was attending an "alternative state of the union" press conference by CODEPINK, a group pushing for an end to the Iraq war.

Sheehan, wrapped in a bright pink scarf against the cold, protested outside the White House with a handful of others before heading to the Capitol Tuesday evening. There were no cameras around, but the small band faced the executive mansion and repeatedly shouted, "You're evicted! Get out of our house!"

Sheehan was arrested in September with about 300 other antiwar activists in front of the White House after a weekend of protests against the war in Iraq. In August, she spent 26 days camped near Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, where he was spending a working vacation.

MSNBC

Soldier shot by sheriff's deputy stable, wife says

Sheriff refuses to comment on deputies, Air Force officer

Melissa Pinion-Whitt, Staff Writer CHINO - A U.S. Air Force policeman who just returned from Iraq was shot several times by a sheriff's deputy late Sunday following a high-speed chase.

The man, identified by family members as Elio Carrion, 21, was hospitalized at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton. Hospital officials would not release his condition, but the man's wife said he underwent surgery and was stable.

"He looks good. He's just very tired right now," said Mariela Carrion, a Louisiana resident who was visiting family in Pomona with her husband.

San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies released few details about what prompted the shooting. Sheriff Gary Penrod said in a prepared statement the department's homicide division was conducting a thorough investigation. "As with all investigations, the circumstances involved in this shooting will be reviewed," Penrod said. "It would be inappropriate for me to make any additional comments until the investigation is completed."

The incident began about 10 p.m. when deputies saw the driver of a blue Chevrolet Corvette speeding at more than 100 mph through a residential area, deputies said. Deputies tried to stop the driver, but he didn't pull over, sheriff's officials said. A short chase ensued, ending when the driver, Luis Fernando Escobedo, skidded and slammed into the block wall on Francis Avenue near Benson Avenue in Chino.

Bill Vandie, who lives on Francis, said he was inside when he heard the Corvette and the sheriff's car race down the street."I heard the tires screeching like someone slamming on the brakes," he said.

A resident next door to Vandie ran inside and grabbed a video camera shortly after he heard the crash. Neighbors then reported hearing about three gunshots. Sheriff's officials said while deputies were trying to take Escobedo and Carrion into custody, a deputy shot Carrion. Deputies said the cameraman voluntarily handed over a copy of the tape to authorities, who planned to review it as part of the investigation. Paramedics flew Carrion to the hospital. Escobedo, 21, was not shot. Sheriff's officials didn't indicate whether Escobedo or his passenger were injured in the crash. Deputies booked Escobedo into West Valley Detention Center on suspicion of felony evading.

Roberto Garcia, a friend of the man who filmed the incident, said he didn't see the shooting, but viewed a copy of the video. Garcia was inside the home in the 5500 block of Francis Avenue while his friend stood outside filming.

"The guy laid down on the ground and was arguing with police and the police told him to get up," Garcia said. "When he got up that's when he shot him."

Garcia also said the video showed a deputy kicking the man while he was on the ground.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Robin Haynal said investigators were still reviewing the tape, so the department couldn't respond to Garcia's description of its contents. "I have not seen the tape, so we're not going to comment on it right now," she said.

The deputy who shot Carrion was placed on leave pending the outcome of the investigation, which is regular procedure, Haynal said.

But the families of Carrion and Escobedo want answers sooner. Laura Cardona, Escobedo's sister, came to the shooting scene Monday afternoon. She said her brother and Carrion were at a family get-together in Montclair celebrating Carrion's return from Iraq on Sunday night. Carrion and Escobedo got into the Corvette and had planned to stop at a store and visit a friend. While heading to their friend's house, the chase began, she said.

"We don't understand why they say he was running from the cops because I don't think he was," said Cardona, a Montclair resident. She said Escobedo was not perfect and once had a warrant for not paying a speeding ticket, but he had nothing serious on his record.

Relatives were baffled as to why Carrion would be shot.

Carrion has served three years in the Air Force's military police and had just returned to his home in Shreveport, La., after serving eight months in Iraq, his wife said. Mariela Carrion, who has been married to the man two years, said she and Elio came to Pomona to visit family members. She said she is interested in viewing the videotape because she is seeking an explanation about what happened.

"I actually talked to him, and he said they shot him for no reason," she said. - dailybulletin.com

Rumsfeld Offers Strategies for Current War

Pentagon to Release 20-Year Plan Today

By Josh White and Ann Scott Tyson Friday, February 3, 2006;

The United States is engaged in what could be a generational conflict akin to the Cold War, the kind of struggle that might last decades as allies work to root out terrorists across the globe and battle extremists who want to rule the world, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said yesterday.

Rumsfeld, who laid out broad strategies for what the military and the Bush administration are now calling the "long war," likened al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Lenin while urging Americans not to give in on the battle of wills that could stretch for years. He said there is a tendency to underestimate the threats that terrorists pose to global security, and said liberty is at stake.

"Compelled by a militant ideology that celebrates murder and suicide with no territory to defend, with little to lose, they will either succeed in changing our way of life, or we will succeed in changing theirs," Rumsfeld said in a speech at the National Press Club.

The speech, which aides said was titled "The Long War," came on the eve of the Pentagon's release of its Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), which sets out plans for how the U.S. military will address major security challenges 20 years into the future. The plans to be released today include shifts to make the military more agile and capable of dealing with unconventional threats, something Rumsfeld has said is necessary to move from a military designed for the Cold War into one that is more flexible.

He said the nation must focus on three strategies in the ongoing war: preventing terrorists from obtaining weapons of mass destruction, defending the U.S. homeland and helping allies fight terrorism. He emphasized that these goals could take a long time to achieve.

Indeed, the QDR, mandated every four years by Congress, opens with the declaration: "The United States is a nation engaged in what will be a long war."

The review has been widely anticipated in Washington defense circles because of the dramatic changes in the U.S. military's global role since the last review in 2001. Adding to the high expectations is the fact that Rumsfeld and his team have now been in place for more than four years.

The QDR strategy draws heavily on lessons learned by the military from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the worldwide campaign against terrorism, shifting the Pentagon's emphasis away from conventional warfare of the Cold War era toward three new areas.

First are "irregular" conflicts against insurgents, terrorists and other non-state enemies. Iraq and Afghanistan are the "early battles" in the campaign against Islamic extremists and terrorists, who are "profoundly more dangerous" than in the past because of technological advances that allow them to operate globally, said Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon R. England in an address on Wednesday.

The QDR also focuses on defending the U.S. homeland against "catastrophic" attacks such as with nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. Finally, it sets out plans for deterring the rising military heft of major powers such as China.

The strategic vision outlined in the QDR has won high marks from defense analysts for diagnosing the problems the U.S. military will likely face. However, it is less successful in translating those concepts into concrete military capabilities, the analysts say.

The review does not dramatically change the "force construct" -- the set of world contingencies that the U.S. military is expected to be able to deal with. The most important change is the recognition that U.S. forces may have to carry out long-term stability operations, or surge suddenly to a world hot spot. There are not "huge tectonic shifts," said Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in an address Wednesday.

The strategy does call for devoting resources to accelerate a long-range strike capability directed at hostile nations, and for new investments aimed at countering biological and nuclear weapons -- such as teams able to defuse a nuclear bomb. But it makes relatively minor adjustments in key weapons systems, with the biggest programs such as the Joint Strike Fighter and the Army's Future Combat Systems escaping virtually unscathed. This leaves less room for investments in innovative programs and forces to address the types of problems that the QDR identifies, analysts say.

"A lot of tough choices are kicked down the road," said Andrew F. Krepinevich, executive director of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.

One of the toughest battles facing the United States, Rumsfeld said yesterday, is recognizing the seriousness of the terrorist threat and the immediacy of fighting the nation's enemies. He said the task facing Western nations could be arduous, as terrorists operate in numerous countries around the world, hidden, and with the willingness to wait long periods between attacks. Military leaders and officials in the Bush administration have taken to calling the global war on terrorism the "long war," which defense experts say is a recognition that there is no end in sight.

"Dealing with the issue of terrorism and extremism is going to take a long time," said Robert E. Hunter, senior adviser at Rand Corp. and a former ambassador to NATO. "But we have to define success. You're never going to get rid of all terrorism."

Rumsfeld said he does not believe the war will end with a bang but, instead, with a whimper, "fading down over a sustained period of time as more countries in the world are successful," much as how democracy outlasted communism in the Cold War. He added that the early decades of the Cold War also brought confusion and doubt.

"The only way that terrorists can win this struggle is if we lose our will and surrender the fight, or think it's not important enough, or in confusion or in disagreement among ourselves give them the time to regroup and reestablish themselves in Iraq or elsewhere," he said. - washington post

Army Teaches Troops How to Pick a Spouse

By PAULINE JELINEK, Associated Press Writer2 hours, 3 minutes ago

They are the Pentagon's new "rules of engagement" - the diamond ring kind. U.S. Army chaplains are trying to teach troops how to pick the right spouse, through a program called "How To Avoid Marrying a Jerk." The matchmaking advice comes as military family life is being stressed by two tough wars. Defense Department records show more than 56,000 in the Army - active, National Guard and Reserve - have divorced since the campaign in Afghanistan started in 2001.

Officials partly blame long and repeated deployments which started after the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and stretched the service thin.

Troops also are coming home with life-altering injuries. Many come back better people, others worse-off - but either way, very changed from who they were when they wed.

"Being in the military certainly raises the stakes when you choose a mate," said Lt. Col. Peter Frederich, head of family issues in the Pentagon's chaplain office.

The "no jerks" program is also called "P.I.C.K. a Partner," for Premarital Interpersonal Choices and Knowledge. It advises the marriage-bound to study a partner's F.A.C.E.S. - family background, attitudes, compatibility, experiences in previous relationships and skills they'd bring to the union. It teaches the lovestruck to pace themselves with a R.A.M. chart - the Relationship Attachment Model - which basically says don't let your sexual involvement exceed your level of commitment or level of knowledge about the other person.

Maj. John Kegley, a chaplain who teaches the program in Monterey, Calif., throws in the "no jerk salute" for fun. One hand at the heart, two-fingers at the brow mean use your heart and brain when choosing. Though the acronyms and salute make it sound like something the Pentagon would come up with, the program was created by former minister John Van Epp of Ohio, who has a doctorate in psychology and a private counseling practice. He teaches it to Army chaplains, who in turn teach it to troops. It also is used by social service agencies, prisons, churches and other civilian groups.

Commanders once discouraged troops from starting a family while serving. Thus the old saying: "If the Army wanted you to have a wife, it would have issued you one."

Today, the military supports families more than any other employer, Frederich said. The Bush administration proposes to spend $5.6 billion in the next budget year for quality-of-life services for troops and their families. That includes help with child care, education, spouse job hunting, legal assistance, commissaries, relocation counseling - programs on every family issue imaginable - to promote stability, and thus troop readiness.

Such support notwithstanding, "not everybody is cut out" to marry into the military, said Army spokeswoman Martha Rudd.

Some 740,000 people - or a little more than half of all troops in the active-duty armed forces - are married. Of those, some 96,000 had spouses also in uniform in the 2004 budget year, according to Pentagon figures. The Army hopes the "no jerks" program will help couples decide if they are ready for a long-term commitment and can cope with the unique stresses of military life.

"Settings like military bases are incubators," said Van Epp, of Medina, Ohio. "They try to hatch ... relationships extremely fast," leading to higher divorce rates and more domestic violence.

The program teaches troops not to cave in to the pressure of a ticking clock - like rushing to marry before shipping out for a deployment, or too soon after homecoming.

Last month, Van Epp sent 200 program workbooks to troops in Iraq.

news.yahoo.com

On the Net: Family support programs: http://www.militaryonesource.com

P.I.C.K a Partner http://www.nojerks.com

Congress extends Patriot Act 5 weeks

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Congress sent President Bush a second five-week extension of the Patriot Act as Senate negotiators worked to close a deal with the White House on renewing the antiterrorism law with some new civil liberties protections.

"We need the Patriot Act," said Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter. "I'm prepared to work on it further to improve it."

Sixteen provisions of the 2001 law were to have expired last December 31, but Congress extended them until Friday after Democrats and a handful of Senate Republicans insisted on an avenue of appeals when the FBI makes demands for people's financial and other private records.

The Senate voted 95-1 Thursday night to extend the current law unchanged through March 10 and give negotiators more time to reach a deal. Sen. Russell Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat and a longtime opponent of the Patriot Act, cast the sole vote against the extension.

The House passed it Wednesday.

Several Republican and Democratic officials involved in negotiations said that agreements had been reached on several issues but that others needed more time. Earlier in the week, Sen. Larry Craig, an Idaho Republican and one of the negotiators who helped block the act's renewal last year, told reporters almost all of his concerns had been worked out with the White House.

He and Sen. John Sununu, a New Hampshire Republican, want parts of the act to be rewritten in several areas, including giving banks, libraries and Internet service providers the right to appeal when the FBI seeks financial and other records of their customers and clients.

Senate Democrats and four libertarian-leaning Republicans had blocked a final vote on a measure negotiated by the White House that would have made permanent most expiring provisions. The Republicans were concerned about excessive police powers.

The law makes it easier for federal agents to gather and share information in terrorism investigations, install wiretaps and conduct secret searches of households and businesses. At issue are 16 provisions that Congress wanted reviewed and renewed by the end of last year.

Not voting were one Democrat, Sen. Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, and three Republicans: Sens. Conrad Burns of Montana, Pete Domenici of New Mexico and Trent Lott of Mississippi. CNN

Bush slashes domestic programs, boosts defense

By Caren Bohan and Andrea Hopkins WASHINGTON, Feb 6 (Reuters) -

President George W. Bush proposed on Monday to boost defense spending, slow Medicare's growth and cut a host of domestic programs in a $2.77 trillion budget that sought to soothe Republican frustrations over high deficits.

With congressional elections looming in November, the fiscal 2007 blueprint came under swift attack from Democrats, who said the elderly and working Americans would bear the brunt of Bush's fiscal mismanagement. The plan would cut discretionary programs outside national security by 0.5 percent. Bush wants to pare back or scrap 141 programs, with education, cancer research and community policing programs slated to take a hit.

But Bush proposed a record $439.3 billion defense budget, up 4.8 percent from last year. On top of that, the White House will seek new financing for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The president renewed his call for the Republican-led Congress to make his tax cuts permanent even as he projected a surge in the federal deficit to $423 billion this year, up more than $100 billion from fiscal 2005. Bush said failing to extend his tax cuts would amount to a tax increase.

But congressional Democrats said his plan masked the depth of fiscal problems by ignoring the long-term impact of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, which they said would cost $1.5 trillion in 2012-2016 if they are fully renewed.

"The tax cuts explode after five years," said Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota, senior Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee.

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada called the budget document "immoral and irresponsible." "After creating record deficits and debt with his budget busting tax breaks, the president is asking our seniors, our students, and our families to clean up his fiscal mess with painful cuts in health care and student aid," Reid said.

Democrats hope to overturn Republican dominance in both chambers of Congress in November elections and see the deficits as an issue on which Bush and his allies are vulnerable.

Lawmakers will debate the budget this spring and the eventual product could look very different from Bush's plan.

The White House penciled in $50 billion for war spending in 2007 but budget director Joshua Bolten said that was simply based on Congress's initial allowance for 2006 and was not a firm assessment of the needs. "It's very hard to say what we'll be spending 18 months from now in Iraq," Bolten said. "It has been a very expensive undertaking."

A new infusion this year of $70 billion in emergency funds for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan dwarfs the proposed domestic program cuts in fiscal 2007 and is double the five-year savings of $36 billion in Medicare.

Total war spending for 2006 is $120 billion -- the budget's single biggest discretionary item. The $70 billion in emergency funds is in addition to $50 billion already approved by Congress.

ELECTION-YEAR WORRIES

Even though fiscal conservatives are upset about the deficits, lawmakers are usually squeamish about cutting programs in an election year, making the Bush's wish list a tough sell. Nine of the 15 Cabinet agencies would see cuts, with education down 3.8 percent, justice reduced by 7.2 percent and transportation 9.4 percent lower. Veterans Affairs was given an 8 percent increase, one of the few domestic programs to get a bigger budget.

Bush would hold the growth in discretionary spending to 3.2 percent, below the 3.4 percent inflation rate. He also hopes to squeeze $65 billion in savings over five years from mandatory programs, including $36 billion for the Medicare health program for the elderly. Growth in hospital payments would be reduced and the administration would set triggers to cut Medicare if spending surpasses certain thresholds.

As an indication of the battles the administration will face over its budget, the AARP, the influential seniors lobby, vowed to fight the Medicare triggers. The administration emphasized it was not cutting Medicare but slowing its annual growth to 7.5 percent from 7.8 percent.

Spending for the Iraq war and Hurricane Katrina have contributed to an expected rise in the 2007 deficit to $423 billion from $318 billion in 2006. But Bush still maintains he can halve the shortfall by 2009. A handful of domestic programs would get fresh cash. Those include research and development, math and science education, high-tech training and alternative fuel sources. Although the domestic program cuts spurred criticism, Conrad predicted Congress would embrace Bush's full request for defense.

"We're at war," Conrad said. "The Congress of the United States is going to stand shoulder to shoulder with the president" to provide funds for soldiers. - alertnet.org