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Obama: U.S. looking for dialogue with Iran

U.S. President Barack Obama answers a question during a press conference on Monday.
The United States is looking for opportunities for "face-to-face" dialogue with Iran after nearly three decades without diplomatic ties, President Barack Obama said Monday, but still has "deep concerns" about Tehran’s actions.

“There’s been a lot of mistrust built up over the years, so it’s not going to happen overnight,” Obama said during his first prime-time news conference Monday night. He said his administration is reviewing existing U.S. policy toward Iran, which supports groups Washington has branded terrorist organizations and has defied U.N. demands to halt its uranium enrichment program. Despite those concerns, he said his administration wants to use “all the resources at the United States’ disposal” to resolve those concerns. “In the coming months, we will be looking for openings that can be created where we can start sitting across the table face to face,” Obama said. Speaking on other foreign policy issues, Obama said he does not yet have a timetable for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.

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He said that, unlike in Iraq, there is not the sense that the political system in Afghanistan is functioning in a meaningful way. “They’ve got elections coming up, but effectively the national government seems very detached from what’s going on in the surrounding community,” Obama said. He said that, in addition, there hasn’t been concerted effort to root out the Taliban and al Qaeda from their safe havens in the border regions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which is necessary for success. “My bottom line is that we cannot allow al Qaeda to operate. We cannot have those safe havens in that region,” Obama said. Watch Obama explain why he wants to send troops to Afghanistan » “I do not have yet a timetable for how long that’s going to take. What I know is I’m not going to make — I’m not going to allow al Qaeda or (Osama) bin Laden to operate with impunity, planning attacks on the U.S. homeland.”

Obama said the administration will seek Pakistan’s cooperation to root out the border safe havens and stressed the importance of ensuring Pakistan is a stalwart ally in fighting this threat. On the issue of nuclear proliferation, Obama said it was important for the United States, in concert with Russia, to lead the way. He said he has expressed to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev the importance of restarting conversations about reducing each others’ nuclear arsenals and stitching back together nonproliferation treaties which he said have been weakened over the last few years.

Starbucks offers coffee-breakfast combos, cites economy

Will that be a breakfast sandwich or a roll with your coffee? Starbucks says it's offering breakfast pairings.
Starbucks, better known for amusingly complicated premium coffee offerings, took a cue from fast-food chains and announced a plan Monday to sell pairings of coffee and breakfast for $3.95, citing the economic downturn.

With the $3.95 breakfast offer, customers will be able to get a 12-ounce coffee with a breakfast sandwich or roll or a 12-ounce latte with either oatmeal or a coffee cake. The company called the latest promotion an extension of various other recent Starbucks offers, including a loyalty card and discounting 16-ounce cold drinks to customers who made a purchase at Starbucks that morning. But the move may be more targeted to drawing back business lost to more cost efficient retailers like McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts. Starbucks reported a profit of 9 cents per share in the last quarter of 2008, compared to a 28 cents per share profit a year earlier. The company announced last month it was slashing 6,700 jobs and closing 300 stores on top of the 600 stores it shut down in 2008. Over the last two decades, Starbucks transformed coffee from a commodity drink into a luxury item, growing into a chain with over 10,000 cafes internationally. But sales have taken a hit in the recession. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Howard Schultz, the company’s chief executive, said the economic environment “is a reset of both economic and social behavior.” Research done by William Blair & Co. suggests Starbucks’ price premium “has nearly evaporated over the past 18 months, with pricing now largely on par with Dunkin’ Donuts.” The survey found that when adjusted for size differences, some varieties of Starbucks coffee were cheaper than Dunkin’ Donuts. According to the research, McDonald’s is still cheaper, but the price gap has narrowed since 2007.

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Blair & Co. also predicted that a trend downward in same store sales in 2008 would continue in 2009. Michelle King, a spokesperson for Dunkin’ Donuts, told CNN the company still believes it is “the faster and more affordable alternative.” Calls to McDonald’s were not immediately returned.

Obama: This isn’t your ‘run-of-the-mill recession’

President Obama urged Congress
President Obama appeared before a national audience Monday night to make the case for his economic stimulus plan, saying this is not your "run-of-the-mill recession."

The president stressed the urgency of passing the roughly $838 billion measure, which his administration and Democratic leaders say will help pull the U.S. economy out of its current skid. “My bottom line is to make sure that we are saving or creating 4 million jobs, we are making sure that the financial system is working again, that homeowners are getting some relief,” he said in his first prime time news conference. Obama’s remarks came the day before the Senate votes on its version of the stimulus bill. The House passed its version of the stimulus bill nearly two weeks ago — without a single Republican vote. If the measure passes the Senate, the two chambers will have to reconcile the differences between the two bills. Obama urged Congress “to act without delay,” saying that only the federal government can break the “vicious cycle” gripping the U.S. economy. “It is absolutely true that we cannot depend on government alone to create jobs or economic growth. That is and must be the role of the private sector,” he said. “But at this particular moment, with the private sector so weakened by this recession, the federal government is the only entity left with the resources to jolt our economy back to life.” Obama said the plan was “not perfect,” but would create up to 4 million new jobs. Watch Obama explain how the plan will create jobs » The president said 90 percent of those jobs would be generated by the private sector, a rebuttal of some conservative critics who say the plan amounts to little more than a government jobs bill.

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Much of the package involves infrastructure spending, long-term energy projects and aid to cash-strapped state and local government. The president predicted that with his plan, the country would see significant improvement starting next year. Republicans opposed to the plan say it includes too much wasteful spending and won’t stimulate the economy. Obama insisted he has been consulting with GOP lawmakers on the plan. The campaign arm of Senate Republicans wasted little time Monday night calling into question Obama’s commitment to bipartisanship. Even before the news conference came to a close, National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Brian Walsh released a statement saying, “President Obama promised change and bipartisanship in Washington, but that’s not what Americans have witnessed in the crafting of this gargantuan spending bill. “Despite his rhetoric tonight, President Obama cannot possibly be proud of the final result — a bloated, trillion dollar spending bill crafted in a partisan manner that represents the same wasteful Washington spending and will fall on the shoulders of future generations.” Obama said that when it comes to fiscal responsibility, “it’s a little hard for me to take criticism from folks about this recovery package after they’ve presided over a doubling of the national debt.” Watch Obama take on his critics » Obama also addressed a broader argument — that the government should not be trying to fix the problem. “You have some people, very sincere, who philosophically just think the government has no business interfering in the marketplace. And, in fact, there are several who’ve suggested that FDR was wrong to interfere back in the New Deal. They’re fighting battles that I thought were resolved a pretty long time ago,” he said. The president said most economists “almost unanimously” recognize the government needs to play a role in jump-starting the economy. Obama said he was “absolutely confident” the country’s economic problems can be solved, “but it’s going to require us to take some significant, important steps.” Obama pointed to Japan to back up his claim that without action, the recession could become permanent. “We saw this happen in Japan in the 1990s, where they did not act boldly and swiftly enough and, as a consequence, they suffered what was called the lost decade, where essentially, for the entire ’90s, they did not see any significant economic growth.” The Obama administration says the plan will spur job creation and long-term growth by: Doubling the production of alternative energy in the next three years Modernizing federal buildings and improving the energy efficiency of 2 million American homes Making investments to have the country’s medical records computerized within five years Equipping schools with 21st-century classrooms Expanding broadband access Investing in science and new technologies Obama road-tested his message about the plan Monday in Elkhart, Indiana. He is planning a second campaign-style swing Tuesday, heading to Fort Myers, Florida, another city wrestling with double-digit unemployment. Polls show the public is split over the stimulus plan. A slight majority, 54 percent, favors the bill; 45 percent are opposed, according to a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Monday. The president wants the final bill on his desk by Presidents Day, which is next Monday. As Obama pushes for the stimulus plan, his administration also has been planning a separate financial stability plan for the second half of the $700 billion financial bailout program. “Clear oversight” will be required for the remaining funds, Obama said. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is scheduled to announce a substantial overhaul of the bailout Tuesday. The program, launched by the Bush administration, has come under fire for its lack of transparency. While the economy was the focus of the news conference, Obama also fielded questions on foreign policy. On Iran, he said the United States is looking for opportunities for “face to face” dialogue after nearly three decades without diplomatic ties, but still has “deep concerns” about Tehran’s actions. Watch Obama discuss talks with Iran »

He said Afghanistan “is going to be a big challenge,” and that his administration would have to work “smartly and effectively” to prevent al Qaeda safe-havens in the region. He said he had no timetable for how long that would take. Watch what Obama says about Afghanistan » Obama took questions from 13 different reporters in his first prime time news conference. Eight questions were about the economy, three were about foreign policy and one was about creating a truth and reconciliation committee to investigate the Bush administration.

Iranian lawmaker hopes ‘Americans change their strategy’

Ali Larijani says the United States' new president has created
Iran’s powerful parliament speaker said Monday the Islamic nation hopes the United States changes its approach to the Middle East, and called the Obama administration "an exceptional opportunity for Americans."

“I don’t want to be pessimistic. I hope the Americans change their strategy and respect the nations,” said Ali Larijani in a wide-ranging interview with CNN affiliate Cuatro TV in Spain. “That doesn’t just depend on us.” The conversation took place as Iran prepared to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the overthrow of the shah, whom Larijani called a dictator. Larijani made the stop in Spain after attending a global security conference in Munich, Germany, over the weekend. Since taking office, President Barack Obama has created “some small windows of light toward the East,” he said. “This is an exceptional opportunity for the Americans,” Larijani said, adding that if the United States eased embargoes against Iran, it would be a positive step. “Although the window of opportunity is the narrowest possible, they could change their strategy.” The United States and other Western nations believe Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons program, but Iran says it is developing nuclear capability to produce energy. Iran has also been accused of sponsoring terrorists. However, in recent days, Tehran has indicated it is ready to work alongside Obama to establish better relations with Washington.

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Asked Monday whether Iran could have a civil, direct discussion of its nuclear program with the United States, Larijani — once Iran’s chief nuclear envoy — said the government is open to the idea. “It depends on the circumstances and the benefits of having that conversation,” he said. “We don’t want to be taken advantage of. But we’re not against constructive dialogue.” Last week, Vice President Joe Biden told delegates at a security conference in Germany that the United States under the Obama administration will continue to develop a missile defense to counter the nuclear threat posed by Iran, but only in consultation with Russia. Larijani also said Iran will continue to support the militant group Hezbollah — considered a terrorist organization by Israel and the United States — in Lebanon, as well as Palestinians in Gaza. Israel and Hamas, the Islamic militant group that has ruled Gaza since 2007, declared separate, tentative cease-fires last month after more than three weeks of fighting in Gaza. Israel launched the attack on Hamas in Gaza on December 27 with the stated aim of ending rocket attacks on southern Israel. Larijani said Israel should accept the Hamas leadership voted into government. “Israel has to accept that Palestinians decide their own future with voting,” he said. “We can’t kick people out of their own territory and bring outsiders to occupy that place.” On a separate issue, asked whether he’d run in Iran’s presidential election in June, Larijani dodged the question: “Thank God, there are many people on the stage.”

Stimulus bill clears critical hurdle

The Senate is expected to vote on the stimulus bill Tuesday.
The Obama administration’s $838 billion economic stimulus plan survived a key vote in the Senate, putting a compromise version of the bill on track for passage Tuesday.

With the help of Republican Sens. Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe and Arlen Specter, the Democrats locked in the votes needed to end debate on the bill. The final vote was 61 in favor, 36 opposed. The bill is expected to survive a full vote in the Senate on Tuesday, setting up a battle with the House as the two chambers try to iron out differences between their versions of the bill. Obama wants both chambers to come to an agreement so he can have the bill on his desk by Presidents Day, which is next Monday. The House’s $819 stimulus bill passed without a single Republican vote nearly two weeks ago. Senators spent the past week debating amendments. Late Friday, a working coalition of Democrats and some Republicans reached a compromise that trimmed billions in spending from an earlier version. The president has been trying to sell the plan, with town hall meetings in Indiana and Florida, as well as a prime-time news conference Monday night. Watch Obama try to sell the plan »

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“Every economist agrees that the government spending in a recession is essential,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri. “So this bill isn’t perfect, but it’s essential.” The House and Senate differ on spending and tax cuts. Read about how the House and Senate bills differ In the Senate, the only way Democrats could lure some of the needed Republican votes was by slashing spending, but House Democrats are balking because a big chunk of those cuts are aimed at education. For example, the Senate sliced $40 billion in funding to the states to help local officials avoid cutbacks in education and other services. The Senate also eliminated $19 billion for school construction and cut early education funding in half. The Senate version of the bill also makes changes to the president’s signature middle class tax cuts. Obama had campaigned on tax breaks for those making $75,000 or less. The Senate version provides tax breaks for individuals making $70,000 a year or less or for couples making $140,000 a year or less. That’s different than the $150,000 in the House bill. The Senate also has a $70 billion one-year provision to patch the AMT, the alternative minimum tax. The tax was intended to place a tax on the wealthy but now hits many middle-class families. In the House, several members are trying to work toward a consensus. “Nobody should say, ‘It’s my way or the highway,'” said Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland. “At this point in time, let’s get something big and done now.” Here are some other differences between the two bills: The Senate bill, unlike the House version, would make the first $2,400 of unemployment benefits tax free. Both the Senate and House bills extend the time that jobless workers can collect benefits. The Senate bill includes an amendment that would let those who buy a car in 2009 deduct the interest they pay on their car loan as well as the sales tax charged in the purchase. The House bill doesn’t include this provision. The Senate bill doubles the House’s tax credit for first-time homebuyers to $15,000, a measure championed by Republicans in the Senate. When Obama spoke with House Democrats last week, he urged them to “not make the perfect the enemy of the essential” One dissenting voice in the Senate is Republican Sen. John McCain, Obama’s opponent in the presidential race. The Arizona senator called the bill “generational theft.” “We’re laying multitrillion dollars of debt on future generations of Americans,” McCain said on CBS. “I can’t support such a thing.” Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Alabama, is also refusing to support the measure. “We are going down a road to financial disaster. Everybody on the street in America understands that,” he said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “This is not the right road to go. We’ll pay dearly,” he said.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reported last week that the stimulus measure, as it’s presented now, is likely to create between 1.3 million and 3.9 million jobs by the end of 2010, lowering a projected unemployment rate of 8.7 percent by up to 2.1 percentage points. But the CBO warned the long-term effect of that much government spending over the next decade could “crowd out” private investment, lowering long-term economic growth forecasts by 0.1 percent to 0.3 percent by 2019.

Liberians facing mass deportation from U.S.

Corvah Akoiwala is worried about what will happen to his children, born in the U.S., when he is sent to Liberia.
Thousands of Liberians living in the United States face deportation March 31 when a federal immigration status created for humanitarian purposes expires.

In the 1990s, a bloody civil war raged through the West African nation, killing 250,000 people and displacing more than a million, according to a U.N. report. The United States extended “temporary protection status” to all Liberians who could get to America, and 14,000 of them took advantage of that humanitarian offer. Temporary protection status is an immigration status somewhere between political asylum and refugee status. Administered by the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, it is extended to nationals of countries facing civil unrest or natural disaster. For years, the temporary protection status for Liberians was extended as the situation there worsened under dictator Charles Taylor. But Taylor was ousted in 2003 and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected Liberia’s first female president in 2006. In 2007, citing the progress in Liberia, President George W. Bush signed an order of “delayed enforced departure” for Liberians who had been under temporary protection status, giving them 18 months to return to Liberia. Watch more on the uncertainty of Liberians living in U.S. » Corvah Akoiwala, a Liberian national who was fresh out of college when civil war broke out, remembers how it used to be there. “They dragged us from our homes, they were shooting all around us. They said they were going to have us killed,” he said “On Tupero Road they had a killing field. Like every day they took someone to this field and they would just shoot them in front of everybody. It was just terrible,” he said. He came to the United States in 1992 and settled in Rhode Island. A civil engineer by education, Akoiwala married and had three children, all of whom are American citizens. For the past 17 years he’s worked, paid his taxes and contributed to his community. He and his wife were granted temporary protection status but now both face deportation. On March 31 they will go from being legal residents to illegal aliens.

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“My fear is, who am I going to leave my kids with” he said. “Who am I going to leave them with I want to stay here and see them grow up to be responsible citizens and then I can go back.” The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services said approximately 3,600 Liberian nationals are facing delayed enforced departure, but Liberian community leaders think the number may be twice that because, they said, many Liberians went underground and did not reregister with immigration services, knowing the delayed enforced departure status meant leaving the country. Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, about an hour north of Minneapolis, has a thriving Liberian community. Many now worry about losing their jobs, homes and businesses. Seyondi Roberts, a hairdresser, said 65 percent of her customers are Liberians facing delayed enforced departure. “We’re praying that they don’t send them back. But if they do, it will have a serious effect on the business. I do mainly African hair, so it’s going to have a real big, big impact on the business,” she said. Aba Hamilton Dolo also lives in the Brooklyn Center area and is slated for departure. She said she has nightmares and panic attacks at the prospect of being separated from her two young American-born children. “Please consider what would happen to our families if we were sent home,” she begs. “Many of these Liberians have become important parts of the communities where they live in the United States,” said Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island. There is a large Liberian community in his home state. “They have children who are citizens of the U.S.,” he noted. “How do you leave children behind who are eligible to stay They’ve worked very hard, they’ve played by the rules, and they’ve paid their taxes. They’re here legally. I think that should be considered at least to let them stay.” Reed has been one of the driving forces for extension of the temporary protection status in previous years and is pushing hard again this year for another extension. In addition, he wants a change in the rule that prohibits those on the temporary protection status classification from applying for citizenship. “They should have the right to become American citizens,” he said. “They should be part of immigration reform. We shouldn’t pick and choose different immigrant groups.” Critics say Liberians should go back to Liberia when their status runs out. “It is time for people to go back and rebuild their country,” said Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform. Stein underlines the temporary in “temporary protected status.” He said for Liberians to stay when their country is at peace would be an abuse of U.S. hospitality.

“It makes a mockery of the concept of short-term temporary humanitarian protection.” Department of Homeland Security deputy spokesman Sean Smith said its Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is “consulting with the White House and the State Department to determine the most appropriate course of action” in regard to the Liberians.

Fast, fickle, fatal: Face-to-face with wildfires

Deadly bushfires sweep through Victoria, Austrialia.
It was the speed that caught us off guard. And the noise. Like a roaring, out-of-control freight train.

It was the mid-1980s and I was covering a big bushfire just outside Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. I say “mid-1980s” because we covered so many bushfires back then that the years have blurred the specifics of time. My cameraman and I were with firefighters along a country road, the crews using the road as a “fire break”, a last-ditch effort to stop the blaze jumping over and into hundreds more hectares of tinder-dry bushland. It didn’t work — the fire leapt from treetop to treetop in fireballs, straddling the road as if it wasn’t there. But that wasn’t our main problem. As we filmed, and the firefighters fought, no one noticed the fire form a “horseshoe” and cut us off from behind. We were stuck in the middle — the blaze had crossed the road in front of us, and about 150 meters behind. The only way out was through the flames. And so, with the fire truck leading the way, we sped through the thick, choking, acrid smoke and bright orange flame of a furious, wild thing that seemed to actually want to trap us. We got out, of course, and no one died that day, unlike the terrifying, almost unbelievable tragedy of the state of Victoria. I tell the tale because many have asked (reasonable) questions about those fires. Questions like: “Why on earth weren’t there evacuations” “How did so many people die” There are many answers, but the one that sticks out to me is the sheer speed of these fires. If you haven’t seen one up close, it’s difficult to comprehend how fast they can be. Imagine driving a car down a highway at 100 kilometers-an-hour. And being overtaken by a wall of fire. That’s what happened to many of those who died in Victoria.

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It was a perfect convergence of conditions. The bushland is tinder-dry fuel on the ground and plentiful; temperatures were in the mid-40s Celsius, winds howling and swirling. Under those conditions a fire will develop its own “weather system”. And it can become a capricious beast, turning 90 degrees in minutes, overwhelming people and property thought to be out of the way of danger. Towns are usually spared the wrath of a typical bushfire — not this time. There isn’t one fire either, there are dozens. And as quickly as one is contained, another can flare — balls of flame flying dozens of meters, or tiny embers carried hundreds of meters, starting new, separate fronts. You don’t “put out” these fires, you try as best you can to give them nowhere else to go and let them burn themselves out. It’s not happening so far, despite valiant, courageous efforts.

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To escape a typical bushfire isn’t too difficult — if the fire plays ball. But I can totally imagine how, amid these infernos, with their frightening speed and fickle twists and turns, people were caught unprepared, or in the wrong place. And with so many at the same time, often people had nowhere TO go. Friends and family in Australia have told me how stunned they are at the loss of life — not to mention the horrific injuries. There will, of course, be much soul-searching in Australia in the next few weeks. Inquiries have already been announced. Many are already blaming conservation policies that have prevented “controlled burns”, allowing “fuel” to build up in the forests and bushland. Whether mass evacuation programs should or can be enforced, or effectively thrown into action even amid such a wily conflagration. Others question the “Aussie” mentality that, to many, says “stay and fight for your house” if possible. But those issues will come later. The danger is not over, more fires burn, more lives and property are at risk as these past few days look increasingly like being Australia’s worst peacetime disaster.

Pakistan unsure over identity of man beheaded in Taliban video

Pakistani Taliban militants offer prayers in Mamouzai area of
Orakzai Agency in November.
Pakistani authorities have not confirmed that a kidnapped Polish engineer is the man that was beheaded on a Taliban video, despite assertions from Polish officials that they are certain the man is Piotr Stanczak.

“We want to be absolutely sure,” said Abdual Basit, a spokesman for Pakistan’s foreign office. “Hopefully we would be able to confirm it shortly, but unless we are 100 percent sure, it would be premature for us to react.” He noted that the Pakistani government is waiting to be informed by “concerned authorities.” News of Stanczak’s death came on Friday. Polish officials have said they were kept in the dark during negotiations for his release, but Basit denied that. Stanczak was kidnapped September 28 from the city of Attock in the Punjab province. He had been based there for a Polish survey company searching for natural gas. Polish embassy spokesman Peter Adams said there had been no demands for ransom. The Taliban had demanded the release of Taliban prisoners being held by the government and a pullout of government security forces from the tribal areas. Adams said all efforts had been made by Polish authorities to pressure the Pakistani government to do whatever it could to secure Stanczak’s release.

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“From the Polish side we did whatever we could, pressuring the Pakistani government on the presidential and prime minister level,” Adams said. “Problem was, this was solely Pakistan’s responsibility. Demands were only towards (the) Pakistan government.” While there were assurances that the Pakistani government was doing everything it could and that Stanczak would be freed soon, Adams said it was never clear what the government was actually doing to secure his release. “We are waiting for confirmation and waiting for any answer (about) how this happened and why did this happen,” Adams said. Kidnappings and attacks against foreigners have risen sharply in recent months throughout the country. Most recently, an American working for the United Nations was kidnapped in Quetta, and Peshawar has also been the scene of various attacks against foreign diplomats and journalists.

Push to make porn star a senator no stunt, fan says

Porn star Stormy Daniels, who has no party affiliation, says she's
Fans of porn star Stormy Daniels are drafting her to run for the U.S. Senate seat in Louisiana now held by Republican Sen. David Vitter. And it’s no racy gimmick, they say.

The Draft Stormy Web site says that “2010 presents the Pelican State with the opportunity to start with a clean slate — to elect a representative that we can be proud of, who will work tirelessly, and who will challenge the status quo. We at the Draft Stormy campaign feel that Baton Rouge native Stormy Daniels is best suited to fulfill these duties.” Vitter is famous — or infamous — for his link to the “D.C. Madam,” the woman who ran a prostitution ring. Elected to the Senate in 2004, he admitted to “a very serious sin in my past” in July 2007 after his phone number turned up in records of an escort service run by the late Deborah Jeane Palfrey, known as the D.C. Madam. Running for re-election, Vitter said his wife has forgiven him and is banking on the same sentiment from his constituents. Will the Draft Stormy move mean stormy weather for Vitter The senator’s office didn’t return calls by CNN. But a spokesman for the state GOP said voters “are concerned with real issues that affect their everyday lives and not with political or publicity stunts.” The Draft Stormy campaign was started by New Orleans resident and Daniels fan Zack Hudson, who insists it’s for real. Daniels, 29, isn’t affiliated with a party but is embracing the idea of a possible candidacy. Watch the adult entertainment star talk about a possible run » She said she’s planning a “listening tour” around Louisiana to talk about a range of matters, including the economy — which along with women in business and protection of children are the three issues listed on her Web site. When told Vitter can be a tough opponent, she said she’s “always up for a good fight.” “I think anyone that knows me … is more than aware of that,” Daniels said. “Politics can’t be any dirtier of a job than the one I am already in.” According to a capsule bio on the Draft Stormy Web site, Daniels has been “breaking barriers and shattering glass ceilings her entire life,” serving as editor of her high school newspaper and president of her school’s 4-H Club and eventually transferring “her determination and talents to the professional level, becoming a featured performer in the adult entertainment industry.” Another stride was “signing an exclusive contract with the video production company Wicked Pictures, a company committed to a health and safety first policy, as pertaining to its video performances. Stormy’s decision to sign with Wicked highlighted her commitment to sending a positive message to young people of the importance of practicing safe sex,” the bio said. Daniels has directed films for the company, won awards for writing, directing and acting, and has appeared in mainstream films such as “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.” “Originally, the focus wasn’t even about making me as a candidate,” Daniels said. “I think it was about bringing attention to the Senate race in general. Then the response was overwhelmingly positive. And I think everyone is just running with it.” While her political aspirations may be a light diversion for Louisiana voters, reality will set in if Daniels tangles with Vitter. Clancy DuBos, political director of the New Orleans alternative newspaper Gambit, said Vitter is a brilliant politician with a campaign war chest worth $2 million. If the Daniels campaign is meant to remind voters of Vitter’s D.C. Madam link, the move could backfire, DuBos said. “You are going to need someone better than a porn star, or a lap dancer, or a sex worker to nail David Vitter on this,” he said. “You need a serious opponent who is himself, or herself, not guilty of something like that to say, ‘Let’s talk about family values, shall we’ ”

The Draft Stormy movement said Daniels’ “real world experience and special understanding of the economic hardships facing Louisianans and Americans make her uniquely qualified to take on the tough challenges we face. “Our grass-roots movement spans the political spectrum and champions Stormy’s philosophy of personal responsibility and the promotion of individual enterprise. We eschew partisanship and labels, instead judging our leaders on their integrity, character and effectiveness.”

Comatose woman in euthanasia debate dies

A portrait of Eluana Englaro. She has been in a vegetative state for nearly 17 years.
An Italian woman who had been in a coma for 17 years and whose right-to-die case was being debated in the Italian Senate has died, according to her father.

The speaker of the Senate announced the death of Eluana Englaro, 37, then called for a moment of silence in the Senate. Englaro had been in a vegetative state for 17 years, after suffering what doctors determined to be irreversible brain damage in a 1992 car crash, when she was 20 years old. For years, Englaro’s father, Beppino, fought to have her feeding tube removed, saying it would be a dignified end to his daughter’s life. Doctors began removing her feed tube Friday in a complicated process, even as the Senate debated her case. Last week, the Council of Ministers, led by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, unanimously approved an emergency decree to try to prevent doctor from removing her feeding tube. President Giorgio Napolitano refused to sign it, so Berlusconi put the decree in bill form and sent it to the upper house of Parliament In rejecting the decree, Napolitano sided with a ruling by the nation’s high court, which upheld a lower court’s decision to allow the feeding tube to be withdrawn. Two Sundays ago, Pope Benedict XVI told pilgrims that “euthanasia is a false solution to suffering.” Beppino Englaro said that before the crash, his daughter visited a friend who was in a coma and told him she didn’t want the same thing to happen to her if she were ever in the same state.

Euthanasia is illegal in Italy, but patients have the right to refuse treatment. It is on that basis that he argued that his daughter should be allowed to die, because she had expressed the wish not to be kept alive while in a coma — indirectly refusing treatment, he said.