News roundup 03.31.2006

This is the 501st post on this blog.

The war in Iraq

The A.P. via the Guardian:

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A letter from President Bush to Iraq's supreme Shiite spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, was hand-delivered earlier this week but sits unread and untranslated in the top religious figure's office, a key al-Sistani aide told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Reuters:

BLACKBURN (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accepted on Friday the United States had probably made thousands of errors in Iraq but defended the overall strategy of removing Saddam Hussein.

Someone needs to ask the president if he agrees with that assessment. He had a hard time in 2004 citing one error in his presidency.

BBC News:

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said that no-one should doubt America's commitment to justice and the rule of law.

In a major foreign policy speech, Ms Rice said the US had no desire to be the world's jailer, referring to the detention of inmates at Guantanamo Bay.

She said the cause of advancing freedom was the greatest hope for peace today.

Middle East

Reuters:

JERUSALEM -- A Palestinian suicide bomber in the West Bank killed four Israelis after nightfall yesterday, just days after the new Hamas Palestinian government took office and Israel elected a prime minister who pledges to pull out of much of the West Bank.

Al Jazeera:

Two Palestinians have been killed in clashes in Gaza between armed men and security forces after a top fighter died in a car-bomb explosion on Friday, medics said.

Bloomberg News:

March 31 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Iran faces ``deeper isolation'' if it persists with its nuclear program and the U.S. doesn't rule out any option in its efforts to persuade Tehran to cease uranium enrichment.

The Los Angeles Times: "Calm Is Urged in Iran Debate"

Immigration

The Washington Times: "Fox pledges more border control"

The Arizona Republic:

But conservatives in the House say that the Senate bill does give amnesty and that GOP leaders shouldn't negotiate with the Senate over a bill that includes a way for undocumented immigrants to get citizenship. Rep. J.D. Hayworth, R-Ariz., joined Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., and a caucus led by Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., under a "no amnesty" banner Thursday to ask why any of their GOP colleagues would consider going along with the Senate plan.

The Arizona Republic:

The majority of other residents in metropolitan Phoenix feel the same way, according to a nationwide survey on immigration released Thursday that indicates 55 percent of Phoenix residents consider immigration a bigger problem than crime and traffic, issues that ranked higher in other areas of the country.

The Denver Post:

Washington - Sen. Ken Salazar backed a Senate bill Thursday that provides an 11-year path to citizenship for illegal immigrants as the immigration debate moved to the Senate floor.

But Colorado Republican Reps. Tom Tancredo and Bob Beauprez criticized the bill, saying it will increase illegal immigration.

Bill Frist

The Los Angeles Times:

WASHINGTON — As he prepares to leave the Senate and position himself for a presidential bid, Bill Frist faces mounting criticism that he has proved an ineffectual majority leader whose legislative agenda increasingly is dictated by his White House ambitions.

Indian nukes

The Los Angeles Times:

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration's proposed nuclear deal with India is meeting with a chilly reception from lawmakers, who are predicting that instead of swift approval, the initiative faces revisions and delays, if not outright rejection.