Pushing Back Iraq Timetable?
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A day after the Senate essentially gave President Bush until the middle of September to show that his Iraq strategy was working, top U.S. generals and the American ambassador to Baghdad said they needed more time.
The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal all report that U.S. commanders in Iraq, along with Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, told members of Congress via video conference Thursday that the much-ballyhooed Sept. 15 assessment was too soon to gauge the progress of the U.S. troop buildup.
Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the No. 2 U.S. commander in Iraq, said that it would take "at least until November" to tell whether the surge is a success.
The LAT said the appeal for more time was "greeted skeptically" by lawmakers, who questioned whether the administration was "moving the goalposts" on progress in Iraq.
The NYT said the meeting suggested that the administration "was not planning a major strategy shift in September that would begin reducing the American troop presence, even if benchmarks set by Congress to measure Iraq's progress were not achieved."
The WSJ agreed, saying the comments "made clear wheels are in motion for carrying the 'surge' strategy into '08."
Election Overhaul Delayed
A major revamping of the nation's voting system, prompted by the disputed 2000 presidential election, will be delayed until after the 2008 presidential vote, The New York Times reports Friday.
Democratic congressional leaders, who had been pushing for a massive overhaul of voting equipment in time for next year's election, now say the most sweeping changes won't come until 2012.
The Times say state and local elections officials complained they wouldn't be able to implement the changes, intended to provide more accountability and make sure all votes cast on computerized touch-screen systems were counted, by next year.
Instead, Democratic leaders are working on compromise legislation that would ensure that all electronic voting machines provide some kind of paper trail by November 2008.
Critics, however, say the while billions have been spent to upgrade voting systems since 2000, the compromise "would leave a patchwork and somewhat jury-rigged system that would still be vulnerable to tampering or computer malfunctions in next year's elections."
Live Free Or Die
That's New Hampshire's famous state motto, and a couple in the Granite State is taking it seriously.
The Los Angeles Times shares the story of Ed and Elaine Brown, who've been holed up in their Plainfield, N.H., home for six months, refusing to serve a five-year prison sentence for failing to pay taxes on $1.9 million in earnings from Elaine Brown's dentistry practice. The Browns haven't paid income tax since 1996, claiming the Constitution says their work can't be taxed.
Authorities have cut off electricity, Internet, phone and mail service to the Browns, but the couple has "all but dared law officials to come and get them. This, they say, is a fight they're ready to die for."
FBI agents, eager to avoid another Waco or Ruby Ridge, have tried "negotiating, waiting, begging" with the Browns, who are reportedly armed.
Along the way, the Browns have "garnered national support, with blogs devoted to news about the standoff and supporters regularly showing up on the couple's doorstep with groceries."
"I'll die fighting, rather than live in slavery," Elaine Brown says. "I'll tell you that."
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