Obama's health care push met with pushback.............

(LEO) -- As President Obama steps up his push for health care reform, there is a growing effort to stop it, and rising doubts about how Obama is handling the issue.

The president said from the first day of his administration that health care was a top domestic priority, and some observers say he's taking a risk in addressing the nation through a primetime news conference Wednesday with little to show after months of wrangling.
Obama and top Democrats are seeking an overhaul to ensure that health insurance is available to the 46 million Americans currently without coverage while preventing costs to both the government and individuals from continuing to climb.

Obama had set a deadline for passage of a bill before the August congressional recess, but in an interview Monday with PBS' Jim Lehrer, the president said that if Congress tells him it's "going to spill over by a few days or a week," that's fine.

But the battle over health care reform is weighed down by complex problems, competing interests, a $1 trillion price tag, conservative Democrats in sticker shock and Republicans far from eager to sign on to the proposed plans.

Even among Democrats, there's no consensus. In the House, they want a surtax on the rich. In the Senate, the Finance Committee chairman wants to tax health care benefits. And some conservative Democrats are voicing concerns after a new budget analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office revealed the leading Democratic health plans will increase the debt and not provide the savings Obama promised.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman canceled his committee's health care markup for the day in order to continue negotiating behind closed doors with the conservative Blue Dog Democrats, who don't think their party's bill does enough to cut medical costs.

Obama on Tuesday was scheduled to meet with Democrats on the committee, including some of the Blue Dogs who are wary of the current proposals.Without a solid Democratic bloc, Obama will need bipartisan support. Conservative Bill Kristol's Weekly Standard blog on Monday encouraged them to resist:

"With Obamacare on the ropes, there will be a temptation for opponents to let up on their criticism, and to try to appear constructive, or at least responsible. There will be a tendency to want to let the Democrats' plans sink of their own weight, to emphasize that the critics have been pushing sound reform ideas all along and suggest it's not too late for a bipartisan compromise over the next couple of weeks or months.

"My advice, for what it's worth: Resist the temptation. This is no time to pull punches. Go for the kill," he wrote.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said Tuesday that lawmakers should refocus on "things that actually reduce the cost of care."

"Let's address the problems with our insurance marketplace. Let's make insurance companies cover the sick. Let's make coverage affordable across state lines. Why should coverage be tied to your employment? You should be able to buy health care, whether it be through your church, your union, your bowling league. It shouldn't just be tied to employment," he said.

Obama accuses his GOP critics of putting politics ahead of policy, following remarks from Republicans like South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, who said that "if we're able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him."

"Think about that," Obama said Monday during a visit to Children's National Medical Center in Washington. "This isn't about me. This isn't about politics. This is about a health care system that is breaking America's families, breaking America's businesses, and breaking America's economy. And we can't afford the politics of delay and defeat when it comes to health care. Not this time. Not now."

Asked about DeMint's comments, Obama told PBS that some Republicans view the effort to overhaul health care as the GOP did in 1993 and 1994, when then-President Clinton unsuccessfully tried to reform the system.

Defeating health care under Clinton, Obama said, was "a pure political play, a show of strength by the Republicans that helped them regain the House."

CNN's senior political analyst David Gergen, who was an adviser to several former presidents including Clinton, says there are some parallels to the health care fight 15 years ago.

"Back in '93, '94, there were Republicans, like Bob Dole, who were prepared to ... work out a bipartisan solution. That fell apart over time," Gergen said. "And Republicans then gathered in opposition, and, indeed, it did help to defeat the health care effort at that time."

"But the danger for President Obama now is that there is another parallel. And that is that the Clinton plan started out as very popular, but, over time, support for it crumbled in the public. And the danger for the president now is that support is beginning to crumble for it, the overall effort," Gergen added.

A new Washington Post/ABC News poll found only 49 percent of Americans approve of the president's handling of health care; 44 percent disapprove. A sharp drop from April, when 57 percent approved; just 29 percent disapproved.

Republican strategist Karen Hanretty says it's not the poll numbers that the president needs to worry about.

"The poll numbers aren't going to slow down the president. The moderate Democrats in the House and Senate are going to slow him down, and, in fact, they are. That's why he doesn't have this bill yet," she said.

"These people have to go to their districts next year, campaign. They don't want to campaign on a platform of increasing the deficit, lowering your health care benefits or your access or the quality of care."
But, Hanretty said, a majority of Americans do want health care reform, and there's still hope that the Senate could work out a deal with some moderate Republicans that the president can support.

Still, top administration officials have conceded that more work is needed to ensure that whatever bill eventually gets passed by Congress doesn't increase the federal deficit.

Hillary sees real will on Pakistan part to fight terror........

NEW DELHI (LEO)--: The visiting United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Monday said here that there's a real will on Pakistan part to fight terrorism and that US will continue its financial aid. "I have seen a real will on the part of Pakistan government to tackle terrorism. It is their government which is being attacked and

people who are being mistreated," Clinton said at an interactive session with students at Delhi University. She also said that the U.S. has "to look for ways to support those who oppose terror". Admitting that India is an emerging leader in the South Asian region, she urged the country to take the lead to talk to Pakistan. "India should take the lead to talk to Pakistan," the U.S. Secretary of State, who is on a five-day visit to India, said. Later, Clinton met Indian Prime Minister Mahmohan Singh at the latter's residence. The two leaders discussed terrorism and ways to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries, said Indian sources.

Japan PM to dissolve parliament ahead of general polls.........

TOKYO (LEO)--: Embattled Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso will dissolve parliament Tuesday ahead of a general election late next month, after receiving official endorsement from his cabinet, his top aide said.

"I have decided to dissolve the lower house," Aso said at a cabinet meeting, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura.

"Dissolution is necessary in order for us to gain more understanding and cooperation of the Japanese people," Aso said, Kawamura told reporters.

Emperor Akihito would give his symbolic assent, and the lower house would convene at 0400 GMT for the dissolution.

Aso's cabinet would meet again to officially set the schedule for the next election.

The move came after Aso, who remains chronically unpopular according to polls and has faced open party revolt, told reporters last week of his plan to dissolve parliament this week and to hold general elections on August 30.

Aso will meet the press at 6:00 pm (0900 GMT) to discuss his decision.

The move could throw his deeply divided ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) into further disarray, as it braces itself for a massive election defeat and risks handing power to the opposition Democratic Party of Japan.

The conservative LDP has governed Japan continuously since its foundation in 1955, except for one 10-month stretch in the early 1990s. But the party has failed to find a lasting leader in recent years, electing three prime ministers since the popular Junichiro Koizumi stepped down in 2006.

The LDP lost to the Democratic Party in a 2007 upper house election.

Aso took office in September with a mission to revive the LDP, but his frequent gaffes, policy flip-flops and scandals by his ministers invited voter criticism, while the opposition surged in opinion polls.

The ruling party, some of whose members last week tried to unseat Aso to elect another leader to fight the election, will hold a meeting of lawmakers shortly before the parliament session to discuss Aso's decision.

Japan parliament dissolved; elections next monty...

TOKYO (LEO)--: Japan's prime minister Taro Aso has dissolved the powerful lower house of parliament, setting the stage for an election next month that could transform the country's political power structure.


In Japan, the prime minister can decide when to disband parliament and call a general election.

Mr Aso had postponed doing so in the hope that his low approval ratings would recover, but after his party was routed in local elections last week he announced the elections for parliament's lower house would be held on August 30.

The country's political parties quickly shifted into election mode, holding rallies of their MPs. Japan's opposition leader vowed the elections would be "historic".

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has maintained a majority in the lower house for most of the past 50 years, allowing them to dominate the political process and select the prime minister and Cabinet members from party ranks.

Recent opinion polls show the next election could be different, with many voters saying they will support the opposition. This has happened repeatedly in local elections, where the Liberal Democrats have suffered a string of defeats.

"The feelings and complaints of the people have been demonstrated in the recent elections. We must sincerely reflect on this and are determined to make a fresh start," Mr Aso told party politicians.

At an upbeat meeting of the biggest opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan, party leader Yukio Hatoyama said the election would lead to a major change in Japanese politics for the first time in decades.

Several recent polls have indicated broad support for the Democrats. Fifty-six per cent of voters said they wanted the Democrats to take power, with just 23% supporting the ruling party, according to a poll published in the Mainichi newspaper. In a poll by the Asahi newspaper, 49% backed a new government led by the Democrats and 22% wanted Aso's party to stay in power.

The Democrats favour a more independent stance from the US, smaller government and more international peacekeeping missions for Japan's military.

Taliban 'Radio Mullah' hurt in Pakistan offensive...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (LEO) -- A key commander of the Pakistani Taliban has been wounded in the ongoing military offensive in northwest Pakistan, a military spokesman said Wednesday.

Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas had no details on the extent of Maulana Fazlullah's injuries sustained in a military offensive in Swat Valley.
He is known as the "Radio Mullah" because of his inflammatory radio broadcasts. Fazlullah has stated that his goal is to impose a harsh interpretation of Islamic law in northwest Pakistan.
Hours before Abbas spoke, a suspected U.S. drone attack killed eight militants and wounded five others Wednesday when it struck suspected hideouts connected to Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud in northwest Pakistan, according to Pakistani officials.
A Taliban official confirmed the attack on the village of Karwan Manza in South Waziristan and said some of the group's fighters had been killed.
The missiles struck a tent area where a group of Taliban fighters had set up, a local resident said.
The incident comes a day after another suspected drone attack in South Waziristan near the border with Afghanistan. In that incident, a suspected U.S. drone attack killed at least 12 people and wounded five others.
Fazlullah's father-in-law, pro-Taliban leader Sufi Mohammed, helped mediate a peace agreement with the Pakistani government earlier this year. That deal collapsed, and paved the way for Pakistan's current military operation against Taliban elements in the northwest.
Mohammed was released from jail last year in an effort by Pakistan's new civilian government to reach a broader peace agreement with tribal leaders. He was detained in 2002 after recruiting thousands of fighters to battle U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
Sufi Mohammad helped mediate a peace agreement with the Pakistani government earlier this year. That deal collapsed, and paved the way for Pakistan's massive military operation against Taliban elements in the northwest.
Shortly after his father-in-law's peace deal took effect, Fazlullah proclaimed himself the Emir of Swat.
Swat Valley was once one of Pakistan's biggest tourist destinations. It is near the Afghanistan border and is 300 kilometers (186 miles) from the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. The central government has long exerted little control in the area.
Pakistan is under enormous pressure to control the militants within its borders, blamed for launching attacks in neighboring Afghanistan where U.S. and NATO forces are fighting militants.

The United States -- using unmanned drones -- has carried out several airstrikes inside Pakistan on suspected militant targets.
While Pakistan's military operation is unpopular among some Pakistanis, efforts to deal diplomatically with militants have not worked in the past. Pakistan's previous leader, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, reached a cease-fire deal with militants in South Waziristan in 2006 which was widely blamed for giving al Qaeda and the Taliban a stronger foothold in the region.

Obama: No green light for Israel to attack Iran....

MOSCOW, Russia (LEO) -- The United States is "absolutely not" giving Israel a green light to attack Iran, U.S. President Barack Obama told CNN Tuesday.
"We have said directly to the Israelis that it is important to try and resolve this in an international setting in a way that does not create major conflict in the Middle East," Obama said, referring to Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Obama has been in Moscow for a summit aimed at trying to reset the U.S.-Russian relationship.

On Sunday, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden appeared to leave the door open for Israel to attack Iran if it saw fit.
"Israel can determine for itself -- it's a sovereign nation -- what's in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else," Biden said on ABC's "This Week."
Obama said Tuesday that Biden had simply been stating a fact, not sending a signal.
"I think Vice President Biden stated a categorical fact, which is we can't dictate to other countries what their security interests are. What is also true is that it is the policy of the United States to resolve the issue of Iran's nuclear capabilities in a peaceful way through diplomatic channels," he said. The top U.S. military leader, Adm. Mike Mullen, said later on Tuesday that he understands Israel's position.
"The Israelis see Iran achieving a nuclear capability as an existential threat, and that fact is tied to the rhetoric of the leadership of Iran, which ... has said that they would seek to eliminate Israel," said Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
His counterparts in the Gulf also understand the Israeli stance, whether or not they agree, Mullen said.
"That gets back to the criticality ... of solving this before Iran gets a nuclear capability, or that anyone... would take action to strike them. And I think that window is a very narrow window," he said in a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
He said he hoped diplomacy would resolve the issue.
"I am hopeful that that dialogue is productive. I worry about it a great deal if it's not," Mullen said.
The State Department took a similar line on Monday.
"Our goal here is to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. When I say 'our' it is just not the United States -- it is the international community," spokesman Ian Kelly said. "Israel is a sovereign country. We are not going to dictate its actions. We also are committed to Israel's security and we share Israel's deep concerns about Iran's nuclear program."Asked if this could be interpreted as the United States flashing a green light for Israel to attack Iran's nuclear sites, Kelly said, "I certainly would not want to give a green light to any kind of military action."
The Israeli government considers Iran's nuclear program to be the dominant threat facing the country.

Ahmadinejad calls election 'the most free' anywhere...

TEHRAN, Iran (LEO) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose re-election last month led to massive protests, on Tuesday called the balloting "the most free election anywhere in the world."

"It was a great event," he said in a nationally televised address.
The election, which opponents charge was rigged, was followed by street demonstrations and civil unrest that led to the deaths of at least 20 protesters and the arrest of more than 1,000, according to Iranian state-run media.
The numbers of casualties and arrests could not be independently verified by CNN because the Iranian government banned coverage by international journalists.
The president, who said voter turnout was 85 percent, said opponents "did not provide even one piece of document regarding irregularities or vote fraud."
Without specifically mentioning the post-election violence, Ahmadinejad said criticism of government "is the key to the success of a nation."
Everyone has criticisms, he said. "I have my own."
But he accused the "arrogant powers" and "enemies" of Iran of interfering in his country's affairs, including the post-election situation. Some Iranians collaborated with enemies, the president said.Ahmadinejad also said Tuesday he believes the government should be "substantially" reorganized. Although he didn't elaborate, he said the areas of employment, housing, development and civil rights were high on the agenda.
"[We] need to create newer capacities and prepare ourselves for this new period," he said, apparently referring to his upcoming second term in office.
"With this election, we have entered a new era ... in domestic spheres and on an international level," he added. He called it "an era of solidarity.""The government is at the service of the entire people," Ahmadinejad said. "Things will be done in a better way, more effective way, so we can reach higher aspirations."
He said experts have been invited to help the government achieve progress.