Rudy Giuliani endores John McCain for President

Barack Obama Victory Speech in South Carolina part.2

El Pueblo Con Rossello, Anuncio II

In The Name of Love

South Carolina Victory Speech

BILL MOYERS JOURNAL | Clinton, Obama, King and Johnson | PBS

Romney Wins Michigan GOP Primary

Romney Wins Michigan GOP Primary

MICHIGAN PRIMARY

By LIZ SIDOTI and GLEN JOHNSON

Associated Press Writers DETROIT

(AP) - Mitt Romney scored his first major primary victory Tuesday in his native Michigan, a win he desperately needed to give his weakened candidacy new life and set the stage for a wide-open Republican showdown in South Carolina in just four days.Romney was the third Republican victor in the first four states to vote in the 2008 primary season, further roiling a volatile nomination fight that lacks a clear favorite.

The former Massachusetts governor defeated John McCain, the Arizona senator who was hoping that independents and Democrats would join Republicans to help him repeat his 2000 triumph here. Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, trailed in third, and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson was waiting for the top three candidates in South Carolina, already campaigning.

"It's a victory of optimism over Washington-style pessimism," Romney said in an Associated Press interview, echoing his campaign speeches. "Now on to South Carolina, Nevada, Florida.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.DETROIT (AP) - Mitt Romney scored his first major primary victory Tuesday in his native Michigan, a win he desperately needed to give his weakened candidacy new life and set the stage for a three-man Republican showdown in South Carolina in just four days.

Quotable Quotes - He defied a world-empire

"And when at last this rebellion compelled the British Government to use the only power that any Government has -- force, used with general consent -- and British troops moved into Boston to restore order, Americans did not consent. They stood up and fought the British Regulars.

"One man began that war. And who knows his name?

"He was a farmer, asleep in his bed, when someone pounded on his door and shouted in the night, 'The troops are coming!'

"What could he do against the King's troops? One man. If he had been the King, that would have been different; then he could have done great things. Then he could have set everything to rights, he could have made everyone good and prosperous and happy, he could have changed the course of history. But he was not a King, not a Royal Governor, not a rich man, not even prosperous, not important at all, not even known outside the neighborhood. What could he do? What was the use of his trying to do anything? One man, even a few men, can not stand against the King's troops. He had a wife and children to think of; what would become of them, if he acted like a fool?

"Most men had better sense; most men knew they could do nothing and they stayed in bed, that night in Lexington. But one man got up. He put on his clothes and took his gun and went out to meet the King's troops. He was one man who did not consent to a control which he knew did not exist.

"The fight on the road to Lexington did not defeat the British troops What that man did was to fire a shot heard around the world, and still heard...

"That shot was the first sound of a common man's voice that the Old World ever heard. For the first time in all history, an individual spoke, an ordinary man, unknown, unimportant, disregarded, without rank, without power, without influence.

"Not acting under orders, not led, but standing on his own feet, acting from his own will, responsible, self-controlling, he fired on the King's troops. He defied a world-empire.

"The sound of that shot said: Government has no power but force; it can not control any man.

"No one knows who began the American Revolution. Only his neighbors ever knew him, and no one now remembers any of them. He was an unknown man, an individual, the only force that can ever defend freedom." : Rose Wilder Lane: from THE DISCOVERY OF FREEDOM: Man's Struggle Against Authority

Clinton and McCain pull off upsets in NH

Clinton and McCain pull off upsets in NH
By DAVID ESPO and PHILIP ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writers

CONCORD, N.H. - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton won New Hampshire's Democratic primary Tuesday night in a startling upset, defeating Sen. Barack Obama and resurrecting her bid for the White House. Sen. John McCain powered past his Republican rivals and back into contention for the GOP nomination.

Clinton's victory capped a comeback from last week's third-place finish in the Iowa caucuses. It also raised the possibility of a long battle for the party nomination between the most viable black candidate in history and the former first lady, who is seeking to become the first woman to occupy the Oval Office.

"I am still fired up and ready to go," a defeated Obama told cheering supporters, repeating the line that forms a part of virtually every campaign appearance.

McCain's triumph scrambled the Republican race as well.

"We showed this country what a real comeback looks like," the Arizona senator told The Associated Press in an interview as he savored his triumph. "We're going to move on to Michigan and South Carolina and win the nomination."

Later, he told cheering supporters that together, "we have taken a step, but only a first step toward repairing the broken politics of the past and restoring the trust of the American people in their government."

McCain rode a wave of support from independent voters to defeat former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, a showing that reprised the senator's victory in the traditional first-in-the-nation primary in 2000.

It was a bitter blow for Romney, who spent millions of dollars of his own money in hopes of winning the kickoff Iowa caucuses and the first primary — and finished second in both. Even so, the businessman-turned politician said he would meet McCain next week in the Michigan primary, and he cast himself as just what the country needed to fix Washington. "I don't care who gets the credit, Republican or Democrat. I've got no scores to settle," he told supporters.

After Iowa, Clinton and her aides seemed resigned to a second straight setback. But polling place interviews showed that female voters — who deserted her last week — were solidly in her New Hampshire column.

She also was winning handily among registered Democrats. Obama led her by an even larger margin among independents, but he suffered from a falloff in turnout among young voters compared with Iowa.

Word of Clinton's triumph set off a raucous celebration among supporters at a hotel in Nashua — gathered there to celebrate a first-in-the-nation primary every bit as surprising as the one 16 years ago that allowed a young Bill Clinton to proclaim himself "the comeback kid."

She had 39 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary to 37 percent for Obama, who is seeking to become the nation's first black president. Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina trailed with 17 percent. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was fourth, polling less than 5 percent of the vote.

Despite running a distant third to his better-funded rivals, Edwards had no plans to step aside. He pointed toward the South Carolina primary on Jan. 26, hoping to prevail in the state where he was born — and where he claimed his only victory in the presidential primaries four years ago.

Among Republicans, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won the leadoff Iowa GOP caucuses last week, was running third in New Hampshire.

McCain was winning 37 percent of the Republican vote, Romney had 32 and Huckabee 11.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani had 9 percent, Texas Rep. Ron Paul 8.

Clinton's triumph was unexpected — and unpredicted.

Obama drew huge crowds as he swept into the state after winning Iowa. Confident of victory, he stuck to his pledge to deliver "change we can believe in," while the former first lady was forced to retool her appeal to voters on the run. She lessened her emphasis on experience, and sought instead to raise questions about Obama's ability to bring about the change he promised.

The grind took a toll on both of them.

Obama suffered from a sore throat, while Clinton's voice quavered at one point when asked how she coped with the rigors of the campaign. That unexpected moment of emotion became the talk of the final 24 hours of a campaign that was unlike any other in history.
Clinton's performance came as a surprise even to her own inner circle.

In the hours leading up to the poll closing, her closest advisers had appeared to be bracing for a second defeat at the hands of Obama.

Officials said her aides were considering whether to effectively concede the next two contests — caucuses in Nevada on Jan. 19 and a South Carolina primary a week later — and instead try to regroup in time for a 22-state round of Democratic contests on Feb. 5.

These officials also said a campaign shake-up was in the works, with longtime Clinton confidante Maggie Williams poised to come aboard to help sharpen the former first lady's message. Other personnel additions are expected, according to these officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity while discussing strategy.

Obama, who won the leadoff Iowa caucuses last week, looked for an endorsement from the powerful Culinary Workers union in Nevada in the days ahead. South Carolina's Democratic electorate is heavily black and likely to go for the most viable black presidential candidate in history.

The Republican race turns next to Michigan, where McCain and Romney already are advertising on television, and where both men planned appearances on Wednesday. Huckabee also was expected to campaign in the state.

According to preliminary results of a survey of voters as they left their polling places, more independents cast ballots in the Democratic race than in the Republican contest. They accounted for four of every 10 Democratic votes and about a third of Republican ballots. The survey was conducted for The Associated Press and the television networks.

Republicans were split roughly evenly in naming the nation's top issues: the economy, Iraq, illegal immigration and terrorism. Romney had a big lead among those naming immigration, while McCain led on the other issues.

Half of Republicans said illegal immigrants should be deported, and this group leaned toward Romney. Those saying illegal immigrants should be allowed to apply for citizenship leaned toward McCain, while the two candidates split those saying those here illegally should be allowed to stay as temporary workers.

Among Democrats, about one-third each named the economy and Iraq as the top issues facing the country, followed by health care. Voters naming the economy were split about evenly between Obama and Clinton, while Obama had an advantage among those naming the other two issues. Clinton has made health care a signature issue for years.

About one-third said if Bill Clinton were running, they would have voted for him on Tuesday.

It was hard to tell who needed a Republican victory more — McCain or Romney. McCain was the long-ago front-runner who survived a near-death political experience when his fundraising dried up and his support collapsed. He shed much of his staff and regrouped. An unflinching supporter of the Iraq war, he benefited when U.S. casualties declined in the wake of a controversial building in U.S. troops. By the final days of the New Hampshire race, he held a celebration of sorts to mark his 100th town hall meeting in the state he won eight years ago.

"It has all the earmarks of a landslide with the Dixville Notch vote," an upbeat McCain quipped — he got four votes there to Romney's two and one for Giuliani — as his campaign bus headed to a polling place in Nashua. The crowd of supporters was so big, that voters complained and a poll worker pleaded with McCain to leave. Seconds later, the bus pulled away.

Obama and Huckabee win first 2008 vote

Obama and Huckabee win first 2008 vote

By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Barack Obama took a big step on Thursday toward becoming the first black U.S. president when his campaign for change caught fire in Iowa and swept him past Hillary Clinton in the opening Democratic nominating contest.

On the Republican side, underdog Mike Huckabee capped a stunning political rise to beat Republican rival Mitt Romney, despite being dramatically outspent by the wealthy former Massachusetts governor and venture capitalist.

Obama, an Illinois senator, captured the first Democratic prize on the road to the White House with a comeback triumph over New York Sen. Clinton and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, who were in a tight battle for second.

"We are choosing hope over fear, we are choosing unity over division and sending a powerful message that change is coming to America," Obama told thousands of cheering supporters.

Both Obama and Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and ordained Baptist minister, once trailed better-known rivals Clinton and Romney in their race to be on the November election ballot, but rode a wave of grass-roots enthusiasm to victories by touting an outsider's message of change in Washington.

"Tonight what we have seen is a new day in American politics," Huckabee, with actor and supporter Chuck Norris nearby, told cheering backers in Des Moines. "Tonight we proved that American politics is still in the hands of people like you."

The 2008 campaign is the most open presidential race in more than 50 years, with no sitting president or vice president seeking their party's nomination, and the Iowa contest was the most hotly contested in the state's history.

Turnout among Democrats topped 220,000, smashing the previous record of 124,000 in 2004 -- testament to the high enthusiasm among Democrats heading into November's election.
"Today we are sending a clear message that we are going to have change, and that change will be a Democratic president in the White House," Clinton, with husband and former President Bill Clinton at her shoulder, said in Des Moines.

For the winner in Iowa, the prize is valuable momentum and at least a temporary claim to the front-runner's slot in their battle to win the party's presidential nomination in the November election.

All eyes now turn to New Hampshire, which holds the next contest on Tuesday and where Romney and Clinton will face high-pressure bids to revive their candidacies.

The loss was a heavy blow for Clinton, the former first lady who a few months ago was considered in some quarters the almost certain Democratic nominee. She now faces immense pressure to turn around her campaign in New Hampshire over the next five days.

Edwards, who at one time led polls in Iowa and finished a strong second here during a failed 2004 presidential bid, also will face questions about the viability of his candidacy as he goes forward.

DODD DROPS OUT

The first casualty of the evening was Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, who finished well out of the Democratic race and dropped out afterward. Dodd had moved his family to Iowa to concentrate on the campaign.

Obama's win effectively makes him the candidate to beat among Democrats, and a win next week in New Hampshire could put him in prime position to capture the nomination. The next big contest would be in South Carolina, where more than half of the voters in the Democratic primary are likely to be black.

Iowa voters filled gathering spots in more than 1,700 precincts around the state to declare a presidential preference in Iowa's caucuses, which open the state-by-state battle to choose candidates in the November 4 election to succeed President George W. Bush.

In the Democratic caucuses, voters debated their options and cajoled their neighbors to switch to their candidate. Republicans conducted essentially a preference poll, casting votes soon after the caucus begins.

For Republicans, Huckabee's upset reshaped a race where no candidate has been able to claim front-runner status.

Iowa, where a sizable bloc of religious conservatives had fueled Huckabee's rapid rise, represented the best chance for the former Arkansas governor to break through with a win.

He will face tougher going in New Hampshire, where there are fewer evangelicals, and he has lingered well behind Romney and Arizona Sen. John McCain in polls.

Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts who has faced questions about his Mormon faith during the campaign, launched aggressive advertising campaigns against Huckabee and McCain in recent weeks.

Iowa's opening contest in the nominating battle has traditionally served to winnow the presidential field of laggards and elevate some surprise contenders.

Cero Planillas a la Clase Media

Llamado a los novoprogresistas

Llamado a los novoprogresistas
Por: María Vera

EL VOCERO

El presidente del Partido Nuevo Progresista (PNP), Pedro Rosselló, dijo que la colectividad acatará la determinación del Tribunal Supremo que le da paso a las candidaturas de los senadores autodenominados auténticos. Rosselló aseguró que ahora le tocará al pueblo progresista tomar la determinación en torno a esos candidatos, al tiempo que instó a los penepés a no darle el voto a los que, según él, han traicionado los dictámenes de la Asamblea General del PNP."Yo le hago un llamado para que le den el apoyo a los candidatos que han sido leales al partido y que han cumplido con sus disposiciones… y que a aquellos que han desacatado las decisiones del Partido no le den la confianza, ni el voto", manifestó Rosselló.

La semana pasada el Alto Foro judicial determinó que el PNP tenía que darle paso a las candidaturas de los cuatro senadores que en el pasado esa colectividad había desafiliado por no aceptar que Rosselló llegara a la presidencia del Senado, en una movida que pretendía sacar a Kenneth McClintock de ese puesto. Los senadores que aparecerán en la papeleta del PNP en las primarias son Carlos Díaz, Migdalia Padilla, Lucy Arce y Jorge De Castro Font. Otros que forman parte del grupo de los auténticos son Kenneth McClintock y Orlando Parga, no obstante no aparecerán en la papeleta porque el primero se retiró de la política y el segundo aspirará como candidato independiente. El ex gobernador dijo que la opinión del Tribunal Supremo es una muestra más de que ese foro toma las decisiones basándose en sus ideologías políticas y no en bases legales. Señaló que la determinación le demuestra al pueblo que no debe tener esperanza de que ese foro haga una evaluación imparcial en una controversia política.

"La opinión es un ejemplo clásico de lo que ha sido la trayectoria del Tribunal Supremo de Puerto Rico, en cuanto a asuntos de índole política, siempre actuando como un brazo del Partido Popular Democrático (PPD)", aseveró.A su juicio, el Tribunal está "tratando de dictarle al PNP quiénes son o no sus candidatos". Indicó que siempre ese foro ha tomado determinaciones políticas y mencionó el caso de los "pivazos" y "cuando deciden que un anuncio es ilegal, pero no tiene consecuencias". Esto en obvia referencia a la determinación que hizo el Supremo en torno a un mensaje que ofreció el gobernador Aníbal Acevedo Vilá en el 2005, en la que aseguró que debía ser evaluado por la Junta de Anuncios de la Comisión Estatal de Elecciones.

No obstante, la decisión del Supremo no le impuso responsabilidad alguna al Mandatario. "Creo que es una decisión desdichada, consistente con lo que ha sido la función del Tribunal Supremo de Puerto Rico… Ahora deja en manos del electorado la decisión. El pueblo progresista tomará la determinación de si estas personas que incumplieron con el partido merecen estar en la papeleta", acotó Rosselló.

LA GUERRA IDEOLÓGICA DE PUERTO RICO

LA GUERRA IDEOLÓGICA DE PUERTO RICO
Por: Arturo R. Rivera

El hecho de que en Puerto Rico no se haya resuelto definitivamente el"status" de la isla promueve una constante lucha ideológica. Los sectores de izquierda, que son minoritarios, siempre están buscando un asunto para crear confrontación en el país, en ánimo de adelantar sucausa independentista y socialista.En la historia reciente fueron efectivos esos grupos minoritarios cuando se apoderaron de la causa de Vieques, causa que era de los viequenses, y lo convirtieron en una lucha antiamericana, que causó la salida de la Marina de Guerra de Estados Unidos de la pequeña isla yde Puerto Rico. Dicha salida prococó la pérdida de $400 millones de dólares y de miles de empleos directos e indirectos.

Hoy día Vieques, al igual que toda la zona este de Puerto Rico, padeceuna crisis económica por el cierre de la Base Naval más grande delmundo, que estaba radicada en el municipio de Ceiba. En ese tiempo,el líder independentista Rubén Berríos señaló que primero seríaVieques y luego Puerto Rico.Ciertamente, el líder independentista tenía razón. Hoy los sectores más radicales del país, como el Movimiento Hostosiano--que tiene relaciones con el gobierno de Hugo Chávez, la ha emprendido con el proyecto Paseo del Caribe, un complejo de edificios cuyo costo asciende a más de $200 millones, y del cual ya hemos hablado.Independientemente de los aspectos legales que el proyecto tiene encontroversia, los izquierdistas pretenden crear una coyuntura de luchade clases y confrontación para desestabilizar económica y políticamente a la isla.

Recientemente, esos grupos comunistas y simpatizantes del chavismo convocaron a una marcha para protestar por la presencia del gobierno federal y propiciar la expulsión de las instituciones federales en Puerto Rico. La marcha no fue muy nutrida y se celebró en el Viejo San Juan, frente a la sede de la corte federal.Por otra parte, los líderes proamericanos celebraron una contramarcha para demostrar que más del 95% de la población en Puerto Rico favorece la presencia de los Estados Unidos en la isla y la forma de vida"americana" de los puertorriqueños.

La manifestación estuvo concurrida y entre las personas que asistieron, el comentario era quelos socialistas de Puerto Rico están recibiendo ayuda del chavismo venezolano. A su vez, se señaló que no se puede permitir que, tal como ocurrió en Venezuela, esos grupos comunistas prevalezcan.Entendemos que el pueblo puertorriqueño ha progresado bajo la soberanía americana y ese mismo pueblo no va a permitir experimentos socialistas que la historia ha demostrado una y otra vez que no funcionan.

OTRA VEZ, EL "STATUS" DE PUERTO RICO

OTRA VEZ, EL "STATUS" DE PUERTO RICO

Por: Arturo R. Rivera

Un grupo de trabajo de la Casa Blanca, que due designado por el presidente George W. Bush para estudiar la situación política dePuerto Rico, nuevamente determinó, en su segundo informe, que el Estado Libre Asociado (ELA) es un "status" transitorio y de "indole territorial". Concluyeron que de continuar el mismo, sería necesario hacer plebiscitos hasta que el pueblo escoja un "status" permanente.Este estudio fue publicado dos años después del primer informe dondese señalaba que por el carácter territorial del "ELA", el Congreso deEstados Unidos podría disponer de Puerto Rico cediendo la isla a otro país.

Eso es así, en virtud de la Cláusula Territorial de la Constitución de los Estados Unidos en su Artículo 4, Sección 3,párrafo 2. Ésta faculta al Congreso de Estados Unidos a pasar leyes y reglamentos sobre sus territorios y a disponer de los mismos como su propiedad. A tenor con esa disposición constitucional, el grupo de trabajo recomendó nuevamente que se encamine un proceso de plebiscito dondelos puertorriqueños decidirán si mantener el "status" actual o buscarun "camino constitucional viable" hacia un "status" permanente y no-territorial.

También el estudio reiteró la recomendación de que silos puertorriqueños escogen un "status" permanente y no-territorial se haría un segundo plebiscito donde se escosgería entre estadidad e independencia.Una vez los puertorriqueños hayan escogido una de las dos opciones, el Congreso impusará un proceso de transición consistente con la opción escogida. Además, el grupo de trabajo señaló que si los puertorriqueños escogen mantener el "status" actual, se celebrarán plebiscitos de forma periódica hasta que se elija un "status"permanente.El segundo informe dejó bien claro, para la gente de Puerto Rico, quela libre asociación es una forma de independencia de los Estados Unidos y no será inmune a la posibilidad de una separación unilateral por parte de Estados Unidos.

Con relación a estos informes, en el Congreso hay proyectos de ley para resolver el "status" de PuertoRico, pero que se distancian del grupo de trabajo de la Casa Blanca. En Puerto Rico, a nivel local, impera la confusión del partido de gobierno, que favorece el ELA, y no acababa de entender que losEstados Unidos buscan ponerle punto final a la solución definitiva del"status". La solución es sencilla. O Puerto Rico se encamina hacia el tercer mundo con la independencia, o nos incorporamos definitivamente al primer mundo con la estadidad federada de los Estados Unidos. Esperamos que los puertorriqueños abran los ojos y decidan antes deque sea demasiado tarde.