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Final debate: a shot in the arm for Kerry’s campaign
Pak Parliament passes Musharraf |
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| 32 killed in Iraq violence Baghdad, October 14 At least 32 persons were killed in attacks in Iraq today, including bombings inside Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, said to have been claimed by the suspected Al-Qaeda chief in the country, Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi. — AFP Vote counting begins in Afghanistan
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Final debate: a shot in the arm for Kerry’s campaign Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry on Wednesday night wrapped up a successful final debate against President George W. Bush giving his campaign a much-needed shot in the arm. Political pundits acknowledge Mr Kerry, a member of the debate team while a student at Yale University, decisively won his first encounter with Mr Bush; won with a slimmer margin in the second and upstaged the President in the third. The final debate was held at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. A CNN/ USA Today/ Gallup poll of 511 persons who watched the debate indicated that 53 per cent said Mr Kerry did better, and 39 percent backed Mr Bush. The poll’s margin of error was plus or minus 5 percentage points. Going into the debate, a Washington Post-ABC News tracking poll showed Mr Kerry at 49 percent and Mr Bush at 48 per cent among likely voters. This was the first time Mr Kerry has been ahead in that poll since early August. Wednesday’s debate focused on domestic issues, traditionally considered a strong subject for the Democrats. Rather than wooing the undecided swing voters, both candidates played to their reliable support bases. The debate inevitably came around to Mr Bush’s tax cuts, which the President credits for reversing the recession in the earlier part of his four-year term in the White House. Mr Bush criticised Mr Kerry’s decision to roll back the tax cut for persons who make over $200,000 a year. “He’s proposed $2.2 trillion of new spending, and yet, the so-called tax on the rich, which is also a tax on many small business owners in America... And guess who usually ends up filling the tax gap? The middle class,” Mr Bush said. Mr Kerry compared Mr Bush’s rhetoric to a fictional television mafia don, saying: “Being lectured by the President on the fiscal responsibility is a little bit like Tony Soprano talking to me about law and order in this country. This President has taken a $5.6 trillion surplus and turned it into deficits as far as the eye can see.” Challenging the wartime President, the Massachusetts Senator said Mr Bush “rushed us into a war, made decisions about foreign policy, pushed alliances away and as a result, America is now bearing this extraordinary burden where we are not as safe as we ought to be.” He promised to wage “a smarter, more effective war on terror.” Mr Bush dismissed Mr Kerry’s charge that he had said he was never worried about Osama bin Laden. However, Mr Kerry’s accusation was correct. Mr Bush had said at a March 13, 2002, press conference that he was “truly not that concerned about” bin Laden. “We haven’t heard much from him. ... And, again, I don’t know where he is. I truly am not that concerned about him. I know he is on the run,” he had said. In Wednesday night’s debate, Mr Bush reiterated his past belief that the Americans “can be safe and secure if we stay on the offensive against the terrorists and if we spread freedom and liberty around the world.” On the issue of jobs, Mr Bush directed his remarks to “the workers.” “You’ve got more money in your pocket as a result of the tax relief we passed and he opposed. If you have a child, you have a $ 1,000 child credit - that’s money in your pocket,” he said. Mr Kerry said the jobs the President was creating “pay $ 9,000 less than the jobs that we’re losing. And this is the first President in seventy two years to preside over an economy in America that has lost jobs - 106 million jobs.” On the contentious issue of abortion, while Mr Kerry said that choice is “between a woman, God and her doctor,” Mr Bush conceded there were “great differences on this issue.” “But I believe reasonable people can come together and put good law in place that will help reduce the number of abortions,” the President added. With the three debates behind them, the two candidates’ fate now rests in the hands of the American voter which will be decided on November 2. |
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Pak Parliament passes Musharraf dual-role Bill
Islamabad, October 14 The Bill calls for the President to be allowed to hold two offices to be able to continue the fight against terrorism and safeguard Pakistan's territorial integrity. It was passed in the National Assembly amid noisy protests from Opposition deputies who had strongly objected and insisted that Mr Musharraf, who had seized power in a bloodless coup five years ago, should either resign as the President or as the Army Chief. After the approval of the 342-member National Assembly, the Bill will be passed to the Senate, or the Upper House of Parliament, where the government also has a majority, before being sent to Mr Musharraf to be signed into a law. The passage of the Bill in the Lower House by voice vote was a foregone conclusion, given the majority held by the pro-military parties. Constitutional experts have said the Bill would not be binding on Mr Musharraf but would give him the scope to break his pledge to give up one of the positions by the end of year. Mr Musharraf said he had not made the final decision, but had dropped strong hints in recent weeks that he would renege on his promise. He had said shedding his uniform could undermine his authority in pressing home the war against terror in Pakistan and in pushing forward a nascent peace process with India. Military spokesman Major Gen Shaukat Sultan said, before the passage of the Bill Mr Musharraf had yet to decide whether he would remain in uniform, but circumstances had changed, since he announced his plan to quit the Army. "President Musharraf has given his position many times in the media and he says 'let the time come and I will decide'," he said today.
— Reuters |
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Vote counting begins in Afghanistan
Kabul, October 14 The tallying began in many of the eight counting centres across the country, though it was slightly delayed in the capital, said Farooq Wardak, a senior election official. "In the rest of the regions, counting has already started," he said. Officials had stalled the count while a panel of foreign experts sifted through several dozen complaints of alleged irregularities from the 16 candidates, including front-running incumbent Hamid Karzai. None of their complaints appear serious enough to invalidate final results expected at the end of October.
— AP |
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