ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA (APA) – Ethiopia will host this year Africa Zone 5 basketball club championships billed for October 28 to November 1 , organizer said here.

According to the Ethiopian Basketball Federation (EBF), the championships will bring together Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, Djibouti and hosts Ethiopia in both the women and men championships.

EBF officials said all was set for the competition.

However, six-time Ugandan national basketball league champions, Mogas Falcons, is reported to be in financial crisis to travel to Addis Ababa, but have written to President Yoweri Museveni asking for financial support ahead of their trip.

Falcons need Shs51m to take a 19-man contingent for the Africa Zone 5 Club Championships.

“We have tried elsewhere and failed, His Excellency is now our last hope,” Ssimbwa told Daily Monitor.

VIDEO

(MSNBC) WASHINGTON – Former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., for president on Sunday, criticizing his own Republican Party for what he called its narrow focus on irrelevant personal attacks over a serious approach to challenges he called unprecedented.

Powell, who for many years was considered the most likely candidate to become the first African-American president, said in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he was not supporting Obama because of his race. He said he had watched both Obama and his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, for many months and thought “either one of them would be a good president.”

But he said McCain’s choices in the last few weeks — especially his selection of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his vice presidential running mate — had raised questions in his mind about McCain’s judgment.

ABC News: Former House Speaker Says General’s Endorsement ‘Eliminated Experience Argument’

Former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich reacted this morning to Colin Powell’s endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., arguing, “What that just did in one sound bite… is it eliminated the experience argument.”

Powell, the former secretary of state, announced his long-awaited endorsement Sunday morning, explaining that he is backing Obama “because of his ability to inspire, because of the inclusive nature of this campaign, because he is reaching out all across America, because of who he is and his rhetorical abilities – we have to take that into account – as well as his substance – he has both style and substance – he has met the standard of being a successful president, being an exceptional president.”

In all-star roundtable edition of “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” former presidential adviser David Gergen categorized Powell’s announcement as “the most important endorsement of the campaign so far.”

Tom Friedman of The New York Times agreed, explaining, “Gen. Powell helps a lot, I think, especially at this moment, you know. That’s a real affirmation that the country can trust Barack Obama as commander in chief, and Colin Powell still has a lot of cred[ibility] with Republicans and Democrats.”

Gingrich, Gergen and Friedman were joined in the powerhouse roundtable by Democratic strategist Donna Brazile and Republican columnist George Will.

Brazile added, “this is an endorsement that has enormous dividend for Sen. Obama, not only in helping to erase any remaining doubts about his national security agenda, his experience, but also it says that he wants to govern in a different way, different than, say, past administrations where you relied on just his base or his party.

“It says that he’s going to reach across the aisle, and perhaps this is a good way for Sen. Obama to put that message out in the closing weeks of the campaign.”

The panelists also discussed the possibility of Obama falling prey to the “Bradley Effect,” named for Tom Bradley, the African-American politician running for governor who ended up losing after having a huge lead in the polls.

“Twenty-six years has passed since the Bradley effect,” Brazile explained. “I think we’re looking at an Obama effect. He has increased, enlarged the electorate. He’s bringing new people into the process. There is an enthusiasm gap that we’ve never seen before on the Democratic side, 20 percent more likely Democratic voters than Republican voters at this moment, so I think we — I think the issue of race may be a factor, but it will not be as large a factor as it would have been, say, 12 years ago.”

Gingrich agreed that “there is a racial effect on both sides, that African-Americans will disproportionately turn out and they will disproportionately vote for Obama, and they have disproportionately registered for a good reason. The Obama effect is real and legitimate. It’s authentic.”

And Will argued that Obama will gain more votes than he will lose on account of race. “It seems to me if we had these tools to measure, we’d find that Barack Obama gets two votes because he’s black for every one he loses because he’s black,” he said.

Friedman added that the number of white voters who may ultimately support Obama may be underestimated.

“I think there are a lot of white voters telling pollsters, you know, we’re going to vote for Obama, and they won’t when the moment comes, but I think there is also a whole group of white Republicans who are telling their friends at the country club that I’m voting for McCain, and they’re going to go…vote for Obama, because their kids are,” he said.

By Carrie Budoff Brown
Politico.com

ST. LOUIS, MO – Casting the tax debate as a “values” issue Saturday, Barack Obama said John McCain was “out-of-touch” for equating the Illinois senator’s plan to cut taxes for middle class families with welfare.

“It comes down to values – in America, do we simply value wealth, or do we value the work that creates it?” Obama said at a rally under the Gateway Arch. “I’m not giving tax cuts to folks who don’t work. I’m giving tax cuts to folks who do work. That’s right, Missouri – John McCain is so out of touch with the struggles you are facing that he must be the first politician in history to call a tax cut for working people ‘welfare.’”

Obama made the remarks at a rally that drew an estimated 100,000 people—second only to the 200,000 people who turned out for his speech in Berlin, Germany, and more than the 80,000 people who attended his Democratic National Convention speech—in a state that John F. Kerry had pulled out of at this point four years ago.

McCain, meanwhile, delivered some of his sharpest rhetoric to date Saturday in a paid weekly radio address, and also at rallies in North Carolina and Virginia, two traditionally Republican states that have been trending Democratic in recent polls. He drew crowds of several thousand.

The Arizona senator, who on Friday described Obama’s proposed tax cuts as “welfare,” Saturday accused his rival of favoring a socialist economic approach that would spread wealth to individuals who do not pay income taxes.

“At least in Europe, the Socialist leaders who so admire my opponent are upfront about their objectives,” McCain said in his Saturday radio address. “They use real numbers and honest language. And we should demand equal candor from Sen. Obama. Raising taxes on some in order to give checks to others is not a tax cut; it’s just another government giveaway.”

Obama would “convert the IRS into a giant welfare agency, redistributing massive amounts of wealth at the direction of politicians in Washington,” McCain said.

The back-and-forth marked a continuation of the disagreement that dominated Wednesday’s presidential debate – and elevated Joe Wurzelbacher, an Ohio plumber, to a household name by eliciting the statement from Obama that has formed the foundation of McCain’s criticism. Walking through Wurzelbacher’s neighborhood last weekend, Obama said money generated by raising taxes on families that make more than $250,000 would be returned to the middle class.

“I think when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody,” Obama said to Wurzelbacher, who McCain has repeatedly referenced as “Joe the plumber.”

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), speaking with reporters after the rally here, defended the Democratic presidential nominee.

“First of all, it wasn’t the best way of putting it,” McCaskill said of Obama’s comment about spreading wealth. “But what he was talking about was instead of doing the tax cut for the thinnest sliver at the top, which is the only thing Republicans ever want to do, he wants to make the tax cuts go to the majority of Americans. He is not talking about spreading around wealth. He is talking about making sure most Americans get a tax cut.”

Obama has argued that his plan – which is based on who pays payroll taxes, not income taxes – would trim the tax burden for 95 percent of working Americans, while increasing them for families that earn more than $250,000 a year. McCain says that since 40 percent of Americans don’t pay income taxes, the only way to cut their taxes is to provide tax credits.

But the nonpartisan website, Factcheck.org, pointed out that McCain’s health care plan, which would offer credits of up to $2,500 annually to individuals or $5,000 for families, relies on a similar philosophy as Obama’s middle class tax cut proposal.

“McCain makes his tax credit refundable to make it worth just as much to low-income workers as to high-income workers,” director Brooks Jackson wrote on FactCheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. “If it were not refundable, it would be worth $0 to anyone who makes too little to pay any federal income taxes. A non-refundable credit would be worth the full amount only to individuals who owe at least $2,500 in federal income taxes, or couples who owe at least $5,000. Obama makes his tax credits refundable for the same reason – so they will benefit workers who earn too little to pay federal income tax.”

(This report includes information from the Associated Press.)

By Sarah Baxter
TIMES ONLINE

ROANOKE, VIRGINIA – With the economy on the brink of recession and the country in the midst of two foreign wars, Barack Obama is considering appointing a cabinet of stars to steer America through potentially its worst crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s if he wins the presidency on November 4.

Obama has a well-regarded, close-knit team of domestic and foreign policy advisers who would follow him into the White House and key administration posts. But he is also being urged to make some high-profile appointments who would command the confidence of the country at such a troubled time.

“It’s important to send a signal,” an Obama adviser said. “With a comparatively new person in office and the awful mess we’re in, these appointments are going to resonate around the world.” Obama, 47, has been warning his supporters that the election is not over yet. “Don’t underestimate our ability to screw it up,” he said last week. But should Obama win, he will not be short of big names to choose for his administration.

A host of well-known figures, including some Republicans, have indicated they would be willing to serve in some capacity as Obama begins to acquire a winner’s glow. From Senator John Kerry, the 2004 presidential candidate with hopes of becoming secretary of state, to Larry Summers, a former US Treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton, and Chuck Hagel, the Republican senator who has been tipped as defence secretary, there are plenty who have signalled their availability.

Obama is thought likely to cherry-pick a few high-profile names, while rewarding the loyalty and discretion of advisers such as his foreign policy expert Susan Rice who have served him so well throughout the campaign.

“He has no patience whatsoever with prima donnas,” said one leading Democrat policy adviser. “He’s surrounded himself with people who are pretty smooth in dealing with each other.” All eyes were on Colin Powell, the former secretary of state under President George W Bush, to see if he would declare his support for Obama in an interview on Meet the Press, the flagship political television programme, today.

Powell is unlikely to return to the cabinet after the mauling he received over the Iraq war, but could serve as a special envoy abroad. He is regularly consulted by Obama on foreign policy and military matters, and said last year: “I always keep my eyes open and my ears open to requests for service.”

In last week’s debate against John McCain, his Republican opponent, Obama indicated that he would adopt a bipartisan approach to government, citing the Republican senator Richard Lugar, who worked with him on a bill to prevent nuclear weapons proliferation, and General Jim Jones, the former Nato commander, as figures he admired.

“Those are the people, Democrat and Republican, who have shaped my ideas and who will be surrounding me in the White House,” Obama said.

If the Democrats win sweeping majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate as well as the White House, conservative voters could feel alienated from every branch of government. The McCain campaign is already playing up fears of a Democratic landslide to persuade Republicans and independents to back their man.

An editorial in The Wall Street Journal last week warned of a coming “liberal super-majority”. It is possible Democrats could win a filibuster-proof 60-seat majority in the Senate, enabling them to pass whatever legislation they wanted, from higher taxes to greater union rights.

“Though we doubt most Americans realise it, this would be one of the most profound political and ideological shifts in US history. Liberals would dominate the entire government in a way they haven’t since 1965 or 1933,” the newspaper commented.

William Galston, a former White House policy adviser under Bill Clinton, said: “I don’t think Obama is going to give Republicans much on substance, so he would be well advised to give them some satisfaction on personnel.”

Some leading supporters, such as Kerry, may end up disappointed, even though he launched the then unknown Illinois politician’s career at the 2004 Democratic national convention. “Frankly, how many senators do you want in the cabinet?” wondered one Obama adviser. If he wins the presidency, Obama has to beware of countering his message of “change” on the campaign stump by appointing too many Washington insiders.

Republicans hope the wall-to-wall coverage of the attack by the baldheaded Sam “Joe the plumber” Wurzelbacher on Obama’s plans to increase taxes for those earning more than $250,000 a year has halted the Democrat’s momentum. Some polls have tightened in favour of McCain, 72, but Obama retains an average lead of nearly seven points.

David Plouffe, Obama’s coolly efficient campaign manager, believes his candidate is disproportionately strong in former Republican strongholds such as Virginia and Colorado. This could give Obama enough electoral college votes to push him past the winner’s post, even if he loses the traditional battle-ground states of Florida and Ohio to McCain. The polls suggest that Obama leads by eight points in Virginia, a state that George W Bush won by the same margin in 2004.

In a show of confidence that rattled Republicans, Obama travelled on Friday to Roanoke on the edge of the Appalachian mountains in southwestern Virginia in search of the white, working-class voters who eluded him in the primary campaign against Hillary Clinton.

McCain, in contrast, was fighting a rearguard, defensive action in the northern tip of the state yesterday to shore up his support among the high-tech, white-collar, suburban voters who have been deserting his party.

The youth vote and black vote have been mobilised to an unprecedented degree by the Obama campaign, which has raised $454m – nearly double McCain’s $230m – enabling it to spend on saturation advertising and organisation in areas that were once thought to be unwinnable. It is expected to announce a record-breaking haul of more than $100m in September.

The Democratic voter registration effort has reached far and wide. Althea Patterson, 40, an African-American insurance worker from Roanoke, said: “I’ve got friends who went out and got their criminal records expunged so they could vote for Obama.” Former felons are barred from voting without a judge’s dispensation.

Senator Jim Webb, the Virginia Democrat and former marine who served as navy secretary in President Ronald Reagan’s administration, personally vouched for Obama’s integrity. “You can trust me and I trust him,” he told the rally in Roanoke. He cited the refrain from a country and western song to disparage McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate: “I know what I was doing but what was I thinking?”

With little more than two weeks until polling day, some leading Republicans suspect McCain is doomed. Peter Wehner, a senior White House official under Bush, said: “The Obama campaign is terrific. They’ve got boatloads of money and they’re using it well. I don’t think the race is over, but I always thought Obama would win. I’m a realist and I can read the polls and the electoral map as well as the next guy.” A persistent question for Obama is how to make the most of Hillary Clinton’s talents in government after she has helped to swing women and blue-collar workers behind him. Last week the New York senator put her chances of running again for president at “probably close to zero”, leaving just a little wiggle room in case Obama loses in a fortnight’s time and there is a vacancy.

Clinton added: “There’s an old saying: bloom where you’re planted.” In the event of an Obama victory, she hopes to inherit the mantle of lion of the Senate from Edward Kennedy and steer universal healthcare legislation through Congress.

However, members of Obama’s inner circle believe she would be tempted to accept an offer to become health secretary, which would give her the historic opportunity to devise and implement the policy. “That’s very possible. Senator Clinton would be terrific as health secretary,” said Congressman Patrick Murphy, a leading Obama supporter.

Sorting out the economy is going to be the biggest test of Obama’s presidency. “He’s got to do something bold and a lot of it will be psychological,” one of his advisers said. One of the names in the frame for Treasury secretary is Paul Volcker, the chairman of the Federal Reserve under President Ronald Reagan, who brought inflation under control in the early 1980s.

Admirers admit his age is against him – Volcker is 81 – but suggest he could oversee a financial rescue package before passing on the baton. Glenn Hubbard, the former head of the Council of Economic Advisers under Bush, said: “I can’t think of anyone else with the same stature.”

Volcker endorsed Obama back in January when Clinton was still the Democratic front-runner. “He would provide the confidence necessary to stabilise the markets and put together an economic plan to get the country moving again,” an Obama adviser said. “This is the man who solved the last economic crisis.”

Another leading candidate for the Treasury is Summers, who has been guiding Obama through the Wall Street melt-down. Summers was forced to quit as president of Harvard University in 2006 after suggesting controversially that men had a greater aptitude for science and engineering than women.

At a conference at Harvard Business School last week, Summers defended Obama’s plans to tax the wealthy by pointing to the huge rise in inequality over the past 30 years between the earnings of the top 1% and bottom 80% of the country. “It is immense compared to any discussion of changing the tax system here or there,” he said.

Obama may also want to reward Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of President John F Kennedy, for overseeing his vice-presidential selection and bringing the coveted family name to his campaign. She has been variously tipped as ambassador to the United Nations, the Vatican and even Britain – her grandfather Joseph Kennedy was sent packing from the same job in 1940 after saying democracy was finished. However, she may wish to remain in America and build on her experience as an education reformer in New York.

As Obama ponders his choice of cabinet, he may recall that there is a precedent for appointing well-established “stars” to shore up a relatively inexperienced president. George W Bush brought the powerful triumvirate of Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and Powell into his cabinet – and all were heavily criticised for their performance.

Wehner has learnt from experience inside the White House that voters can soon tire of distinguished names if they are unhappy with the results. “There will be a lot of talk about bipartisanship and a honeymoon period, but that will disappear if the economy is stagnating or gets worse,” he said. “The public is very pragmatic and will make its judgment on results rather than optics. The acid test is how the country is doing.”

By Scott A Morgan

There are Indications that the US Military is not even sure about which part of its Command Structure will take the lead in Fighting the Piracy in Somalia. For the Time Being it will be CENTCOM (US Central Command) not AFRICOM that will be leading the effort. Currently Naval Elements from the Fifth Fleet are part of the International Armada that is attempting to eradicate Piracy at the South End of the Red Sea.

Despite this International Effort to Combat Piracy the situation involving the MV Faina shows little sign of being resolved any time soon. This Ship with its Cargo of 30 Russian Made Tanks and other crew served weapons and ammunition was seized by Pirates almost a month ago. This capture created such a buzz and a guessing game that would make one think that Tom Clancy himself created the scenario.

One thing that people can agree upon is that the Ship had a Destination of Mombasa, Kenya. After that the stories get interesting. The Initial Reports were that the Armor was intended for the Kenyan Military. But the BBC uncovered a Bill indicating that the Weapons were in fact intended for the Government of Southern Sudan. The Diplomatic part of this crisis has seen the Ambassadors from both Kenya and Ethiopia called to the Foreign Ministry in Sudan.

Add this caveat to the unfolding crisis. The Kenyan Government is reportedly planning on training 10,000 soldiers of the Transitional National Government (TNG) in Sudan. And the Islamist Militias are furious. They are threatening to Attack Kenya if it follows through with the current plan to train the Somali Military.

So what will happen next? First of All the Current Government of Kenya has to once again work on its image. Earlier this year the World watched as the Country almost Imploded after the Controversial Elections. A Month of violence led to the deaths of Hundreds of People and led to a GNU. A Controversy such as this one and the threat of attacks will place the Country under increasing scrutiny by International Donors and Counter Terrorism Experts.

Secondly there is Somalia. The Piracy Efforts will have people asking about how much control does the TNG actually have. Another Question may be how long will some people support the TNG. The Hingepin on this will be when/if Ethiopia pulls out its forces. This could be seen in two ways. Either the Country will be ready for the AU to send in a Peacekeeping Mission or the current attempt at supporting the TNG is an utter failure. It does make those who are advocating an Independent Somaliland look very intelligent lately.

Lastly there is Sudan. They did take the Diplomatic Step and Called in the Ambassadors from Kenya and Ethiopia to complain about the Tanks. The scrutiny that they are facing regarding the Darfur situation has caused the President of the Country to be indicted by the International Criminal Court. Although the Authorities in Khartoum have a Peace Deal signed with the South the attempt by GOSS to purchase these weapons could leave one to wonder why they are arming. In recent weeks GOSS has had several clashes with the LRA along the border with the DRC.

The entrance of the Armor into a very volatile region is an escalation of tensions. One country has a region with a large autonomious region. Another had a violent aftermath to a controversial election and has been working on restoring peace and harmony. The Other is the perfect example of a failed state. This is a Good Recipe for a War to Break Out.

The rest of the World has deployed Naval Assets to protect a vital Shipping Lane. But How far will the rest of the world be willing to prevent the Armor from falling into the hands of Groups that have plans to use them for a Political or Military Agenda? What steps will be used to prevent another war from breaking out in the Horn of Africa? Or will the Powers that be Yawn and let it happen and make Money!
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The Author Publishes Confused Eagle on the Internet it can be found at morganrights.tripod.com