John McCain: Obama's 'secret weapon'?

By Thomas Ferraro

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. Senator John McCain accidentally walked in on President Barack Obama this week when he was addressing a Democrats-only meeting of senators.

"Come on in, John," Obama shouted.

A red-faced McCain turned around and headed out to chuckles and then applause from the Democrats. "My mistake," McCain said.

To the far-right in the Republican Party, there is no mistake about it. In a party that generally brooks no compromise with Obama, McCain is the compromiser-in-chief. He's negotiating with the White House.

And he's in-their-face about it, having recently described as "wacko birds" two of the right's most uncompromising heroes, Senators Ted Cruz and Rand Paul.

A recent article in the conservative National Review described McCain as "Obama's secret weapon" and a "lethal threat" to a Republican victory in the budget battles this fall.

If Obama somehow wins an upcoming fiscal showdown with Republicans, the president may have McCain to thank.

The 2008 Republican presidential nominee, the man Obama beat, is now engaged in talks with a half-dozen fellow Senate Republicans and the White House aimed at trying to craft a bargain on critical fiscal issues to avoid a nasty standoff in the fall that could lead to a government shutdown or a government default, or both.

Obama already owes McCain for brokering the deal last month that allowed the president to overcome Republican objections and fill seven top administration jobs.

And McCain joined four Democrats and three Republicans in drafting the Senate's landmark bill to overhaul U.S. immigration laws, a top Obama priority.

So popular has the Arizona Republican become among Democrats that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid - who in 2008 said, "I can't stand John McCain" - now describes him as a "great senator," right up there with the late Ted Kennedy, the Democratic "lion of the Senate" who became a bridge between parties after his own presidential ambitions were crushed.

"He's become our go-to guy," a senior Democratic aide said of the 76-year-old white-haired senator.

That's an exaggeration. McCain remains a critic of Obama's handling of the deadly attack on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, last September and of what he considers the "disgrace" of Obama's non-intervention in Syria.

But on domestic issues, McCain has emerged as one of the top deal makers in Washington, a Republican Obama can do business with.

MOVING TOWARD THE MIDDLE

McCain said in an interview that he has been able to work more with Obama in part because the president has moved toward the middle in his second term and become more willing to negotiate.

McCain has also moved toward the middle after having veered toward the right in 2010 when he survived a Republican primary challenge and won election back home in Arizona to a fifth, six-year Senate term.

Two unrelated events have helped as well: McCain's new friendship with Charles Schumer, the third-ranking Senate Democrat who worked with McCain on the immigration bill, and Obama's choice of a McCain friend, Denis McDonough, as White House chief of staff.

The three have clicked.

At a time when the top congressional Republicans, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, rarely communicate with the White House, McCain does.

He said he and McDonough talked three times a day during the negotiations over Obama's stalled nominations.

"With all due respect to his predecessors, Denis knows how the Senate works," McCain said of McDonough, whom he knows from McDonough's days as a senior aide to former Democratic Senator Tom Daschle.

"I will continue to pound him (Obama) on Syria. I will continue to pound him on Benghazi," McCain said. "I will continue to pound him on a number of things, particularly on national security.

"But at the same time, I can find common ground with the president on certain issues," McCain said.

"The president won't owe me anything, but he may have a sense of satisfaction from being able to achieve some of the things that we ostensibly came here to do," McCain said.

At the same time he is helping Obama, McCain may be helping himself.

He likes attention as much as any other politician in Washington - and more than many - and there's no better way to get it than to talk about wacko birds.

In a city that rarely makes a deal, his recent feats of deal making have put him at the center of the action in Washington, enhancing his value as one of television's favorite political guests.

"I think John has more job satisfaction now than any time in his career," said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, one of McCain's closest friends.

"He wanted to be president, but it didn't work out," Graham said. "It takes a while to get over it. Right now, John realizes that the country is in trouble and believes he can help."

"He's back in his groove," Graham said.

(Reporting by Thomas Ferraro; Editing by Fred Barbash and Eric Beech)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-mccains-deals-wacko-bird-barbs-priceless-obama-050435577.html

Jay Z Open Letter glee glee masters live frozen four Rehtaeh Parsons National Sibling Day

NSA surveillance 'has no legal basis whatsoever' ? RT Op-Edge

Published time: August 02, 2013 03:31

NSA Director Keith Alexander lied and condescended to his audience when he delivered the keynote address this week at a computer security conference in Las Vegas, Ted Rall, a political cartoonist who lampooned Alexander?s remarks, told RT.

Alexander?s speech, while purporting to disclose new information about the vast NSA surveillance programme, was met with jeers and interrupted by hecklers. The remarks have been met with equal scorn in editorial cartoons, with one of Rall?s most recent works depicting NSA leaders formulating a new plan to identify who is a terrorist. ?

RT:?What exactly about Keith Alexander?s statements inspired you to draw this cartoon??

Ted Rall: Well, It?s the sophistry of it all and the fact that he had the gall to go and present it to a group of tech-savvy young people ? hackers and people who are great programmers and know what they are talking about. If I rob a bank and steal a hundred million dollars and I don?t spend all that much of the money it doesn?t mean that I didn?t rob the bank and it doesn?t mean that the money is still in the bank. That?s kind of the argument that the NSA is making.?

They?re claiming that because they collect everything but they only look at a little bit of it that somehow is supposed to make us feel better.?

RT: You use the bank reference to talk about the ethics of this. The American Constitution prohibits spying on Americans. How is Alexander basically using this to justify what they?ve done?

TR: What they have done has no legal basis whatsoever. Ever since 9/11 the US government has been dreaming up a series of pseudo-legalistic, extra-Constitutional systems that purport to validate what they want to do anyway. But if you scratch the surface all they say is the FISA court has approved this and that.?

Well, who is the FISA court? We don?t even know, they?re secret and until very recently were secret. It?s only because of Mr. Snowden that we have even seen one of them. It turns out, in an article in the New York Times, that all the judges were appointed by one right-wing Supreme Court justice, John Roberts.

There?s no accountability here whatsoever, but it?s the veneer of legality that we have. If we follow the letter of the law, if we follow the spirit of the law, if we follow what the NSA?s charter says, the NSA simply isn?t allowed to engage in spying on Americans. Period. It?s very simple. It?s very straightforward. And the administration is trying to obfuscate that and that?s why General Alexander got laughed at.?

RT: You talked about the GCHQ and the kind of veneer of legality. Could the NSA be using the GCHQ as a kind of to get around this and say it?s the British who are spying??

TR: That might be part of it. I don?t think that?s really the main takeaway from the GCHQ story. What that really is, it goes back to the days of Tony Blair as George W. Bush?s poodle. It?s really interesting that America, the former British colony, now has turned the tables on England and - pretty much since World War Two ? put the UK in a subservient position in terms of politics.?

It?s really pathetic that what used to be a superpower is behaving in this way and accepting money from US taxpayers that US taxpayers, incidentally, can?t afford to pay. This NSA program is a $100 billion program and the United States, at the same time, is closing clinics, telling people on welfare that they can?t get any more help, being told we have to accept austerity, public parks are closing. But somehow there?s always money to spy on the public.?

RT: Obama has said that these programs are justified because they ensure the safety of American citizens. How do you balance this safety vs. privacy when it really comes down to it?

TR: To me there is no comparison whatsoever. Tens of thousands of Americans lose their lives on public roadways every year in car accidents but you don?t see us turning our airports or our vehicular systems upside down in order to stop those deaths.?

Between 12 and 15 Americans die worldwide every year from a terrorist threat ever year. Quite frankly there?s about as much threat from shark attacks and lightning strikes. Terrorism is not a serious threat to the United States of America and to devote a huge amount of our resources to preventing it is foolhardy.?

But I don?t think that?s what?s really going on. I think it?s a business, I think it?s the defense contractors who are well-connected in Washington and other corporations are raking in so much cash that that is what this is all about. It?s fear-mongering.

Source: http://rt.com/op-edge/nsa-surveillance-no-legal-basis-928/

Inaugural Ball julio jones j crew san francisco 49ers san francisco 49ers stan musial Mega

A shark talk show highlight's Discovery's week

NEW YORK (AP) ? Comic Josh Wolf may not want to hear the word "shark" after next week, much less bump into one.

Discovery has given him a unique assignment: host an hour-long talk show for five nights in a row on the menacing beast, a new wrinkle in the network's annual "Shark Week."

"Shark After Dark" will debut Sunday at 11 p.m. EDT.

Wolf, who's a recurring character on Fox's "Raising Hope" and perhaps best known as a regular guest on E! Entertainment's "Chelsea Lately," said he's looking forward to the challenge.

"Not only have I always been fascinated with 'Shark Week,' I've always wanted to do a late-night talk thing," he said. "That's been on the bucket list. This kills two birds with one stone."

So how do you fill an hour each night with chatter about a creature that does all its talking with its teeth?

Wolf will open each night with a shark monologue. He'll talk about the "Shark Week" programs that Discovery aired that night and bring in some shark experts and celebrities. One booked guest is actress Tara Reid, who starred in the Syfy network's "Sharknado" movie earlier this summer. Others are Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and actor Dominic Monaghan.

There are limits, though.

"You can't do an hour of shark jokes," Wolf said. "Trust me."

So he expects "Shark After Dark" will be more expansive than the title. Craig Ferguson is the show's executive producer, and Wolf said the late-night host's interviewing style is an inspiration. "He lets the conversation go where it goes," he said. "That's what I hope to do, too."

"It's shameful that the shark demographic has been neglected for so long by late-night TV," Ferguson said. "I'm delighted to be making a show that combines comedy, witty chat and ferocious biting predators."

"Shark After Dark" is part of Discovery's effort to promote "Shark Week" as a pop culture event, said Michael Sorensen, the network's senior director of programming. Discovery can only hope for ratings success that mirrors its promotion; its cheeky ad about a giant shark ruining the return of "Snuffy the seal" to the ocean has received more than 5 million streams online.

The idea behind "Shark After Dark" is that "'Shark Week' is a party and people just want to be invited, (so) let's continue the experience into a talk show," Sorensen said.

__

Online:

http://dsc.discovery.com/

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/shark-talk-show-highlights-discoverys-week-173049471.html

mega millions lottery jackpot winning numbers mega millions megamillions drawing olbermann mega millions march 30 lucky numbers

Apple acquires low-energy chipmaker Passif

Jessica Lessin, a former Wall Street Journal reporter and editor who is starting up a new technology news publication, announced today that Apple purchased Silicon Valley-based wireless chip developer Passif Semiconductor. The news was validated by an Apple spokeswoman, who noted that "Apple buys small technology companies from time to time."

What's Passif's specialty? Radios that work with Bluetooth LE, the low-energy version of the popular short-range wireless protocol that is used in health-monitoring and fitness devices that need long battery life.

Although Lessin's sources didn't say how much Apple spent for Passif, those sources did say that Apple had tried to buy the company a few years ago for "mid-tens-of-millions of dollars." As Lessin notes, that figure would presumably be higher now.

The deal could also help Apple as it tries to wean itself from relying on rival Samsung Electronics for components for future products.

[via TechCrunch]

Share

Source: http://www.tuaw.com/2013/08/01/apple-acquires-low-energy-chipmaker-passif/

chris carpenter chris carpenter dick cheney hcg drops reason rally mad hatter azerbaijan

Catching cancer early by chasing it: Portable diagnostic device that can travel to the patient

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Reaching a clinic in time to receive an early diagnosis for cancer -- when the disease is most treatable -- is a global problem. Now a team of researchers proposes a global solution: have a user-friendly diagnostic device travel to the patient, anywhere in the world.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/technology/~3/L3UxXsIUZ1I/130801125135.htm

melissa gilbert deadliest catch dwts sean hannity bobby petrino fired buffett rule lollapalooza lineup

Correction: Afghanistan story

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? In a story Aug. 1 about a nighttime attack in Afghanistan, The Associated Press erroneously reported that a NATO helicopter killed five Afghan soldiers. It was an aircraft belonging to the NATO-led coalition that carried out the airstrike and the fatalities were Afghan policemen. The AP also misidentified a coalition spokeswoman ? her correct name is Capt. Ebony Malloy, not Capt. Malloy Ebony.

A corrected version of the story is below:

NATO aircraft kills 5 Afghan policemen by mistake

NATO aircraft accidentally kills 5 Afghan police officers in nighttime attack on highway post

By AMIR SHAH

Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? An aircraft belonging to the NATO-led coalition called in to support Afghan police at a highway checkpoint accidentally killed five Afghan policemen, authorities said.

The killings happened Wednesday night in eastern Nangarhar province's Bati Kot district, some 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the capital, Kabul. Police officers manning a checkpoint on a highway near the border with Pakistan came under fire and called in for air support from the International Security Assistance Force, said Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, a spokesman for the provincial governor.

Capt. Ebony Malloy, a spokeswoman for the coalition, said five policemen were accidentally killed after a combined force of Afghan and coalition forces called for air support.

Lt. Col. Will Griffin, a spokesman for the NATO-led coalition, said that the operation in the area involved a combined force of international and Afghan troops, but gave no further details. That contradicted information initially provided by Afghan authorities about the incident. The different accounts could not be immediately reconciled Thursday.

"An investigation is being conducted at this time to determine the specific circumstances that led to this unfortunate incident," Malloy said.

Insurgents have stepped up the tempo of their attacks in areas where foreign troops have withdrawn, or are in the process of drawing down after handing over the lead for security to Afghan security forces in mid-June. The majority of foreign forces are to leave this year and completely pull out at the end of 2014.

A United Nations report this week credited the international coalition with reducing the number of casualties caused by airstrikes. However, NATO forces have killed Afghan troops by mistake in the past.

The death of civilians in military operations, particularly in airstrikes, has been among a major source of acrimony between Afghan President Hamid Karzai's government and foreign forces. In February, Karzai banned government forces from requesting foreign air support during operations in residential areas amid anger over an airstrike that killed at least 10 civilians in northeastern Kunar province.

Meanwhile, attacks continued elsewhere in Afghanistan. In southern Uruzgan province, spokesman Farid Ayel said the Taliban ambushed local education official Hadi Khan, killing him, his two sons and a bodyguard on Wednesday afternoon. In northwestern Faryab province, Gov. Ahmadullha Batash said a roadside mine exploded on Thursday, killing two policemen and a prosecutor, and wounding seven people in Bilchiragh district.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/correction-afghanistan-story-103656865.html

gillian anderson jessie j jessie j florida lotto Wade Robson powerball numbers American Idol 2013

What Congress Will Do Over Recess

Fishing in Canada. Island-hopping in Hawaii. Crossing paths with Al Gore. Throw in some fundraising and a few town-hall meetings, or ?sweet teas,? as one Southern congressman calls them, and it must be August recess.

Congress is wrapping up its work week, and most lawmakers will soon be jetting out of the capital until after Labor Day. With five weeks outside Washington?and no national election on the other side of the break?the exhale is almost audible.

So what do House members and senators do with their time? The answer depends on who you talk to. Most will reconnect with family and their districts, meeting with constituents and engaging in politics at the retail level back home.

?I will be having sweet tea at some point, my version of a town hall,? said Rep. Tim Griffin, R-Ark., before ticking off at least a dozen events, including visits to a Best Buy, meetings with a pastor, post-office namings, and a trip to the beach with his family. ?Everybody loves the sweet tea, man. Sweet tea with Tim.?

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., the third-ranking Republican in the Senate, is headed back to his home state for the wedding of his daughter Larissa. ?It was planned during the August break for a reason,? Thune said. ?That was probably the best time to do it.?

Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa is headed to Ethiopia?his first visit there?as part of an Aspen Institute event. Then, he?s headed to Slovenia with 11 members of his family. ?My mother was born there,? Harkin said. ?It?s a family deal, and then on the way back I?m gonna stop in Iceland.?

Democratic Rep. Gerald Connolly, who represents a Virginia district in suburban Washington, is headed to Norway as part of a congressional delegation.

?I?ve been to Norway many, many, many times in the private sector,? he said. ?I?ve never been to the Arctic Circle, so from an environmental point of view I?m really keen on seeing what they?re seeing in terms of changes up there, which are reportedly very dramatic.?

One of the lawmakers who has to travel the farthest just to get home, Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, is planning to visit every island of his state over the break. ?I live 5,000 miles from the Capitol, so it?s important for me to spend as much time as possible understanding and reconnecting with the priorities of the people of my state,? he said.

Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., is going on a fishing trip to Canada with his 83-year-old father. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said he is headed to China, along with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said he will be crisscrossing the Bluegrass State meeting with constituents. Paul, a medical doctor who opened an ophthalmology practice in Bowling Green after his residency, is also planning to do a pro-bono cataract surgery in Paducah, Ky.

Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is cohosting the National Clean Energy Summit in Las Vegas on Aug. 13. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz will also be there. On Aug. 19, Reid will be on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe for the annual Lake Tahoe Summit, where Gore will be the special guest. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and California Gov. Jerry Brown are also expected to attend.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, will be ?on the road? fundraising for House Republicans and attending political events, spokesman Cory Fritz said. Fritz would not release any details.

Unlike most Americans who get a summer vacation, Congress?s summer break is mandated by law. The 1970 Legislative Reorganization Act made what was once a congressional tradition into a legal requirement.

But that doesn?t mean there isn?t work to be done. Congress leaves town with a slate of unfinished business, ranging from the farm bill to spending measures to a solution that would avert a government shutdown at the end of September. Staff may work on many of these issues during August.

But for lawmakers, the point of the recess is not so much talking to each other. They do that here in the Capitol. It?s more about getting face-time with the voters?schedules permitting.

?I live one day at a time,? Connolly said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/congress-over-recess-061704442.html

Imessage Not Working mc hammer pecan pie recipe Hector Camacho Jill Kelly McKayla Maroney gronkowski