Saturday, April 4, 2009

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Anders Fogh Rasmussen: NATO Leaders Pick New Secretary-General Top
STRASBOURG, France — NATO leaders appointed Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen as NATO's new secretary-general Saturday after overcoming Turkish objections to a leader who angered Muslims around the world by supporting the right to caricature the Prophet Muhammad. NATO's outgoing head, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, said NATO's 28 member nations reached unanimity after a series of Turkish "concerns" were addressed. "Every head of state and government is fully convinced that Anders Fogh Rasmussen is the best choice for NATO," de Hoop Scheffer told reporters at the end of the alliance's two-day, 60th-anniversary summit. "A solution has been found also for the concerns expressed by Turkey and we are unanimous in this." "There were important efforts to make sure that everyone felt included," President Barack Obama said after the meeting. Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters that his government's requests had included the closure of a Kurdish satellite television broadcaster based in Denmark; the establishment of contacts between NATO and Islamic countries; appointment of a Turk as an aide to Fogh Rasmussen and senior NATO command positions for Turkish generals. He said Obama had been heavily involved in the negotiations. "Our president gave his approval after receiving information that our reservations have been addressed under the guarantorship of Obama," Erdogan said. "We hope our concerns will be met." He appealed for understanding from other NATO members about Turkey's objections to Fogh Rasmussen. "Our aim was to contribute to the process of having a healthy administration in NATO," Erdogan said. "Other countries should show understanding while we contribute to this process." Fogh Rasmussen infuriated many Muslims by defending freedom of speech during an uproar over a Danish newspaper's publication of the cartoons in 2005. He has also angered Turkey by opposing its membership in the European Union. Turkish leaders argued that Fogh Rasmussen on the grounds that he would be a bad choice at a time when NATO was trying to win support from Muslims in Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to a diplomat from a member country who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Fogh Rasmussen, who stood next to de Hoop Scheffer during the announcement, said he was honored by the decision. "I have total understanding for the issues raised by Turkey," Fogh Rasmussen said, adding that he viewed Turkey as a bridge to the Islamic world. "A dialogue with the Muslim world is important," he said. De Hoop Scheffer's term runs out Aug. 1. The secretary-general's duties include administering the day-to-day business of the alliance's headquarters in Brussels. The post has in the past been filled in private consultations between member states, and the choices provoked little public interest. Other possible candidates for NATO's top post had included Canada's Defense Minister Peter MacKay, Britain's former Defense minister Des Browne, and Norway's Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere. Denmark has twice before offered candidates for the NATO job and lost. ___ Hacaoglu reported from Ankara, Turkey. AP correspondent Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen contributed to this report.
 
Earl Ofari Hutchinson: Playa Hatin' on Madonna Top
Let's cut the bull. The issue is not Mercy James. That's the four year old Malawian orphan girl who Madonna wants to adopt. The issue is Madonna. Whether their motive is revulsion, disgust, secret wish fulfillment, sexism, or just plain, garden variety envy, legions just flat out loathe Madonna. Or in the street vernacular, there's a thriving growth industry in playa hatin' on Madonna. This writer became painfully aware of that after my piece "Madonna Deserves Cheers not Jeers for casting the ugly glare on Africa's adoption misery" hit the web. The calls, letters, emails, and shots from Madonna's sex book, and her on stage at times sado masochistic antics poured in. The idea was to remind me that Madonna is an ego maniacal, crotch grabbing, whacked out on stage porno and fast buck exhibitionist who no one with a shred of decency could possibly think could be a fit mother, especially a fit mother to a black kid. The rants were against me, Madonna, and those Malawians who cheered Madonna; which by the way as every poll and survey has shown is just about everyone in Malawi from top officials down to the beggar on the street to Mercy's grandparents, relatives and caregivers. They all applaud Madonna for taking a personal and humanitarian interest in Malawi's one million orphans. The Madonna playa haters are absolutely unfazed by the millions of dollars that she has raised for her Raise Malawi organization. They pooh pooh the international attention that she's brought to a country that ranks near dead last on nearly every social and economic measure for developing countries. This is a country which nearly all the Madonna loathers thought was another way of saying Malarky, hadn't heard of and couldn't find on a map before Madonna tossed the spotlight on the dire poverty in the country. The haters air brush off Madonna's plans to bankroll a school for orphan girls in the country. They wave away the reminder that Madonna outside of President Obama is the most over exposed celebrity on the planet and hardly needs to snatch away an African orphan to get some cheap pub. They turn the tinniest ear to this rejoinder; OK, so other than yap that Madonna has turned Africa into what the hater's brand a rich closet bigotted white woman's plaything, have you contributed money, written letters to elected officials, volunteered to work with relief agencies, or tried to sponsor an African orphan? Madonna's brash, sassy, and high energy in your face style and persona has long sent the clear message that she was her own woman. She turned sensuality into a badge of fierce independence and pride, the trademark of defiance.This has always sent the pack of Madonna haters spinning into orbit. The issue is not and never has been Madonna and Malawi's orphans. The issue is and always will be Madonna. It's a playa hater's delight. Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His weekly radio show, "The Hutchinson Report" can be heard on weekly in Los Angeles on KTYM Radio 1460 AM and nationally on blogtalkradio.com More on Africa
 
Ex-Blackwater Workers May Return To Iraq Jobs Top
Late last month Blackwater Worldwide lost its billion-dollar contract to protect American diplomats here, but by next month many if not most of its private security guards will be back on the job in Iraq. The same individuals will just be wearing new uniforms, working for Triple Canopy, the firm that won the State Department's contract after Iraqi officials refused to renew Blackwater's operating license, according to American diplomats, private security industry officials and Iraqi officials. Blackwater -- viewed in Iraq as a symbol of American violence and impunity -- lost the contract after being accused of excessive force in several instances, particularly an apparently unprovoked shooting in downtown Baghdad in 2007 in which 17 civilians were killed. More on Blackwater
 
Heavenly Creatures! More First Lady Fashion At Strasbourg Cathedral (PHOTOS) Top
After a big night out in Baden-Baden , first ladies Michelle Obama, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and the other NATO spouses did a little tourism on Saturday morning with a visit to Strasbourg Cathedral. Obama and Bruni-Sarkozy did a little modeling and mugging for the camera before admiring and complimenting each other's outfits. Have they traded the fashion face-off for friendship? Tonight the Obamas head to Prague, where they will have date night. Or see all the outfits Michelle Obama has worn in Europe so far. *Follow Huffington Post Style on Twitter and become a fan of Huffington Post Style on Facebook * More on Michelle Obama Style
 
Pentagon Planning Major Changes In Programs, Defense Budget Top
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is expected to announce on Monday the restructuring of several dozen major defense programs as part of the Obama administration's bid to shift military spending from preparations for large-scale war against traditional rivals to the counterinsurgency programs that Gates and others consider likely to dominate U.S. conflicts in coming decades. Gates's aides say his plan would boost spending for some programs and take large whacks at others, including some with powerful constituencies on Capitol Hill and among influential contractors, making his announcement more of an opening bid than a decisive end to weeks of sometimes acrimonious internal Pentagon debate.
 
Verena von Pfetten: 7 Lessons To Be Learned From Carla Bruni Top
So here's the thing. There's no shortage of articles dedicated to that certain je ne sais quois of French women. You know, like how they eat more, but weigh less. They have accents, we have Billy Ray Cyrus and though we undoubtedly crush them in dollars spent at department stores (recession be damned!), they undoubtedly look better. Now, while there's certainly nothing I like better than the grandiosity of a good sweeping statement, it's also, more or less, a bunch of garbage. (See also: a gross generalization.) But that doesn't mean we don't have anything to learn from our Francophilic counterparts; they have plenty to offer in terms of fromage , fashion, and, most importantly: First Ladies. If there's one thing the French have going for them, it's the seemingly inimitable Carla Bruni. (Though, let's be clear: this is by no means a criticism of Michelle -- as far as we're concerned, Ms. Obama can do no wrong, other than her eyebrows , that is. In fact, a comparison between the two is downright impossible: it's apples to oranges, pommes à oranges , Brunis to Obamas.) So, what do we stand to learn from Ms. Bruni? Well, first off, her love of flats . By no means the originator of the trend, she is, by far, one of its greatest champions -- followed closely by our own First Lady , of course. Though she may be the only woman able to pull of a tea-length pencil skirt with flats, that shouldn't stop the rest of us from trying. I'm a huge advocate of comfort over cosmetics, and so is France's first lady, with her thanks, but no thanks stance on make-up . In an interview in last month's Vogue, Ms. Bruni decreed that "it takes forever and doesn't make you look better after 30." We, of course, wholeheartedly agree . Which brings us to the laissez-faire attitude of her love life . France's First Femme Fatale has famously declared monogamy "terribly boring" and made no bones about her preference for polygamy and polyandry. It's not, however, her sexual peccadilloes that we find admirable, but rather the justification for her aforementioned liberal decrees. "I am faithful... to myself," she claims and I say: truer words have never been spoken. Speaking of, well, speaking , I can't get enough of Ms. Bruni's voice . (And neither can David Letterman -- she had him at " Bon soir ...") A former supermodel with over 250 magazine covers to her name and an heiress in her own right, Carla Bruni also had two best-selling albums and the French equivalent of a Grammy before marrying the President of France, none of which stopped her from releasing a third album and going on a subsequent press tour. How amazing is it that the wife of the President of one of the world's most powerful countries devotes her time to not only his causes but her own career ? And I don't doubt that most other women with her looks and/or heritage would have long succumbed to a life of content consumption, but not this one. "Objects, clothes and jewelry" give her "no pleasure" -- a fact illustrated by her generally ascetic style choices. Clean, crisp lines are her cut of choice and I'm not sure I've ever seen her in a pattern, aside from her runway days , of course. There's something about her understated elegance that makes me green with envy; my clothing choices are as erratic as my eating habits -- another thing to learn from the French, I suppose. This is a woman who makes coy seem positively cutthroat . (And, yes, that's a good thing!) Though she rarely raises her voice and seems as content out of the limelight as she is within it, there's a feline ferocity to her that I, personally, can only dream of having. I certainly don't doubt her when she claims to have an "austere temperament." The thing is, I have a sneaking suspicion that it all goes back to her mantra of being faithful to herself -- a lesson every woman, whether French or Floridian -- should learn. *Follow Huffington Post Style on Twitter and become a fan of Huffington Post Style on Facebook *
 
Lee Stranahan: GOP Calls For "National Day Of Foot Stamping & Lip Pursing" Top
National Republican leaders, frustrated by the popularity of President Barack Obama and widespread public support for his policies, vowed today to remain frustrated. The statement came in a rare show of unity that brought together Republican lawmakers, right wing talk show hosts, conservative bloggers, and several people wearing tinfoil hats, wearing roller skates and carrying tea bags. "We're at a time of great national crisis and the vast minority of American people are clearly calling for us to obstruct, mock, and twist the President's efforts to solve the country's problems," said some official Republican douchebag. "We remain committed to this course of action, which we expect to include snorting, pouting and -- if needed -- a total fucking fucky fuck-fit." To show support, Fox News host Glenn Beck held his breath until he passed out and then fell on top of Congressman Eric Cantor, who had been lying in a fetal position in the corner near former Vice President Dick Cheney who had a paper bag on his head and fingers in both ears. Luckily, the scene was not witnessed by the newly bald headed trio of Sarah Palin, Michelle Malkin and Ann Coulter, who had shaved their heads earlier in the day before moving into a cave above the hills of Simi Valley, California to join the tribe of a mumu wearing Norm Coleman. A calf was sacrificed, There were many furtuve reach-arounds given behind closed doors. Michael Steele was set on fire. The blood soaked into the ground as Senator John Boehner traced the sign of the dollar with the tip of his finger into the dark earth. "The road is clear", said Newt Gingrich. And then there was only the sky and the smoke and the figure of Rush Limbaugh. More on Dick Cheney
 
Vickie Karp: Third Screen: The Really Terrible Orchestra Attacks America Top
Heard novelist Alexander McCall Smith play in his beloved Really Terrible Orchestra at Town Hall Wednesday night, and all I can say is there is absolutely no danger they'll get good any time soon. I know he was relieved to hear this. It is an orchestra for people without talent, and so far, they're all keepers. The Really Terrible Orchestrea, or RTO, continues to live up to its mission of "inclusiveness," meaning you get to play with them just so long as no one else will include you. There were approximately 1,400 of us in the audience, and I may have been the only one not wearing plaid, because it was a benefit for a children's orchestra fund and the Tartan Society. The crowd outside, the ones not playing the bagpipes, included one person who told me tickets, which cost $25 or $35, were being sold on the Internet for $500. The woman sitting behind me in the balcony was a Dutch attorney who had just returned from two years with the U.N. in Afghanistan that day. That day. Apparently, she'd met the Really Terrible Orchestra's percussionist in India somewhere along her travels, and been invited way way in advance. Do you see her, she asked me as she peered forward, I can't see a thing without my glasses. Not even the guy in a kilt behind the conga drums? I asked her. Not even the guy in a kilt behind the conga drums. There was an extremely old woman sitting behind the tympanny holding a baton, and she never played a note. Not a single bang on a single piece of musical equipment. That aside, what better way to recover from being a Dutch lawyer for the U.N. in Afghanistan than to be on Broadway listening to an ode to Botswana played by Scots in kilts. In April. Here's Alexander McCall Smith on himself in the Wall Street Journal this week, with reference to his best-selling detective agency novels, and with references to W. H. Auden, of all things, on the pleasures of crime. In books. "The issue of reader expectations is one with which writers of crime or mystery fiction have long been familiar. The poet W.H. Auden is among many critics who have commented on how novels in this genre follow a classic pattern: First there is peace, then this peace is shattered by the occurrence of a crime, usually a murder. This leads to a search for the wrongdoer, his apprehension and punishment, and finally a return to peace. We need to see the moral balance restored, said Auden -- a view also expressed by P.D. James, one of the greatest crime writers of our times. According to James, the traditional detective novel reassures us that we live in a moral universe, one in which the detective is the agent of justice. In this respect, she suggests, the detective novel is really doing the work of the old-fashioned morality play."
 
Police official: 3 officers killed in Pa. shooting Top
PITTSBURGH — A man opened fire on officers during a domestic disturbance call Saturday morning, killing three of them, a police official said. Friends said he feared the Obama administration was poised to ban guns. Three officers were killed, said a police official at the scene who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Police spokeswoman Diane Richard would only say that at least five officers were wounded, but wouldn't give any other details. The man who fired at the officers was arrested after a several-hour standoff. One witness reported hearing hundreds of shots. The shootings occurred just two weeks after four police officers March 21 in Oakland, Calif., in the deadliest day for U.S. law enforcement since Sept. 11, 2001. Police did not immediately release the gunman's identity, but his friends at the scene described him as a young man who thought the Obama administration would ban guns. One friend, Edward Perkovic, said the gunman feared "the Obama gun ban that's on the way" and "didn't like our rights being infringed upon." Another longtime friend, Aaron Vire, said he feared that President Obama was going to take away his rights, though he said he "wasn't violently against Obama." Perkovic, a 22-year-old who said he was the gunman's best friend, said he got a call at work from him in which he said, "Eddie, I am going to die today. ... Tell your family I love them and I love you." Perkovic said: "I heard gunshots and he hung up. ... He sounded like he was in pain, like he got shot." Vire, 23, said the gunman once had an Internet talk show but that it wasn't successful. Vire said his friend had an AK-47 rifle and several powerful handguns, including a .357 Magnum. The officers were called to the home in the Stanton Heights neighborhood at about 7 a.m., Richard said. Tom Moffitt, 51, a city firefighter who lives two blocks away, said he heard about the shooting on his scanner and came to the scene, where he heard "hundreds, just hundreds of shots. And not just once _ several times." Rob Gift, 45, who lives a block away, said he heard rapid gunfire as he was letting his dog out. He said the neighborhood of well-kept single-family houses and manicured lawns is home to many police officers, firefighters, paramedics and other city workers. "It's just a very quiet neighborhood," Gift said.
 
Steve Clemons: US Border Authorities Detain German Political Leader and Undermine American Brand Top
I will be arriving in Berlin on Monday, the 11th of May -- and I am appealing to German border authorities to detain me for an hour or so -- to make amends for the treatment that a German political leader (and probably many other unnamed victims of passport screening) received at Dulles Airport. I think that every American should feel embarrassed by the treatment important guests of the United States received this past week at the hands of US Customs and Border Protection officials at Dulles International Airport. And frankly, when important political leaders from nations allied with the United States are treated poorly when entering the country, one knows that there must be a much longer line of others who can't garner headlines about their cases that are detained in similar or worse ways. Former German State Minister for Police Cem Oezdemir , who was the first ever Turkish-German Member of the German Bundestag and then became a Member of the European Parliament and is today the Co-Chair of the German Green Party, was detained by officials at Dulles Airport earlier this week and given no reason. I met Oezdemir and his wife, radio personality Pia Castro , shortly after their detainment and heard that what frustrated him most about the incident was the unwillingness of the officials to tell him anything about what was going on. A border control official just told him in a loud, aggressively confrontational voice to sit, to be quiet and wait to be called. The problem was that the officials didn't have his passport or name. Oezdemir, who had an official of the German Embassy in Washington, DC there to help expedite him through customs, had to go up to the intimidating official and say to him that there was no way Oezdemir would be called from a roster as no one had taken his name or passport yet. So, Oezdemir handed it to them. The process was, according to Oezdemir and his wife who both frequently visit the US, dehumanizing, excessively rude, and characterized by total lack of information being provided to those who are detained. Being detained without instruction or comments from the authorities creates fear, tension and uncertainty for those stopped in this way -- and one can only imagine how people who barely speak English react to such treatment. Oezdemir and his wife are fully fluent in English and still the border authorities made little effort to communicate -- and were rude at the end of the process when whatever concerns about him were obviously cleared. This kind of treatment of people -- anyone, important politically or not -- undermines the American brand. According to some reports , it is believed that Oezdemir was stopped by the official because his name "did not sound German." If that kind of profiling is going on, then the US Customs and Border Protection operation should be investigated and challenged by the US Congress, the media and the American public. It is simply outrageous that individuals would be stopped because of their name or what they ate on a plane. These stories percolate back and undermine confidence abroad in the U.S. itself. The treatment of Oezdemir and his wife -- who know this country well and know its strengths and warts -- has already been broadcast all over the German and the Turkish media. I recognize that some people on occasion will be detained and will feel like they are being manhandled by a process they don't understand at America's borders -- but the rudeness of the treatment, the lack of human tact, the lack of information provided to those detained is out of line and needs to be remedied. I know that the US Customs and Border Protection public affairs office will read this note. Apologizing to Oezdemir and his wife is not a remedy. What is a remedy is a statement that the Department of Homeland Security must unfortunately detain -- for a variety of reasons -- people who enter the US about whom red flags are raised. However, you should state that US Customs and Border Protection directors will review policies regarding communication with detainees and the "posture" overall of officers through the process. Those who are cleared should be treated as "innocents" and respected -- and told that America regrets this process but that any officers involved hope to convey as much respect, reasonableness, and humanity as possible in processing through any concerns about specific visitors. And then -- get your people at Dulles more cultural training. I wonder if our former US Ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad, the highest ranking Muslim in the Bush administration, ever gets the Oezdemir treatment at our borders now that he doesn't have his official passport. Fix this problem -- seriously. You are harming the nation, and there is no reason at all that can explain the poor behavior of officials when people are detained. I've seen it personally -- and heard too many stories like this one for there not to be a broader review. -- Steve Clemons directs the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation and publishes the popular political blog, The Washington Note More on Turkey
 
Jiverly Voong, NY Gunman, Angry Over Poor English Skills, Job Loss Top
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — The police chief of Binghamton, N.Y., says most of the 13 victims at an immigrant center had multiple gunshot wounds. Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said Saturday that people who knew Jiverly Wong were not surprised by his actions at the American Civic Association. He says that until last month Wong was taking classes at the center, which helps immigrants assimilate. He says the gunman felt people were making fun of him for his poor English language skills. The chief says Wong wore body armor during the attack, indicating he was prepared for a confrontation with police. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (AP) _ The police chief of Binghamton, N.Y., says the gunman who killed 13 people at an immigrant community center wore body armor during the attack. Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said Saturday that the gunman's name was Jiverly Wong and used the name Jiverly Voong as an alias. Zikuski says the man had a permit for two handguns and wore body armor, indicating he was prepared for a confrontation with police. Zikuski says that instead he committed suicide at the end of his attack on the American Civic Association.
 
Guy Ritchie "Saddened" By Madonna Adoption Failure Top
British director Guy Richie called his ex-wife Madonna "a great mum" following news that the singer's bid to adopt a second child from Malawi was rejected Friday. Richie, 40, father to the couple's son Rocco, 3, and David Banda, 3 - the Malawian boy he and Madonna officially adopted in 2008 - issued a statement through his rep saying: "I fully supported Madonna in her decision to apply for this adoption, and I am saddened that her application has been rejected. She is motivated only by being a caring parent who seeks to share some of the advantages and opportunities that her life has given her." More on Madonna
 
Obama praises NATO allies on Afghanistan Top
STRASBOURG, France — President Barack Obama heralded "concrete commitments" from NATO allies to help advance a new U.S. strategy in Afghanistan on Saturday, calling their agreement to send up to 5,000 more military trainers and police to Afghanistan "a strong down payment" toward securing the country. But the allies refused to agree to a U.S. request for additional combat troops. And Obama said more help of all kinds will be needed. "I am pleased that our NATO allies pledged their strong and unanimous support for our new strategy," Obama said at the end of a NATO summit that was heavily focused on Afghanistan and the newly retooled U.S. strategy to root out terrorists there and in neighboring Pakistan. "We've started to match real resources to achieve our goals," he said. The White House said NATO countries agreed to send more personnel, including about 3,000 on short-term deployments, as the alliance steps up its campaign to stabilize Afghanistan before elections in August. An additional 1,400 to 2,000 will provide training for Afghanistan's national army. Obama said those figures should not be considered a ceiling, suggesting more could be offered at some point to confront a threat that he insisted repeatedly endangers Europe as well as the U.S. "We'll need more resources and a sustained effort to achieve our ultimate goals," he said. But the allies rebuked Obama's push for Europe to share the burden of the anti-terror fight in Afghanistan with more combat troops. That leaves the heavy lifting in U.S. hands. As he escalates U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Obama also is seeking to broaden the multinational commitment to preventing new terrorist attacks that he has repeatedly told Europeans are just as likely on their continent as in America. Since Obama took office in January, the United States has committed to sending 21,000 additional troops as part of his new strategy. The president is in the midst of an eight-day European trip focused on the global economic crisis and the terrorism fight in Afghanistan. On the latter front, Obama spent the past few days trying to drum up support during a summit marking the 60th anniversary of NATO. "These commitments of troops, trainers and civilians represent a strong down payment" toward securing Afghanistan, he said. Obama downplayed the allies' refusal to send in more combat troops, saying the summit was "not a pledging conference." "All these allies have combat troops on the ground," and "part of our strategy is to make sure we have a much more comprehensive approach," Obama said. "The trainers we are sending in are no less important than those in direct combat with the Taliban," he said. America's allies, he added, "are making significant commitments despite having participated in what's turned out to be a very lengthy operation." He repeatedly argued that terrorists in Afghanistan don't threaten just the U.S. "These terrorists threaten every member of NATO. ... They are plotting new attacks," he said. "This effort cannot be America's alone," added Obama, who is working hard to prevent the anti-terror mission from being viewed as a U.S. war and, by extension, his. Earlier in his weeklong European trip, Obama said Europe should not expect the U.S. alone to bear the combat burden, saying: "This is a joint problem. And it requires a joint effort." Obama sought NATO support for his new strategy a week after announcing it. "We came here expecting consensus, and we're gratified to receive that consensus," Obama said, likening the allies' commitments to "NATO putting its stamp of approval" on the strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. "This effort cannot be America's alone. All of NATO understands that al-Qaida is a threat to all of us and that this collective security effort must achieve its goals," he said. Obama declined to predict when he expects the war in Afghanistan to end, saying: "We are going to get this job done." Asked about a controversial new Afghan law _ critics say it makes it legal for men to rape their wives _ Obama called the law abhorrent. He said it came up in conversations among the allies during a NATO summit in France, and he noted that the NATO communique specifically stated that human rights should be respected. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said the law will be studied and possibly sent back to Parliament for review. More on France
 

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