Mensagem semanal de Barack Obama*

* o Presidente, nos cinco minutos de intervenção semanal pelo YouTube, reconheceu que a crise está a agudizar-se, mas sublinhou os esforços que a sua Administração já está a fazer na Economia real, aplicando o Plano de Recuperação e Reinvestimento

Obama promete que o ciclo de perda de empregos vai parar*

* só falta saber é quando...

'GOP Fights Back Over Criticism of Limbaugh'

Ainda sobre os polémicos ataques de Rush Limbaugh, radical-conservador que tem um programa de rádio muito ouvido na real America, aqui fica um interessante artigo de Howard Kurtz, no Washington Post:

«By one measure, Rush Limbaugh is a clear winner this week: His ratings have nearly doubled since his feud with the White House burst into the media limelight.

But the Obama administration's strategy of trying to elevate the conservative radio commentator to leader of the opposition has prompted a vigorous counterattack, with a key Republican senator saying the move is an "outrage" that "reeks of hypocrisy coming from a president who campaigned against these very cynical political tactics last fall."

That letter from Sen. John Cornyn (Tex.), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and a Washington Post opinion piece by House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), also accusing the White House of cynicism, underscore the GOP's attempt to make President Obama pay a political price for the rhetorical assault on Limbaugh.

Asked at a briefing Wednesday whether it was "hypocritical" for him to go after the talk radio host and criticize cable commentators, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said he would "plead guilty" to being "counterproductive."

Limbaugh said this week that White House officials are "targeting" him because "they need a demon to distract and divert from what their agenda is." He said Obama aides are "going after private citizens" in a manner reminiscent of Richard M. Nixon's "enemies list." He also challenged the president to a debate on his show.

The media have feasted on the story since Limbaugh told a conservative conference Saturday that he wants Obama to fail because he opposes the president's big-government policies. The next day, Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, told CBS that Limbaugh is "the voice and the intellectual force and energy behind the Republican Party."

Limbaugh has a 60 percent favorable rating among Republicans, while 23 percent have a negative view, according to a Gallup poll taken last month. But 63 percent of Democrats view him unfavorably, compared with 6 percent who view him positively. Independents see him negatively by an almost 2 to 1 margin.


"The people who love him are a very small segment of the public," said Michael Harrison, publisher of Talkers magazine, whose research indicates that Limbaugh's weekly audience has spiked from 14.2 million to about 25 million since the controversy escalated. "A lot of people still think he's a shock jock, a hatemonger, a right-wing radical, or hold his personal baggage against him."

Still, Harrison said, the White House attacks have effectively transformed Limbaugh from an entertainer "into the spokesman for the Republican Party," adding: "It's been a self-fulfilling prophecy of media hype."

While some Republicans have distanced themselves from Limbaugh's rhetoric, others, such as Rep. Mike Pence (Ind.), chairman of the House Republican Conference, said they agree with the radio host's denunciation of Obama's policies.

Not to be outdone, the Democratic National Committee has created a Web site to solicit slogans for an anti-Limbaugh billboard to be erected in his home town of West Palm Beach, Fla.

Mark McKinnon, a top adviser in President George W. Bush's campaigns, acknowledged the value of picking a divisive opponent. "We used a similar strategy by making Michael Moore the face of the Democratic Party," he said of the documentary filmmaker. "That's why we gave him credentials to cover the 2004 convention and then turned the spotlight on him."

But, McKinnon said, "whatever you think of Rush, he is one of the most effective political communicators in history. So I don't think turning up his microphone is necessarily a wise way to go." For Obama, he said, "a fistfight with a brawler like Rush only drags him down to the street."

Democratic strategist Chris Lehane called Limbaugh "the perfect foil" because of his popularity with the Republican base. "The media won't cover a fight if it's not perceived as a fair fight. It's a win for the Democrats and Obama, a win for Limbaugh because it enhances his stature with his audience, and probably a loss for the Republican Party."

This is not the first time Limbaugh has bedeviled a Democratic president. In 1994, Bill Clinton lashed out at conservative talk show hosts, saying that Limbaugh "has three hours to say whatever he wants" with "no truth detector." Limbaugh helped galvanize support for the Republican takeover of Congress that year.

After the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, Clinton attacked "the purveyors of hatred and division" for "reckless speech," prompting Limbaugh to respond that liberals were trying to foment a "national hysteria" and "use this tragedy for their own political gain."

For nearly two decades, the radio host has masterfully inserted himself into political disputes by pushing the usual boundaries. In last year's Democratic primaries, he tried to derail Obama with what he dubbed Operation Chaos, urging his followers to cross over and vote for Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Two former Bill Clinton advisers and CNN commentators, James Carville and Paul Begala, have long targeted Limbaugh. As Politico reported, Carville and Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg commissioned a survey last fall that showed Limbaugh with high negative ratings. Carville and Begala, who are in regular contact with Emanuel, another Clinton White House veteran, have declined to say whether they urged him to single out Limbaugh.

"People are misapprehending that this is some White House strategy they sent Carville and I out on," Begala said. "I don't work for this president. I say what I say because it's what I believe. I don't like Rush."

Emanuel could not suppress a chuckle when asked in an interview why he went after Limbaugh. "I was complimenting him," he said. "But he is the head of their party."»

Madeleine Albright elogia arranque de Hillary*

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* a primeira mulher a chefiar a diplomacia norte-americana, durante o segundo mandato de Bill Clinton (1997-2001) foi uma grande apoiante de Hillary Clinton nas primárias do Partido Democrata e não tem dúvidas em afirmar: «Hillary tem-se saído muito bem»

Obama regressa à Europa

Será a 31 de Março, com uma visita a Londres, e só termina a 5 de Abril, em Praga. A primeira viagem do Presidente dos EUA a solo europeu, desde que tomou posse, será um périplo por Inglaterra, França, Alemanha e República Checa.

Os critérios são facilmente perceptíveis: Inglaterra porque sim (é o maior aliado histórico dos Estados Unidos e é tradicionalmente a 'ponte' da América para a Europa); França em segundo lugar, a fazer o contraponto ao peso anglófono e pela clara aposta de Sarkozy em reaproximar a França dos EUA; a Alemanha pela importância que tem no processo europeu e por ser uma das economia que mais está a sentir a crise; a República Checa por ser, neste momento, a presidente em exercício da UE.

Em Julho, durante a campanha eleitoral, Obama recebeu um banho de multidão em Berlim, ao ser vitoriado por 200 mil pessoas, como documenta a imagem. Agora, regressa já investido das funções presidenciais.

Há quem diga que o passado indonésio e havaiano de Barack poderá levar a uma menor atenção de Obama à Europa: mas a popularidade do Presidente americano junto dos europeus é a maior prova do capital político que Obama pretenderá, certamente, gerir nos próximos anos.

Síria, a chave da nova política externa dos EUA para o Médio Oriente

Ainda sobre a viagem da secretária de Estado, Hillary Clinton, pelo Médio Oriente, aqui fica um artigo interessante de Claude Salhani, editor do Middle East Times, no jornal Washington Times:

«As U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tours the Middle East she is likely to find the region facing greater tension than it has in many years.

She is also likely to find that the key to many of the doors to open - or shut - avenues toward peaceful negotiations or toward continued stagnation and the dangers that it involves, lies with Syria. Indeed, once again Syria holds many of the keys to the Middle East dilemma.

How is it that Damascus is in such a position of influence? And how can that influence be used to the advantage of peacemaking in the region?

Much of Syria's influence today lies in its alliance with Tehran. But as her advisers will no doubt tell Mrs. Clinton, the Syrian-Iranian marriage is one purely of convenience not of love. It was an alliance brought about as a result of the former U.S. administration's policy of isolating Damascus, which gave Syrian President Bashar Assad little choice. Remain isolated with Israel on one side and the Americans on the other, or form an alliance with Iran and thereby outflank the United States.

By playing his cards close to his chest, as he has been, Mr. Assad has positioned Syria as the only Arab country with enough clout with Iran and the opposition groups (read here what the United States and Israel call terrorist groups) to sway the peace process toward what it should be - a peace process, or toward the unthinkable - a new conflict in the region.

Mrs. Clinton will find as she visits the Middle East mounting Iranian influence in the region through its alliance with Syria and the Islamic Republic's support of Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as support of takfiri groups in Lebanon. All this has placed Tehran firmly on the Middle East political map much to the detriment of some Arab leaders who have recently voiced their displeasure to see "other countries" interfere in Arab affairs.

And recent statements from Iranian officials that Bahrain is "the 14th province of Iran" has done little to appease old fears among the Gulf states of Iran's old claims to the oil-rich sheikdoms and kingdoms.

Meanwhile in Israel and the Palestinian Territories where Mrs. Clinton is visiting, the situation remains precarious. Israel, two weeks after its elections, remains without a new government as the country - and its immediate neighbors - continue to hold their breath to see who will ultimately emerge to lead in this difficult time. A centrist government, open to peace talks with the Palestinians, or a right-wing coalition taking a much firmer - and more dangerous - approach to the issue of how to resolve the problem?

Mrs. Clinton arrived in Israel amid a new report by Peace Now that Israel could double the number of settlers in the occupied West Bank. Such an eventuality would greatly impede the peace process that the Obama administration is trying to revive. Mrs. Clinton just arrived from a donor's conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, held to raise money to reconstruct Gaza after the devastating war with Israel that began around Christmas. And as if to remind her, Hamas launched a few rockets at Israel.

What can be done to begin defusing the situation? Start by pushing for an agreement between Israel and Syria where Damascus can reclaim the Golan Heights.

Two things about the Golan: First, given today's technology and advanced electronics and sophisticated gadgetry in defense techniques, holding the high ground is not a prerequisite to military superiority. Second, once Syria reclaims the Golan and signs a peace treaty it is highly unlikely that Bashar Assad would risk going to war and losing it again all in exchange for the "satisfaction" of firing a few rounds of artillery shells on Israeli localities. That would be more than idiotic.

Any peace deal between Israel and Syria should also include a peace treaty between Israel and Lebanon. The importance of the latter cannot be stressed enough. Here are the reasons.

(1) Leaving Lebanon out of the peace process will leave the conflict unresolved and leave the door open to a distinct possibility of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. Resolving the outstanding dispute over the Shebaa Farms and the village of Ghajar in southern Lebanon should - at least officially - remove the license from Hezbollah to retain its armed wing, which it calls a resistance movement.

(2) It should be made clear to Syria that there is a price associated with bringing it out of the cold. In exchange for normalized relations with the United States and for the return of the Golan Heights, Syria is to use its clout with Tehran to rein in and put a stop to military activities by Hamas, Hezbollah and other groups.

(3) It is imperative that the U.S. secretary of state and the Obama administration understand and recognize that Lebanon must not be made the scapegoat of a separate peace deal. That would simply shift the cards around. Lebanon must be part and parcel of any peace deal in the Middle East. Anything short of that would invest in a future conflict.»

Rudy Giuliani recusa ser representado por Rush Limbaugh*

* o ex-mayor de Nova Iorque, candidato derrotado nas primárias do GOP em 2008, tido como um republicano moderado, rejeita a relevância que está a ser dada por uma boa parte do seu partido ao radical-conservador Rush Limbaugh, que já desafiou Obama a ir ao seu programa de rádio

A Administração Obama vai mandar dois enviados a Damasco

Hillary Clinton, durante a sua visita a Israel, recebe um ramo de flores e um beijo de Shimon Peres, presidente israelita

Um artigo de Paul Richter, no LA Times, em Jerusalem:

«Two U.S. officials are being dispatched to Syria for exploratory talks, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday, in a new signal of the Obama administration's determination to reach out to longtime adversaries.

Clinton, in Jerusalem for her first talks with Israeli officials, described the upcoming meetings with the Syrian government as "preliminary conversations" intended to examine whether Damascus is serious about a new relationship with the United States.
She told reporters in a news conference with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni that though the outcome is uncertain, "it is a worthwhile effort to go and begin" the talks.

The U.S. officials are Jeffrey Feltman, acting U.S. secretary of State for the Middle East who previously served as the ambassador to Lebanon; and Daniel Shapiro, ranking official for the Middle East at the National Security Council, who was a Mideast advisor to the Obama presidential campaign.

The two men will leave this weekend for meetings expected to last a few days. They're not expected to meet with Syrian President Bashar Assad, since the talks are preliminary.

President Obama, who campaigned on a promise of outreach to long-standing foes, also plans an overture to Iran, and Clinton has appointed a high-level envoy to advise her on U.S. policy toward Tehran.

Administration officials see the possibility of a new relationship with Damascus as part of a strategic realignment in the region. A shift could dilute Syria's relationship with Iran, weaken the Syrian-supported Hezbollah and Hamas militant groups, and make it easier for Israel to reach a peace settlement with Palestinians, they believe.

Administration officials have sent positive signals to Damascus in their first weeks in office. These include a move to ease export controls and a meeting in Washington between Feltman and Syria's ambassador to the U.S.

At an international conference in Egypt on Monday, Clinton said U.S. officials were interested in "comprehensive" Mideast talks, a signal that the Syrians should be involved.

A thaw between Washington and Damascus would reverse the policy of the Bush administration, which withdrew its ambassador to Syria in 2005 after the assassination in Beirut of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, for which pro-Syrian officials were blamed.

But an opening to Syria also poses risks for the United States. In Lebanon, moderate political groups have expressed concern that their interests could be sacrificed by the U.S. effort. For example, they fear the possibility of U.S. compromise on the international tribunal investigating the killing of Hariri, which could ease pressure on Damascus to come clean about the slaying.

The Obama administration has sought to reassure Lebanon by supporting its sovereignty and by adding $6 million in support for the tribunal.

Israel last year began indirect talks with Syria through Turkish mediators, hoping they would lead to negotiations on a peace treaty. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in December that Syria "wants to reconnect with the West."

Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu, who is struggling to form a new government, explored the option of a new relationship with Syria when he was premier in the late 1990s. However, before the most recent elections, Netanyahu declared his opposition to moves that would be at the heart of any deal, such as giving up the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East War.

Some experts doubt that Syria would ultimately agree to a deal with the United States.

David Schenker, a former Pentagon Mideast expert now at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said that ties to the U.S. would mean ending a 30-year bond with Iran that has been a pillar of economic and military support for the Assad government.

Clinton exchanged greetings with Syria's foreign minister, Walid Mualem, on the sidelines of the international conference Monday. Clinton's comments Tuesday came on a day when she met with a succession of Israeli officials, including Livni, Netanyahu, Olmert and President Shimon Peres.

Netanyahu urged Clinton to set a time limit on Washington's promised diplomatic overture to Iran so the Iranians are not given more time to advance their nuclear program. Iranian officials say they are working to develop civilian energy, but U.S. and Israeli officials, among others, contend that the effort is aimed at building nuclear weapons.

Zalman Shoval, foreign affairs chief of Netanyahu's Likud party and a former Israeli ambassador to the U.S., was in the Jerusalem meeting with Clinton and Netanyahu. He said most of the session was spent discussing Iran, Hamas and the Gaza Strip, which the militant group controls, and the need to strengthen the Palestinian Authority, run by Hamas' rival, Fatah.

Syria came up, but "not in a significant way," Shoval said.»

O lado dos conservadores (IV): Rush Limbaugh desafia Obama a um debate livre no seu programa de rádio

Depois de ter piscado o olho à Síria na visita a Israel, Hillary já está na Margem Ocidental*

* o processo de paz no Médio Oriente é uma das prioridades da secretária de Estado; em Israel, após reunião com Tzipi Livni, admitiu uma aproximação à Síria, que deverá passar pelo envio de dois diplomatas a Damasco para reiniciar relações que foram interrompidas durante os anos Bush; em Ramallah, Hillary prometeu a Abbas que se envolverá pessoalmente na questão de Gaza

Gordon Brown, o primeiro chefe de governo estrangeiro a visitar a Casa Branca de Obama, discursou no Congresso Americano*

* e desafiou os norte-americanos a participarem num «New Deal» global para fazer face à crise

As palavras de Barack (III): Reforma política -- já é tempo de ser o povo americano, e não os grupos de pressão, a mandar em Washington

«O nosso momento chegou, o nosso movimento é real, e a mudança está a chegar à América»

Na noite da Super Terça Feira, a 5 de Fevereiro de 2008, Barack Obama venceu 13 estados, mais quatro do que Hillary, e empatou com a senadora Clinton no número de delegados.

Num dos discursos mais clarificadores de toda a sua campanha, declarou em Chicago, a jogar em casa:

«A apenas a alguns quilómetros daqui, quase há um ano, estivemos nos degrausdo antigo Capitólio estadual para reafirmarmos a verdade que foi ali dita há tantas gerações: a de que uma casa dividida não pode resistir; que somos mais do que um conjunto de Estados vermelhos e Estados azuis; somos, e sempre seremos, os Estados Unidos da América.

Aquilo que começou como um sussurro em Springfield depressa alastrou aos campos de milho do Iowa, onde agricultores e operários, estudantes e idosos se ergueram, em números que nunca antes víramos. Levantaram-se para dizer que talvez este ano não tenhamos de nos contentar com uma política em que marcar pontos é mais importante do que resolver problemas. Desta vez,talvez possamos finalmente fazer alguma coisa acerca dos cuidados de saúde que não conseguimos pagar ou sobre as hipotecas que não temos maneira de pagar. Desta vez, pode ser diferente.

As suas vozes ecoaram desde as colinas de New Hampshire até aos desertos de Nevada, onde professores e cozinheiros e trabalhadores das cozinhas se ergueram para dizer que talvez Washington não tenha mais de ser governada por grupos de pressão. Chegaram às costas da Carolina do Sul, onde as pessoas disseram que talvez não tenhamos de estar divididos por raça e por região e por sexo; que as escolas em ruínas estão a roubar o futuro de crianças negras e brancas; que podemos unir-nos e construir uma América que dê a cada criança, em qualquer lugar, a oportunidade de viver os seus sonhos. Desta vez, pode ser diferente.»

Obama defende o programa de obras públicas que será lançado ao longo dos próximos 12 meses

* acompanhado do seu vice-presidente, Joe Biden, que é também o supervisor do Plano de Recuperação e Reinvestimento, e do seu secretário dos Transportes e Equipamento, Ray LaHood, o Presidente promete criar 150 mil postos de trabalho só com a rede de obras planeadas pelo Governo Federal

Barómetro semanal: 68 por cento de aprovação

POPULARIDADE DE BARACK OBAMA
-- Aprovação: 68 por cento
-- Reprovação: 25 por cento

(fonte: ABC/Washington Post)

Ainda em níveis muito, muito elevados...

Kathleen Sebelius será mesmo a secretária da Saúde

Kathleen Sebelius, governadora do Kansas, 61 anos, será a secretária da Saúde da Administração Obama. O cargo estava vago desde a nomeação abortada de Tom Dashle, antigo senador pelo Dakota do Sul, por problemas fiscais.

Barack Obama acabou por confirmar, hoje, uma escolha que aqui, no CASA BRANCA, havíamos apontado como sendo a mais provável, em post publicado no passado dia 4 de Fevereiro. Sebelius foi uma das primeiras figuras nacionais do Partido Democrata a apoiar a candidatura presidencial de Obama -- e será dela a expressão «golben boy», quando, num comício, falou sobre a dualidade racial de Barack: «Se ele é mais negro ou branco? Para mim, é o 'golden boy' da política americana. O que ele tem de mais fantástico é o lado sensato, típico de um filho de uma natural do Kansas...»

Kathleen chegou a estar na shortlist da Obama para a vice-presidência e era, entre o núcleo duro de Barack durante a campanha, a figura de proa que faltava colocar na administração.

Como governadora democrata de um estado do Midwest, tipicamente conservador, Kathleen Sebelius espelha uma fatia muito relevante da base eleitoral que deu uma grande vitória a Barack Obama.

Profundamente católica, mas defensora do direito de escolha na questão do aborto, a nomeação de Sebelius para a Saúde já está a despertar críticas em movimentos anti-aborto, como se pode ver na peça da CBS que publicamos em baixo.

Rahm Emanuel sublinha a palavra «transparência»*

* o chefe de gabinete do Presidente, uma espécie de primeiro-ministro do Governo Obama, reforça, no «Face The Nation», da CBS, que a primeira preocupação desta administração é prestar contas aos cidadãos sobre como será aplicado o dinheiro aprovado pelo Congresso; sobre a acusação de que a Presidência Obama será a mais despesista desde a «Grande Sociedade» de Lyndon Johnson, em 1965, Emanuel recorda que Obama herdou «um défice de 1.7 triliões de dólares». Rahm faz com Barack o típico 'tandem' polícia bom-polícia mau: enquanto Obama inebria os eleitores com o seu «Yes We Can», Emanuel trata de bloquear excessos nos bastidores, dizendo aos democratas mais esquerdistas... «No, You Can't!»

Bob Gates cauciona a estratégia de Obama para sair do Iraque*

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* o Presidente já se comprometeu a retirar todas as tropas norte-americanas até 31 de Agosto de 2010 do Iraque; o secretário da Defesa, Robert Gates, único elemento da Administração Bush que transitou para a era Obama, explica como tal será possível e fala ainda do problema do Afeganistão, no «Meet the Press», na NBC

Três mega-medidas para atacar a crise

-- 787 mil milhões de dólares em cortes fiscais, apoio social e despesas em infra-estruturas (o 'stimulus package')

-- 500 mil milhões de dólares para acalmar os mercados financeiros, possivelmente na criação de um «Bad Bank» que absorva os activos tóxicos e 'limpe' o sistema de capitais infectados

-- 275 mil milhões de dólares na 'mortgage foreclosure', em apoios a famílias que correm o risco iminente de perder as casas, por não poderem pagar as hipotecas (deverá ajudar imediatamente entre 8 a 9 milhões de famílias americanas)

Será suficiente para estancar a ferida? E quando se começarão a sentir as melhorias?

A paz no Médio Oriente e a relação com a Rússia -- os próximos desafios de Hillary Clinton

Um artigo de Robert Burns, da Associated Press, sobre as duas grandes missões que esperam a secretária de Estado norte-americana:

«Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is using her second overseas trip to assess Mideast peace prospects, reconnect with European allies and remind her Russian counterpart that U.S. efforts to rebuild relations with Moscow have their limits.

She kicks off the weeklong tour by attending an international conference in Egypt, where on Monday she will announce a U.S. pledge of up to $900 million in humanitarian aid for rebuilding of the war-shaken Gaza Strip.

The Palestinians are seeking $2.8 billion. The United States does not recognize the Hamas movement that rules Gaza and will not allow aid money to flow through Hamas. Because of disagreements between the two Palestinian factions, some major Arab pledges — $1 billion from Saudi Arabia, $250 million from Qatar and $100 million from Algeria — have not materialized, an Arab League official said Saturday.

The pledge conference reflects in part a U.S. effort to move quickly to influence events there, where the Islamic militants of Hamas are aligned with Iran and opposed to peace talks with Israel. Hamas is at odds with the other Palestinian faction, Fatah, which takes a more moderate approach to Israel.

Clinton also will visit Israel to show President Barack Obama's commitment to finding a "two-state solution" that establishes a sovereign Palestinian state at peace with Israel.

After elections Feb. 10, Israel is operating under a caretaker government. The hawkish Benjamin Netanyahu is attempting to form a coalition government but the timing and outcome are in doubt.

Among leaders Clinton would be expected to visit in Israel are Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, leader of the centrist Kadima Party, which won one more seat in the election than Netanyahu's Likud. Netanyahu, who opposes moving forward in peace talks with the Palestinians, was asked to put together the next government because he has the support of a majority of the elected lawmakers.

Israel edged closer to a government of hawks and right-wing religious parties Friday after Netanyahu failed to persuade Livni to join a coalition that could help avert a showdown with the Obama administration. Obama has pledged to become "aggressively" involved in pursuing Mideast peace.

Clinton also will go to the West Bank to meet with leaders of the Palestinian Authority, including Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and President Mahmoud Abbas.

After focusing her first foreign trip on Asia, Clinton now is trying to build on what the administration believes is early enthusiasm in the Mideast and Europe for changing the dynamic of relations with America.

Daniel Fried, the assistant secretary of state for European affairs, said Friday a main theme of Clinton's visit to Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday will be "a sense of consolidating some of the enormous political good will on both sides of the Atlantic, and harnessing it to a common agenda — not an American agenda but a common trans-Atlantic agenda."

On Friday, Clinton is scheduled to meet in Geneva with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. He had a sometimes rocky relationship with Clinton's predecessor, Condoleezza Rice, a Russian affairs specialist.

Lavrov was quoted by Russian news agencies on Friday as saying he expected the meeting to focus on arms control. That was an issue of great frustration for the Russians during the Bush administration. President George W. Bush abandoned the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty early in his first term in order to accelerate the development of a missile defense opposed by Moscow.

Clinton has said the administration is willing to move ahead quickly on a replacement for the START arms treaty that is due to expire in December, and to consider deeper cuts in nuclear weapons.

Fried said that although the administration is interested in improving relations with Russia, Lavrov will be reminded that the U.S. does not accept the Russian argument that it has a sphere of influence in Central Asia and Eastern Europe that gives Moscow special say on issues like missile defense.

The administration's interest in engaging Russia is tempered by "cautionary notes," Fried said. That includes a concern that Moscow has gone too far in flexing its muscles in places such as the former Soviet republic of Georgia, where Russian troops fought a brief war last summer, and in opposing the NATO membership aspirations of countries including Ukraine, a a former Soviet republic on Russia's border.

"The most productive way (to move forward with Russia) is to do so building on areas where we have common interests, but also mindful of our differences — not shying away from them, nor abandoning our values and our friends," Fried said. "That makes for a complicated relationship with Russia."

Clinton plans to wind up her trip with a stop in Ankara, Turkey, to discuss a range of topics, including Obama's review of war strategy in Afghanistan. The Turks think the U.S. should put more focus on expanding and improving the Afghan security forces and on pressing Afghan authorities to reconcile with elements of the Islamic insurgency, rather than on putting tens of thousands more U.S. troops.»

A foto oficial da Primeira Dama

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama, 45 anos, advogada, a primeira Primeira Dama negra da história da América já tem uma foto oficial.

Se quiser ver as fotos oficiais de antecessoras de Michelle, clique aqui http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/27/michelle-obama-official-p_n_170601.html