Should We Keep Cutting Taxes for the Wealthiest Americans?

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is voicing unwavering
opposition to extending Bush-era tax breaks for the nation's
wealthiest families even for a year or two, drawing a sharp
contrast with Republicans eight weeks before the November
elections.
The president was to outline his stand Wednesday in a speech in
Cleveland, where he also will propose a package of infrastructure
investments and business tax incentives that the White House says
will put the economy on a path toward long-term growth while
allowing for some immediate job creation.
The Bush tax cuts, the most sweeping in a generation, are due to
expire in January, setting up a big fight in Congress over what to
do about them. Republicans and some Democrats want them to remain
in place for a year or two or to make them permanent. Obama wants
to make the tax cuts permanent for middle- and low-income families
while allowing them to expire for individuals making more than
$200,000 and married couples making more than $250,000.
The White House sees the issue as an opportunity to appeal to
middle-class voters and independents who were crucial to Obama's
election. In his speech, Obama will argue that the tax cuts for the
wealthy would add $700 billion to the deficit, a sum the country
can't afford as the economy struggles to recover.
House Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, offered his own
proposals Wednesday, saying in a nationally broadcast interview
that Congress should freeze all tax rates for two years and should
cut federal spending to the levels of 2008, before the deep
recession took hold.
"People are asking, 'Where are the jobs?"' Boehner said,
calling the White House "out of touch" with the American public.
Obama is asking Congress to consider three proposals:
- A $50 billion infrastructure investment to rebuild and repair
the nation's roads, railways and runways.
- A permanent extension of research and development tax credits
for businesses.
- Tax breaks to let businesses quickly write off 100 percent of
their spending on new plants and equipment through 2011.

Is This Anti-Muslim Push Un-American?

GAINESILLE, Fla. (AP) - A Florida pastor says the concerns of
the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan are legitimate. But he's
defending his church's plan to burn copies of the Quran on the
anniversary of 9/11 -- saying there needs to be a "clear message"
to radical Islam. Earlier today, Gen. David Petraeus warned that
the action could incite violence against Americans around the
world.

The GOP vs. Democrats: Which Party Is Doing More to Salvage the Economy?

WASHINGTON (AP) - Even if he can get it through Congress
quickly, the new investment that President Barack Obama wants to
make in the nation's transportation systems wouldn't create jobs
right away. Senior administration officials say the first of the
projects would lead to new jobs over the course of 2011. Obama
wants to spend $50 billion up front, and more in the coming years,
on the nation's roads, railways and runways.

The Iraq War: Was It A Success or Failure?

President Obama addresses the nation tonight at 8pm to talk about the end of combat operations in Iraq.
You can watch he address in it's entirety on FiOS1News.
The President told U.S. troops today that the end of combat operations in Iraq is "not going to be a victory lap," not a cause for celebration.
"There's still a lot of work that we've got to do to make sure
that Iraq is an effective partner with us," he said just hours
before addressing the nation on the end of the U.S. combat role in
Iraq.
Obama spoke with troops at a dining hall on this Army base in El
Paso. The base has been central to the war effort. The soldiers
were among those combat troops recently returned from Iraq.
"Welcome home," Obama said to shouts of "hooh-uh."
Obama flew to the base to thank the troops for their sacrifice
in the long and unpopular war, one he had opposed.
"Congratulations on a job well done. The country appreciates
you," Obama said.
"Iraq has an opportunity to create a better future for itself
and the U.S. is more secure" because of that mission, Obama said.
Of his upcoming speech, Obama said, "It's not going to be a
victory lap. It's not going to be self-congratulatory."
Obama noted that there remained "a tough fight ahead in
Afghanistan...a tough slog."
Following his remarks, Obama shook hands with each of the
soldiers and family members gathered in the base dining hall,
asking where they or their loved ones had served.
As he exited the room, Obama said, "Thank you for giving me the
opportunity to share this time with you and see all of you face to
face. Just know that we're all thinking about you and all praying
for your families."
To those who will face future missions in Iraq and Afghanistan,
Obama said, "We will be relentless in making sure you have what
you need to come home safely."

Why Do So Many People Believe Obama Is A Muslim?

The latest NEWSWEEK Poll tells a disturbing story. Obama’s approval rating is 47 percent, slightly better than in the spring and not terrible for a president facing disturbing economic news. (Ronald Reagan touched bottom with 41 percent approval during the 1982–83 recession.) The problem is that some of the lies about Obama are gathering strength. In 2008, 13 percent of Americans were under the misimpression that he was a Muslim. Now the figure is 24 percent. One explanation may be that Obama’s connection to his Chicago church was fresher in the public mind then. But the deeper problem is a growing number of people who think the president is not just disappointing or wrongheaded but dangerous. More than half of Republicans surveyed (52 percent) think it’s “definitely true” or “probably true” that Obama “sympathizes with the goals of fundamentalists who want to impose Islamic law around the world.” This says more about the mindset of the GOP than about Obama.

Beck Has A "Dream": Is It An American Nightmare?

WASHINGTON (AP) - Glenn Beck says it's just a coincidence his
Restoring Honor rally on Saturday at the Lincoln Memorial will take
place on the anniversary and at the site of Martin Luther King
Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech. But he's hardly apologizing
for the connection.
"This is going to be a moment that you'll never be able to
paint people as haters, racists, none of it," he says. "This is a
moment, quite honestly, that I think we reclaim the civil rights
movement."
Some civil rights veterans are skeptical.
"When we heard about Glenn Beck, it was puzzling," the Rev. Al
Sharpton said. "Because if you read Dr. King's speech, it just
doesn't gel with what Mr. Beck or Mrs. Palin are representing."
Beck, a popular figure among tea party activists and a
polarizing Fox News Channel personality, is headlining the event,
and Sarah Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee and
a potential 2012 president candidate, will be a featured speaker.
But Beck says it's not about politics.
The event's website says the rally is to pay tribute to
America's military personnel and others "who embody our nation's
founding principles of integrity, truth and honor." It also is to
promote the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provides
scholarships and services to family members of military members.
The website urges citizens to attend and "help us restore the
values that founded this great nation."
The rally, on the 47th anniversary of King's plea for racial
equality is drawing a strong reaction - and several counter-rallies
- as the nation looks toward November's elections.
Beck is known for his strong opinions, including his statement
that President Barack Obama is a racist. But organizers of
Saturday's rally are telling attendees not to bring signs, "as
they may deter from the peaceful message we are bringing to
Washington."
Signs at some tea party events have included pictures of Obama
embellished with a Hitler-style mustache, racial epithets and
threats to Democratic officials. Such posters have given tea party
critics grounds to claim the loose organization of activists is
motivated by racism against the nation's first black president.

Democrats vs. The GOP: Which Party Do You Trust More to Fix The Economy?

CLEVELAND (AP) - House Republican leader John Boehner says
President Barack Obama should support an extension of the Bush tax
cuts. In a speech in Cleveland, Boehner said Obama should also fire
his key economic advisers. Vice President Joe Biden says Boehner
and Republicans "ran this economy and the middle class into the
ground" for eight years.

The Debate Over the Ground Zero Mosque: Our Region Speaks Out

Should the Mosque Be Moved?

Is America Islamophobic?

TIME MAGAZINE:
You don't have to be prejudiced against Islam to believe, as many Americans do, that the area around Ground Zero is a sacred place. But sadly, in an election season, such sentiments have been stoked into a political issue. As the debate has grown more heated, Park51, as the proposed Muslim cultural center and mosque two blocks from Ground Zero is called, has become a litmus test for everything from private-property rights to religious tolerance. But it is plain that many of Park51's opponents are motivated by deep-seated Islamophobia.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2011798,00.html

Clemens Indicted: Should Superstars Linked to Steroids Still Go to the Hall of Fame?

WASHINGTON (AP) - Former major league pitcher Roger Clemens has
been indicted for allegedly lying to Congress about using steroids
and growth hormone. Clemens adamantly denied using the substances
in testimony he gave in 2008. His former trainer contradicted
Clemens about his use of performance-enhancing drugs.