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02.28.08 Briefing From the Desk of Steve Elliott (revised 12:24p) (Not-So) Shocking Development: Virtual Border Fence Fails! Washington Post is reporting that the 28-mile stretch of virtual fence (that Chertoff just trumpeted as a success last week ) is an abject failure. As a result, the project has been delayed at least three years and it is now unclear if any virtual fencing will actually ever work on the border. Plus, the cost numbers are making the test virtual fence just as if not more expensive than the double-layer fencing that Bush and DHS refuse to build! Time for a Full-Court Press It's time for a full-court press on the border fence. First, we must insist that the original mandates of the Secure Fence Act be restored. Grassfire has a new petition that supports two bills in the House that will do just that (over 76,000 signers in less a week). Second, we need to expose the double-talk, lies and deception coming out of the Administration on the fence. Get this -- DHS is claliming it will have completed some 670 miles of what it calls "fencing" or "vehicle barriers" by the end of this year. This is from the ...

02.28.08 Briefing From the Desk of Steve Elliott (revised 12:24p) (Not-So) Shocking Development: Virtual Border Fence Fails! Washington Post is reporting that the 28-mile stretch of virtual fence (that Chertoff just trumpeted as a success last week ) is an abject failure. As a result, the project has been delayed at least three years and it is now unclear if any virtual fencing will actually ever work on the border. Plus, the cost numbers are making the test virtual fence just as if not more expensive than the double-layer fencing that Bush and DHS refuse to build! Time for a Full-Court Press It's time for a full-court press on the border fence. First, we must insist that the original mandates of the Secure Fence Act be restored. Grassfire has a new petition that supports two bills in the House that will do just that (over 76,000 signers in less a week). Second, we need to expose the double-talk, lies and deception coming out of the Administration on the fence. Get this -- DHS is claliming it will have completed some 670 miles of what it calls "fencing" or "vehicle barriers" by the end of this year. This is from the ...

The United States is pleased with progress toward eliminating nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula, but North Korea also must honor pledges to issue a complete declaration of its nuclear programs.  "The denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is in everyone's interest," Secretary Condoleezza Rice says in talks with Chinese leaders.

"We thought there may be a mission accomplished here, and we may have been instrumental in opening a little door," New York Philharmonic music director Lorin Maazel says following the first performance by a U.S. orchestra in North Korea.  The historic event combined Korean folk songs with some of the world’s best-known classical music.

02.26.08 Briefing From the Desk of Steve Elliott Hillary Desperate? It seems HIllary Clinton has reached a point of desperation. National polls are showing her falling farther and farther behind Barack Obama. Her credibility as a candidate could come down to winning Texas and Ohio one week from today. The Dem's process greatly complicates matters. Since no states are winner-take-all -- along with the superdelegates -- means Obama will not get enough delegates pre-convention. But the pressure on Hillary to withdraw will be overwhelming if she loses Texas and Ohio. It's do or die. McCain On Border Fence Despite his reputation as a leader in the push for amnesty, John McCain seems to be trying to carve out a distinction between his position on border security and that of Obama and Clinton. Here are some comments from an interview with a San Antonio radio station: "The border fence is not going to go away. It's going to have to be built. And in parts of our border... it's more effective to use vehicle barriers, sensors, cameras... but the fact is the border walls have to be built in urban areas because that's the only way you're going to stop illegal ...

02.26.08 Briefing From the Desk of Steve Elliott Hillary Desperate? It seems HIllary Clinton has reached a point of desperation. National polls are showing her falling farther and farther behind Barack Obama. Her credibility as a candidate could come down to winning Texas and Ohio one week from today. The Dem's process greatly complicates matters. Since no states are winner-take-all -- along with the superdelegates -- means Obama will not get enough delegates pre-convention. But the pressure on Hillary to withdraw will be overwhelming if she loses Texas and Ohio. It's do or die. McCain On Border Fence Despite his reputation as a leader in the push for amnesty, John McCain seems to be trying to carve out a distinction between his position on border security and that of Obama and Clinton. Here are some comments from an interview with a San Antonio radio station: "The border fence is not going to go away. It's going to have to be built. And in parts of our border... it's more effective to use vehicle barriers, sensors, cameras... but the fact is the border walls have to be built in urban areas because that's the only way you're going to stop illegal ...

Biomass has been a reliable, simple source of power since early humans burned their first logs at least 400,000 years ago. America.gov looks at the ways in which technical advances are bringing biomass-derived energy into the future and the challenges the emerging biomass industry faces.

02.23.08 Briefing From the Desk of Steve Elliott Clinton, Obama Clarly State Opposition To Border Fence As Chertoff Touts "Virtual" Progress "Virtually" a Border Fence On Friday, Secretary Chertoff was out trumpeting the success of the 28-mile test zone of virtual fencing. The virtual fence comes in about eight months late and at the expense of the double-layer Secure Fence Act fence which Chertoff, President Bush and this Congress apparently have no intention of building.  Also I reported on Friday , both Clinton and Obama flatly rejected the double-layer fence. Go here for video. With these two news items as a backdrop, Grassfire launched a petition to restore the full doulble-layer fence mandate of the Secure Fence Act. In just a few days, we are already over 35,000 signers.  Obama Global Tax Bill Put On Hold CNSNews.com is reporting that two conservative Senators have put a hold on Barack Obama's Global Poverty Bill --what we have called the Global Poverty Tax. The Obama bill was getting a big push through Congress, it seems, as a way to give Obama something of a legislative accomplishment to trumpet on the campaign trail. Obama has almost no legislative accomplishments, which is his biggest ...

02.23.08 Briefing From the Desk of Steve Elliott Clinton, Obama Clarly State Opposition To Border Fence As Chertoff Touts "Virtual" Progress "Virtually" a Border Fence On Friday, Secretary Chertoff was out trumpeting the success of the 28-mile test zone of virtual fencing. The virtual fence comes in about eight months late and at the expense of the double-layer Secure Fence Act fence which Chertoff, President Bush and this Congress apparently have no intention of building.  Also I reported on Friday , both Clinton and Obama flatly rejected the double-layer fence. Go here for video. With these two news items as a backdrop, Grassfire launched a petition to restore the full doulble-layer fence mandate of the Secure Fence Act. In just a few days, we are already over 35,000 signers.  Obama Global Tax Bill Put On Hold CNSNews.com is reporting that two conservative Senators have put a hold on Barack Obama's Global Poverty Bill --what we have called the Global Poverty Tax. The Obama bill was getting a big push through Congress, it seems, as a way to give Obama something of a legislative accomplishment to trumpet on the campaign trail. Obama has almost no legislative accomplishments, which is his biggest ...

02.25.08 Briefing From the Desk of Steve Elliott Chertoff's "Virtual" Progress Another Sign That Real Fence Not In Government's Plans "Virtually" a Border Fence On Friday, Secretary Chertoff was out trumpeting the success of the 28-mile test zone of virtual fencing. The virtual fence comes in about eight months late and at the expense of the double-layer Secure Fence Act fence which Chertoff, President Bush and this Congress apparently have no intention of building. Also I reported on Friday , both Clinton and Obama flatly rejected the double-layer fence. Go here for video. With these two news items as a backdrop, Grassfire launched a petition to restore the full double-layer fence mandate of the Secure Fence Act. In just a few days, we are already over 35,000 signers. Huckabee on Sat Night Live Once again, Mike Huckabee proved to be the funniest of the presidential candidates this weekend. You can view the clip on SNL's site here . Obama Global Tax Bill Put On Hold CNSNews.com is reporting that two conservative Senators have put a hold on Barack Obama's Global Poverty Bill --what we have called the Global Poverty Tax. The Obama bill was getting a big push through Congress, ...

02.25.08 Briefing From the Desk of Steve Elliott Chertoff's "Virtual" Progress Another Sign That Real Fence Not In Government's Plans "Virtually" a Border Fence On Friday, Secretary Chertoff was out trumpeting the success of the 28-mile test zone of virtual fencing. The virtual fence comes in about eight months late and at the expense of the double-layer Secure Fence Act fence which Chertoff, President Bush and this Congress apparently have no intention of building. Also I reported on Friday , both Clinton and Obama flatly rejected the double-layer fence. Go here for video. With these two news items as a backdrop, Grassfire launched a petition to restore the full double-layer fence mandate of the Secure Fence Act. In just a few days, we are already over 35,000 signers. Huckabee on Sat Night Live Once again, Mike Huckabee proved to be the funniest of the presidential candidates this weekend. You can view the clip on SNL's site here . Obama Global Tax Bill Put On Hold CNSNews.com is reporting that two conservative Senators have put a hold on Barack Obama's Global Poverty Bill --what we have called the Global Poverty Tax. The Obama bill was getting a big push through Congress, ...

02.22.08 Briefing From the Desk of Steve Elliott Clinton, Obama Reiterate Opposition To Secure Fence Act During last night's debate, both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama stated their clear opposition to the specific fence mandates of the Secure Fence Act.  Article here . If there was any doubt before last night, it is now entirely clear that under either Obama or Clinton, virtually no fence would be built and certainly the Secure Fence Act would be at best ignored altogether. Clinton: I think when both of us voted for this, we were voting for the possibility that where it was appropriate and made sense, it would be considered," said Clinton. "But as with so much, the Bush administration has gone off the deep end, and they are unfortunately coming up with a plan that I think is counterproductive. "So I would have a review," she said. "I would listen to the people who live along the border, who understand what it is we need to be doing to protect our country."   Obama: "Well, this is an area where Senator Clinton and I almost entirely agree," he said. "I think that the key is to consult with local communities, whether ...

02.22.08 Briefing From the Desk of Steve Elliott Clinton, Obama Reiterate Opposition To Secure Fence Act During last night's debate, both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama stated their clear opposition to the specific fence mandates of the Secure Fence Act.  Article here . If there was any doubt before last night, it is now entirely clear that under either Obama or Clinton, virtually no fence would be built and certainly the Secure Fence Act would be at best ignored altogether. Clinton: I think when both of us voted for this, we were voting for the possibility that where it was appropriate and made sense, it would be considered," said Clinton. "But as with so much, the Bush administration has gone off the deep end, and they are unfortunately coming up with a plan that I think is counterproductive. "So I would have a review," she said. "I would listen to the people who live along the border, who understand what it is we need to be doing to protect our country."   Obama: "Well, this is an area where Senator Clinton and I almost entirely agree," he said. "I think that the key is to consult with local communities, whether ...

02.22.08 Briefing From the Desk of Steve Elliott Clinton, Obama Reiterate Opposition To Secure Fence Act During last night's debate, both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama stated their clear opposition to the specific fence mandates of the Secure Fence Act. Article here . If there was any doubt before last night, it is now entirely clear that under either Obama or Clinton, virtually no fence would be built and certainly the Secure Fence Act would be at best ignored altogether. Clinton: I think when both of us voted for this, we were voting for the possibility that where it was appropriate and made sense, it would be considered," said Clinton. "But as with so much, the Bush administration has gone off the deep end, and they are unfortunately coming up with a plan that I think is counterproductive. "So I would have a review," she said. "I would listen to the people who live along the border, who understand what it is we need to be doing to protect our country." Obama: "Well, this is an area where Senator Clinton and I almost entirely agree," he said. "I think that the key is to consult with local communities, whether it's ...

02.22.08 Briefing From the Desk of Steve Elliott Clinton, Obama Reiterate Opposition To Secure Fence Act During last night's debate, both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama stated their clear opposition to the specific fence mandates of the Secure Fence Act. Article here . If there was any doubt before last night, it is now entirely clear that under either Obama or Clinton, virtually no fence would be built and certainly the Secure Fence Act would be at best ignored altogether. Clinton: I think when both of us voted for this, we were voting for the possibility that where it was appropriate and made sense, it would be considered," said Clinton. "But as with so much, the Bush administration has gone off the deep end, and they are unfortunately coming up with a plan that I think is counterproductive. "So I would have a review," she said. "I would listen to the people who live along the border, who understand what it is we need to be doing to protect our country." Obama: "Well, this is an area where Senator Clinton and I almost entirely agree," he said. "I think that the key is to consult with local communities, whether it's ...

On the final stop of his five-nation Africa tour, President Bush tells the Liberian people that the United States stands with them and will help them recover from decades of civil war. As part of that effort, he pledges 1 million textbooks for Liberian schools and locally made school desks and seating for 10,000 Liberian schoolchildren.

Space shuttle Atlantis punches through high clouds and touches down on runway 15 at Kennedy Space Center after a 12-day mission that delivered to the international space station and installed the European Space Agency’s Columbus laboratory, and set the stage for the next series of launches in the United States and Europe.

02.21.08 Morning Briefing From the Desk of Steve Elliott Liberal Media Anoints McCain, Then Goes On Attack Today, the NYTimes formally launched its attack campaign on John McCain with an unsubstantiated near-allegation of an adulterous relationship with a lobbyist from eight years ago. This comes after nearly constant promotion of McCain as the "most electable maverick" by the liberal media elites. After anointing McCain, the liberal media are now turning on him as we make the turn toward the general election. Considering there is no new evidence here in an eight-year-old story, the NYTimes' actions today are perhaps the clearest example of that paper's bias since the paper published MoveOn.org's "General Betray Us" ad. The Times obviously had the story in its back pocket when its editors endorsed McCain a few weeks ago. Why wasn't this story published moths ago, or at least when McCain began his serious run up the polls? Clearly, the Times propped up McCain to serve its interests in having him win the Republican nomination. Media-Anointed Candidates Winning Ann Coulter makes an interestering argument that it is no accident that the media-anointed candidates are winning. Coulter says the McCain-Feingold laws have created a climate which strongly ...

02.21.08 Morning Briefing From the Desk of Steve Elliott Liberal Media Anoints McCain, Then Goes On Attack Today, the NYTimes formally launched its attack campaign on John McCain with an unsubstantiated near-allegation of an adulterous relationship with a lobbyist from eight years ago. This comes after nearly constant promotion of McCain as the "most electable maverick" by the liberal media elites. After anointing McCain, the liberal media are now turning on him as we make the turn toward the general election. Considering there is no new evidence here in an eight-year-old story, the NYTimes' actions today are perhaps the clearest example of that paper's bias since the paper published MoveOn.org's "General Betray Us" ad. The Times obviously had the story in its back pocket when its editors endorsed McCain a few weeks ago. Why wasn't this story published moths ago, or at least when McCain began his serious run up the polls? Clearly, the Times propped up McCain to serve its interests in having him win the Republican nomination. Media-Anointed Candidates Winning Ann Coulter makes an interestering argument that it is no accident that the media-anointed candidates are winning. Coulter says the McCain-Feingold laws have created a climate which strongly ...

The change from the regime of Fidel Castro should offer the Cuban people an opportunity to pursue democracy, and the United States is ready to help Cuba realize this possibility, President Bush says. Castro announced February 19 that he was stepping down as president of Cuba and commander of the Cuban armed forces.