FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4. 2005
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
3A
SUPREME COURT
Senate snubs Bush
BY DAVID ESPO
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — The Republican-controlled Senate will begin hearings Jan. 9 on Judge Samuel Alito's appointment to the Supreme Court, leaders of the Judiciary Committee announced Thursday, a bipartisan repudiation of President Bush's call for a final confirmation vote before year's end.
"It simply wasn't possible to accommodate the schedule that the White House wanted," said Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., the committee chairman. He outlined a timetable that envisions five days of hearings, followed by a vote in committee on Jan. 17 and the full Senate on Jan. 20.
"It's far more important to do it right than fast," said Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, the senior Democrat on the committee. "In this case, I suspect we're doing both."
While Bush had called for a confirmation by the end of the year, administration spokesman Steve Schmidt raised no objection to the schedule. He said the White House had "great confidence in Chairman Specter to manage the extremely complicated process of moving a nominee to the Supreme Court through the U.S. Senate."
Nor was there any evidence the scheduling decision signaled any deeper dissatisfaction among Republicans to the nomination. "I think Judge Alito has made a very good first impression." Specter said.
Bush nominated Alito on Monday to fill the seat of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who has often held the swing vote on cases involving issues such as abortion and affirmative action. Already, some Democrats have raised the possibility of a filibuster — an attempt to prevent final action on the nomination — and Leahy stopped short of committing to a vote in the full Senate on Jan. 20.
SPEAKER
Lisa Linovac/KANSAN
Mohammedmian Soomro, chairman of the Pakistan Senate, speaks at the Dole Institute of Politics. Soomro spoke on Thursday night about the emerging opportunities in Pakistan.
Chairman asks for investment
FRANK TANKARD
ftankard@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Pakistani Senate chairman Mohammedmian Soomro took time between stops in Washington D.C. and New York to bring a message of investment in Pakistan to a 90-person crowd at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics Thursday.
Soomro was enticed to visit the University of Kansas by a graduate student named Mohammed Azeem, who didn't know Soomro but called him from Kansas City and asked him to visit.
"He said, if you can make it happen, the next time I visit the United States, I'll stop by Kansas," Azeem said.
Soomro's trip to Kansas fell on Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim feast
marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. He said in an interview before his speech that he was delighted the holy day coincided with his first visit to the Midwest.
"I'm from a farming background myself. I feel very much at home here," he said.
Soomro's presentation differed from the standard lecture in that he was both informing the audience about Pakistan and trying to entice businessmen to invest in his country.
Provost David Shulenburger, who watched from the front row, said "What he is doing here, the business contacts he's making, are part and parcel of his message. We've got a guy here who is what he appears to be. That's refreshing."
a 15-minute video on the benefits of investing in Pakistan, followed by a short speech in which he highlighted the improving economy of the country. He said Pakistan had experienced an economic growth rate last year second only to China.
Soomro began by showing
ON THE RECORD
He then fielded questions from the crowd. People asked him about topics ranging from nuclear weapons and women's rights to cricket. Many questions centered on problems in the Pakistani government, whose president, Pervez Musharraf, took over the country in a 1999 military coup.
He also spoke about the earthquake that hit Pakistan Oct. 8, killing about 80,000 people and leaving three million homeless. He described the destruction as "unprecedented" and thanked the audience for the support of the United States.
Speaking of past corruption in the government, he said, "We have a free press now. It's the most free it's ever been. It's not going to be easy for any regime not to be transparent."
Kasif Syed, Leawood freshman, said he enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about Pakistan, where one of his parents is from.
"The opportunity to see the second-highest leader of the country speak was one not to pass up," he said.
After his trip to the University, Soomro leaves for New York today to meet with the secretary general of the United Nations to speak about the earthquake.
— Edited by Patrick Ross
- A 21-year-old KU student reported to Lawrence police a burglary and the theft of a purse and CDs and some damage to a vehicle between 10 p.m. Tuesday and 6 a.m. Wednesday on the 1100 block of Indiana Street. The items are valued at $1,010. The damage is estimated at $300.
22-year-old KU student reported to Lawrence police a burglary and the theft of a PlayStation 2, DVDs and other items between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Oct. 28 from the 4100 block of West 24th Place. The items are valued at $690
22-year-old KU student reported to Lawrence police that someone charged $1,237 on his credit card between 10:53 p.m. Oct.
9 and 12:30 p.m. Oct. 28 at multiple locations in Lawrence.
19-year-old KU student reported to Lawrence police the theft of a Pioneer car stereo from a vehicle between 6:30 and 10 p.m. Monday on the 2500 block of West Sixth Street.The car stereo is valued at $200.
ON CAMPUS
Student Union Activities is sponsoring a reception for artistToni Brou from 4 to 6 p.m. today in the SUA Gallery on the fourth floor of the Kansas Union, with free snacks and drinks. Brou will be on hand to discuss her work, which will be displayed through Nov. 23.
♦ The Kronos Quartet string group is performing at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Lied Center.Tickets cost $11 to $28.50 and can be purchased at the Lied Center box office.
Note: The University Daily Kansan prints campus events that are free and open to the public. Submission forms are available in the Kansan newsroom, 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall. Items must be turned in two days in advance of the desired publication date. On Campus is printed on a space-available basis.
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