THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2002
NEWS
NATIONAL ELECTIONS
5A
Obama unable to produce Illinois state senate records
Statement follows candidate's accusations that Hillary Clinton was not hastening release of records from time as first lady
BY MIKE BAKER AND CHRISTOPHER WILLS ASSOCIATED PRESS
RALEIGH, N.C. — Barack Obama, who's been scolding Hillary Rodham Clinton for not hastening the release of records from her time as first lady, says he can't step up and produce his own records from his days in the Illinois state Senate.
He says he doesn't have any.
"I don't have — I don't maintain — a file of eight years of work in the state Senate because I didn't have the resources available to maintain those kinds of records," he said at a recent campaign stop in Iowa.
Obama's statement that he has
no papers from his time in the Illinois state house — he left in 2004 — stands in stark contrast to the massive Clinton file stored at the National Archives; an estimated 78 million pages of documents, plus 20 million e-mail messages,
lobbvist for the coal industry.
"I don't have - I don't maintain a file of eight years of work in the state Senate because I didn't have the resources available to maintain those kinds of records."
packed into 36,000 boxes. While any file from Obama's time in the state Senate would be far smaller, the idea that no papers exist at all is questioned by one historian.
Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt said Wednesday that "Obama has a track record of leading the way on reform and disclosure," adding that "correspondence with state agencies and records of requests Obama made to them on behalf of his constituents are available to the public and have been accessed by our opponents and members of the news media."
"Most of those guys do keep this stuff, especially the favorable stuff. They've all got egos," said Taylor Pensoneau, a historian who has written about Illinois legislators and governors and worked with them as a
Pressed for details, LaBolt said Obama did not keep any correspondence with the general public. Ditto for letters to or from state associations and lobbyists, memos on legislation and correspondence with Illinois state agencies. The campaign said Illinois agencies had copies of
BARACK OBAMA Illinois senator
his requests for information or help, but accessing those records would involve contacting the agencies and asking them to comb though eight years of records to find correspondence from Obama
Meanwhile, the campaign of John Edwards
- Clinton and Obama's leading rival for the Democratic nomination
— said Wednesday it would release the records from his single term representing North Carolina in the U.S. Senate.
Obama criticized Clinton during a debate in Philadelphia at the end of October, comparing her record on records to the Bush administration and saying the country had "just gone through one of the most secretive administrations in our history"
"Senator Edwards will release the records from his Senate office and is committed to getting this done as quickly as possible," said spokeswoman Colleen Murray.
Clinton's papers from her time as first lady, including her work leading a controversial health care task force in her husband's first term, are held at the National Archives and Records Administration. The Clinton campaign has said that neither she nor husband Bill Clinton can do anything to speed the process of review at the National Archives that must precede the papers' becoming public.
Every president can, and usually does, exercise a right to withhold some documents for up to 12 years after leaving office. Bill Clinton wrote in a 2002 letter that he did not want the agency to release communications between the first lady and him for that period.
Obama hasn't always claimed there were no papers left from his time in the state Senate. Earlier this year, campaign spokesman LaBolt asked The Associated Press to narrow a request for records on whether Obama had ever urged clemency for a convicted criminal.
"You're asking us to do an extremely exhaustive search into every record we have from the U.S. Senate and state Senate offices," LaBolt said at the time. At the news conference in Iowa last week, Obarna said he didn't "have a whole bunch of records from those years," but told reporters to "let us know" if there are "particular documents that you are interested in."
FORUM
Adam MacDonald/KANSAN
Elif Afad, Rauf Arif, Huma Khan, William Lambert and Tom Wilhelm form a panel to discuss issues in Pakistan and its government on Wednesday afternoon in the Kansas Union. All speakers have experience in the Middle East as sociologists, military personnel or journalists.
Students,professionals discuss turmoil in Pakistan
BY SARAH NEFF
SNEEF@KANSAN.COM
Huma Khan said she saw a positive future for Pakistan despite the recent turmoil. She said there was a chance to revitalize the leadership.
Khan, Kansas City, Kan., graduate student, along with four others, participated in a panel discussion Wednesday afternoon called "Turmoil in Pakistan: What are the Options?"
The discussion was sponsored by International Programs as part of International Education Week.
On Nov. 2, General Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency in Pakistan, halting general elections until January, thus keeping himself in power.
of sociology, said there was a call for the United States to do something about the situation, especially because Pakistan is a U.S. ally.
"What just happened in Pakistan was a very clear violation of democracy," Andac said.
Elif Andac, assistant professor
Rauf Arif, Pakistan graduate student, spoke on the panel from the perspective of the average Pakistani. Arif worked as a journalist in Pakistan before he came to the University. He said Musharraf appeared to legitimize his actions by taking refuge under the war on terror, and the United States had not yet taken action because of a vested interest in the regime.
"Common people see President Bush standing behind Musharraf, a brutal dictator," Arif said. "The United States should try to make
friends from within the people of Pakistan rather than the dictators"
Bill Lambert, assistant professor in the Department of Joint and Multinational Operations at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, said he predicted Musharraf's actions during a lecture on Oct. 31. He said the Supreme Court of Pakistan caused a constitutional crisis by telling Musharraf he could run for president again before ruling whether it was legal.
Lambert's research suggested that the greatest points in economic prosperity were during times of martial law, and he said he expected another military coup in the near future.
- Edited by Rachel Bock
POLITICS
Catholic Church discusses election issues
BY RACHEL ZOLL ASSOCIATED PRESS
BALTIMORE — Roman Catholic voters and lawmakers must heed church teaching on issues ranging from racism to abortion or risk their eternal salvation, U.S. bishops said Wednesday.
"Political choices faced by citizens have an impact on general peace and prosperity and also may affect the individual's salvation," the bishops said. "Similarly, the kinds of laws and policies supported by public officials affect their spiritual well-being."
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops overwhelmingly adopted the statement, "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship," as they ended the public session of their fall meeting.
While the 30-plus-page document touches widely on Catholic social justice teaching, the bishops said that fighting abortion should be a priority.
They have offered similar guidance to Catholics before every presidential race since 1976.
Catholics make up one-quarter of the electorate nationwide, but do not vote as a bloc, and often do not follow the bishops' political guidance. Surveys indicate that most don't choose candidates based on that person's position on abortion. In the current election season, none of the leading presidential candidates has been reliably anti-abortion.
"The direct and intentional destruction of innocent human life is always wrong and is not just one issue among many," the bishops said. "It must always be opposed."
The bishops said that voting for a candidate specifically because he or she supports "an intrinsic evil, such as abortion or racism" amounted to "formal cooperation in grave evil."
The document did not address whether Catholics who violate this guidance should continue to receive Holy Communion.
"When you look at eternal salvation, God is the only judge," said Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, of the Diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y. "All we have the ability to do is to warn people."
The bishops said helping the poor
should be a priority in government, providing health care, taking in refugees and protecting workers' rights, and the bishops highlighted the need for environmental protection.
However, they also opposed same-sex marriage, euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research, in addition to their stance anti-abortion position.
The prelates, who oppose the death penalty, said torture is "always wrong" and expressed "serious moral concerns" about "preventive use of military force." But in a very brief floor debate Wednesday before
the vote, they heightened their language on terrorism, adding a sentence acknowledging "the continuing threat of fanatical extremism and global terror."
In recent years, some independent Catholics groups have been distributing their own voter booklets, with theological conservatives emphasizing abortion and liberal-leaning groups highlighting church teaching on war, poverty and social justice.
The bishops urged Catholics to only use voter resources approved by the church.
Drum up support for Harvester's Food Drive!
KU vs. MU Football Game Saturday, Nov. 24
The KU Student Alumni Association and the MU Student Alumni Association Boards are challenging fans to bring non-perishable food items to Arrowhead stadium on game day. Support your school and a good cause!
Look for the Harvester's collection bins at entrance gates and next to the KU Alumni Association tailgate.
Not going to the game? Then go online to www.bordershowdown.harvesters.org Help us beat Mizzou in this fun new rivalry!