TUESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2004
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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Republicans rebut anti-war claims
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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Republican National Convention yesterday wasn't void of insults: Republicans said Democratic Sen. John Kerry was a shift-in-the-wind campaigner unworthy of the White House. The convention was held four miles from Ground Zero of the Sept. 11 attack.
"We need George Bush' more than ever," said former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
"We need a leader with the experience to make the tough decisions and the resolve to stick with them," added Sen. John McCain of Arizona. In prepared remarks, McCain called the invasion of Iraq "necessary, achievable and noble."
The president campaigned in New Hampshire and Michigan as the GOP opened its four-day convention. But he triggered an instant campaign stir that threatened to muddle the convention's carefully scripted message when he told an interviewer he doubted victory is possible in the war on terror.
"I don't think you can win it. But I think you can create the conditions that those who use terror as a tool are less acceptable in parts of the world," Bush
told NBC. Kerry responded that the struggle was "absolutely" winnable and Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards said Bush's remark amounted to a concession of defeat in the war that terrorists launched in 2001.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan hastened to clarify the president's remarks, saying Bush meant the war was not a conventional one, and neither would be the ending.
McCain offered no criticism of the president's Democratic rival, his longtime Senate colleague and a man he calls a friend. But he gave a full-throated endorsement of Bush as wartime president.
McCain and Giuliani were the evening's principal prime-time speakers at the convention podium, a reflection of their ability to command political support outside the president's conservative base.
Critics of the invasion of Iraq believe Bush faced a choice between the status quo and war, McCain said. "But there was no status quo to be left alone," he said. "It was between a war and a graver threat. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Not our critics abroad. Not our political opponents."
J. Scott Applewhite/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani arrived at Madison Square Garden on the first day of the Republican National Convention yesterday in New York.
Jackson County: Hurrah for Harrah's
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MAYETTA — Six years ago, most of the roads at the Potawatomi reservation north of Topeka were either dirt or gravel. The unemployment rate in Jackson County was high, and there wasn't much reason for anyone living outside the county to seek jobs there.
What a difference a casino makes.
Harrah's Prairie Band Casino, now the state's No. 2 tourist attraction, has infused new life into a community where three
out of every four members of the tribe had no job two decades ago.
ago.
With a work force of more than 1,050, the casino and adjacent hotel had an annual payroll last year of $23 million, and officials believe that will exceed $26 million next year.
million next year.
The average salary is $14 an hour, and 75 percent of the employees are full time. The county's jobless rate has shrunk to 6.4 percent, and 2000 census figures show 1,400 people commute into the county to work, compared with 400 in 1990.
"Almost half of our employees come from the Topeka area," said Patrick Browne, general manager of the casino. "The surrounding communities of Hoyt, Mayetta and Holton make up most of the other half."
members earn undergraduate master's and doctoral degrees. Pahmahmie said.
Zach Pahmahmie, chairman of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, said proceeds from the casino have funded such community resources as the Elder Center, fire department, police department, buffalo herd and Prairie People's Park.
Gambling profits also have been used to help the tribe's
The casino once was the state's top tourist attraction, but the opening of the Cabela's outdoor superstore in Kansas City, Kan., dropped Harrah's to No. 2.
NO.2. The casino had 1.4 million visitors in 2003, and Browne thinks that number could hit 2 million in 2004.
The casino's core customer base is age 45 to 65 and has higher than average disposable income.
Reports may finish four Army generals
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — The Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal could effectively end the careers of four Army generals who are linked indirectly to the incident but face no criminal charges.
All four are "essentially finished in the military," even if they are not forced to resign, said Dan Goure, a defense analyst at the Lexington Institute think tank.
The four are singled out for varying degrees of criticism and praise in two comprehensive investigative reports released last week. The investigators conclude that the generals are partly responsible, but not legally culpable, for the abuse last fall.
The most senior of the generals, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, already has been passed over for promotion to a four-star slot as chief of Southern Command.
Sanchez was the top U.S. commander in Iraq until the restoration of Iraq sovereignty in late June, when he returned to Army 5th Corps headquarters in Germany, where he is the commanding general.
Further complicating his situation is the fact that as 5th Corps commander he would normally be the person to make decisions about pursuing possible criminal charges against soldiers of the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade who are implicated in the latest Army report.
But since his own role in Iraq is under scrutiny, that responsibility may be shifted elsewhere.
Sanchez and his top deputy Maj. Gen. Walter Wojdakowski, are cited in an Army investigation for failure to "ensure proper staff oversight of detention and interrogation operations" in Iraq, specifically at the Abu Ghraib prison where Iraqi detainees were physically abused and sexually humiliated by military police and intelligence soldiers in the fall of 2003.
That probe was conducted by Maj. Gen. George Fay and focused on the role of the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade at Abu Ghraib.
It found no evidence that the abuse was carried out under military orders, or in accordance with Pentagon policy, but was attributed to personal misconduct and confusion and inadequate supervision.
Also released last week was a report by an independent panel of nongovernment experts, headed by former defense secretary James Schlesinger.
tary James Becketts, Fast, Wojdakowski and Sanchez, as well as Janis Karpinski, the Army Reserve brigadier general who commanded the 800th Military Police Brigade in Iraq, are criticized in both the Fay and Schlesinger reports.
Fast also is praised. The Fay report says she orchestrated a reorganization of the intelligence setup in Iraq after she arrived in July 2003 amid an emerging anti-U.S. insurgency.
The Schlesinger report says Wojdakowski failed to call for more military police at Abu Ghraib after it became clear that more were needed.
It faults Fast for improperly advising Sanchez on operating the interrogation center at Abu Ghraib and for failing to appropriately monitor the activities of the CIA, whose officers participated in some interrogations at the prison and who allegedly persuaded the Army to hold "ghost" detainees without registering them as required by law.
The Schlesinger report blamed Karpinski for leadership failures that "helped set the conditions at the prison which led to the abuses." She failed to ensure that Iraqi prisoners were protected by the Geneva Conventions and failed to deal with ineffective commanders below her. The recommendations it made essentially end her career.
THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS AUGUST 31,2004 PRESENTED BY SENATE
Want to make a difference in a young person's life?
Planning for College Success Tutoring & Mentoring Program (PFCS) is looking for dedicated, energetic volunteers to work as tutors and mentors in the Lawrence School District. E-mail us at pfcsku@hotmail.com for more information or visit us at www.ku.edu/~pfcs.
Come to our first meeting Sept.16 @ 7:30 p.m. English Room, Kansas Union
Email Arthur at jonesa@ku.edu for more information.
An organization for people who admire the works of JRR Tolkien
slab
The Fellowship of the Ring
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Find out more: Info Meetings Sept. 1 & 2,6 pm, Walnut Room, Kansas Union
COORDINATOR POSITIONS NOW AVAILABLE Pick up applications in the Student Senate office, online at www.ku.edu/~slab or email slab@ku.edu
The KU Young Democrats invite you to
Come party with
Governor Kathleen Sebelius Congressman Dennis Moore Congressional Candidate Nancy Boyda
Big Metal Rooster To kick off the school year and the campaign!
TONIGHT: Tuesday, August 31st
8:00 p.m. - Midnight
Liberty Hall 642 Massachusetts Street
$5 Students
$10 Adults
$100 Sponsors
To order tickets, email kudems@ku.edu or visit www.ku.edu/~kudems
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