THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY. OCTOBER 8. 2007
NEWS
NATION
5A
President attends ceremony honoring fallen firefighters
Bush pays tribute to those who died in line of duty in 2006 emphasizes amount of courage the dangerous job requires
BY NATASHA METZLER ASSOCIATED PRESS
EMMITSBURG, Md. (AP) President Bush on Sunday honored fallen firefighters for their dedication and service to the nation.
From the Sept. 11 attacks to Hurricane Katrina, "there were firefighters from around the country there to help," Bush said at a ceremony where he and others paid tribute to firefighters killed on the job.
"The bond between firefighters is obviously unique. It is definitely a source of strength, and it's a reminder that the work here is a calling, not a job."
A plaque with the names of 87 firefighters who died in the line of duty last year was added to the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial on the campus at the
National Fire Academy. The names of four others killed in previous years and not honored before were also added.
"It takes a special kind of person to be a firefighter," the president told the families and others in the audience. "It begins with a different sense of direction. When an area becomes too dangerous for everybody else, you take it over. When others are looking for the exits, our firefighters are looking for the way in."
In his speech, Bush mentioned three of the fallen by name: Kevin A. Apuzzio, of the East Franklin Volunteer Fire Department in Somerset, N.J.; John Destroy Horton, of Rush Springs, Okla; and Amy L. Schnearle-Pennywitt, of Ann Arbor, Mich. He recounted their stories and wondered, "Where do people like this get
their courage?
Plaques surrounding the memorial, created in 1981, now show the names of more than 3.100 firefighters, according to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. The fallen include five U.S. Forest Service firefighters who died from injuries sustained last year from a fire in California's San Bernardino National Forest that investigators saw was deliberately set.
Speaking in praise of the commitment by first responders, the president said, "And to all Americans, across our great country, homes still stand and families can go about their lives because firefighters put themselves in harm's way to protect us. So when you walk by a firehouse, or see an ambulance on the street corner, take a moment to go up and say, 'Thank you.'"
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Gloria Najera-Ayala holds back her tears as she carries a flag Sunday in honor of her son, Daniel Kurtis Hoover Najera, of the USDA Forest Service at the San Bernardino National Forest in California, during a ceremony attended by President Bush at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend in Emmitsburg, Md. Moor Najera was killed during a fire in Esperanza, Calif., on Oct. 26, 2006.
POLITICS
Clinton leads new Iowa poll after increasing local effort; Edwards, Obama still close
State's caucus will begin presidential primary season
BY NEDRA PICKLER ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hampton. A standing-room-only crowd at a community center was warmed up by listening to disco hit "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now."
NEW HAMPTON, IOWA — Hillary Rodham Clinton has taken
"I pay absolutely no attention to
the lead among Democratic presidential candidates in an Iowa poll. an encouraging sign of progress toward overcoming a big hurdle in the race.
Although the New York senator is the clear
"I pay absolutely no attention to what any poll says or what any pundit on TV says. I have absolutely no interest in that."
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON Democratic presidential candidate
front-runner in national surveys, Iowa has remained an elusive prize. She has been in a tight race with John Edwards and Barack Obama in the state that begins the primary campaign voting in three months.
Clinton was supported by 29 percent of the 399 respondents to the poll conducted Oct.1-3, compared with 21 percent in May.
But her campaign has focused on boosting her appeal in Iowa, including two visits with her husband, former President Clinton, by her side over the summer. The effort appears to have paid off, according to the poll of likely Iowa caucus-goers that was published in Sunday's Des Moines Register.
no attention to what any poll says or what any pundit on TV says," the former first lady said. "I have absolutely no interest in that. Nobody has come to a caucus yet. Nobody has cast a vote yet."
Edwards and Obama are not far behind, ensuring that all three campaigns will continue their intense efforts in Iowa, which leads off voting in the 2008 primary contests.
"I'm doing everything I can to earn the support of lowans," Clinton said during a stop in New
While
Clinton visited small towns in eastern lowa, Edwards was in the midst of a four-day tour of the state that included stops in 17 counties. The new poll showed his support falling from 29 percent, good enough for first place in May, to 23 percent. That is a statistical tie with Obama's 22 percent.
The poll has a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points.
Edwards told reporters in Davenport that he sees as a close three-way race, with his two chief rivals rising recently because "they spend millions of dollars on television advertising".
"But, I think it's much more important to Iowa caucus-goers to see you in the flesh — see you stand before them, look them in the eye and answer their hard questions," the former North Carolina senator said.
Clinton got one of those hard questions in New Hampton, and it led to a heated exchange.
Randall Rolph of Nashua challenged her for voting last month to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization. Some Democrats said they feared that such a designation could be interpreted as a congressional authorization of military force in Iran.
Rolph compared Clinton's vote on the Iran measure with her vote to authorize war in Iraq. "It appears you haven't learned from your past mistakes," he said.
Clinton responded that his interpretation was wrong and suggested that someone put him up to asking the question. The man said he did his own research and was offended that she would accuse him of getting it elsewhere. She, apologized but insisted he must be looking at the wrong version of the bill.
Their exchange grew heated as he insisted the bill would authorize combat. Clinton snapped back, her voice rising, "I'm sorry, sir, it does not."
"I know what we voted for, and I know what we intended to do with it," she said. She said it gives the authority to impose penalties.
Many in the crowd applauded her in an effort to cut off the exchange, although afterward at least a couple others in the room came up to thank Rolph. He said he was still undecided about which Democrat he will support, but it would not be Clinton.
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