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Post by silentrunner on Oct 17, 2017 20:06:26 GMT
PM SHARON SURVIVES ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
Haaretz, October 13, 2005
Prime Minister Sharon narrowly survived an attempt on his life today as he was leaving Yom Kippur services in Jerusalem.
As Sharon was leaving synagogue services, a young man fired on him with a pistol. Sharon was wounded once in the stomach. The shooter was tackled from behind by a courageous bystander and secured by police while Sharon was rushed to the hospital. The prime minster is currently listed as in stable condition.
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Post by silentrunner on Oct 17, 2017 20:17:52 GMT
SHOOTING AT RED LAKE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
New York Times, October 14, 2005
12 people were killed and eight more injured in a shooting at the Red Lake Senior High School in Red Lake, Minnesota.
The perpetrator, 17 year-old Jeff Weise, opened fire on students with a .40-caliber pistol and a 12-gauge shotgun. Weise was subsequently cornered by police, shooting one in the thigh, before being wounded in the stomach. Weise is currently being treated for his wounds in hospital.
RED LAKE SHOOTER AVID PLAYER OF VIOLENT GAMES
Wall Street Journal, October 15, 2005
A subpoena of the computer of Red Lake shooter Jeff Weise revealed that he was an avid player of violent video games such as Doom, Soldier of Fortune, and Grand Theft Auto III.
In a statement to the press, Senator Joe Lieberman(D-CT) said "This is more proof of the toxic effects such games have on the minds of American youth."
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Post by silentrunner on Oct 18, 2017 0:37:59 GMT
CHIEF JUSTICE REHNQUIST DIES
Wall Street Journal, October 15, 2005
US Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist has died at his Arlington, Virginia home at the age of 81 after a long battle with thyroid cancer.
SANTORUM NOMINATES REPLACEMENT FOR REHNQUIST
Wall Street Journal, October 16, 2005
President Santorum has revealed his proposed replacement for the late Chief Justice Rehnquist: former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore.
Moore is best known for defying orders from a federal judge to remove a monument of the Ten Commandments from the Alabama Judicial Building in 2003, an act that resulted in his being dismissed from the Alabama Supreme Court.
Santorum has praised Moore "as a stalwart defender of Christianity in the public sphere." Critics note that aside from the aforementioned Ten Commandments controversy, Moore's career was brief and unremarkable.
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Post by silentrunner on Oct 18, 2017 1:10:24 GMT
AAIB RELEASES PRELIMINARY REPORT ON AIR FORCE ONE CRASH
The Guardian, October 16, 2005
The Air Accident Investigation Branch has released a preliminary report on the plane crash that claimed the life of US President Kasich in April.
According to data from the VC-25's FDR, after initiating the go-around, the flight crew put the plane into an excessively steep climb. The VC-25's wings lost lift due to the high nose-up attitude disrupting airflow over the wings, a condition known as an aerodynamic stall, causing the plane to pitch nose-down and enter a steep dive with insufficient altitude for recovery.
The report notes that the flight crew was under intense pressure to land on time, which may have made them more susceptible to mistakes.
USAF RELEASES OWN REPORT ON AIR FORCE ONE CRASH
The Daily Mail, October 16, 2005
On the same day that the AAIB has released their preliminary report on the April crash of Air Force One, the United States Air Force has released their own report, one that comes to a dramatically different conclusion.
The USAF report disputes the AAIB's finding of pilot error, claiming that the go-around was executed in a optimal fashion. Instead, the Air Force claims that the sudden descent was a result of a surface-to-air missile hitting the plane's tail.
Critics have suggested that the conclusions of the report were a result of political pressure instead of rigorous investigation.
"The USAF's suggestion of terrorism is nothing short of preposterous. Security at and around Heathrow was very tight on the morning of the accident, and the recovered wreckage showed no sign of damage consistent with an missile strike. What we have here is nothing but a political circus by the Santorum administration."
-Former Secretary of Defense Gordon R. England, in response to the USAF report.
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Post by silentrunner on Oct 18, 2017 16:36:53 GMT
VIDEO GAME CONTENT REGULATION ACT REINTRODUCED IN CONGRESS
Washington Post, October 17, 2005
Three and a half years after its failure in Congress, Representative Jim Sensenbrenner(R-WI) has reintroduced the Video Game Content Regulation Act, using the exact same language as the 2002 bill.
The return of the bill comes on the heels of the Red Lake High School shooting, where the perpetrator was found to have an interest in violent video games.
VGCRA PASSES HOUSE
New York Times, October 19, 2005
By a vote of 220 to 215, the Video Game Content Regulation Act has been passed by the House of Representatives.
Representative Tammy Baldwin(D-WI), who voted against the Act, lambasted it as "the triumph of moral panic over common sense."
Nintendo of America, Sony Computer Entertainment of America, and Microsoft, in a display of solidarity between the usually competing companies, have announced that they plan to challenge the act in the US Supreme Court should it pass the Senate.
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Post by silentrunner on Oct 18, 2017 17:06:02 GMT
MOORE REJECTED BY SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
New York Times, October 19, 2005
By a vote of 12-8, the Senate Judiciary Committee has rejected Roy Moore's nomination as Chief Justice.
Washington Dulles International Airport, October 21, 2005
Dan and Thomas did their best to blend in with the other ground crews as they looked for their target. Finally, they spotted the Learjet 45 sitting in the hangar. The two agents went inside the aircraft and went to work.
"I don't like this" said Thomas. "The job of the Secret Service is to protect the president, not bump off politicians who won't go along with his agenda."
"You saw how pissed he got when the Judiciary Committee rejected his hand-picked fundie" replied Dan. "He's not gonna accept us backing out."
The agents went to the lavatory in the back. Thomas set down his duffel bag and took out the pressure cooker. Inside was enough explosives to blast a large hole in the side of the plane. He placed the bomb beneath the sink.
Their work done, the agents exited the plane.
TEN MINUTES LATER
Senator Chuck Grassley(R-IA), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee climbed the airstair door into the plane's cabin. He had just concluded a conversation with President Santorum. Well, maybe "conversation" wasn't the right word-Santorum had spent five minutes screaming at Grassley over his refusal to confirm Roy Moore as Chief Justice. Grassley had tried to explain why he considered Moore unfit for the job, but Santorum simply would not listen. The president had promised he would make Grassley regret his choice.
Grassley tried to get the thought off his mind as the jet took off.
CNN, ONE HOUR LATER
"We have just received word that a chartered business jet carrying Iowa senator Chuck Grassley has crashed in Ohio while en route from Washington D.C. to Des Moines, Iowa."
"We can say with absolute certainty that Senator Grassley's plane was brought down by Islamic terrorism. The late Grassley was a firm supporter of the wars in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq, which made him a prime target for terrorists."
White House press secretary David Limbaugh, October 21, 2005
BRANSTAD NOMINATED TO REPLACE GRASSLEY
The Des Moines Register, October 22, 2005
Governor Tom Vilsack has nominated his predecessor, Terry Branstad, to fill in Grassley's Senate seat.
BRANSTAD CONFIRMED BY IOWA LEGISLATURE
The Des Moines Register, November 5, 2005
The Iowa General Assembly has voted to confirm Terry Branstad as Grassley's replacement in the US Senate.
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Post by silentrunner on Oct 18, 2017 18:17:32 GMT
SANTORUM SELECTS NEW CANDIDATE FOR CHIEF JUSTICE
Wall Street Journal, November 5, 2005
After the rejection of Roy Moore, Santorum has selected a new candidate for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: former Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas R. Phillips.
PHILLIPS CONFIRMED BY SENATE
Wall Street Journal, November 10, 2005
The US Senate has voted to confirm Thomas R. Phillips as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court by a vote of 70 to 25.
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Post by silentrunner on Oct 18, 2017 18:18:17 GMT
VGCRA PASSES SENATE
Wall Street Journal, November 12, 2005
The Video Game Content Regulation Act has passed the Senate by a vote of 55 to 45. All that remains now is for Santorum to sign the bill into law.
As the Senate voted on the act, a crowd of demonstrators gathered outside the Capitol to protest the act. The demonstration was broken up by police.
"I see no reason why we should be swayed by a bunch of basement-dwelling, Fanta-swilling, Doritos-munching man-children who spend their days creating scantily-clad female avatars in MMORPGs so they can masturbate to them."
President Santorum on the anti-VGCRA protestors.
VGCRA SIGNED INTO LAW
New York Times, November 13, 2005
President Santorum has officially signed the Video Game Content Regulation Act into law, banning video game developers from including explicit violence, sexual themes, or any other "objectionable" content in their games.
In a statement to the press, Microsoft CEO Bill Gates says that the "big three" video game companies will go through with their promise to challenge the act before the Supreme Court.
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Post by silentrunner on Oct 18, 2017 18:43:17 GMT
LOTT: I suggest you let this one go, Rick. Who cares about video games when we have bigger things to worry about, like the gay agenda or prayer in public schools?
SANTORUM: You don't understand Trent. If we let the liberals win once, all our momentum will disappear, and we'll never get anything done again.
LOTT: So what are you gonna do? The Grassley stunt has already raised everyone's suspicions. If anyone from the video game companies bites it, all the evidence will point back to us.
SANTORUM: Why kill them when we can discredit them?
Conversation between President Santorum and Vice President Lott, November 13, 2005
BILL GATES ARRESTED ON CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGES
New York Times, November 16, 2005
The richest man in the world has now found himself in the legal hot seat after authorities discovered child pornography on his home computer.
The investigation started when a Microsoft employee arrested on child porn charges claimed to have gotten the images from Gates in E-mail exchanges. Federal authorities subsequently subpoenaed Gates's personal computer at his residence in Medina and found hundreds of images of pornographic images of children.
Gates was arrested as he left the Microsoft campus in Redmond, WA. He has maintained his innocence, claiming that the images were planted in his computer by someone else.
"Ten bucks says that the kiddie porn actually came from Santorum's computer."
Anonymous IGN forum member on Gates's arrest.
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Post by silentrunner on Oct 18, 2017 19:18:02 GMT
AIR TRANSAT FLIGHT CRASHES IN FORT LAUDERDALE
Miami Herald, November 16, 2005
A Canadian airliner crashed in downtown Fort Lauderdale while on approach to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, killing all 209 aboard.
Air Transat Flight 499, a charter flight from Montreal to Fort Lauderdale, was on approach when it experienced a sudden in-flight structural failure. According to witnesses, the vertical tailfin of the aircraft snapped off as it was descending. The loss of the tailfin caused the plane to enter an uncontrolled spin and crash in a residential backyard.
The NTSB has dispatched investigators to the scene of the accident. While the crash appears to be an accident, investigators have not ruled out terrorism.
BEA RELEASES FINAL REPORT ON LUFTHANSA DISASTER
The Daily Mail, November 17, 2005
The Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety has released its final report on the November 2002 crash of Lufthansa Flight 1911.
According to the report, the trouble began when the flight crew encountered clear-air turbulence, causing the plane to begin yawing and rolling. In response, the captain made several alternating rudder inputs. The resulting aerodynamic loads caused the vertical stabilizer to separate, dooming the plane and all 210 onboard.
The crash of Lufthansa 1911 bears some startling similarities to the crash of Air Trasnat Flight 499 in Fort Lauderdale. The plane involved in that accident was an Airbus A310, a shrunken version of the Airbus A300. Like Lufthansa 1911, Air Transat 499 encountered turbulence just before losing control and crashing.
"We have every reason to believe the downing of Air Transat Flight 499 was an act of terrorism."
White House Press Secretary David Limbaugh
"The White House's line about Air Transat 499 being terrorism is bullsit. Whenever Al-Qaeda was responsible for some disaster, they always took credit for it. The fact that they haven't in this case or the Chuck Grassley plane crash is telling."
Glenn Beck, November 19, 2005
SANTORUM: Ugh, that nitwit Beck! He thinks he can spout off about us without consequences?
LOTT: He's just another jabbering mouth on the radio.
SANTORUM: But he's supposed to be one of us!
COULTER: Calm down, Rick. If we go after every one who talks shit about us the second they open their mouth, the American public will get wary.
LOTT: Ann's right. The offing of Senator Grassley has already raised plenty of suspicion.
SANTORUM: All right, I'll let Beck off for now. But if he keeps this up, he will be sorry.
Conversation between President Santorum, Vice President Lott, and Chief of Staff Coulter, November 19, 2005
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Post by silentrunner on Oct 18, 2017 19:22:29 GMT
GM ANNOUNCES REVIVAL OF LASALLE NAME
Detroit Free Press, November 20, 2005
General Motors is bringing back a marque from its past to fill in the gap left by the withdrawal of Buick from the American market.
The LaSalle brand, which was created in 1927 as a lower-priced companion to Cadillac and discontinued in 1940, was chosen as the name of GM's new upscale division. Like the old marque, the new LasSalle is meant to fill in the gap between Cadillac and the more mainstream GM brands.
The first models are scheduled to go on sale in the spring of 2006 for the 2007 model year.
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Post by silentrunner on Oct 18, 2017 19:25:47 GMT
BILL GATES PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO CHILD PORN CHARGES
Wall Street Journal, December 8, 2005
Appearing in federal court to face indictment for child pornography charges, Microsoft CEO Bill Gates has pleaded not guilt, continuing to insist that the pornography was planted on his computer to frame him.
"Mr. Gates thinks his power and wealth will let him weasel his way out of trouble. He's dead wrong."
President Santorum, December 8, 2005
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Post by silentrunner on Oct 18, 2017 20:27:04 GMT
SHARON PROPOSES ISRAEL-PALESTINE CONFEDERATION
Haaretz, December 20, 2005
Prime Minister Sharon has proposed a new solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, a confederation between Israel and Palestine.
Under Sharon's plan, the two states would be united under a central government and military while maintaining independence in most domestic affairs. Freedom of movement and settlement would be guaranteed regardless of ethnicity or religion.
Sharon's proposal has been met with both approval from centrist politicians and scorn from the political right.
"I am quite open to the idea of an Israel-Palestine union."
Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, in response to Sharon's proposal
"It's a terrible idea."
Binyamin Netanyahu
"Sharon is insane if he thinks he can make peace with the Palestinian terrorists. I'm disappointed that the Israeli government would countenance such an idea."
President Santorum
"Say 'NO' to union with Palestinian animals!"
Kahanist demonstrators outside the Knesset, December 20, 2005
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Post by silentrunner on Oct 18, 2017 20:54:28 GMT
Ladies and gentlemen of the United State Congress, I come before you today to brief both you and the American public on the current state of our nation.
First of all, let me state that I sincerely wish I wasn't standing here right now. John Kasich, my predecessor, should've been the one to deliver this address, but he was taken from us too soon by an act of terrorism.
Make no mistake, the threat of Islamic terrorism continues to loom over our heads right now. This very moment, the bravest of our citizens are fighting and bleeding and dying so that we can live our lives as free people. Yet there are some among us who try to make excuses for the bloodthirsty killers facing us, who refuse to acknowledge the wolves among us right now, and who openly spite the selfless men and women fighting for us overseas. Make no mistake, they can spout off all they want, but don't think there won't be consequences later.
But make no mistake, there is a far bigger threat to our nation coming from within, one that seeks to destroy our nation's soul, to deny the Christian spirit instilled in it by the Founding Fathers. It has pushed God out of our nation's classrooms and punished those who speak up against indecency.
In the past nine months, we have been able to score some small victories. We overturned the immoral "Don't Ask Don't Tell" that allowed sexual deviants to slip undetected into our country's armed forces and sabotage them from within. We were able to stop the video game companies from peddling their brand of digital depravity.
But small victories are not enough. We must keep fighting until the secularist threat is gone for good. And once that threat is eliminated, we will show the Islamists why you do not mess with a Christian nation. To the godless babbling and the doubters, I say no!
Thank you, and good night.
President Santorum's State of the Union address, January 25, 2006
"How delusional can one man be?"
Alan Colmes, in response to Santorum's State of the Union
"Impeach his ass now!"
Florida governor Jeb Bush
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Post by silentrunner on Oct 18, 2017 22:30:12 GMT
BILL GATES ESCAPES FROM PRISON
Wall Street Journal, January 31, 2006
According to a press release from the Department of Justice, Bill Gates has escaped from prison while awaiting trial for the child pornography charges against him.
"I want that bastard found now!"
President Santorum, in a phone call to FBI Director Ashcroft
"Sightings of Bill Gates are being reported all over the country as the Department of Justice has offered a $50,000 reward for the fugitive billionare's capture"
Shepard Smith, FOX News, February 6, 2006
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Post by silentrunner on Oct 19, 2017 4:02:59 GMT
FBI: AIR TRANSAT FLIGHT 499 BROUGHT DOWN BY TERRORISM
Washington Post, February 8, 2006
In a press release this morning, FBI Director John Ashcroft announced that the crash of Air Transat Flight 499 was an act of terrorism.
According to Ashcroft, a prisoner in Guantanamo Bay came forward and told the FBI that the plane was sabotaged in Toronto by terrorists posing as airport ground crew.
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Post by silentrunner on Oct 19, 2017 4:13:23 GMT
BILL INTRODUCED IN CONGRESS TO PROMOTE INTELLIGENT DESIGN
New York Times, March 1, 2006
Representative Mike Huckabee (R-AR) has introduced a bill into Congress that would require the teaching of Intelligent Design alongside evolution.
According to Huckabee, the Education Balance Act is not meant to promote Intelligent Design over evolution, but to require schools to give equal weight to both theories, allowing students to make their own conclusions.
"Write your Congressman and tell them to keep their dressed-up creationism out of our public schools."
National Center for Science Education official website in response to the Education Balance Act
EDUCATION BALANCE ACT PASSES HOUSE
Wall Street Journal, March 22, 2006
The Education Balance Act has passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 290 to 145.
Secretary of Education Philip Johnson has called it "An important step in the breaking of Darwinism's monopoly on science education."
Representative Pete Stark (D-CA), who voted against the act, said on the floor on Congress "clearly 290 of my colleagues believe in forcing their religious views down the throats of innocent children."
"There really is no god."
TalkOrigins user on the House vote on the Education Balance Act
"I hear the liberals keep saying that the Education Balance Act violates the First Amendment. They have it all wrong. The First Amendment was never meant to shut Christianity out completely from the government. It was merely meant to keep the government from favoring one denomination above the others."
Vice President Lott, in response to criticism of the Education Balance Act
"Lott has it all wrong. While some of the Founding Fathers may have been men of faith, they also knew from the experiences of Europe the disastrous consequences of mixing religion and politics, which is why they intended church and state to be separated."
The Right Reverend John Shelby Spong, in response to Lott's statement.
KENNEDY COLLAPSES WHILE FILIBUSTERING EBA
Boston Globe, March 31, 2006
Senator Ted Kennedy was rushed to the hospital today after suffering a stroke on the Senate floor while filibustering the Education Balance Act.
Kennedy was forty minutes into his speech when he suddenly began stammering and collapsed. Doctors are currently working to stabilize him.
In a statement to the press, President Santorum said "Despite my many disagreements with Mr. Kennedy, I wish him a speedy recovery."
"We have received word that Ted Kennedy has been stabilized, though he remains in a coma."
Brian Williams, CNN, April 1, 2006
"The plight of Senator Kennedy is a shining example of what happens to those who defy God's word."
Jerry Falwell, April 1, 2006
"Shut your fucking mouth, Jerry."
DemocraticUnderground.com member, in response to Falwell's comment
"If the Senate is foolish enough to pass this act, then we will go to the Supreme Court."
Eugenie Scott, Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education
EDUCATION BALANCE ACT PASSES SENATE
Wall Street Journal, April 6, 2006
The Education Balance Act has been passed by the Senate by a vote of 50 for, 45 against, four abstaining, and one absent.
Advocates of intelligent design have hailed the act as "breaking the stranglehold that Darwin has held on science education." Critics call it a blatant attempt to impose religious dogma upon public schools.
PROMINENT ANTI-CREATIONISM ACTIVIST REPORTED MISSING BY FAMILY
Oakland, April 9, 2006
Eugenie Scott, Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education and one of the harshest critics of the Education Balance Act, has been reported missing by her family.
Scott was last seen Friday leaving her home in Berkeley. Her husband Thomas Sager filed a missing persons report with the Berkeley police today.
"It truly frightens me that the largest nuclear arsenal on the planet is under the control of a fundamentalist nutjob who is willing to do harm against those who disagree with his holy book."
Richard Dawkins, April 11, 2006
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Post by silentrunner on Oct 19, 2017 4:23:44 GMT
GEORGIA INVADES CHECHNYA
The Daily Mail, March 1, 2006
The Republic of Georgia has sent troops into Chechnya in response to incursions by Chechen jihadists along the Georgia-Chechnya border.
The former autonomous republic of Russia has been ruled by an Islamic fundamentalist regime since the collapse of the Russian central government after the destruction of Moscow in May 2004. The Georgian government has accused the regime of aiding Islamist insurgencies in neighboring states, including Georgia.
"We condemn this incursion on rightful Russian territory and call on the Georgian government to withdraw."
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, self-proclaimed president of the Russian Democratic Republic, in response to the Georgian invasion of Chechnya.
"We support Georgia in their fight against Islamic jihadists in the Caucasus."
President Santorum
"Mister Santorum is the last person we'd want supporting us."
Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili in a private conversation
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Post by silentrunner on Oct 19, 2017 20:21:14 GMT
BOMB EXPLODES AT TEL-AVIV MOSQUE
Haaretz, April 14, 2006
A bomb has exploded at the Hassan Bek Mosque in Tel-Aviv-Yafo during Friday services, killing 22 people.
According to authorities, the attack was perpetrated by Israeli far-right activists.
Prime Minster Sharon has condemned the attack, saying "With this act of terrorism, the Israeli far-right have shown themselves to be no better than the murderers on the Palestinian side."
"While I have the utmost respect for Sharon, I must disagree in his comparing the Israeli right to the Palestinians. While they may take extreme actions, it is only in response to Palestinian provocation."
Avigdor Lieberman, in response to Sharon's statement.
"Mr. Sharon shouldn't be surprised at this turn of events. When you sell your people down the river to gain the favor of terrorists, they will strike back."
President Santorum, in response to the Tel-Aviv mosque bombing.
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Post by silentrunner on Oct 20, 2017 0:29:33 GMT
SANTORUM ANNOUCES TIMETABLE FOR WITHDRAWAL FROM PAKISTAN
Washington Post, April 15, 2006
President Santorum has announced that he plans to withdraw all American forces from Pakistan by 2008.
Santorum says "We have done a lot of good in Pakistan over the past four years, but it is time we turn our attention to more pressing theaters."
Critics have called the withdrawal premature, nothing the fragility of Pakistan's government and the continued Islamist activity.
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