Afghanistan, Iraq, Franken, Palin, et al; the week in review July 4, 2009

July 4, 4:49 PMLiberal ExaminerRaymond Gellner

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Following are some of the major stories of political import which were in the news this past week, as well as some that were not, but should have been. Happy Independence Day to one and all!

Afghanistan: The United States has been engaged in Afghanistan since October of 2001. At the time of this posting, there have been a total of 1207 fatalities (719 fatalities from the United States and 488 fatalities from other nations). In addition there have been many more personnel who have been severely wounded and will never fully recover. (1)
Thursday marked the beginning of a joint large scale offensive by United States, British, and Afghan military against Taliban strongholds in Southern Afghanistan.

Iraq: The United States has been engaged in Iraq since March of 2003. At the time of this posting, there have been a total of 4639 fatalities (4321 fatalities from the United States and 318 fatalities from other nations). In addition there have been many more personnel who have been severely wounded and will never fully recover. (2)
Furthermore, the United States finished its withdrawal of combat troops from Iraqi cities, leaving the Iraqi security forces in charge of those areas. However, the US did leave trainers and advisors within the cities to help the Iraqis.
For more on the Iraq, please see:
US troops withdrawal from Iraqi cities
Cheney and neocons attack US withdrawal from Iraqi cities

Bernie Madoff was sentenced to 150 years for his conviction of investment fraud in the form of a Ponzi scheme which resulted in the loss of approximately 65 billion dollars of his investors’ money.

Environment, Economy, and Energy: President Obama had a press conference on Monday in order to garner support for the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) which has already passed in the House but has an even tougher fight in the Senate. This bill, also known informally as the Climate Change Bill, is designed to spark economic growth through the development of green technology, as well as reduce America’s dependency on oil and cut CO2 emissions
For more on ACES, please see:
H.R. 2454 ACES Climate Change Bill passes first hurdle

Healthcare Reform: On Wednesday, president Obama gave a town hall session to discuss healthcare reform and what it means to Americans. On Thursday the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee released a healthcare plan which would only cost approximately 600 billion dollars over 10 years, a price tag far less than any other plan devised thus far. This new Senate plan, unlike the previous Senate plan, would contain the public option.
For more on healthcare reform, please see:
Healthcare reform is critical for economic stability and competitiveness of the United States

Honduras: President Manuel Zelaya was overthrown in a coup led by the congress of Honduras, with the head of the congress taking his place as president. However, the exiled president vowed to return and regain his seat despite threats of arrest.

Iranian Election Protests: Iran’s election authority stood by the results of Iran’s June 12th election, affirming that Ahmadinejad was the winner by a wide margin. Reformists have rejected Ahmadinejad’s claim as winner in the election. Although the protests quieted down this week, Moussavi continued to criticize the Iranian government’s crackdown on protesters.
For more on the Iranian crisis, please see:
Iranian election produces uncertainty for Middle East peace
Obama response to Iranian election crisis has well-reasoned merit

Minnesota Senate Race: The Minnesota Supreme Court, in a 5-0 decision, named Democrat Al Franken the winner of the Minnesota Senate race, defeating Norm Coleman by a mere 312 votes. Al Franken is to be sworn into office when the Senate returns next week.
For more on the Al Franken’s victory, please see:
Franken declared winner in Minnesota Senate race

Sarah Palin: Republican Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska announced on Friday that she will resign as Governor effective July 25th. At this time she has not stated any definite plans.
For more on the Sarah Palin’s announcement, please see:
Palin announces resignation, raises speculations of her future plans

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford: Governor Mark Sanford (R-SC) has refused calls from both sides of the aisle in the SC government for his resignation due to his abandonment of his gubernatorial office for five days and his admission of an adulterous affair with an Argentinean woman. He also admitted to inappropriate relations to other women, and to sexual relations with Maria Belen Chapur, all going back to 2001, which was a contradiction of his statement last week.
For more on Gov. Sanford, please see:
Sanford involved in affair, GOP loses another 2012 presidential contender

Supreme Court: Justice David Souter quietly retired from the bench this week after the end of the latest Supreme Court session. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is expected to start her Senate confirmation hearings later this month.
For more on Supreme Court nominee Sotomayor, please see:
Empathy is a positive to Sotomayor Supreme Court selection
Sotomayor selected as Supreme Court nominee; partisan battle lines drawn in Senate

1. iCasualties.org: Operation Enduring Freedom. “Coalition Military Fatalities by Year.” July 2009. July 4, 2009. http://icasualties.org/oef/
2. iCasualties.org: Iraq Coalition Casualty Count. “Military Deaths by Time Period.” July 2009. July 4, 2009. http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx

In addition, the following link may be of interest:
Obama's agenda of change in danger of collapsing due to common obstacles