2010 US Presidential Election

[Prometheus_2300]

FYI everyone, I editted my previous North Korea article to be more detailed

[Tim Thomason]

bbcinternational.com
Breaking News
Actress and Korean First Lady killed as Tensions Between North Korea and America increase
Saturday, December 18, 2010

Ellen Trudy, the newlywed wife of North Korea Premier Kang Sun-u and star of the just-released film Maiden of the United Korea (처녀는 한국의), has been officially executed by state authorities. She was 23 years old. Trudy's execution was viewable on YouTube before it was taken down. It is currently visible on several mirror sites. She was killed alongside an unidentified Asian male identified by North Korean officials as an American soldier. Sources from within the White House have denied the accusation.

Trudy was the daughter of American expatriate Daniel Trudy and his wife Beverly, who live in Seoul, South Korea. She was born in Olympia, Washington and has spent time in Hollywood where she appeared in several television movies and had a minor role on two episodes of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. Her father has previously described her as 'troubled,' and her defection to North Korea in 2008 was a major tabloid news story.

Sources in North Korea are adamant that a group of American soldiers had entered North Korea in an attempt to 'rescue' Trudy and had killed several North Korean guards in order to do so. Trudy herself is believed to have participated in the escape plan and was judged as an accessory and summarily executed alongside a person believed to be a surviving soldier. Kang presumably ordered the execution.

How this will affect January's planned three-way Korean trade talks is currently unknown, although North Korea has amped up its local military presence and border patrol, mostly in response to Chinese military excercises two days ago.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

CNN

U.S. Condemns Execution Of Actress

Seoul, South Korea-Reaction to news of the death of actress Ellen Trudy has been swift and furious as details continue to come in over what has been described as an execution that was personally ordered by North Korean premier Kang Sun-u.

"I'm outraged," Secretary of State Arnold Vinick said Saturday. "Trudy's parents, and many others, came here in good faith to simply ensure that she was in fact in North Korea of her own free will and to ask a simple request-let her talk to her family. This is unacceptable behavior from a man who calls himself an enlightened leader." Vinick demanded that Ms. Trudy's body be returned along with the bodies of any Americans who might have been involved in what North Korea claims was an escape attempt aided and abetted by American soldiers.

Speaking from Washington, President Santos went further: "Ellen Trudy's only crime was of wanting to be reunited with her family. I cannot begin to express my own feelings of sadness and outrage at this event. Rest assured, America will not forget this day." President Santos did not give any details as to what his official response might be, but said that "all options are on the table" when dealing with "rogue regimes." He did not say whether or not he or Secretary of State Vinick would pull the U.S. out of talks that were scheduled for January.

"This just shows how brutal the North Korean regime really is," President-elect GlenAllen Walken added. "Make no mistake, after I'm sworn in we're going to hold this regime accountable for its behavior. We are all Ellen Trudy now." Mr. Walken also did not elaborate on what sort of action the United States would take, although sanctions appear likely.

International reaction has also been sharply critical, including the response from China, which, in a rare move, publicly condemned the execution as "unecessary provocation." "The People's Republic shares its dismay with our American friends over this incident," the Chinese president said in an official statement. "As we strive to resolve our differences and promote harmony, innocent lives should not be made to pay such a high price. We hope that our North Korean friends realize their mistake and take corrective action." China is currently engaging in war games near the North Korean border in what many believe is a signal by the Chinese government that its patience with its main ally in the region has its limits.

Other world leaders-from Russia to Great Britain and even countries such as Iran, which is normally considered hostile to the United States-expressed their outrage and disappointment over Trudy's death, with many sending personal messages of condolance to Ms. Trudy's parents.

Meanwhile, footage from her North Korean film and other work has become the subject of several memorial tributes on YouTube. Other fan tributes and memorials have appeared in front of her family home in Olympia, Washington.


Fans and supporters of American actress Ellen Trudy, who was executed North Korea Saturday, gather in Olympia, Washington for an impromptu memorial tribute.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Yahoo! News

Congress To Hold Moment of Silence For Actress

Washington-Republican and Democratic Senate leaders have confirmed that there will be a moment of silence held in honor of Ellen Trudy when Congress reconvenes on Monday to take up final legislation before Christmas. "We are all deeply saddened and outraged by this act," Senate Majority Leader Mark Richardson said. "This will be our way of paying tribute to her memory."

"It's the right thing to do," House Minority Leader Jim Arkin added. "We are all Americans, and we all feel the Trudy family's loss."

"Americans come together in times of tragedy," House Speaker Carol Gelsey said. "As we did during the shooting of President Bartlet and the Zoey Bartlet crisis, so we do so now. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Trudy family during this time."

Ellen Trudy, the late wife of North Korean leader Kang Sung-u, was executed by the North Korean military after an apparent escape attempt on Saturday, causing international outrage. Ms. Trudy's parents are still in Seoul, where they have been attempting to have her body returned to them by the North Korean government. A memorial service will be held in Olympia, Washington at an unspecified date. In the meantime, tributes and temporary memorials continue to be placed by well-wishers and supporters at the Trudy family home.
________

I hope I got the leadership positions right...also, any update on the Senate leadership battle? And the Electoral College still has to meet to cast its votes. Speaking of which...would it be wrong for Josh Lyman to say something wildly inappropriate about the Trudy execution? (remember that during the show he wanted to take advantage of the Bartlet kidnapping for political gain, ostensibly before the Republicans did while Walken was Acting President.)

Update: Kang reaction deleted per request.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

AP MYWAY NEWS

Second Individual In Execution Footage Identified; Kang To Meet With Vinick?

Seoul-Intelligence experts have identified the second individual shown in footage of the execution of actress Ellen Trudy, according to sources within the State Department. He has been identified as Kang Sun-u's personal driver, who was accused of helping Trudy in her failed escape and subsequently executed as a traitor, according to the North Korean Media Ministry.

Trudy was apparently "vacationing" at the Winter palace when it was raided by what Mr. Kang claims were American special forces, a claim that the Santos administration has rejected. At any rate, the plan was foiled when Ms. Trudy apparently called for help. In spite of her refusal to leave, Ms. Trudy was still ordered executed by her former husband, who apparently mistrusted his wife's devotion to him, although her own parents have acknowledged that her feelings for the North Korean leader were genuine when they were married. Despite earlier attempts to destroy it, leaked footage of the execution has been widely seen on YouTube and in the media, contradicting North Korean claims that Trudy was killed by American soldiers. The circumstances surrounding her relationship with the North Korean leader have been compared by some historians to that between Joseph Stalin and his second wife, whom some claim was murdered by Stalin in 1932.

In related news, Kang has indicated that he may meet with Secretary of State Arnold Vinick in February. Kang apparently is under the impression that Vinick is actually a former Army doctor who saved his father's life during the Korean War.

Vinick has not yet responded to the invitation, although he said Sunday that he is "open to all avenues" of peaceful resolution of the current crisis.
________

OOC: Based on the MASH episode "The Best of Enemies."

[Prometheus_2300]

BBC International

Statement made by Premier Sun-u

Seoul - Earlier today, the reclusive leader of the DPRK Kang Sun-u contacted the BBC field office and issued a statement regarding the death of his wife, giving an account of his wife's death.

Premier Sun-u attests in a statement that Ellen was vacationing at the Winter palace on the eastern coast near when the perimeter was breached by alleged American Special Forces who raided the palace, killing 18 guards and 12 others taking his wife. He also calls the report of the execution of Trudy by North Korea, nothing more then American propaganda, despite the fact that the execution was televised in Pyongyang (Apparently any evidence of the execution has been erased by DPRK's propaganda ministry in the last few days in the DPRK). He demands that the upcoming Three-party talks with Japan, South Korea, The United States and his country, include Russia and that the talks be delayed until February 20, 2010.

It is speculated by the Gregg Institute of International Affairs that Kang will not speak to President Santos on any issue following the Trudy debacle, even going so far as to rather talk with the hawkish Walken or Secretary Vinick (Kang since 2008 has believed that Secretary Vinick is really Korean War Veteran Dr. Hawkeye Pierce, who had saved his father's life in 1952, albeit while captured). If the talks are moved to late February, it will be a difficult week for President Walken and Japanese Prime Minister Arata Kanzaki as the trip will be just after Kanzaki's visit to Washington, Kanzaki may fly on Air Force One to save himself from the LDP opposition charges of "wasteful spending on foreign affairs." In addition Kang's demand that Russia be included but not China is confusing, and may denote a change in the relationship between Beijing and Pyongyang.

>>>>>

Note: Kang believes that the soldiers were American, I presume that if they are Santos or Walken would never admit if they ever were. Plausible deniability and all

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Originally Posted by Prometheus_2300

BBC International

Statement made by Premier Sun-u

Seoul - Earlier today, the reclusive leader of the DPRK Kang Sun-u contacted the BBC field office and issued a statement regarding the death of his wife, giving an account of his wife's death.

Premier Sun-u attests in a statement that Ellen was vacationing at the Winter palace on the eastern coast near when the perimeter was breached by alleged American Special Forces who raided the palace, killing 18 guards and 12 others taking his wife. He also calls the report of the execution of Trudy by North Korea, nothing more then American propaganda, despite the fact that the execution was televised in Pyongyang (Apparently any evidence of the execution has been erased by DPRK's propaganda ministry in the last few days in the DPRK). He demands that the upcoming Three-party talks with Japan, South Korea, The United States and his country, include Russia and that the talks be delayed until February 20, 2010.

It is speculated by the Gregg Institute of International Affairs that Kang will not speak to President Santos on any issue following the Trudy debacle, even going so far as to rather talk with the hawkish Walken or Secretary Vinick (Kang since 2008 has believed that Secretary Vinick is really Korean War Veteran Dr. Hawkeye Pierce, who had saved his father's life in 1952, albeit while captured). If the talks are moved to late February, it will be a difficult week for President Walken and Japanese Prime Minister Arata Kanzaki as the trip will be just after Kanzaki's visit to Washington, Kanzaki may fly on Air Force One to save himself from the LDP opposition charges of "wasteful spending on foreign affairs." In addition Kang's demand that Russia be included but not China is confusing, and may denote a change in the relationship between Beijing and Pyongyang.

>>>>>

Note: Kang believes that the soldiers were American, I presume that if they are Santos or Walken would never admit if they ever were. Plausible deniability and all

See my post above for more details on the Hawkeye/Vinick connection

Also, Carter acknowledged Operation Eagle Claw, so it's not too implausible IMO that Santos could have planned something similar and have it blow up in his face.

[KahukuMan10]

huffingtonpost.com

Left is the right direction

By Camille Aubry

Let's take a moment to take a look at the past 82 years in the US. In 1928, Herbert Hoover was elected President and pledged more of the same unregulated capitalism. At that point people's belief in the economic system was still strong, for about the first 9 1/2 months of his term. Regardless of what Seth Randall says and no matter how hard Michael Barone tries to tell everyone that it was government regulations that dragged us to the great depression, it's not true. The complete and total collapse of not just America's financial institutions, but the entire world's, was caused by ridiculous amounts of over deregulation of the banks. Hoover pledged to be an abiding son of capitalism, and the economy sank deeper and deeper into the depression.

Come 1932, Americans were sick of things as usual. Enter Franklin Roosevelt, then-Governor of New York, who campaigned on a New Deal for all Americans, and pledged himself to achieving his goal. He did and from the time of his death in 1945, till the massive amounts of over deregulation enacted under Ronald Reagan and Owen Lassiter, the New Deal was what every single American could agree was the saving grace for the country. In fact, many around the world believe that as well.

The lesson I wish to extract from this trip down memory lane? How did we hold the Presidency for 20 years? How did the New Deal coalition reign supreme in the House from 1932-1996? The democratic party was liberal. Out of our past four democratic Presidents, three of them were staunch moderates, seeking to work with the other side. And all of them have been one-term Presidents. The one who wasn't? Jed Bartlet, one could argue, the best President since Roosevelt. And certainly the first real liberal since LBJ. My point is this. We won elections by being liberal, we've consistently lost elections by being moderate. So why not be liberal?

[Prometheus_2300]

Originally Posted by WestVirginiaRebel

See my post above for more details on the Hawkeye/Vinick connection

Also, Carter acknowledged Operation Eagle Claw, so it's not too implausible IMO that Santos could have planned something similar and have it blow up in his face.

Not quite, Eagle Claw was a big operation involving 8 helicopters over distances of hundreds of miles, it couldn't be handled anonymously, also the Iranian army didn't have the backing of the USSR so there was no concern of starting a war over this. This would cause the Second Korean War if Santos admitted that it was special forces. Imagine the fallout today if Obama announced that the US military attempted to abduct the wife of a leader of a third world country?

No the better option would be for Santos to send a CIA Wet Team maybe a squad or two infiltrating a North Korean Palace, and escape via the sea to a submarine could do this. Total distance traveled maybe 5 miles, and exit strategy via a submarine.

[KahukuMan10]

Sunday Press Shows and Guests

NBC, Meet the Press with David Gregory, DCCC Chairwoman Claudia Greenwoood (D-CA), Treasury Secretary-nominee Stephen Kendrick (R-IN), Ohio Democratic senate candidate Hayden Straus (D-OH)

CBS, Face the Nation, Governor Kevin Clarkson (D-CA), Senator-elect Jack Hunter (R-MN), Education Secretary Lawrence Lessig

ABC, This Week, economist Paul Krugman, Ariana Huffington, Governor-elect John Brennan (R-MI), White House Chief of Staff Otto Marcellas

FOX, FOX News Sunday, Minority Whip Brad Gilmore (R-CA), Governor Andrew Cordy (D-IL), Senator Thomas Ford (R-OH)

CNN, State of the Union Rep. Samir Hansia (R-CA) (on his first book, Building the tent for the Elephants, on Republicans building a big tent party), Vice President-elect Liz Clark, economist and Mayor of Detroit Brandon Fields (D-MI) debating with George Will

MSNBC, Weekend Edition Senator Jimmy Fitzsimmons (D-MA) debating with his primary opponent Youth in Revolt Treasurer Alex Minolli (D-MA), Senator Seth Randall (R-FL), Senator-elect Sam Seaborn (D-CA)

[WestVirginiaRebel]

CNN

Campaign Funding Complaint Against McIntosh Tossed

Columbus, OH-A complaint by Democrat Hayden Straus that the McIntosh campaign had received an illegal campaign contribution when she appeared on The O'Reilly Factor in August is without merit, the Ohio Elections Commission ruled yesterday.

The commission voted 5-0 to dismiss a complaint filed by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. The DSSC argued that McIntosh received an illegal in-kind contribution of $169,389 when she was a guest on Bill O'Reilly's show on Aug. 18.
That's what it would have cost to buy on ad on the show for the 90 seconds that McIntosh's campaign website address appeared at the bottom of the screen, the complaint said.

McIntosh, who narrowly defeated Hayden Straus in the latest recount, also said "send me your nickels and pennies" while the Web address was on the screen and later said publicly that the appearance helped her raise $21,000, according to the DSSC.

But lawyer Larry Noble, a former general counsel of the Federal Election Commission who represented Fox News and appeared at the commission hearing yesterday, said nothing improper happened.

Noble said that as a media entity, Fox has a First Amendment right to interview McIntosh and even endorse her, and that running the website is a standard way to identify candidates.

"To call this a political contribution would run afoul of the media exemption, the whole concept of press coverage," Noble told the commission.

The DSCC did not have a representative at the hearing, and Philip C. Richter, executive director of the elections commission, recommended that the complaint be dismissed.

Democrats have complained that McIntosh unfairly benefited from the times she appeared on Fox television or radio programs since she announced her bid for Senator.

Critics also have noted that Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corp., Fox News' parent company, donated $1 million to the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

The NRSC, which ran ubiquitous "Straus won't get the job done" television ads, has said it spent $11 million to help McIntosh defeat Straus, more than it spent in any other state.

Straus is currently preparing for a legal challenge to the final recount in the Ohio Senate race, which gave McIntosh a lead of 17 votes.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

POLITICO

1,000 Ballots Found For Thomas Ford In Storage Locker

Athens, OH-In one of the strangest twists yet in an already strange race, one thousand marked ballots with Senator Thomas Ford's name on them have been discovered in a storage locker that was in the process of being vacated by the owner, who says they were stored there after Ford was defeated in the state's Republican primary. Ford, who has been working to rebuild his reputation following a sex tape scandal which rocked the Senate race, has been informed of the ballots, a spokesman from Ford's office said.

That would be odd enough, but the real surprise came as the judge who will be hearing Hayden Straus's legal challenge against Carrie McIntosh this week before taking a break for the Christmas weekend said Monday that the ballots can be considered on behalf of a candidate-in this case, Senator Ford-in the upcoming case.

To top it all off, the State Elections Commission has indicated that it may consider the ballots in any future certification of the vote. According to some observers, this means that the disgraced Ford may in fact be declared a winner if either Hayden or Straus decide to challenge them, as this technically gives Ford a lead as a legally recognized candidate in an ongoing election, due to the fact that the ballots were signed before his primary loss but never entered due to an apparent clerical error. So we now have the possible scenario of both Straus and McIntosh being beaten by the loser in his party's primary-something that, given the way most Ohio voters now feel about the race, may be the most preferable alternative at this point.
________

I know Ford's not running for anything now, but as the election is still ongoing I thought this would make for a neat ironic twist

[Marky Bunny]

BBC.CO.UK/News

Monday December 20th 2010

Breaking News Breaking News Breaking News

Labour MP Barry Morgan killed in car crash in snow storm

Barry Morgan, the Labour MP for Newport East has been killed following a car crash on the M4 late on Sunday evening.
In a heavy snowstorm his car was involved in a multipule car pile up, just outside Reading at around 11.30 last night.
Morgan, 56, had been the MP since winning the seat at the 2000 General election. He was re-elected at the 2007 election with a majority of 1,123 votes over the Liberal Democrats. He leaves a Wife and three children
Prime-Minister Green paid tribute to Morgan this morning saying "the accident was a tragic one. Barry was a great MP, and he will be missed by all".

[WestVirginiaRebel]

CNN

FBI Raids Penetrobe Offices

Auburn Hills, Michigan-FBI agents raided Penetrobe Engineering's offices in a predawn raid as search and arrest warrents were issued for several Penetrobe executives believed to be connected with the ongoing Penetrobe lobbying scandal.

Penetrobe spokespeople had no immediate comment, however attorneys for the executives, who were seen taken into custody on local television, said they were going to challenge the legality of the arrests and defend their clients in court.

"I find it shocking that the FBI felt it had to take these men and women away from their families only a few days before the holidays," one of their attorneys said Monday morning. "This is clearly a statement by the Justice Department aimed at intimidating our clients by keeping them away from their loved ones during Christmas."

The Attorney General's office responded by saying that the warrants were issued based on evidence gathered in the course of the Justice Department's investigation. "We felt that we had to move quickly, given the fact that these defendants are considered to be flight risks. We will handle their disposition as quickly and as humanely as possible, but they are witnesses in the government's case." The Attorney General would not elaborate further on what evidence the FBI had gathered, saying that it was still an ongoing investigation.

Congressman Roger Baker, who was in Auburn Hills over the weekend to post bail for his son, had no comment on these developments.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

CNN

Opposition Candidates Protest Security Measures

Jabal Nafusa-Leading opposition candidates from several parties vying to become Qumar's first elected Prime Minister have lodged formal protests with the royal family over security measures which they say are designed to intimidate lesser candidates and increase voter turnout in favor of candidates supported by various family princes, according to reports in the capital city.

The elections, intended to aid Qumar's transition away from the monarchy towards a full parliamentary democracy, have come under criticism from both religious conservatives, who say they will boycott what they see as an erosion of traditional values, and from candidates and opposition groups across the political spectrum. "The government is playing favorites," a spokesman for the Qumari Green Party said in an interview with the BBC. "The princes-and there are a lot of them-are putting their money into these elections, trying to ensure that they will still have control over the new parliament through security measures designed to scare away the opposition. That is not democracy." The parliament is intended to be the successor to the current Consultative Assembly, where many of the princes wield influence. Many observers believe that the princes-of which there are several dozen-may be involved in an internal power struggle as Sultan Manab Hessani has been turned into a figurehead with no real power in comparison to current Prime Minister Zuben Ahmed, who became head of government following the 2007 coup which overthrew Sultan Ali Usef. With the impending elections, the future of the monarchy has created uncertainty for the royal family, which consists mostly of cousins and nephews through arranged marriages with various tribal families.

The elections, which have been strongly supported by the United States and Europe, are scheduled for January. One of the main issues, aside from greater rights for women and the drafting of a new state constitution, will most likely be a proposed extension of the lease of the air force base at Kalifa to the United States. President-elect Walken says he believes the lease, which is set to expire in 2011, may be extended as relations between Qumar and neighboring Iran remain tense.

[Marky Bunny]

Qumar already has a Prime-Minister Zuben Ahmed. He was the first Prime-Minister appointed after the March 2007 coup. After reading the story above the Sultan was overthrown during that revolution and shot and was replaced by his Cousin, a more moderate Ali Usef.
See this page from July this year.
http://www.alternatehistory.com/disc...09942&page=102

[Westbrook 49]

wallstreetjournal.com, Monday, December 20th, 2010

Parker, Kendrick Holding Daily Calls; Have Met Three Times.

The Wall Street Journal has learned that Secretary of the Treasury Christopher Parker and Indiana Governor Stephen Kendrick, President-elect GlenAllen Walken's nominee for Treasury, have been in contact weekly, sometimes daily, since Kendrick's nomination was announced.

Sources within the Treasury Department and the Governor's office have said that Parker contacted to Kendrick after his nomination was announced. One high-ranking aide within Treasury, who asked for anonymity for the purposes of commenting on this article, said that Parker "reached out to him [Kendrick] and said that 'You're inheriting one of the worst situations you can possibly imagine, and I'm going to give you as much help as possible.' And that's essentially what the Secretary has done. He's been in contact with Kendrick weekly, and they've met three times covertly-Once in Washington, once in Indiana and once in New York." (Parker lives in New York).

This seems to indicate a certain level of bipartisanship in the new Administration, but a source within the Governor's office has indicated that there has been some disagreements over policy and strategy. "There's been some passionate disagreements, and some heated words," said the source, who also asked for anonymity. "But the Governor has been fairly careful in not criticizing, and Secretary Parker has tried to avoid going into major policy arenas. So there's been some productive exchanges."

[KahukuMan10]

Who is the current Chariman of the Fed? They would have had to been confirmed last year.

[JoeMulk]

Also, what about the post of FBI director? I imagine that Blackmore would be removed from consideration following the revelation of his connection to the Penetrobe scandal.

[Westbrook 49]

Originally Posted by KahukuMan10

Who is the current Chariman of the Fed? They would have had to been confirmed last year.

Still Ron Ehrlich from the show. Due to temporal inconsistencies within this timeline, the Fed Chair confirmation has been shifted to next year instead of last year (This is also canon, as the original Fed Chair, Bernie Dahl, died in '99, so the schedule would probably be different).

Originally Posted by JoeMulk

Also, what about the post of FBI director? I imagine that Blackmore would be removed from consideration following the revelation of his connection to the Penetrobe scandal.

No. Blakemore hasn't been indicted or implicated outside of some rumors and the like. Unless there's a major ethical scandal, he's unlikely to be tossed as the nominee.