Withdrawal from Afghanistan: Three options weighed by the White House.

How many US troops are coming home from Afghanistan this year? On the eve of Obama's speech on his promised July start to the drawdown of American forces, here are three scenarios.
President Obama’s Wednesday speech on his promised July drawdown of the 100,000 US troops in Afghanistan is drafted. But on circulating copies, there are still blank spaces where the final troop figures will go. Whether that’s because the White House is still in the midst of internal debate – or whether it’s a fear of leaks – remains the subject of speculation, but guessing precisely what those figures will be was insider Washington’s favorite parlor game Tuesday.

Here are some possible scenarios – small, medium, and large troop withdrawals – being weighed by the White House for the near and long-term, along with their risks and rewards.
Small

This is certainly the Pentagon’s preference. It would involve continuing to keep fairly robust levels of American forces in Afghanistan through 2014, likely as many as 60,000 soldiers, according to a plan that Seth Jones, an analyst for the RAND Corporation and until earlier this year an adviser to special operations forces in Afghanistan, submitted in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last month.

In the near term, it would involve keeping the bulk of the 30,000 US surge forces in the country, too – as 2011 draws to a close, only 5,000 to 10,000 surge troops would withdraw, according to plans favored by the Pentagon.

A reduction of up to 10,000 troops by the end of 2011 – most of them support and logistics specialists from the largest US bases – would not create a great risk for the US military’s mission in Afghanistan, says Jones, who adds that troop levels could perhaps be reduced by 10,000 to 20,000 more by the end of 2012.

“What the military wants is any withdrawal this year to take place after the fighting season is completed, which generally runs through the summer, and the withdrawal to be noncombat troops, so they have as many combat troops as possible to wage the fighting season this year and next year,” says Richard Fontaine, senior fellow with the Center for a New American Security and former foreign policy adviser to Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Some defense analysts say, however, that a small withdrawal is not consistent with achieving the goal of a sustainable homegrown counterinsurgency effort. The problem, says Jones, is that keeping close to current US troop levels in Afghanistan for the foreseeable future would “not adequately prepare Afghan forces to fight the insurgency and secure their country.”

American troop presence in the country, too, appears to have diminishing returns, Jones points out: Though it’s still above 50 percent, Afghan support for the US military has declined every year since 2005.
Medium

This approach would limit US goals in Afghanistan, focusing on assisting Afghan national security forces and targeting terrorist leaders – a plan Jones calls an “Afghan-led counterinsurgency.” Such a plan “would largely terminate US combat operations in 2014, except for targeting terrorist leaders,” he says.

This might mean pulling out 20,000 troops by the end of 2011, 40,000 more by the end of 2012, and reducing forces to roughly 30,000 by 2014, says Jones. The key would be bolstering Afghan national security forces as well as the Afghan Local Police (ALP), a goal enthusiastically supported by Gen. David Petraeus, commander of US forces in Afghanistan. So far, the ALP have undercut Taliban control in key areas of the South, Jones says, and helped to connect local villages to the Afghan government. But local security forces “do not offset the risks incurred by premature withdrawal of combat forces from Afghanistan,” says Frederick Kagan, a defense analyst with the American Enterprise Institute, who has advised the US military and was an architect of the surge in Iraq. What’s more, Dr. Kagan and others add that a premature withdrawal of combat forces would undermine what until now has been a promising local security effort.

“Local security forces operate in remote areas that have either been cleared or that were not enemy safe havens to begin with,” says Dr. Kagan, who supports a small troop drawdown. “They cannot by themselves clear enemy-held areas, nor can they withstand concerted enemy attacks.”

That’s because local security forces number only about 6,000, he says. “Remember that there were over 100,000 Sons of Iraq. Increasing their numbers depends on having requisite numbers of partners and mentors.” Removing conventional forces, he adds, “will encourage more Afghans to sit on the fence, and can undermine the entire local security effort.”
Large

This is the “counterterrorism” option favored by Vice President Joseph Biden and others, and would involve withdrawing all, or most, military forces from Afghanistan and relying on US Special Operations Forces and CIA units to capture or kill members of Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups.

In this case, Jones explains in this option submitted to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, “The US footprint in Afghanistan might more closely resemble the current US footprint in Yemen: Lean and lethal.”

This would involve drawing down half of the 100,000 US troops currently in Afghanistan by the end of 2011, and nearly 30,000 more by the end of 2012, leaving some 20,000 US troops in the country by 2013. There are risks, though, that involve losing the gains that US troops have fought hard to achieve, says Mr. Fontaine of the Center for a New American Security.

“The military has fought very, very hard to make progress in the south and the east of Afghanistan – and with fewer troops you have less ground you can cover, less places you can go, less people you can fight,” he says. “But you have to balance that against all the other considerations.” These involve whether the expense in troops lives and billions of dollars, particularly in the midst of an economic crisis, is worth the price America is paying.

Such a strategy would significantly reduce the financial burden on the United States – a concern for lawmakers with a close eye on the 2012 elections.

“My personal belief is that the cost [of the war in Afghanistan] is obviously extremely high,” Fontaine says. “But if we are correct that the strategic stakes in Afghanistan are as great as we’ve been describing, then that justifies – at least in the short to medium term – some pretty substantial investments in what we’re trying to do.”

But how much impact will delaying the withdrawal for a little while really have on the ground in Afghanistan? That is the question Mr. Obama should be asking himself, says retired Col. Douglas Ollivant, senior national security fellow at the New America Foundation, and former senior counterinsurgency adviser to the US military’s Regional Command East in Afghanistan.

“ ‘What’s the right number of troops in Afghanistan?’ is the wrong question. The core question – what you want to ask – is: ‘Do we think what we’re doing is working?’ ” Beyond that, he adds, “Is the policy sustainable?”

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China urges U.S. to stay out of sea dispute.

China urged the United States on Wednesday to leave the South China Sea dispute to the claimant states, saying that U.S. involvement may make the situation worse, its most direct warning to Washington in recent weeks.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai's comments to a small group of foreign reporters ahead of a meeting with U.S. officials in Hawaii this weekend come amid the biggest flare-up in regional tension in years over competing maritime sovereignty claims in the South China Sea.

Tension has risen in the region in the past month on concern that China is becoming more assertive in its claim to waters believed to be rich in oil and gas.

Part of the waters are also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

"The United States is not a claimant state to the dispute in the South China Sea and so it's better for the United States to leave the dispute to be sorted out between claimant states," Cui said.

"While some American friends may want the United States to help in this matter, we appreciate their gesture but more often than not such gestures will only make things more complicated," he said.

"If the United States wants to play a role, it may counsel restraint to those countries that have been taking provocative action and ask them to be more responsible in their behavior," he said.

"I believe the individual countries are actually playing with fire and I hope the fire will not be drawn to the United States."

While China has called for disputes to be resolved bilaterally, others, including the Philippines, have urged a multilateral approach.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Eduardo Malaya told reporters in Manila the disputes "affect not just the claimant countries but the entire region itself and beyond, and thus call for a multi-stakeholder approach." He did not mention the United States.

Cui, who will co-host this weekend's consultations with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, emphasized that China was not responsible for the dispute and said it was greatly concerned by frequent provocations by other countries.

"We are troubled by some recent events in the South China Sea but we were not the party who provoked these incidents," he said.

"If you examine the facts closely, you will recognize who are the countries that have occupied islands under other countries' sovereignty by illegal means. It was certainly not China. Who are the countries that have done the most to explore oil and gas resources in the region? It was certainly not China.

"Who are the countries that displayed force or used force against the fishermen of other countries? Again, it was certainly not China."

LARGEST CLAIM

China's claim is by far the largest, forming a large U-shape over most of the sea's 648,000 square miles (1.7 million square km), including the Spratly and Paracel archipelagos.

The latest spell of tension began last month when Vietnam said Chinese boats had harassed a Vietnamese oil exploration ship. China said Vietnamese oil and gas exploration undermined its rights in the South China Sea.

Cui said China has no intention of getting into military conflict with other countries, including Vietnam.

"We are now doing our best to maintain stability, to bring this problem back to dialogue and consultation between the relevant countries," he said. "If Vietnam has the same attitude and adopts a restrained and responsible stance, such military conflicts will not happen."

"If the U.S. takes the same attitude, such military conflicts are even more unlikely."

Navy ships from Vietnam and China held a two-day joint patrol in the Gulf of Tonkin, Vietnamese state media reported on Tuesday, in a sign that tension over the disputed maritime border may be easing.

On Tuesday, two Vietnamese vessels docked in the city of Zhanjiang in China's southern Guangdong province -- the second port call by Vietnamese ships to China since 2009, Vietnam's People's Army newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The Philippines, meanwhile, is set to start repairs on facilities, including an airstrip, on islands it occupies in the South China Sea after construction material was unloaded at Pagasa (Hope) Island over the weekend. The Philippines says the repairs are not a violation of a 2002 code of conduct agreed between China and the Association of South East Asian Nations.

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US stock futures sag on European debt worries

U.S. stock futures pointed to a lower opening Monday as worries about Europe's debt problems continue to fester.Euro-area finance ministers failed to agree to release more bailout money to Greece, which needs cash to avoid defaulting on its debt. In order to get it, Greece must first agree to further cut its deficit. Such moves have been unpopular in Greece, and its government faces a vote of confidence on Tuesday.

A Greek default would trigger losses for the banks that hold Greek bonds, and economists worry it could shake the European economy.

Greece has been at the center of Europe's debt worries, but other countries are also facing troubles. Moody's warned on Friday that it may cut Italy's credit rating because of its mounting debt and sluggish growth prospects.

The worries dragged down markets across Europe Monday: Italy's FTSE MIB index sank 2.7 percent, France's CAC 40 index dropped 1.3 percent and Germany's DAX index fell 1.2 percent.

European debt problems, combined with weakening economic data, have dragged the S&P 500 index of U.S. stocks down 6.7 percent since April 29. Crude oil's price has also tumbled on worries about lower global demand. It dropped below $92 per barrel to its lowest point since February.

Strong corporate earnings have helped drive stocks higher over the last two years, and analysts expect more growth for the April-through-June quarter. But Nabors Industries Ltd., a driller for oil and gas, warned that its international and pressure pumping businesses have been weaker than expected during the quarter. Its stock lost 3.2 percent in pre-market trading.

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. fell 0.9 percent in pre-market trading after it said it will buy the U.S. retail operations of Royal Bank of Canada for $3.45 billion. The deal will make PNC the fifth biggest U.S. bank with 2,870 branches. It follows Capital One Financial Corp.'s $9 billion purchase last week of ING's U.S. online bank.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.92 percent as investors sought out the relative safety of U.S. debt. A bond's yield falls when its price rises. The 10-year yield had been as high as 3.74 percent in February.

Ahead of the opening bell, Dow Jones industrial average futures fell 50 points, or 0.4 percent, to 11,888. S&P 500 futures fell 6, or 0.5 percent, to 1,260. Nasdaq 100 futures fell 9.25, or 0.4 percent, to 2,181.

Stock futures do not always accurately predict how prices will change once the market opens.

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The U.S. is paying two European mine-clearing groups nearly $1 million to hunt and dispose of loose anti-aircraft missiles that could make their way from Libyan battlefields to terror groups.The hiring of weapons demolition experts hardly dampens concerns about anti-aircraft missiles still in the hands of the Gadhafi regime's military, which amassed nearly 20,000 of the weapons before the popular uprising started in March.

The State Department's hiring of British and Swiss weapons demolition teams in Libya to search for missiles, mines and other deadly munitions was prodded by fears that terrorists could use scavenged man-portable air defense systems, known as MANPADS. The action came after American and allied authorities made it clear to Libyan opposition figures that their cooperation on the missile launchers would be a factor in future assistance, said U.S. and United Nations officials familiar with the discussions.

"From the U.S. point of view, it was an issue of paramount importance," said Justin Brady, officer-in-charge of the U.N. Mine Action Service, which is overseeing the weapons disposal effort in Libya. "The Libyans seemed to get the big picture of what was necessary to present a credible international face."

The move has no effect on the massive numbers of mostly Russian-built anti-aircraft launchers and missiles still in the hands of Moammar Gadhafi's forces. While some shoulder-held and truck-mounted launchers were pillaged by rebel forces when they seized Libyan ammunition stocks, the vast majority are still held by the regime.

"I can't imagine the U.S. can do anything about Gadhafi's inventory until they defeat him or negotiate his exit," said Matthew Schroeder, an arms expert with the Federation of American Scientists in Washington. "But even without that, securing any MANPADS loose in Libya is a good thing."

The Obama administration listed the nearly $1 million anti-MANPADS effort this week in a report to Congress defending the legality of its intervention in Libya. The report included classified documents detailing a "threat assessment of MANPADS, ballistic missiles and chemical weapons in Libya."

Most U.S. warplanes have electronic evasion systems and can fly above the range of the missiles, but most passenger jets are vulnerable. Reports have surfaced in recent weeks from officials in Algeria and Chad, and recently from Russian media, that several anti-aircraft missiles and launchers looted from Libyan government caches have already wound their way to the North African terror group, al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. American officials have yet to confirm any of the reports.

Officials with the two firms hired by the State Department, the British-based Mines Advisory Group and the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action, said almost all of the Libyan weapons depots they surveyed in recent weeks showed clear signs of looting. Libyan opposition forces took almost any useful weapon from Gadhafi regime stocks in the opening weeks of the conflict, and search teams have found few inventory documents, so it is impossible to trace which are missing and whether any were sold to terrorists or criminal gangs.

"The ammo dumps we've seen are either partially destroyed or picked clean," said Alexander Griffiths, director of operations for the Swiss group, which now has 35 disposal experts working in rebel territory under a $470,000 U.S. grant. "We haven't seen MANPADS so far and my guess is we won't see many because they're such a high-value item. They would be the first items to go."

The British mine disposal group located and destroyed two of the portable missile systems near the northeastern Libyan opposition-controlled town of Ajdabiya last week, spokeswoman Kate Wiggans said. The group also found two other stray anti-aircraft missiles in May and destroyed them. All four were SA-7s, Russian-made portable missiles that date to the 1970s. Experts say many Libyan MANPADS are probably of similar vintage and some may be too decayed to use.

The Mines Advisory Group has three workers in Libya but plans to expand to at least 20, operating with $486,000 in State Department funding and $290,000 in British government aid, Wiggans said. Both she and Griffiths said that their demolition experts were taking care to avoid hot battle zones, coordinating with U.N. officials overseeing relief efforts in opposition-held turf.

U.S. officials would not say whether the funding would continue beyond the end of the year. The U.S. has been the lead player in efforts to round up and destroy stray missiles, hiring contractors like the two European firms to scour battlefields and, in some cases, discreetly paying armed governments like Yemen to turn over missile stocks. The U.S. programs have destroyed 32,500 missile systems in 30 countries since 2003, but officials say thousands more still pose a hazard among the estimated 1 million manufactured since the late 1960s.

Passenger flights have never been targeted inside the U.S. Nearly a dozen lethal strikes have brought down passenger and cargo planes over the past decade in Africa and Asia.

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No explosives found with man in custody near Pentagon.

A suspicious man with a backpack prompted authorities to temporarily close major highways around the Pentagon Friday, but a search of the backpack turned up no explosives.The man, described as a U.S. resident in his 20s, was taken into custody in the predawn hours after he ran from police in Arlington National Cemetery near the Pentagon. Authorities traced him to a car found abandoned near a Pentagon parking lot.

Hours later, the unnamed man was in police custody but had had not been charged with any crime, and the FBI said nothing suspicious was found in the car.

ABC News reported that the backpack contained a substance initially believed to be the explosive compound ammonium nitrate, as well as spent bullet shells and written material referring to al Qaeda and the Taliban.

However, FBI special agent Brenda Heck told reporters that the substance in the backpack was an unknown inert material but it would require further investigation. She said there was no device in the backpack.

"We believe he did act alone," Heck said.

The incident was being investigated by several agencies including the FBI, Pentagon Police, U.S. Park Police and county authorities. A U.S. official described it as "a law enforcement matter."

The Pentagon has been the scene of a number of security incidents since the September 11 attacks in 2001, including an exchange of gunfire outside the building between a man and security guards in March 2010.

Last December, an unattended blinking package prompted authorities to shut the Pentagon's subway station for 90 minutes during rush hour. It turned out to be a Christmas ornament.

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Al-Qaeda's New Boss: The U.S. Hunt for al-Zawahiri Begins.

So what took al-Qaeda so long to replace Osama bin Laden? It's been over six weeks since a U.S. Navy SEAL team killed the terrorist chief, and only now has al-Qaeda decided on his successor - Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, an acerbic Egyptian physician who was bin Laden's longtime deputy.

Even for the likes of al-Qaeda, an organization not known for its warm and fuzzy side, al-Zawahiri has a reputation for obnoxiousness. One ex-militant describes al-Zawahiri, 60, as "sharp-tongued" and "arrogant." His scraggly beard, prayer callous on his forehead and thick glasses make him look more like an unpleasant and pious schoolmaster than a terrorist mastermind. Nevertheless, al-Zawahiri remains a force to be reckoned with. The Egyptian fully intends to continue waging bin Laden's war against the U.S. and its allies, his hatred sharpened by the fact that his wife and two children were killed by a U.S. air strike in October 2001 while fleeing across Afghanistan. (See Ayman al-Zawahiri in "Al-Qaeda's Most Infamous Faces.")

Despite the Egyptian's fulsome eulogy for his boss earlier this month, the take-charge deputy was often at odds with bin Laden. Hothaifa Abdullah Azzam, a Jordanian cleric who spent time in Peshawar, Pakistan, and who maintains communication with some fighters of al-Qaeda told TIME in Amman that by 2006, al-Zawahiri and his comrades were "isolating bin Laden with the excuse of protecting him." He adds, "Nobody I met liked al-Zawahiri, but he is the guy moving things." Azzam also says that bin Laden and al-Zawahiri quarreled in 2007 over the choice of a new military commander after the previous one was killed. "Al-Zawahiri got his way and bin Laden was not happy." The new commander is thought to be either Saif al-Adel, a former Egyptian commando, or a Libyan, Abu Yahya al-Libi.

Al-Zawahiri's abrasiveness is one factor to explain why he was not automatically picked to replace bin Laden by al-Qaeda's ruling council, the so-called General Command. Another is his lack of combat experience. A former surgeon and ideologue, al-Zawahiri has a reputation for leading from the rear. "He's called the 'Shadow Leader,'" says Azzam. Furthermore, a new, younger generation of combat-hardened jihadi leaders from Libya and Yemen are rising through the ranks, and their utterances on the Internet seem to have far greater impact than al-Zawahiri's oft-repeated rants against the Americans and the Jews.

Several weeks back, a few jihadi-militant websites claimed that the Egyptian al-Adel had been chosen as a "caretaker" chief, and it seemed that al-Zawahiri had been shoved aside. One Washington official who tracks al-Qaeda offered two scenarios to explain the need for a caretaker: either a succession battle was raging inside the terrorist group, or its commanders were too scattered after bin Laden's death to gather for a vote. Either way, says the official, "It underscores the fact that al-Zawahiri isn't well liked by the senior leaders or the foot soldiers." (See the top 10 notorious fugitives.)

Unlike bin Laden, who spent the past six years holed up behind the penitentiary-like walls of his Pakistan safe house, al-Zawahiri is a moving target. "His business cards are left all over the place," says South Asia expert Michael Semple, a fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School. By all accounts, the Egyptian has been moving around Pakistan's tribal borderlands and fleeing the predatory missiles of the drones.

Yet, even on the run, al-Zawahiri can't keep quiet. Since 2006, he has broadcast 22 anti-Western video sermons on the Internet, compared with a single appearance by his late boss. Earlier this month, in his first public response to bin Laden's death, al-Zawahiri proclaimed, "Today, and thanks be to God, America is not facing an individual or a group ... but a rebelling nation [a reference to the Muslim community] which has awoken from its sleep in a jihadist renaissance, challenging it wherever it is."

Al-Zawahiri is as deadly as he is elusive. Counterterrorism experts say that when bin Laden slipped into his Abbottabad villa, al-Zawahiri handled day-to-day operations for al-Qaeda and coordinated murderous attacks with the organization's Taliban allies. He roams inside a wide swath of Pakistan's mountainous border with Afghanistan, extending from Bajaur (where the widower may have married the daughter of a Pashtun chieftain) down to South Waziristan. This lawless region, says Semple, is "the world's greatest jihadi industrial park," from where al-Qaeda supplies "specialist services" to the various Pakistani and Afghan Taliban factions bent on committing spectacular suicide bombings and assassinations.
See TIME's complete coverage of Osama bin Laden.

Al-Zawahiri was also involved in a trap against the CIA. A Jordanian "mole" planted by the CIA inside al-Qaeda promised to reveal al-Zawahiri's whereabouts in December 2009. Instead, the Jordanian turned out to be a triple agent, an unrepentant jihadi and suicide bomber, who blew up a high-level CIA team at a secret base near Khost, in eastern Afghanistan. Five CIA officers and two security men were killed and a dozen others were wounded in the bombing, the worst disaster to befall the agency in over 30 years. A U.S. official told TIME that al-Qaeda leaders had "knowledge of the operation and encouraged it." And the bait had been al-Zawahiri.

Questions have arisen over whether Pakistan's all-powerful military knew where bin Laden was holed up. But there's little doubt that, had the Pakistanis known where al-Zawahiri was hiding, they would have gladly hunted him down. Bin Laden, according to his biographer Michael Scheuer, an ex-CIA officer, had "close ties with ISI [Pakistani intelligence] up to and including generals" before 9/11. But al-Zawahiri had a phobia of military men, acquired during his years inside the prisons of the Egyptian regime. (See a profile of al-Zawahiri.)

Soon enough, al-Zawahiri's suspicion of the Pakistani army turned to hostility. In a September 2003 video harangue, the Egyptian terrorist urged Pakistanis to rise against the generals. Two months later, President Pervez Musharraf narrowly escaped two attempts on his life. Counterterrorism experts in Islamabad also claim al-Zawahiri was involved in the December 2007 assassination of ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. And U.S. officials say the Egyptian maintains close ties with Hakimullah Mehsud, leader of the Pakistani Taliban, which has launched a suicide-bombing campaign against Pakistani troops in the tribal territory bordering Afghanistan.

The CIA and the Pakistanis had plenty of near misses with al-Zawahiri. He was sighted in February 2003 with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a day before the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks was captured in Rawalpindi in a joint raid by Pakistani and American forces. A year later, al-Zawahiri supposedly escaped with minor injuries after the Pakistani air force, following a tip-off from an informant, bombed a farmhouse in South Waziristan. The trail went cold for two years, until American intelligence got wind of a dinner feast for al-Qaeda's leaders north of the Khyber Pass. Predator missiles struck the gathering, killing 18 people. Al-Zawahiri was supposed to be among them, but apparently bowed out at the last minute. (See pictures of a jihadist's journey.)

But al-Zawahiri's hunters may have again picked up the trail. Using intelligence gleaned from computer files seized in bin Laden's Abbottabad safe house, U.S. officials say they may be closer to finding al-Zawahiri and other surviving al-Qaeda leaders.

Meanwhile, the situation may get complicated in Afghanistan if the U.S. and Afghan President Hamid Karzai choose to broker cease-fire talks with the Taliban, al-Qaeda's longtime ally. Both the Taliban and al-Qaeda hate the U.S., but they have divergent goals. It's al-Qaeda's strategy to keep the U.S. tied down in Afghanistan, while the Taliban wants to drive out the "infidel" American and NATO troops. Afghanistan, says Semple, has "turned into a giant film studio for al-Qaeda propaganda." He adds, "They want to keep America embroiled in the conflict." And so, if Karzai wants to reach a settlement with the Taliban, expect al-Qaeda to come between their erstwhile ally and the Afghan government, especially now that al-Zawahiri is running the show. - With reporting by Ranya Kadri/Amman

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Obama Mocked by US lawmakers on Libya hostilities.

Republicans and Democrats on Thursday derided President Barack Obama's claim that U.S. air attacks against Libya do not constitute hostilities and demanded that the commander in chief seek congressional approval for the 3-month-old military operation.

In an escalating U.S. constitutional fight, the Republican leader of the House of Representatives threatened to withhold money for the mission, pitting a Congress eager to exercise its power of the purse against a dug-in White House. Speaker John Boehner signaled that the House could take action as early as next week.

"The accumulated consequence of all this delay, confusion and obfuscation has been a wholesale revolt in Congress against the administration's policy," said Sen. John McCain, the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee who has backed Obama's actions against Libya.

The administration, in a report it reluctantly gave to Congress on Wednesday, said that because the United States is in a supporting role in the NATO-led mission, American forces are not facing the hostilities that would require the president to seek such congressional consent under the War Powers Resolution.

The 1973 law prohibits the military from being involved in actions for more than 60 days without congressional authorization, plus a 30-day extension. The 60-day deadline passed last month with the White House saying it is in compliance with the law. The 90-day mark is Sunday.

In the meantime, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has maintained his grip on power, and the White House says if the mission continues until September, it will cost $1.1 billion.

Instead of calming lawmakers, the White House report and its claims about no hostilities further inflamed the fierce balance-of-power fight between the legislative and executive branches.

"We have got drone attacks under way, we're spending $10 million a day. We're part of an effort to drop bombs on Gadhafi's compound. It doesn't pass the straight-face test, in my view, that we're not in the midst of hostilities," Boehner told reporters at a news conference.

Sen. Jim Webb, a Democrat, combat veteran and member of the Armed Services Committee, scoffed at the notion.

"Spending a billion dollars and dropping bombs on people sounds like hostilities to me," Webb said in an interview.

Sen. Bob Corker, a Republican, called the claims "really totally bizarre." Rep. Tom Rooney, a Republican, said telling Congress and Americans "that this is not a war insults our intelligence. I won't stand for it and neither will my constituents."

The White House pushed back, singling out Boehner and saying he has not always demanded that presidents abide by the War Powers Resolution.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Boehner's views "stand in contrast to the views he expressed in 1999 when he called the War Powers Act 'constitutionally suspect' and warned Congress to 'resist the temptation to take any action that would do further damage to the institution of the presidency."

Boehner's spokesman, Brendan Buck, dismissed Carney's reference to a "decade-old statement."

"As speaker, it is Boehner's responsibility to see that the law is followed, whether or not he agrees with it," Buck said.

The White House response has complicated efforts for several Democrats and Republicans urging their colleagues to hold off on any action that could encourage Gadhafi. In a Senate speech, McCain said it would be a mistake for the United States to cut and run from its allies and the mission.

Speaking directly to Republicans, McCain asked, "Is this the time to ride to the rescue of the man who President Reagan called the mad dog of the Middle East?"

McCain said later that he and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, a Democrat, would push ahead with a resolution authorizing the U.S. mission in Libya with conditions. The committee twice postponed meetings to finalize the resolution.

"The convoluted definition of hostilities backs us into a corner," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican.

In a letter to Obama this week. Boehner said the commander in chief will clearly be in violation of the War Powers Resolution on Sunday and he pressed the administration to state the legal grounds for Obama's actions. The House speaker said Thursday the White House report failed to answer his questions and that he expects a response by his Friday deadline.

Previous presidents, Republicans and Democrats, have largely ignored the Vietnam-era law, which was created as a check on their power to authorize military force.

Countering the criticism, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California said Obama did not need congressional authorization, but she acknowledged the congressional frustration.

"It's like a marriage. You may think you're communicating, but if the other party doesn't think you're communicating, you're not communicating enough," Pelosi told reporters.

The White House sent Congress the 32-page report in response to a nonbinding House resolution passed this month that chastised Obama for failing to provide a "compelling rationale" for U.S. involvement in Libya.

The administration report estimated the cost of U.S. military operations at about $715 million as of June 3, with the total increasing to $1.1 billion by early September.

While the U.S. led the initial airstrikes on Libya, NATO forces have since taken over the mission. The U.S still plays a significant support role that includes aerial refueling of warplanes and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance work. Obama has ruled out sending U.S. ground forces to Libya.

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NATO targets Tripoli with daytime raid.

NATO warplanes dashed into the Libyan capital Tripoli at midday Friday, pounding a target in the south of the city and sending a thick cloud of black smoke rising high into the air.A series of explosions rumbled across other parts of the city as fighter jets could by heard flying overhead. Fire engines raced through the streets, sirens blaring.

It wasn't clear what was hit or whether there were casualties. Friday is the main day of rest in Libya, with many people off work.

NATO has been ramping up the pressure on Moammar Gadhafi's regime. Though most airstrikes happen under cover of darkness, daytime raids have grown more frequent.

Friday's raids follow a barrage that struck multiple targets late Thursday night.

The fresh strikes blasted the capital as renewed diplomatic efforts to halt Libya's civil war appeared to be gaining momentum, though there are no signs a breakthrough is imminent.

On Thursday, Russia's envoy to Libya met with senior government leaders in Tripoli, but not Gadhafi himself, in an effort to stop the fighting.

Last week, the envoy Mikhail Margelov visited the Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi and said that Gadhafi has lost his legitimacy. However, the envoy also said NATO airstrikes are not a solution to Libya's violent stalemate.

Libyan Prime Minister al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi said the Libyan government has held a number of "preliminary meetings" with officials based in the eastern rebel-held city of Benghazi. He said the talks took place abroad, including in Egypt, Tunisia and Norway, but he did not provide specifics.

A coalition including France, Britain and the United States launched the first strikes against Gadhafi's forces under a United Nations resolution to protect civilians on March 19. NATO assumed control of the air campaign over Libya on March 31. It's joined by a number of Arab allies.

What started as a peaceful uprising inside Libya against Gadhafi has grown into a civil war, with rebels now holding a third of the country in the east and pockets in the west.

Libya's rebels mark Feb. 17 — four months ago Friday — as the start of their revolution against Gadhafi's more than four-decade rule.

It was on that date that protesters emboldened by Arab uprisings in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt took to the streets in a number of Libyan cities. At least 20 people were reported killed in a crackdown by state security forces.

Fighting between government forces and the rebels had reached a stalemate until last week when NATO launched the heaviest bombardment of Gadhafi forces since the alliance took control of the skies over Libya.

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15 People Killed in Pakistan by a Suspected US missile strikes.

Three American missile attacks killed 15 suspected militants on the Pakistan side of the Afghan border on Wednesday, Pakistani officials said, the latest in an uptick in such strikes that coincides with a chill in ties between Washington and Islamabad.

The first pair of drone-fired missiles hit a vehicle and a compound near Wana, the main town in South Waziristan tribal area, killing 10 people, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

The victims were believed to be allied with Maulvi Nazir, a prominent militant commander in the area, according to the officials.

South Waziristan was the main sanctuary for the Pakistani Taliban until the army launched a large ground offensive in 2009. But militants continue to inhabit the area and often carry out attacks against Pakistani soldiers.

Later, four missiles hit a vehicle in North Waziristan, considered a major militant sanctuary, killing five, the officials said.

The U.S. does not publicly discuss drone strikes in Pakistan, but officials have said privately that they have killed several senior al-Qaida and Taliban commanders. More than 200 attacks have taken place since 2009.

The frequency of attacks dropped in earlier in the year, but have since resumed their normal pace.

The uptick follows the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan on May 2. That operation angered the Pakistani army and parliament, which demanded an end to the strikes. Pakistan's army has been known to cooperate with some of the attacks in the past, but it is unclear whether it still does so.

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Pakistan denies army major's arrest for CIA links

The Pakistani army denied Wednesday that one of its majors was among a group of Pakistanis who Western officials say were arrested for feeding the CIA information before the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

The New York Times, which first reported the arrests of five Pakistani informants Tuesday, said an army major was detained who copied license plates of cars visiting the al-Qaida chief's compound in Pakistan in the weeks before the raid.

A Western official in Pakistan confirmed that five Pakistanis who fed information to the CIA before the May 2 operation were arrested by Pakistan's top intelligence service.

But Pakistani army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas denied an army major was arrested, saying the report was "false and totally baseless." Neither the army nor Pakistan's spy agency would confirm or deny the overall report about the detentions.

The group of detained Pakistanis included the owner of a safe house rented to the CIA to observe bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, an army town not far from the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, a U.S. official said. The owner was detained along with a "handful" of other Pakistanis, said the official.

The Western officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence matters.

The fate of the purported CIA informants who were arrested was unclear, but American officials told the Times that CIA Director Leon Panetta raised the issue when he visited Islamabad last week to meet with Pakistani military and intelligence officers.

U.S.-Pakistani relations have been strained over the raid by Navy SEALs on Pakistani territory, which embarrassed Pakistan's military, and other issues.

One of the issues that has caused tension between the two countries is U.S. drone missile strikes targeting militants in Pakistan's tribal region near the Afghan border.

A pair of attacks targeted a suspected militant compound and a vehicle in the South Waziristan tribal area on Wednesday, killing at least 10 alleged insurgents, according to Pakistani intelligence officials. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media, said the vehicle that was hit turned out to be empty.

Pakistani officials often denounce the strikes in public, even though many are believed to support them in private. But that support has been strained in the wake of the bin Laden raid, especially since the strikes are very unpopular with the Pakistani public.

Officials said the arrests of the suspected informants was just the latest evidence of the fractured relationship between the two nations.

The Times said that at a closed briefing last week, members of the Senate Intelligence Committee asked Michael Morell, the deputy CIA director, to rate Pakistan's cooperation with the United States on counterterrorism operations, on a scale of 1 to 10.

"Three," Morell replied, according to officials familiar with the exchange, the newspaper said.

American officials speaking to the Times cautioned that Morell's comment was a snapshot of the current relationship and did not represent the Obama administration's overall assessment.

"We have a strong relationship with our Pakistani counterparts and work through issues when they arise," Marie Harf, a CIA spokeswoman, told the newspaper. "Director Panetta had productive meetings last week in Islamabad. It's a crucial partnership, and we will continue to work together in the fight against al-Qaida and other terrorist groups who threaten our country and theirs."

Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's ambassador to the United States, said in an interview with the Times that the CIA and the Pakistani spy agency "are working out mutually acceptable terms for their cooperation in fighting the menace of terrorism. It is not appropriate for us to get into the details at this stage."

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White House wants Business to aid in debt cap fight.

Worried that Congress will not act in time to raise the country's borrowing cap, the Obama administration is enlisting the business community to persuade lawmakers that a default will have dire consequences.Outgoing White House economic adviser Austan Goolsbee is set to talk to a slew of business representatives this week, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting.

The meeting will mark the second time in less than a month that Goolsbee has tried to get businesses to ratchet up the pressure on Congress to raise the nation's $14.3 trillion debt limit before August 2, when the Treasury says it will no longer be able to pay the government's bills.

"The White House wants the business community to pull its weight," said one person familiar with the administration's thinking who was on Goolsbee's initial conference call on the subject.

There is a "profound misperception" among some lawmakers that a temporary default will not imperil the fragile economy, said the person, who was not authorized to speak on behalf of the administration.
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Calls to the White House seeking comment on the effort were not immediately returned.

The flash point for the White House came when famed investor Stanley Druckenmiller said he could tolerate a brief debt default if it forced lawmakers to reach a deal to slash future budget gaps. This year's deficit is projected to hit $1.4 trillion.

The comments from Druckenmiller, a former hedge fund manager and longtime ally of George Soros, appeared to lend credibility to the belief of some Republicans that the administration was fear mongering about the consequences if Congress failed to move quickly to raise the limit on how much the government can borrow.

Less than a week after Druckenmiller told the Wall Street Journal that a default would not be the "catastrophic" event administration officials claimed, the White House called on some of its Democratic friends in corporate America.

"It really scared the administration that a brand name was saying that (default) was not a big deal," said a financial services industry source who also was on the Goolsbee call in May.

During the call with about 60-70 executives from large and small firms across the country from financial services to manufacturing, Goolsbee likened the debt talks and potential market fallout to a smoldering fire pit in Iran and said one could only get so close before his clothes would catch fire.

The message from Goolsbee, according to the participant, was, "We know markets will react negatively, but don't know how close we can get before they start reacting negatively."

The White House economic adviser cited a study by centrist think tank Third Way that said default would drive the country into a second recession -- a statement Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner would later make in a letter to Congress.

So far, U.S. markets have shown little concern over the budget stalement in Washington with investors apparently confident lawmakers will lift the debt ceiling in time. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note hovered around 3 percent on Tuesday, indicating strong demand.

Still, the United States' largest foreign creditor, China, warned that U.S. lawmakers contemplating a technical default, or a delay in interest payments, are "playing with fire".

UNCONVINCED

Conservative Republicans, who helped shift control of the House of Representatives to their party in elections in November, remain unconvinced that there will be terrible fallout if the August 2 deadline is missed.

"A lot of my supporters, a lot of my friends... are making sure that I know that I can't raise the debt ceiling until there is a good plan moving forward to (curb spending,)" said Representative Stephen Fincher of Tennessee.

Fellow Republican Mike Pompeo said there were bankers in his district in Kansas who were watching the negotiations closely and wanted to make sure Congress "got it right," adding that he was more convinced than ever that raising the debt limit without big spending cuts would be wrong.

Publicly, President Barack Obama and his economic team have been warning lawmakers for months that missing payments on any of the government's obligations could push interest rates sharply higher and throw the economy back into recession. They say Republicans would shoulder the blame if that happened.

Lobbying groups for powerful companies such as JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Caterpillar Inc, have tried with little success to persuade lawmakers -- and the public -- that a debt default would be unthinkable.

Republican Representative Nan Hayworth of New York said the majority of her constituents have told her that they would prefer that the debt ceiling not be raised.

"I have assured them that it will be accompanied by substantial measures to stop adding to the debt as fast as possible," she said.

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Facebook hires former White House press secretary,

Facebook has nabbed a former White House press secretary, but it isn't Robert Gibbs. Joe Lockhart, who served as press secretary under former President Bill Clinton, has been hired as the social-networking site's new vice president of global communications.

Lockhart will run Facebook's corporate, policy, and international communications teams. His first day is July 15, and he will relocate from Washington, D.C. to California for the job "as soon as family commitments allow," Facebook said.

He and Marne Levine, vice president of global public policy, will report to Elliot Schrage, vice president of global communications, marketing, and public policy at Facebook.

"Joe's arrival brings new skills and greater depth to our incredibly busy team. His experience building and running a press office at the White House gives him particular appreciation for the demands of a global 24-hour news cycle and the challenges of responding effectively to intense scrutiny," Schrage said in a statement. "His experience launching and scaling a communications firm will help us as we seek to build our team and continue to offer great opportunities for growth and professional development."

After leaving the White House, Lockhart founded the Glover Park Group PR firm in 2001, which represented firms like Yahoo and Microsoft.

In late March, there were reports that Robert Gibbs, who served as President Obama's press secretary, would be joining Facebook. The New York Times said the talks were at an early stage, and no formal deal had been signed, but no announcements regarding Gibbs were ever made. Gibbs announced his resignation from the White House in January after serving Obama's administration for two years. At the time, he said he would initially "step back a little bit, recharge some."

Levine joined Facebook last year after serving as special assistant to the president for economic policy and chief of staff for the National Economic Council at the White House.

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Romney to face rivals in his first 2012 debate.

 Mitt Romney readied Monday to share a debate stage for the first time with six of the likely rivals who want to strip him of his perceived frontrunner mantle for the Republican presidential nomination.Romney, who has emerged as the GOP's candidate to beat during his second presidential bid, was going into his first debate with his critics already telegraphing their eagerness to link the former Massachusetts governor with President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. Conservatives loathe the Democrats' plan that mandates all Americans have health insurance and was modeled on a Massachusetts law Romney signed into law.

"I strongly oppose the individual mandate at any level," former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said on Sunday, previewing an expected line of criticism toward Romney. "I think it's a dramatic overreach."

Elbowing Romney, Pawlenty said Obama had stated that "he designed Obamacare after Romneycare and basically made it Obamneycare."

Pawlenty was looking to use the evening debate to pitch himself as an alternative to Romney, who came up short four years ago in his bid for the nomination and hardly stopped campaigning. Conservatives who hold great sway in the nominating process, however, aren't rallying around Romney and are looking for an alternative.
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Former Sen. John E. Sununu of New Hampshire said the debate was an opportunity for Pawlenty "to move himself into a one-on-one campaign with Mitt Romney."

"It's still early. No one has to bedazzle. But it's an opportunity for Pawlenty to pull out of that pack a little bit and show that this has the potential to be a strong two-man race," Sununu told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia also was set to make his presidential debate debut just days after his senior staff resigned en masse. Gingrich, who left Congress in 1999, on Sunday sought to restart his campaign and promised to wage a campaign to make Obama a one-term president.

Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, too, was making her first appearance in a presidential debate. Although not yet a formal candidate, the tea party favorite is expected to join the field soon.

Businessman Herman Cain of Georgia, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas and former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania again will join a presidential debate; they participated in a South Carolina debate that Romney skipped earlier this year.

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, though, would be absent. A veteran of three Republican administrations before becoming Obama's ambassador to China, Hunstman is expected to join the field in the coming days. He has said he's not going to start debating before he announces he is officially running in a nominating process expected to formally begin with the Iowa caucuses in February of 2012.

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New York jury convicts 3 in NYC hedge fund trial.

The second trial to result from a massive investigation into insider trading at hedge funds ended Monday with the conviction of a trio of Wall Street traders on charges they paid hefty bribes to coax confidential information out of shady lawyers.

A jury reached the verdict against stock trader Zvi Goffer and two others in federal court in Manhattan after deliberating five days since June 2. It came a month after the conviction of Raj Rajaratnam, the one-time billionaire who founded the Galleon Group of hedge funds and who was once Goffer's boss.

Goffer, his brother Emanuel and Michael Kimelman were convicted of conspiracy to break securities laws. Sentencing was set for Sept. 23 for Kimelman and Oct. 7 for the Goffer brothers. All three were permitted to remain free on bail pending sentencing.

The defendants, who had insisted they based trades only on public information, remained calm during the verdict. Zvi Goffer's wife and mother left the courtroom in tears.

David Pettus, a lawyer for Zvi Goffer, said the verdict was a disappointment and would be appealed.

"Zvi's a very young man, not a person likely to get in trouble again," he said. "We'll prepare the best sentencing arguments we can prepare."

Michael Sommer, a lawyer for Kimelman, said: "We are enormously disappointed with the verdict as we believed the evidence clearly showed that Mr. Kimelman had not engaged in any insider trading. We will of course pursue all avenues of appeal."

Michael Ross, a lawyer for Emanuel Goffer, declined to comment.

Prosecutors have called the Galleon probe the biggest ever into inside trading in the hedge fund industry. They say the case also marked the first extensive use of wiretaps in an insider trading case.

As in the Rajaratnam trial, the government relied on a vast trove of taped conversations to try to prove Zvi Goffer had engineered a plot to pay two attorneys nearly $100,000 in 2007 and 2008 for the inside tips on mergers and acquisitions that generated millions of dollars in illegal profits. The Securities and Exchange Commission had said Goffer -- who worked for Rajaratnam for nine months before starting his own firm -- was nicknamed "the Octopussy" because of his reputation for reaching for information from multiple sources. His brother and Kimelman worked at Zvi Goffer's firm.

In closing arguments, Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Tarlowe had urged jurors to follow the trail of taped phone conversations to see how the defendants carried out their crimes and then tried to hide their behavior with prepaid phones and in-person meetings on the street.

"When people are engaged in legal activity, that's not how they act," Tarlowe said. "They all took steps to conceal what they were doing, to cover their tracks."

During the two-week trial, prosecutors introduced evidence that Zvi Goffer gave conspirators the prepaid cellular telephones in an effort to reduce detection by law enforcement.

One-time lawyer Brien Santarlas testified for the government that envy of big Wall Street salaries motivated him to provide inside information about companies he worked for at the corporate firm Ropes & Gray. He said he accepted $25,000 in cash after passing along his first big inside tip.

The defense countered by arguing that the government was trying to win a conviction based on just a few taped conversations among 18,000 phone calls, text messages and emails they recovered.

"It's just not fair what went on here in this courtroom. It was absolutely wrong," said William Barzee, the attorney for Zvi Goffer. "It doesn't matter what the fact is, the government takes it and twists it."

Both Santarlas and the second Ropes & Gray lawyer-turned-tipster, Arthur Cutillo, have pleaded guilty to fraud charges.

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Doomsday believer donates entire inheritance to Family Radio.

When the world didn't end on May 21, many people who had given up their earthly possessions were left with nothing.But one believer never lived to see the day. She left nearly her entire estate -- around $300,000 -- to the group behind the failed prediction, leaving some family members out in the cold.

Eileen Heuwetter was shocked to find out that her aunt left the majority of her estate to Family Radio, the group responsible for the doomsday warnings that the world would end on May 21. She and her sister were each left $25,000 from their aunt's estate. The rest is going to Family Radio.

The network of Christian radio stations based in Oakland, Ca., is almost entirely funded by donations. According to IRS filings, the group brought in $18 million in contributions in 2009 alone.

Heuwetter, the executor of the will, knew how much her aunt loved the radio station and admired its leader, Harold Camping, who is viewed as a prophet by many of his followers.

While other family members insisted it was crazy to let her aunt give all that money to a radio station, Heuwetter didn't initially contest the conditions of the will. She knew little about the Christian radio station, but knew her aunt, Doris Schmitt, found comfort in it.

Schmitt had lived a tough life, struggling with alcoholism and losing her two children to drug addictions before dying alone at 78 on May 2, 2010 in her small home in Queens, New York.

"This was not a woman who had anything. She literally had Family Radio on day and night -- she went to bed with it and woke up to it," said Heuwetter. "That was all she had."

It wasn't until recently that Heuwetter learned who was really getting her aunt's bequest. She said she first realized this was the same group when she saw buses driving around New York City the weekend before the supposed end of the world, spreading the doomsday message. "I'm looking at these brand new buses drive around with Family Radio's name on them, saying 'Doomsday is May 21', and I said, 'Oh my god, this is who my aunt gave all of her money to," Heuwetter said. "I didn't know he was so crazy, and at this point I was incensed that this man was going to get everything my aunt had left."

While Heuwetter says she didn't necessarily need the extra cash, other family members were struggling and could have used a little help, she said.

Even worse, Heuwetter said, was that Camping's prediction never came to fruition. Heuwetter's family members were just as angry when they learned about Family Radio's failed prophecy, so they brought the case to several lawyers, who sympathized with the family, but agreed they had no case. Family Radio did not respond to requests for comment.

The estate is within weeks of closing, and Heuwetter knows it's a lost cause.

"It's just so frustrating because I know there's nothing I can do about it -- this man is going to get hundreds of thousands of dollars from my aunt," she said. "And she wasn't a rich woman."

Though Camping later clarified that his prediction actually extends until October, many followers were disappointed when the rapture didn't happen on May 21. Heuwetter said there is no way her aunt would have given the money to Family Radio, had she lived to see Camping's doomsday-gone-wrong.

"She would have been devastated," Heuwetter said. "Listening to him say things would be better in paradise made her feel better -- she totally believed she would leave this world on May 21, and she needed to believe that."

If she were here to watch the world continue after May 21, she would have likely given her money to other family members, said Heuwetter.

"It was a good amount of money that would have helped a lot of people live better today -- but now it's not helping anyone."

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Romney: 'Barack Obama has failed America'.

Mitt Romney is opening his first formal day as a 2012 Republican presidential contender with a direct challenge to the man he wants to replace and is pitching himself as ready to repair the nation's struggling economy. "Barack Obama has failed America," he says.In excerpts of a kick-off speech released ahead of his formal announcement Thursday, Romney's campaign message homes in on the economic woes that top voters' frustrations: a lack of jobs, persistent foreclosures and runaway spending in Washington.

It's a pitch tailored to the conservatives who hold great sway in picking the GOP's presidential nominee in Iowa and South Carolina — and the independents who are the largest politic bloc in New Hampshire. And it is as much a thesis on his viability as it is an indictment of Obama's leadership.

"A few years ago, Americans did something that was, actually, very much the sort of thing Americans like to do: We gave someone new a chance to lead, someone we hadn't known for very long, who didn't have much of a record but promised to lead us to a better place," Romney says, describing the man he hopes to face head-to-head in November 2012.

"At the time, we didn't know what sort of a president he would make. ... Now, in the third year of his four-year term, we have more than promises and slogans to go by. Barack Obama has failed America."
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In the speech, the former Massachusetts governor launches into a scathing critique of Washington, a place where he never has served. Decrying federal spending, the one-term governor promises, "My generation will pass the torch to the next generation, not a bill."

Romney comes to a presidential contest that lacks a front-runner. In the past week, the still-jelling field became less certain with hints that Texas Gov. Rick Perry was considering a bid. Tea party darling Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota is inching toward a run, perhaps giving the anti-tax, libertarian-leaning grassroots movement a candidate to rally around.

Romney sought to claim a slice of that constituency when describing families struggling to get by.

"It doesn't matter if they are Republican or Democrat, independent or libertarian," Romney says in remarks he was to deliver at a farm in Stratham. "They're just Americans. An American family."

Meanwhile. Sarah Palin, her party's 2008 vice presidential nominee, continued a bus tour that highlighted not only her potential to upend the race but also served as a contrast to the lackluster enthusiasm for those already running for president. She was set to appear in New Hampshire at a clambake Thursday, although her aides and advisers were not providing schedules and her supporters in the state were left looking for guidance.

Meanwhile, Romney has built an experienced political team, collected serious campaign cash and crafted a campaign that is ready to go full-bore. While his likely opponents have struggled to get the spotlight, Romney largely has worked in private to fine-tune his political machine. He has chosen to weigh in through statements and editorial pages instead of interviews with journalists or town halls with voters.

On Friday, Romney starts to shift that strategy. He has scheduled his first town hall-style meeting for Manchester and later planned to speak at a Faith and Freedom forum in Washington.

His speeches have honed his criticism of Obama and promised alternatives in the coming months. Yet party leaders haven't rallied around him. To that end, Romney hopes his tough talk will inspire support.

"We are only inches away from ceasing to be a free market economy," he says, decrying Obama's health care overhaul — a federal version of the one Romney signed into law for Massachusetts.

"From my first day in office my No. 1 job will be to see that America once again is No. 1 in job creation."

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At least four dead in Massachusetts storms.

At least four people were killed when tornadoes and severe storms tore through heavily populated western and central Massachusetts on Wednesday, causing widespread damage in 19 communities.Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency and authorized 1,000 National Guard troops to be called up to provide support after at least two tornadoes touched down.

"It is early going yet, so those are not final numbers, although we are hoping and praying and working as hard as possible to keep the fatalities limited to those four," Patrick told a news conference.

Tornadoes are rare but not unheard of in the northeastern United States.

Southeastern states, especially Alabama, were hit hard in April and Joplin, Missouri, was devastated by a massive tornado in May that killed 134 people.

In Massachusetts, the first tornado touched down at about 4:30 p.m. local time in Springfield, the third largest city in the state, said Chris Vaccaro, a spokesman for the National Weather Service.

Heavy winds churned the Connecticut River and the area was pounded by hail and driving rain.

A second tornado hit Springfield, 90 miles west of Boston, at about 6:20 p.m., authorities said. State police said at least 33 people were injured in Springfield.

Damage included "trees and numerous power lines down, roofs ripped off of homes, things like cars and SUVs that have been toppled over," said Scott MacLeod, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

The severe weather was the result of colder air clashing with a warm, humid system that has produced some record temperatures for early June through much of the mid-Atlantic states, meteorologists said.

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Memorial Day comes as US troops fight in Afghanistan.

U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan paused Monday to remember the fallen in Memorial Day services, as a war nearly a decade old trudges on.Some prayed and held flag-raising ceremonies at dawn to recognize the more than 1,400 killed in combat here since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks that triggered the war.

"We reflect on those who have gone before us. We reflect on their service and their sacrifice on behalf of our great nation," said Brig. Gen. Lewis A. Craparotta, who commands a Marine division in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province. "We should also remember those serving today who embody that same commitment of service and sacrifice. They are committed to something greater than themselves and they muster the physical and moral courage to accomplish extraordinary feats in battle."

In Iraq, an estimated 46,000 U.S. troops remain stationed there though officials say combat operations are over in a nation that saw more than 4,400 American troops die in combat. Under an agreement between Washington and Baghdad, the troops still in Iraq must leave by Dec. 31.

Black Hawk helicopters churned through the night sky Sunday as a strong wind coming over Kabul's surrounding mountains blew against the flickering candles that cast an orange glow on those gathered for a remembrance ceremony at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' headquarters.

Earlier in the day, those working there enjoyed one of their five days off a year from building police stations, dams and other projects in a nation torn by decades of war. Col. Thomas Magness, 47, of Los Angeles, California urged the more than 100 corps employees and U.S. troops gathered there to remember the meaning of Memorial Day — advice that could carry home to America.

"While we were playing volleyball today, no doubt some soldier gave the ultimate sacrifice," the corps commander said.

Memorial Day, instituted to honor America's war dead, will be observed Monday with a public holiday. This Memorial Day comes before the 10-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, which ultimately brought U.S. troops into Afghanistan to unseat the Taliban government and hunt terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.

"Our country got attacked, and we're here to fight the war on it," said Roger Nowicki of the corps.

While Navy SEALs shot and killed bin Laden earlier this month in neighboring Pakistan, the U.S.-led war here continues. President Barack Obama plans to draw down U.S. troops beginning in July, while NATO has committed to handing over control of security in the country to Afghans by 2014.

In the meantime, the war grinds on toward its 10th year. The sharp pangs of loss are visible on some attending the event, like Maj. Erica Iverson, 33, of Vermillion, South Dakota. She spoke of serving as a casualty assistance officer after the 2010 death of Staff Sgt. Adam Dickmyer of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, who once served as a sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery.

Iverson's voice choked as she recounted how Dickmyer's mother fell off her chair in grief when her son's body returned to the U.S. His widow chased after the casket, screaming: "Don't leave me!"

"His wife has an empty house," Iverson said. "His entire unit came home today, and he didn't come with them."

Iverson said speechwriters for Obama called her in recent days, saying the president may honor Dickmyer in remarks on Memorial Day.

Increasingly skeptical American and Afghan publics question why U.S. and NATO forces remain there. The Taliban recently begun its spring offensive, as suicide bombings, roadside explosions and attacks in remote posts have returned with a frightening regularity.

"You don't get used to it because you're in a war zone," said civilian corps worker George S. Triggs, 54, of Louisville, Kentucky. "You learn to tolerate it and do the best you can."

Yet the worst stress, some acknowledged, is that of family members waiting at home for their loved ones to return. Lt. Col. Jon Chytka, 44, of Tabor, South Dakota recounted having to explain to his 5-year-old daughter why he had to leave.

He gave this answer: "I told her that before she was born, there were 19 people who killed 3,000."

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American Idol's Scotty McCreery says he not Dating Lauren Alaina.

Lauren Alaina may have showered Scotty McCreery with kisses when he was crowned the winner of American Idol on Wednesday, but the former competitors insist there's nothing romantic going on between them."We're just really good friends. We really care about each other," Alaina, 16, tells Us Weekly."Everyone wants us to like each other, but we just don't."

Still, Alaina hasn't entirely ruled out the possibility of one day dating McCreery, 17. "You never know what's going to happen 10 years down the road, but I doubt it," she says. "I think we'll always be really good friends."

After all, McCreery tells Us, he has plenty of offers back in North Carolina. "They're going wild for me!" he says. "It's pretty fun hearing what's going on back home."

The country singer adds that he isn't ready for a relationship right now anyway.

"I'm still single. I don't want a girl who likes me because I'm the American Idol," he tells Us. "I just want them to like me because I'm Scotty. That's a hard thing to find, but it'll work out sometime."

"I'm still young," he adds, "and I've got a lot of years ahead of me."

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Warm welcome, few policy wins for Obama in Europe.

 As President Barack Obama jets across Europe, he is highlighting the characteristics of his presidency his supporters adore and his detractors criticize: sweeping speeches before enamored crowds and policy sessions that emphasize deliberate discussion over concrete results.The four-country, six-day tour has produced plenty of enduring images, from Obama knocking back a pint of Guinness in a tiny Irish village and drawing tens of thousands for remarks in central Dublin, to hobnobbing with Britain's royal family at Buckingham Palace. But there have been few memorable policy breakthroughs.

Even at the G-8 summit in France, Obama and world leaders agreed on a path toward financially supporting fledgling democratic movements in Egypt and Tunisia, but stopped short of backing a specific monetary package. The G-8 did say it would aim to provide $40 billion in funding, though officials did not provide a breakdown of where the money would come from or when.

That's not to say Obama's trip won't be considered a success. The kind of soft diplomacy the president has engaged in can go a long way in currying favor from allies when their support is needed on tough issues. And the White House doesn't have to look far down the line for opportunities to cash in on that support, with the first phase of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan set to begin in July, and the U.S. and its NATO allies locked in a bombing campaign in Libya that has no end in sight.

The White House also hopes images of the president being greeted by cheering crowds and American-flag waving Europeans could give Obama a boost on the domestic front, where Republican contenders are lining up to run for his job. One of those GOP hopefuls, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, already has taken a dig at Obama's popularity here, taking to Twitter to say he "sorry to interrupt the European pub crawl," but could Obama outline his Medicare plan?

While it may not have exactly been a pub crawl, Obama's trip to the tiny Irish hamlet of Moneygall, where he drank a pint of Guinness in the village where his great-great-great grandfather was born, will likely be one of the standout images of not just Obama's European trip but also his presidency.

At times in Ireland, it seemed the president was campaigning for the hearts and minds of Irish voters, even delivering his campaign slogan "Yes we can" in Gaelic to the roaring approval of 30,000 people gathered to hear him speak in the center of Dublin.

The European adoration continued in London, where Obama delivered a rare address in Westminster Hall to both houses of Parliament and received a thunderous standing ovation. Members of parliament jostled to shake Obama's hand, mobbing him as he pressed the flesh on his way out to spontaneous rounds of applause.

The Guardian newspaper noted that "everybody he met... all reached out, all hoping to grab some stardust and sprinkle it over themselves."

Michelle Obama was a hot topic too, praised for her glamor, poise and fashion sense.

The Telegraph newspaper gushed about Mrs. Obama's warmth and "wow factor," saying "nothing quite beats the glamour of an Obama — especially a Michelle Obama, the only first lady since Jackie Kennedy to be quite as exciting as her husband."

Even here in France, where Obama is meeting with G-8 leaders on global security and economic matters, the U.S. president attracted the most attention from the local crowd, rewarding their cheers by stopping to chat and shake hands before heading in for talks.

Obama has been popular in Europe since he arrived on the national political scene in the U.S. As a presidential candidate in 2008, he drew a crowd of 200,000 for a speech in Berlin. Shortly after taking office, tens of thousands gathered in Prague to hear him make the case for a world free of nuclear weapons.

While his popularity with the European public remains high, his standing with the continent's political leaders may have dropped a notch.

"I think they had expectations that could not be met and changes that they had anticipated that President Obama would make," said Heather Conley, director of the Europe program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. She cited Obama's failure to close the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detention center and increase troops in Afghanistan as disappointments in Europe.

In France, there also has been some criticism of the Obama administration's involvement in the Libya bombing campaign. But when Obama met Friday on the sidelines of the G-8 summit with Nicolas Sarkozy, both leaders expressed nothing more than appreciation for their mutual efforts in Libya. And they reasserted that longtime Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi must go.

After wrapping up his meetings at the summit Friday afternoon, Obama heads to Warsaw, Poland, the final stop on his trip. He's due back in Washington on Saturday night, and will almost immediately leave behind the celebrations he enjoyed in Europe for the sobering suffering of residents in Missouri, where more than 100 people were killed in violent storms, and hundreds more affected.

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