Why Media Attempt to Exploit Republican In-Fighting (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | The media are beginning to question the strength of the GOP due to the recent in-fighting during the debates. As someone that has worked as both a political consultant, and as a debate instructor, I have to shake my head at the attempted trick by the leftist portion of the media. How easily they try to make people forget that this happens during any primary debate season.

The in-fighting that the media are trying to point to is the candidates trying to make sure that they can prove that they are better than their competition. The thought that there might be a personal vendetta between Rick Perry and Mitt Romney excites some writers and readers. All candidates have personal vendettas against the others. You don't run for president to come in second place.

It was only a few short years ago when Hillary Clinton stated that Obama was simply known for doing a speech. There was all types of bickering and in-fighting going on with the Democrats. Across the aisle, the same type of in-fighting was going on with the Republicans as they tried to decide who should represent them. This is part of primary season, there is nothing special or original with this one over any other in recent history.

By trying to show that the basic fighting during primary season is a sign of weakness, the writers attempt to give their candidate, President Barack Obama, a slight nudge. I can't blame them due to the fact that trying to show weakness in the other party is a trick that has been used for decades. People want to vote for a candidate and party that appears to be as stable as possible.

If anything, the Republicans have shown more unity in the last few years than they have for years. The common enemy that they find in any policy that the president tries to pass gives them an advantage over the sitting president. The party wants to make sure that the upcoming candidate is going to be the best person to do overwhelm the president in the polls. It will just take some bickering back and forth to get to that point. Once the candidate is chosen, the party will unify under one banner as they have for years.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111020/us_ac/10245959_why_media_attempt_to_exploit_republican_infighting

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UK lawmaker quits defense panel after spy claims (AP)

LONDON ? The British lawmaker allegedly ensnared in a Russian intelligence operation announced Wednesday that he was stepping down from the House of Commons' Defense Committee.

Liberal Democrat Mike Hancock, 65, is a central figure in the attempt to deport alleged Russian spy Ekaterina Zatuliveter, who worked as his research assistant for more than two years. The 26-year-old is accused of using her position to pass sensitive information to Russian intelligence.

She has not been charged with any crime, but the U.K. is seeking to expel her from the country on national security grounds. Zatuliveter is currently fighting the deportation attempt at London's Special Immigration Appeals Commission.

On Tuesday, Zatuliveter said she carried out a lengthy affair with the married lawmaker but denied a British government lawyer's claim that she served as Russian intelligence's "eyes and ears in the Houses of Parliament."

Hancock denies passing Zatuliveter any classified information and has yet to comment on their relationship, but, in a letter released Wednesday, he said he was stepping down from the Defense Committee so that it could "continue with its work unimpaired by current events."

The 12-person defense panel is charged with examining the expenditure, administration, and policy of Britain's military.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111019/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_russia_spy_suspect

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Rick Perry's flat tax: A 'path to victory'? (The Week)

New York ? With his poll numbers sagging, the former GOP frontrunner tries to jolt his campaign with a proposal to throw out America's complex tax code

Rick Perry hit the campaign trail with renewed energy on Wednesday, saying he'll soon unveil a plan to scrap the entire federal tax code and replace it with a simple, flat tax?that all Americans would pay.?Perry didn't say how his tax would differ from Herman Cain's highly scrutinized ? and controversial ? 9-9-9 plan, although the Texas governor said his system would be "flatter and fairer" than Cain's. Will Perry's tax proposal revive his stalled campaign?

This could make him a frontrunner again: This is Perry's chance to differentiate himself from "the two other real candidates in the race at this point ? Cain and [Mitt] Romney," says Freedoms Truth at RedState. Romney's tax ideas lack ambition; "Cain's 9-9-9 is the hot, bold plan," but its regressive 9 percent national sales tax makes it a hard sell. Perry appears to be "leaning on flat tax proponent Steve Forbes for advice," and if he follows through, this could be Perry's "path to victory."
"Perry's path to victory: The flat tax"

The details might not be so impressive: Let's reserve judgment until we see what Perry actually proposes, says Jonathan Chait at New York. "Tax reform has historically meant cleansing the tax code of special breaks and loopholes, especially those inserted at the behest of powerful lobbies." But before Perry even unveils his ideas, he's meeting in Washington with representatives of special interest groups. "Nothing says 'reform' like 'ask lobbyists to help write my plan.'"
"Rick Perry knows just who can help him reform the tax code"

Perry knows he has to be bold: Perry's flat tax promise is part of his aggressive new image, says David Weigel at Slate. Before he teased the plan in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Perry "literally ran onstage," and later "left the stage as if he'd been spring-loaded," proclaiming, "Let's roll!" The "message: I'm the scrappy, ass-kicking underdog," the anti-Romney. It's worth a shot ? but only time will tell if it works.
"Rick Perry comes alive!"

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politicsopinion/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20111019/cm_theweek/220485

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UK lawmaker quits defense panel after spy claims (AP)

LONDON ? The British lawmaker allegedly ensnared in a Russian intelligence operation announced Wednesday that he was stepping down from the House of Commons' Defense Committee.

Liberal Democrat Mike Hancock, 65, is a central figure in the attempt to deport alleged Russian spy Ekaterina Zatuliveter, who worked as his research assistant for more than two years. The 26-year-old is accused of using her position to pass sensitive information to Russian intelligence.

She has not been charged with any crime, but the U.K. is seeking to expel her from the country on national security grounds. Zatuliveter is currently fighting the deportation attempt at London's Special Immigration Appeals Commission.

On Tuesday, Zatuliveter said she carried out a lengthy affair with the married lawmaker but denied a British government lawyer's claim that she served as Russian intelligence's "eyes and ears in the Houses of Parliament."

Hancock denies passing Zatuliveter any classified information and has yet to comment on their relationship, but, in a letter released Wednesday, he said he was stepping down from the Defense Committee so that it could "continue with its work unimpaired by current events."

The 12-person defense panel is charged with examining the expenditure, administration, and policy of Britain's military.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/russia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111019/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_russia_spy_suspect

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DeMarco: Cards' run to Series historic, but hardly lucky

Midseason trades helped spark team already long on talent, character

Image: La RussaAP

How did the Cardinals make it to the World Series? "A lot of it has to do with character," says manager Tony La Russa.

OPINION

By Tony DeMarco

NBCSports.com contributor

updated 9:28 p.m. ET Oct. 18, 2011

Tony DeMarco

ST. LOUIS - Improbable, incredible and overwhelming are the words Cardinals manager Tony La Russa used to describe his team's run to the National League pennant.

Historic would be another that applies.

But here is one adjective you shouldn't use for St. Louis' surge from 10 1/2 games back in late-August to a World Series showdown with the Texas Rangers that begins here Wednesday night: lucky.

Yes, it took the simultaneous collapse of the Atlanta Braves to get the Cardinals a postseason spot on the last day of the regular season. But as La Russa said: "We weren't doing it with mirrors. We had a good team. A very good team.''

Major League Baseball's stretch run and postseason has produced so many memorable moments and unexpected results, it's easy to forget how the six-month regular-season grind unfolded for the Cardinals.

Behind a dynamic offense that finished first in the NL in runs, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, they sat 16-11 at the end of April, climbed to 10 games over .500 in late-May, and to as many as 12 games over .500 (38-26) on June 12.

Then adversities began mounting: Struggling veteran closer Ryan Franklin lost his role and was released, and La Russa's ninth-inning carousel began. Eight different relievers recorded saves before the carousel stopped on Jason Motte down the stretch.

There were stays on the disabled list for Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, David Freese, Kyle McClellan, Lance Lynn, Eduardo Sanchez, Nick Punto and Gerald Laird. And in fact, Pujols is the only position player to pass the 500-at-bat mark.

The roster upheaval continued with July deals that subtracted the ongoing Colby Rasmus-as-underachieving-distraction story line, and added three key parts in leadoff hitter/shortstop Rafael Furcal, starter Edwin Jackson, and lefty setup man Mark Rzepcynski.

"The first four months, we had a ton of respect from our peers,'' La Russa said. "And then for two weeks in August, we starting (losing) games left and right. We had to say, hey, look, unless we go about this better, we're going to ruin everything we accomplished.''

A 3-8 skid left the Cardinals at 67-63 with just more than a month to play ? not enough time to catch the surging Brewers in the NL Central race. But things started falling into place: Pujols getting Hall of Fame-hot, general manager John Mozeliak's trade acquisitions contributing, and the emergence of Lynn in La Russa's late-inning plan. And the Cardinals won each of their last nine series ? including the Phillies and Brewers on the way to a third pennant since 2004 and first since 2006.

"We started winning a little bit, and literally played every game like it was the last game of our life,'' La Russa said. "A lot of it has to do with character. We had a very strong character team. Good character. Good talent."

All of which certainly makes an upset of the favored Rangers a better possibility than when the postseason began.

As potent as the Cardinals offense is, it doesn't match the Rangers' in terms of power or speed. But keep in mind that in St. Louis, the Rangers will have to put him cleanup hitter/DH Michael Young at first base in place of Mitch Moreland.

And when the Cardinals go to Texas, they have quality DH candidates in Allen Craig, Lance Berkman, Matt Holliday and David Freese ? and just as importantly, role players in Skip Schumaker, Nick Punto and David Descalso to improve the team defense when they are in the starting lineup.

The Cardinals' run of right-handed power in the middle of the lineup also could play well against as many as three left-handed Rangers starting pitchers.

The Rangers' running game could be limited by the shutdown arm of Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, and La Russa's persistent tactics to hold runners.

And speaking of La Russa, seemingly every move he's made worked. Arguably, this is his best managerial run in a certain Hall of Fame career.

Both teams have had the most unusual postseason circumstance of relying more heavily on their bullpens than starting rotations. In fact, they have the combined worst ERA (5.53) of any two World Series opponents, with Texas at 5.62 and St. Louis at 5.43.

"It's the weirdest postseason ? even if I was a fan watching,'' La Russa said. "I've never been a part of anything like this. It was just ridiculous.''

Neither bullpen seems likely to blink now, although Texas' hasn't been used quite so heavily, as La Russa made 28 pitching changes in the six-game NLCS ? enough to make you think he gets paid by the pitching change. So maybe it will come down to which rotation survives best.

Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter is the most effective starting pitcher still standing in this series, while Rangers' top starter C.J. Wilson has struggled. Still, the overall rotation edge probably belongs to Texas. So if Carpenter gets hit around in Game 1, the series could turn Texas' way.

And there's no way around it ? there is no deeper, more talented roster in the game than the Rangers'. And after losing a 2010 World Series many ? themselves included ? expected they would win, there is a more-determined and focused approach this postseason. Make no mistake, the Cardinals are facing their biggest challenge yet.

? 2011 NBC Sports.com? Reprints

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Who needs the Yankees?

??Is it worth tuning into a World Series lacking a true marquee team? With a storied franchise from St. Louis and a rising power from Texas, you bet it is, says HardballTalk.com's Craig Calcaterra.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/44953314/ns/sports-baseball/

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Lohan is handcuffed after probation revoked

Lindsay Lohan has been taken away in handcuffs after a judge found her in violation of her probation.

Judge Stephanie Sautner revoked Lohan's probation Wednesday after the actress encountered problems during her community service assignment at a women's shelter. Bail has been set at $100,000.

Sautner said Lohan would be entitled to a Nov. 2 hearing before being sentenced to jail over the violation.

Lohan has started serving hours with the American Red Cross, but Sautner said that would not count toward her probation because it was not part of her sentence.

Once bail is paid, the actress will be released. She will then be required to perform 16 hours of community service at the Los Angeles County Morgue before her court date.

"Probation is a gift," Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sautner told Lohan and her attorney, Shawn Holley. "It's a gift! It's not a right."

"If jail meant something in the state of California now, maybe I'd put her in jail," Sautner said, referring to jail overcrowding in the state. She went on to say "I don't know what's going to happen to misdemeanors in the state of California now."

The move is based on the actress' most recent probation report that states she was terminated from the women's shelter where a judge wanted her to serve most of her community service.

Lohan was serving probation for a 2007 drunken driving case and a misdemeanor theft case earlier this year.

The judge in April sentenced her to serve 480 hours of community service, most of which she said should be served at the Downtown Women's Center.

Slideshow: The evolution of Lindsay Lohan (on this page)
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Mateljan said he had not personally reviewed the probation report and did not know why Lohan was booted from serving at the center.

"We feel that her being terminated from it is a violation," Mateljan said.

Lohan's spokesman Steve Honig said Lohan has been doing community service daily at the American Red Cross for several days, and that she has also been working to complete two other aspects of her probation ? completing a Shoplifters Anonymous course and undergoing psychological counseling.

Lohan has started serving hours with the American Red Cross, but Sautner said that would not count toward her probation because it was not part of her sentence.

  1. More Entertainment stories
    1. Gifford: 'All roads, for me, lead to Aimee'

      Updated 90 minutes ago 10/19/2011 5:01:52 PM +00:00 After 10 years of drafts and rewrites, Kathie Lee Gifford brings the story of "the greatest person no one has ever heard of' to the stage in "Saving Aimee."

    2. Carson Kressley: I'm going to dance again
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Sautner ordered Lohan to complete 360 hours of her service at the Downtown Women's Center, a shelter and advocacy group for homeless women. The judge praised the center's mission and said during one hearing that she thought being at the facility would do Lohan good.

The judge warned Lohan at her previous court appearance that she needed to speed up the pace of her community service, and told the actress she wouldn't listen to excuses or grant any extensions.

Since May 2010, the "Mean Girls" star has lived with the constant threat of jail. Her actual time behind bars has been cut short because her convictions are for misdemeanors and because of jail overcrowding.

She served 35 days of house arrest earlier after entering a no contest plea in May to taking a $2,500 necklace without permission.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44952763/ns/today-entertainment/

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Homes damaged as likely tornado hits Florida

Storm survey teams from the National Weather Service were expected to tour areas of West Broward in southern Florida Wednesday, after reports that a possible tornado touched down Tuesday night.

Residents in one Sunrise neighborhood were waking up to debris-strewn lawns after the storm hit shortly after 10 p.m. in the area of Northwest 8th Street and 133rd Avenue, according to fire department officials.

Officials said between 16 and 20 homes were damaged or destroyed in the area, and residents said one house was knocked to the ground. Trees were uprooted, roofs ripped off homes and at least a couple people suffered minor injuries.

"The tornado just went right through, right through the house. It's basically knocked down everywhere," said Alec Katz. "People's fences are on top of roofs, everything, It's crazy."

The National Weather Service had extended a tornado watch for Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe, and Palm Beach Counties until 6 a.m. Wednesday, and will be surveying to determine whether a tornado did in fact touch down.

Residents said even if it wasn't a tornado, it sure felt like one.

"It lasted about 30 to 40 seconds, it was really, really strong and it sounded like a train heading into ... the side of the house," said resident Ivan Burgos. "Cars are all over the place, landscaping's all torn up, there's one house that's almost completely demolished."

Sunrise Fire Rescue's Jim Dixon said the storm affected an area of about a quarter of a mile, inflicting severe structural damage on at least six homes and displacing some residents.

"Luckily, as bad as this could have been, we've had no serious injuries, everyone seems to have gotten out safely," Dixon said.

Most of the displaced residents had somewhere else to go, but the Red Cross was at the scene to assist, Dixon said.

One of those displaced was a 70-year-old man who had the roof of his house completely torn off.

Neighbors said the man had just sat down to dinner when the storm rolled through.

"Everything started blowing up, the lights went off and it was a little scary," said Ameen Kader, who lives next door to the man. "I ran to the house, he was ok, but look at the roof, there's nothing left on the house, just the frame."

Kader said the man was fine and was staying with friends.

In Plantation, police at a command post in the area said a trailer park at Broward Boulevard and Commodore Drive was hit hard by the storm.

"There are police everywhere and firemen knocking on people's doors," said Munica Herron, who lives across the street from the trailer park. "There are trailers that are caved in and blown out windows."

South Florida has been dealing with rain since Sunday, and it's expected to continue until the end of the week.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44960856/ns/weather/

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Health panel cautious on HPV screening vs Pap (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? A U.S. government-backed medical panel on Wednesday took a cautious view of a new generation of cervical cancer tests, discouraging women under the age of 30 to screen for human papillomavirus as a way to prevent cancer.

In proposing changes to its 2003 guidelines on cervical cancer, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) said it still didn't have enough evidence to weight the health benefits and harms of HPV testing in women older than 30.

Overall, the panel maintained that a Pap smear test in women between 21 and 65 years of age "substantially" reduces the number of cervical cancer cases and deaths.

The panel, comprised of primary care physicians who are experts at evidence-based research, is highly influential in setting the tone for primary care practice.

It must weigh the potential benefits of early detection of disease through screenings against the potential harms to healthy patients who may be subjected unnecessarily to more invasive procedures or side-effects.

Earlier this month, the task force came under fire from doctors and cancer patients after recommending against prostate cancer screening in healthy men.

It was the subject of a similar controversy in 2009 after recommending that doctors scale back on routine mammograms in women in their 40s and 50s to prevent breast cancer.

Under President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul, the services recommended by USPSTF would also have to be covered by insurance companies with no co-pays or deductibles.

On Wednesday, the task force largely aligned with general practice and cancer societies' guidelines on screening for cervical cancer it terms of frequency and age group-specific recommendations.

Maintaining the recommendation of screening women every three years, the panel said it found "little to no benefit" in screening women older than 65 who had been previously tested and no impact on women younger than 21.

Previously, USPSTF's recommendations applied to women of 21 years old or within three years of becoming sexually active.

FALSE POSITIVES

However, USPSTF was more skeptical of HPV testing and so-called "liquid-based" Pap tests, which have largely replaced the conventional Pap smear in the United States.

After reviewing all clinical data available on the subject, the panel recommended against HPV tests, alone or in combination with a Pap, in women under 30, noting that screening for HPV causes more false positive cancer results than the Pap smear alone.

"There are no clinically important differences between liquid-based and conventional cytology" in cervical cancer detection, the task force said. For women over 30, evidence remains insufficient to weigh HPV test harms and benefits.

HPV is a common virus that causes warts, including genital warts. Usually, the immune system clears the infection, but persistent infection with certain strains of HPV leads to cervical cancer in some women.

In recent years, tests for those "high-risk" HPV strains have been developed to help in screening for the disease. A few HPV tests are approved for use, along with Pap tests, for screening women age 30 or older. In younger women, the HPV virus, while common, often clears out on its own.

Every year, about 12,000 U.S. women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and a third of them die from it. HPV, a sexually-transmitted virus, is the most common cause of such cancer, which predominantly strikes middle-aged women.

In a regular Pap, a doctor swabs or scrapes cells from the cervix to examine them under a microscope to find cancer or precancerous changes. Some have raised concerns that the Pap may not be able to detect some cell changes, but the routine test is greatly credited for the steep decline in cervical cancer deaths the United States has seen since the 1950s.

With HPV tests, doctors analyze a swipe of cells for presence of viral DNA. The liquid-based Pap version allows the cervix cells to be used for HPV testing.

"We believe that this type of decision (showing no difference between liquid-based and conventional Pap) could create a stir in the women's health community, given the near complete conversion to liquid-based tests," Capitol Street analyst Ipsita Smolinski wrote in a note ahead of the release.

Makers of liquid-based tests include Hologic Inc and Becton Dickinson & Co.

USPSTF is collecting public comment on the proposed recommendation changes. To see them, see 1.usa.gov/4xXexl.

(Additional reporting by Lily Kuo in Washington; Editing by Michele Gershberg)

(This story was corrected to remove reference to Qiagen in penultimate paragraph as it is not a maker of conventional Pap smear tests)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111019/hl_nm/us_cancer_cervical_uspstf

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All against Cain: Upstart targeted in GOP debate (AP)

LAS VEGAS ? Republican presidential contenders attacked upstart Herman Cain's economic plan as a tax increase waiting to happen Tuesday night, moving swiftly in a fiery campaign debate to blunt the former businessman's unlikely rise in the race for the party's nomination.

Old animosities flared, too, as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Gov. Rick Perry swapped criticism in unusually personal terms. "You have a problem with allowing someone to finish speaking," Romney declared as the two men interrupted one another repeatedly in a disagreement over immigration, one of several vigorous clashes they had.

In a bow to Nevada voters, who will be among the first to choose among the candidates early next year, no one said he wanted to open a proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain in a remote part of the state.

The fifth debate in six weeks ranged over familiar and contentious territory ? from immigration and health care to the economy and energy, often in antagonistic terms. The candidates engaged each other more directly and sometimes more heatedly than in previous debates.

Romney's Mormon faith also came up, and Perry said he disagreed with a pastor and political supporter who described the religion as a cult. "I can't apologize any more than that," the Texan said.

"That's fine," responded Romney.

But Cain's unlikely rise from asterisk in the polls to contender was clearly on the minds of his rivals on stage in a hotel along the Las Vegas Strip.

Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota led the verbal assault moments after the debate began, saying his call for a 9 percent federal sales tax would only be the beginning, with the rate rising later.

Former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania wasn't nearly as gentle, citing one analysis that found that taxes would go up for 84 percent of the nation's households if Cain's proposal went into effect. "We're talking about major increases in taxes," he said, adding that a single person and a couple with children with the same income would pay the same tax under Cain's proposal.

Undeterred, Cain insisted the charges were untrue. He said he was being criticized because lobbyists, accountants and others "want to continue to be able to manipulate the American people with a 10-million- word mess," the current tax code.

Cain's proposal is for a 9 percent personal income tax, a 9 percent corporate tax and a 9 percent national sales tax.

The former pizza company CEO is the latest and unlikeliest phenomenon in the race to pick a Republican rival for President Barack Obama. A black man in a party that draws few votes from Africans Americans, he had bumped along with little notice as Romney sought to fend off one fast-rising rival after another.

That all changed in the past few weeks, after Perry burst into the race and then fell back in the polls. However unlikely Cain's rise, Tuesday night's debate made clear that none of his rivals are willing to let him go unchallenged.

"Herman, I love you, brother, but let me tell you something, you don't need to have a big analysis to figure this thing out," Perry said to Cain. "Go to New Hampshire where they don't have a sales tax and you're fixing to give them one," he said, referring to the state that will hold the first primary early next year.

The debate was the fifth since Labor Day, and the last scheduled for nearly a month in a race that is fluid in more than one way.

While polls chart a series of rises and falls for various contenders ? Romney remaining at or near the top ? the schedule is far from set. Florida's decision to move up its primary set off a scramble as Iowa maneuvered to make sure its caucuses are the first real test of the race and New Hampshire works to protect its half-century distinction as host to the first primary.

It was Perry who instigated the confrontation over immigration, saying that Romney had no credentials on the issue because he had once hired an illegal worker, the "height of hypocrisy."

Romney denied the charge, saying he had hired a company to mow his lawn and did not know that it had an illegal immigrant on its payroll.

The two men talked over one another, and at one point, Romney placed his hand on Perry's shoulder.

"It's been a tough couple of debates for Rick. And I understand that so you're going to get testy," he said.

As Perry continued to speak, Romney stopped him: "You have a problem with allowing someone to finish speaking, and I suggest that if you want to become president of the United States, you've got to let both people speak," he said.

On a more substantive level, Perry said he opposed repealing the portion of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution that says anyone born in the United States is automatically a citizen.

Bachmann, Santorum and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas all sidestepped the question.

Cain found himself on the defensive on two others issues during the two-hour debate.

He apologized for earlier remarks about building an electric fence on the Mexico border that could kill people trying to cross illegally.

And he said he wouldn't be willing to negotiate with terrorists, even though he suggested he might be in an interview earlier in the day.

Foreign policy took a secondary role in the debate, and the new strain of Republican isolationism quickly surfaced.

Paul said U.S. troops should be withdrawn from Korea ? where they have been stationed for more than 50 years ? and foreign aid to Israel cut.

Perry said it was "time to have a very serious discussion about defunding the United Nations."

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman skipped this debate, saying he was boycotting the Nevada caucuses in a dispute over the primary and caucus calendar. He is campaigning exclusively in New Hampshire in hopes of a victory that can move him into the thick of the race.

Not only Republicans, but Obama was also critical of Cain's economic plan during the day.

In an interview with ABC News, Obama said it would be a "huge burden" on middle-class and working families.

___

Associated Press writer Steve Peoples in Washington contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111019/ap_on_el_pr/us_republicans_debate

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Turkey meets Syrian opposition members (AP)

ANKARA, Turkey ? Syrian security forces launched raids on the outskirts of the capital, Damascus, on Tuesday to crush a 7-month-old-uprising as neighboring Turkey held its first formal talks with Syrian opposition leaders, activists and officials said.

Tuesday's raids led some parents to keep their children home from school in areas near the capital out of fear for their safety as armored vehicles took up positions and soldiers made sweeping arrests, said Rami Abdul-Rahman of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a wide network of sources on the ground.

Other bloodshed was reported in the central city of Homs, a hotbed of opposition to the regime of President Bashar Assad.

Syria has banned foreign reporters and restricted local coverage, making it difficult to independently confirm witness accounts. The U.N. says more than 3,000 people have been killed since the uprising began in mid-March.

Syria's fragmented opposition has been trying to join forces under the umbrella of a Syrian National Council to form a united front against Assad, whose family has ruled Syria for more than four decades.

On Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said he had met members of the council in Ankara late Monday and advised the group to work toward democratic change in Syria "in a peaceful manner."

The meeting was the first formal contact with the opposition group.

"Unfortunately, despite all our urgings the killings are continuing," Davutoglu said. "It is natural for us to meet with all parties."

Davutoglu also condemned the killing of Syrian human rights activist Ziad al-Obeidi during his meeting, said a Turkish foreign ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with ministry regulations.

The Syrian National Council, a broad-based opposition umbrella group, was formed in Istanbul in September. No country has recognized it so far as a legal representative of the country. Syria has threatened tough measures against any country that does.

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AP writer Zeina Karam contributed to this report from Beirut.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111018/ap_on_re_eu/eu_turkey_syrian_opposition

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