The Richest Man On Earth Endorses Senator Barack Obama
FRANKFURT (AFP) – Warren Buffett, the world’s richest man, is backing Barack Obama for US president and thinks current US economic policy will push the dollar lower against other global currencies. Buffett told a press conference here Monday he had offered support to both Obama and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton but that since it appeared Obama would win the party’s nomination, “I will be very happy if he is elected president. “He is my choice,” Buffett said. Commenting on the US economy, the 77-year-old investor who is known as the “Sage of Omaha,” stressed that fiscal, monetary and trade policies were of great importance. “I think that the US has followed and is following policies which will cause the US dollar to weaken over a long period of time,” he said. After voicing support for Obama, Buffett nonetheless noted the US economy had managed to do “awfully well” despite a depression, two world wars and many financial crises. “They say in the stock market … buy stock in a business that’s so good that an idiot can run it because sooner or later one will,” he added. “Well, the United States is a little like that. We can take a little mis-management from time to time,” Buffett said. [via YAHOO NEWS]
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White House Denies Telling Israel That A U.S. Attack On Iran Is Imminent
The White House on Tuesday flatly denied an Army Radio report that claimed US President George W. Bush intends to attack Iran before the end of his term. It said that while the military option had not been taken off the table, the Administration preferred to resolve concerns about Iran’s push for a nuclear weapon “through peaceful diplomatic means.” Army Radio had quoted a top official in Jerusalem claiming that a senior member in the entourage of President Bush, who concluded a trip to Israel last week, had said in a closed meeting here that Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were of the opinion that military action against Iran was called for. The official reportedly went on to say that “the hesitancy of Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice” was preventing the administration from deciding to launch such an attack on the Islamic Republic for the time being. [via THE JERUSALEM POST]
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Lieberman Demands Google Take Down Insurgent YouTubes, Gets Schooled
Last week, Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) contacted us to voice his concerns about seeing videos from several Islamic terrorist organizations on YouTube. We appreciated our dialogue with Senator Lieberman and his staff and wanted to explain to the YouTube community how we responded to his concerns. Senator Lieberman’s staff identified numerous videos that they believed violated YouTube’s Community Guidelines. In response to his concerns, we examined and ended up removing a number of videos from the site, primarily because they depicted gratuitous violence, advocated violence, or used hate speech. Most of the videos, which did not contain violent or hate speech content, were not removed because they do not violate our Community Guidelines. Senator Lieberman stated his belief, in a letter sent today, that all videos mentioning or featuring these groups should be removed from YouTube — even legal nonviolent or non-hate speech videos. While we respect and understand his views, YouTube encourages free speech and defends everyone’s right to express unpopular points of view. We believe that YouTube is a richer and more relevant platform for users precisely because it hosts a diverse range of views, and rather than stifle debate we allow our users to view all acceptable content and make up their own minds. Of course, users are always free to express their disagreement with a particular video on the site, by leaving comments or their own response video. That debate is healthy. [via GOOGLE PUBLIC POLICY BLOG]