You could almost hear the world’s collective sigh of relief. This year’s U.S. presidential election was a global event in every sense. Barack Hussein Obama, the son of a black Kenyan father and a white Kansan mother, who grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii, represents to so many a living bridge—between continents and cultures.
Democracy Now! producer Anjali Kamat writes, “To all those for whom America has represented generations of racial injustice, the election of America’s first Black president marks the beginning of a new era…But unless the inspired millions who brought him to power continue to believe their demands matter and insist on holding him accountable each step of the way, it will be Obama’s corporate and hawkish friends who determine the domestic and foreign policies of the coming administration and our collective future.”
Alice Walker is the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. But Monday, I called her to talk about a true story. The Obamas had just visited the White House. The first African-American elected president of the United States had visited his soon-to-be residence, a house built by slaves.
Evo Morales knows about “change you can believe in.” He also knows what happens when a powerful elite is forced to make changes it doesn’t want.
As President-elect Barack Obama focuses on the meltdown of the U.S. economy, another fire is burning: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. You may not have heard much lately about the disaster in the Gaza Strip. That silence is intentional: The Israeli government has barred international journalists from entering the occupied territory.
President-elect Barack Obama introduced his principal national-security Cabinet selections to the world Monday and left no doubt that he intends to start his administration on a war footing. Perhaps the least well known among them is retired Marine Gen. James Jones, Obama’s pick for national security adviser. The position is crucial—think of the power that Henry Kissinger wielded in Richard Nixon’s White House. A look into who James Jones is sheds a little light on the Obama campaign’s promise of “Change We Can Believe In.”
Headlines for November 24, 2008
Gov’t Approves Massive Bailout of Citigroup
The federal government has agreed to a massive bailout of the banking giant Citigroup that could cost taxpayers almost $300 billion. The bailout is seen as the most sweeping rescue ever of a US bank. As part of the plan, the government will inject $20 billion of new capital into Citigroup, on top of $25 billion it already gave the bank. In addition, the government has agreed to back some $300 billion of Citigroup’s risky loans and securities. Before the bailout was announced, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York appeared on ABC’s This Week and said the government must take action to help Citigroup. Senator Chuck Schumer: “I think what we learned with Lehman Brothers is you can say that the company made mistakes—and, boy, did they—but the ramifications of letting them go under affect millions of innocent people. And I think most economists who looked at letting Lehman go down now regard that as a mistake.” Last week, shares in Citigroup plunged by more than 60 percent. The bailout of Citigroup was coordinated by the Treasury Department, Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
Obama Announces Economic Stimulus Plan to Create 2.5 Million Jobs
President-elect Barack Obama has revealed plans to pursue a massive economic stimulus program by creating 2.5 million jobs and spending as much as $700 billion to improve the nation’s infrastructure. Obama unveiled the plan on Saturday during the weekly Democratic radio address. President-elect Barack Obama: "I have already directed my economic team to come up with an economic recovery plan that will mean 2.5 million more jobs by January of 2011, a plan big enough to meet the challenges we face that I intend to sign soon after taking office. We’ll be working out the details in the weeks ahead, but it will be a two-year nationwide effort to jump-start job creation in America and lay the foundation for a strong and growing economy. We’ll put people back to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, modernizing schools that are failing our children and building wind farms and solar panels, fuel-efficient cars and the alternative energy technologies that can free us from our dependence on foreign oil and keep our economy competitive in the years ahead. These aren’t just steps to pull ourselves out of this immediate crisis. These are the long-term investments in our economic future that have been ignored for far too long.”
Obama Reconsiders Pledge to Repeal Tax Cuts for Wealthy
Aides to Obama have said he is also reconsidering his campaign pledge to repeal the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. Instead of repealing the tax cuts, Obama is now considering letting those tax cuts expire as scheduled in 2011.
Obama to Name Geithner, Summers to Top Economic Posts
At a press conference today, Obama is expected to introduce Timothy Geithner as his nominee to be Treasury Secretary. Geithner is currently the president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank. Geithner played a key role in the government bailouts of Bear Stearns Cos. and American International Group. He is seen by many as a protege of former Clinton administration Treasury chief Robert Rubin. During the late 1980s, Geithner worked at Henry Kissinger’s firm, Kissinger Associates. President-elect Obama is also expected to name Lawrence Summers to be the director of the National Economic Council in the White House. Summers served as Treasury Secretary under President Clinton and is former president of Harvard University.
Clinton & Richardson to be in Obama’s Cabinet
Advisers to Obama say he has decided on several other key cabinet posts. The President-elect is on track to name Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as Secretary of State and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson as Commerce Secretary. Richardson served as UN ambassador under President Bill Clinton and later as Energy Secretary. Eric Holder is expected to be named Attorney General. Holder held the number two slot in the Justice Department under Bill Clinton. Other expected cabinet nominees include former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota as Secretary of Health and Human Services and Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano as Homeland Security Secretary.
Gates Proposes Surge of 20,000 Troops in Afghanistan
The Pentagon is considering a plan to send more than 20,000 troops to Afghanistan over the next twelve to eighteen months as part of a so-called surge. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he and top commanders had discussed sending five brigades to Afghanistan, including four brigades of combat ground forces as well as an aviation brigade. Gates said, “I think it’s important that we have a surge of forces before the election.”
UN: Gaza Faces Humanitarian Catastrophe
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency is warning Gaza faces a humanitarian “catastrophe” if Israel continues to prevent aid reaching the territory. Karen AbuZayd, commissioner general of UNRWA, said the human toll of this month’s sealing off of Gaza was the gravest since the early days of the Palestinian intifada eight years ago.
18 Killed in Two Bombings in Baghdad
In Iraq, at least eighteen people have died in a pair of rush-hour bomb attacks in Baghdad. A roadside bomb blew up a minibus killing thirteen female employees of Iraq’s trade ministry. A female suicide bomber blew herself up outside the Green Zone, killing five people.
Thousands of Iraqis Protest US Security Pact
On Friday, thousands of supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr marched to protest a security deal that would allow US troops to stay in Iraq until 2011. Protesters toppled an effigy of President George Bush. The demonstration took place in Baghdad’s Firdos Square, where US forces pulled down a statue of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
Chavez Allies Win 17 of 22 States in Regional Elections
In Venezuela, allies of President Hugo Chavez won regional elections in seventeen of Venezuela’s twenty-two states. The opposition won two of Venezuela’s largest and wealthiest states, Zulia and Miranda. The opposition has also taken control of city hall in the capital of Caracas.
Thousands Protest School of the Americas at Fort Benning
And in Georgia, thousands gathered this weekend outside the gates of Fort Benning to demand the closing of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, formerly known as the School of the Americas. Six people were arrested and charged with criminal trespass. Frequently dubbed the “School of the Assassins,” critics say the school’s graduates are responsible for some of the worst human rights abuses in Latin America.
Although Israel briefly lifted its blockade of crossings in the Gaza Strip today, United Nations (UN) officials warn that a further blockade could lead to dire consequences for some 750,000 Gazans who rely on UN food aid. Israel blockaded the Gaza Strip in early November, preventing access for UN aid workers and journalists.

The border crossing was opened to allow some food aid and medical supplies through, however, United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) spokesman Christopher Gunness warned that "it is just not enough."
Map showing location of the Gaza Strip
The UNRWA also warns that Gaza faces "a humanitarian catastrophe."  Karen Abu Zayd, commissioner general of UNRWA, said the death toll since the beginning of the Israeli blockade is the gravest since the early days of the Palestinian intifada eight years ago. The Israeli blockade has shut down power for the Gaza Strip, and patients at local hospitals are in grave risk of death because of faulty generators.

"Almost every part of the intensive care unit runs on electricity which comes from Gaza's main power plant ... that plant is run on fuel from Israel, but no supplies have reached the plant for well over a week now," said Al Jazeera's correspondent in Gaza.

Israel closed the Gaza Strip on November 5 because of rocket fire emanating from the area after the Israeli army units entered and carried out an operation against members of the Hamas combat wing. Currently all foreign journalists are banned from entering Gaza. AP, Reuters, the New York Times, the BBC, CNN and other major news organizations have protested the blockade.