Chris Estes

Official’s in Pakistan are reporting that unmanned aircraft flown from US Military bases in Afghanistan are the root of strikes on a Village in Pakistan according to an AP News article on Yahoo.

Officials report US missile strike in Pakistan

By MUNIR AHMAD, Associated Press Writer Munir Ahmad
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – A suspected U.S. missile strike hit a village well inside Pakistani territory Wednesday, killing at least six alleged militants in an attack that could raise tensions between the anti-terror allies, officials said.

The missile struck a house in Bannu district, which is a part of northwest Pakistan where al-Qaida and Taliban have found refuge, but does not directly border Afghanistan.

Two Pakistani intelligence officials said their agents reported foreigners from Central Asia were among the dead. The intelligence officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media.

The U.S. is blamed in around 20 missile strikes in northwest Pakistan since mid-August against al-Qaida and Taliban militants blamed for rising attacks against foreign forces in Afghanistan.

The missiles are believed fired from unmanned planes launched in Afghanistan, where some 32,000 U.S. troops are fighting the Taliban and other militants.

Pakistan has loudly protested the strikes as violations of its sovereignty, but the attacks have not stopped, leading to speculation by some analysts the two nations have a secret deal on the attacks.

All the attacks since August have been in villages in north and South Waziristan, two semiautonomous tribal regions where the government has a very limited presence.

Bannu is considered a “settled area”, which means it falls under the control of the regional government, and as such Monday’s attack could provoke more anger among by Pakistan’s leaders. It begins roughly 18 miles from the frontier.

Pakistan has insisted it does not get advance warning of such attacks and has demanded the U.S. share intelligence and let Pakistan go after targets on its own.

The United States rarely confirms or denies the strikes, which are believed to be carried out by CIA.

Even as the strikes have picked up, U.S officers in Afghanistan have stressed improved day-to-day Pakistani cooperation in squeezing militants nested along both sides of the lengthy, porous border.

U.S. military officials said troops in Afghanistan coordinated with Pakistan on Sunday in shelling insurgents inside Pakistan who were launching rockets at the foreign troops. Pakistan’s official statement on the matter referred only to militant activity in Afghanistan.

In the past month, NATO and Pakistan also have cooperated in so-called Operation Lion Heart — a series of complementary operations that involve Pakistani army and paramilitary troops, and NATO on the Afghan side, said Col. John Spiszer, U.S. commander in northeast Afghanistan.

“What we have done is worked very hard to refocus our … intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance assets to do everything we can to identify transiting across the border,” he told a Pentagon news conference in Washington on Tuesday.

Commanders hope pressure on both sides of the border will eventually mean militants will be “running out of options on places to go,” Spiszer said.

U.S. officials also have praised Pakistani military offensives against militants in its border region, including an operation in the Bajur tribal area that the army says has killed more than 1,600 alleged insurgents.

Besides questions of sovereignty, Pakistani officials say the U.S. missile strikes are counterproductive because they often kill civilians and deepen anti-American and anti-government sentiment along the border.

But U.S. Gen. David Petraeus has defended them, saying at least three top extremist leaders, whom he did not identify, have been killed in recent months in the attacks.

The Guradian is reporting that Hilary Clinton is going to accept President Elect Barack Obama’s appointment to Secretary of State appointment.

Hillary Clinton to accept Obama’s offer of secretary of state job

President-elect Barack Obama reaching out to former rivals to build a broad coalition administration

Hillary Clinton will be Barack Obama’s secretary of state. Photographs: AFP/Getty Images

Hillary Clinton plans to accept the job of secretary of state offered by Barack Obama, who is reaching out to former rivals to build a broad coalition administration, the Guardian has learned.

Obama’s advisers have begun looking into Bill Clinton’s foundation, which distributes millions of dollars to Africa to help with development, to ensure that there is no conflict of interest. But Democrats do not believe that the vetting is likely to be a problem.

Clinton would be well placed to become the country’s dominant voice in foreign affairs, replacing Condoleezza Rice. Since being elected senator for New York, she has specialised in foreign affairs and defence. Although she supported the war in Iraq, she and Obama basically agree on a withdrawal of American troops.

Clinton, who still harbours hopes of a future presidential run, had to weigh up whether she would be better placed by staying in the Senate, which offers a platform for life, or making the more uncertain career move to the secretary of state job.

As part of the coalition-building, Obama today also reached out to his defeated Republican rival, John McCain, to discuss how they could work together to roll back some of the most controversial policies of the Bush years. Putting aside the bitter words thrown about with abandon by both sides during the election campaign, McCain flew to meet Obama at his headquarters in the Kluczynski Federal Building, in downtown Chicago.

Obama, speaking before the meeting, said: “We’re going to have a good conversation about how we can do some work together to fix up the country.” He said he also wanted to thank McCain for his service to the country.

Asked by a reporter whether he would work with Obama, McCain, who has long favoured a bipartisan approach to politics, replied: “Obviously”.

Sources on both sides said Obama did not offer McCain a cabinet job, but focused on how the senator for Arizona could help to guide through Congress legislation that they both strongly favour.

Given Obama’s status as president-in-waiting, the two met in a formal setting, a room decked out with a US flag, and were accompanied by senior advisers. Obama appeared the more relaxed of the two, sitting with legs crossed, smiling broadly and waving to reporters, while McCain sat stiffly, with a seemingly fixed grin.

Although the two clashed during the election campaign over tax policy and withdrawal from Iraq, they have more in common than they have differences. They both favour the closure of the Guantánamo Bay detention centre, an increase in US troops to Afghanistan, immigration reform, stem cell research and measures to tackle climate change, and oppose torture and the widespread use of wire-tapping.

Although Democrats made gains in the Senate in the November 4 elections, they fell short of the 60 seats that would have allowed them to override Republican blocking tactics and will need Republican allies to get Obama’s plans through. This was highlighted today when the Democratic leadership in Congress announced that a broad economic stimulus package Obama sought was not likely to be passed because of Republican opposition.

Obama confirmed at the weekend that he would offer jobs to some Republicans. One of the names that crops up most often is Chuck Hagel, the former Republican senator who is a specialist in foreign affairs and a critic of the Iraq war.

Bill Clinton’s relationship with his foundation may prove to be a bump in the road during Senate Confirmation in addition to the Republican blocking tactics. CNN.com is reporting Bill maybe the biggest problem in filling Obama’s cabinet seats. None-the-less this is a fitting role for Senator Clinton.  With almost two decades of foreign policy experience the Clinton’s would be a welcome face in Embassies around the world.  Bill Clinton may have to abandoned his involvement in international business for the duration of Hilary’s Department of State administration.  Seeing how the conflict of interest is no less than Dick Cheney’s ties to the oil and gas industry all that needs to be established is a clear definite separation.  Since most of Bill’s business ventures are charity based the conflict should be genuine in nature but will still need to be abandoned.

No doubt the successful nature of Bill’s venture stems from name recognition and him being a former President since he is acting in no official US Government manner nothing can really be said.  But if he is the husband of the US Secretary of State it could prove to undermine the intentions of the US State Department.  One way to handle the conflict would be to merge organizations and release managment of all interest to another aide organization.  Or could just be like Dick Cheney and step down as CEO of the organizations and maintain a vested monetary interest which will no doubt cause as much trouble as Cheney.  The best and easiest thing to do would be to end all ties.

General Motor’s posted a video on YouTube that is supposed to scare people into donating Billions of needed funds to stabilize their operating budget.

According to Joe Weisenthal of ClusterStock:

GM (GM) says we still don’t get it. If we don’t save them, they’re gonna nuke the economy to all hell. In case dire warnings of billions and billions in losses aren’t enough to freak you out, the company has posted a scare-video on YouTube, complete with ominous music and the kind of overwrought imagery you might got during a preview for 60 Minutes.

In an apparent attempt to save the company GM is reportedly cutting the extravagance according to USA Today.

Reduced office supplies. GM used to stock for every possible stationery need. No longer. “The office supply cabinets have only the bare minimum now — inexpensive pads, a few roller-ball pens and wooden pencils,” spokesman Tom Wilkinson says.

No raises. White-collar workers won’t get bonuses, raises or 401(k) retirement savings matches.

Pricier company cars. As of last summer, executives had to pay $100 more a month to use a company car and can’t rotate to new ones as often.

Make you own opinion – I wonder if Exec’s are joining in the cutbacks.  Probably not.  I bet cutting 1 corporate jet would save the same amount as not buying office supplies.

Gas prices have dropped for 60 days straight.  Gas prices have dropped 60% since Summers high.  Gas prices near my house are $2.00-2.10.  The high gas price I remember from this summer was over $4.00 which means that gas prices should drop to around $1.60.  I never thought we would see prices this low again.  Oil prices demonstrate and codify negative circumstances – it is nice to see – since gas prices effect more people directly than does much of Wall-Street’s short comings.

Read the CNN.com/Money.com article referencing the low gas prices.

Gas price drop: 60 days straight

National average price for gallon of gasoline falls to $2.105. Peak was $4.114 in July.

Remember $4 gas? Soon it will be $2 gas.

As the nation’s economy worsens, the demand for oil and gas wanes. As a result, prices drop. And drop. And drop.

The price of gas fell overnight Sunday for the 60th consecutive day.

The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline fell 2 cents to $2.105 a gallon, according to a survey released Sunday by the American Automobile Association.

A gallon of gas has dropped nearly in half since hitting an all-time high of $4.114 on July 17. It’s been nearly two years since prices were this low, according to AAA figures.

At the high end, drivers in two states are paying an average of $3 or more: Alaska, at $3.181 a gallon, and Hawaii, at $3.049.

But there are now 16 states where the average price has fallen below $2. Missouri had the cheapest gas in the nation, at $1.816 a gallon.

The rapid decline in gas prices comes as the price of crude oil continues to collapse. Crude prices, which make up roughly half of gasoline prices, have fallen more than 60% since hitting a record $147.27 a barrel on July 11.

Crude for December delivery fell $1.20 to settle at $57.04 a barrel on Friday.