Clinton Praises Moderation in Muslim-Majority Malaysia - Voice of America

VOA News 02 November 2010

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton gestures during a town hall event at the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 02 Nov. 2010

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is praising Malaysians for their moderation during a visit to the Muslim-majority country, and urging them to reject extremism.

The remarks came Tuesday at a town hall meeting with ordinary Malaysian citizens.  Clinton also met with national leaders including Foreign Minister Anifah Aman.  But a widely expected meeting with opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim did not take place.

Anwar is standing trial on what he claims are trumped-up sodomy charges, and a meeting would have embarrassed the government. Anifah pledged after his meeting with Clinton that Anwar will receive a fair trial.

At the town hall, Clinton praised Malaysia for its dynamism and urged it to stick to its traditional moderate roots.  She also urged the country to keep the political arena open to all its citizens.

Malaysia is the fourth stop on Clinton's 2-week, 7-country tour, which has already taken her to Vietnam, China and Cambodia.  She is the first U.S. secretary of state to visit Malaysia, apart from international conferences, since Warren Christopher in 1995.

The U.S. State Department said Monday that Clinton's meetings in Kuala Lumpur reflect the importance of U.S. engagement with the region.  It said Washington seeks cooperation with Malaysia on issues including trade, science, education, Afghanistan and non-proliferation.

Clinton and Malaysian Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Datuk Seri Dr. Maximus Johnity Ongkili, were to sign an agreement promising cooperation on such challenges as food security and global climate change.

Clinton completes her tour with visits to Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.

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Clinton campaigns in crucial Ohio - Los Angeles Times

Former president Bill Clinton speaks at a campaign rally for Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, back, and other Democratic candidates in Canton, Ohio. (Associated Press / October 30, 2010)

Former President Bill Clinton campaigned in Ohio on Saturday, part of a last-minute push by Democrats to capture a state that has been traditionally important to the presidential aspirations of both parties.

As he has throughout this midterm campaign season, Clinton slammed Republicans and compared their economic policies during the recession to his administration's positive efforts.

"Their deal sounds good but it doesn't work," Clinton said.

With just days to go before Tuesday's election, this weekend is whirlwind of stops, rallies and meet-and-greets as Democrats try to energize their base and Republicans continue their push to win the House and Senate.

But even within campaigning across the country, Ohio has a special place.

In 2008, Ohio was one of nine state President Obama captured and Ohio remains a crucial state to Obama’s re-election chances. On Sunday, the president will make his 12th visit since taking office to the state and his second visit in as many weeks.

Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will campaign on Sunday in Cleveland.

Democrats are pushing for Gov. Ted Strickland, locked in a close race with former congressman John Kasich. Most polls show Kasich ahead, but Strickland remains close and within the margin of error in some polls.

The governor's race is also especially important in Ohio because of redistricting. The next governor will have a large say in drawing the new congressional and state legislative district lines which could influence Ohio elections for a decade.

Clinton's campaign stops took him to Canton, where Rep. John Boccieri interrupted the former president's speech by running off of the stage when the congressman learned his wife had gone into labor.

"The baby is now being born!" Clinton told the cheering crowd. "You'd be amazed how many times I take a picture with a very pregnant woman and then she immediately gives birth."

"We got another Democrat," Clinton said. "I wish we could register that baby before it's too late."

michael.muskal@latimes.com
Twitter.com/LATimesmuskal

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Did Clinton really ask Meek to step aside? - MiamiHerald.com

There are only two people in the world who know for sure whether former President Bill Clinton urged Democratic Senate Kendrick Meek to bow out of the race, and both of them are denying it.

Though the former president's spokesman confirmed reports that he told Meek to step aside so Gov. Charlie Crist could trip Republican Marco Rubio at the finish line, Clinton said Friday he did no such thing.

``We did talk last week following a rally in Orlando about the race and its challenges,'' Clinton said in carefully worded statement. ``I didn't ask Kendrick to leave the race, nor did Kendrick say that he would. I told him that how he proceeds was his decision to make and that I would support him regardless.''

Meek launched his own counteroffensive as yet another poll showed him mired in third place. He bounced over the airwaves from Fox and Friends to ABC's Good Morning America to MSNBC's Morning Joe -- roughly a dozen national television appearances by day's end.

Again and again, Meek accused Crist of cooking up the whole story.

``He will do anything to win, and if that's stepping on my back, so be it,'' Meek said after addressing hundreds of members of the teachers' union in Orlando. ``He's a hard-core politician. Don't let that smile on his face fool you.''

Meek also confirmed a bizarre story about Crist buzzing around Florida political circles -- that Crist offered him a cross and asked him to ``pray'' on whether to stay in the race. The venue: a American Israel Public Affairs Committee gathering Monday in Hollywood.

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