“BAGHDAD – Iraq wants to eliminate any chance U.S. forces will stay here after 2011 under a proposed security pact, and to expand Iraqi legal jurisdiction over U.S. troops until then, a close ally of the prime minister said Thursday” to Associated Press. So after all the hours spent debating it on the campaign trail, how and when the U.S. military leaves Iraq may not be a matter for the next decider in chief but instead settled by Iraqis.
Cross your fingers that the Wichita city manager search is homing in on the right man or woman for the job this time, after last summer’s Pat Salerno debacle. Until the city releases the names, perhaps of six finalists this afternoon, and finally opens the doors to the public and media for forums next week, all citizens have to go on are assurances from those few Wichitans involved in the process. “I’m impressed,” said Mayor Carl Brewer. “We have some very good ones.” Of course, Brewer and other council members also were impressed with Salerno (in photo), who was the only candidate to be interviewed last spring, who accepted the $215,000-a-year job, and then changed his mind a week before he was supposed to start, declaring, “I just don’t feel right.” Eleven months after City Manager George Kolb’s forced resignation, the City Council must ensure that the hiring of his successor feels right not only for the candidate but for Wichita. If, as The Eagle reported Thursday, Sedgwick County Manager William Buchanan is among the finalists, he would be a strong contender.
Barack Obama may or may not have swayed many undecided voters with his 30-minute campaign infomercial Wednesday night, which included an endorsement from Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. But the program was a ratings hit, exceeding the combined regular ratings of all the network shows that normally run during that time period. The Hollywood Reporter joked: “If Barack Obama fails to win the election, perhaps the networks should hire him to entertain viewers on Wednesday nights.”
The Arizona Republic endorsed John McCain, calling him trustworthy and a “voice of credible authority.” Meanwhile, the Anchorage Daily News endorsed Barack Obama, taking pride in Gov. Sarah Palin’s vice presidential nod but judging her unready and McCain ill-equipped to deal with the financial crisis: “In a time of grave economic crisis, (Obama) displays thoughtful analysis, enlists wise counsel and operates with a cool, steady hand.”
In other home-state endorsements for the tickets, the Chicago Tribune went with Obama – the newspaper’s first-ever endorsement of a Democrat for president – and the Wilmington (Del.) News Journal went with Obama-Biden. The Chicago Sun-Times also endorsed Obama.
