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Bush: Preserve 'democratic capitalism'

CAMP DAVID, Md., Oct. 18 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush said Saturday that any international financial plan must "preserve the foundations of democratic capitalism."

Bush, accompanied by President Nicolas Sarkozy of France and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, announced that he would convene an international summit that would include developed and undeveloped countries, The New York Times reported. The European leaders had been pressing him to call for a meeting of the Group of Eight.

A White House official told the Times that the Bush proposal meant that a plan for a U.N. economic summit is now irrelevant. Sarkozy got agreement for the U.N. meeting from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon earlier Saturday.

The meeting at Camp David suggested a fault line between Europe and the United States. Sarkozy said that the world economic crisis is a chance to regulate financial institutions.

"This may be a great opportunity if we do not fall back into the hateful practices of the past, practices that have led us exactly where we are right now," Sarkozy said.

But Bush appeared wary of increased regulation. He said that the summit should "preserve the foundations of democratic capitalism -- a commitment to free markets, free enterprise and free trade."

No date has been set for the meeting. An official told the Times it would be before the end of December and that Bush's successor would be invited to contribute if the summit takes place after the election.

Majority of al-Qaida Web sites disabled

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- Al-Qaida's Web presence has been greatly diminished as unidentified hackers have shut down four of its five main sites, analysts said in Dubai.

The online forums had frequently been used by the Islamist terrorist group to distribute statements from leader Osama bin Laden and to link members, but since being disabled Sept. 10, have not reappeared, The Washington Post reported Saturday.

That has left al-Qaida with only one functioning Web site, analysts said, adding that a statement by the al-Fajr Media Center, a distribution network created by supporters of Sunni Arab extremist groups, alleged the forums had disappeared "for technical reasons."

"These sites are the equivalent of pentagon.mil, whitehouse.gov, att.com" for al-Qaida, Evan Kohlmann, an expert on al-Qaida's Web presence, told the Post. Noting the terrorist group apparently only has only one left, he said, "This has left al-Qaida's propaganda strategy hanging by a very narrow thread."

U.S. intelligence officials declined to comment to the newspaper about whether American spy agencies have had a hand in disabling the sites. The Post said U.S. and British military experts each maintain joint online commands against extremists.

Pa. lawmaker dies of crash injuries

ALLENTOWN, Pa., Oct. 18 (UPI) -- Longtime Pennsylvania state lawmaker James Rhoades died Saturday of injuries received in a car crash the night before, authorities said.

State police said the 66-year-old, seven-term senator from Mahanoy City was fatally injured when the car he and his wife Mary were in collided with an oncoming truck about 7:30 p.m. Friday, WFMZ-TV in Allentown reported. Rhoades was en route to Pleasant Valley High School to be honored for helping secure money for a stadium renovation, the TV station said.

The condition of Mary Rhoades and that of the truck driver, Thomas Senavitis of Albrightsville, were not available, the station said.

Rhoades, who was first elected in 1980, was up for re-election next month, running against Democratic candidate Peter Symons Jr. and independent candidate Dennis Baylor.

Bachmann opponent reaping rewards

STILLWATER, Minn., Oct. 18 (UPI) -- A conservative Minnesota congresswoman's call for a media probe to determine which of her colleagues are pro- or anti-America is filling her opponent's coffers.

Rep. Michelle Bachmann, R-Minn., said Friday news organizations should investigate members of Congress to find out which ones are "pro-America or anti-America," Politico reported Saturday.

"The news media should do a penetrating expose and take a look," Bachmann said. "I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out: Are they pro-America or anti-America? I think people would love to see an expose like that."

The fallout of those comments has been to inspire hundreds of people from across the country to send donations to her congressional opponent, Democrat El Tinklenberg, his campaign manager said. The donations have totaled more than $438,000 so far.

"I can absolutely confirm that we have had in the last 24 hours donations from hundreds and hundreds of people from all over the country," said campaign manager Anna Richey. "It's coming in so fast I can't get a hold on it and can't give a precise number."

"People," she said," are outraged" with a number calling it modern-day McCarthyism.