Obama taps Sotomayor for top court
WASHINGTON, May 26 (UPI) -- President Barack Obama nominated federal judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday, calling her "an inspiring woman."
In announcing his selection of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge to the highest court, Obama called Sotomayor "an inspiring woman who I think will make a great justice."
In addition to wanting someone with a "rigorous intellect" and a mastery of the law to replace retiring Justice David Souter, Obama said he wanted someone who recognized "the limits of the judicial role" and understands that a justice's job "is to interpret not make law" and respects precedent.
But the nominee needs something more, Obama told the packed East Room of the White House. The nominee must have life experiences that give the person "a common touch" and an understanding of "how ordinary people live."
Sotomayor, who grew up in New York in a South Bronx housing project, thanked Obama for the "most humbling honor of my life."
"I stand on the shoulders of countless people," she said in her acceptance remarks.
She said she believed the rule of law is the "foundation of all of our basic right" and has been inspired "by the achievements of (the country's) Founding Fathers (who) set forth principles that have endured for more than two centuries."
Sotomayor, who graduated from Princeton University and earned her law degree from Yale University, said it would be a "profound privilege to apply those principles to the questions and controversies we face today."
Judicial Confirmation Network, a conservative network, said in a statement Sotomayor is a liberal activist who will dictate policy from the bench.
"Judge Sotomayor is a liberal judicial activist of the first order who thinks her own personal political agenda is more important than the law as written," said Wendy Long, counsel to the Judicial Confirmation Network.
Obama the Fundraiser heads West
LAS VEGAS, May 26 (UPI) -- President Barack Obama heads west Tuesday for a series of fundraisers, including a stop in Las Vegas on behalf of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
The star-studded event -- Bette Midler and Sheryl Crow are scheduled to perform -- shows both Reid's clout and potential vulnerability in the 2010 midterm elections, White House Cheat Sheet said.
The fundraiser for Reid is the fourth such event Obama has done for the Democratic Party. Obama raised money for the Democratic National Committee in March in Washington and Indiana, where he also raised money for four Indiana House of Representatives members.
Obama also is scheduled to attend a two-tiered fundraising event in Los Angeles Wednesday. One activity will be a small, private dinner for major donors while the second is a larger, smaller-dollar event that features performances by Jennifer Hudson and Earth Wind & Fire, the publication said.
Israeli chief of staff warns on Iran nukes
JERUSALEM, May 26 (UPI) -- Israeli military chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi says a nuclear-armed Iran could "destabilize the entire Middle East."
Speaking Tuesday before the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Ashkenazi also warned U.S. efforts to dissuade Iran from building nuclear weapons probably won't be successful, Ynetnews reported.
"Iran continues with its plans," Ashkenazi told the panel. "The existence of nuclear weapons in Iran's hands could destabilize the entire Middle East. The dialogue between the U.S. and Iran is unlikely to succeed, but this is the preferred course for us, too. However, it is my job as army chief to prepare all the options, and that is what we're doing."
The chief of staff also spoke of concerns over the upcoming elections in Lebanon, with the Shiite militant group Hezbollah is poised to gain more seats in the government, Ynetnews reported.
"There is a battle for the future of Lebanon, and also a fear that the country will fall into the hands of the radical axis," he said.
Airstrikes kill 13 Afghan insurgents
KABUL, Afghanistan, May 26 (UPI) -- Airstrikes in Afghanistan's Logar province Tuesday killed 13 militants in a fight between insurgents and coalition forces, the U.S. military said.
Troops clearing a compound called for air support when they saw armed militants advancing toward them, CNN reported.
Also Tuesday, three International Security Assistance Force troops were killed and one injured when an improvised explosive device exploded, KUNA, the Kuwait News Agency, reported. The location of the attack and the nationalities of the soldiers weren't revealed.
"ISAF mourns the loss of these three brave service members and wishes a quick recovery for our wounded colleague," a coalition spokesperson said in a statement.
Trial opens in death of British soldiers
BAGHDAD, May 26 (UPI) -- The court that sentenced Saddam Hussein to death has begun hearing testimony in the case of two Iraqi men accused of killing British soldiers, lawyers said.
The war crimes trial before the Iraqi High Tribunal began Monday in Baghdad, where two former Baath Party officials are charged with the March 2003 execution-style killing of Simon Cullingworth and Sapper Luke Allsopp, The Times of London reported Tuesday.
The first prosecution witness Monday recanted earlier statements, saying he had never heard Faisal Attiyah Nassar al-Saadoon, 56, or Khalaf Hussain Mufdhi, 58, order the soldiers to be killed, the BBC reported.
Cullingworth and Allsopp were among the first British soldiers to be killed in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the BBC said.
They were ambushed near al-Zubayr and taken to a temporary Baath Party headquarters before being shot multiple times and buried nearby, prosecutors said.
