Sotomayor meets with Senate leaders
WASHINGTON, June 2 (UPI) -- U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor visited Capitol Hill Tuesday, meeting and greeting senators who will give her confirmation an aye or nay.
Sotomayor, 54, paid courtesy calls on Senate leaders of both parties, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and senators from her home state of New York. If confirmed as the successor to retiring Justice David Souter, she would be the first Latina and third woman on the nation's highest court.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the Judiciary Committee chairman, said Sotomayor "makes me think of Justice Souter, somebody with a great legal mind, impeccable credentials."
Leahy told reporters that he asked Sotomayor what she meant in 2001 when she said, "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." The remark has become a rallying cry among conservative commentators against her nomination.
"What she said was of course one's life experience shapes who you are, but ultimately and completely, and she used those words, ultimately and completely, as a judge you follow the law," Leahy said.
The committee's ranking Republican, Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, said he and Sotomayor "talked about her views on the law and other matters that I think ... relate to how a judge conducts himself on the bench."
He said he committed to the nominee "that she will get a fair hearing in the Judiciary Committee; she'll be treated respectfully and will be given an opportunity to respond" to criticisms about her remarks and rulings.
Leahy and Sessions said they and Senate leaders would meet to review a schedule for hearings on Sotomayor's confirmation. Leahy has said he wants the hearings before the August recess, but Sessions has indicated September may be soon enough.
"I don't think its irresponsible to wait until September," Sessions said. "There are over 3,000 to 4,000 cases now that are part of her 17-year record that need to be examined. I don't think we need to rush this."
Obama crosses aisle for Army secretary
WASHINGTON, June 2 (UPI) -- President Barack Obama reached across the party aisle Monday to nominate nine-term Rep. John McHugh, R-N.Y., as secretary of the U.S. Army.
"Today, I am proud to announce John McHugh as the next secretary of the Army," Obama said when presenting McHugh as his choice. "John is a distinguished public servant who will help keep us safe and keep our sacred trust with our soldiers and their families. He is committed to keeping America's Army the best-trained, the best-equipped, the best-led land force the world has ever seen."
McHugh is the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee and has been the ranking Republican on the panel's Subcommittee on Military Personnel. For the last 14 years, he has been the co-Chair of the House of Representatives Army Caucus. McHugh previously was a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Noting that McHugh hasn't agreed with him on every decision, Obama said the congressman "shares my belief that a sustainable national security strategy must include a bipartisan consensus at home."
McHugh promised that if confirmed by he Senate, "I will do everything I possibly can to work in concert with the Army leadership to provide you and to (Defense) Secretary (Robert) Gates the broadest based, the most accurate, the most informative information as you go forward in discharging your very, very weighty responsibilities in these dangerous times as commander in chief."
Minn. Gov. Pawlenty won't seek third term
ST. PAUL, Minn., June 2 (UPI) -- Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, one of the Republican Party's rising stars, announced Tuesday he would not seek a third term as the state's governor.
Left unanswered during his announcement were Pawlenty's future plans beyond the 18 months he has left as governor.
"I still have lots of energy and ideas. But, being governor should not be a permanent position for someone," Pawlenty said. "When it comes to how long someone should stay in an elected position, a little less is better than too much."
The two-term governor and former Minnesota legislator called being the leader of "this special, jaw-droppingly amazing state" the "great honor of my life."
He said he was announcing his decision now so candidates interested in being his successor "will have ample time to make their plans and make their case to the people of Minnesota."
Pawlenty said he would "make the most" of his last months in the office.
"There is much important and difficult work remaining, and I will tackle it aggressively and finish strong," he said.
Pawlenty, 48, was elected in 2002 in a tight three-way contest with Democrat Roger Moe and Independent Tim Penny. Pawlenty won re-election in 2006 against Mike Hatch in another close race.
Pawlenty was seen as an up-and-comer in the Republican Party during the run-up to the 2008 election and was on the short list of vice presidential candidates for party nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who selected Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for the spot.
Poll: 46 percent view Muslim world poorly
WASHINGTON, June 2 (UPI) -- More Americans say they have an unfavorable view of the Muslim world than did so in 2002, a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll indicates.
Seven years ago, shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, 41 percent of respondents surveyed said they held an unfavorable view of the Muslim world compared with 46 percent who said so in the new poll, released as U.S. President Barack Obama sets out on a trip to the Middle East, the U.S. broadcaster said.
Just one in five respondents had a favorable view of Muslim countries while 30 percent said they had a neutral opinion, the CNN poll indicated.
A vast majority of respondents also believe Muslim countries have a poor opinion of the United States, with nearly 80 percent of those questioned stating such sentiments. CNN said six out of 10 poll respondents said they thought that the Muslim world considers itself at war with the United States.
The poll was conducted between May 14-17 among 1,010 adult U.S. residents questioned by telephone, pollsters said. The survey's sampling error was 3 percentage points.
Poll: Egyptian view of U.S. improves
PRINCETON, N.J., June 2 (UPI) -- Egyptian approval of U.S. leadership has risen with a change in administrations in Washington, but is still low, Gallup Poll results released Tuesday indicate.
Approval rose to 25 percent from 6 percent, the latest poll indicated. A majority, 52 percent, still disapprove of the administration led by Barack Obama, but that number fell considerably from 74 percent in May 2008 during the George W. Bush administration, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said.
Obama is scheduled to deliver a speech to the Muslim world Thursday from Cairo.
The uptick in approval among Egyptians likely reflects the change in U.S. administration, Gallup said. In addition to Bush -- whose Middle East policies generated substantial controversy in the Arab world -- no longer being president, the change may also reflect Obama's overture to the Muslim world.
Gallup said 23 percent of Egyptians responded they did not know or refused to answer questions about U.S. leadership. The pollster said the high number may suggest that views of some respondents might be shaped by future U.S. actions.
Results are based on face-to-face interviews with at least 1,000 adults, aged 15 and older, in March 2009. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.
Anti-Semitic acts decline in U.S.
NEW YORK, June 2 (UPI) -- The number of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States has declined for the fourth consecutive year, the Anti-Defamation League says.
The New York group's annual Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents, issued Tuesday, counted a total of 1,352 incidents of vandalism, harassment and racially motivated physical assaults against Jewish individuals, property and community institutions in 2008, a 7 percent decline from the 1,460 incidents reported in 2007, the ADL said in a release.
Anti-Semitic acts recorded last year included repeated vandalisms of the San Francisco Holocaust Memorial and the desecration of dozens of graves at a Jewish cemetery in Chicago with swastikas and hate group symbols.
Some 42 percent of the incidents occurred at homes, private buildings or businesses while 23 percent took place in educational establishments, including public and private schools and universities, the ADL found.
"It is encouraging that the number of anti-Semitic incidents continues to decline, but the sheer volume of incidents reported and the violent nature of many of the physical assaults is a reminder that we cannot be complacent," said ADL National Director Abraham Foxman.
