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Al-Qaida-Taliban power dynamic shifting

KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Shifting alliances between a weakened al-Qaida and an emboldened Taliban will figure in U.S. decisions on sending more troops to Afghanistan, analysts say.

There are fewer than 100 al-Qaida members left in Afghanistan, and they have become dependent on factions within the far more numerous Taliban insurgent group for carrying out their terrorist agenda -- an inversion of situation before the Afghanistan war, The Washington Post reported.

An unnamed U.S. military intelligence official told the newspaper the new power dynamics will play a role in deliberations by President Barack Obama on how or whether to deploy thousands of additional U.S. troops in the country.

The Post analysts are split over what the new power balance will mean. Some contend it will drive the remnants of al-Qaida closer to certain Taliban factions, such as one controlled by former Afghan Cabinet minister Jalaluddin Haqqani, while moving it away from the Pakistani Taliban group controlled by leader Mohammad Omar.

Richard Barrett, coordinator of the U.N. Taliban and al-Qaida Monitoring Team, said Omar seems to be distancing himself from his former allies, telling the Post, "The Taliban have got the expertise, they have got the resources, they have got the momentum."

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Poll: U.S. split on Afghan troop timeline

WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Americans are evenly split on if it is taking U.S. President Barack Obama too long to decide on sending more troops to Afghanistan, a poll indicates.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Wednesday indicates that 50 percent of those asked whether Obama is taking too long say "no," while 49 percent say "yes," the U.S. broadcaster reported.

The survey also reportedly found that respondents by a narrow margin say that Obama should listen to the recommendations of the U.S. commanders on the ground in Afghanistan.

"There is a gender gap on this question, with most men saying Obama is taking too long and most women willing to give him more time," CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said. "That's due in part to the partisan differences between men and women, but gender differences on the use of military force, and maybe even differences in how the genders make important decisions, can also be contributing to the split."

CNN said the poll was conducted Oct. 30-Nov. 1 with 1,018 adult U.S. residents questioned by telephone. Its sampling error was 3 percentage points.

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GOP senator sees term-limit amendment

WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Several Republican senators are proposing a constitutional amendment that would limit the number of terms U.S. congressmen may serve.

The amendments proposed by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., and others would limit Senate service to 12 years and House terms to six years, CNN reported Wednesday.

"Americans know real change in Washington will never happen until we end the era of permanent politicians," DeMint said in a statement.

An amendment to the Constitution requires two-thirds approval from the House and Senate and ratification by 38 states.

"I want to be clear: Demanding that reformers adopt self-imposed term limits is a recipe for self-defeat on this issue," said DeMint, serving his first six-year term in the Senate.

"We lost the battle for term limits after the 1994 Republican Contract with America because we forced our best advocates for reform to go home while the big-spending career politicians waited them out. We must have term limits for all or term limits will never succeed. Only when we apply the same rules to all will we be able to enact vital bipartisan reforms."

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Poll: GOP poised to recoup seats in 2010

PRINCETON, N.J., Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Republicans now lead Democrats among registered voters in the latest Gallup Poll's generic congressional ballot for 2010 House elections, results indicated.

In the latest snapshot released Wednesday, Republicans nipped Democrats, 48 percent to 44 percent, Gallup said. The survey was conducted just after Republicans claimed the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races.

Independent registered voters favored Republican candidates over Democratic hopefuls, 52 percent to 30 percent, the latest survey indicated. Both parties maintain similar loyalty from their bases, with 91 percent of Democratic registered voters indicating a preference for Democratic candidates and 93 percent of Republican voters preferring Republicans.

Independent voters who said they preferred GOP candidates in their districts grew from a 1 percentage point advantage in July to the current 22 percentage point spread, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said.

The results would predict a probable strong Republican showing if the House elections were held today, Gallup said, cautioning that voter turnout a year from now is crucial in determining the final outcome of midterm elections.

Results were based on telephone interviews with 894 registered voters conducted Nov. 5-8. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.

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Ida's remnants soak southeastern U.S.

ATLANTA, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- The heavy rains that pushed Atlanta-area creeks beyond their banks and caused moderate flooding were expected to taper off Wednesday, forecasters said.

The rain, courtesy of the remnants of one-time Hurricane Ida, dumped between 4 to 6 inches of rain in several Georgia locations, with Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport reporting 4.56 inches early Wednesday, Columbus logging 5.6 inches and Pine Mountain reporting 6.25 inches, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

While flash flood warnings for north and central Georgia expired Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service kept northern Georgia under a wind advisory until Wednesday night. Forecasters predicted winds blowing between 15-30 mph during the day with gusts to 40 mph.

The storm system was expected to impact the mid-Atlantic coast through Friday, churning rough surf along the North Carolina and Virginia coastlines, AccuWeather.com reported. Ida was predicted to strengthen into a potent nor'easter Wednesday, moving little through Thursday night and soaking the North Carolina-Virginia coast with windswept rain.

Forecasters said up to 6 inches of rain could fall between Wednesday and Friday in the area that includes Raleigh, N.C., and Norfolk, Va.

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Madoff yacht to be auctioned next week

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Nov. 11 (UPI) -- The United States government will auction a luxury yacht, two vessels and a convertible seized from convicted Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff next week.

The auction, scheduled to take place in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday, will raise money to compensate Madoff's victims, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.

In addition to Madoff's yacht "The Bull," two other Madoff-owned vessels, "Little Bull," and "Sitting Bull" are up for sale along with a 1999 Mercedes Benz CLK 320 convertible.

"The Bull" is a 55-foot custom-built 1969 Rybovich sport-fisherman that officials say has been meticulously restored. "Little Bull" is a 23-foot 2000 vessel built by the Maverick Boat Co. "Sitting Bull" is a 38-foot Shelter Island runabout.

Personal property from the Madoff estate will be auctioned in New York on Saturday.

Information on both auctions can be found at www.usmarshals.gov/madoff.