Bloomfield News Blog

(CBS/AP) President George W. Bush wrapped up a whirlwind trip to two war zones Monday that in many ways was a victory lap without a clear victory. A signature event occurred when an Iraqi reporter hurled two shoes at Bush, an incident the president called “a bizarre moment.”

Bush visited the Iraqi capital just 37 days before he hands the war off to his successor, Barack Obama, who has pledged to end it. The president wanted to highlight a drop in violence and to celebrate a recent U.S.-Iraq security agreement, which calls for U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq by the end of 2011.

“The war is not over,” Bush said, but “it is decisively on its way to being won.”

Bush then traveled to Afghanistan where he spoke to U.S. soldiers and Marines at a hangar on the tarmac at Bagram Air Base. The rally for over a thousand military personnel took place in the dark, cold pre-dawn hours. Bush was greeted by loud cheers from the troops.

“Afghanistan is a dramatically different country than it was eight years ago,” he said. “We are making hopeful gains.”

But the president’s message on progress in the region was having trouble competing with the videotaped image of the angry Iraqi who hurled his shoes at Bush in a near-miss, shouting in Arabic, “This is your farewell kiss, you dog!” The reporter was later identified as Muntadar al-Zeidi, a correspondent for Al-Baghdadia television, an Iraqi-owned station based in Cairo, Egypt.

Zeidi, 29, has been working for Al-Baghdadiya since it launched in 2005, reports CBS News’ Khaled Wassef in London. Co-workers describe him as a rather quiet and composed.

Zeidi has been arrested before, in error, by American forces and was let go, reports CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer. This time, his family has been told he faces years in jail.

In Iraqi culture, throwing shoes at someone is a sign of contempt. Iraqis whacked a statue of Saddam with their shoes after U.S. Marines toppled it to the ground following the 2003 invasion.

Bush told reporters later that he didn’t think “you can take one guy throwing shoes and say this represents a broad movement in Iraq. You can try to do that if you want but I don’t think that would be accurate.”

Reaction in Iraq was swift but mixed, with some condemning the act and others applauding it. Television news stations throughout Iraq repeatedly showed footage of the incident, and newspapers carried headline stories.

In Baghdad’s Shiite slum of Sadr City, supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for protests against Bush and demanded the release of the reporter. Thousands took to the streets Monday, chanting, “Bush, Bush, listen well: Two shoes on your head.”

Talking to a small group of reporters after the incident, Bush said, “I didn’t know what the guy said, but I saw his sole.” He told the reporters that “you were more concerned than I was. I was watching your faces.”

In the press cabin of Air Force One, jokes were flying faster than the Iraqi reporter’s shoes did, reports CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller.
(Click here to read Knoller’s post in the Couric & Co. blog.)

“I’m pretty good at ducking, as most of you know,” Bush joked, adding quickly that “I’m talking about ducking your questions.”

On a more serious note, he said, “I mean, it was just a bizarre moment, but I’ve had other bizarre moments in the presidency. I remember when Hu Jintao was here. Remember? We had the big event? He’s speaking, and all of a sudden I hear this noise - had no earthly idea what was taking place, but it was the Falun Gong woman screaming at the top of her lungs (near the ceremony on the White House lawn). It was kind of an odd moment.”

The Iraqi government condemned the act and demanded an on-air apology from Al-Baghdadia television, the Iraqi-owned station that employs Muntadar al-Zeidi.

Several people descended on the man immediately after, wrestling him to the ground, and it took a minute or two for security agents to clear the crowd and start hauling him out. As they dragged him off, he was moaning and screaming as if in pain. Later, a large blood trail could be seen on the carpet where he was dragged out of the room.

He was taken into custody and reportedly was being held for questioning by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s guards and is being tested for alcohol and drugs.

Other Arab journalists and commentators, fed up with U.S. policy in the Middle East and Bush’s decision to invade Iraq in 2003 to topple Saddam, echoed al-Zeidi’s sentiments Monday. Abdel-Bari Atwan, editor of the influential London-based newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi, wrote on the newspaper’s Web site that the incident was “a proper goodbye for a war criminal.”

After a meeting with Hamid Karzai in the capital of Kabul, Bush said he told the president of Afghanistan: “You can count on the United States. Just like you’ve been able to count on this administration, you’ll be able to count on the next administration as well.”

After a brief refueling stop in England, Bush headed back to the United States. He was greeted on the South Lawn by the rousing applause of an unusually large crowd, as White House staff members had been invited outside to welcome him home.

The mixed reactions to Bush in both Iraq and Afghanistan emphasized the uncertain situations Bush is leaving behind in the region.

In Iraq, nearly 150,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq, protecting the fragile democracy. More than 4,209 members of the U.S. military have died and $576 billion has been spent since the war began five years and nine months ago.

In Afghanistan, there are about 31,000 U.S. troops and commanders have called for up to 20,000 more. The fight is especially difficult in southern Afghanistan, a stronghold of the Taliban where violence has risen sharply this year.

(CBS/AP) President-elect Barack Obama on Wednesday joined others calling for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to resign, distancing himself further from the unfolding scandal over allegations that the governor schemed to barter Mr. Obama’s vacant Senate seat for personal gain.

“The president-elect agrees with Lt. Gov. (Pat) Quinn and many others that under the current circumstances it is difficult for the governor to effectively do his job and serve the people of Illinois,” Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said in response to questions from The Associated Press.

Blagojevich was arrested Tuesday, accused of scheming to enrich himself by selling Mr. Obama’s vacant Senate seat. The governor has authority to appoint the replacement.

In response to questions from The Associated Press, Gibbs said Mr. Obama believes the Illinois legislature should consider a special election to fill the seat. Gibbs says the hope is to put a process in place to select a new senator who will have the trust and confidence of the people of Illinois.

Over the past two days since Blagojevich’s arrest, Mr. Obama and his aides have largely refrained from commenting on the scandal. When he has spoken about the case, he’s been cautious.

In brief comments to reporters Tuesday, Obama said “like the rest of the people of Illinois I am saddened and sobered by the news that came out of the U.S. attorney’s office today,” but he didn’t go so far to condemn Blagojevich’s alleged actions.

He did add about Blagojevich’s process of considering a successor: “I had no contact with the governor or his office, and so I was not aware of what was happening.”

But three weeks ago, Obama’s top aide David Axelrod told an interviewer, “I know he’s talked to the governor,” referring to Obama. “There’s a whole range of names, many of which have surfaced.”

Axelrod later said that he had misspoken, reports CBS News correspondent Dean Reynolds reports.

There has been no hint from prosecutors of any wrongdoing by Obama Indeed, Blagojevich was heard on the tapes repeatedly disparaging and even cursing the president-elect for not playing politics his way. But inconsistencies remain, Reynolds reports. If Obama hadn’t been in contact with Blagojevitch, how did the governor know that Obama wouldn’t play the favors game?

“If the descriptions of these contacts come out differently over time, that will raise suspicions,” former U.S. Attorney Joseph diGenova told Reynolds.

Mr. Obama reiterated his position in an interview published in the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday. “I have not discussed the Senate seat with the governor at any time,” he said.

But Mr. Obama wouldn’t answer a question on whether he was aware of any conversations between the governor and his top aides, including incoming White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel. “It’s an ongoing investigation,” Mr. Obama said. “I think it would be inappropriate for me to … remark on the situation beyond the facts that I know.”

And, aides didn’t say whether Emanuel, a Democratic Illinois congressman, was ever approached by the governor’s emissaries involved in allegedly corrupt schemes.

It now appears likely that investigators will at least want to hear from transition officials, especially Chicagoans like Axelrod and Emanuel, who have past associations with Blagojevich, Reynolds reports.

Long-time observers say Obama and Blagojevich have had limited encounters during their time in Illinois politics, reports CBS News correspondent Chip Reid.

“I don’t think, though, that you can fairly say that Barack Obama and Rod Blagojevich were anything but the most distant allies,” said Mike Flannery, political reporter for CBS station WBBM in Chicago.

But that’s not stopping the Republican National Committee from trying to tie the two men together, reports Reid.

“Given the president-elect’s history of supporting and advising Gov. Blagojevich, he has a responsibility to speak out and fully address the issue,” said RNC chairman Mike Duncan in a statement.

Also on Wednesday, a lawyer for Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. said the congressman is the “Senate Candidate 5″ mentioned in the federal corruption complaint against Blagojevich.

According to the federal complaint, Blagojevich “stated he might be able to cut a deal with Senate Candidate 5 that provided” the governor with something “tangible up front,” presumably campaign money.

Jackson denied any wrongdoing during an afternoon press conference and said he is “not a target of this investigation.”

“I want to make this fact plan: I reject and denounce pay-to-play politics, and have no involvement whatsoever in any wrongdoing,” Jackson said.

“I thought, mistakenly, that the process was fair,” he added. (Read more.)

Blagojevich returned to work on Wednesday, a day after his arrest. He is out on bond and has denied any wrongdoing.

The governor left his home on Chicago’s North Side early Wednesday and waved to the media before quickly getting into a dark SUV without talking to the reporters.

A short time later, Blagojevich’s SUV arrived at his office.

“He is still the sitting governor of Illinois today, now, and that is not something we have any say in or control of,” U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald said in unveiling corruption charges on Tuesday against the 52-year-old governor.

The governor’s attorney, Sheldon Sorosky, said Tuesday he didn’t know of any immediate plans for the governor to resign. Blagojevich believes he didn’t do anything wrong and asks Illinois residents to have faith in him, Sorosky said.

“I suppose we will have to go to trial,” he said.

One of Blagojevich’s top aides, Deputy Gov. Bob Greenlee, resigned Wednesday, Blagojevich spokeswoman Kelley Quinn said. She didn’t give a reason for Greenlee’s resignation, and it wasn’t immediately clear if Greenlee was one of the deputy governors named in the complaint against Blagojevich.

Two deputy governors are listed, one as a potential Senate candidate to replace Obama and another as a Blagojevich lieutenant who was deeply involved in an alleged scheme to shake down the Chicago Tribune.

Blagojevich could still appoint someone to fill Obama’s seat despite the charges that he tried to barter it away for cash or a plum job in what Fitzgerald called “a political corruption crime spree.” (Read more about this scenario in our Political Hotsheet Blog.)

Trusted with the job of appointing Mr. Obama’s successor in the U.S. Senate, federal prosecutors allege the governor conspired to sell or trade the office to the highest bidder.

“I’ve got this thing and it’s (expletive) golden,” he allegedly said in a wiretapped conversation, “and I’m just not giving it up for (expletive) nothing. I’m not gonna do it.” (Read more quotes from Blagojevich on the FBI tapes.)

That wasn’t all: Prosecutors say he also doled out jobs, contracts and appointments in return for campaign contributions, and tried to strong-arm a newspaper owner into firing editorial writers who had criticized him.

Another alleged scheme was that Blagojevich would possibly rescind an $8 million commitment of state funds to Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago after a $50,000 donation from its chief officer did not materialize.

Blagojevich’s approval rating among voters had been an abysmal 13 percent, but amazingly, court papers show that he talked about rehabilitating his image by appointing himself to the Senate seat. Prosecutors allege he said he would have access to greater resources if he were indicted while in the Senate, and that he even discussed a presidential run in 2016.

Federal investigators had bugged the governor’s campaign offices and tapped his home phone, capturing conversations laced with profanity and tough-guy talk from the governor. Chicago FBI chief Robert Grant said even seasoned investigators were stunned by what they heard, particularly because the governor had known he was under investigation and clearly realized agents might be listening in.

(CBS/AP) Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested Tuesday on charges he brazenly conspired to sell or trade President-elect Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder as part of what federal prosecutors called a “political corruption crime spree.”

Prosecutors did not accuse Obama himself of any wrongdoing. Mr. Obama said he is “saddened and sobered” by the allegations and he had no contact with the governor or his office on the matter.

Blagojevich also was charged with illegally threatening to withhold state assistance to Tribune Co., the owner of the Chicago Tribune, in an attempt to strong-arm the newspaper into firing editorial writers who had criticized him.

The 51-year-old Democrat was also accused of engaging in pay-to-play politics - that is, doling out jobs, contracts and appointments in return for campaign contributions.

“We were in the middle of a corruption crime spree, and we wanted to stop it,” U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said, calling the charges against Blagojevich “a truly new low.” He added: “The conduct would make Lincoln roll over in his grave.”

Federal investigators bugged the governor’s campaign offices and tapped his home phone, capturing conversations laced with profanity and tough-guy talk from the governor. Chicago FBI chief Robert Grant said even seasoned investigators were stunned by what they heard, particularly since the governor had known for three years was under investigation for alleged hiring fraud.

“This is another aggressive move by Fitzgerald, who is best known for indicting and convicting Lewis Scooter Libby on obstruction of justice charges in the CIA Leak case,” said CBS News legal analyst Andrew Cohen. “Fitzgerald is an excellent trial attorney as well, so the Governor and his aide really are in the thick of it now.”

The FBI said in court papers that the governor was overheard on wiretaps over the last month conspiring to sell the Senate seat for campaign cash or plum jobs for himself or his wife, Patti, a real estate agent. He spoke of landing a job with a nonprofit foundation or a union-affiliated group, and even held out the possibility of a Cabinet appointment or ambassadorship for himself.

“I’ve got this thing and it’s (expletive) golden,” he said of his authority to appoint Obama’s replacement, “and I’m just not giving it up for (expletive) nothing. I’m not gonna do it.”

Blagojevich faces two counts: Conspiracy to commit fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and solicitation to commit bribery, which is punishable by up 10 years. He was released on his own recognizance.

He was the latest in a long line of Illinois governors to become engulfed in scandal. Blagojevich was elected in 2003 as a reformer promising to clean up after former Gov. George Ryan, who is serving six years in prison for racketeering and fraud.

The charges do not identify by name any of the political figures under consideration for the Senate seat, calling them only “Candidate 1,” “Candidate 2,” and so on. However, those being considered for the post include: Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr., Danny Davis, Jan Schakowsky and Luis Gutierrez; Illinois Senate President Emil Jones; and Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth.

Blagojevich spokesman Lucio Guerrero had no immediate comment on the charges but issued a statement saying the “allegations do nothing to impact the services, duties or function of the state.”

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Read The Criminal Complaint Against Blagojevich
Statement From The Department Of Justice

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The scandal leaves the Senate seat in limbo. Democratic leaders in Washington and Illinois called on the Illinois Legislature to quickly schedule a special election to fill Obama’s seat rather than leave that power in Blagojevich’s hands.

“No appointment by this governor, under these circumstances, could produce a credible replacement,” said Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois.

Some Illinois politicians immediately demanded that the governor step down or face impeachment.

Also arrested was the Blagojevich’s chief of staff, 46-year-old John Harris, who was accused of taking part in the schemes to enrich the governor.

Blagojevich also considered appointing himself to the Senate seat, telling his deputy governor that if “they’re not going to offer me anything of value, I might as well take it,” prosecutors said.

He said becoming a senator might remake his image for a possible presidential run in 2016, according to court papers. And he allegedly said that he would have access to greater resources if he were indicted while in the Senate.

Prosecutors said Blagojevich also talked about getting his wife placed on corporate boards where she might get $150,000 a year in director’s fees.

In court papers, the FBI said Blagojevich expressed frustration at being “stuck” as governor. “I want to make money,” the governor, whose salary is $177,412, was quoted as saying in one conversation.

The head of the FBI’s office in Chicago said he phoned Blagojevich at 6 a.m., telling him of a warrant for his arrest and that there were two FBI agents at his door of his Chicago home. Blagojevich’s first comment was, “Is this a joke?” Grant said.

Nothing in the court papers suggested Obama had any part in the discussions or knew of them - something Fitzgerald repeatedly made clear at Tuesday’s news conference.

In fact, Blagojevich was overheard complaining at one point that Obama’s people are “not going to give me anything except appreciation.” He added: “(Expletive) them.”

The conversations took place between Election Day and as recently as last week. On the recordings, Blagojevich was clearly aware authorities might be listening, warning one person not to use the phone and saying, “The whole world is listening. You hear me?”

Political fundraiser Antoin “Tony” Rezko, who raised money for the campaigns of both Blagojevich and Obama, is awaiting sentencing after being convicted of fraud and other charges. And Blagojevich’s chief fundraiser goes on trial next year on obstruction charges.

The court papers also outline Blagojevich conversations related to Tribune Co., which has been hoping for state aid in selling Wrigley Field, the home of the Chicago Cubs. Blagojevich was quoted as telling his chief of staff, Harris, in a profanity-laced Nov. 4 conversation that Tribune executives should fire the editorial writers “and get us some editorial support.”

Harris is later overheard telling the governor on Nov. 11 that an unnamed Tribune owner, presumably CEO Sam Zell, “got the message and is very sensitive to the issue.”

(AP) President George W. Bush said Friday that the fight in Iraq has been longer and more costly than expected, but he defended the U.S.-led invasion, saying the world could not risk leaving Saddam Hussein’s power unchecked.

In a speech he was giving later Friday about his Middle East policies, Mr. Bush defended the war, said he sees progress toward finding a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and reaffirmed the U.S. position that Iran should not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.

Mr. Bush, in a sweeping overview outlining ongoing challenges in the Mideast, acknowledged his critics who said his administration tried to link the war in Iraq to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. While it’s true that Saddam Hussein was not connected to the attacks, Mr. Bush said the decision to oust him cannot be viewed in isolation from them.

“In a world where terrorists armed with box cutters had just killed nearly 3,000 people, America had to decide whether we could tolerate a sworn enemy that acted belligerently, that supported terror and that intelligence agencies around the world believed had weapons of mass destruction,” Mr. Bush said, referring to intelligence reports that later proved false.

“It was clear to me, to members of both political parties, and to many leaders around the world that after Sept. 11, this was a risk we could not afford to take,” the president said about the war, which has claimed the lives of more than 4,200 U.S. military personnel and will define his legacy.

Moreover, Mr. Bush said that after Saddam’s regime had been toppled by U.S.-led forces, his administration chose to stand by the Iraqi people, help nurture a budding democracy - even launch a military buildup when increased violence threatened to tear the nation asunder.

“When Saddam’s regime fell, we refused to take the easy option and install a friendly strongman in his place,” he said. “Even though it required enormous sacrifice, we stood by the Iraqi people as they elected their own leaders and built a young democracy.”

Mr. Bush said his policies in the Middle East, which have not always been popular, have not always gone according to plan, and in some cases, have fallen short of the administration’s goals.

“For example, the fight in Iraq has been longer and more costly than expected,” he said.