IMPACT ON POLITICAL & CURRENT AFFAIRS

Capt. Merryl David – 1^st Black woman to fly U2 spy plane

When it comes to stories of espionage and intrigue, Hollywood rarely casts a sister in the starring role. But in real life one Black woman has accomplished what once seemed like mission impossible: Last October Major Merryl David, 34, became the first Black female pilot of a U-2--the legendary stealth planes the U.S. Air Force deploys for risky reconnaissance missions, such as identifying terrorist activities in foreign countries.

MRS. CLINTON’S SLIP IS SHOWING
By Hubert Williams

There must have been some magical wampum delivered during the grand welcome she got to Iowa, land of the Sioux people in mid-western USA, that this recently helped set Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton off to a much too aggressive start of her campaign for a treasured place in history as her country’s first woman president. Iowa is a crucial stomping ground and the jumping off point for presidential hopefuls of the Democratic Party, because so often, the state’s preference at its early caucus tends to flower into the party’s choice as its candidate. Thus it had been widely expected that having declared herself for 2008, Mrs. Clinton would hit the national trail from the fertile farmlands of Iowa. This state next January will hold the first caucus for selection of a candidate, through balloting by those of voting age, among the state’s 3 million population who pride themselves in leading the country in the production of pork, eggs, corn and ethanol.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard's fracas with Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., provoked a third straight day of political recriminations on Wednesday, as the Australian leader told parliament that the pledge by the Democratic presidential candidate to withdraw troops from Iraq will only invite more bloodshed. Howard, a staunch ally of President Bush's global war against terror, suffered blistering attacks from members of the center-left Labor Party, who want to bring home Australian troops in Iraq.