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Kentucky.com: Politics and Government
News, sports, and entertainment from Kentucky.com

• The Hollywood Endorsement Song
  
• D.C. hopes to see Obamas out and about
  WASHINGTON . At Ben's Chili Bowl, the soon-to-be first family has an open invitation to dine for free on chili-smothered sausages. A couple of miles away, the owners of the city's only Kenyan restaurant know exactly what they'll serve if Barack Obama stops by for a taste of his African heritage: tilapia smothered in onions, tomatoes and cilantro. Washington residents far from the city's power center are hopeful the 44th president will differ from his predecessor in more ways than just politics. The expectation is that Obama . already at ease in big cities from his time in Chicago . will venture into town more than President George W. Bush, who rarely made forays into unofficial Washington.
• Job seekers flock to D.C.
  WASHINGTON . Tired of your same old job? Frustrated fan of The West Wing and want to try your hand at the real thing? Or maybe you've just cracked the Plum Book, a glittering bible of soon-to-be-vacated federal jobs, and saw an opening on the International Boundary and Water Commission for a tidy $158,000 a year and thought, "Hey, I can do that." Step right up, would-be public servant. Welcome to the great capital job fair, where every four or eight years, whenever a new president is elected, parts of the federal bureaucracy turn over and jobs become as available as Cape Cod cottages in January.
• A day for presidential reflection
  WASHINGTON . President George Bush is heading to Camp David for Thanksgiving, thankful for his almost-expired "privilege of serving as the president." President-elect Barack Obama is staying in Chicago to "have a whole bunch of people over to the house" and squeeze in some Christmas shopping. On a holiday designed for reflection, one man, historically unpopular, is heading to a remote mountaintop with his family. The other, promising change, is surrounding himself with dozens of people in a bustling city. Dressed casually in a leather jacket and black scarf on Wednesday, Obama handed out food to the needy at a Chicago church with wife Michelle and their two daughters, shaking hands and jovially telling people "you can call me Barack."
• Iraqi parliament stalls on pact to end U.S. presence
  BAGHDAD . Iraq's parliament postponed a pivotal vote on a U.S.-Iraq security agreement on Wednesday while key lawmakers sought compromises that would appease an alliance of Sunni parties. The conditions in the pact, which would end the U.S. presence here by 2012, aren't up for debate. Instead, members of parliament are trying to craft a companion measure that would persuade more political blocs to back the security agreement. Sticking points include requests to review Iraq's de-Baathification policies, which prevent members of ousted dictator Saddam Hussein's party from working in the government, and assurances that detainees held in U.S. custody without charges will be released unconditionally.
• Obama pledges 'help is on the way'
  CHICAGO . President-elect Barack Obama sought to reassure the nation and nervous holiday shoppers about the ailing economy Wednesday as beleaguered stores braced for their most important month of the year. "Help is on the way," he proclaimed at his third news briefing on the economy this week. Fifty-five days away from taking office, he declared he would have an economic plan ready for action "starting day one." Investors' improved spirits kept pace. The Dow Jones industrials climbed 247 points, marking the first time since last spring that the average had risen for four straight sessions. To help with ideas from outside the White House, Obama announced he was forming a new team of advisers with former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker as the head.
• Credit boost: $800 billion
  WASHINGTON . The Federal Reserve and the Treasury announced $800 billion in new lending programs on Tuesday, sending a message that they would print as much money as needed to revive the nation's crippled banking system. The gargantuan efforts . one to finance loans for consumers, and a bigger one to push down home mortgage rates . were the latest but probably not the last of the federal government's initiatives to absorb the shocks that began with losses on subprime mortgages and have spread to every corner of the economy. In the last year, the government has assumed $7.4 trillion in direct and indirect financial obligations. That is equal to about half the size of the nation's entire economy and far eclipses the $700 billion that Congress authorized for the Treasury's financial rescue plan. Those obligations include $1.5 trillion already committed to loans, capital infusions to banks and the rescues of firms such as Bear Stearns and the American International Group, the failed insurance conglomerate. But they also include additional trillions in government guarantees on mortgages, bank deposits, commercial loans and money market funds.
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• Candidates crowd field for Emanuel replacement
  Clout-heavy Chicago politicians are lining up to replace U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, prompting some experts to wonder if the local Democratic party will split on whom to anoint as his successor. The strength of the contenders may make it tough for Democrats to unite behind one candidate for the congressional seat. Also in question is whether Mayor Richard Daley will name a favorite. Emanuel, 48, has accepted the job as chief of staff to President-elect Barack Obama and is expected to step down soon, leaving two years on his second term with more than 180 days before the next election. Under Illinois law, that means a special election will be held to replace him. In a city where Democrats rule, the party stamp of approval usually assures a candidate's victory. Emanuel was the Democrats' endorsed candidate when he ran for his seat as representative of the 5th district on Chicago's far northwest side. So was the person Emanuel replaced, now-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. But it's possible that the next person won't be endorsed by the party, said University of Illinois-Chicago political science professor and former city alderman Dick Simpson.
• Group urges humane treatment of stray dogs in Iraq
  An animal rights group is urging Iraqi authorities to find better ways to eliminate stray dogs after 200 of them were killed in Baghdad this week by poisoned meat and rifles. Humane Society International wants to work with Baghdad officials because their methods to curb the stray dog population are "neither humane nor have been found to provide long-term solutions to the overpopulation program," the group said in a letter dated Wednesday. "There are humane, effective and well-established alternatives available and we are willing to help the city of Baghdad initiate these programs," the Washington-based group said in the letter to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Baghdad provincial Gov. Hussein al-Tahan and Iraq's ambassador to the U.S., Samir Sumaida'ie. Baghdad authorities killed more than 200 stray dogs on Sunday, the opening day of a campaign to cull dog packs roaming the capital that was prompted by a spate of fatal attacks on residents. Teams of veterinarians and police officers used poisoned meat and rifles to kill the animals. In its letter, the group suggests a "holistic approach" to the problem, including surgical spaying and neutering, education on the subject, legislation, dog registration and licensing programs for owned animals, and euthanasia "using humane methods and agents."
• Correction: Iraq dog control headline
  In the headline on a Nov. 26 story about controlling the dog population in Baghdad, The Associated Press erroneously described recommendations from Humane Society International. The animal rights group suggested how to control the dog population, not ways to kill dogs.
• As administration changes, job-seekers flock to Washington
  Tired of your same old job? Frustrated fan of "The West Wing" and want to try your hand at the real thing? Or maybe you've just cracked the Plum Book, a glittering bible of soon-to-be-vacated federal jobs, and saw an opening on the International Boundary and Water Commission for a tidy $158,000 a year and thought, "Hey, I can do that." Step right up, would-be public servant. Welcome to the great capital job fair, where every four or eight years - whenever a new president is elected - parts of the federal bureaucracy turn over and jobs become as available