Panetta said what?
New Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has the self-confidence and the long Washington experience to call 'em like he sees 'em.
But on his trip to Iraq and Afghanistan earlier this month, his Pentagon aides seemed to want Panetta to call 'em with language a bit less colorful.
So there appeared to be an official plan to sanitize Panetta in both content and style, and maybe zap the occasional damn, hell and beyond.
Aides began to back away from this unofficial policy this week after a journalist group's complaint on Friday.
Somali-American man admits helping men travel to Somalia to fight
A Minneapolis man faces up to 15 years in prison after admitting to helping young men travel to Somalia to fight. Omer Abdi Mohamed, 26, appeared in federal court Monday and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to provide material support for terrorism, according to the Department of Justice.
According to the plea agreement, between September and December of 2007 Mohamed helped young men go to Somalia to "fight against Ethiopian troops who were in Somalia assisting the internationally-recognized Transitional Federal Government." In a news release, the government said Mohamed knew that once the men reached Somalia they "intended to murder, kidnap, or maim Ethiopian and Somali government troops."
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Security and economics top the agenda for Clinton visit to India
Fresh off a flurry of meetings in Turkey and Greece, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in India Monday evening for discussions on a wide range of economic and security related issues that lie at the heart of U.S.-Indian relations.
A senior State Department official briefing reporters aboard Clinton's plane, said Clinton's discussions would be focused around a range of core concepts, led by a look at the regional strategy for neighboring Afghanistan.
US tells Libyan government: Gadhafi must go
Libyan and U.S. officials say the two governments held face-to-face talks in Tunisia over the weekend, but Washington says the sole point of the meeting was to repeat its demand that Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi "must go."
The disclosure came nearly four months into the bombardment of Libya by the NATO allies, including the United States. Libyan government spokesman Musa Ibrahim called the talks "a first step," adding "We welcome further steps."
"We are ready to discuss ideas to move forward, make sure that people are not harmed any more, that this conflict comes to an end and that the damaged relationship between Libya and the (United) States and other NATO countries can be repaired," Ibrahim said.
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