THE OFFICIAL WEB SITE OF THE MADISON TIMES WEEKLY NEWSPAPER

Compiled By Heidi M. Pascual

• S.D. elects woman

SOUTH DAKOTA (IPS/GIN) — For the first time in South Dakota's history, the state's voters are sending a woman to Congress. Democrat pro-choice candidate Stephanie Herseth, beat her Republican opponent Larry Diedrich by a slim margin — 132,377 votes to 129,396.

Endorsed by groups such as EMILY's List, a political action committee that supports pro-choice, Democratic women, Herseth, 33, comes from a long line of South Dakota legislators. Her grandfather served as governor, her grandmother was secretary of state and her father served in the state legislature for 20 years. She is a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center.

"We congratulate Stephanie Herseth on her historic victory," said Ellen R. Malcolm, president of EMILY's List in a press release. "With the critical issues facing South Dakota and the nation, the voters have wisely chosen a representative with the talent, strength, and experience to stand up to the special interests and get right to work creating jobs, expanding access to health care, and improving education." — Shaya Tayefe Mohajer of WomensEnews

• 9/11 panel disputes Bush-Cheney on Iraq-al-Qaeda link

WASHINGTON (IPS/GIN) — In a direct challenge to the frequent assertions by President George W Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, the special bipartisan commission investigating the Sep. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against New York and the Pentagon has found "no credible evidence" of any operational link between Iraq and al-Qaeda.

The commission, which has had access to highly classified U.S. intelligence, said that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had sought contacts with and support from former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein after his expulsion from Sudan in 1994, but those appeals were ignored.

Contacts between Iraq and al-Qaeda after bin Laden moved to Afghanistan "do not appear to have resulted in a collaborative relationship," according to the commission's recently released report. It added that two senior al-Qaeda officials now in U.S. custody "have adamantly denied that any ties existed between al-Qaeda and Iraq."

The report is the first of a series expected to be released over the coming months as the commission winds up its work. Most of it deals with al-Qaeda's evolution beginning in the 1980s. Echoing the administration, it warns that "al-Qaeda is actively striving to attack the United States and inflict mass casualties."

Its conclusion about the absence of any operational link between al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein not only further undermines the administration's case for going to war against Iraq, but also deals a sharp blow to the already-strained credibility of Cheney, who recently asserted without elaboration during a speech to a right-wing institute in Florida that the Iraqi leader had "long-established ties" to the group.

Cheney insisted as recently as last January that Washington had obtained "conclusive" evidence that Hussein had biological weapons in the form of two customized truck trailers that he said was for their production.

The claim, which he has not repeated since, was discredited by, among others, outgoing Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director George Tenet, as well as the head of the U.S. task force in charge of searching for alleged weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs in Iraq, David Kay.

Retired senior U.S. diplomats and intelligence officials have long doubted any operational link between al-Qaeda and Hussein, as noted by former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Charles Freeman, who signed a statement by former top-ranking diplomats and military officials that was recently released, denouncing U.S. policy in Iraq and the Middle East.

"Hussein and Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda were mortal enemies during this period," Freeman told reporters, adding that administration assertions that the two had such links before the war were regarded by specialists in the region as "ludicrous."

"Why the vice president continues to make that claim beats me," said another former top diplomat, Ambassador Robert Oakley. "I have no idea.”

 — Jim Lobe  

• Catholic U denies campus home to NAACP Chapter

WASHINGTON (NNPA) — Responding to Catholic University's refusal to allow William Jawando to establish a NAACP chapter at the northwest Washington campus, Kweisi Mfume, president of the civil rights organization, has expressed his dissatisfaction by calling Catholic's decision “outright discrimination, bigotry, prejudice, and intolerance, all rolled into one.”

According to published reports, Jawando, a senior, has assembled approximately 30 other students at the university who also want to establish a NAACP chapter. But according to university officials, there are already sufficient Black organizations representing African American students. The university also indicated that starting a campus NAACP chapter would conflict with the religious principles of the 117-year-old university.

Defending the school's position, Victor Nakas, director of public affairs, said the primary reason for denying Jawando's application was that he failed to present a ''compelling'' reason that the organization was needed on the campus. According to Nakas, Jawando wanted the NAACP chapter to provide ''leadership'' and ''advocate curriculum changes'' for students on campus. However, there are other university organizations meeting those same needs for students, said the director.

Before denying Jawando's application, Nakas maintains the university researched the 95-year-old civil rights organization and decided that Catholic University did not agree with the group's alleged support of abortion.

According to the director, it is not ''unprecedented'' for the university to deny students, regardless of race, the right to form organizations on campus, especially if the school feels the organization “doesn't add to the mix [of student groups]” representing students.  

Nakas said that the university wants to communicate with concerned students to explain the reason behind the request denial.

Although Mfume has publicly stated his position on Catholic's refusal of Jawando's application, Nakas alleges there has been no formal conversation between Mfume and the university.

“Mr. Mfume hopes to meet with the university,” said John White, director of communications for the NAACP, and added that nothing had been set up between the NAACP and the school. — Kenneth Mallory

END OF NATIONAL NEWS