On foreign policy, Kerry is Obama's good soldier

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Democratic Sen. John Kerry stands tall as President Barack Obama's good soldier.

The Massachusetts lawmaker has flown to Afghanistan and Pakistan numerous times to tamp down diplomatic disputes, spending hours drinking tea and taking walks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai or engaging in delicate negotiations in Islamabad.

It's a highly unusual role for a Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman: envoy with a special but undefined portfolio.

Kerry has pushed the White House's national security agenda in the Senate with mixed results. He successfully ensured ratification of a nuclear arms reduction treaty in 2010 and most recently failed to persuade Republicans to back a U.N. pact on the rights of the disabled.

Throughout this past election year, he skewered Obama's Republican rival, Mitt Romney, at nearly every opportunity and was a vocal booster for the president's re-election. Kerry memorably told delegates at the Democratic National Convention in August: "Ask Osama bin Laden if he's better off now than he was four years ago."

Obama seems likely to reward all that work by nominating the 69-year-old Kerry, perhaps in the coming days, to succeed Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton as the nation's top diplomat. The prospects for the five-term senator soared last week when U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, a top contender for the post, withdrew from consideration to avoid a fierce fight with Senate Republicans.

A Kerry nomination has been discussed with congressional leaders, and consultations between the White House and congressional Democrats have centered on the fate of his Senate seat, according to officials familiar with the situation who were not authorized to publicly discuss the talks. If the seat were in play, it could boost the prospects for recently defeated Republican Sen. Scott Brown to win back a job in Washington.

At the same time, Obama is considering one of Kerry's former Senate colleagues, Republican Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, for the Pentagon's top job.

The selection of Kerry would close a political circle with Obama. In 2004, it was White House hopeful Kerry who asked a largely unknown Illinois state senator to deliver the keynote address at the Democratic convention in Boston, handing the national stage to Obama. Kerry lost that election to President George W. Bush. Four years later, Obama was the White House hopeful who succeeded where Kerry had failed.

Senate colleagues in both parties say Kerry's confirmation would be swift and near certain, another remarkable turnaround. Eight years ago, the GOP ridiculed Kerry as a wind-surfing, flip-flopper as he tried and failed to unseat Bush.

"If he is nominated, he comes into the position with a world of knowledge. He's someone who certainly understands how the legislative process works and I think he will be someone that Congress will want to work with in a very positive way," said Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, who is poised to become the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee next year.

Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said "there's no question he has a very strong depth of knowledge of these issues. Certainly qualified."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has taken to jokingly referring to Kerry as "Mr. Secretary."

Kerry and McCain, defeated presidential candidates who returned to the Senate, have joined forces repeatedly during the past few decades. In July 1995, the two decorated Vietnam War veterans provided political cover to President Bill Clinton when he normalized U.S. relations with Vietnam. Clinton had been dogged by questions about his lack of military service.

Last year, Kerry and McCain were outspoken in pushing for a no-fly zone over Libya as Moammar Gadhafi's forces attacked rebels and citizens. This month, they stood together in arguing for the disabilities treaty against staunch Republican opposition and complaints that it could undermine U.S. national sovereignty.

The pact fell five votes short of ratification, and Kerry called it "one of the saddest days I've seen" in his years in the Senate.

"Today I understand better than ever before why Americans have such disdain for Congress and just how much must happen to fix the Senate so we can act on the real interests of our country," he said, his frustration evident.

Kerry has traveled extensively for the administration, to Afghanistan in May as a strategic partnership agreement loomed large in the decade-plus war. He was in Pakistan last year in the midst of a diplomatic crisis after Raymond Davis, a CIA-contracted American spy, was accused of the killing two Pakistanis.

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, traveled to Pakistan around that time and recalled Kerry's influence.

"I arrived in Islamabad I think five days after Ray Davis had been taken into a jail in the Punjab and was at very real risk of being hauled out of the jail and lynched," Coons said. "Sen. Kerry was about to show up and negotiate on behalf of the administration. And it was clear that both the diplomats and the military folks we met with viewed him as a real man of credibility and experience who was likely to contribute meaningfully to those negotiations."

Davis pleaded self-defense. After weeks of wrangling between the U.S. and Pakistan, he was released in exchange for "blood money" paid to the dead men's relatives.

This year, Kerry has presided over committee hearings on treaties and other major issues, but there has been little legislative work. He didn't draw much attention to the committee, avoiding possible embarrassments for the administration in an election year.

Corker said he would have liked for the committee to devote more time to events in Libya, Syria and other countries.

"I think he's tried to accommodate our concerns and at the same time seek a balance ... giving the administration the headroom they needed to do what he and the administration felt was best. I understand that," he said, speaking of Kerry.

Coons said Kerry's deliberate work is often behind the scenes.

"The role of the chairman ... is not always getting your picture taken with George Clooney, standing around with heads of state, going to receptions in Foggy Bottom," he said. "It's also lots and lots of time listening to folks who've got concerns whether it's on behalf of the defense community, the business community, the diplomatic community and being the person who's at the intersection of all that and trying to keep the Senate productively engaged in a very dangerous world with a lot of emerging threats."

___

Associated Press writer Steve Peoples in Boston contributed to this report.

___

Donna Cassata can be reached on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DonnaCassataAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/foreign-policy-kerry-obamas-good-soldier-173621370--politics.html

steve jobs fbi file suge knight obama birth control mortgage settlement macauly culkin joe namath stefon diggs

CMPD takes over security at Charlotte Douglas International Airport ...

Travelers to Charlotte Douglas International Airport should start seeing more police officers and marked patrol cars as part of an effort to boost security at the facility.

The increased visibility comes as the police officers who used to report to airport officials are now part of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. The consolidation was announced in November, but became official on Saturday.

Authorities have not said exactly how many police officers will be patrolling at the airport. Forty officers had been working at the facility, and officials have said they are adding more.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Lt. Dave Moorefield said changes at the airport will include more police officers at security gates and making checks along the airport?s perimeter. Officers already patrol those areas now, he said, but they?ll be even more visible.

In the future, Moorefield said people also will see more officers at the airport from CMPD specialized units such as its bike and motorcycle patrols.

?We?re equipped to enhance the safety of not only the folks that work out at the airport, but (to) enhance the safety of the traveling public,? Moorefield said.

City and police officials have said there have been talks for years about how best to handle security at the airport. CMPD has managed and trained the police officers who work there, but they reported to the airport.

Officials have said the merger of security to the police department was not prompted by any single event.

But concerns about airport security were highlighted last year in a report on the stowaway of a high school student. Delvonte Tisdale breached airport security and climbed into the wheel well of a Boston-bound plane in 2010. His body fell from the plane as its landing gear was lowered on approach to the city.

A CMPD report found that police staffing at Charlotte Douglas ranked next to last when compared with eight comparable airports. It recommended, among other things, adding more staff. The airport also made changes such as improving fencing along its 19-mile perimeter.

In November, CMPD Deputy Chief Kerr Putney said the review played a part in the consolidation of airport security.

?There was no way to deny that that incident was a catalyst for a lot of discussions and concerns,? Putney told the Observer then. ?This is the path forward.?

CMPD won?t be the only law enforcement agency at the airport. Workers from the Transportation Security Administration, who handle security checkpoints, will remain there and private security employees also have been there in the past.

On Saturday, Moorefield said the transition to the consolidated police department had begun that morning. He said the various security enhancements would be added over time, but there is no hard deadline at this point on when the consolidation will be complete.

Moorefield also said that while CMPD will now be the local law enforcement entity at the airport, police officials have been working closely with Aviation Director Jerry Orr and his staff.

Source: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/12/16/3727959/cmpd-takes-over-security-at-charlotte.html

orcl the hartford illinois primary 2012 michael bay zsa zsa gabor illinois primary trayvon martin 911 call

Injury dashed mall shooter's hope of being Marine

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) ? His mother died before he was 3 years old, and he was estranged from the aunt who raised him. His dream of becoming a Marine was dashed by a broken foot, he hadn't yet settled on a career path, and a new plan, to move to Hawaii, ended when he apparently missed his flight.

None of it, however, reveals a motive in Jacob Tyler Roberts' decision to put on a hockey-style mask, walk into a Portland mall and randomly shoot three strangers, killing two and wounding a third, before committing suicide.

In the days since Tuesday's rampage, friends, relatives and neighbors have all said Roberts was a relaxed, friendly and outgoing guy. Police have yet to reveal if the young man known to all as Jake wrote a suicide note or left some hint of the violence he would unleash.

"Of everyone in my entire life, if I could put them on a list of how crazy they are, how likely they are to snap, I'd put him at the very bottom," said Jaime Eheler, 26, the gunman's close friend and roommate. "He'd be the very last person."

The Clackamas County sheriff's office said Roberts had several fully loaded magazines when he arrived at the mall as thousands did their Christmas shopping. Roberts parked his 1996 Volkswagen Jetta in front of the second-floor entrance to Macy's. He then walked through the store into the mall and began firing randomly in the food court, authorities said.

He fatally shot Steven Mathew Forsyth, 45, and Cindy Ann Yuille, 54, the sheriff said. Kristina Shevchenko, 15, was wounded and in serious condition Thursday.

Eheler said her friend had a "weird look on his face" when he left their house.

"My living room is right by the front door. He was walking out (and) he gave me this look, and I asked him, 'Hey, what's up?' And he said he'll talk to me about it when he gets back," she said, breaking down in tears.

Eheler said she later learned that Roberts had stopped at her brother Tyler's home on the way to the mall. Tyler Eheler and Roberts had been best friends since high school, she said.

"He came in and hung out for a minute and told him that he had to go and that he didn't want to," Eheler said, adding that Roberts gave her brother a bracelet that he always wore, and hugged him.

Eheler said Roberts had recently quit his job at a Portland gyro shop, sold all of his belongings, and put his car up for sale on Craigslist in advance of his planned move to Hawaii. Roberts' ex-girlfriend, Hannah Patricia Sansburn, told ABC's "World News with Diane Sawyer" that he was supposed to catch a flight Saturday but he got drunk and missed it.

The owner of Big Bertha's gyro shop threw a going-away party for him last week.

"His nickname there at the shop was 'The Kid,'" said Thomas Illk, father of Tommy Illk, who owns the shop. "Tommy is just devastated. He was like a little brother to him."

According to his Facebook page, Roberts' friends were his family.

The identity of Roberts' father is unknown, according to relatives and court records. His mother, Teresa Anne Roberts, died from cancer in February 1993. She had turned 22 on Dec. 10, 1992 ? almost 20 years to the day before her 22-year-old son took his own life.

Tami Roberts, Roberts' aunt, said she believes the timing was a coincidence and the shootings had nothing to do with the anniversary of her sister's birth.

"Every day, his whole life, I was proud of him. I'm just not proud of him right now," she said Thursday.

Tami Roberts became Roberts' guardian when his mother died shortly before his third birthday. The two had a falling out when he turned 18, and had not spoken in four years.

Tami Roberts said she tried to contact her nephew many times but declined to say why he refused to speak with her and ultimately blocked her on Facebook.

Court documents show Tami Roberts misappropriated $18,000 that Jacob Roberts received in an inheritance from his grandmother when he was a young teen. She said that was not the reason for the estrangement.

Tami Roberts showed reporters numerous photos from happier times, including one showing the pair with matching tattoos. She said Roberts injured his foot in 2007 when he tried to jump over a Dumpster on a bicycle. The injury ended Jake's hope of joining the Marines, and that made him "angry," Tami Roberts said.

"Then he didn't know what to do with his life," she said.

The last time Tami Roberts saw her nephew was in a parking lot a few months ago.

"I was telling him how much I love him, how proud I am of him, and how much I miss him," Tami Roberts said. "And then he took off. He just rode off on his bike. He didn't even say anything to me, but I know he heard every word I said."

___

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Tim Fought, Jonathan J. Cooper, Nigel Duara, and Sarah Skidmore in Portland, and Jeff Barnard in Grants Pass, Ore., along with researcher Rhonda Shafner.

___

Follow Steven DuBois at http://www.twitter.com/pdxdub.

Follow Rachel La Corte at http://www.twitter.com/RachelAPOly and http://www.facebook.com/news.rachel.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/injury-dashed-mall-shooters-hope-being-marine-071452498.html

george washington carver king cake mardi gras fun. hepatitis c symptoms david bradley david foster wallace

CSN: Patriots are a lot like '80s and '90s 49ers

December 13, 2012, 10:20 am

FOXBORO ? Before getting swamped by the Patriots Monday night, the Houston Texans described their game with New England as the biggest in franchise history.
?
After the game, Patriots guard Logan Mankins said, ?I know the team we play next week. It?s not the biggest game in their franchise history.?
?
Not by a long shot. Next up for the Patriots? The San Francisco 49ers.
?
While this year?s model of the Niners is still making strides to be an elite team, the storied history of the franchise remains fresh and nowhere does that history reverberate more strongly than in New England.
?
When owner Robert Kraft bought the Patriots in 1993, he made it clear the franchise he would emulate was the 49ers, the NFL?s gold standard of the 80s and 90s.
?
If it isn?t ?mission accomplished,? it?s pretty close.
?
The Patriots are the most successful franchise of the 2000s with five Super Bowl appearances in 12 seasons, three Super Bowl titles, a perfect regular season in 2007 and a Hall of Fame quarterback/head coach combination in Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. ?
?
The Niners, with their 5-0 Super Bowl record and 16 consecutive seasons of 10-or-more wins from 1983 to 1998 are the only team New England is chasing when it comes to sustained, unstinting excellence over more than a decade. The win over Houston brought the Patriots to 10 consecutive 10-win seasons.
?
In the Super Bowl Era, not even the Steelers were able to sustain the same level season after season for as long as the Niners did and the Patriots have.
?
Throw in the personal.
?
Tom Brady, grew up in San Mateo, California, went to the 1981 NFC Championship game where Dwight Clark made ?The Catch,? idolized Joe Montana and is now mentioned in the same breath as Montana as perhaps the greatest ever.
?
Bill Belichick?s coaching idol, Paul Brown, was the man under whom Bill Walsh learned what became the West Coast offense. And Belichick?s Giant defenses banged helmets for NFC supremacy with Walsh?s Niners for a decade in the 80s.
?
Contemporary linkage? The 2012 Niners executed a quarterback switch from Alex Smith to Colin Kaepernick that hearkens back just a little to the switch Belichick made from Drew Bledsoe to Tom Brady in 2001. There are some differences ? Bledsoe was the Patriots franchise hood ornament while the Niners have been gearing up to replace Smith for years; Brady proved over several games to be better than Bledsoe, while Kaepernick made his bones in practice and cameos. But the comparison mostly stands.
?
Yet all that is window dressing to a game that could be ? could be ? a prelude to another meeting in New Orleans in early February.
?
The Patriots are in the midst of their annual December crescendo. They?ve won seven straight games and the three blemishes on their 10-3 record came by a total of four points.
?
The Niners are 5-1-1 over their last seven and are in the midst of a crushing late-season schedule that has them on the road for four out of five games.
?
Both teams are the No. 2 seed in their respective conferences. Both have designs on getting home field for the playoffs. Neither can afford to stub their toe down the stretch and miss out on a first-round bye.
?
?It?s a short week for us; we don?t know them very well,? Belichick said Wednesday. ?We haven?t played them in quite awhile and they?ve made a lot of changes since the last time we did play them. We really have to do a good job of trying to catch up preparation-wise this week. Hopefully we can do that, but these guys do a lot of things well.?
?
Having Brady, who?s in the midst of an MVP-caliber season, helps New England make up the stagger a little bit.
?
Brady said Wednesday he began working on San Francisco on Thanksgiving night after a 49-19 prime-time win over the Jets.
?
Harbaugh was asked how he?d slow Brady down.
?
?Well, we'd sure like to find the answer to that and then implement it,? he confessed. ?But it is really difficult. They're tough to do that against. They have a really good scheme, really good play calling, and then great individual effort at each position. The great ability that they have to play as a team. We could talk for hours about how good they are."
?
The Niners, meanwhile, remain an impressive work in progress. Kaepernick?s been the anointed starter for four games. He brings a dimension to their offense that former starter Alex Smith didn?t ? the ability to threaten a defense in multiple ways and create ? but he?s an NFL embryo compared to someone like Brady.
?
Context? Kaepernick?s thrown 134 passes in the NFL. Brady?s thrown 6,609. Including playoffs.
?
So on Sunday night, the former gold standard will face the current gold standard. And it may not be for the last time.

Tags:

Source: http://www.csnne.com/12/13/12/Bradys-Pats-look-just-like-Niners-of-80s/nbcsnf.html?blockID=813321&feedID=10590

what is autism the giver march 30 rimm george h w bush pauly d project adrienne rich

Toyota Prius, '01-'08 (Hayne's Automotive Repair Manual) | What A ...

Posted by Aaron on December 12, 2012 in Books, Other Non-Fiction | ?

Toyota Prius, '01-'08 (Hayne's Automotive Repair Manual)

Haynes offers the best coverage for cars, trucks, vans, SUVs and motorcycles on the market today. Each manual contains easy to follow step-by-step instructions linked to hundreds of photographs and illustrations. Included in every manual: troubleshooting section to help identify specific problems; tips that give valuable short cuts to make the job easier and eliminate the need for special tools;notes, cautions and warnings for the home mechanic; color spark plug diagnosis and an easy to use index.

List Price: $ 26.95 Price: $ 15.71 Vintage Humidor for Cigars, Glass Sides, Needs Repair

Find More Repair Products

Tags: '01'08, Automotive, Haynes, Manual, Prius, Repair, Toyota

Source: http://whataguysees.com/2012/12/toyota-prius-01-08-haynes-automotive-repair-manual/

matt ryan att wireless Mother Jones cars Bacon Number Kate Middleton photos Chi Magazine

Fiscal cliff talks appear to be stalled

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio leaves his office and walks to the House floor to deliver remarks about negotiations with President Obama on the fiscal cliff, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio leaves his office and walks to the House floor to deliver remarks about negotiations with President Obama on the fiscal cliff, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., speaks with reporters following a Democratic strategy session at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Despite an intensifying pace, little progress is being reported in talks on averting automatic spending cuts and tax increases that economists fear could send the U.S. economy off a "fiscal cliff."

House Speaker John Boehner and President Barack Obama spoke on the phone Tuesday, a day after the president offered to reduce his initial demand for $1.6 trillion in higher tax revenue over a decade to $1.4 trillion. But Obama continued to insist that much of the revenue come from raising top tax rates on the wealthy.

Boehner countered later Tuesday with another offer that aides to the Ohio Republican said stuck close to a document delivered to the White House a week ago. A top White House aide, Rob Nabors, came to the Capitol to respond.

Leading lawmakers expressed pessimism that a deal was close, despite increasing angst about a Dec. 31 deadline to stop the expiration of Bush-era tax cuts and separate across-the-board spending cuts that are the result of Washington's failure to complete a deficit-reduction deal last year.

"I think it's getting worse, not better," House GOP Whip Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said.

The Boehner camp again said it's up to the White House to proffer additional spending cuts to programs like Medicare. The White House countered that Republicans still need to cave on raising tax rates for the rich.

"Where are the president's spending cuts?" Boehner said on the House floor. "The longer the White House slow-walks this process, the closer our economy gets to the fiscal cliff."

In rebuttal, the White House swiftly detailed numerous proposals Obama has made to cut spending, including recommendations to cull $340 billion from Medicare over a decade and an additional $250 billion from other government benefit programs.

Obama remains determined that tax rates rise on family income exceeding $250,000, a move Republicans say would strike many small businesses that are engines of new jobs and file as individuals when paying their taxes.

Two weeks before the year-end holidays, time to find agreement was short, but not prohibitively so.

"I think it's going to be extremely difficult to get it done before Christmas, but it could be done," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said.

Boehner's office took the step ? unusual in secretive talks ? of announcing that Republicans "sent the White House a counteroffer that would achieve tax and entitlement reform to solve our looming debt crisis and create more American jobs."

Democrats have watched with satisfaction in recent days as Republicans struggle with Obama's demands to raise taxes, but Reid privately has told his rank and file they could soon be feeling the same distress if discussions grow serious on cuts to benefit programs.

In an ABC interview, Obama did not reject a Republican call to raise the age of Medicare eligibility from 65 to 67, a proposal many Democrats strongly oppose.

The proposal is "something that's been floated," Obama said, not mentioning that he had tacitly agreed to it in deficit-reduction talks with Boehner more than a year ago that ended in failure.

"When you look at the evidence, it's not clear that it actually saves a lot of money," Obama said. "But what I've said is, let's look at every avenue, because what is true is we need to strengthen Social Security, we need to strengthen Medicare for future generations, the current path is not sustainable because we've got an aging population and health care costs are shooting up so quickly."

Obama's plan would raise $1.6 trillion in revenue in part by raising tax rates on incomes over $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for couples. He has recommended $400 billion in spending cuts over a decade.

He also is seeking extension of the Social Security payroll tax cut due to expire Jan. 1, a continuation in long-term unemployment benefits and steps to help hard-pressed homeowners and doctors who treat Medicare patients.

The White House summary noted that Obama last year signed legislation to cut more than $1 trillion from government programs over a decade, and was proposing $600 billion in additional savings from benefit programs.

Boehner's plan, in addition to calling for $800 billion in new revenue, envisions $600 billion in savings over a decade from Medicare, Medicaid and other government health programs, as well as $300 billion from other benefit programs and another $300 billion from other domestic programs.

It would trim annual increases in Social Security payments to beneficiaries and gradually raise the eligibility age for Medicare.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-12-12-Fiscal%20Cliff/id-198e7e5f893f495fba787974afaf0083

jason varitek andrew breitbart dead sheriff joe arpaio limbaugh aaron smith wilt chamberlain joe arpaio

Voter disdain spreads as 'fiscal cliff' looms

HOOKSETT, N.H. (AP) ? Fear and frustration course through the lunch crowd at Robie's Country Store and Deli, a popular outpost 500 miles from where Washington is again locked in tense negotiations over taxes and spending as a critical deadline looms.

"I'm worried," Lorraine Cadren of nearby Manchester says between bites of her chicken sandwich. Her doubt in the nation's elected leaders is palpable: "I'm not sure what's going to come out of Washington next." Not that she has the time to pay much attention; the 64-year-old is unemployed and preoccupied with finding a new job as Christmas approaches.

A few tables away, John Pfeifle shares Cadren's angst while trying to enjoy his $6.99 chicken parmesan special.

"Somebody's gotta have some smarts," says the 63-year-old business owner, complaining that both President Barack Obama and House Republicans seem willing to allow the nation to go over the "fiscal cliff," triggering broad tax increases and massive spending cuts that economists warn could lead to another recession.

"I have no faith at all they'll do the right thing," Pfeifle said of Congress.

And why would these voters have confidence in Washington?

The scene playing out on Capitol Hill is a familiar one as lawmakers with competing ideologies wage an 11th-hour battle to avert a predictable crisis. This one comes just a year after an equally divided Washington nearly let the country default on its loan obligations ? a debt-ceiling debate that contributed to the electorate's deep lack of faith in their elected leaders and a drop in the nation's credit rating.

Evidence of Congress' plummeting popularity is everywhere.

From New Hampshire diners to Colorado coffee shops, weary residents report widespread concern. They relate the debate in Washington over their tax dollars with their own lives: average Americans who are struggling every day to make ends meet. And already distracted by the holidays and tired of politics after a bitter presidential campaign, they are calling on Washington to get its act together.

"It's pathetic. Nobody's doing their job," said Laura Hager, a retiree from Lancaster, Pa. "The rest of the country is being held hostage to this entire situation."

She said the uncertainty makes it difficult to shape a personal financial plan; she can't imagine what business leaders must be going through. "Nobody can plan. Nobody knows what they'll do," she said.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., warned that the public's disgust with Congress would reach new heights if lawmakers and the White House fail to reach an accord before the year-end deadline.

"Ninety percent disapproval rating is going to go up to 99 percent disapproval," the senator said at a panel discussion last week in Washington on the fiscal cliff's impact on businesses.

Warner overstated Congress' unpopularity, although not by much.

A recent Associated Press-GfK poll found that 74 percent of Americans disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job; just 23 percent approve. The figures are virtually unchanged from June and slightly above Congress' recent low point of 12 percent approval during the debt ceiling debate in August 2011.

Some voters are trying to ignore the debate altogether, although near-constant news coverage is making that difficult, especially as Obama and his Republican opponents work to rally their supporters.

In a campaign-style event Monday in Michigan, the heart of industrial America, Obama warned that he "won't compromise" on his demand that the wealthiest Americans pay more in taxes. Polls find that most voters agree with the president's deficit-cutting plan to raise tax rates on income over $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for couples, although House Republicans are reluctant to agree.

The conservative group Crossroads GPS is running television ads across the country describing Obama's solution as "a huge tax increase" with "no real spending reforms." ''Call President Obama and tell him it's time to show us a balanced plan," the ad says.

Most voters interviewed in recent days are calling for an immediate compromise and seem willing to raise taxes on the wealthy so long as the middle class is protected.

There is a vague sense that the "fiscal cliff" is more serious than other recent Capitol Hill clashes. But barely a month after the presidential contest ended, most people say they're not following the daily developments that consume Washington.

In a Denver coffee shop, interior designer Roxann Lloyd, 42, is mystified by the sound and fury out of Washington over the cliff.

"I don't think they have any idea what a big deal is to an average person," she said. "I'm just ignoring it."

Lloyd said she isn't surprised by the partisan bickering over the issue. "I don't feel like they are really looking out for us," she said of Congress.

John Baker, 65, a Denver psychologist, said he had little faith in Congress' ability to fix the problem: "I don't think Congress can fix a flat tire."

"It's a typical Washington, 'Let's hit the panic button and keep people scared so they will let us do what we want to do,'" Baker said in a downtown Denver Starbucks. "Ultimately, it will be fixed but not until a lot of pockets are lined."

It's unclear whether members of Congress are hearing the message.

Rep. Charlie Bass, a New Hampshire Republican who lost his re-election bid last month, says it's unclear whether his GOP colleagues will "face the reality that the president, at least at this point, is not going to accept anything other than a tax rate increase."

A stalemate would result in "painful uncertainty," Bass said, offering his caucus a bit of advice: "We best get on with it ? get it done."

Back at Robie's, store owner Debbie Chouinard says she's burned out from election season and "tired of all the bull."

"I honestly haven't been paying attention," she said while feeding her 2-year-old granddaughter lunch during a brief lull. "People should be working together to get this country going."

___

Associated Press writers Nicholas Riccardi in Denver and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/voter-disdain-spreads-fiscal-cliff-looms-085417763--finance.html

melissa gilbert dancing with the stars dandelion wine cough matt groening brandon phillips summerfest summerfest