HoopGurlz

HoopGurlz

Doris Ortega

BRONX, N.Y. - Murry Bergtraum, a public high school located in lower Manhattan, has a very good girl's basketball team. It can put up big numbers. It plays hard, in-your-face defense that fuels its high-octane running game. It has a long, proud history of city and state championships under Ed Grezinsky.

But, compared to its similarly excellent West Coast sisters, Long Beach Poly and Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco, Calif., the Lady Blazers are not as big, not as physical and not as deep.

Bergtraum's Krystal Parnell on the setup.

And they're not the best girl's high-school team in the country.

"I just told my girls that we have played much better teams," coach Frank Oliver said after his Washington, D.C., team, H.D. Woodson, a Washington, D.C., lost by just eight points, 77-69, to Bergtraum at John F. Kennedy High School on Sunday. "We had our opportunities."

Woodson played in the prestigious Nike Tournament of Champions in December, when it was steamrolled, 69-42, by a Long Beach team whose stars, Jasmine Dixon and Monique Oliver, then were laboring with the flu. Oliver said Poly, ranked No. 2 by Full Court Press, No. 4 by USA Today and No. 7 by ESPN, was "much tougher" than Bergtraum, which is 15-0.

Bergtraum's roster of opponents may be marked this season by a littany of "had our opportunities," but all share one trait - they are based within a couple hours of New York City. To some, this does not constitute a national- championship worthy schedule.

"Right now, I don't think they're No. 1," said China Crosby, ranked No. 24 in the HoopGurlz Super Sixty for 2009, whose team, Manhattan Center, lost to Bergtraum by 20 last week. "Two years ago, maybe. There are teams from D.C. and Maryland which are as good or better. They have nine city titles, but they've only done it in New York (this season)."

Bergtraum's Shakeya Leary powers off
the dribble.

Apache Paschall, whose New York-based St. Michael Academy upset nationally ranked Malcolm X Shabazz of Newark, N.J., at the Kennedy Classic on Sunday (see below), suggested that Grezinsky stacks a schedule against teams he knows Bergtraum can beat. "They don't play anybody," said Paschall, who also coaches a nationally prominent club team called Exodus. "If they went to the Nike TOC, they wouldn't have been undefeated. They don't have the size to play with teams like Poly and Notre Dame Academy."

Notre Dame Academy, located in Middleburg, Va., was a consensus, preseason No. 1 choice, but lost the TOC championship game to Poly and then shortly afterward lost to Archibishop Carroll of Radnor, Pa.

Grezinsky said his team was entered in a national-level tournament this season in Washington, D.C., that suddenly was cancelled. He also pointed out the expense of traveling, that much of his team's funds "comeout my own pockets."

"I emphasize the city, and then state," Grezinsky said. "The other is all hypothetical."

No stranger to controversy, Grezinsky was villified nationally by the media for allowing Epiphanny Prince to score 113 points against a lower-rung league opponent in 2006. He was combative and sometimes rude during seemingly benign questioning about rankings on Sunday. When it was pointed out that media often compare teams, he said, "I'm a coach. I don't give a rat's (vulgarity used to express a mating act) about the media."

Bergtraum coach Ed Grezinsky.

Grezinsky coached truly great teams in 2003 and 2004. The 2003 team, which he calls "my best team ever," had Prince, now at Rutgers, and Shannon Bobbitt, now at Tennesee, coming off the bench. It won the Nike TOC, finished 30-0 but was ranked only third in the USA Today Super 25 that year. His 2004 team, led by Bobbitt, Prince and Erica Morrow, now at Syracuse, finished 30-1, losing only to Long Beach Poly, and was ranked No. 1.

The current edition of the aptly named Lady Blazers revolves around Syracuse-bound Shakeya Leary, ranked 54th in the HoopGurlz Hundred for 2008, and Krystal "Grandma" Parnell, a scintillating, 5-foot-5 point guard ranked 77th in 2008 by HoopGurlz.com. Sophomores Doris Ortega, 5-10, and Cee Cee Dixon, the 5-3 sister of Connecticut freshman Lorin, are budding stars. While 6-3, Leary, like most of her teammates, is very good on the attack off the dribble, but not a dominant scorer or defender on the boxes.

"They are not the Bergtraum of old," said Paschall, who coached Leary and Parnell at Exodus. "They don't have that one player who is going to dominate. I think they're still trying to find their identity."

As a team, maybe. As a powerhouse?

"I don't think they are the No. 1 team in the country," Crosby said, "but they do have that mentality because of their history."

St. Michael Upsets Shabazz

Sophomore Jennifer O'Neil may be stretching it at her listed height of 5-foot-6, but the St. Michael Academy point guard is the epitome of pluckiness. O'Neill made a steal and layup with 1:03 left to wrest the lead, then made a clinching foul shot with 33 seconds left, as St. Michael's upset previously unbeaten and nationally ranked Malcolm X Shabazz of Newark, N.J., 62-59, in overtime.

Jennifer O'Neil on the attack for
St. Michael.

The game was the nightcap and most thrilling contest of the talent-laden Kennedy Classic, held at John F. Kennedy, a public high school in the Bronx.

Ranked as high as No. 10 in the nation by ESPN, Shabazz also was ranked No. 16 by Full Court Press and No. 21 by USA Today.

St. Michael was without Georgetown-bound forward, Alex Roche, the No. 47 prospect in the HoopGurlz Hundred who suffered an anterior-cruciate ligament tear in December.

Seniors Ebony Wilson and Kajunia Walker, and sophomore Desiree Simmons, sparked a furious, second-half rally for Shabazz, while trailed by nine at halftime and three at the end of three quarters. After O'Neil hit a spinning shot in the lane to put St. Michael ahead by two with 26.3 left in regulation, Walker drilled a 10-footer following an offensive rebound with 3.3 second remaining to send the game into overtime.

Woodson's Tyche Mozie (12) and Jeniece Johnson (third from left) sandwich Murry Bergtraum's Shukurah Washington in a battle for a rebound.

Videotape Prompts Cow Abuse Investigation

Videotape Prompts Cow Abuse Investigation

The Agriculture Department said Wednesday it would investigate whether sick dairy cows were mistreated at a California slaughterhouse in violation of state and federal laws designed to ensure food safety and prevent animal cruelty.

Newly installed Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer said the department was taking the allegations seriously after video footage showed workers at the Hallmark Meat Packing Co. repeatedly kicking cows and ramming them with the blades of a forklift as the animals squealed in pain.

Schafer said "appropriate actions will be taken" if violations are found in the facility but he said there was no evidence that the nation's beef supply was at risk. In the meantime, USDA has barred any use of meat coming from the slaughterhouse in federal food and nutrition programs.

"There is no immediate health risk that we are aware of," Schafer said.

Hallmark, based in Chino, Calif., supplies the Westland Meat Co., which processes the carcasses. The facility is a major supplier to a USDA program that distributes beef to needy families, the elderly and to schools through the National School Lunch Program. Westland was named a USDA "supplier of the year" for 2004-2005 and has delivered beef to schools in 36 states.

The video, released Wednesday by The Humane Society of the United States after a six-week undercover investigation, also showed plant workers jabbing in the eyes and applying electrical shocks to the "downed" dairy cows -- those too sick or injured to walk -- to force them into the federally inspected slaughterhouse.

Wayne Pacelle of the Humane Society said the videotape shows animals abused in "unimaginable ways."

In one scene, the workers shoot high-intensity water sprays up the cows' noses in what The Humane Society described as a form of animal "waterboarding," or torture that simulates drowning.

USDA regulations and California law generally do not allow mistreatment of disabled animals, such as dragging them by chains or lifting them with forklifts. Federal regulations also call for keeping downer cows out of the food supply because they may pose a higher risk of E. coli, salmonella contamination, or mad cow disease since they typically wallow in feces and their immune systems are often weak.

In a statement, Steve Mendell, president of Westland and Hallmark, said the company immediately terminated two employees shown in the video and suspended their supervisor.

"We are shocked, saddened and sickened by what we have seen today," Mendell said. "Operations have been immediately suspended until we can meet with all of our employees and be assured these sorts of activities never again happen at our facility."

Pacelle called the mistreatment of downer cows alarming to U.S. consumers because 95 percent eat meat.

"We need to know how this food is getting to the table," he said. "Even when downed animals appear otherwise healthy, they may be harboring dangerous pathogens."

Ramsey's Anti-Crime Plan Sets Aggressive Goals

Ramsey's Anti-Crime Plan Sets Aggressive Goals

It's not the cavalry, but two hundred more officers are coming to the nine most violent police districts in Philadelphia. Its part of Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey's crime fighting strategy announced Wednesday.

Some aggressive goals will make it easy to assess the plan's effectiveness.

Commissioner Charles Ramsey wants to cut all violent crime by 20% this year, and reduce the number of homicides by 25%, or about 100 fewer murders also this year:

"Now people look at you and say your nuts for saying it. I mean why do we have to accept this level of violence and say it's OK. And if we don't hit that number it ain't my fault. I am going to do everything I possibly can. But other people have to do their part. Other people have to come forward with information on who these thugs are, they know who they are. Probably in 85 to 90 percent of these cases somebody knows who did the murder, but they don't come forward. So everybody has to play their role. But that's our target, that's our goal."

And there's plenty of community outreach in the plan to try to get everybody on board.

Al-Qaida Commander Killed in Afghanistan

Al-Qaida Commander Killed in Afghanistan

In this photo released by IntelCenter, an organization which monitors al-Qaida messaging, a Libyan al-Qaida commander Abu Laith al-Libi speaks during a videotaped interview at undisclosed location by al-Qaida's al-Sahab media wing on April 27, 2007. Al-Libi was killed in Afghanistan, a Web site used by militant groups said Thursday Jan. 31, 2008. "As the banner was posted ... by a webmaster of the forum, it seems as if the announcement of his death has been confirmed to the forum administrators," the Washington-based SITE Institute which also monitors such sites, said in an e-mail to news organizations.

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- One al-Qaida's top commanders in Afghanistan and a key liaison with Taliban, Abu Laith al-Libi, was killed according to a Web site used by militant groups.

"We congratulate the Islamic nation for the martyrdom of the sheik, the lion, Abu Laith al-Libi," said the banner which appeared in a section of the Web site reserved for affiliated militant groups and is not open to public posting.

The Washington-based SITE Institute which monitors militant sites noted that it seems "the announcement of his death has been confirmed to the forum administrators."

The attack that killed al-Libi appeared to have taken place in Pakistan.

Pakistani intelligence officials and local residents said that a missile hit a compound in a village about 2.5 miles outside Mir Ali in North Waziristan late Monday or early Tuesday, destroying the facility.

Residents said they were not allowed to approach the site of the blast and the Pakistan government and military said they did not know who fired the missile. Local officials said that foreigners were targeted in the attack.

One intelligence official in the area, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a the bodies of those killed were badly mangled by the force of the explosion and it was difficult to identify those killed. The official estimated 12 people were killed, including Arabs, Turkmen from central Asia and local Taliban members.

Two top officials of Pakistan's Interior Ministry said they could not confirm al-Libi's death and were still trying to gather details on the missile strike. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the attack.

A knowledgeable Western official said that "it appears at this point that Al-Libi has met his demise," but declined to talk about the circumstances. "It was a major success in taking one of the top terrorists in the world off the street," the official said. He added that the death occurred "within the last few days."

Al-Libi was an al-Qaida training camp leader who has appeared in many Internet videos and who the U.S. says was likely behind the Feb. 2007 bombing at the U.S. base at Bagram during a visit by U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney that killed 23 people.

He was listed among the 12 most-wanted men the U.S. offered a US$200,000 reward for five.

Pakistani counterterrorism officials say al-Libi - "the Libyan" in Arabic language - has served as an al-Qaida spokesman and commander in eastern Afghanistan. They say they have no information on his current whereabouts.

Al-Qaida's media wing, al-Sahab, released a video interview with a bearded man identified as al-Libi in spring 2007. In it, the militant accused Shiite Muslims of fighting alongside American forces in Iraq, and claimed that mujahideen would crush foreign troops in Afghanistan.

Maj. Chris Belcher, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan, said last year that al-Libi was a guerrilla fighter "knowledgeable about how to conduct suicide bombing missions and how to inflict the most civilian casualties." He had probably directed "one or more terror training camps."

In a tacit admission that terror camps have continued to operate on Afghan soil since the Taliban regime's ouster more than five years ago, Belcher said al-Libi had been the subject of "especially close focus" by U.S. intelligence since 2005, when U.S. forces destroyed a militant training camp believed set up by al-Libi in the eastern province of Khost.

But he described al-Libi as "transient," moving where the Libyan thinks he can count on support.

"Terrorists like al-Libi use the rugged terrain of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border to conceal themselves while they plan violent insurgent activities. Our sources indicate that Abu Laith al-Libi favors tribal regions, including North Waziristan," Belcher said.

North Waziristan is a lawless enclave in neighboring Pakistan where last year the Pakistani government reached a peace deal with pro-Taliban militants. U.S. officials have since expressed concern that al-Qaida could be regrouping in Pakistan's border zone.

Schwarzenegger Endorses John McCain

Schwarzenegger Endorses John McCain

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, center, endorses Republican presidential hopeful, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., as former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani looks on at left, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008, after a tour of Solar Integrated Technologies in Los Angeles.

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger endorsed Sen. John McCain in the Republican presidential race on Thursday, praising him as an extraordinary leader who can reach across the political aisle to get things done.

McCain predicted a "flood of endorsements across this country from both liberals and conservatives" would soon come his way as he tries to take command of the nominating fight after a bruising series of early primaries and caucuses.

"I won a Republican-only primary in the state of Florida but I also have been able to gain the support of independents, as well, which is vital to winning a national election," he said.

McCain and his principal remaining rival, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, square off in 21 primaries and caucuses next week with more than 1,000 delegates at stake.

At a news conference, Schwarzenegger said McCain has the national security credentials to do the job, and is a "crusader against wasteful spending."

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani also attended the event, one day after he dropped out of the race and threw his support behind his longtime friend.

McCain is counting on both men - Schwarzenegger in California and Giuliani in New York - to help propel him to victory in the two biggest states holding primaries next week. Combined, they offer 271 delegates, more than a quarter of the 1,023 at stake in a Super Tuesday slew of primaries and caucuses.

Schwarzenegger delivered his endorsement after a tour of a solar-energy company. He said it's the kind of factory that helps protect the environment while helping the economy. "That's music to my ears," he said.

McCain pledged he would work to leave the planet in better shape than it currently is. He has been a supporter of efforts to deal with global warming.

"Green technologies is one of the key ways" to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil, he added.

Schwarzenegger's endorsement of McCain is yet another setback for Romney, who saw Florida slip from his grasp Tuesday after McCain rolled up the support of that state's two top elected Republicans, Gov. Charlie Crist and Sen. Mel Martinez.

Giuliani's impact was being felt, as well, when several of his former supporters in New Jersey threw their support to McCain earlier in the day.

New Jersey has 52 delegates at stake in next week's primary, and like New York, gives them all to the winner of the popular vote.

McCain has often played the role of party maverick, and his positions on reducing the role of money in politics, global warming and other issues have particularly irritated conservatives.

But the Arizona senator said he would be winning the backing of Texas Gov. Rick Perry later in the day as he tries to lock up the party prize he has sought for nearly a decade.

His strategy uncertain, Romney plans to offer himself as the conservative alternative to McCain as he pushes ahead in hopes of winning enough delegates to topple the Arizona senator when 21 states vote in the Republican contest on Tuesday.

Both McCain and Romney have signaled they intend to air television ads in at least some of the states on the ballot.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Texas Rep. Ron Paul are also on the ballot.

Schwarzenegger's move comes as McCain plows toward the nomination, the only Republican candidate to have won three hotly contested primaries - New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida - since voting began earlier this month.

Schwarzenegger sat in the audience Wednesday as McCain and Romney shared a debate stage with Huckabee and Paul at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

McCain, the four-term senator, is running strongly ahead of all three in California. Candidates secure three delegates for each of the state's 53 congressional districts they win in the primary, in which only Republicans can vote.

The ultimate effect of Schwarzenegger's endorsement is unclear. The celebrity governor and former actor is universally known in the state, and his political network certainly will be helpful to McCain, who has virtually no organized effort in California after his candidacy nearly collapsed last summer. The actor-turned-governor also is a prolific fundraiser.

But Schwarzenegger has a strained relationship with some conservatives in his own party and McCain, himself, is fighting to convince GOP rank-and-file that he's committed to conservative values. Schwarzenegger's nod could exacerbate concerns about McCain among the party establishment.

Schwarzenegger also is taking heat from state Republicans who argue he's been too willing to bend to the wishes of the Democratic-controlled Legislature. At the same time, California faces a $14.5 billion budget deficit over the next year-and-half, and the governor has rankled the state's powerful education lobby with his proposal to cut spending by 10 percent from state agencies to deal with the financial crisis.

Giuliani to Exit Presidential Race Today

Giuliani to Exit Presidential Race Today

Republican presidential hopeful, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, talks to supporters after conceding the Florida Republican primary at his election watch headquarters in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2008. Behind him is his wife Judith.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Rudy Giuliani told supporters Wednesday he's abandoning his bid for president and backing Republican rival and longtime friend John McCain.

Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican and adviser to Giuliani, said the former mayor called him this morning to tell him of his plan.

Giuliani "will be announcing his endorsement today," said King.

"I expect him to be fairly active for McCain. There is a real friendship and respect between the two," he said. A similar call took place between Giuliani and New York Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno.

"I spoke with Rudy Giuliani this morning and he confirmed that he is dropping out of the race and will endorse Senator John McCain for president," Bruno said in a statement.

Once the Republican presidential front-runner, Giuliani suffered a debilitating defeat in Tuesday's Florida primary.

The former mayor finished a distant third to the winner, McCain, and close second-place finisher Mitt Romney. After the results, Republican officials had said Giuliani would endorse McCain on Wednesday in California.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in advance of the public announcement.

Speaking to supporters Tuesday night, Giuliani stopped short of announcing he was stepping down, but delivered a valedictory speech that was more farewell than fight-on.

"I'm proud that we chose to stay positive and to run a campaign of ideas in an era of personal attacks, negative ads and cynical spin," Giuliani said as supporters with tight smiles crowded behind him. "You don't always win, but you can always try to do it right, and you did."

Republican presidential candidates were scheduled to debate at the Reagan presidential library in Simi Valley on Wednesday night.

"I haven't talked to him," McCain said as he boarded a campaign charter plane Wednesday morning. "I'm going to talk to him today when we meet."

Separately, Giuliani said as he prepared to leave Florida for California Wednesday he was "not yet" ready to announce his intentions.

Tuesday's result was a remarkable collapse for Giuliani. Last year, he occupied the top of national polls and seemed destined to turn conventional wisdom on end by running as a moderate Republican who supported abortion rights, gay rights and gun control.

The results seriously decimated Giuliani's unconventional strategy, which relied heavily on Florida to launch him into the coast-to-coast Feb. 5 nominating contests.

But Florida proved to be less than hospitable. His poll numbers dropped and key endorsements went to McCain.

Surveys of voters leaving polling places Tuesday showed that Giuliani was getting backing from some Hispanics, abortion rights supporters and people worried about terrorism, but was not dominating in any area.

McCain, addressing his own supporters moments later in Miami, gave Giuliani a warm rhetorical embrace, a possible prologue to accepting Giuliani's expected support.

"I want to thank my dear friend, my dear friend Rudy Giuliani, who invested his heart and soul in this primary and who conducted himself with all the qualities of the exceptional American leader he truly is," McCain said. "Thank you, Rudy, for all you have added to this race and for being an inspiration to me and millions of Americans."

Giuliani hung his bid for the Republican presidential nomination on his leadership. His stalwart performance as New York mayor in the tense days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington earned him national magazine covers, international accolades and widespread praise.

Steadfast in a crisis, as a candidate Giuliani was a bundle of contradictions, so much so that he liked to joke that even he didn't always agree with himself.

A moderate-to-liberal New Yorker who backed abortion rights, gay rights and gun control in a party dominated by Southern conservatives, Giuliani became a Republican mayor of an overwhelmingly Democratic city. Campaigning for national office, he claimed to have created the most conservative government in the most liberal city in America.

After earning a reputation as a tough-talking, even abusive executive, Giuliani the presidential candidate was mostly mild-mannered in debates, even as those around him got meaner.

Giuliani, 63, first gained prominence as a crime-busting federal prosecutor in New York City. Jailing mob bosses, Wall Street executives and corrupt politicians helped propel his next career as a politician, but it wasn't an immediate success. He lost the first time he ran for mayor in 1989 before winning in 1993.

As mayor, he fostered a take-charge image by rushing to fires and crime scenes to brief the press, but some critics felt he was more concerned about taking credit from others for what became a historic decline in the city's crime rate during his tenure.

A bout with prostate cancer and the very public breakup of his marriage with second wife Donna Hanover - she first learned he was filing for divorce when he made the announcement at a televised news conference - forced Giuliani to withdraw from a race for the U.S. Senate against Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2000. The messy divorce was revisited in awkward detail once he re-entered politics.

With no working strategy in his presidential campaign, no primary victories and dwindling resources, the mayor's third-place finish in Florida spelled the end of his run, even if his crestfallen supporters couldn't believe it.

"They'll be sorry!" a woman with a New York accent called out to the mayor as he spoke. "You sound like my mother," Giuliani joked.

Phila. Police Commissioner Anti-Crime Plan Unveiled

Phila. Police Commissioner Anti-Crime Plan Unveiled

Philadelphia police commissioner Charles Ramsey has prepared his anti-crime plan for the mayor, and he was meeting with City Council members, rank-and-file officers, and the media on Wednesday morning at the Wachovia Center (above) to detail the plan. Mayor Michael Nutter was also there to take questions. Mayor Nutter's first official act, Executive Order #1-08, declared a crime emergency and directed Commissioner Ramsey to study the problem and draw up a plan to deal with it.

Chief Ramsey has made it clear that getting more officers on the street will be a cornerstone of the plan. And he wants them to be more visible. He has set an example, wearing his uniform and riding in a marked car, Car 1, for the public to see.

Ramsey says his plan is nothing fancy -- just a return to the business of policing. At the core of his plan, he has identified the nine police divisions in the city that are most ridden with crime, particularly homicides. By May 1st, he says, they will redeploy 200 more officers onto the streets, in uniform, to patrol.

In addition, Ramsey says, they will be reaching out to the community and getting patrol officers better integrated with the community, and expanding the use of surveillance cameras. He says they hope to go from 26 cameras to 250 by the end of the year.

And "stop and frisk" is part of the plan. Ramsey says there will be additional training in this standard police practice:

"So we want to do it and we want to do it appropriately. And one of the things I mentioned to the officers is the fact that because it has gotten so much attention from the media, there'll be a great deal of scrutiny around how we implement that particular tactic, even though they have been doing it for a number of years."

The crime-fighting plan also lays out some lofty performance goals, including reducing the number of homicides in the city by 25 percent by the end of 2008.

Mayor Nutter says the crime-fighting goals set out in this plan are attainable and residents can bank on it:

"Quite frankly, I hope that the hopes and expectations of citizens in this city are raised, because they've been too low for too long. I want people to have great expectations because we're going to deliver well, but we only get to do that with the publics help and support."

Nutter says he doesn't yet have a price tag for the additional manpower and equipment; he says he'll work with City Council to find a way to pay for it.

Edwards to Quit Presidential Race

Edwards to Quit Presidential Race

Democratic presidential hopeful former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., campaigns at the carpenters' union hall in this Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2008, file photo in St. Paul, Minn. Edwards is exiting the presidential race Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008, ending a scrappy underdog bid in which he steered his rivals toward progressive ideals while grappling with family hardship that roused voter's sympathies but never diverted his campaign, The Associated Press has learned.

DENVER (AP) -- Democrat John Edwards is exiting the presidential race Wednesday, ending a scrappy underdog bid in which he steered his rivals toward progressive ideals while grappling with family hardship that roused voters' sympathies, The Associated Press has learned.

The two-time White House candidate told his staff that he planned to make the announcement at a 1 p.m. EST event in New Orleans that had been billed as a speech on poverty. The decision came after Edwards lost the four states to hold nominating contests so far to rivals who stole the spotlight from the beginning - Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.

"He just said it was time to get out," said Dave "Mudcat" Saunders, Edwards' rural affairs adviser. "I still don't like walking away, but it was John's decision."

The former North Carolina senator will not immediately endorse either candidate in what is now a two-person race for the Democratic nomination, said one adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity in advance of the announcement. Clinton said Wednesday that Edwards called her to inform her about his decision.

"John Edwards ended his campaign today in the same way he started it - by standing with the people who are too often left behind and nearly always left out of our national debate," Clinton said.

Obama told reporters Edwards had exited the race in a "classy" way. "I think he's run a great campaign," said Obama, who aides said also spoke with Edwards Tuesday and asked for his endorsement. Obama aides said Edwards called again Wednesday morning to confirm the news he was dropping out.

In a statement from his campaign, Obama said Edwards "spent a lifetime fighting to give voice to the voiceless and hope to the struggling, even when it wasn't popular to do or covered in the news."

"While his campaign may end today, the cause of their lives endures for all of us who still believe that we can achieve that dream of one America," the statement said.

Four in 10 Edwards supporters said their second choice in the race is Clinton, while a quarter prefer Obama, according to an Associated Press-Yahoo poll conducted late this month. Both Clinton and Obama would welcome Edwards' backing and the support of the 56 delegates he had collected, most of whom will be free to support either Obama or Clinton, though some will probably look for guidance from Edwards.

Edwards' advisers said officially he would "suspend" his candidacy, but that was simply legal terminology so that he can continue to receive federal matching funds for his campaign donations.

An immediate impact of Edwards' withdrawal will be six additional delegates for Obama, giving him a total of 187, and four more for Clinton, giving her 253. A total of 2,025 delegates are needed to secure the Democratic nomination.

Edwards won 26 delegates in the Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina contests. Under party rules, 10 of those delegates will be automatically dispersed among Obama and Clinton, based on their vote totals in those respective contests. The remaining 16 remain pledged to Edwards, meaning his campaign will have a say in naming them.

Three superdelegates - mainly party and elected officials who automatically attend the convention and can support whomever they choose - had already switched from Edwards to Obama before news of Edwards' withdrawal from the race.

Kate Michelman, an adviser to the campaign and former president of NARAL-Pro Choice America, said she spoke to Edwards Wednesday morning and was disappointed to hear he planned to leave the race.

"He felt that this was the moment to take this step, given the reality of this campaign. This campaign has been about two celebrity candidates - excellent and qualified candidates - but celebrity candidates," Michelman said.

Edwards waged a spirited top-tier campaign against the two better-funded rivals, even as he dealt with the stunning blow of his wife's recurring cancer diagnosis. In a dramatic news conference last March, the couple announced that the breast cancer that she thought she had beaten had returned, but they would continue the campaign.

Their decision sparked a debate about family duty and public service. But Elizabeth Edwards remained a forceful advocate for her husband, and she was often surrounded at campaign events by well-wishers and emotional survivors cheering her on.

Edwards planned to announce his campaign was ending with his wife and three children at his side. Then he planned to work with Habitat for Humanity at the volunteer-fueled rebuilding project Musicians' Village, his campaign said.

With that, Edwards' campaign will end the way it began 13 months ago - with the candidate pitching in to rebuild lives in a city still ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Edwards embraced New Orleans as a glaring symbol of what he described as a Washington that didn't hear the cries of the downtrodden.

Edwards burst out of the starting gate with a flurry of progressive policy ideas - he was the first to offer a plan for universal health care, the first to call on Congress to pull funding for the war, and he led the charge that lobbyists have too much power in Washington and need to be reigned in.

The ideas were all bold and new for Edwards personally as well, making him a different candidate than the moderate Southerner who ran in 2004 while still in his first Senate term. But the themes were eventually adopted by other Democratic presidential candidates - and even a Republican, Mitt Romney, echoed the call for an end to special interest politics in Washington.

Edwards' rise to prominence in politics came amid just one term representing North Carolina in the Senate after a career as a trial attorney that made him millions. He was on Al Gore's short list for vice president in 2000 after serving just two years in office. He ran for president in 2004, and after he lost to John Kerry, the nominee picked him as a running mate.

Elizabeth Edwards first discovered a lump in her breast in the final days of that losing campaign. Her battle against the disease caused her husband to open up about another tragedy in their lives - the death of their teenage son Wade in a 1996 car accident. The candidate barely spoke of Wade during his 2004 campaign, but he offered his son's death to answer questions about how he could persevere when his wife could die.

Even as Obama and Clinton collected astonishing amounts of money that dwarfed his fundraising effort, Edwards maintained a loyal following in the first voting state of Iowa that made him a serious contender. He came in second to Obama in Iowa, an impressive feat of relegating Clinton to third place, before coming in third in the following three contests.

The loss in South Carolina was especially hard because it was where he was born and he had won the state in 2004.

Kennedy: 'It's time now for Barack Obama'

Kennedy: 'It's time now for Barack Obama'

Sen. Edward Kennedy backed Sen. Barack Obama for president Monday, saying, "It is time again for a new generation of leadership."

"It is time now for Barack Obama," the Massachusetts senator and brother of the late President Kennedy added.

He stood with Obama, his son, Rep. Patrick Kennedy, and his niece, Caroline Kennedy, before a screaming capacity crowd of students at American University in Washington.

"Like you, we want a president who appeals to the hopes of those who still believe in the American dream," he said.

"I've found that candidate. And it looks to me like you have too," he said. Watch Kennedy compare Obama to JFK

After Kennedy spoke, Obama told the boisterous crowed: "I know what your support means. I know the cherished place the Kennedy family holds in the hearts of the American people."

And the Illinois Democrats said he would work to carry on the vision the senator's brother laid out when he was president nearly five decades ago.

"The dream has never died ... it lives on in those Americans, young and old, rich and poor, black and white, Latino and Asian and Native American, gay and straight, who are tired of a politics that divides us and want to recapture the sense of common purpose that we had when John Kennedy was president of the United States of America," Obama said.

"That is the dream we hold in our hearts," Obama said. "That is the kind of leadership we long for in this country. And that is the kind of leadership I intend to offer as president of the United States of America."

Kennedy said he has always planned to "support the candidate who inspires me, who inspires all of us, who can lift our vision and summon our hopes and renew our belief that our country's best days are still to come."

And picking up on Obama's central campaign theme, he said, "I feel change in the air. What about you?"

Kennedy praised Sen. Hillary Clinton and former Sen. John Edwards, saying Edwards "has been a powerful advocate for economic and social justice. And Hillary Clinton has been in the forefront on issues ranging from health care to the rights of women around the world.

"Whoever is our nominee will have my enthusiastic support," he said.

But he also took a line from Clinton's campaign, saying that Obama "is ready to be president on Day 1."

And, in what may have been a veiled swipe at Clinton, Kennedy said of Obama, "From the beginning, he opposed the war in Iraq. And let no one deny that truth."

Clinton has pointed to various statements Obama has made about Iraq, suggesting he has not been consistent -- an accusation he has denied.

The senator -- a fixture of the Democratic Party popular with many liberals -- was introduced by Caroline Kennedy, who thought back to her father, the slain president. She said Obama offers the "sense of hope and inspiration" that Americans today need. In fact, she said, her children "were the first people who made me realize that Barack Obama is the president we need."

Caroline Kennedy endorsed Obama in a weekend New York Times editorial.

Members of the Kennedy clan are split in the race. Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend issued a statement Sunday stating her support for Hillary Clinton.

"I respect Caroline and Teddy's decision, but I have made a different choice," she said. "While I admire Sen. Obama greatly, I have known Hillary Clinton for over 25 years and have seen firsthand how she gets results. As a woman, leader and person of deep convictions, I believe Hillary Clinton would make the best possible choice for president."

She added that her brother Bobby and sister Kerry are also backing Clinton.

Kennedy Townsend is the oldest child of Robert F. Kennedy.

Sen. Edward Kennedy's decision to endorse Obama could help Obama's campaign as he seeks momentum toward Super Tuesday on February 5, when 22 states and American Samoa will weigh in on the Democratic race. In polls, Obama has trailed Clinton nationally.

Obama, coming off a victory in the South Carolina primary, has been seeking to expand his support nationwide. He won that state with the help of a large majority of African-American voters, while most white voters supported Clinton or Edwards.

Sen. Kennedy spoke enthusiastically, interrupted by frequent applause from the young crowd.

"When John Kennedy thought of going to the moon, he didn't say no, it was too far, maybe we couldn't get there and shouldn't even try," he said.

"I am convinced we can reach our goals only if we are not petty when our cause is so great -- only if we find a way past the stale ideas and stalemate of our times -- only if we replace the politics of fear with the politics of hope -- and only if we have the courage to choose change.

"Barack Obama is the one person running for president who can bring us that change. Barack Obama is the one person running for president who can be that change."

HoopGurlz

HoopGurlz

The past year has been that of ups and downs for Del Valle High School’s Shanay Washington. She finished her sophomore year with District MVP honors and numerous all-state honors after averaging more than 20 points per game. She was being recruited from top schools from all over the country. She was invited to participate in the USA Basketball Youth Developmental Festival, a near necessity if you want to have a chance at making an Olympic team.

Four nasty words would bring Washington’s amazing 2007 crashing down – anterior cruciate ligament tear. In a mid-July NCAA certified evaluation tournament in Atlanta, Ga., she tore the ligament in her right leg.

With 2008 came a commitment to Baylor and a chance to get back out on the court.

“I chose Baylor because I really love the coaches,” Washington said. “Coach (Mulkey) is amazing and I like the players I’m coming in with and I like the players now.”

Shanay Washington gets after a loose ball.

Washington made three trips to Waco during her recruitment. She went to the Baylor elite camp last summer, made an unofficial visit with her mother this fall and also went with her high school team just a few weeks ago to watch a home game.

Despite such an explosive player suffering a major injury, none of the schools recruiting Washington backed off. In some ways it was a blessing in disguise according to her high school coach Tawni Angel.

“If there’s one blessing in all of this, it forced Shanay to rest her body,” Angel said. “I mean with the AAU circuit it is non-stop.

The injury was repaired surgically August 17 and rehabilitation took Washington through the fall. She had the benefit of two fulltime trainers at Del Valle that could help her stay on top of her rehab and her conditioning.

“I really didn’t mind the rehab; it was the getting back in shape and the running that got me,” Washington said. “I got introduced to the weight room and working all the time.”

She’s been practicing with the team since the holidays but has seen only a few minutes here and there while rebuilding her strength and conditioning closer to 100 percent.

“I’m still working towards (100 percent), I’m pretty tough but I’m still working towards it.”

Washington has always been a gym rat and the heart ache of not being able to play was the first emotional hurdle she had to deal with but through it she found opportunity.

“It was hard because I really wanted to be out there,” Washington said. “It taught me a lot. I feel I’m smarter now. Now that I’m a coach, I’m a player, I’m a leader. I’ve grown a lot with this injury.”

She had to learn to support her team not by example but through encouragement and even coaching. These two areas are vital in developing great leadership qualities.

“I’m getting used to it,” Washington said of her progress as a leader. “I’m comfortable with it.”

With Washington’s eventual return as an impact player for Del Valle comes the hope of a playoff run. Without her they are in a race for playoff seeding and hope that she is back in the groove for their district playoffs. As for the future, she completes a fantastic trio headed to Baylor for the 2009 class.

Shanay Washington grabs a rebound.

Baylor has now secured three verbal commitments from the class and all three are ranked in the HoopGurlz.com Super Sixty. These commitments should catapult them near the top of the class rankings next year.

Brittney Griner was the first to commit to Baylor and also the highest ranked player in the class to date at No. 2. Griner is a game changing player who, at 6-foot-7, also has incredible mobility and athleticism that allows her to impact the game in many ways on top of her notoriety as a dunker. Jordan Madden, a 6-foot wing committed to Baylor a week ago. Madden is ranked No. 30 in the Super Sixty and along with Washington, a 6-1 combo guard who is ranked No. 57, will comprise a dynamic backcourt tandem for the future.

Both Madden and Washington are elated to play with a post player as talented as Griner. Madden in fact will play with Griner this summer with DFW Elite, a club team based out of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. All three 2009 recruits have competed against each other and with each other when they attended the Baylor elite camp last year. The class so far should have the Bears’ fan base electrified with hopes of another run like 2005 when Baylor won the national championship.

Baylor has five players averaging in double figures this season and four of them will have graduated by the time this class arrives. This really characterizes this dynamic class as reloading for the Bears. With Griner in the paint and talented young wings the Bears have also nabbed their point guard of the future with the verbal commitment of 2010 point guard Odessey Sims. Sims will also play with Griner and Madden on DFW Elite this club season.

Wikipedia: The Encyclopedia for WVSR-AM Black and Greek History Outreach

Wikipedia: The Encyclopedia for WVSR-AM Black and Greek History Outreach

In his message to various groups of Pennsylvanians, Pavlos Michaels, associate professor of Greek and Solar history at the Global marketing Systems, Inc., shared a lot about America’s Greek and Black history. He learned about the Greek Language or simply ("Hellenic") has a documented history of 3,400 years, the longest of any single natural language in the Indo-European language family. Michaels learned about the mysterious tree in Madisonville whose growth patterns and leaf coloration pinpointed the body of a murdered black woman named Mandy who had been buried beneath it.

And Pavlos learned Greek has been written in the Greek alphabet (the oldest continuously used alphabet, and the first to introduce vowels) since the 9th century BC in Greece (before that in Linear B), and the 4th century BC in Cyprus (before that in Cypriot syllabify). Greek literature has a continuous history of nearly three thousand years. And Greek language helped discover the use of solar energy usage today.

Professor Pavlos recognized that a lot of people both Black and Greek in states like Pennsylvania need to visit the Internet and talk with other local people about what they have found using WVSR1360.1 AM Black & Greek History Outreach. WVSR1360.1 AM or WVSR-AM allows people who want to take it upon themselves to research their Black and Greek history to do so using Wikipedia encyclopedia online.

Professor Michaels, a Greek man himself, was intrigued by the historical tidbits, that can fortunately help education and economics to be included in the special project he is working on that creates a solar energy usage to improve real-estate nationally. Pavlos is especially looking at the big cities like say, Philadelphia, to improve solar usage and knowledge about history.

What began in January 2008 as a simple suggestion for a new literary project at WVSR1360.1 AM, "Philadelphia Internet Radio Station," has blossomed into a venture that is unique in Philly. Pavlos, a noted professor, and other history lovers at WVSR-AM Philadelphia are editing, and publishing text about Black American and Greek American History -in volume encyclopedia form that will be a quick reference for the history of American Blacks and American Greeks in Philadelphia. A History of Blacks and Greeks in America has been published, but nothing that comprehensive has been published since the Wikipedia encyclopedia.

While Professor Michaels will do most of the work dealing with solar energy, the rest of us can play a role as well. We can either write a brief entry for a part of both Black and Greek history at the radio stations outreach Web site home page, www.wvsr1360.com or Professor Pavlos can send them a suggestion for an entry that isn't listed to write a concise history of Black Americans and Greek Americans.

Now, with the Wikipedia’s encyclopedia's home page on the net and WVSR-AM’s Outreach Library at the radio stations website, with an interactive Web site up and running, it is time to start the new stuff that makes others a part of history.

Anyone wanting to write one of the brief histories should go to www.wvsr1360.com, create an account, select a person, place or thing and send off a term and agreement email. It is up to you to research as much as you can about your selection and then submit it. Most entries are unlimited words. The project also needs our financial help. Send donations to Van Stone Productions P.O. Box 395 E. Lansdowne, PA 19050 or click the donate button at wvsr1360.1 website for the Black & Greek History Outreach Encyclopedia Project

House to Vote Today on Rebate Package

House to Vote Today on Rebate Package

Vannia Jerry, left, and her mother Kristen Jerry shop at Steve & Barry's store on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2007 in New York. The success of the federal $150 billion emergency economic stimulus plan will hinge on whether American consumers do what they do best _ spend, spend, spend. President Bush and leaders in Congress hope people will spend those rebates _ a flat-screen television, maybe, or a trip to Disneyland _ to help revive an economy sagging from bad mortgage lending and a lack of confidence in the stock market.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The $146 billion economic aid package on a fast track to passage in the House faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where lawmakers in both parties are trying to tack on billions for senior citizens and the unemployed. The House planned a Tuesday afternoon vote on its plan to speed rebates of up to $600-$1,200 to most income earners while giving tax breaks to businesses.

Max Baucus, the Finance Committee chairman, set a Wednesday vote on a roughly $160 billion version he unveiled Monday, which gives $500-$1,000 rebates to a broader group, including older Americans living off Social Security and wealthier taxpayers, and would extend unemployment benefits.

Senate leaders hope to pass it by week's end, said Jim Manley, a spokesman for Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

The action put the Senate on a collision course with President Bush, who used his State of the Union message Monday night to pressure the Senate to resist the temptation to "load up the bill."

"That would delay it or derail it, and neither option is acceptable," the president said. "This is a good agreement that will keep our economy growing and our people working."

The House plan brought together Democrats and Republicans, both of whom surrendered cherished proposals to reach a deal. The White House and congressional leaders agree it is critical to enact an economic recovery package as soon as possible to help head off a recession and boost consumer confidence.

Senior House Democrats were among those warning the Senate not to tinker too heavily with the package their leaders negotiated. Rep. Charles B. Rangel, D-N.Y., the Ways and Means chairman, said Baucus, D-Mont., was "walking on very thin ice" with his proposal to send rebates to wealthier taxpayers, which he said could jeopardize the entire package.

"By eliminating the income cap, we would only further grow the divide between rich and poor that has already grown so much under President Bush's policies," Rangel said. Adding an unemployment extension or other spending such as food stamp, Medicaid or heating assistance could improve the plan, he added.

In the Senate, though, Republicans were as eager as Democrats to revamp the plan. Several GOP senators backed the proposal to extend unemployment payments for 13 weeks for those whose benefits have run out, with 26 more weeks available in states with the highest jobless rates. Some also have asked for more business tax breaks.

"Many of these additions have bipartisan support, and I hope that the president will recognize that the White House needs to negotiate with the Senate as well as the House," said Sen. Susan M. Collins, R-Maine, who backs both the rebates for seniors and the unemployment extension.

Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, a Finance Committee member, called the unemployment extension "critical" and said she supported ensuring that the rebates reached the elderly.

Under Senate plan, some 20 million senior citizens not covered by the House plan because they don't have income would receive rebates.

"The White House says we mustn't slow the economic stimulus agreement down, or blow it up," Baucus said. "I agree. We're going to improve it and get it passed right away."

Baucus' plan would send rebates to all Americans with earned income of $3,000 or more, while the House plan gives only partial rebates to individuals with adjusted gross incomes of more than $75,000 and couples with incomes in excess of $150,000, and no rebate at all to the wealthiest taxpayers.

It also would restore a business tax break dropped during the House negotiations that would permit corporations suffering losses now to reclaim taxes previously paid.

Congressional analysts were still crunching numbers to determine the final cost of the Senate proposal. In the House, they put out new estimates tallying the cost of the House plan at about $145 billion - lower than the initial $150 billion estimate - and said it would send rebates to about 111 million taxpayers rather than the 117 million previously projected.

Sen. Kennedy Backing Obama for President

Sen. Kennedy Backing Obama for President

In this Oct. 10, 2006, file photo, Caroline Kennedy speaks after receiving the 2006 Platinum Quill award during the Second Annual Quill Awards at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts will endorse Senate colleague Barack Obama for president, party officials confirmed on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2008. An official close to the senator said the announcement will be made during an Obama campaign rally at American University, where he will be joined by Sen. Kennedy and his niece, Caroline Kennedy, who also has endorsed Obama. (AP Photo/Stephen Chernin, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Two generations of Kennedys - Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy and his son, Rep. Partrick Kennedy of Rhode Island - are endorsing fellow Democrat Barack Obama for president.

Obama's campaign said the senator planned to attend midday event at American University along with his niece, Caroline Kennedy, who announced her support for Obama over the weekend.

Robin Costello, a spokeswoman for Patrick Kennedy, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that the senator and congressman probably will campaign around the country for Obama, although no concrete plans are set yet.

In a television interview Sunday, Obama would not answer questions about an endorsement from the elder Kennedy. "Any of the Democratic candidates would love to have Ted Kennedy's support. And we have certainly actively sought it," the Illinois senator said.

Edward Kennedy's endorsement was highly sought after by all the Democratic candidates. Besides his status as a liberal icon and member of the Kennedy dynasty, Kennedy boasts a broad national fundraising and political network as well.

Caroline Kennedy wrote in Saturday's New York Times that Obama could inspire Americans in the same way that her father, President John F. Kennedy, did.

Another of Sen. Kennedy's nieces, former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, issued a statement Sunday in support of Clinton.

Also Monday, Obama picked up the endorsement of author Toni Morrison, who once labeled Bill Clinton as the "first black president." Morrison said she has has admired Obama rival Hillary Rodham Clinton for years because of her knowledge and mastery of politics, but cited Obama's "creative imagination which coupled with brilliance equals wisdom."

Phila. Inquirer Endorses Obama; Story At Phila. Front Page News

Phila. Inquirer Endorses Obama; Story At Phila. Front Page News





The Philadelphia Inquirer endorsed Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain Saturday for their parties' presidential nomination.

The Inquirer said in an editorial posted on its web site that McCain, an Arizona senator, has "personal bravery, political courage and a confident sense of how he would lead this country."

"He's the authentic candidate in a field of wannabes and flip-floppers," the paper wrote.
For Democrats, the Inquirer said Obama, an Illinois senator, "offers more than pretty words."

"In debates and speeches, he has provided details of a White House program that, with adjustments, could produce the outcomes this nation needs," the paper wrote.

"Obama is the best Democrat to lead this nation past the nasty, partisan, Washington-as-usual politics that have blocked consensus on Iraq; politics that never blinked at the greedy, subprime mortgage schemes that could spawn a recession; politics that have greatly diminished our country's stature in the world," the Inquirer said.

While criticizing McCain for his willingness to keep US troops in Iraq indefinitely, the paper praised him for opposing the Bush administration's condoning of torture for enemy combatants.

Pennsylvania votes April 22 but neighboring New Jersey and Delaware, which include areas where the Inquirer circulates, vote Feb. 5.

Obama Says SC Win Turns a Page

Obama Says SC Win Turns a Page

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., right, worships at the Harvest Cathedral Chapel with Debbie Sawyer, left, wife of Pastor Steve Sawyer (not shown) in Macon, Ga., Sunday, Jan. 27, 2008.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- Democrat Barack Obama said Sunday that his landslide win in South Carolina's presidential primary marks a turn in political history, showing that a black candidate can appeal to voters of all colors and in all regions.

The Illinois senator told a raucous crowd of more than 9,000 here that his big victory Saturday disproved the old notion "that if you get black votes, you can't get white votes," and vice versa.

"We're going to write a new chapter in the South, we're going to write a new chapter in American history," he said during his 64-minute speech to a capacity crowd at the University of Alabama at Birmingham basketball arena. The crowd was roughly two-thirds black and one-third white.

Earlier Sunday he made a similar argument, responding to comments by former President Clinton that some interpreted as an effort to diminish Obama's win Saturday over Hillary Rodham Clinton. Bill Clinton noted that Jesse Jackson won the South Carolina primary in 1984 and 1988. Jackson never became the party's presidential nominee.

Obama, speaking during a television interview, said "there's no doubt" that Jackson set a precedent for blacks seeking the presidency. But he noted that was two decades ago.

"I think that what we saw in this election was a shift in South Carolina," he said, with implications "all across the country. I think people want change. I think they want to get beyond some of the racial politics that, you know, has been so dominant in the past."

Obama resisted being drawn into a spat with the Clintons, even though he suggested they are part of a political past the country is ready to leave behind.

"I think that Bill Clinton did important work back in the 1990s," he said. "The question is, now we're in 2008, and how do we move it forward to the next phase?"

"I think that in the '90s, we got caught up in a slash-and-burn politics that the American people are weary of," Obama said.

"Now, that is not the Clintons' fault," he said on ABC's "This Week." "It is all of our faults, in the sense that we've gotten into these bad habits and we can't seem to have disagreements without being disagreeable."

Later, speaking with reporters during a flight from Georgia to Alabama, Obama said, "I think the country wants to look forward, and that has always been the central thesis of our campaign."

He said Hillary Clinton will have an advantage in the sprawling race on Feb. 5, when Democrats vote in 22 states, because of her nearly universal name recognition. "It presents more of a challenge for us," he said, because he needs time for voters to get to know him.

Obama declined to directly condemn Clinton for urging that Democratic Party officially recognize delegates awarded to the winner of Tuesday's largely ignored Democratic primary in Florida. The national party has said it will not sanction Tuesday's results because the state insisted on scheduling its presidential primary too early in the year. Clinton said she will travel to Florida on Tuesday.

"All the candidates made a pledge that we would campaign in the early states and we would not campaign in Florida and Michigan," Obama said. "I will abide by the promises I made."

As Obama campaigned in Georgia and Alabama, party officials confirmed that Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy planned to endorse him Monday in Washington. Obama was endorsed during the weekend by Caroline Kennedy, the senator's niece and daughter of the late President Kennedy.

In Macon, Ga., Obama spoke for about a half hour to about 1,000 people at the interracial and interdenominational Harvest Cathedral. He talked about how he became a committed Christian as a young man in Chicago after rarely attending church as a child.

On his first visit to the church he now belongs to, Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Obama said, "I was introduced to Jesus in a way I had never been before."

Part of his mission as a politician, he said, is "to go out and do the Lord's work."

Recounting the biblical story of the Good Samaritan, Obama said, "Our commitment cannot rest so long as we are still divided by race" and have homeless veterans, poor schools, uninsured people and unemployed workers.

Georgia and Alabama are among the 15 states holding Democratic primaries on Feb. 5. Seven other states hold Democratic caucuses that day.