How low, can the oil go?

Analysts and economists say that oil could drop below $50 a barrel, and even under $40. However, they say it can rise just as fast. The oil prices have been on such a deep decline because of evidence that the deepening recession would have a severe impact on demand, reducing the use of oil by industries and individuals alike.

It is different in all areas around the country, but I just recently saw the price of gas drop below $2 a gallon. I’m sure everyone is liking this low price of gas, but we need to remember to keep using as little as possible. If the demand jumps up again, the price per barrel can easily rise.

Veterans Day

Today we celebrate Veterans Day. Originally proclaimed by President Woodrow Wilson as Armistice Day, we celebrate the the soldiers that have fought and given their lives for our freedom. The soldiers, past and present, have fought bravely and honorably to keep our country free and we owe them our gratitude. Be sure today to talk to any veteran you may know and thank them for their service and duty they paid to this wonderful country.

Bush shares his thoughts on his presidency

As his presidency nears its end, a reflective President Bush suggested Tuesday he regrets some of his more blunt statements on the war on terror over the last eight years, and said he wishes he had not spoken in front of a “Mission Accomplished” banner only a month after U.S. troops in Iraq were deployed

I regret saying some things I shouldn’t have said.

Bush told CNN’s Heidi Collins when asked to reflect on his regrets over his two terms as president.

Like ‘dead or alive’ and ‘Bring ‘em on.’ My wife reminded me that, hey, as President of the United States, be careful what you say. I am proud to be the commander in chief of people who are so selfless and so courageous that they would volunteer to serve our country in a time of war, I’m proud when I see people feed the hungry. I’m proud when I’m in Africa and see volunteers helping those citizens dying of HIV/AIDS. I remember the conversation I had with my predecessor Bill Clinton. As a matter of fact, [I] called him yesterday and said, ‘Bill, I’m getting ready to meet with the new president and I remember how gracious you were to me. I hope I can be as gracious to President-elect Obama as you were to me.’

Obama plans to close Guantanamo

President elect Barack Obama and his advisers are crafting plans to close the Guantanamo Bay prison and prosecute terrorism suspects in the U.S. Bush had recently said that this would be “easier said than done.” Many of the 250 Guantanamo detainees are cleared for release, but the Bush administration has not able been to find a country willing to take them.

Obama foreign policy adviser Denis McDonough said the president-elect wants Guantanamo closed, but no decision has been made “about how and where to try the detainees, and there is no process in place to make that decision until his national security and legal teams are assembled.”

Bush approval ratings drop to lowest in Presedential history

From a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey: only 16 percent of those questioned in a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Monday say things are going well in the country today. That’s an all-time low. Eighty-three percent say things are going badly, which is an all-time high.

Death threats rising

Secret service has reported more than 500 death threats toward Obama in the past months. Measures are being taken to prevent any harm to the president. Something currently in development is a “super safe” limousine. A vehicle that can sustain not only all bullet attacks, but also most explosives. Obama’s wife is perhaps the most concerned, but Obama has said: “It’s not something that I’m spending time thinking about day to day. I think anybody who decides to run for president recognises that there are some risks involved.”

Jon Stewart: Sarah Palin is so dumb…

John Stewart rips Palin on the Daily Show. It can be seen here: The Daily Show

Bush attempts to block release of prisoner abuse photos

In September, a three-judge panel ordered the government to release photos as part of an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit seeking information on the abuse of prisoners held in U.S. custody overseas. The Bush administration petitioned an appeals court to overturn the decision forcing the DoD to show photos of Iraq and Afghanistan prisoners receiving abuse.

“This petition is a transparent attempt to delay accountability for the widespread abuse of prisoners held in U.S. custody abroad by keeping the public in the dark,” said Amrit Singh, staff attorney with the ACLU. “These photographs demonstrate that the abuse of prisoners held in U.S. custody abroad was not aberrational and not confined to Abu Ghraib, but the result of policies adopted by the highest-ranking officials in the administration. The immediate release of these photos is critical to bringing an end to the Bush administration’s torture policies and for preventing prisoner abuse in the future.”

The government has attempted to expand exemptions allowed under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for withholding records. However, the appeals court decided against the Bush appeals. Already more than 100,000 pages of government documents have been released because of the lawsuit. they can be seen online here: www.aclu.org/torturefoia

Iran upset about Obama’s nuclear critisism

Obama had said that a nuclear armed Iran would be “unacceptable.” Iran’s parliament speaker Ali Larijani said that Obama’s message for change should also be applied to America’s views on Iran. Larijani said that the change in belief of Iran to the US wouldn’t come easily, but Obama’s election showed internal conditions in the United States have shifted. Obama cautioned that he still is not president, that America can only have one president at a time. Obama will not take office until January 20, 2009.

Obama’s Change.gov Site Launches

Obama’s website will feature all the information, events and policys of the new administration.

Throughout the Presidential Transition Project, this website will be your source for the latest news, events, and announcements so that you can follow the setting up of the Obama Administration. And just as this historic campaign was, from the beginning, about you — the transition process will offer you opportunities to participate in redefining our government.

The new site is available at this adress: Change.gov