28 Nov 2011, Mon, SoS and Staff Schedule

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/appt/2011/11/177775.htm
SECRETARY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
9:00 a.m. Secretary Clinton and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu co-host a U.S.-EU Energy Council Ministerial Meeting, at the Department of State.
(OPEN PRESS COVERAGE FOR OPENING REMARKS)

10:30 a.m. Secretary Clinton holds a bilateral meeting with EU High Representative Catherine Ashton, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

11:00 a.m. Secretary Clinton meets with International Energy Agency Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

11:45 a.m. Secretary Clinton attends the U.S.-EU Summit meeting hosted by President Obama at the White House.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY WHITE HOUSE)

PM Secretary Clinton departs for foreign travel. Click here for more information.

DEPUTY SECRETARY BILL BURNS
Deputy Secretary Burns attends meetings at the White House.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY WHITE HOUSE)

DEPUTY SECRETARY TOM NIDES
12:00 p.m. Deputy Secretary Nides meets with Myron Brilliant of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

7:00 p.m. Deputy Secretary Nides delivers remarks to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, in Washington, DC.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY HOST)

USAID ADMINISTRATOR RAJ SHAH
Administrator Shah is on foreign travel in Busan, Republic of Korea to participate in the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness.

US FOR ECONOMIC, ENERGY AND AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS ROBERT HORMATS
10:45 a.m. Under Secretary Hormats delivers remarks at an event co-hosted by the Global Tiger Initiative and the World Bank, in Washington, DC.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY HOST)

12:30 p.m. Under Secretary Hormats meets with International Energy Agency Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

7:30 p.m. Under Secretary Hormats meets with representatives from the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC), in Washington, DC.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

US FOR DEMOCRACY AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS MARIA OTERO
Under Secretary Otero is on foreign travel to Central America and Brazil through December 7.

COUNSELOR AND CHIEF OF STAFF CHERYL MILLS
PM Counselor Mills accompanies Secretary Clinton on foreign travel. Click here for more information.

AS FOR SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIAN AFFAIRS ROBERT BLAKE
1:00 p.m. Assistant Secretary Blake meets with David Kilcullen of Caerus Associates LLC, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AS FOR EAST ASIAN PACIFIC AFFAIRS KURT CAMPBELL
PM Assistant Secretary Campbell accompanies Secretary Clinton on foreign travel. Click here for more information.

AS FOR ECONOMIC, ENERGY AND BUSINESS AFFAIRS JOSE FERNANDEZ
Assistant Secretary Fernandez meets with Ambassador Craig Kelly of the Cohen Group, in Washington, DC.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AS FOR EUROPEAN AND EURASIAN AFFAIRS PHIL GORDON
9:00 a.m. Assistant Secretary Gordon participates in the U.S.-EU Energy Council meetings, at the Department of State.
(CAMERA SPRAY)

11:45 a.m. Assistant Secretary Gordon participates in the U.S.-EU Summit at the White House.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY WHITE HOUSE)

AS SECRETARY FOR WESTERN HEMISPHERE AFFAIRS ROBERTA JACOBSON
Acting Assistant Secretary Jacobson meets with Jose Miguel Vivanco of Human Rights Watch, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

ACTING AS OF STATE FOR POPULATION, REFUGEES AND MIGRATION DAVID ROBINSON
Acting Assistant Secretary Robinson is on foreign travel in Geneva, Switzerland through December 1 to participate in the 31st International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.

AS FOR EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS ANN STOCK (R)
Assistant Secretary Stock (R) is on foreign travel in India through December 2. She visits New Delhi, Chandigarh and Chennai to plan the next steps in the U.S.-India Educational Dialogue.

AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE FOR WAR CRIMES ISSUES STEPHEN RAPP
Ambassador Rapp is on foreign travel in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where he meetings with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE FOR GLOBAL WOMEN’S ISSUES MELANNE VERVEER
Ambassador Verveer is on foreign travel in Busan, Republic of Korea to participate in the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness.

SR FOR GLOBAL INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS RETA JO LEWIS
Special Representative Lewis is on foreign travel to Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai and New Delhi, India, through December 2.

SPECIAL ENVOY TO MONITOR AND COMBAT ANTI-SEMITISM HANNAH ROSENTHAL
Special Envoy Rosenthal meets with Norwegian Ambassador Wegger Christian Strommen, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

Special Envoy Rosenthal meets with Swedish Ambassador Jonas Hafstrom and Swedish journalist, Olle Wastberg, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

DIRECTOR OF POLICY PLANNING JAKE SULLIVAN
PM Director Sullivan accompanies Secretary Clinton on foreign travel. Click here for more information.

PRESS BRIEFING SCHEDULE:
12:30 p.m. Daily Press Briefing with Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner

___________
My Schedule of Regular Posts:
*Monday through Friday morning - schedules of President, VP and Secretary of State and her diplomats
*Monday through Friday afternoon - List of topics Limbaugh discussed on his program that day
*Monday through Friday throughout the day - My posts on anything that I feel like talking about. At least one or two a day, sometimes more.
*Saturday through Sunday morning - An addition to my booklist of political books - covering Democrats, Republicans and other interested parties.

28 Nov 2011, Mon, Pres and VP Schedule

http://www.whitehouse.gov/schedule/president
10:30 am
The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing
Oval Office
Closed Press

11:45 am
The President hosts a summit meeting with the leaders of the European Union
Roosevelt Room
Pool Spray at the Top

12:30 pm
The President hosts an EU summit lunch
Cabinet Room
Closed Press

1:40 pm
The President, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso deliver statements
Roosevelt Room
Pool Spray

http://www.whitehouse.gov/schedule/vice-president
No public schedule.


_____________
My Schedule of Regular Posts:
*Monday through Friday morning - schedules of President, VP and Secretary of State and her diplomats
*Monday through Friday afternoon - List of topics Limbaugh discussed on his program that day
*Monday through Friday throughout the day - My posts on anything that I feel like talking about. At least one or two a day, sometimes more.
*Saturday through Sunday morning - An addition to my booklist of political books - covering Democrats, Republicans and other interested parties.

South Korea Gives Aid To North Korea

It's interesting to see that, even though South Korea and North Korea are still technically at war.... South Korea is giving food aid to them!

You've got to wonder why this isn't extremely humiliating to the North Koreans - to see their enemies - and a superior type of government - give aid to them.

Or is the North Korean government laughing all the way to the bank? Why should they have to feed their citizens, when their enemies will do it for them?

From Bloomberg Business Week: SKorean official travels to NKorea to monitor aid

SEOUL, South Korea -- A South Korean official will help monitor the distribution of humanitarian aid to North Korean children for the first time in three years, the Seoul government said Friday.

He is the first South Korean government official to travel to Pyongyang to monitor aid distribution since conservative President Lee Myung-bak took office in 2008 with a tough policy toward North Korean aid. The visit is seen as a key sign that relations are improving after years of tension.

The divided Korean peninsula remains in a technical state of war because their three-year conflict ended in 1953 with an armistice, not a peace treaty.

Relations have been particularly tense during Lee's presidency, culminating in a North Korean artillery attack on a front-line island a year ago that killed four South Koreans.

The South Korean official left Friday for Pyongyang along with four aid workers, the Unification Ministry said in a statement. He is expected to remain in the North until Tuesday to help monitor the distribution of 300 tons of flour for North Korean children. The flour is being provided by a South Korean civic group.

Some 6 million North Koreans, about a quarter of the population, will go hungry without outside food aid, according to the World Food Program.

South Korean officials have not traveled to North Korea to monitor food aid since Lee took office with a tough policy on linking assistance to North Korea's progress in dismantling its nuclear program.

However, in recent months, officials from both Koreas have met to discuss ways to resume nuclear disarmament-for-aid talks. Seoul has also allowed religious and cultural figures to visit North Korea.

On Thursday, South Korean scholars visited a North Korean border town to join a project to recover and preserve an ancient Korean palace.

Time to End the "Black Friday" Madness

I've been browsing the internet, reading about all the violence that took place yesterday thanks to "Black Friday" - in which people who should have been home enjoying time with their family were instead out shopping and in many cases getting beaten up or beating others up, or getting shot.

It is ridiculous!

Apparently there was one case where someone actually died at a Walmart and people just walked around or stepped over the body... this happened last year too, if I recall.

Of course Walmart will be sued for not having enough security...or maybe even for just creating a climate where this kind of animalistic-behavior (and I hate to use that phrase as its insulting to animals, who don't have the consciousness to know better, while people are people and should).

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My Schedule of Regular Posts:
*Monday through Friday morning - schedules of President, VP and Secretary of State and her diplomats
*Monday through Friday afternoon - List of topics Limbaugh discussed on his program that day
*Monday through Friday throughout the day - My posts on anything that I feel like talking about. At least one or two a day, sometimes more.
*Saturday through Sunday morning - An addition to my booklist of political books - covering Democrats, Republicans and other interested parties.

Why women don't sue their rapists

From Slate: Why Don't More Women Sue Their Rapists?
Because the Supreme Court took away part of the Violence Against Women Act.
By Claire Bushey|Posted Wednesday, May 26, 2010, at 10:07 AM ET

When the Supreme Court struck down a portion of the Violence Against Women Act 10 years ago this month, the justices made it clear they thought victims of sexual violence had the right to sue their attackers. They just didn't think federal court was the place to do it.

The rationale behind VAWA, which Congress passed in 1994, was simple enough: Rape, a crime committed mostly against women and girls, constituted a brutal violation of their civil rights. Lawsuits could help victims hold rapists accountable. In 1994, Christy Brzonkala, then a student at Virginia Tech, accused football players James Crawford and Antonio Morrison of raping her. She sued Morrison and the school under VAWA's new civil rights remedy. In 2000, in United States v. Morrison, the court said that Brzonkala's suit couldn't go forward because Congress had overstepped its constitutional authority by creating a federal remedy in the criminal-justice realm that usually falls to the states. "If the allegations here are true, no civilized system of justice could fail to provide [Brzonkala] a remedy," Chief Justice William Rehnquist wrote for the majority. "But under our federal system that remedy must be provided by the Commonwealth of Virginia, and not by the United States."

And yet a decade later, rape victims in most states have yet to recover the legal advantages they lost when VAWA's civil rights remedy was struck down. To be sure, the number of civil cases in state court alleging sexual assault has increased dramatically. Research by Ellen Bublick, a professor at the University of Arizona's law school, shows that state supreme courts heard more than 100 sexual violence suits between 2000 and 2005, compared with fewer than 10 between 1970 and 1975. That translates into hundreds or even thousands of cases in trial courts, most of which probably ended in settlement.

But most of these lawsuits go after third-party defendants—the kind with assets. The woman plaintiff brings a negligence claim against a shopping mall guarded by apathetic rent-a-cops or a nursing home that doesn't screen for a criminal background when it hires. These kinds of defendants offer the possibility of a hefty judgment that can pay for a lawyer's work on the case. Without that, attorneys often turn down cases even if they're winners, said Jeff Dion, director of the National Crime Victim Bar Association. Though lawsuits against third-party defendants occasionally also name the rapist, "their responsibility is a far less frequent focus of inquiry," Bublick wrote. Dion said that for every case the National Crime Victim Bar Association's 300 lawyers take, "there's 10 they turn away." Peter Everett, a Virginia attorney who handles negligence cases against malls and hotels with inadequate security, said he turns down more than half the cases he's offered.

VAWA's civil remedy made it easier for women to find lawyers to take their cases against individual rapists because it encouraged courts to award attorney's fees to successful plaintiffs. The federal law also made it easier for women to sue by extending the statute of limitations to four years. (In most states, for cases like these, the time period is about two years.)

Victims need the weapon of a lawsuit because the criminal courts don't always serve their interests. A 2004 study of sex crimes in Philadelphia and Kansas City, Mo., found that only half of the cases that resulted in an arrest were prosecuted. When prosecutors who doubt a victim's story are unwilling to press criminal charges, a civil suit allows the victim a different measure of justice. Juries determine guilt using a lower burden of proof; instead of deciding whether a defendant is guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt," a plaintiff need only demonstrate that "a preponderance of the evidence" points to guilt, making it easier for victims to prevail. Victims don't send their rapists to prison by suing them, but the damages they can win are another form of punishment. Damages can also help replace a rape victim's lost income and pay for counseling. "The criminal case is about paying your debt to society," Dion says. "The civil case is about [perpetrators] paying their debt to the victim."

Along with its practical importance for victims, VAWA promised a more abstract kind of benefit that was lost when the Supreme Court struck down the relevant portion of the law. Introducing the legislation in 1990, then-Sen. Joe Biden pointed out that more than 90 percent of sex crimes are committed against women. And yet, he argued, "we ignore the implication: a rape or sex assault should be deemed a civil rights crimes, just as 'hate beatings' aimed at blacks or Asians are widely recognized as violations of their civil rights." Even when states address rape victims' practical concerns by extending the time they have to sue or encouraging courts to award attorney's fees, they don't challenge the public to rethink rape as an attack on women because they are women—in other words, as a form of discrimination.

At the moment, only Illinois, California, and New York City have laws that pick up on this message of VAWA. In a training presentation she gives to volunteer rape crisis counselors, Kaethe Morris Hoffer, legal director for Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, talks about a client who won a judgment in Cook County under Illinois' Gender Violence Act. The man who raped her has to write a check for damages every month. Hoffer hopes that, when he writes that check to his victim, for a moment he thinks about what he did. If he's ever tempted to assault a woman again, maybe he will decide it isn't worth it.

It's All About the Money

People donated to the Second Mile to help at-risk youth. The Second Mile folk want to close that charity - tainted by Sandusky's activities - and transfer all that money to new charities that would also help kids.

Not so fast, say the lawyers for the victims.

They want all that money for themselves. (The lawyers do, that is.)

I don't mean to minimize the trauma these kids went through. But do they really need to be put on easy street for the rest of their lives, which is apparently what these lawyers want to have happen? Do female rape victims get to sue their attackers for millions of dollars, as well as putting their rapist in jail? I think all they get to do is put their rapist in jail.

Lawyers seek to keep Sandusky charity solvent to allow lawsuits
PITTSBURGH -- Lawyers want a youth charity established by a former Penn State football assistant coach at the heart of a child molestation scandal to stay solvent so they can file future lawsuits for victims.

The Second Mile shouldn't be allowed to dissolve its assets, according to a lawsuit filed late Wednesday on behalf of someone who claims to be a victim of Jerry Sandusky, the charity's founder. The complaint also suggests some of the future legal strategies that may be used in civil lawsuits.

Lawyers Benjamin Andreozzi and Jeffrey Fritz are seeking an injunction to stop The Second Mile from dissolving or transferring its assets. Nonprofit corporations that cease operations are generally allowed to transfer assets to other charitable groups with a similar mission.

"We felt it was necessary to take this action after learning the organization was considering transferring its programs and not continuing its operations," Andreozzi said, referring to reports last week that the charity was mulling several different options for its future, including the possibility of shutting down.

"We believe it is in the best interest of our clients, as well as the other victims, to ensure that the organization is being financially responsible. The injunction would not interrupt the everyday operations of The Second Mile or its existing programs," Andreozzi said in a statement.

Sandusky, Penn State's former defensive coordinator and coach Joe Paterno's one-time heir apparent, founded The Second Mile in 1977. The group said last week it was considering its future in light of the scandal and its options include closing, though no decision has been made. The charity's most recent tax filing showed it had almost $9 million in assets.

David Woodle, who was named acting CEO earlier this month after longtime leader Jack Raykovitz resigned, said the organization is looking at three options as it moves forward: restructuring and keeping its programs going, even if it means doing so at a reduced level of service and funding; maintaining the programs by transferring them to other organizations; or shutting down.

"Our primary goal is to sustain the programs for the sake of the kids," Woodle said.

Sandusky set up The Second Mile for youngsters from broken homes and troubled backgrounds, building it into an organization that helped as many as 100,000 children a year through camps and fundraisers.

But in the aftermath of the charges against him, questions have been raised about his role in the charity and how much its officials knew of the allegations against him before the release of a state grand jury report this month.

State prosecutors contend that running the charity gave Sandusky "access to hundreds of boys, many of whom were vulnerable due to their social situations."

The grand jury said Penn State officials told Raykovitz in 2002 that there had been an issue with Sandusky and a minor. But the charity said it took no action against Sandusky because Penn State did not find any wrongdoing.

Sandusky informed The Second Mile's board in November 2008 that he was under investigation. The charity said it subsequently barred him from activities involving children.

Andreozzi and Fritz's lawsuit said the accuser -- identified as Victim No. 4 -- intends to charge The Second Mile with "failing to ban or restrict overnight activities between Sandusky and children" and failing to follow policies used by other organizations such as the Boy Scouts of America, such as the "Two-Deep" rule, which generally calls for two adult supervisors on all outings.

The lawsuit also suggests that The Second Mile was negligent both in the supervision of children and in the supervision of Sandusky, and claims that the charity failed to provide the victim "with any assistance in coping with the injuries sustained from sexual assaults."

The Second Mile has received the filing and will adhere to its legal responsibilities, a spokesman said in an e-mail to the Associated Press.

Sandusky is charged with sexually abusing eight boys over a 15-year period. Authorities said he met them through the charity. Sandusky has acknowledged he showered with boys but said he never molested them.

The lawsuit claims that at least 11 accusers have come forward in the case, but the additional cases are apparently still under investigation by authorities.

Andreozzi, whose firm specializes in sexual-abuse litigation, and Fritz represent at least one client who accuses Sandusky of severe sexual assault. Andreozzi has said they are in "active communication" with other potential clients.

The attorney general's office has not confirmed if more complaints from different accusers will result in more charges.
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My Schedule of Regular Posts:
*Monday through Friday morning - schedules of President, VP and Secretary of State and her diplomats
*Monday through Friday afternoon - List of topics Limbaugh discussed on his program that day
*Monday through Friday throughout the day - My posts on anything that I feel like talking about. At least one or two a day, sometimes more.
*Saturday through Sunday morning - An addition to my booklist of political books - covering Democrats, Republicans and other interested parties.

News: Egypt's military under pressure from protests, US

It's easy to destroy. A thousand years of history - four thousand years of history - can be destroyed in ten minutes with an appropriately placed explosive charge.

It's not so easy to build.

So now we've got all these folks in Egypt who peacefully overthrew Mubarrak - a US ally whom we sure helped during that whole process, didn't we?

So the army took over.

And now the protesters want the army to step down .... I guess in the next ten minutes... and let the people rule.

What people? Who's going to rule Egypt now.

According to Egypt's new prime minister - the military has given him more powers than the old one, under Mubarrak, had. Isn't that interesting?

A year from now, someone should ask the Egyptians - are you better off now than you were when Mubarrak was in charge? I bet the answer is going to be... no, we're worse off.

And what is the US going to do about it, if the Egyptian army stays in power and refuses to step down?

Egypt's military under pressure from protests, US
CAIRO (AP) — The U.S. increased pressure Friday on Egypt's military rulers to hand over power to civilian leaders, and the generals turned to a Mubarak-era politician to head a new government in a move that failed to satisfy the more than 100,000 protesters who jammed Tahrir Square in the biggest rally yet this week.

The demonstrators rejected the appointment of Kamal el-Ganzouri as prime minister, breaking into chants of "Illegitimate! Illegitimate!" and setting up a showdown between the two sides only three days before key parliamentary elections.

The size of the rally and the resilience of protesters in the face of the violence used by security forces in this week's deadly street battles have won back for the movement much of the strength it projected during the 18-day uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak in February.

Showing the sort of resolve from the earliest days of the Arab Spring, the protesters say they will not leave the iconic square until the military rulers led by Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi step down and a civilian presidential council is formed to run the country until a new leader is elected.

"They stole our January revolution because we did not agree on who should represent us," said activist Sedeeqah Abu Seadah. "We shouted 'erhal' (leave) but did not shout the name of the person we want."

The military's appointment of el-Ganzouri, its apology for the death of protesters and a series of partial concessions in the past two days suggest that the generals are struggling to overcome the most serious challenge to their nine-month rule, with fewer options now available to them.

Significantly adding to their predicament, the Obama administration brought its position on the crisis in Egypt closer to the protesters' demands, urging the military to fully empower the next interim civilian government.

"We believe that Egypt's transition to democracy must continue, with elections proceeding expeditiously, and all necessary measures taken to ensure security and prevent intimidation," the White House said in a statement.

"Most importantly, we believe that the full transfer of power to a civilian government must take place in a just and inclusive manner that responds to the legitimate aspirations of the Egyptian people, as soon as possible," it said.

The adjustment in the Obama administration's approach is significant because the Egyptian military, the nation's most powerful institution, has in the past 30 years forged close relations with successive U.S. administrations, receiving $1.3 billion annually in aid. It followed the public U.S. endorsement of the military's original timetable for the transfer of power by late 2012 or early 2013.

The military inadvertently sparked the ongoing unrest by pushing plans for a political "guardianship" role for itself and immunity from civilian oversight even after a new parliament is seated and a new president is elected.

The last straw came when the military ordered the use of force against a small protest in Tahrir Square last weekend and then launched a failed, joint army-police raid to evacuate a larger crowd. Nearly 40 protesters have died in the past week.

The latest crisis has overshadowed Monday's start of Egypt's first parliamentary elections since Mubarak was replaced by Tantawi. The vote, which the generals say will be held on schedule despite the unrest, is now seen by many activists and protesters to be serving the military's efforts to project an image of itself as the nation's saviors and true democrats.

The next parliament is expected to be dominated by Islamists, whose political groups have decided to boycott the ongoing protests to keep from doing anything that could derail the election. However, the outcome of the vote is likely to be seen as flawed given the growing unrest and the suspension by many candidates of their campaigns in solidarity with the protesters.

The Social Democrats, a political party born out of the January-February uprising, said Friday that it would boycott the election, arguing that the vote would not be fair given the tension caused by the unrest, which it blamed on the military.

In rejecting el-Ganzouri's government, 24 protest groups, including two political parties, announced the formation of their own "national salvation" government that they say represents the protesters. The group will be headed by Nobel peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei and four deputies.

While it is unclear how many people the statement announcing the move represents, it is an attempt by the protest movement to unify its demands and leadership.

Supporters of the military staged a rival demonstration Friday across town from Tahrir, but only several thousand people turned out. They waved identical, brand new Egyptian flags that prompted activists to post on social network sites their suspicion that the demonstration may have been staged by the military.

State television, whose coverage of the crisis shows a clear, pro-military bias, gave prominence to the supporters of the generals and hosted commentators discrediting the Tahrir protesters as irresponsible youths and violent football hooligans.

"El-Ganzouri is over and done with. We want young people to take charge of the country," said Hamdi Arban, a 50-year-old lawyer who was in Tahrir Square. "We will stay here and we won't get our rights except from here," he said.

Basma el-Husseini, who directs a cultural center and was also in Tahrir, dismissed the 78-year-old el-Ganzouri as a man with little energy to keep up with the multitude of challenges facing Egypt. "They (the generals) don't get the power of the people. All they are doing now is play for time to make people fed up."

El-Ganzouri served as prime minister between 1996 and 1999 and was deputy prime minister and planning minister before that. Tantawi himself served under el-Ganzouri for three of the 20 years he spent as Mubarak's defense minister.

Addressing a televised news conference, el-Ganzouri said the military has given him greater powers than his predecessor and that he wouldn't have accepted the job if he believed Tantawi had any intention of staying in power.

"The powers given to me exceed any similar mandates," he said. "I will take full authority so I'm able to serve my country."

But el-Ganzouri appeared uncomfortable, grasping for words and repeatedly pausing as he spoke, giving rambling answers when pressed whether he could form a government that will satisfy the public when many prominent figures have shunned joining the new administration.

The choice of el-Ganzouri deepened the anger of the protesters, already seething over the military's perceived reluctance to dismantle the legacy of Mubarak's 29-year rule.

El-Ganzouri replaces Essam Sharaf, who resigned this week after nearly nine months in office. Sharaf was criticized for being weak and beholden to the generals.

Friday's protest in Tahrir was dubbed by organizers as "The Last Chance Million-Man Protest." Swelling crowds chanted, "Leave! Leave!" and "The people want to bring down the field marshal!"

ElBaradei was mobbed by hundreds of supporters as he arrived in the square and took part in Friday prayers, leaving shortly afterward. Some factions in the protest have cited ElBaradei as a possible member of a civilian presidential council they want to replace the generals.

"He is here to support the revolutionaries," said protester Ahmed Awad, 35. "He came to see for himself the tragedy caused by the military."

Fireworks lit the sky in the evening and a large banner was strung over a side street called Mohammed Mahmoud, where most of the fighting occurred, declaring that it would be renamed "Eyes of the Revolution Street," in honor of the hundreds of protesters who suffered eye injuries as a result of tear gas used by police.

About 500 protesters camped out in front of the Cabinet office, vowing to remain to prevent el-Ganzouri's government from entering the building.

Thousands of pro-democracy protesters also rallied in other cities, including at least 10,000 in Alexandria and smaller crowds in Luxor and Assiut in southern Egypt.

The military has rejected calls to immediately step down, saying its claim to power is supported by the warm welcome given to troops who took over the streets from the discredited police early in the anti-Mubarak uprising as well as an overwhelming endorsement for constitutional amendments they proposed in a March referendum.

Tantawi has offered another referendum on whether his military council should step down immediately.

Such a vote, activists say, would be divisive and likely open the door for a deal between the military and political groups, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt's largest and best organized group, the Brotherhood is notorious for its opportunism and thirst for power. It was empowered after the fall of Mubarak, regaining legitimacy after spending nearly 60 years as an outlawed group.

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My Schedule of Regular Posts:
*Monday through Friday morning - schedules of President, VP and Secretary of State and her diplomats
*Monday through Friday afternoon - List of topics Limbaugh discussed on his program that day
*Monday through Friday throughout the day - My posts on anything that I feel like talking about. At least one or two a day, sometimes more.
*Saturday through Sunday morning - An addition to my booklist of political books - covering Democrats, Republicans and other interested parties.