Current and former Indian-American cabinet officials in Virginia Governor Tim Kaine's administration hailed his appointment as chairman of the Democratic Party, and said it augurs well for greater political engagement by Indian-American Democrats at the senior levels of the Democratic National Committee.
Mumbai-born Eboo Patel, 33, the only Indian American thus far appointed by President Barack Obama to the 25-member Advisory Council, has said that he was honoured and blessed, and ready to get to work and operationalize President Obama's commitment to inter-faith cooperation.
An influential American Senator has said that in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks, the most important bond between the United States and India is their 'unity in the face of extremism'.Republican Senator George V Voinovich, a ranking member of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also lauded India's restraint vis--vis taking action against Pakistan.But he cautioned that this should not mean that Pakistan has been 'given a free pass'.
America's special representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, will travel to the two countries and to India later this week as part of an orientation trip.
'We have also been very, very clear with the government that the purpose of fighting terrorism is to bring the benefits of a democratic government to the people,' US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher said. The US feels the Sri Lankan government 'hasn't worked hard enough to bring that democratic government to the people of the area and frankly, to the Tamil community in Sri Lanka.'
United States President Barack Obama has appointed yet another top Indian American legal mind to a senior position in his administration. Rashad Hussain, 30, who recently served as a trial attorney at the US Department of Justice, was named by Obama as Deputy Associate Counsel to the President.Before his stint with the DOJ, Hussain was working as a law clerk to Damon K Keith on the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Detroit, Michigan.
The Hindu American Foundation, still cannot contain its elation over President Barack Obama's inclusion of Hindus in his inaugural address--a first by a US president.
The chairman of the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee, US Congressman Howard Berman, has said that he is closely reviewing all American assistance being provided to Pakistan and that "to the extent we are going to provide security assistance, it should be focused on counter-terrorism, not rekindling an arms race in South Asia."
Gregory Meeks, speaking to nearly 150 Indian Americans who had come to Capitol Hill as part of a Task Force to express outrage over the Mumbai terror attacks, couldn't contain his euphoria over the swearing in of Barack Obama as the nation's first African American President and the indirect connection to Mahatma Gandhi
Wisely skirting a prospective foreign policy pitfall, US President Barack Obama appointed a special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, shelving the controversial idea of appointing an envoy for South Asia.
Ending his eight-year presidency marked by two wars, 9/11 attacks and recession, George W Bush has said he has no regrets and history will be the judge of his decisions which he said were based on a set of clear principles. "I'm coming home with my head held high and a sense of accomplishment," Bush said hours after vacating the White House.
The United States Senate has put off for a day the vote on President Barack Obama's choice Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State after strong opposition from a lawmaker who is seeking more transparency from the Clinton Foundation. The Senate approved as many as seven of Obama's nominees within hours of his being sworn in.
The Obama Administration has cautioned Pakistan that it would be held accountable for the security in the border regions of Afghanistan and that its performance in the fight against terrorism would be linked to the financial aid to it. "President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will increase non-military aid to Pakistan and hold them accountable for security in the border region with Afghanistan," the White House said in its foreign policy agenda document.
Forty-six years after the late iconic civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King--who was inspired by Mohandas Gandhi-- delivered his 'I have a dream' speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Barack Hussain Obama, whose campaign theme was 'Yes, we can," was sworn in at 11.56 am on January 20th as the nation's 44 president and the first ever African American chief executive on the steps of the west front of the Capitool in the presence of over an unprecedented crowd.
In an exclusive interview with rediff.com, Penn said, "It was a very humbling experience to have that sort of a set-up and to see so many people who have come out for something that symbolises unifying the country."
The man who won a landmark verdict from the US supreme court now creates history once again, by becoming the highest ranking Indian American in the US department of justice.
On Monday, Barack Obama appointed Bansal as General Counsel and Senior Policy Advisor at the Office of Management and Budget, which one Obama transition team source told rediff.com would "be the heart of the new administration's agenda for change."
Some South Asian experts in Washington, DC argue that such an envoy should concentrate only on Afghanistan and Pakistan; another section holds that India should be included and that a discussion on Kashmir is inevitable; and a third section of opinion contends that the whole idea is misguided.
Soon after Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, a small team of key aides will move into the White House to give a jump start to the administration's agenda. Vans will take about 20 senior officials of the incoming Obama Administration to the White House even before the inauguration ceeremony ends on Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, the first full working day of the new President, Obama has convened meetings on economy & foreign policy.
Strategic affairs specialist Ashley Tellis believes the November 26 terror attacks on Mumbai has given birth to the "misguided notion" that a resolution of the Kashmir dispute is imperative to rein in terrorism in South Asia, and that this should be the priority of the proposed special envoy to the region.
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