Political Scene

SOUTH CAROLINA

Bill would nullify Islamic Shariah law

COLUMBIA | A South Carolina proposal would prevent the state’s courts from enforcing foreign law, including Islamic Shariah law, though Muslim advocates say it could essentially ban religion from mundane matters such as weddings and even burials.

The bill makes no reference to a specific religion or country, though its sponsors acknowledge that they worry about the ultraconservative tenets of Shariah law. At least 13 states have introduced similar measures this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Muslim advocates fear the proposal could essentially ban mundane religious practices in legal documents such as wills, which may distribute property based on Islamic traditions.

CALIFORNIA

Palin says Obama policies lead to ruin

SANTA BARBARA | Republican Sarah Palin said Friday that an explosion of government spending and debt under President Obama and his fellow Democrats has put the United States on “the road to ruin.”

In a tribute to former President Ronald Reagan, the potential 2012 White House contender said that leaders in Washington had lost sight of the values that made Reagan a Republican icon and a hero to conservatives - a belief in limited government, low taxes and personal freedoms.

“This is not the road to national greatness; it is the road to ruin,” Mrs. Palin said of the growth in government spending, budget deficits, joblessness and housing foreclosures under the Obama administration. “The federal government is spending too much, borrowing too much, growing and controlling too much,” she said.

Mrs. Palin said Mr. Obama had revived the era of big government, and she ridiculed the infrastructure spending and investment he outlined in his recent State of the Union speech.

“The only thing these investments will get us is a bullet train to bankruptcy,” the 2008 vice-presidential candidate said in a speech at the Ronald Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara, Calif., part of two days of festivities marking the centennial anniversary of Reagan’s birth.

WHITE HOUSE

Obama, Harper seek better security, economy

Calling smarter border management pivotal to U.S. competitiveness, President Obama said he and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper agreed Friday on steps to improve border security and expand their economies.

Those measures include better screening, use of new technologies, sharing information among law enforcement agencies and identifying potential threats early. Both countries also agreed to get rid of regulations that hinder trade and job creation.

Canada is the United States’ largest trading partner, with more than $1 billion in goods crossing the border every day.

“Smarter border management is key to our competitiveness, our job creation and my goal of doubling U.S. exports,” Mr. Obama said at a White House news conference alongside Mr. Harper after the two emerged from back-to-back meetings in the Oval Office.

“Simpler rules lead to lower costs for business and consumers and ultimately to more jobs,” added Mr. Harper, who spoke in both English and French. The U.S. also is Canada’s major export market, he said.

Asked how much sovereignty and privacy Canadians will sacrifice for the sake of a more open border and a more integrated economy, Mr. Obama acknowledged that the countries “are not going to match up perfectly on every measure.” But he said both benefit from an open border.

“The free flow of goods and services results in huge economic benefits for both sides,” Mr. Obama said, speaking hours after his government reported that U.S. unemployment last month had dropped to 9 percent, from 9.4 percent, even though just a net of 36,000 jobs had been created.

CALIFORNIA

Cheney says Egyptians should decide future

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. | Former Vice President Dick Cheney said he doesn’t “want to make a prediction” as to whether embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak can survive that nation’s political turmoil, but he noted that Egypt under Mr. Mubarak has been a long-standing U.S. ally in the region.

“This issue is going to be resolved by the Egyptians,” Mr. Cheney said after his keynote address Saturday night at the Young America’s Foundation’s “Reagan 100” banquet at the Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara, marking the centennial of the birth of President Ronald Reagan.

“Whatever comes next is going to be determined by the people of Egypt.”

Mr. Cheney noted that Egypt contributed two divisions of its army to the effort to drive Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s invading forces out of neighboring Kuwait.

“He’s been a good friend and ally of the United States,” Mr. Cheney said.

On the current strategy in the war in Afghanistan, Mr. Cheney said, “You’re not going to get a full-blown democracy overnight,” adding, “It’s important that they don’t revert back” to being a safe haven for al Qaeda.

On Pakistan: “If Pakistan ever goes over to the dark side, we’re going to have a big problem,” he said, in an oblique reference to the prospect of an Islamist regime taking over there. “This is not a place we can wash our hands of.”

DNC

Democrats change funding rules for convention

The Democratic National Committee, in a change of policy, plans to pay for its 2012 presidential nominating convention without donations from political action committees or corporations.

The DNC said Friday that the convention would be the first financed by grass-roots activists and rank-and-file party members. DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse said the funding for the Charlotte, N.C., event would underscore the theme of the “People’s Convention.”

In addition to banning all cash from registered lobbyists, the DNC also plans to ban donations of more than $100,000.

Since taking over the DNC, President Obama’s team has refused donations from lobbyists or political action committees. The party’s central committee ended the year with almost $16 million in loans and debt and $6 million in the bank.

WHITE HOUSE

Super Bowl brews come from both teams’ states

You could call it the White House Beer Summit, Part II.

President Obama turned again to fermented alcoholic beverages to find common ground between antagonists, this time fans of the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

For his Super Bowl party Sunday evening, Mr. Obama planned to offer Yuengling Lager and Light, brewed in Pennsylvania, and Hinterland Pale Ale and Amber Ale, all the way from Wisconsin. Independents can pour down some White House Honey Ale if they like.

The rest of the menu for the 100 or so guests at the White House bash was designed to be tailgate-friendly, even if served inside the Executive Mansion: bratwurst, kielbasa, cheeseburgers, deep-dish pizza and Buffalo wings with sides of German potato salad, twice-baked potatoes and assorted chips and dips.