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Scores of workers are laying cables while others hammer away at the wooden stage. Television crews are perched on an overhead church balcony practicing their stand-ups. Men in military uniforms walk up and down the streets, finalizing the last details and inspecting roof tops.

No question — something big is afoot.

The 50th anniversary of the Cuban revolution will be celebrated here Thursday with a 6 p.m. speech by Cuban leader Raúl Castro before a plaza full of invited dignitaries. Preparations have been underway for weeks, and the rows of little blue plastic chairs have been up for days.

”The police have been going crazy with this thing for days,” a mechanic named Tony told The Miami Herald. ”They are stopping everyone. It seems they are nervous about it.”

This is not just any New Year’s celebration in Cuba. It was 50 years ago Thursday that a young lawyer-turned-rebel emerged from the jungle to declare victory in the nation’s civil war. Dictator Fulgencio Batista had fled — and the rebels who ousted him finally had their chance to upend the social order. Thousands of lives were lost.

The date is particularly important here in Santiago de Cuba, considered the ”cradle of the revolution.” It was the spot Fidel Castro chose to launch his guerrilla war and where he first addressed mass rallies after victory.

In 1953, he led an attack on a military barracks here that failed miserably. The region’s Sierra Maestra mountains later served as cover for rebels who struck at trains, theaters and military outposts.

In a Jan. 3, 1959, address at the same plaza where festivities are planned, Castro promised freedom of speech and civil rights. He also accused Batista of running away with millions of dollars and promised to ”do things that have never been done before.”

”. . . Santiago de Cuba has been the strongest bulwark of the revolution, arevolution that is beginning now,” Castro said. ”Our revolution will be no easy task, buta harsh and dangerous undertaking, particularly in the initial phases.”

This city on the southeastern tip of the island, Cuba’s second largest, was founded in 1514 and served as the capital of Cuba until 1553. It also served as a base of operations in the 1800s against the Spanish. Fiercely nationalist and known for its rebellious spirit, Santiago de Cuba has a larger population of Afro-Cubans, as it was here where many slaves from western Africa were brought.

”Santiagueros are a very decided people,” said Enrique, a waiter. ”We were the country’s first capital and we are proud of being Cuban. Cubans were not worth two cents before the revolution. It’s true we have problems and we don’t eat exactly what we want every day, but this town was 70 percent illiterate before the revolution. Now it’s filled with people who read, write, think and analyze.”

On Wednesday night into Thursday, residents will also celebrate.

Many are stocking up on food and booze. One man carried a case of Havana Club under each arm while women lugged huge bags of crackers. Long lines spill out of stores selling last-minute party supplies.

”With a stick and a can and a bottle of rum, we Cubans will have a good time, even when it seems the rest of the world is coming to an end,” said Josefina, a retiree. ”Everywhere, at midnight, they raise the flag in the plaza. But this year there is a lot more excitement and more events planned. There’s a lot of need, so you won’t see a lot of lavish parties.”

Most Cubans said they planned to celebrate at home with family.

”Not too many people will go to the event at the park because, of course, that’s for special guests,” a lawyer named Ramón said sarcastically, raising his eyebrows when he referred to the special guests.

”Everyone else will be home with pigs roasting and rice and beans cooking,” Ramón said. ”There’s a lot of excitement in the air every year at this time, but this year is special.”

In Havana, meanwhile, with the revolution’s leader ailing and the economy in shambles, residents are preparing to mark the 50th anniversary of the revolution with low spirits and modest celebrations.

”There is no emotion,” said Marilyn, 40, a dance teacher. ”We are lacking everything.”

”Two or three years ago people had more hope. Now they have no spark. This year has been very rough,” said Augusto, a taxi driver in his mid-30s who plans to celebrate the historic date drinking Bucanero, a popular local beer.

Beyond the economic hard times, Fidel Castro’s deteriorating health poses a huge obstacle to any investment in elaborate tributes.

”The government was concerned about planning a big party because of Fidel’s situation. It would not give the right message to have fun and spend lavishly under the circumstances,” said Juan, an intellectual from a prominent family.

In Havana, signs of celebration are muted. Some public employees wear white T-shirts with the words 50th anniversary in red on the front, a government gift.

Giant flags hang from buildings and billboards feature a photograph of a young Fidel Castro and Camilo Cienfuegos, another revolutionary leader. Stores and public buildings in old Havana display posters and banners touting the anniversary. Most have pictures of Fidel Castro, but one is a portrait of Raúl, who took over in February. Below the poster, a sign reads, ”50th anniversary, more united and invincible.”

Visible at night from the Malecón, the famed seawall, a 16-foot high ”50” made up of a string of light bulbs, decorates the back of the Foreign Ministry building. In some places, holiday decorations are more conspicuous than revolutionary ones. A life-size manger has been erected next to the cathedral in Old Havana and there are Christmas trees in hotel lobbies and public parks.

Festivities and cultural activities related to the 50th anniversary have been ongoing since the beginning of the week. They range from the publication of a political review of socialist Cuba to a re-creation of the trip of the victorious Castro guerrillas from Santa Clara to Havana to dances and concerts.

Food booths have been set up around the Tribuna Antiimperialista, the park in front of the U.S. Interests Section. At the Plaza de la Revolución, there will be events throughout Thursday.

The national TV channels plan wall-to-wall anniversary-related programming, but some offerings geared to tourists do not even mention the anniversary. The Santo Angel restaurant in Old Havana, for example, advertises a New Year’s Eve dinner for $80, featuring live music by performers from the Buena Vista Social Club.

The somber mood today is a far cry from Jan. 1, 1959.

”1959 was the most beautiful year in the world,” recalled writer Rafael Alcides. ”People would greet each other on the street. There was the emotion of triumph. It was the thing we had dreamed of.

”The rebels were gods,” he said. ”People wanted to touch them.”

Little of that spirit is now evident.

”We felt protagonists of a just cause. Today you don’t believe,” said Alcides. ”That’s the great difference today. When you believed, you did not mind dying.”

CUBA’S ‘CRADLE OF THE REVOLUTION’ READY TO CELEBRATE 50 YEARS http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/832830.html

Sen. Bill Clinton? Sen. Mario Cuomo? Don’t completely rule it out. The former president and the former New York governor are among several boldface names being touted as possible “caretakers” for New York’s Senate seat _ people who would serve until the 2010 elections but wouldn’t be interested in running to keep the job.

As the process of picking Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s replacement gets messier, the option may become increasingly attractive to Gov. David Paterson, who has sole authority to name a successor.

A spokesman for Bill Clinton, Matt McKenna, said Wednesday that the former chief executive isn’t interested in the job and plans to continue the work of his foundation. Cuomo declined through a spokesman to discuss the Senate seat.

A big name could have an immediate impact for New York in the Senate while letting the large field of hopefuls duke it out in 2010, according to three Democratic Party advisers in New York and Washington who are close to the discussion with Paterson’s inner circle on this issue.

Two others in the party confirmed that Paterson is still considering the caretaker option. The advisers spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to comment.

“You could find a very senior person who could serve New York well” on an interim basis, said Gerald Benjamin, a political scientist and dean at the State University of New York at New Paltz. “Then you can say to Caroline Kennedy, ‘You know, you’d make a good senator. Run for it.’ And you can tell everyone else that it’s a level playing field.”

Paterson has made it clear in recent days that he’s getting annoyed by the constant jockeying by supporters of high-powered hopefuls including Kennedy, half a dozen members of Congress and state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, son of the former governor.

The candidates _ especially Kennedy _ have made daily headlines as Paterson tries to focus on a fiscal crisis of historic proportions, his first budget proposal and preparations for his first full legislative session as governor. He took office last spring after disgraced Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned.

The caretaker option was exercised last month by Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, who picked a former aide to Vice President-elect Joe Biden to succeed him in the Senate until a new senator is elected in 2010. By then, Biden’s son, state Attorney General Beau Biden, will have returned from a tour in Iraq with the National Guard _ just in time to run for his father’s seat.

A week ago, Paterson said he favored appointing a senator soon after Clinton is confirmed to start building seniority, and he ruled out an interim placeholder. Under state law, there will be an election to fill the last two years of Hillary Clinton’s term in 2010 and another for a full six-year term in 2012.

The process, however, wasn’t supposed to be a big distraction.

Some of the other names circulating as possible caretakers among party operatives include the state’s retired top jurist, Judith Kaye, and former Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey, now president of the New School in New York City.

Kaye declined through a spokesman Tuesday to discuss the Senate seat; Kerrey and Paterson did not respond to questions Tuesday and Wednesday.

Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College poll, said the caretaker option wouldn’t surprise him. “To pick a caretaker is to say … win it in the court of public opinion.”

An interim appointment also could sidestep an internal struggle in New York’s Democratic Party.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver _ the longest-serving and most powerful legislative leader in the state _ has reservations about Kennedy, and Paterson needs Silver if he wants to battle powerful labor interests to turn around the state’s fiscal problems.

But Kennedy’s supporters include New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent who is another important ally for Paterson.

Meanwhile, the handicapping continues about the prospects of some of the lesser-known contenders.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York City, who is known as a tenacious legislator, has been endorsed by three women’s advocacy groups: the National Organization for Women, the Feminist Majority and the National Women’s Political Caucus. Political observers say Paterson is under pressure to pick a woman because all the state’s top leaders _ except Clinton _ are men.

In the political blog Connecting.the.dots, media critic and editor Robert Stein wrote Sunday that a caretaker would show that Paterson has the best interests of the state in mind during the fiscal crisis, while letting powerful political families fight it out in an election two years down the road.

Doug Muzzio, professor of politics at Baruch College, isn’t convinced.

“If in fact you are looking to appoint a senator who can be an effective advocate for the people of the state, those two years you can learn a lot and to give that up is problematic.”

But Muzzio also sees some benefit to Paterson in picking a caretaker.

“If he is feeling trapped about this Caroline Kennedy thing, this gives him, in a sense, a way out … without naming someone else that would really anger the pro-Kennedy people,” he said.

NY DEMOCRATIC ADVISERS TALK UP ‘CARETAKER’ SENATOR, http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Dec31/0,4670,NYSenateSeat,00.html

and he hasn’t been inaugurated yet.  While events spiral out of control globally PEBO selectively chooses which subjects to address.  Others, he gives us the “one president at a time” speel. 

Considering this is business as usual PEBO style, America is in trouble.  Can we afford a president who will address certain issues while ignoring others, i.e., refusing to speak on them?

Democrat Defers to Bush on Foreign Policy but Not on Economy

When it comes to repairing the faltering U.S. economy, Barack Obama offers vision, numbers and detail. But as Israeli bombs and Palestinian rockets explode in the Middle East, the president-elect has responded with silence.

With 20 days until he takes office, Obama is likely to encounter a region reshaped by new violence once he becomes commander in chief. But he has refused to engage in diplomatic conversation before then, insisting that to do so would undermine President Bush. “President-elect Obama is closely monitoring global events, including the situation in Gaza, but there is one president at a time,” said Brooke Anderson, Obama’s national security spokeswoman.

But while the “one president” philosophy has kept Obama mum on emerging foreign policy crises since the Nov. 4 election, he has abandoned it when it comes to the economy, talking at great length and in great detail about his plans for the nation’s financial recovery.

Obama — and the usually loquacious Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. — are deferential to Bush on international affairs. Meanwhile, they have all but taken over from the current White House occupant the job of designing an economic rescue, declaring weeks ago that “work starts today.”

The difference offers a glimpse into Obama’s careful governing style, in which the 44th president and his team weigh the risks of action against the political advantages of doing or saying nothing.

“It seems clear he’s just cherry-picking those things that serve his purpose and staying as far away from Middle East troubles as he can,” said G. Calvin MacKenzie, a professor of government at Colby College in Maine. “Come January 21, he’s going to have to deal with some of these issues. But politically, there’s no good news there. There’s no benefit in him getting involved with that sooner than he has to.”

Aides say the president-elect’s silence on foreign policy follows a long-held principle that reserves such issues to the president. Offering a competing voice could have immediate consequences for U.S. policy.

“President-elect Obama believes it is important to adhere to the constitutional principle that there is only one president at a time, and it is extremely important in the arena of foreign policy that it is clear who is speaking on behalf of the United States,” incoming press secretary Robert Gibbs said.

As a candidate, Obama said he would rebuild the nation’s reputation and promised to end the Iraq war while shifting resources to Afghanistan. But the economic collapse has dramatically refocused his agenda, especially for the first few months of his administration.

In the most recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, two-thirds of Americans highlighted economic issues as the top priority for Obama and the next Congress. Fewer than 1 percent cited a “foreign policy” concern as their primary issue. Nine percent singled out the war in Iraq as the top problem they want the next administration to tackle, a big drop from the issue’s prominence before the primaries.

OBAMA’S ‘ONE PRESIDENT’ GAMBIT

Assault on Gaza Strip Continues for Fifth Day as Rockets Fall on Southern Israel

JERUSALEM, Dec. 31 — Israeli leaders Wednesday rejected a proposal to pause attacks on the Gaza Strip for 48 hours, declaring that there were no guarantees Hamas fighters would in return stop firing rockets into Israel.

Discussions were continuing in hopes of developing a more durable cease-fire. But after looking at the existing proposal, “we saw that it did not contain the necessary elements to make the truce permanent,” said Yigal Palmor, a spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry. “It lacks a plan to enforce the cease-fire, to make sure Hamas won’t shoot rockets into Israel anymore, and stop the smuggling of weapons.”

“It does not contain any guarantees,” he added. “There is nothing in the proposal that if we declare a unilateral cease-fire it will mean anything to Hamas and that it will ensure a durable cease-fire afterwards.”

LINK

Within hours of Governor Blagojevich’s live news conference appointing Roland Burris to PEBO’s former Senate seat, it was announced that William J. Quinlan resigned from his position as top lawyer to the Blagojevich administration.

“Today, I have decided to resign my position as General Counsel and return to private practice,” Quinlan wrote in a memo to his staff.

The memo, a copy of which was obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, made only a passing reference to Blagojevich’s Dec. 9 arrest on corruption charges.

“We should not let recent events diminish the pride in our accomplishments or the commitment to public service with which we approach our job each day,” he wrote. “The state of Illinois is a great place to live and work. The opportunity to serve its citizens is truly an honor.”

LINK

Rod Blagojevich may be a scoundrel, but then so is PEBO along with the rest of the political landscape.

Today, the Governor of Illinois who is innocent until proven guilty appointed a new Senator as he is entitled to do and in accordance with the law.

As expected, Democratic Majority Leader Senator Reid says he will not seat a US Senate choice made by Illinois Gov. Blago.  However, such a threat did not stop Rod Blagojevich from performing his duties as governor.

Pursuant to the law and as indicated in Greta Van Susteren’s blog of 2:40 p.m.,

“The Governor of Illinois is the only one with the authority to appoint someone to fill President Elect Obama’s now vacant Senate Seat.

Rod Blagojevich is the Governor of Illinois (he has NOT been convicted of a crime…and he has NOT been impeached by the Illinois Legislature.) He IS the Governor of Illinois. No one else is.

Citizens of the State of Illinois have a right to 2 US Senators to represent their interests in the Senate. Right now they have only one US Senator (Senator Durbin.)”

http://gretawire.foxnews.com/2008/12/30/vote-88/

At 3:00 p.m. today, Governor Blagojevich held a live news conference in which he introduced his senate appointment, Roland Burris, age 71.

“In an act of political audacity, embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich named former State Attorney General Roland Burris to fill President-elect Barack Obama’s Senate seat, a position Blagojevich is accused of trying to ’sell.’

Immediately and appropo, Blagojevich tried to separate Burris’ reputation from his own.

“I’m here to announce my intention to appoint an individual who has unquestioned integrity and is a wise and distinguished senior statesman in Illinois,’ said Blagojevich. ‘I’m appointing Roland Burris as the next United States Senator from Illinois.’

‘Please don’t allow the allegations against me to taint this good and honest man,’ said Blagojevich.

He also made a plea for his own innocence, telling the news conference, ‘Feel free to castigate the appointer, but don’t lynch the appointer. I’m not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing.’”

Blagojevich was aided by Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., in an effort to make Burris’ appointment a racial issue.

Rush called Blagojevich’s appointment a “good decision,” and praised Burris, who is black, as ‘worthy.’

‘He has not, in 40 years of public service, had one iota of taint on his record,’ Rush said.

With Obama’s election to the presidency, Rush said, “Let me just remind you that there presently is no African-American in the U.S. Senate.” He added that Burris’ Senate appointment is of “national importance” and that his ‘prayers have been answered.’

Rush said he’d argued that the Senate seat Blagojevich’s pick.

‘I intend to take that argument to the Congressional Black Caucus,’ said Rush. ‘I intend to take that argument to the senators.’

As governor, Blagojevich acted within the confines of the law in making the Burris appointment as he is legally entitled.

Roland Burris, age 71, and the only African American in the Senate is more than qualified to do the job.  Senator Burris served as Illinois state comptroller twice over and attorney general.

“In accepting Blagojevich’s appointment, he said, ‘I am humbled to have the opportunity, and promise the citizens that I will dedicate my utmost effort as their United States senator, and I will uphold the integrity of the office and ask for their continued confidence in me.’

Jesse White, the Illinois Secretary of State instantly rejected said appointment by refusing to certify Senator Burris.

I like Blagojevich.  I also thank God that he is not my governor, however, thanks to him, I am sure Harry Reid has not had a good day and for that I thank him.

Ill. Gov. Appoints Former AG to Senate, ABC News, 12/30/08,  http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=6549970&page=1

Pakistan has blocked a key supply route to US and Nato forces in Afghanistan in order to begin an offensive against militants, officials say.

Troops backed by helicopter gunships and tanks began the operation in the Khyber Pass area early on Tuesday.

There has been a spate of hijackings and attacks on vehicles carrying crucial overland supplies to US and Nato troops fighting the Taleban.

The route from the port city of Karachi is the major source.

About 70%-80% of supplies for international forces in Afghanistan come through Pakistan despite efforts to develop alternative routes.

Drone attacks

The leading administrator in Khyber, Tariq Hayat, said: “Supplies to Nato forces will remain suspended until we clear the area of militants and outlaws who have gone out of control.”

Speaking from Peshawar, capital of North West Frontier Province, Mr Hayat said a curfew had been imposed and the main road to the Afghan border was closed.

The operation was taking place in the Jamrud district, he said, and would continue until the route to Kabul was fully secured.

The military had identified 26 militant sites to target, Mr Hayat said.

He said the local Kukikhel tribe had been found to be harbouring Taleban militants.

The main border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan at Torkham has also been closed.

Mr Hayat said the operation would be extended to other areas of Khyber if necessary.

The BBC’s Charles Haviland in Islamabad says attention is now shifting back to the troubles in the Afghan border region, after a month of heightened tensions with India after the attacks on Mumbai.

Since September the Taleban in Pakistan have targeted vehicles carrying supplies for foreign forces in Afghanistan.

They have hijacked lorries, stolen their cargo and kidnapped their drivers.

Some lorry drivers recently suspended organised convoys to Afghanistan due to the worsening security although some supplies did continue under heavy paramilitary guard.

Nato has played down the importance of the supply route, insisting there are others to bring in materiel.

Recently thousands of protesters turned out in Pakistan’s city of Peshawar to demand an end to the supply route and to US strikes into Pakistan.

There have been a number of missile attacks by pilotless US drones on targets inside Pakistan, which the government in Islamabad has strongly opposed.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7804133.stm