Le livre devrait paraître le 5 septembre, le titre complet est The Secret Race. Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France, Doping, Cover-ups and Winning at All Costs.
"The books covers much of what Hamilton said in a 2011 interview with ‘‘60 Minutes’’ and what he said he told federal criminal investigators looking into doping allegations on the Postal team. Officials closed that investigation in February without bringing any charges against Armstrong.
But Hamilton also provides sharper, personal details of what he says was an alleged doping program encouraged by Armstrong and other team leaders. He describes in detail how he and other cyclists doped and how they avoided getting caught.
‘‘Lance worked the system ... Lance was the system,’’ Hamilton wrote.
Deux noms m'ont impressionné pendant la convention républicaine, ceux de Condoleeza Rice et Marco Rubio. Enfin des candidats solides. La relève est intéressante.
Assurément Eastwood a attiré l'attention et modifié la structure rigide de l'exercice politique. En a-t-il fait trop? Était-ce trop et/ou de bon goût? Pour ma part, autant j'apprécie l'acteur et le réalisateur Eastwood, autant je suis déçu de cette "performance". Je sais que des artistes plus à gauche se permettent le même genre de numéro, mais je trouve étrange de voir Eastwood jouer dans ces eaux troubles. Pour les conservateurs cependant, le message d'Eastwood frappe dans le mil!
"Eastwood seemed to thrill the audience with his celebrity and swagger, drawing cheers and chortles — even if some of the laughter seemed of the nervous variety, of the sort one gives an elderly uncle at the Thanksgiving table in the middle of a story that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.
“I just don’t like to see people make fun of somebody like that — no matter who it is,” said Tom Fortiwiecz from Cleveland. “It was too much.”
The speech could certainly prove a distraction from Romney’s speech as clips from the convention are replayed over and over again on the morning TV news. During and well after the actor’s speech Thursday night, reporters were busy tweeting out animated reactions to Eastwood’s performance.
Beaucoup de réactions ce matin au discours de Mitt Romney. Pour ma part je n'ai pas été très impressionné par le volet "humain" de sa performance, le candidat républicain ne me semblait pas particulièrement à son aise dans cet exercice. Par contre, la teneur de ses propos a probablement rassuré une base républicaine qui doute depuis longtemps de ses convictions conservatrices. La soirée laisse l'impression d'un parti républicain unifié dans sa lutte contre Barack Obama. Il reste à voir si ce sera suffisant pour influencer le résultat dans les "swing states". Pour couvrir la majorité des réactions, je vous propose le site Real Clear Politics: http://realclearpolitics.com/
"To Democrats who have denounced him as an untrustworthy flip-flopper and Republicans who once derided him as a "Massachusetts moderate," Mitt Romney finally defined himself this week — as a cheerful conservative capable of rescuing the country from economic collapse.
Think Ronald Reagan meets Clint Eastwood, both of whom played key roles — Reagan in a video, Eastwood in person — as the Republican National Convention ended Thursday.
After 5½ years of campaigning for president, Willard Mitt Romney took his most important step toward telling the American people who he is and what he stands for.
In doing so, he appeared to unify a Republican Party that had doubted both his record and his resolve. It helped that he brought his new best friend, a rock-ribbed conservative running mate named Paul Davis Ryan, along for the ride.
If there are any misgivings remaining among the party faithful, their determination to run President Obama out of the White House in November may be incentive enough to join the Romney-Ryan bandwagon.
"Everybody's together on this," says former Virginia governor James Gilmore, president of the Free Congress Foundation, who ran for president as a conservative in 2008. "I'm not hearing any sense of rebellion at all against the Romney candidacy."
Maybe not — but it took years for Romney to earn the embrace he finally received at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on Thursday night. He was from the liberal state of Massachusetts. He had worked with Democrats, even on a state health insurance program that became the model for what he now calls "Obamacare."
Le grand moment de la convention républicaine? Il le faut pour Romney!
"The speech Romney delivers at the Republican National Convention’s final night in Tampa will be one of his last opportunities to sketch a portrait of who he is and what he stands for to a country whose battleground states have seen him relentlessly portrayed by the Obama campaign as a heartless corporate raider — a perception that has dented his approval ratings and made it difficult for the GOP to change the campaign narrative.
In a precious hour before a national television audience, Romney has the opportunity to connect with voters in the convention hall but also well beyond. There is a deeper, softer, and much kinder side to Romney, those who know him insist, but he provides only those closest to him with a view of it. He has run the least biographically anchored campaign of any presidential nominee in recent history, declining to present his own fleshed-out accounts of his time at Bain Capital, his time as a bishop in the Mormon church, or his term as Massachusetts governor.
That case has been made for him over the first three days of the convention through speeches and videos — and most dramatically through a Tuesday night prime-time appeal from his wife, Ann, — that his experience as an executive, church leader, Olympics chief and dad have created a three-dimensional, attractive candidate, not the caricature Republicans feel the Obama campaign team has created.
The aim has been to “make the argument that all these things have prepared him to make him uniquely qualified to handle all the things” the country is facing, said Romney adviser Russ Schriefer, who has masterminded the convention programming. “There’s lots of different ways that he can tell that story.”
Ryan s'acquitte bien du mandat qu'on lui a confié. Est-ce que ce sera suffisant?
"Before an audience of party faithful that he brought to life with his address, Mr. Ryan, 42, sought to turn his relative youth to his advantage, saying he would stand with Mitt Romney in embarking on a generational struggle to protect the very social program — Medicare — that Democrats accuse him of trying to dismantle.
“Ladies and gentlemen, our nation needs this debate. We want this debate. We will win this debate,” Mr. Ryan said to thunderous applause from the Republican National Convention, making it clear that he and Mr. Romney have no intention of backing off in the face of withering Democratic attacks and unease among some Republican Congressional candidates fearful of a backlash from voters.
The crowd came to hear an indictment of Mr. Obama, and as he gave the highest-profile speech of his career, Mr. Ryan delivered one, fully adopting the vice-presidential nominee’s traditional role of leading the charge against the other party. Welcomed to sustained applause of a full minute, he delivered his address with a mix of searing takedowns of Mr. Obama (“a ship trying to sail on yesterday’s wind”), a gentle joke about the songs Mr. Romney favors (“which I’ve heard on the campaign bus and on many hotel elevators”), and appeals to undecided voters to leave behind whatever lingering hopes they had that Mr. Obama could bring the economy back to full strength.
“Ladies and gentlemen, these past four years we have suffered no shortage of words in the White House,” Mr. Ryan said, drawing a roar of approval. “What’s missing is leadership in the White House.”"
Le message de Mme Romney fera-t-il son chemin jusque dans les "swing states"? Le mandat d'Ann Romney était évident, elle se devait de rendre son mari plus attachant. On verra...
"Mr. Romney swept into the convention from backstage after watching his wife deliver a deeply personal speech that made a direct appeal to female voters, whom she assured: “You can trust Mitt.” He had arrived here on Tuesday, earlier than scheduled, with his campaign keeping a worried eye on Hurricane Isaac as it threatened the Gulf Coast and made landfall in Louisiana.
The Republican gathering served as an opportunity not only to hammer Mr. Obama but also, perhaps more important, to humanize Mr. Romney in front of the wider audience he needs to win over before November. The leader of that effort was his wife of 42 years, who urged voters to take a chance on her husband to improve the lives of all Americans struggling in challenging economic times.
“You may not agree with Mitt’s positions on issues or his politics,” Mrs. Romney said. “But let me say this to every American who is thinking about who should be our next president: No one will work harder. No one will care more.”
As the audience listened intently, she added: “This man will not fail. This man will not let us down. This man will lift up America.”
As the crowd of Republican delegates cheered, the Romneys embraced and took a quick stroll down the stage as “My Girl” from the Temptations boomed overhead. The real audience, though, was voters in swing states watching on television who have yet to be persuaded that Mr. Romney is the man to replace Mr. Obama.
Le gouverneur du New Jersey est un bon orateur et son discours plaît généralement aux éléments les plus à droite chez les républicains, particulièrement aux membres du Tea party. Un bon choix pour appuyer un Romney trop "au centre"...
"There are the flashes of self-deprecation (“You didn’t elect me for my good looks and charm”). The Jersey guy routine (“If today is the day you decided that you want to take your governor out for a walk, let me remind you that we are all from New Jersey, and if you give it, you are getting it right back”).
He will acidly insult Democrats, and then offer humanizing glimpses of his bond with his late mother (“Be yourself, Christopher, because if you are, you are never going to have to worry tomorrow about remembering who you pretended to be yesterday”).
It is a performance so disciplined that you can predict the moment — just before he takes the first question — when Mr. Christie will strip off his suit jacket and toss it to an aide, who disappears behind a curtain.
There are any number of reasons Mr. Christie was not going to be Mitt Romney’s vice-presidential pick: his state’s unemployment rate is among the highest in the nation, his occasional off-the-cuff outbursts have caused many voters to brand him a bully, and even he jokes that his girth is not made for television.
But few would deny that he is a masterly speaker, and the ideal one to deliver the keynote speech at the Republican National Convention, the first at which the establishment will join the Tea Party insurgents who have both lifted the party and thrown it for a loop.
Mr. Christie, a former United States attorney appointed by George W. Bush, comes from the establishment. But no politician speaks the unvarnished vernacular of the Tea Party better — pointing fingers at public sector unions, speaking of the need to make what he calls “the hard choices.”
Les "swing states" sont indiqués en jaune sur la carte. Une bonne nouvelle pour le clan Obama qui ne se croyait pas en mesure de répéter l'exploit de 2008 en Caroline du nord. Si les sondages au plan national place les deux candidats à égalité, Obama mène dans la grande majorité des "swing states". C'est là que se jouera le sort de l'élection...
"CNN Monday turned the important battleground state of North Carolina from "lean Romney" to true "toss up" on its Electoral Map, following the release of a new CNN/Time Magazine/ORC International poll that indicated the race for the state's 15 electoral votes was a dead heat.
The move by CNN comes one week before the Democratic convention kicks off in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The poll, released earlier on Monday, indicates it's all knotted up in the Tar Heel state, with 48% of likely voters supporting Republican challenger Mitt Romney and 47% backing President Barack Obama.
Other polls from other organizations conducted earlier this summer also indicated a close contest in North Carolina.
"It's hard to imagine the perfect storm that helped then Sen. Obama narrowly carry the state in 2008. But at the moment the polling shows a tossup, and both campaigns say their numbers are in the same ballpark as our survey," says CNN Chief National Correspondent John King. "That, plus all the attention Democrats are about to give the state, gives us ample reason to move North Carolina to tossup."
"It's a must win for Romney, and even top Obama aides privately say it is a lot harder to see it going blue this time. But Romney can't take it for granted and the poll backs up what we see in the recent ad wars in North Carolina: It's a tight battleground," adds King.
"A state prosecutor said on Monday that four U.S. soldiers had secret roles in a militia that planned to kill President Obama and take over the Fort Stewart Army base in Georgia, according to a report by the Associated Press.
The four soldiers, who served at Fort Stewart, were allegedly part of a group that went by the name F.E.A.R., or Forever Enduring Always Ready. The prosecutor said the members were inked with matching tattoos, and authorities have no idea if other people were part of the group, the report said.
No state or federal charges have been filed against any of the soldiers for their role in the alleged plot. The new revelations came to light in an ongoing murder case against the four soldiers in state court in Georgia.
Après avoir retardé le début de leur convention en raison du passage de la tempête tropicale Isaac, les républicains craignent maintenant que leur image soit entachée par les effets que pourraient entraîner Isaac dans la région touchée par Katrina il y a quelques années. Non seulement fêter pendant la convention ne serait pas approprié, mais l'attention des médias ne serait plus portée que sur la grande fête républicaine.
"Instead, party officials and convention planners are increasingly anxious about a different and possibly more damaging scenario: a split-screen broadcast of Republicans partying in Tampa alongside images of serious storm damage in states such as Louisiana and Mississippi.
Some Republicans here worry the juxtaposition of events could revive memories of the disastrous 2005 storms — Hurricanes Katrina and Rita — and the government’s terrible handling of them.
Public outrage over the George W. Bush administration’s response to those catastrophes — Katrina especially — shadowed the president and the GOP for years. For Republicans, Katrina is their version of the Carter administration’s failed Iranian hostage rescue in 1980 — an enduring symbol of collective incompetence, a political wound that will not heal.
For the 2012 convention to move ahead amid another Gulf Coast disaster could make Romney and his supporters look oblivious to the plight of the victims — or at the very least, leave them competing for media attention for a full week with a disaster response effort.
Isaac is not expected to create Katrina’s extreme level of havoc. But Republicans are bracing for the political impact anyway, and have not ruled out the possibility of cancelling or revising the remaining three days of the convention.
Pendant que les républicains composent avec le passage d'Isaac...
"Bill Clinton and Black Eyed Peas musician will.i.am are hoping to party like it’s 1992.
They’re teaming up at a Democratic Party of Arkansas fundraising event next Tuesday during the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.
Clinton will be celebrating the 20-year anniversary of his nomination as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee — hence the event’s title, “A Party Two Decades in the Making.”
Tickets to the event, which is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Sept. 4 at the Westin Charlotte, start at $150.
Clinton is also scheduled to speak during prime time at the convention itself.
Caricature de Dave Granlund, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek
Mort d'un véritable héros qui a inspiré ses compatriotes et combien d'hommes et de femmes sur la planète...
"Neil Armstrong, the American astronaut who made "one giant leap for mankind" when he became the first man to walk on the moon, died Saturday. He was 82.
"We are heartbroken to share the news that Neil Armstrong has passed away following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures," Armstrong's family said in a statement.
Armstrong underwent heart surgery this month.
"While we mourn the loss of a very good man, we also celebrate his remarkable life and hope that it serves as an example to young people around the world to work hard to make their dreams come true, to be willing to explore and push the limits, and to selflessly serve a cause greater than themselves," his family said.
Armstrong died Saturday in Cincinnati, Ohio, according to a NASA spokesman. The agency's administrator put the death in perspective.
"As long as there are history books, Neil Armstrong will be included in them," said Charles Bolden. "As we enter this next era of space exploration, we do so standing on the shoulders of Neil Armstrong. We mourn the passing of a friend, fellow astronaut and true American hero."
Armstrong took two trips into space. He made his first journey in 1966 as commander of the Gemini 8 mission, which nearly ended in disaster.
Armstrong kept his cool and brought the spacecraft home safely after a thruster rocket malfunctioned and caused it to spin wildly out of control.
During his next space trip in July 1969, Armstrong and fellow astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins blasted off in Apollo 11 on a nearly 250,000-mile journey to the moon that went down in the history books.
It took them four days to reach their destination.
Aucun lien avec le terrorisme semble-t-il... "Vengeance" d'un ancien employé.
"A shooting and subsequent gun battle at the Empire State Building in New York killed two people and wounded at least nine others Friday, authorities said.
The shooter was one of the two killed, investigators said. They identified him as Jeffrey Johnson, 53, who was laid off last year and apparently killed a former co-worker Friday morning.
A construction worker followed the suspect and alerted officers. The suspect, using a .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun, then fired on police and they returned fire, killing him, said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.
Most of the injuries apparently occurred during the exchange of gunfire, and some may have been hit by shots fired by police officers, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.
Johnson had worked as a designer of women's accessories at Hazan Imports, police said.
Witnesses said police shot the man at least three times.
"It's just a crazy scene here," said Rebecca Fox, who works across the street from the famous skyscraper. She said she had been getting coffee with her headphones on when she saw people running.
L'équipe de Mitt Romney a indiqué à deux reprises que le candidat républicain souhaitait ne pas avoir à répondre à des questions au sujet des déclarations de Todd Akin. En s'exprimant maladroitement sur la question du viol récemment, Akin a plongé son parti dans l'embarras. Un cadeau pour les démocrates et la campagne Obama...
"Before Mitt Romney appeared via satellite on an Ohio TV station WHIO Thursday, his campaign told a reporter it would prefer Romney did not get questions about Todd Akin. Fortunately for the Romney campaign, Akin wasn’t on the WHIO agenda.
“They were chatting and it came up and I believe [a Romney staffer’s] wording was that they prefer not to talk about it,” assistant news director Tim Wolff told TPM. “But we didn’t care because we were going to talk about Ohio stuff.”
The WHIO interview was one of four satellite appearances Romney made on local TV stations Thursday. Per common practice, campaign officials fished around for topics and questions that might come up prior to the taping. In at least two of those interviews, the Romney campaign tried to shut down questions about Akin, whose continuing Senate campaign in Missouri is ensuring that abortion stays at the center of the presidential campaign narrative.
In Colorado, a Romney spokesperson set a no-Akin-questions policy as a precondition for getting access to the candidate.
The Romney campaign said such formal stipulations are not standard procedure.
“This is not how we operate,” a campaign official told TPM. “The matter is being addressed.”
Le rapport des experts de l'International Atomic Energy Agency relancera le débat sur les objectifs réels du programme nucléaire iranien...
"Almost all of the new equipment is being installed in a deep underground site on a military base near Qum that is considered virtually invulnerable to military attack. It would suggest that a boast by senior Iranian leaders late last month — that the country had added upward of 1,000 new machines to its installation despite Western sabotage — may be true.
The report will also indicate, according to the officials familiar with its contents, that Iran is increasingly focused on enriching uranium to a level of 20 percent — a purity that it says it needs for a specialty nuclear reactor that it insists is used only for medical purposes, but that outside experts say gets it most of the way to the level needed to produce a workable nuclear bomb. The report does not attempt to address the question of whether Iran has made a decision to build a nuclear weapon; American intelligence officials believe it has not, and Iran insists it wants to use nuclear power for peaceful ends.
It is unlikely that Iran has begun to use the new centrifuges to produce fuel, and even with a significant increase in fuel production it would still take months, at the least, to produce a crude weapon. By most American government estimates, Iran would need at least two years to develop a workable warhead that could fit atop a missile.
Nonetheless, the report by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s experts, first reported by Reuters, is likely to renew the debate over Iran’s intentions at a time when Israeli officials are stepping up their warnings that the window to conduct a pre-emptive military strike is closing.
