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KABUL, Afghanistan, March 3, 2009 – As U.S. forces and their NATO counterparts here were thinking recently about ways to win the trust and cooperation of local people in their fight against radical insurgents, village elders suggested a way to come together in common interest: a sporting event. Two do-rah teams battle it out while an Afghan police officer pulls security during a goodwill tournament of the traditional Afghan game in the Deh Rawood district of Oruzgan province, Afghanistan, Feb. 20, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Joseph A. Wilson.   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Such was...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2009 – Even as military efforts increase in Afghanistan, coalition forces reach out to Afghan civilians with humanitarian aid, job training and other supportive efforts. Jose Garzon, left, and Ted Whittenberger, right, both with the U.S. Agency for International Development, pose in front of the Konar Construction Center honor graduates with Gov. Sayed Fazlullah Wahidi of Afghanistan’s Konar province, Jan. 18, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Russell Gilchrest  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. U.S. soldiers distributed more than 300 backpacks filled with clothes, shoes, school supplies and hygiene items to high school students near...

An Iraqi policeman from the Maysan province distributes first aid kits to the families of Abu Rummanah during a combined humanitarian operation with Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cav. Division in Amarah Jan. 23. Photo by Pfc. Todd Rogers. FORWARD OPERATING BASE GARRY OWEN — Iraqi Police from the Al Hussein Station, assisted by Soldiers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, joined forces during Operation Goodwill to send a positive message to the citizens in Amarah Jan. 23. “We have a lot of things to coordinate between us and...

Barack Obama's money machine is fueled by the likes of Martha Murphy, a grandmother who has donated 104 times for a total of $2,475.34. Murphy has used her credit card to donate in amounts as small as $10. "It is amazing how it adds up," she said. Obama has revolutionized campaign fundraising, deploying the Internet to tap into more donors than any candidate in history. The campaign has reported $160 million in contributions from supporters who donated $200 or less, more than a third of the $458 million raised. But as Obama sets records, his fundraising has come under scrutiny....

The Obama campaign has shattered all fund-raising records, raking in $458 million so far, with about half the bounty coming from donors who contribute $200 or less. Aides say that's an illustration of a truly democratic campaign. To critics, though, it can be an invitation for fraud and illegal foreign cash because donors giving individual sums of $200 or less don't have to be publicly reported. Consider the cases of Obama donors "Doodad Pro" of Nunda, N.Y., who gave $17,130, and "Good Will" of Austin, Texas, who gave more than $11,000—both in excess of the $2,300-per-person federal limit. In two...

The Republican National Committee wants the Federal Election Commission to investigate the source of thousands of small contributions to the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama, a committee lawyer said yesterday. The RNC's chief counsel, Sean Cairncross, said that there is mounting evidence that the Obama campaign was so hungry for donations it "looked the other way" as contributions piled up from suspicious donors, and possibly even from overseas, which would be illegal. "We believe that the American people should know first and foremost if foreign money is pouring into a presidential election," Cairncross said. He pointed to a report...

The Obama campaign has shattered all fund-raising records, raking in $458 million so far, with about half the bounty coming from donors who contribute $200 or less. Aides say that's an illustration of a truly democratic campaign. To critics, though, it can be an invitation for fraud and illegal foreign cash because donors giving individual sums of $200 or less don't have to be publicly reported. Consider the cases of Obama donors "Doodad Pro" of Nunda, N.Y., who gave $17,130, and "Good Will" of Austin, Texas, who gave more than $11,000—both in excess of the $2,300-per-person federal limit.

Obama doesn't weed out illegal cash, GOP says Sun Oct 5, 2008 5:15pm EDT By Andy Sullivan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican Party on Sunday said Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama had not done enough to screen out illegal campaign contributions and asked U.S. election officials to look into the matter. Citing news reports, the Republican National Committee said Obama had accepted contributions from foreigners and taken more than the $2,300 maximum from donors who give in small increments. The Obama campaign denied the charges. The RNC said it will ask the Federal Election Commission to examine Obama records in...

WHO is "Will, Good"? Mr. Good Will - who lists his employer as "Loving" and his profession as "You" - has contributed 1,000 times to the Barack Obama campaign. All the contributions have been in amounts of $25 or less. But they add up to $17,375 - far more than the legal limit of $4,600. That's $2,300 each for the primary and general election campaigns. Kenneth Timmerman, a reporter for NewsMax, a conservative Web site, discovered Mr. Good Will when he reviewed 1.4 million individual contributions in the latest Federal Elections Commission master file for the Obama campaign. Mr. Good...

A lawyer for the Republican National Committee today said the party will ask the Federal Election Commission to look into the source of thousands of small-dollar contributions to the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama. The RNC is alleging that the Obama campaign was so hungry for donations it "looked the other way" as contributions piled up from suspicious, and possibly even illegal foreign donors. "We believe that the American people should know first and foremost if foreign money is pouring into a presidential election," said RNC Chief Counsel Sean Cairncross. Cairncross alleged there was mounting evidence of this, and...

Snippets (you really have to read the whole thing): On Thursday at the [French] embassy, a contemporary mansion on Reservoir Road, the white marble floors, soaring ceilings and skylights helped make castoffs look chic... After they sipped wine and nibbled on salmon in champagne sauce, the crowd settled in for the fashion show..... "That's Goodwill?!" one woman gasped as a model wearing an impeccably tailored French wool suit peacocked down the runway. The chocolate-colored, satin sheath gown! That velvet, midnight-blue suit! The mink, oh, that MINK! Eschewing any facade of fashion ennui, members of the crowd cheered and whistled and...

(IsraelNN.com) The IDF, on orders from the Olmert government, removed 10 manned checkpoints in the Binyamin region and Samaria Thursday evening. The roadblocks were taken down near Ramallah, Shechem, Tal Karem and Kalkilya. Officials explained that the roadblocks were removed as part of a series of “goodwill gestures” to the Palestinian Authority. Ostensibly under US pressure, Israel recently agreed to remove dozens of checkpoints and roadblocks in Judea and Samaria in order to make travel easier for local Arabs. In return, the PA said it would try to stop terrorism. Daily attacks continue on roads in Judea and Samaria –...

HUSSEINIYA, Iraq, Feb. 29, 2008 – Children swarmed around the men in uniform and extended their hands, eager to receive a newspaper. Although some of the children could not yet read, the colorful pictures were enough to ignite their curiosity. Navy Lt. j.g. Clint Phillips (right), an Ontario, Calif., native, and 1st Lt. Dale Donaldson, a Bartlesville, Okla., native, walk down the street handing out newspapers with policemen in Husseiniya, Iraq, Feb. 26, 2008. Phillips serves as the team leader for Civil Affairs Team 11, Company B, 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion, 360th Airborne Civil Affairs Brigade, and is currently...

There's a time for destruction and there's a time for rebuilding. For decades the regime of Saddam Hussein ignored basic infrastructure in the country, and much of what existed when his government fell to U.S.-led coalition forces succumbed in the insurgent battles that followed. In Khatoon al-Yarmook, long one of the most impoverished neighborhoods in the city of Baquba, that meant to its sole symbol of stability and hope -- its elementary school. Al-Tabrea's cement walls and floors hadn't seen a can of paint for years when Saddam fell, and its septic tank had long ceased functioning. Battles last year...

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Andre Bundick, a Painter, Va., native with Troop A, 4th Squadron 9th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, hands out candy to eager kids in Baghdad's Karkh District. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Alexis Harrison, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs. BAGHDAD — Keeping the balance between being a force to be reckoned with and being a symbol of peace and prosperity can be a difficult task. For many of today's Soldiers in Iraq, it's not part of the game, it is the game. Soldiers from Troop A, 4th...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE RUSTAMAYAH — Before she deployed, Spc. Diana Sokol used to listen to Soldiers tell stories about how Iraqi children asked them for soccer balls and other items. She would see photos of kids in the city with virtually nothing but the clothes on their back and always knew she would take action once deployed. So when the medic from Plano, Texas, and member of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Combined Arms Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, attached to the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, based out of Fort Benning, Ga., arrived here, she started her goodwill mission. Sokol’s...

Van Nuys, Calif. — Carolyn Blashek is constantly sending her gratitude to the men and women serving in the military overseas. Blashek founded Operation Gratitude after she tried to join the military, but was told she was too old. Her goal: to show people in the service that they have not been forgotten back home by sending personal care packages directly to members of the United States armed services all over the world. The care packages include a variety of items from sunscreen to socks, candy to toothpaste. But, you may be surprised to know what the most important item...

WASHINGTON, March 6, 2007 – The hospital ship USNS Comfort will provide health care to disadvantaged citizens at several Latin American and Caribbean ports of call this summer, President Bush announced here yesterday. President Bush is dispatching the hospital ship USNS Comfort on a mission of goodwill to Caribbean and Latin American countries. In this file photo, the Comfort pulls into Naval Station Mayport, Fla., on Sept. 5, 2005, to take on supplies in support of Hurricane Katrina relief operations. U.S. Navy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “The United States military is a symbol of strength for...

TEHRAN, Iran - A powerful leading rival of Iran's hard-line president said Wednesday that Tehran will "remove obstacles" blocking negotiations with the United States if Washington shows good will. President Bush dismissed the possibility of talks. Former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani, a high-ranking cleric, has no formal foreign policy portfolio but holds seats on two of Iran's most important government bodies. Seen as one of the country's most influential figures, Rafsanjani in recent weeks has become an increasingly high-profile public advocate of a more conciliatory stance towards the U.S. and its allies in the dispute over Tehran's nuclear program. "Any...

Provincial Reconstruction Teams help distribute humanitarian supplies. BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Feb. 7, 2007 — Units and Provincial Reconstruction Teams in eastern Afghanistan conducted humanitarian missions throughout the region. The Khost PRT worked with the Afghan Border Patrol to distribute hygiene kits, soccer balls and clothing to village elders from Tughu village. The Sharana PRT and sub-governor participated in a humanitarian assistance mission in Barlake Village. Food, clothes, first-aid kits and school bags were passed out. Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment conducted a joint medical civic action program in conjunction with a shura in Giro District, Ghazni Province. The...