belmontboy
04-24 07:53 PM
Hi guys,
I know lobbying takes money, but i am not sure how much we need.
I see lots of emails about funding going around, but i am not getting any idea of how much exactly is needed.
Can the admins post a funding drive! and set some target - say, "100000$ funding drive". If we have a target, we can pitch in money and try to meet that. If we fall short, we know how much we need more, so that people can make extra contributions.
Once again, this is just my random thoughts.
I know lobbying takes money, but i am not sure how much we need.
I see lots of emails about funding going around, but i am not getting any idea of how much exactly is needed.
Can the admins post a funding drive! and set some target - say, "100000$ funding drive". If we have a target, we can pitch in money and try to meet that. If we fall short, we know how much we need more, so that people can make extra contributions.
Once again, this is just my random thoughts.
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ashatara78
09-14 01:06 PM
We got something similar. I have seen other posts in the forums but can't find them now. I would suggest you go for the fingerprints/biometrics and be done with it. Don't give them an excuse to actually implement "if you don't show up, your application will be considered abandoned".
sobers
05-30 05:07 PM
Aman, great job. Can't say this enough...thanks for your and the IV team's leadership.
Ever consider a career in Congress (once you become citizens, of course)??:)
Ever consider a career in Congress (once you become citizens, of course)??:)
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EndlessWait
05-21 02:34 PM
or go to mexico and enter back illegally if you want to get it sooner :D
more...
kkrp
05-03 05:29 PM
Hi All,
I would like to apply my 9th year H1B transfer with new employer based on my Labor which is pending for more than 365 days with my Current Employer. The proofs which I got from my current Employer are
1. Certified mail receipts showing the date my documents were received by the Labor Department.
2. Fax received on year 2004 from Labor Department which shows list of employees for whom they filed labor via my current company. This contains my name, case number and priority date.
3. Based on this pending Labor I got last year extension with my current employer.
4. Labor documents which they sent DOL.
Would this information be sufficient and helpful to file H1B transfer for me? Or Do you need any other information to do H1B Transfer? If so please let me know In which ways I can get the information other than my Employer. My employer will not cooperate with me in this issue.
Thanks a lot.
I would like to apply my 9th year H1B transfer with new employer based on my Labor which is pending for more than 365 days with my Current Employer. The proofs which I got from my current Employer are
1. Certified mail receipts showing the date my documents were received by the Labor Department.
2. Fax received on year 2004 from Labor Department which shows list of employees for whom they filed labor via my current company. This contains my name, case number and priority date.
3. Based on this pending Labor I got last year extension with my current employer.
4. Labor documents which they sent DOL.
Would this information be sufficient and helpful to file H1B transfer for me? Or Do you need any other information to do H1B Transfer? If so please let me know In which ways I can get the information other than my Employer. My employer will not cooperate with me in this issue.
Thanks a lot.
Blog Feeds
04-26 11:30 AM
Even though America's Jewish community includes virtually known of the folks being targeted by the anti-immigrant law in Arizona, members of the community get nervous when they see individuals in another minority group being targeted unjustly. Laws that demand that people show their papers make Jews especially concerned since in generations past (think Nazi Germany) in other countries, similar laws were part of campaigns of persecution. The first group to weigh in, appropriately, was the state's Reform Rabbis. It's rather refreshing that this is the case because 47 years ago when Northern rabbis went down to Birmingham, Alabama to support...
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/gregsiskind/2010/04/jewish-organizations-speak-out-against-arizona-law.html)
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/gregsiskind/2010/04/jewish-organizations-speak-out-against-arizona-law.html)
more...
maddipati1
12-09 04:20 PM
one of my friend worked here on L1 for couple of years for employer A.
then he got a H1 approved effective from Oct'07, with employer B.
but, he did not actually start working under employer B on H1 (payroll) until Mar'08.
he continued working under employer A on L1 ( has paystubs without any break) until Mar'08 and then worked with employer B on H1.
now he did a cap-exmpt H1 transfer to employer C, got H1 apporved and they are filing for GC labor PERM petition.
question is, while providing his previous employers info in the PERM petition,
can he say that he worked with employer A on L1 until Mar'08, even though his H1 with employer B is effective from oct'07?
appreciate any advice
then he got a H1 approved effective from Oct'07, with employer B.
but, he did not actually start working under employer B on H1 (payroll) until Mar'08.
he continued working under employer A on L1 ( has paystubs without any break) until Mar'08 and then worked with employer B on H1.
now he did a cap-exmpt H1 transfer to employer C, got H1 apporved and they are filing for GC labor PERM petition.
question is, while providing his previous employers info in the PERM petition,
can he say that he worked with employer A on L1 until Mar'08, even though his H1 with employer B is effective from oct'07?
appreciate any advice
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dallasdude
10-14 02:14 PM
Lot of people were abusing the system and hence taken down.
more...
immmj
01-08 02:32 AM
H1 (140 approved;485 pending +180 days) got laid off; For H4 (not added into green card application yet), any practical suggestion so that H4 can stay in US.
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nam_koh
05-23 11:14 AM
I am on H1 visa and I have a sister with citizenship.
I am wondering if I can file i-130 (family based immigration) now and file Employment based immigration later?
Is it OK to file 2 green cards applications? which one will take place then?
I am wondering if I can file i-130 (family based immigration) now and file Employment based immigration later?
Is it OK to file 2 green cards applications? which one will take place then?
more...
Sub Zero
11-13 04:58 PM
Hi, I am looking for some small work which I can do in PHP + MySQL. I am charging very little for small work so I can raise cash for my major projects.
Things like member systems are small projects.
If you are interested, you can contact me by:
Email - mail@austers.co.uk
MSN - mail@austers.co.uk
AIM - Austers27
Thanks in advance, Sub Zero
Things like member systems are small projects.
If you are interested, you can contact me by:
Email - mail@austers.co.uk
MSN - mail@austers.co.uk
AIM - Austers27
Thanks in advance, Sub Zero
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Pagal
03-01 01:36 PM
Hello,
There are lots of articles/news around this issue, but so far these have been exceptions than rule ... I myself entered US through a completely different airport than where I'm employed (on H-1B) and didn't have any issue.
Carry your documents with you and enjoy the travels! :)
There are lots of articles/news around this issue, but so far these have been exceptions than rule ... I myself entered US through a completely different airport than where I'm employed (on H-1B) and didn't have any issue.
Carry your documents with you and enjoy the travels! :)
more...
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acharaniya
09-05 05:02 PM
Forgot to mention this is AOS case that was transferred. My AP renewal is still sitting in TSC.
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today24
04-09 10:38 AM
My I-94 extension (for L1B visa) was denied on Oct '08 and I returned in 4 days after they updated Denial status. Reason for denail is "lack of specialized knowledge". I am planning to apply for L1B again in next month (By showing additional certification). Can you please advice me
- is it fine to apply for visa again as it will be more then 6 months after it was denied
- Do I need to show the copy of denial notice during visa interview? Is there any thread available providing suggestions for those applying for visa again after it was denied earlier...
Thanks in advance...
- is it fine to apply for visa again as it will be more then 6 months after it was denied
- Do I need to show the copy of denial notice during visa interview? Is there any thread available providing suggestions for those applying for visa again after it was denied earlier...
Thanks in advance...
more...
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graphicaluser
08-06 12:09 PM
Hi,
I m without an assignment for about 3 months, but I m maintaining my status bcoz the employer is running the payroll with minimum salary. mean while i m expecting a full time offer from a company and they are willing to transfer the visa. so my question is that when the new company will be asking for the paystubs for the transfer, I have the paystubs which have a reduced(minimum) salary than what I was earning when I had a project, so will it affect my job offer or any questions will be asked by USCIS?
i know the questions are pretty open, I would appreciate any replies/advice on this,
thanks
I m without an assignment for about 3 months, but I m maintaining my status bcoz the employer is running the payroll with minimum salary. mean while i m expecting a full time offer from a company and they are willing to transfer the visa. so my question is that when the new company will be asking for the paystubs for the transfer, I have the paystubs which have a reduced(minimum) salary than what I was earning when I had a project, so will it affect my job offer or any questions will be asked by USCIS?
i know the questions are pretty open, I would appreciate any replies/advice on this,
thanks
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CRAZYMONK
05-24 09:43 AM
If you are having the valid visa, there is no need to go for stamping again. While entering you can show the H1B approval so that you get the I94 till the date on the H1b approval.
more...
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bank_king2003
01-22 12:45 PM
Dear Attorney,
i would like to join a very good opportunity on EAD but have one concern shown below.
"a person has a valid ead/ap and he is gone outside the country for some work purpose and uscis denies his 485 in an illegal way like for eg: (denying AOS applications that have been pending more than 180 days when an employer revokes an I-140). how will he enter USA then ??
can he file MTR when he is outside the US with the help of a lawyer ?"
Your advice will help me alot and would be really appreciated!!!!
Thanks,
i would like to join a very good opportunity on EAD but have one concern shown below.
"a person has a valid ead/ap and he is gone outside the country for some work purpose and uscis denies his 485 in an illegal way like for eg: (denying AOS applications that have been pending more than 180 days when an employer revokes an I-140). how will he enter USA then ??
can he file MTR when he is outside the US with the help of a lawyer ?"
Your advice will help me alot and would be really appreciated!!!!
Thanks,
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Macaca
11-24 09:21 PM
In Bush’s Last Year, Modest Domestic Aims (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/24/washington/24bush.html) By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG | New York Times, November 24, 2007
WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 — As President Bush looks toward his final year in office, with Democrats controlling Congress and his major domestic initiatives dead on Capitol Hill, he is shifting his agenda to what aides call “kitchen table issues” — small ideas that affect ordinary people’s lives and do not take an act of Congress to put in place.
Over the past few months, Mr. Bush has sounded more like the national Mr. Fix-It than the man who began his second term with a sweeping domestic policy agenda of overhauling Social Security, remaking the tax code and revamping immigration law. Now, with little political capital left, Mr. Bush, like President Bill Clinton before him, is using his executive powers — and his presidential platform — to make little plans sound big.
He traveled to the shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland to announce federal protection for two coveted species of game fish, the striped bass and the red drum. He appeared in the Rose Garden to call on lenders to help struggling homeowners refinance. He came out in favor of giving the Food and Drug Administration new authority to recall unsafe foods.
Just this weekend, thanks to an executive order by Mr. Bush, the military is opening up additional air space — the White House calls it a “Thanksgiving express lane” — to lessen congestion in the skies. And Mr. Bush’s aides say more announcements are in the works, including another initiative, likely to be announced soon, intended to ease the mortgage lending crisis.
With a Mideast peace conference planned for the coming week and a war in Iraq to prosecute, Mr. Bush is, of course, deeply engaged in the most pressing foreign policy matters of the day. The “kitchen table” agenda is part of a broader domestic political strategy — which some Republicans close to the White House attribute to Mr. Bush’s new counselor, Ed Gillespie — for the president to find new and more creative ways of engaging the public as his days in office dwindle and his clout with Congress lessens.
“These are issues that don’t tend to be at the center of the political debate but actually are of paramount importance to a lot of Americans,” said Joel Kaplan, the deputy White House chief of staff.
One Republican close to the White House, who has been briefed on the strategy, said the aim was to talk to Americans about issues beyond Iraq and terrorism, so that Mr. Bush’s hand will be stronger on issues that matter to him, like vetoing spending bills or urging Congress to pay for the war.
“It’s a ticket to relevance, if you will, because right now Bush’s connection, even with the Republican base, is all related to terrorism and the fighting or prosecution of the Iraq war,” this Republican said. “It’s a way to keep his hand in the game, because you’re only relevant if you’re relevant to people on issues that they talk about in their daily lives.”
Mr. Bush often says he wants to “sprint to the finish,” and senior White House officials say this is a way for him to do so. The president has also expressed concerns that Congress has left him out of the loop; in a recent press conference, he said he was exercising his veto power because “that’s one way to ensure that I am relevant.” The kitchen table initiatives are another.
Yet for a president accustomed to dealing in the big picture, talking about airline baggage handling or uniform standards for high-risk foods requires a surprising dip into the realm of minutiae — a realm that, until recently, Mr. Bush’s aides have viewed with disdain.
After Republicans lost control of Congress a year ago, Tony Snow, then the White House press secretary, told reporters: “The president is going to be very aggressive. He’s not going to play small ball.”
It was a veiled dig at Mr. Bush’s predecessor, Mr. Clinton, who, along with his adviser Dick Morris, developed a similar — and surprisingly effective — strategy in 1996 after Republicans took control of Congress. That approach included what Mr. Clinton’s critics called “small-ball” initiatives, like school uniforms, curfews for teenagers and a crackdown on deadbeat dads, as well as the use of executive powers to impose clean air rules, establish national monuments and address medical privacy.
“People in Washington laughed when Mr. Clinton would talk about car seats or school uniforms,” said John Podesta, Mr. Clinton’s former chief of staff. “But I don’t think the public laughed.”
Nor does the public appear to be laughing at Mr. Bush.
When the president sat down at a rustic wooden desk on the shores of the Chesapeake last month to sign an executive order that made permanent a ban on commercial fishing of striped bass and red drum in federal waters, people in the capital barely took notice.
But it was big news on the southwest coast of Louisiana, where Chris Harbuck, a 45-year-old independent financial planner and recreational angler, likes to fish with his wife and teenage children. Mr. Harbuck is also the president of the Louisiana chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association, a nonprofit group dedicated to conserving marine resources; Mr. Bush’s order is splashed all over his latest newsletter.
“We were very thrilled with what he did,” Mr. Harbuck said.
That is exactly the outside-the-Beltway reaction the White House is hoping for. Mr. Bush’s aides are calculating that the public, numbed by what Mr. Kaplan called “esoteric budget battles” and other Washington conflicts, will respond to issues like long airline delays or tainted toys from China. They were especially pleased with the air congestion initiative.
“You could just tell from the coverage how it did strike a chord,” said Kevin Sullivan, Mr. Bush’s communications counselor.
Yet some of Mr. Bush’s new initiatives have had little practical effect. Fishing for red drum and striped bass, for instance, is already prohibited in federal waters; Mr. Bush’s action will take effect only if the existing ban is lifted. And the Federal Aviation Administration can already open military airspace on its own, without presidential action.
Democrats, like Senator Byron L. Dorgan of North Dakota, who runs the Senate’s Democratic Policy Committee, dismiss the actions as window dressing. “It’s more words than substance,” said Mr. Dorgan said, adding he was surprised to see a president who has often seemed averse to federal regulation using his regulatory authority.
“He’s kind of a late bloomer,” Mr. Dorgan said.
Mr. Bush, for his part, has been using the kitchen table announcements to tweak Democrats, by calling on them to pass legislation he has proposed, such as a bill modernizing the aviation administration. The message, in Mr. Sullivan’s words, is, “We’re not going to just sit back because they’re obstructing things the president wants to accomplish. We are trying to find other ways to do things that are meaningful to regular people out there.”
Gillespie: Bush Shifts Approach As Legislative Window Closes (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/30/AR2007113000836.html) By Peter Baker | Washington Post, November 30, 2007
WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 — As President Bush looks toward his final year in office, with Democrats controlling Congress and his major domestic initiatives dead on Capitol Hill, he is shifting his agenda to what aides call “kitchen table issues” — small ideas that affect ordinary people’s lives and do not take an act of Congress to put in place.
Over the past few months, Mr. Bush has sounded more like the national Mr. Fix-It than the man who began his second term with a sweeping domestic policy agenda of overhauling Social Security, remaking the tax code and revamping immigration law. Now, with little political capital left, Mr. Bush, like President Bill Clinton before him, is using his executive powers — and his presidential platform — to make little plans sound big.
He traveled to the shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland to announce federal protection for two coveted species of game fish, the striped bass and the red drum. He appeared in the Rose Garden to call on lenders to help struggling homeowners refinance. He came out in favor of giving the Food and Drug Administration new authority to recall unsafe foods.
Just this weekend, thanks to an executive order by Mr. Bush, the military is opening up additional air space — the White House calls it a “Thanksgiving express lane” — to lessen congestion in the skies. And Mr. Bush’s aides say more announcements are in the works, including another initiative, likely to be announced soon, intended to ease the mortgage lending crisis.
With a Mideast peace conference planned for the coming week and a war in Iraq to prosecute, Mr. Bush is, of course, deeply engaged in the most pressing foreign policy matters of the day. The “kitchen table” agenda is part of a broader domestic political strategy — which some Republicans close to the White House attribute to Mr. Bush’s new counselor, Ed Gillespie — for the president to find new and more creative ways of engaging the public as his days in office dwindle and his clout with Congress lessens.
“These are issues that don’t tend to be at the center of the political debate but actually are of paramount importance to a lot of Americans,” said Joel Kaplan, the deputy White House chief of staff.
One Republican close to the White House, who has been briefed on the strategy, said the aim was to talk to Americans about issues beyond Iraq and terrorism, so that Mr. Bush’s hand will be stronger on issues that matter to him, like vetoing spending bills or urging Congress to pay for the war.
“It’s a ticket to relevance, if you will, because right now Bush’s connection, even with the Republican base, is all related to terrorism and the fighting or prosecution of the Iraq war,” this Republican said. “It’s a way to keep his hand in the game, because you’re only relevant if you’re relevant to people on issues that they talk about in their daily lives.”
Mr. Bush often says he wants to “sprint to the finish,” and senior White House officials say this is a way for him to do so. The president has also expressed concerns that Congress has left him out of the loop; in a recent press conference, he said he was exercising his veto power because “that’s one way to ensure that I am relevant.” The kitchen table initiatives are another.
Yet for a president accustomed to dealing in the big picture, talking about airline baggage handling or uniform standards for high-risk foods requires a surprising dip into the realm of minutiae — a realm that, until recently, Mr. Bush’s aides have viewed with disdain.
After Republicans lost control of Congress a year ago, Tony Snow, then the White House press secretary, told reporters: “The president is going to be very aggressive. He’s not going to play small ball.”
It was a veiled dig at Mr. Bush’s predecessor, Mr. Clinton, who, along with his adviser Dick Morris, developed a similar — and surprisingly effective — strategy in 1996 after Republicans took control of Congress. That approach included what Mr. Clinton’s critics called “small-ball” initiatives, like school uniforms, curfews for teenagers and a crackdown on deadbeat dads, as well as the use of executive powers to impose clean air rules, establish national monuments and address medical privacy.
“People in Washington laughed when Mr. Clinton would talk about car seats or school uniforms,” said John Podesta, Mr. Clinton’s former chief of staff. “But I don’t think the public laughed.”
Nor does the public appear to be laughing at Mr. Bush.
When the president sat down at a rustic wooden desk on the shores of the Chesapeake last month to sign an executive order that made permanent a ban on commercial fishing of striped bass and red drum in federal waters, people in the capital barely took notice.
But it was big news on the southwest coast of Louisiana, where Chris Harbuck, a 45-year-old independent financial planner and recreational angler, likes to fish with his wife and teenage children. Mr. Harbuck is also the president of the Louisiana chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association, a nonprofit group dedicated to conserving marine resources; Mr. Bush’s order is splashed all over his latest newsletter.
“We were very thrilled with what he did,” Mr. Harbuck said.
That is exactly the outside-the-Beltway reaction the White House is hoping for. Mr. Bush’s aides are calculating that the public, numbed by what Mr. Kaplan called “esoteric budget battles” and other Washington conflicts, will respond to issues like long airline delays or tainted toys from China. They were especially pleased with the air congestion initiative.
“You could just tell from the coverage how it did strike a chord,” said Kevin Sullivan, Mr. Bush’s communications counselor.
Yet some of Mr. Bush’s new initiatives have had little practical effect. Fishing for red drum and striped bass, for instance, is already prohibited in federal waters; Mr. Bush’s action will take effect only if the existing ban is lifted. And the Federal Aviation Administration can already open military airspace on its own, without presidential action.
Democrats, like Senator Byron L. Dorgan of North Dakota, who runs the Senate’s Democratic Policy Committee, dismiss the actions as window dressing. “It’s more words than substance,” said Mr. Dorgan said, adding he was surprised to see a president who has often seemed averse to federal regulation using his regulatory authority.
“He’s kind of a late bloomer,” Mr. Dorgan said.
Mr. Bush, for his part, has been using the kitchen table announcements to tweak Democrats, by calling on them to pass legislation he has proposed, such as a bill modernizing the aviation administration. The message, in Mr. Sullivan’s words, is, “We’re not going to just sit back because they’re obstructing things the president wants to accomplish. We are trying to find other ways to do things that are meaningful to regular people out there.”
Gillespie: Bush Shifts Approach As Legislative Window Closes (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/30/AR2007113000836.html) By Peter Baker | Washington Post, November 30, 2007
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Macaca
09-28 05:27 PM
With Legacy in Mind, Bush Reassesses His Agenda (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/27/AR2007092702039_2.html?sid=ST2007092801089) By Peter Baker | Washington Post Staff Writer, September 28, 2007
As he addresses a conference on climate change this morning, President Bush will face not only a crowd of skeptics but the press of time. For nearly seven years, he invested little personal energy in the challenge of global warming. Now, with the end in sight, he has called the biggest nations of the world together to press for a plan by the end of next year.
This has been a week when Bush seems to be checking boxes on the legacy list. He opened the week at the United Nations in New York, where he tried to rally support for his Middle East peace initiative and insisted his vision of a new Palestinian state is still "achievable" before the end of his presidency. And he pressed for more U.N. action against Iran, acutely aware he has less than 16 months left to stop Tehran's nuclear program.
Success in any of these areas would amount to a singular achievement and, in the view of advisers, could help rewrite Bush's place in history. No president wants to be remembered as the author of an ill-fated war and, while Iraq certainly will be at the core of the Bush administration's record, advisers hope to broaden the picture. Yet analysts said the hour is late to resolve the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict on his watch, critics doubt his sincerity on climate change, and Iran remains as intransigent as ever.
"The clock is ticking, and there are certain things you want to accomplish before you go out the door," said Ron Kaufman, who was White House political director for President George H.W. Bush. "While most of these things are not new to his agenda, there may be a bit of a new urgency given the time. . . . No president wants to leave something on the table if they can get it done."
Even on Iraq, Bush clearly has an eye on the clock. While he no longer harbors hope of winning the war by Jan. 20, 2009, he wants to use his remaining time in office to stabilize the country, draw down some forces and leave his successor with a less volatile situation that would dampen domestic demands to pull out completely. If he can do that, he told television anchors during an off-the-record lunch this month, he thinks even Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), the Democratic front-runner, would continue his policy.
The goal, as national security adviser Stephen J. Hadley told the Council on Foreign Relations recently, is that "a new president who comes in in January of '09, whoever he or she may be, will look at it and say, 'I'm persuaded that we have long-term interests here. It's important we get it right. This strategy is beginning to work. I think I'll leave Iraq alone.' And so that a new president coming in doesn't have a first crisis about 'let's pull the troops out of Iraq.' "
Bush has even quietly sent advice through intermediaries to Clinton and other Democratic candidates, urging them to be careful in their campaign rhetoric so they do not limit their options should they win, according to a new book, "The Evangelical President," by Bill Sammon of the Washington Examiner. Bush has "been urging candidates, 'Don't get yourself too locked in where you stand right now. If you end up sitting where I sit, things could change dramatically,' " White House Chief of Staff Joshua B. Bolten told Sammon.
Bush is also rushing to institutionalize some of the controversial tactics he has employed in the battle with terrorists so that they will outlast his presidency. That was a major reason he agreed to put his National Security Agency warrantless surveillance program under the jurisdiction of a secret intelligence court, aides said. And that is why he has pushed to find a way to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and find other ways of handling suspected terrorists, although officials increasingly doubt they will be able to do so.
White House counselor Ed Gillespie said the president's team is not panicked about dwindling time but hopes to push steadily toward some goals that will bear fruit before the end of the administration. "On some of these things we've made a lot of progress," he said. "We may not be in the red zone, but we're at a point where you don't need to throw the long ball. We can get there with three yards and a cloud of dust if we keep moving."
The focus on passing time and the coming judgment of history is common at this point in a two-term presidency, of course. In his final months in office, Bill Clinton also launched an intense effort to solve the Middle East conflict only to have Camp David talks collapse. Joel P. Johnson, who was Clinton's senior adviser in the last part of his presidency, remembers his boss holding "a whip and a chair" trying to force as much change before surrendering the Oval Office.
"It's on your mind every day because you know how long it takes to create a policy and build a campaign around it and enact it or in some way force change before your administration is over," Johnson said. "Literally on your wall and in your mind there is a calendar, and every day you see a red X and you wake up in the morning and you realize 'we only have so much time.' And what focuses your mind is you know on that last day, the story's over and you can't change it anymore."
Bolten has been trying to focus the minds of his colleagues in the Bush White House ever since taking over as chief of staff last year. He gave other top aides clocks set to show how many days and hours remain in this administration and told them to think about big things that could be accomplished in that time. Yet the most ambitious items on Bush's second-term domestic agenda have died, most notably his ideas for restructuring Social Security and immigration laws.
"They're off the table. They're done. Didn't work," said a senior official who insisted on anonymity to speak more candidly about Bush's strategy. "So he's turning to some other things."
One of the other things is climate change. Bush once expressed doubt that human activity has anything to do with warming and renounced the Kyoto treaty imposing mandatory limits on greenhouse emissions. Now he has summoned representatives from the 15 nations that produce the most greenhouse gases to this week's conference in Washington in hopes of producing a plan by the end of 2008.
While the White House points to initiatives and research Bush has sponsored over the years, he has never taken on a high-profile role in confronting the issue until now. Senior European officials said they appreciate the newfound interest. "Some months ago there was no discussion of climate. The words 'Kyoto regime' [did not come] over the lips of a government official here," German Environmental Minister Siegmar Gabriel told reporters yesterday. Alluding to Neil Armstrong's famous walk on the moon, he added, "These are big steps for us and the United States, and small steps for mankind in the international negotiations."
But Bush remains opposed to mandatory emissions caps that environmentalists and many foreign leaders such as Gabriel believe are needed. "I don't think the leopard has changed its spots," said David D. Doniger, a climate analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Or maybe the better analogy is that the only thing the leopard has changed is his spots."
One conference delegate said negotiators realize the talks will not yield a dramatic change in U.S. policy. "With this administration, we will not reach any result because the time is too short," the delegate said. "But they have the problem, not we. . . . They have the problem [of explaining] to their own people what they're going to do."
As he addresses a conference on climate change this morning, President Bush will face not only a crowd of skeptics but the press of time. For nearly seven years, he invested little personal energy in the challenge of global warming. Now, with the end in sight, he has called the biggest nations of the world together to press for a plan by the end of next year.
This has been a week when Bush seems to be checking boxes on the legacy list. He opened the week at the United Nations in New York, where he tried to rally support for his Middle East peace initiative and insisted his vision of a new Palestinian state is still "achievable" before the end of his presidency. And he pressed for more U.N. action against Iran, acutely aware he has less than 16 months left to stop Tehran's nuclear program.
Success in any of these areas would amount to a singular achievement and, in the view of advisers, could help rewrite Bush's place in history. No president wants to be remembered as the author of an ill-fated war and, while Iraq certainly will be at the core of the Bush administration's record, advisers hope to broaden the picture. Yet analysts said the hour is late to resolve the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict on his watch, critics doubt his sincerity on climate change, and Iran remains as intransigent as ever.
"The clock is ticking, and there are certain things you want to accomplish before you go out the door," said Ron Kaufman, who was White House political director for President George H.W. Bush. "While most of these things are not new to his agenda, there may be a bit of a new urgency given the time. . . . No president wants to leave something on the table if they can get it done."
Even on Iraq, Bush clearly has an eye on the clock. While he no longer harbors hope of winning the war by Jan. 20, 2009, he wants to use his remaining time in office to stabilize the country, draw down some forces and leave his successor with a less volatile situation that would dampen domestic demands to pull out completely. If he can do that, he told television anchors during an off-the-record lunch this month, he thinks even Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), the Democratic front-runner, would continue his policy.
The goal, as national security adviser Stephen J. Hadley told the Council on Foreign Relations recently, is that "a new president who comes in in January of '09, whoever he or she may be, will look at it and say, 'I'm persuaded that we have long-term interests here. It's important we get it right. This strategy is beginning to work. I think I'll leave Iraq alone.' And so that a new president coming in doesn't have a first crisis about 'let's pull the troops out of Iraq.' "
Bush has even quietly sent advice through intermediaries to Clinton and other Democratic candidates, urging them to be careful in their campaign rhetoric so they do not limit their options should they win, according to a new book, "The Evangelical President," by Bill Sammon of the Washington Examiner. Bush has "been urging candidates, 'Don't get yourself too locked in where you stand right now. If you end up sitting where I sit, things could change dramatically,' " White House Chief of Staff Joshua B. Bolten told Sammon.
Bush is also rushing to institutionalize some of the controversial tactics he has employed in the battle with terrorists so that they will outlast his presidency. That was a major reason he agreed to put his National Security Agency warrantless surveillance program under the jurisdiction of a secret intelligence court, aides said. And that is why he has pushed to find a way to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and find other ways of handling suspected terrorists, although officials increasingly doubt they will be able to do so.
White House counselor Ed Gillespie said the president's team is not panicked about dwindling time but hopes to push steadily toward some goals that will bear fruit before the end of the administration. "On some of these things we've made a lot of progress," he said. "We may not be in the red zone, but we're at a point where you don't need to throw the long ball. We can get there with three yards and a cloud of dust if we keep moving."
The focus on passing time and the coming judgment of history is common at this point in a two-term presidency, of course. In his final months in office, Bill Clinton also launched an intense effort to solve the Middle East conflict only to have Camp David talks collapse. Joel P. Johnson, who was Clinton's senior adviser in the last part of his presidency, remembers his boss holding "a whip and a chair" trying to force as much change before surrendering the Oval Office.
"It's on your mind every day because you know how long it takes to create a policy and build a campaign around it and enact it or in some way force change before your administration is over," Johnson said. "Literally on your wall and in your mind there is a calendar, and every day you see a red X and you wake up in the morning and you realize 'we only have so much time.' And what focuses your mind is you know on that last day, the story's over and you can't change it anymore."
Bolten has been trying to focus the minds of his colleagues in the Bush White House ever since taking over as chief of staff last year. He gave other top aides clocks set to show how many days and hours remain in this administration and told them to think about big things that could be accomplished in that time. Yet the most ambitious items on Bush's second-term domestic agenda have died, most notably his ideas for restructuring Social Security and immigration laws.
"They're off the table. They're done. Didn't work," said a senior official who insisted on anonymity to speak more candidly about Bush's strategy. "So he's turning to some other things."
One of the other things is climate change. Bush once expressed doubt that human activity has anything to do with warming and renounced the Kyoto treaty imposing mandatory limits on greenhouse emissions. Now he has summoned representatives from the 15 nations that produce the most greenhouse gases to this week's conference in Washington in hopes of producing a plan by the end of 2008.
While the White House points to initiatives and research Bush has sponsored over the years, he has never taken on a high-profile role in confronting the issue until now. Senior European officials said they appreciate the newfound interest. "Some months ago there was no discussion of climate. The words 'Kyoto regime' [did not come] over the lips of a government official here," German Environmental Minister Siegmar Gabriel told reporters yesterday. Alluding to Neil Armstrong's famous walk on the moon, he added, "These are big steps for us and the United States, and small steps for mankind in the international negotiations."
But Bush remains opposed to mandatory emissions caps that environmentalists and many foreign leaders such as Gabriel believe are needed. "I don't think the leopard has changed its spots," said David D. Doniger, a climate analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Or maybe the better analogy is that the only thing the leopard has changed is his spots."
One conference delegate said negotiators realize the talks will not yield a dramatic change in U.S. policy. "With this administration, we will not reach any result because the time is too short," the delegate said. "But they have the problem, not we. . . . They have the problem [of explaining] to their own people what they're going to do."
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03-21 05:17 PM
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BZEANBOWY
01-07 12:48 PM
Good MOrning All I have 2 questions:
1.) My littel sister is living with a Looser for the past 10 teays and he refuse to file for her Residency. So got pregnat last year and now has a baby by him. Is there anything she can do to get her residency in this situation?
2.) I am married to a US citizen. I have a Pending case with USCIS however it has been draging out for too long. I wanted to file for my Residency using my Current marriage. She is a US citizen however dose anyone know if there is a limit or time frame when a US citizen can file for someone else? She was married before and filed for her X-husband residency. Can she file me now without any problem?
1.) My littel sister is living with a Looser for the past 10 teays and he refuse to file for her Residency. So got pregnat last year and now has a baby by him. Is there anything she can do to get her residency in this situation?
2.) I am married to a US citizen. I have a Pending case with USCIS however it has been draging out for too long. I wanted to file for my Residency using my Current marriage. She is a US citizen however dose anyone know if there is a limit or time frame when a US citizen can file for someone else? She was married before and filed for her X-husband residency. Can she file me now without any problem?
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