Capital

Why Obama may not win

The Clintons

If anyone, it is the Clintons that were and still are, a major reason why the general election is hardly in the bag for Obama. When the primaries first started Senator Rodham Clinton had been a clear front runner and the U.S. was yet to learn of the Obamas. It was in December 2007 that Obama announced his bid for the White House but for Clinton it was on the table long before. Even when Obama enter the race, the Democrats didn't really want to consider him as a serious contender let alone a winner, but that feeling only lasted until he won Iowa.
Beginning with this critical victory, Obama shook the inevitability of the former First lady and then it was a two - horse game after, which Obama emerged as the first African American presidential nominee. "They said this day would never come, "Obama had told Iowans. That day has now come, at the highest level of American politics. "A black man with a dangerous-sounding foreign name trounced his opponents in the nearly all-white state of Iowa. And he did so because, after spending months getting to know him, the people of Iowa stopped seeing his color and began to admire his character," Time magazine reported following the win.
Even if it was not easy going, the Iowa victory appealed to millions of Democrats that eventually made Obama top nominee. Now the story is Obama as the presumptive Democratic nominee and Clinton has suspended her campaign and fully endorsed Obama.
Although Obama won many states Clinton had won bigger states like California and Pennsylvania, which is significant if he is to win the general election. What worries Obama much more than his pervious defeats in big states is that polls show majority of the 18 million votes that favored Clinton could go to McCain as these voters are still upset with her defeat. Here is where Clinton can come in handy if she wishes to, but with a price of course. This, as she suggested after her Pennsylvania win was the dream ticket but of course now she is not calling the shots. Obama seemed not particularly excited with a joint ticket and instead he offered to help pay off her campaign debts. So far, the deal has seemed to work as the two met in the symbolicly named town of Unity.
President Clinton too offered help to the nominee he once called 'inexperienced'. Critics are still unconvinced that the Clintons are doing and willing to offer all that they can. One theory supporting this claim states that Clinton's ambition for the White House is not buried yet and she is eyeing 2012. Without the Clintons full support a win in November is not likely for Obama. However, Clinton too has a stake; party chiefs will never forgive her if she lets the Republicans win a third consecutive presidency.

The Obamas
Thanks to Bill Clinton, the Democrats are favored to take care of the economy, which will work for Obama as latest poll show that the economy is the number one agenda and Voters trust better Obama for the job. His second and third priorities [universal health care and withdrawal from Iraq] are assets that appeal to voters. But what about his color and his former pastor, the fiery Rev. Jeremiah Wright?
Polls usually miss the color factor as voters are embarrassed to state that race matters in deciding whom to vote for. This will be decisive for Obama-whether or not America is ready for a black Commander in Chief.
One thing that surely will work in John McCain's favor if the running turns dirty is the disgraceful Rev. Jeremiah Wright's 'God-damn America' remarks. This may work as cure to the Obama sickness Republicans see U.S. voters [especially the independents] suffering from.
The Obamas seem set with a solid family look. An Associated Press poll shows that Michelle Obama does better with unmarried people and college graduates over Cindy McCain. However, Obama is viewed poorly by people age 65 and up. McCain is seen more favorably by older people, marrieds and the more affluent, but is less well received by single people.
Nearly 56 percent polled said they know too little to say much about McCain exceeding the 34 percent clueless about Obama. Even the Republicans themselves [about 50%] say they do not know McCain well, while only three in ten Democrats say the same thing about Obama. White people are not contented about Obama, resulting the overall number in the pubic with 30 percent to stand on her side and 35 percent against.
Will the U.S., the most advanced and probably the most democratic nation, get over the color bar and elect Obama? It is a defining moment in U.S. history.

Facts of the audit report

By Groum Abate

Deputy Auditor General Assefa Desta presented to parliament the national audit report last week with some recommendations and other possible comments that could be forwarded by government institutions.
The 125 page audit report presented to parliament shows audited institutions and government organizations and their response to the audit report.
The audit was conducted, according to the report, by taking samples from audited institutions and would see details if the Federal General Auditor (FGA) considers it essential.
The audit is according to the government's audit grades and documents presented by audited institutions.
Out of the 67 audited institutions 25 have not responded to the audit report's comment and the rest has responded to the auditor's comment on defaulted audit deficit.
The report blasted the audited institutions in that it found various cash and performance deficits.
FGA also noted that from the 20 audited Federal Government Institutions, over 92 million birr was detected, which is not conducted properly in respect to the government's accounting principles.
From this money, according to the report, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Central Statistic Agency and the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia account for the biggest share of improperly spent money.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Diplomatic Missions' 70.8 million birr is the highest and the ministry has not responded to the comment until the report was presented as to why the inappropriate spending occurred.
Furthermore, the Central Statistics Agency has a 12.1 million birr deficit and the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia has eight million birr of improper spending or without the necessary accounting principles.
The report further blasted the Addis Ababa Airport Customs Branch Office and Awash Basin Authority for collecting money without proper receipts. The audit found 4.5 million birr that was collected without receipts from the two institutions.
Almost 11 million birr was not collected from the country's first income generating institutions, the audit report shows. According to the report the Ethiopian Customs Authority and the Federal Inland Revenue Authority are the responsible institutions that fail the auditor's report.
Tax tariff, different tariffs, under invoicing, and failure to collect withholding tax were cited as the major problem for the failure to collect the money.
The report also notes that 22.4 million birr has not been collected on time, where 22.3 million birr should have been collected from branch offices of the Federal Inland Revenue Authority (FIRA).
The audit report also states that 160 million birr out of which 137.5 million birr from FIRA and 21.9 million birr from the Ethiopian Customs Authority, revenue has not been backed up by the necessary original documents. The report says that the documents were photocopied and even tax payers documents were not presented for the audit. The FGA comments that the procedure was not correct and should be corrected for the future.
The report also criticizes the Ethiopian Mapping Agency and Ministry of Mines and Energy for billing customers without the proper tariff that has been approved by the Council of Ministers.
Furthermore the former Ministry of Infrastructure has collected over 1.4 million birr from annual fee of ships beyond the proper tariff.
FGA also commented on machinery that was imported duty free for construction purposes by Dragados and that has now been hired by the Ethiopian Roads Authority. But the machinery was not taken out of the country and the government has lost the proper tax income that could be generated from the sale of the machinery.
The report also reveals that over 6.5 million birr worth of purchase by six institutions were not in accordance with the purchase manual of the government.
The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia has also paid 98,000 birr to its former head as salary and allowance when the head was not at his position for 27 months.
Upon the request of the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission the FGA has conducted a special audit on the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE), Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE), Ethiopian Football Federation and Saint Paul's Hospital.
The audit that was conducted on NBE on the recent gold scandal scam reveals that contrary to the bank procedure, one individual has been supplying gold to the bank without registering.
Package that contains the brick of gold has not been properly inspected after it was certified it was gold by the Ethiopian Geological Survey office.
The bank has also paid the gold value without properly weighing it and has accepted 38 similar gold bricks that weigh the same and with equal carat levels.
FAG also inspected CBE for a loan that it approved for Sunrise Investment.
The audit also revealed illegal procurement, unlawful payments, spending beyond the allocated budget, and expenditure that could not be accounted and funds not utilized, amounting to more than two billion Birr.