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Politics&Nation Democrats openly criticizing Pelosi
With extreme weather on rise, search is on for hardier crops Official: BP oil well ‘is effectively dead’
Digest Texas: Father charged in children’s death
TheWorld As China’s wealthy grow in numbers, so do protectors
Bombs kill 37, injure more than 100 in Iraq Church uproar a setback for Turkey-Armenia ties Bodies of 3 Afghan election workers found
Digest Vatican says pope’s trip ‘great success’
Washington Business A changing retail landscape
Accidental entrepeneur learns ABCs of success Expected rise in home sales may show a stabilizing market
The Fed Page In book, more Breyer dissents on originalism
Editorial&Opinion Editorial: Do Castros think private enterprise will save them?
Editorial. The newD.C. tour guide rules are a farce CORRECTIONS
l A Sept. 16 Metro article about the loss of Montgomery County
Council member Duchy Tra- chtenberg (At Large) in Tuesday’s Democratic primary incorrectly said that she served as treasurer of the Maryland Chapter of the National Organization for Wom- en before she was elected to the council in 2006. In fact, she served as the organization’s trea- surer from 2006 through late 2008.
l Photos with a Sept. 14 Style review of Studio Theatre’s pro-
duction of “Circle Mirror Trans- formation” were credited incor- rectly. The photos were taken by Carol Pratt.
l The Tom Shales column in the Sept. 14 Style section, about
MTV’s Video Music Awards, mis-
identified the network that tele- vises the Golden Globe awards. That show is broadcast by NBC.
l A Sept. 13 Metro article about Democratic candidates forMont-
gomery County Councilwhocam- paigned at a Takoma Park festival the day before primary elections misquoted a sign being carried by amanthere.The sign read,“Don’t Save the Bay, Have Babies In- stead,” not, “Don’t Save the Bay, Save Babies Instead.”
l A photo caption with a Sept. 3 Style article, about plans by the
Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History to put its ex- hibited mummies into storage duringupcomingrenovations, in- correctly implied that the mum- my pictured was on exhibit. In fact, it was already in storage.
The Washington Post is committed to correcting errors that appear in the newspaper. Those interested in contacting the paper for that purpose can: E-mail:
corrections@washpost.com. Call: 202-334-6000, and ask to be connected to the desk involved — National, Foreign, Metro, Style, Sports, Business or any of the weekly sections. The ombudsman, who acts as the readers’ representative, can be reached by calling 202-334-7582 or e-mailing
ombudsman@washpost.com
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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2010
As November nears, voters turn backs on both parties W
hat happens if they hold an election inwhich voters don’t like either of
their choices? We’ll find out in 43 days, as
poll after poll shows that both national parties are deeply unpopularwith an electorate looking for something newand different.Democrats have suffered frombeing themajority party for the past 20months—in control of politicalWashington and expected to domore by voterswho elected President Obama to change the culture in the nation’s capital. But Republicans are not offering much thatwill earn themcredit in the eyes ofmost voters, either. In an Associated Press poll
released lastweek, 38 percent of respondents approved of the job Democrats in Congress are doing,while 60 percent disapproved—not exactlywhere any partywants to be this close to an election. The ratings for Republicans in Congress, however,were evenworse,with 31 percent approving and 68 percent disapproving. ANew York Times/CBSNews survey released lastweek also showed congressionalDemocrats’ approval rating at ameasly 30 percent,while congressional Republicans’ rating sat at a ghastly 20 percent. And in aWashington Post-ABC News poll released thismonth,
CHRIS CILLIZZA The Monday Fix
voters expressed a distinct desire not to reelect incumbents in either party. Just 34 percent said Democrats deserved reelection, while 31 percent said Republicans did. The deep unpopularity of theGOP brand is one of the last vestiges of hope forDemocrats seeking to retain theirmajorities in theHouse and Senate inwhat—if history is any guide—is shaping up to be a difficultmidtermelection season for the party. There is no great affection for
the Republican Party in this country, a seniorObama administration official said last week. That creates the opportunity for competitive races district by district. The official noted that the
GOP’s unpopularitymarks a critical difference between the election thisNovember and the midterms of 1994,when the party’s sweep ofmore than 50 House seatswon it themajority for the first time in 40 years. Then, the official argued,
Republicans had been out of power formore than four decades and voterswere ready to try something different. This time, voters knowwhat they would be gettingwith Republicans in charge and don’t like it, the source said. Fred Yang, aDemocratic
pollster involved in a number of competitiveHouse races, said that theGOP’s unpopularity matters a good deal, adding: “The 2010 Republicans are clearly not the 1994 Republicans, inwhich the latter not only had the advantage of anti-Democratic sentiment, but aGOPwith solid ratings and the ContractWith America.” Republicans,while largely acknowledging that the gains theymake this fallwill be less an affirmation of their agenda than a rejection of Democratic policies, argued that Democrats arewhistling past the graveyard if they think the low numbers for theGOP brandwill drastically affect the election. Whit Ayres, a Republican
pollsterwho has conducted a series ofHouse race surveys for the conservative-aligned American Action Forum, insisted that the comingmidtermswill be a referendumon the party in power, not a choice between the two sides—particularly among key independent voters. “I believe it is important for
Republicans to spell out their vision of an alternative future, not only to slip the ‘party of no’ punch, but also to lay out a governing agenda should they come to power,” Ayres said. “But lowmarks for Republicans are just not that relevant to the judgment the voters are going to make onNov. 2.” Glen Bolger, aGOP pollster
with thewell-regarded Public Opinion Strategies firm, pointed to victories by RepublicanGovs. Chris Christie ofNewJersey and Robert F.McDonnell of Virginia, aswell as Republican Scott Brown in the special Senate election inMassachusetts, as evidence that voters’ low opinions of Republicans haven’t mattered all thatmuch in this election cycle. Bolger added, however: “This
is the first timewhere there has ever been data like this—where the party poised to take control has not improved its image, so wewon’t knowuntilNovember if itmatters.”
chris.cillizza@
washingtonpost.com
Freed hiker appeals for release of others
Shourd says she’s ‘one-third free’; fiance, friend still jailed in Iran
BY JOHN POMFRET
Sarah Shourd, one of three American hikers jailed for more than a year in Iran, returned to the United States on Sunday, say- ing she was “one-third free” and appealed to Iran to release her fiance and another American friend.
Shourd’s comments, made in
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New York, came as Iranian Presi- dent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proposed an apparent swap, sug- gesting in an interview on ABC’s “This Week” that the United States should engineer the re- lease of eight Iranians incarcerat- ed overseas. Ahmadinejad, in New York for
the U.N. General Assembly, said the Iranian government “took a huge humanitarian measure” in releasing Shourd.As such, he said the United States should return the favor and release “the Irani- ans who were illegally arrested and detained here in the United States.”
Shourd, 32, arrived in theUnit-
ed States before dawn Sunday on a flight from Oman. The Omani government played a key role in negotiating her release. It flew her out of Tehran on a plane owned by the Omani royal family. It was not clear, however, who paid her $500,000 bail to Iranian authorities. Shourd’s two fellow hikers —
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her fiance, Shane Bauer, and Joshua Fattal, both 28 — remain
EMMANUEL DUNAND/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE VIA GETTY IMAGES
Sarah Shourd—with Shane Bauer's mother, CindyHickey, left, and Joshua Fattal’s mother, Laura Fattal —said that the trio had gone hiking at an Iraqi waterfall, a well-known local tourist attraction, and that if they had crossed a border, it was unmarked.
under arrest in Evin Prison near Tehran, and there is no sign that they will be released anytime soon. “I stand before you today only one-third free,” Shourd said Sun- day, as she pledged to work tire- lessly until Iran releases the two men. “The only thing that en- abled me to cross the gulf from prison to freedom alone was the knowledge that Shane and Josh wanted with all their hearts for my suffering to end. My life be- gins the day I can go and pick them up.” As with her previous state-
ments in Tehran the day she was released and in Oman, Shourd did not criticize Iran for jailing her for more than a year. In fact, she praised the Iranian govern- ment and Ahmadinejad for her “compassionate release.” Shourd, Bauer and Fattal were arrested in summer 2009 by Ira-
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“My life begins the day I can go and pick them up.”
—Sarah Shourd, speaking about her two fellow hikers, fiance Shane Bauer and friend Joshua Fattal, who remain under arrest in Evin Prison near Tehran
nian border guards after alleged- ly wandering into Iranian territo- ry. Shourd said Sunday that the trio had gone hiking at an Iraqi waterfall — a well-known local tourist attraction — and that if they had crossed a border, it was unmarked.
Subsequently they were all in-
dicted in Iran on charges of espio- nage. Shourd denied those allega- tions: “We committed no crime, and we are not spies.” The hikers’ case has height-
ened tensions between the Unit- ed States and Tehran, even as the Obama administration has sought to further pressure Iran to abandon what it suspects is the nation’s nuclear weapons pro- gram. The administration spear- headed efforts to tighten sanc- tions on Iran for its refusal to cooperate with international in- spections of its uranium enrich- ment program. During the “This Week” inter-
view, Ahmadinejad said his coun- try is “ready to discuss” the nucle- ar issue. “I think we will have a plan to discuss things,” he said. Ahmadinejad did not elaborate, but Iran from time to time has announced that it is ready for substantive talks on the issue. In another interviewwithABC,
SecretaryofStateHillaryRodham Clinton said the enhanced sanc- tions against Iranwere “biting.”
“The Iranian regime is quite
worried about theimpactontheir bankingsystem,ontheireconom- ic growth,” Clinton said. Ahmadinejad countered that
the sanctions were “pathetic.” He did not specify which Irani-
ans he wanted to see released. Over the course of the past few years, theUnited States has either arrested or helped other coun- tries arrest several Iranians on charges related to smuggling re- stricted weapons-related technol- ogy. Tehran is reportedly trying to
locate a former deputy defense minister, Ali Reza Asgari, who disappeared inTurkey three years ago. He is believed to have either defected or been kidnapped by intelligence agencies. Another Iranian, Omid Khalili, is being held in federal prison in theUnit- ed States after pleading guilty to charges of illegally exporting re- stricted technology—spare parts for Iran’s aging American-built air force. Shourd’s mother, Nora, had
said that while her daughter had been detained in Iran, she had some health issues including a lumpin her breastandprecancer- ous cervical cells. On Sunday, Sarah Shourd said that she had been checked by doctors inOman and that “I’mphysically well.”
pomfretj@washpost.com
Illustrations by, Jackie Steward
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