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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Republicans look over horizon to Super Tuesday - AP - msnbc.com

WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, battling furiously for the most conservative perch before the critical Michigan primary vote on Tuesday, also are looking just over the horizon a bonanza of delegates in the 10-state nominating contests that fall on one day just a week later.

Romney and Santorum are virtually tied heading into the critical Michigan vote where the outcome could further boost Romney's tenuous front-runner position or upend the race for the party's nomination to challenge President Barack Obama in November. Michiganders vote on the same day as Arizona Republicans. Polls show Romney with a clear lead in the conservative far-Western state.

The Michigan showdown will be a warmup to the one looming March 6 in neighboring Ohio, one of the 10 states that hold nominating contests on what is know as Super Tuesday.

Santorum, who is banking on a move to the hard right, called Obama a "snob" over the weekend for promoting higher education for all young Americans who want to continue their education.

"President Obama once said he wants everybody in America to go to college. What a snob," Santorum said. "There are good decent men and women who go out and work hard every day and put their skills to test that aren't taught by some liberal college professor to try to indoctrinate them. Oh I understand why he wants you to go to college he wants to remake you in his image."

Speaking at the White House to Democratic governors on Monday, Obama took up the education issue but did not mention Santorum.

Obama said many states are cutting too deeply into education funding as a way to balance their budgets, and he urged governors to hire more teachers and restore funding to public education.

Obama said that education funding is critical if the U.S. is to remain competitive with other nations, saying that other countries are "doubling down" on education funding.

Santorum also again played to conservative Christian Republicans on Monday. He said Obama had turned freedom of religion "on its head."

"I'm for separation of church and state. The state has no business telling the church what to do," Santorum said in a speech to a business organization in suburban Detroit.

Romney, meanwhile, shifted his line of attack from the cultural issues and conservative rhetoric he used over the weekend and instead insisted that Santorum doesn't know how to create jobs.

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"I understand why jobs go, why they come, I understand what happens to corporate profit, where it goes if the government takes it," Romney told a crowd at an electrical warehouse.

Romney currently leads in the race to amass the most delegates with 123. Santorum has 72, while former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul have 32 and 19, respectively. The totals include endorsements from Republican National Committee members who will automatically attend the party's national convention and can support any candidate they choose.

A candidate needs 1,144 delegates to secure the nomination.

Both Arizona and Michigan each lost half their delegates for defying the national Republican party by holding their votes before March 6.

The winner in Arizona, where Romney is favored, will take all 29 of the state's delegates. But Michigan will divide its 30 delegates by giving 2 to the winner of each of the 14 congressional districts in the state. The final 2 delegates are awarded in proportion to the statewide vote, probably to the top two candidates, if both get more than 25 percent of the vote.

Before Super Tuesday, Washington state holds caucuses on Saturday. Forty delegates are at stake. In the March 6 Super Tuesday vote 419 delegates are up for grabs.

The vote in Michigan on Tuesday will test former Pennsylvania senator Santorum's far-right message on social issues and determine how badly Romney has damaged his chances in his native state by continuing to insist that Obama was wrong to bailout the U.S. auto industry, the heart of the state's ailing industrial base.

The auto giants General Motors and Chrysler Corp. have come roaring back from near-collapse after a huge infusion of federal money, managed bankruptcy and wrenching reorganization. Romney's opposition to that Obama program has hurt him in Michigan, where even the Republican governor and GM chief, also a Republican, flatly disagree with Romney. Polls show Obama with a double-digit lead over both Romney and Santorum in the Midwestern state.

As the Republicans battle for the nomination, all of them, including Gingrich and Paul, now trail Obama in national polls. The president has seen his approval ratings improve in tandem with signs that the struggling U.S. economy is finally on the way toward a robust, albeit still shaky, recovery from the Great Recession of 2007-2009.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Democrats get Republicans to join in property tax relief proposal - LJWORLD

Topeka — Kansas Democrats succeeded Thursday in getting approval of $90 million in property tax reductions as Republicans jumped on board the plan after first turning up their noses at it.

"We cut $90 million in property taxes. That's a win-win for everybody," said state Rep. Jim Ward, D-Wiichita.

But any bi-partisan spirit quickly soured when several Republicans in the GOP-controlled House said the felt they had been tricked by Ward.

Ward offered his proposal as an amendment to a bill highly prized by Republicans — House Bill 2212, which would restrict property tax increases if overall property valuations increased.

During debate, House Majority Leader Arlen Siegfreid, R-Olathe, told Republicans "to go ahead and vote for this amendment and provide that little bit of relief for local counties." Siegfried added, "The underlying bill will actually solve the problem of the creep in property taxes."

Republicans flocked to the proposal and the measure was approved 122-2.

But later, Republicans discovered that Ward's amendment was actually a "gut and go," meaning that it eliminated the underlying bill.

State Rep. Steve Brunk, R-Wichita, the sponsor of the underlying bill, wasn't happy about that. "You expect collegiality and forthrightness," Brunk said. "In this case, unfortunately that didn't happen."

When explaining his amendment to the House, Ward did not say it was a "gut and go." When asked why, Ward said because no one asked him.

"There was no trickery. I took the underlying bill out and replaced it with a clean vote on tax relief," Ward said.

He said veteran legislators, such as Brunk and Siegfreid, should have realized what his amendment did.

Brunk said legislators are expected to fully explain the substance of their amendments. Now the bill goes to the Senate for consideration.

The proposal would provide $45 million for each of the next two fiscal years to local governments for reductions in the local property tax rate. Douglas County would receive approximately $3.5 million in total.

"Property taxes have increased 65 percent over the last decade, while incomes have either remained stagnant or declined," said House Democratic Leader Paul Davis of Lawrence. "We are pleased that House Republicans acknowledged the need to address the rising property tax crisis in Kansas,".

Just two days earlier, the Republican-controlled House defeated a plan by Democrats to provide $45 million in property tax relief.

What happens next on taxes is up in the air.

Gov. Sam Brownback, a Republican, and House GOP leaders have proposed differing plans on cutting state income taxes. Both proposals, however, would increase the tax liability for low-income Kansans. Critics of the plans also say they would limit revenues needed to provide essential state services.

Copyright 2012 The Lawrence Journal-World. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. We strive to uphold our values for every story published.


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Republicans are losing the class warfare fight - Washington Post

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Marc A. ThiessenMarc A. ThiessenOpinion WriterRepublicans are losing the class warfare fightSmaller TextLarger TextText SizePrintE-mailReprints By Marc A. Thiessen,

No doubt Barack Obama would love to reprise Ronald Reagan’s 1984 “Morning in America” reelection campaign, but the anemic economy is not cooperating. Without a robust recovery to trumpet, the president is betting his reelection on class warfare — focusing on “income inequality” and “fairness.” Class warfare is not a winning strategy, but it is the only card Obama has to play.

That’s the good news for Republicans. The bad news is: Right now, the GOP is blowing it.

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Culture wars may weaken youth support for Republicans - msnbc.com

FAIRFAX, Virginia — Colleen Wilson has all the makings of a foot soldier for whichever Republican becomes the nominee to oppose President Barack Obama in the November election.

The Virginia college student comes from a conservative family and describes herself as a Republican. She is an intern at the county Republican committee and paid her own way to attend the prominent Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington this month.

Her support should be a given for a Republican in Virginia, one of the closely contested "swing states" where the 2012 presidential election will likely be decided.

But it's not.

"I may vote for Obama," said Wilson, who is 19. "It's possible. I can't say now, but I'm not ruling it out."

The George Mason University student, like a majority of her peers, is a moderate on social issues. She supports gay marriage and some abortion rights and has been turned off by the strident "culture wars" now creeping back into U.S. politics.

She had planned to vote for former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney because of his business experience and ideas for fixing the U.S. economy, but said inflammatory rhetoric at CPAC made her wonder if she could vote for any of the party's candidates this year.

"It scares me how extreme they are on social conservatism," she said. "It wasn't that they didn't believe in gay marriage. It was how vicious and closed minded they were."

As former Senator Rick Santorum, a devout Catholic, emerged as a front-runner, the Republican White House hopefuls have increasingly promoted conservative views on social issues. Opposition to abortion rights and gay marriage has broadened to criticism of contraception, prenatal testing and questioning of Obama's religious beliefs.

The Republican hopefuls say they are just defending religious freedom.

But the shift could be devastating for the party in a year when the key to defeating Obama could be paring back his overwhelming popularity with voters under 30.

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Participation by young people in Republican primary races is down compared to four years ago and pollsters are seeing signs that the culture wars could weaken support for Republicans among younger voters.

"Millennials (18- to 29-year-olds) are a very tolerant generation. They have very much of a live and let live philosophy and when you suggest that government ought to come in and determine how you live, you lose millennials," said Morley Winograd, a University of Southern California professor and author of "Millennial Momentum: How a Generation is Remaking America."

A Reuters/Ipsos poll this month showed Obama's approval rating at 53 percent among 18-34 year olds, compared to 48 percent for the overall population. Obama was ahead of Romney, then the Republican front-runner, by 51 percent to 37 percent among the young.

REPUBLICANS SQUANDERING CHANCE

"Who cares the most about contraception in America? Surprise, surprise, it's people under 30. ... They don't have a clue why people make an issue over gay marriage. It's something they grew up with," said Geoffrey Garin, a Democratic strategist and pollster who has surveyed youth attitudes for MTV.

Obama defeated his Republican opponent John McCain, by a 2-to-1 margin among voters under 30 when he won the White House in 2008, widening a political "generation gap" that has arisen since 2000 in which younger voters are increasingly Democratic.

In theory, 2012 would provide Republicans with an ideal chance to claw back some of Obama's advantage among the roughly 20 percent of eligible voters who are less than 30.

Young Americans have been hit harder than any other group by the economic recession, with an unemployment rate of 15.8 percent - nearly double the overall 8.3 percent rate. Surveys show many are more concerned with finding jobs than politics.

But there is little sign any Republican is doing much to capitalize on disillusionment on the economy, besides Ron Paul. The Texas congressman has attracted a committed group of young supporters with a small-government, anti-war message seen as anti-establishment, but he lags well behind Romney and Santorum in nationwide opinion polls.

Paul's supporters would not necessarily back the Republican nominee if he left the race. More than a dozen interviewed for this story said they would write him in.

Some said they might back Obama, although he would have to dramatically change his policy positions to win their votes, including stopping all foreign military involvement, eliminating foreign aid and repealing the anti-terrorism Patriot Act, which allowed increased surveillance of U.S. citizens.

The under-30s turnout in the early Republican nominating contests has been down, according to Circle, a Boston-based research center that studies young Americans' civic engagement.

For example, 99,822 voters under 30 participated in the 2012 Republican primary in Florida, compared with 134,412 in the 2008 Republican contest, according to Circle.

In Nevada, just 2,632 people under 30 - or 1 percent of those who were eligible to vote - participated in the Republican caucuses on February 4, compared with 4,794 in 2008.

"The Republican field is not energizing the Republicans," said Tufts University political scientist Peter Levine, Circle's director.

Ron Meyer, 22, who works at the conservative Young America's Foundation, said younger voters facing tough economic times were looking for answers and could turn to Republicans, but the party was not reaching out to them.

"It's a massive opportunity. It's monumental. I don't think many conservative groups ... really get it," Meyer said.

Some Republicans said the party's moral tone could even revitalize support for the Democrats.

"If it's perceived as telling people what to do, then Republicans could awaken a sleeping giant that could significantly boost President Obama's re-election chances," said Ford O'Connell, a Republican strategist.

"They're walking a very tight rope right now."

Obama's approval rating among 18- to 29-year olds had slipped since 2009, but has been rising again. It hit 60 percent this month in Gallup's tracking poll. "Young people are consistently higher in approval (for Obama) than the national average," said Gallup editor-in-chief Frank Newport.

Obama aides acknowledge that they expect a tough election fight this year, and his campaign is already well along on a sweeping program to reach millennials.

Santorum and fellow Republican Newt Gingrich, who have small staffs, have mounted no similar efforts to target younger voters. And even the well-organized Romney has so far made relatively little headway with the young.

Circle conducted exit polls in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida, the first four states this year to hold Republican nominating contests. Romney bested Paul among young voters only in Florida, and Paul came second there without campaigning.

Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.


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Monday, February 27, 2012

Republicans aim to block Cal State chairman's second term - Los Angeles Times

Herbert L. Carter Cal State Chancellor Charles B. Reed listens as board Chairman Herbert L. Carter addresses the trustees. (Mark Boster, Los Angeles Times / January 25, 2012)

As chairman of the governing board of the California State University system, Herbert L. Carter has positioned himself as a consensus builder at a time when the system has been battered as never before by budget cuts, student protests and discord over salary and hiring policies.

The former president of the United Way and chairman of the Los Angeles Commission on Human Relations has spent decades attempting to forge compromise with differing factions. But now he is struggling to bridge the gap between Republicans and Democrats in the state Legislature to win a second term on the Board of Trustees.

Senate Republicans have signaled that they will block the confirmation, citing Carter's role in controversial decisions last year to increase executive pay while also boosting student tuition.

Democrats see the opposition as partisan posturing having little to do with those actions. Although Democrats control both legislative houses, Republicans have leverage in this fight: nominations to the Cal State board are among the few that require a two-thirds majority, meaning at least two Republican votes are needed.

A decision must be made by Monday, the last Senate floor session before the confirmation deadline on Wednesday.

Last week, Sen. Joel Anderson (R-San Diego) sent a letter to Gov. Jerry Brown asking him to withdraw his appointment of Carter.

"Since 1984, Herbert Carter has been near the center of every CSU pay hike scandal,'' Anderson wrote. "The CSU trustees don't seem to understand that their 'compromise' of setting a CSU's president's pay at $325,000 is insulting to California students, parents, and taxpayers."

Anderson referred to the board's recent action — proposed by Carter — to cap the pay of new executives at 10% above that of their predecessor, with a limit of $325,000 in public funds.

Brown spokesman Evan Westrup said that Carter "has a long and distinguished record of service and commitment to higher education and he deserves the consideration and support of all senators, regardless of party affiliation."

Speaking to reporters on Friday in Washington, D.C., the governor said Republicans "get a little petty. They don't have much power left, so if they can take a shot they will."

Carter, 78, one of the few board members with an extensive education background, was appointed by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to the 25-member panel in 2004. Carter declined a request to be interviewed.

He became chairman in 2009, presiding over a system that has suffered devastating budget cuts and imposed steep tuition increases — from $2,334 in 2004 to $5,472 this academic year for undergraduates.

A board meeting in November at which trustees approved another 9% fee hike for fall 2012 was marked by violent disruptions. Trustees were criticized for leaving the session and reconvening in another room with no members of the public present. That followed a public outcry over the $400,000 salary — $100,000 more than his predecessor — awarded last summer to San Diego State President Elliot Hirshman.

Criticism of those actions, though, was led by Democrats including Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco), Sen. Elaine Alquist (D-Santa Clara) and Sen. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance), all of whom crafted legislation to limit pay for campus presidents. Gov. Jerry Brown also wrote a scathing letter to Carter criticizing the moves.

Republicans cited Brown's letter about the pay packages and said the issue had not been adequately resolved.

"If they were consistent they would stand with us,'' Sen. Tony Strickland (R-Moorpark) said of his Democratic colleagues. "I'm going to oppose any of these trustees that come up for confirmation who voted for pay increases during these tough economic times. I would be shocked if some of these Democrats don't join us in opposing this appointment."

Lieu, however, supports Carter and accused Republicans of politicizing the appointment.

"He is the kind of trustee that you want — someone who will respond to what students, faculty and legislators say to him — and it would be a shame if he is not reconfirmed," Lieu said.

Carter was raised in Arkansas and received a bachelor's degree at the University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff, and a doctorate in public administration at USC. He was executive director of the Los Angeles Commission on Human Relations in the late 1960s, and president and chief executive of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles in the 1990s. He served in several academic posts in the Cal State system, including affirmative action officer, executive vice chancellor for administration and acting president of Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Those who have known or worked with Carter describe him as fair-minded and decent, an unlikely figure to have become a political foil in the rough and tumble jousting of state politics. While he presides over the sometimes contentious bi-monthly meeting of trustees in Long Beach, much of the ire over fee hikes and salary disputes has been aimed at Cal State Chancellor Charles B. Reed.

San Francisco State President Robert Corrigan said Carter has been an effective advocate for students and the university.

"The heart of the matter is that he has only the best interests of the university in mind," said Corrigan, who is retiring at the end of the school year after 24 years as president. "He speaks eloquently about the needs of students, he is open and fair in meetings and I think we will be weakened if we do in fact lose him as a member of board …It's not good for the campuses, not good for students and frankly, unfair to Herb."

As a trustee, Carter has sought student input and often seeks the middle ground on difficult issues, said Gregory Washington, a Cal State Fullerton student and president of the Cal State Student Assn.

"He has always seen students as an ally that can work with CSU and not as opponents," Washington said. "He was also a leader of civil rights in higher education and he offers the voice of compromise a lot of the time."

carla.rivera@latimes.com

patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com


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Clear Lake Area Republicans host candidate forums Thursday - Houston Chronicle

If you are a Republican in Harris County, you need to mark your calendars and be on hand this Thursday for three candidate forums to be held by the Clear Lake Area Republicans.

The Clear Lake Area Republicans are hosting a candidate forum for the Republican primary races for the Harris County District Attorney, Tax Assessor, and Republican Party Chairman on Thursday evening, March 1, 2012 at the Bay Oaks Country Club (14545 Bay Oaks Blvd., Houston, 77059) . The event will start at 6:30 p.m., and the forums will start promptly at 7:00 p.m.

I really don’t care much about the Tax Assessor/Collector race. I mean, by all accounts, incumbent Don Sumners has done a decent job and hasn’t done anything that would typically warrant a primary challenge. I don’t like the fact that Houston City Councilman Mike Sullivan ran for reelection this past November knowing full well he didn’t want that job – and will have to resign early if he defeats Mr. Sumners. This just plays into the charge in recent years that R’s run not to govern but to move to other offices. A charge that unfortunately rings with some truth. Regardless, either man would do a decent job as Tax Assessor/Collector.

And then we have the race generating the most headlines, with incumbent District Attorney Pat Lykos being challenged by Mike Anderson. Once again, we find that DA Lykos hasn’t done anything would typically warrant a primary challenge unless you count being mean or not being a debutante, choosing instead to work in a man’s world. But there is a challenger and he does have a different vision for that office, a vision that many Republicans have traditionally preferred, so come on out and let the chips fall where they may.

And last but not least, we have what could be the most important race on the ballot, the one for party chair. I’m finding it hard to be too enthused about it this year after the disappointment of failing in an all out effort in 2010 but perhaps a forum is just the thing to get me pumped up about the possibility of replacing decade long officeholder Jared Woodfill. Jared is a very nice person and is a devoted spokesperson for the party – but he isn’t chairman material, no matter how many times he gets elected. The party is broke, not only financially but it is void of new ideas and energy. Committees have zero input, there is no outreach to the middle or to minorities, candidates are shaken down for money, and precinct chair positions remain unfilled with no effort to fill them because the ones applying might not be the “right kind” of Republicans. Can Paul Simpson address all or some of these issues? Frankly, I don’t know. That is why I need to be there to listen and try to figure it out. I do know that he has put in a lot of time as a volunteer trying to recruit precinct chairs and setting up precinct information databases, stuff that the party should have been doing.

So come on out and together we’ll figure out who is best to carry the Republican banner in November.

Click here for a map and directions.


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Republicans still need to make the case against ObamaCare - Washington Post

A Quinnipiac poll reports that by a 52 to 39 percent margin voter think Congress should repeal ObamaCare. By a 50 to 39 percent margin they think the Supreme Court should overturn it.

This is problematic for the Democrats on many levels. First, should the Supreme Court not strike down the law, the Republicans will not only have conservative ire to propel them in the election, but a solid clarion call that will resonate with a majority of voter. Second, it suggests that Obama won’t be able to use his “historic” achievement to rally voters. Republicans can accurately claim that the president devoted years to passing an unpopular (and possibly unconstitutional) bill, rather than tending to the economy. And finally, it puts all the Democratic senators who voted for it (they are all the 60th vote) on the hot seat. Be prepared to see a lot of “60th vote” ads in key senate races.

Now, if Mitt Romney is the nominee, the unpopularity of ObamaCare makes his job in attacking it easier. He can honestly say that in his state the majority of people liked the healthcare plan that they got, but in the country at large a majority is unhappy with ObamaCare.

This does not mean, however, that the argument should stop there.

In the debate Romney stated his objections to ObamaCare: “One, I don’t want to spend another trillion dollars. We don’t have that kind of money, it’s the wrong way to go. Number two, I don’t believe the federal government should cut Medicare by some $500 billion. Number three, I don’t think the federal government should raise taxes by $500 billion and, therefore, I will repeat Obama Care.” That’s a start, but there are three other policy arguments to make.

First, ObamaCare is not doing and won’t do, by the administration’s own admission, what it was intended to do: Bend the cost curve on health care downward. Just as we now all understand that the CLASS Act was unsustainable, we now can agree that healthcare costs won’t be tempered by ObamaCare.

Second, the methodology on which the administration is relying — empowerment of the 15-person Independent Patient Advisory Board — will not cut costs. It will simply eliminate or curtail care. It’s hard for some on the left, it seems, to understand that cutting how much the government pays for something won’t affect the underlying, real cost of the service. It is for this reason that such health care schemes eventually must rely on rationing to survive.

And finally, the mandate on contraception is the perfect example of why ObamaCare inevitably leads to government overreach and diminished personal liberty. Once the government tells you to buy insurance and that it must be more than a catastrophic, high-deductible plan, every medical service — not simply contraception — is micromanaged by the government. What you must buy, what your employer and your insurance company must cover and what the taxpayer must subsidize then become bureaucratic decisions by the federal government. If this wasn’t apparent to some at the inception of ObamaCare (conservatives certainly understood it, but others plainly didn’t), it surely is now.

Conservatives shouldn’t bank on the Supreme Court to do their work for them. ObamaCare, or parts of it, could well survive the Supreme Court’s review. It is important therefore to continue to make the policy arguments as to why the legislation is unwise, unworkable and unaffordable. Moreover, conservatives need to let the public know what the alternative to ObamaCare may be. If, unlike Obama, Republicans care about getting a mandate for their agenda, they would be wise to start laying out what a market-oriented alternative to ObamaCare would look like.


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Republicans Slam Obama's Apology For Koran Burning - myfoxny.com

(NewsCore) - President Barack Obama faced fierce criticism from Republicans Thursday after apologizing for the burning of Korans at a US military base in Afghanistan, an incident that sparked deadly protests and led to the deaths of two American soldiers.

"It is an outrage that President Obama is the one apologizing to Afghan President Karzai on the same day two American troops were murdered and four others injured by an Afghan soldier," Newt Gingrich said in a statement.

"It is Hamid Karzai who owes the American people an apology, not the other way around," the Republican presidential hopeful added.

"This destructive double standard whereby the United States and its democratic allies refuse to hold accountable leaders who tolerate systematic violence and oppression in their borders must come to an end."

Sarah Palin also chimed in, expressing similar sentiments in a tweet. "Obama apologizes for inadvertent Koran burning; now the US trained & protected Afghan Army can apologize for killing our soldiers yesterday," the former Alaska governor wrote.

An Afghan soldier reportedly opened fire on a US base in the eastern Nangarhar Province Thursday, killing two American troops hours after the Taliban called on Afghans to kill Western forces in response to the Koran-burning.

On Monday, coalition forces at Bagram Air Field brought a truckload of Islamic holy books from a detention facility to an incinerator after the detainees allegedly were using the texts to pass secrets and what were described as "extremist" messages to one another.

Afghans stepped in to rescue the books, though some were already burned. The incident, viewed as an affront to Muslims, sparked widespread protests in which at least 10 Afghans were reportedly killed in the past three days.

US ambassador to Kabul, Ryan Crocker, delivered a letter from the president to Karzai Thursday that included an apology for the incident.

"I assure you that we will take appropriate steps to avoid any recurrence, to include holding accountable those responsible," President Obama wrote in the letter, according to Karzai's office.

Responding to criticism over the apology, White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters Thursday sending that message to Karzai was "absolutely the right thing to do."

"It is wholly appropriate, given the sensitivities to this issue -- the understandable sensitivities," Carney said, while emphasizing that Obama's "primary concern as Commander-in-Chief is the safety of American men and women in Afghanistan, of our military and civilian personnel there."

He said the letter touched on "a variety of issues related to our bilateral engagement" and characterized it as part of a routine follow-up after a phone conversation Obama had with Karzai recently.

Carney also noted that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey have conveyed apologies on behalf of the US for the incident.


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