A controversial congressional hearing on the alleged radicalisation of the American Muslim community has opened amid tight security in Washington. The committee chairman Peter King defended the panel.
"Let me make it clear today that I remain convinced that these hearings must go forward and they will. To back down would be a craven surrender to political correctness and an
abdication
of what I believe to be the main responsibility of this committee - to protect America from a terrorist attack."
But a civil liberties group has compared the hearings to Senator Joseph McCarthy's witch-hunt against Communist sympathisers in the 1950s.
BBC News
奥巴马总统高级情报顾问表示,他预期卡扎菲上校将赢得继续执政的战斗的胜利。美国国家情报总监克拉珀(James Clapper)在参议院听证会上表示,利比亚领袖的力量拥有更好的装备,接受过更好的训练,在长期战斗中可能会获胜。Mark Mardell在华盛顿报道。
奥巴马总统已经明确表示卡扎菲上校应该退位,但是现在,他的高级情报顾问却表示,这位利比亚统治者可能会赢得继续执政的战斗。国家情报总监克拉珀(James Clapper)在国会山告诉政客们,随着时间的过去,长期来看,卡扎菲可能会占优势,因为卡扎菲的军队装备精良,受过更好的训练。他补充说,另外一个可能的结果是,利比亚分裂为三个半自治的小国家。一些政客认为,这意味着对利比亚实施禁飞区非常迫切,但是克拉珀没有回答他们的问题。