Word: direness
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...largest railroads, UP, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, CSX and Norfolk Southern, are a linchpin of the U.S. economy; when they don't run smoothly, it's tough for the economy to grow. And lately, for companies whose bottom line depends on moving goods on schedule, the situation has become dire. UPS, the huge parcel service, was recently forced to shift some shipments to trucks. Dow Chemical, which supplies, among other things, chlorine for water utilities, suspended operations at a Michigan plant until the distribution logjam clears. Passenger trains are affected too. Amtrak's Sunset Limited, which makes a thrice-weekly...
...with solving it. This year’s committees have the opportunity to refine and broaden the ideas—or lack thereof—that emerged from last year’s opaque deliberations. But the committees will likely only do so by opening up a process in dire need of fresh ideas, alternative perspectives, and an infusion of creativity...
...Austria. But French President Jacques Chirac says he still backs talks and Austria, according to diplomats, is not likely to stand alone. Rejection now, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told TIME, would seriously damage Europe's credibility and "fuel hostility toward Europe across the Islamic world." Still, the dire warnings have stoked disenchantment in Western Europe - and forced Turks to explain themselves - again. "We are not talking about being full members now," said Gul. "We are just talking about negotiations. And these will take time. We are realistic. It will take years." The Turks, in any case, have accomplished plenty...
...policy at tonight’s debate because it focuses only on foreign policy: an arena in which the importance of electing John Kerry is most apparent. The first step in fighting any war is to acknowledge the facts on the ground. The fact is that Iraq is in dire peril and the security situation could not even be considered stable, much less conducive to the elections planned for January. President Bush botched the aftermath of the Iraq invasion, and yet he continues to promulgate the fiction that the war is going well, despite the stubborn facts...
...press secretary Scott McClellan held a "gaggle"--that is, a mini--press conference--with reporters in the back of the plane. The first questions were about Hurricane Ivan and the Dan Rather flap, the compelling news periphera of the moment. Then I asked McClellan about the intelligence community's dire assessment, sent to the President in a July National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), that we seem to be losing the war in Iraq...