condoleezza rice

AP - President George W.

Al Qaeda has purportedly released a new message addressing President-elect Barack Obama:

In the video, Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda’s No. 2, castigated Obama’s foreign policy stances on Afghanistan and Israel and ridiculed the president-elect’s worldview.

Al-Zawahiri compared Obama unfavorably to the late Malcolm X, an African-American militant who adopted Islam.

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Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice held her first meeting Wednesday with Russia's foreign minister since Moscow's invasion of Georgia.

But the relationship between the U.S. and Russia remains tense.

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Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the West must stand up to Moscow. In a major speech Thursday, Rice said Russia's policies have put it on a path to isolation and irrelevance.

But while the U.S. is angry with Russia's actions in Georgia, it needs Moscow for other foreign policy challenges from North Korea to Iran.

Citics say the Bush admin. is leaving the next president with little leverage when dealing with Russia.