by Steven R. Hurst

WASHINGTON (AP)—President Barack Obama kept a promise but took a risk in boldly declaring an end to 7½ years of war in Iraq and asserting that America had turned the page on the costly, divisive conflict.

In relatively brief but politically freighted remarks from the Oval Office on Tuesday night, Obama lavished praise on America’s military men and women, saying they had “stared into the darkest of human creations—war—and helped the Iraqi people seek the light of peace.”

CAMPAIGN PROMISE FULFILLED—President Barack Obama greet members of the military and their families on the tarmac at Biggs Army Airfield in Texas, Aug. 31.

Obama’s second address to the nation shifted quickly, however, to politics, with a reminder of his erstwhile opposition to the deeply unpopular war, a position that—in part—fueled his successful run for the White House.

by Brian Murphy

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)—The imam spearheading a proposed Islamic center near the site of the Sept. 11 attacks in New York believes the fierce opposition is closely linked to the U.S. elections in November, according to comments published Monday.

ADDRESSES CONTROVERSY—Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, center, executive director of the Cordoba Initiative, greets worshipers inside a Muharraq, Bahrain, mosque after leading midday prayers Aug. 20.

“There is no doubt that the election season has had a major impact upon the nature of the discourse,” Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf was quoted by the Abu Dhabi-based newspaper The National in an interview as part of his State Department-funded trip in the Gulf.

Rauf did not cite any particular political race possibly tied to the protests, but many conservative candidates and political figures have aligned themselves with the opposition to the $100 million project that includes a mosque and Islamic cultural center.

For the Week of Sept. 9-15

September 9

1739—The so-called Stono, South Carolina slave revolt begins. It was led by a slave from Angola named Jemmy. The group gathered near the Stono River about 20 miles from Charleston and began a march and insurrection, which resulted in the deaths of at least 25 Whites. Marching under a banner proclaiming “Liberty,” it took a couple of hundred armed Whites to put down the revolt.

That one word encompassed the sentiments of the throng of thousands who weaved for miles through the streets of Washington, D.C., behind civil rights leaders, chanting, singing and shouting demands from the powers that be.

“What do we want?… Justice!…When do we want it?…Now!”

RECLAIMING THE DREAM—D.C. marchers braved the sweltering heat in the “Reclaim the Dream” march Aug. 28.