According to JK Dutt, director general of India's elite National Guard commando unit, “There were three terrorists (and) we have killed them”.

Dutt also honored Maj. Gen. Unnikrishnan who was killed in the deadly blast: “He gave up his own life to save the others”. In India, even generals are on the front lines unlike in the United States where generals often command from the rear.

Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee: “”According to preliminary information, some elements in Pakistan are responsible for (the) Mumbai terror attacks”. This suggests sectarian strife because India is predominantly a Hindu country while Pakistan is predominantly a Muslim country.

Ayesha Dar, a 33-year-old homemaker: “There is a limit a city can take. This is a very, very different kind of fear. It will be some time before things get back to normal”.

According to media reports, a man was killed when a trawler was hijacked out of Karachi, Pakistan. This report hasn't yet been confirmed.

Put all of this together and what have we got? President Obama can't afford to waste time. When he gets to the Oval Office on January 20, 2009, he will have to deal with an economy, 2 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and now this crisis in Mumbai. It will be a serious test on his foreign policy credentials.

The latest batch of possible Obama appointees include Pete Rouse, Obama's senate chief of staff, Tom Daschle, a former South Dakota democratic Senate Majority leader and Jim Messina, former chief of staff for Senate Finance Committee chair Jim Baucus. They will likely join Chief of Staff designate Rahm Emanuel, the fourth leading democrat in the House and White House lobbyist Phil Schiliro, Daschle's policy director and a top aide to House Oversight and Government Reform committee chair Henry Waxman. So we have a lobbyist who could join the White House staff. This proves that neither Obama nor McCain could totally do away with lobbyists because lobbyists have capital and political influence.

According to a former Congressional aide who now works for a lobbying firm, “Unless the president-elect sees a vacancy to be filled by someone on K Street whom he knows personally, there probably won't be anyone currently downtown in his White House“. Obama realizes that experience is necessary for the top job in the world. That's why he picked Joe Biden over Evan Bayh to be his running mate.

This has become one of the most closely watched events on the political calendar after Obama won the White House by a landslide because even if incumbent Republican Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens holds on to his seat, he could be ousted because of 7 felony convictions. The question then, is: could Palin be a suitable replacement?

Before everyone starts laughing (as many of us are inclined to do upon hearing that Sarah Palin could be running for a seat on Capitol Hill after a ludicrous performance just weeks ago), let's look at what Palin and others familiar with this situation have to say.

Here's what Palin said to CNN's Wolf Blitzer. She wants to serve her community and state in the best way possible and “At this point, it is as governor”.

Palin continued: “Now, if something shifted dramatically and if it were, if it were acknowledged up there that I could be put to better use for my state in the US Senate, I would certainly consider that, but that would take a special election and everything else. I am not one to appoint myself or a member of my family to take the place of any vacancy”.

When CNN's Larry King pressed her in a separate interview about whether or not she would finish her term as Alaska's governor, Palin replied that “I will do what the people of Alaska want me to do. (But) if they call an audible on me and if they say (that) they want me in another position, I'm going to do it…My life is in God's hands. If he's got doors open for me that I believe are in our state's best interest (and) the nation's best interest, (then) I'm going to walk through those doors”.

According to Yahoo!, “Iraq's government spokesman said Monday (that) the proposed changes to a US security agreement were “not enough” to win parliamentary approval”. Specifically, this spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh told the Associated Press that “The American answer is not enough for the government to accept it in its current form. There are still points in which we have not reached a bilateral understanding”.

According to State Department spokesman Robert Wood, “We have not received any official response from the Iraqi government” without commenting further.

So, the critical question is: will President Obama still insist on his 18-month withdrawal schedule in light of this latest development?

According to John Podesta, Obama's transition chief, “There's a lot that the president can do using his executive authority without waiting for congressional action and I think we'll see the president do that. I think that he feels like he has a real mandate for change. We need to get off the course that the Bush administration has set”. In addition, “They want to have oil and gas drilling in some of the most fragile, sensitive lands in Utah. I think that's a mistake”. Here's something for Obama to consider: now, gas prices are at an all-time low, but OPEC is expected to cut production in order to try and force prices back up. If prices go above US$3.50 per gallon, will Obama reconsider this oil and gas exploration in these areas?

As far as the Obama cabinet is concerned, Bob Gates, the current defense secretary may be asked to stay on. Democratic leaders agree with Obama on this proposal. According to Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, “He's not even a registered Republican. Why wouldn't you want to keep him?” Even if Gates is a registered Republican, Obama should try to work with him to enhance his argument against former rival McCain's argument that Obama doesn't work across party lines.

Indiana representative Mike Pence has an interesting idea: “It's going to be a cheerful opposition. We're going to carry those timeless principles of limited government, a strong defense and traditional values to the American people”. Limited government hasn't worked. Otherwise, we wouldn't be in the financial mess that's the second worst in history that has caused Fannie & Freddie, Washington Mutual, Lehman Brothers, Wachovia, AIG andYamamoto Life to fail like they have along with Deutsche Bank which is now on the brink of collapse. Also, traditional values no longer exist with the GOP. This is precisely how Republicans lost control of both the Senate and the House for the first time since 1994. The Mark Foley scandal forced out former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and the Republican majority crumbled soon after that.

According to Obama's chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, “I think that the basic approach has been while he's been here in Chicago, he's going to be setting up not only his economic team, but also the policies he wants to outline for the country as soon as he gets sworn in, so we can hit the ground running”. We've heard it before and we're hearing it again: this is the second-worst crisis in modern history and Obama doesn't have the luxury of waiting it out. OK, he has to do some waiting too, but he can't simply sit there and do nothing because that's the GOP way.

According to University of Richmond law professor Carl Tobias, “Obama's advantage is that he will have both the House and the Senate working with him and that will make it easier. But even then, having an immediate impact will be very difficult to do because the machinery of government doesn't move that quickly”. Tobias put it very elegantly: Obama has promised a lot, but as he said, “We may not get there in 1 year or even 1 term”, but he does to have to show some tangible signs of progress.

Finally, according to Yahoo!, “Obama was elected on a promise of change, but the nature of the job makes it difficult for (incoming) presidents to do much that has an immediate impact on the lives of average people”. Obama must be patient and keep his goals in front of him as he tries to live up to the promises of his election victory speech when he said “America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there - we will get there”.

Preston Johnson, 22: “I feel like 100 pounds are off my shoulders right now. I feel the change right this minute”.

Tejahn Rahman, 25: “…the younger generation sees that we can do better than what we've done. I've got chills down my spine”.

Christine King Farris, 81, Martin Luther King Jr's sister: “Change takes time and to get to this place in time is a sign. This takes me back to my brother's last speech in Memphis. "I may not get there with you", but we - not some Americans, but all Americans - will get to the Promised Land…God granted this because of the struggles and hard work that brought us to this place. We are (now) accepted as full-fledged citizens of this country”.

Rev. Jesse Jackson: “For blacks who voted for Obama, this is reconciliation, for whites, it is redemption. That is the force that made his victory possible. His accomplishment came from the pain of martyrs. If Obama can become president, there is nothing we cannot be. We celebrate, but there is unfinished business. We may have arrived, but there is work to be done. We are now free, but there are still structural inequalities. We celebrate, but there is (still) unfinished business”.

Jeff Mann, 51: “You can't be anything, but joyful. Obama is going to change the world”.

David Dinkins, 81, who served as New York City's first black mayor from 1991 to 1993 and now a professor at Columbia University: “Everybody stands on everybody else's shoulders. Blacks are swelling with pride. I am a child of the Depression, in the Marine Corps, in 1945, stationed in the South. I know how it was when black soldiers and Marines were treated worse than foreign prisoners of war. Those were the days of white and colored water fountains”.

Andrew Young, who served as Martin Luther King's ally in demonstrations in Selma, Alabama and Florida: “The significance of this election is global and sends a message around the world that America really does believe in democracy and that we practice the values we preach. It's natural for Obama. He is African (and) he went to school in Indonesia. It forced him (to) be exceptional in his humility and his judgment. His childhood gave him a kind of cultural DNA to hear and understand people from all over the world”. This is a lesson that Hong Kong government officials should learn: listen to the people.

Isaac Farris, Martin Luther King Jr's nephew: “This is not the fulfillment of the dream. It's huge, though and we're three-fourths of the way there. The reality is that it can't be - too many people, both black and white, who vote based on race. That was not my uncle's dream. Just to have a guy there who looks like me, my child or my grandchild. That sends a huge message. Other than the March on Washington that set up the Civil Rights Act, I cannot think of a movement that surpasses this. Spiritually, this is a serious moment, not the watershed moment of the '60s, but the emotional high is right up there with that”.

In one sentence, not likely, based on the latest polls. Still, it's worth taking a look at how many people believe that McCain has a shot on November 4 and how many people don't. Honestly, it's shocking to read how many people think that McCain and Palin can still pull this off with only 1 day remaining.

According to RNC deputy chairman Frank Donatelli, “I don't think it's a long shot. It's a realistic shot. I don't think it's outrageous to think (that) we are going to do much better with party turnout than most of the models indicate”. So, Donatelli believes that McCain has a shot.

According to Ed Goes, a Republican who is also a McCain advisor, “I've been saying for some time that from our polling, I think it's much tighter, a 3-point national race on Friday. I think (that) this race is going to be extremely tight”. So, Goes believes that McCain has a shot too.

According to a top McCain pollster, Bill McInturff, in a conference call last week, “All signs say (that) we are headed to an election that may easily be too close to call by next Tuesday”. This is a statistical analysis and Bill, sorry to disappoint you, but the polls don't agree with you.

According to McCain campaign manager Rick Davis in an interview on Sunday with ABC, if suburban and rural voters “haven't bought into the Obama massage…, they're probably not gonna. We are witnessing, I believe, one of the greatest comebacks that you've ever seen since John McCain won the (Republican) primary”. Hey, Rick, at least Obama doesn't own 4 properties and can't tell where they are while a lot of us are struggling to keep our homes. This indicates that your boss is out of touch.

According to conservative analyst Bill Krystal, in an interview with Fox News on Sunday, “Obama has many paths to victory while McCain only has one narrow path, but you only need one narrow path”. OK, Krystal is trying to remain optimistic, but it's unlikely that McCain will be able to squeeze through this “narrow path”.

According to Yahoo!, however, “Most election watchers, however, are deeply skeptical - including some close to McCain”. This isn't a good sign for McCain, yet again.

According to a longtime McCain friend, John Weaver, a top strategist for McCain's 2000 presidential campaign, “As much as I would want to see a Dewey-defeats-Truman moment, it's next-to-impossible for me to see how that occurs mathematically as well as organizationally”. There, we have it. As much as McCain's friends and allies want him to win tomorrow (November 4), it just doesn't seem to be going the way they want. According to the latest Yahoo! poll/survey, Obama leads McCain by a margin of 51.6% to 44.3%, although McCain's support has increased since this report was last updated. Rounding this off, Obama's lead over McCain is 52-44, an 8-point difference which is impossible to make up in less than 1 day.

According to CNN, King “didn't live long enough to become president”. He was shot along with Hudson's mother Darnell Donnerson and brother Jason Hudson.

According to Carmen Williams of Gunsaulus Scholastic Academy where King went to school, “When Julian raised his hand, he always had that enthusiastic light in his eyes - always had the right answer”. He also liked to tell knock-knock jokes.

According to Shari Sweat, Darnell Hudson Donnerson's cousin, who called Donnerson by her nickname “Doll”, “Doll refused to be left out of this historical moment of this nation and before she left these shores, she cast her vote (for Obama)”.

One of Julian's cousins wrote that “Julian was smart. I'm sad that he didn't get to be president of the United States” after singing “He's got the whole world in his hands”.

According to Sean Howard, executive assistant to Cooke County Board President Todd Stroger, “When Jennifer and her family walked in, Jennifer was a pillar in that room. You have a true leader in your family in Jennifer”.

According to the Rev. Quentin Washington, Jason Hudson's cousin, Hudson would have turned 30 on February 17 and consequently, “His Afro was getting thin”.

According to Victoria Davidson, who lives an hour outside Chicago who drove into town to show support for Jennifer Hudson, along with her two daughters and niece, “Hopefully, this will be some kind of wake-up call. We're al coming together now, but we need to come together to stop the violence”.

Julia Hudson didn't attend. It probably would have been too stressful for her to see her son dead, so soon.

Julian King's murder was only high-profile because his aunt, Jennifer Hudson had won on “American Idol” in 2004 and there must be more stringent measures to keep guns out of the wrong hands because thousands of innocent people suffer this same cruel fate every day. As for Jennifer Hudson, she is resilient and she will get up on her feet again, but now, she has been rocked to her core.

According to an automated phone call made by the McCain camp, “Obama needs to come clean on this deal before the election so that voters can judge whether Obama received monetary benefits”.

According to former Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, “He's running for the highest office in the land and he simply refuses to answer questions”. This could easily also refer to GOP vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin who has given a grand total of 2 interviews since being unveiled before the GOP convention. Also, this was a conference call arranged by the McCain campaign. This brings Fitzgerald's credibility into question because if Fitzgerald is 100% honest, why didn't he say this directly to voters?

According to a brochure mailed by Illinois state Republicans, one question asked “Who is Barack Obama?” and this question is answered “Kickbacks, land deals and fraud”, the classic definition of a smear campaign by the McCain camp who have clearly run out of gas and ideas.

Politico editor Charles Mahtesian read the following line from a Republican lobbyist. If this was a plea, it sounded more like a taunt. It was “Keep it balanced”. He must have been referring to McCain because, OK, Obama may have grand visions, but at least he has visions. McCain has just gone too negative. All he's been doing since the general election began, besides defending the Iraq war, is attack Obama.

The opinions are divided sharply with one reader scoffing, “Are you f***ing joking! Your bias has stooped to an all-time low. Those asterisks, by the way, are hers, not ours”. This person must be taking a jab at McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin. Otherwise, why would he/she put asterisks by Palin's name? And if Palin believed that she and McCain still had a chance, she wouldn't have auditioned on “Saturday Night Live”. Remember the accusation that Hillary Clinton hurled at Obama during the primaries and caucuses and early on in the general election: “Senator Obama brings a speech that he made in 2002”. Palin brings "You betcha", 'gotcha' and a "hockey mom" persona'. Palin is simply unfit to be in public office.

Surprisingly, however, McCain still has some diehard supporters/fans. According to someone from Rochester, New York, “You guys are awfully tough on McCain. There may be some legitimacy to the claim of press bias, Mom”. Who is this person supporting? This isn't clear, but this much is clear: in the third and final presidential debate, all Obama had to do was not screw up and he didn't while McCain gained some credibility, but it wasn't enough.