In Which Sarah Palin says I Agree with Hillary

No do not adjust your screen, it's true. The two most powerful women in US politics have found an issue they can agree 100% on. Well getting there...sort of.




Yesterday US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was reported as saying the Koran burning was 'disrespectful' and 'disgraceful'.



Today the former Republican vice-Presidential candidate said it was an 'unnecessary provocation'. See what I mean about sort of agreeing. It's a little diluted but heading in the right direction. Her full comment was:

"People have a constitutional right to burn a Koran if they want to, but doing so is insensitive and an unnecessary provocation - much like building a mosque at Ground Zero."

Forgive the former Alaskan Governor's geography she did seem to think she could see Russia from the Governor's mansion. There is no mosque going to be built at Ground Zero, there is potential for one a few blocks away. Although here's a question. I know some buildings do allow their Muslim staff a prayer room in the building so they can keep up their 5-times-a-day devotion to pray. Are such rooms going to be allowed in any replacement building on Ground Zero are are such employees going to have to trek miles to find a suitable venue for prayer.

She went on:

"It will feed the fire of caustic rhetoric and appear as nothing more than mean-spirited religious intolerance. Don't feed that fire.

"If your ultimate point is to prove that the Christian teachings of mercy, justice, freedom, and equality provide the foundation on which our country stands, then your tactic to prove this point is totally counter-productive."

Wow! Using the same argument is Sarah going to oppose Prop 8? On a positive note though the Republicans are on board with this one, even if somewhat less inclusive than the Democrats and using less powerful language.

The White Vera Wang

It is often said that Aaron Sorkin's West Wing was based on the Clinton White House. So there was a little hint of live imitating art at yesterday's 'royal' wedding in New York State.

The only dress designer to feature in the title of West Wing episode was Vera Wang in the third season episode The Black Vera Wang in which CJ was put under secret service protection. Yesterday Chelsea Clinton walked down the aisle on the arm of President Clinton in an ivory Vera Wang gown.

The mother of the bride the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will have been glad that unlike Josiah Bartlett's daughter's wedding there wasn't an international crisis pending that required her attention in the situation room to the last possible minute.

Vera was born of Chinese-born parents in New York, her mother was a translator at the United Nations and her father owned a medical business. She was a pairs figues skater but in the 1968 US Championships failed to make the Olympic team. Figure skating's loss became the fashion industries gain.

As well as Chelsea's dress and the mention in The West Wing she also designed Charlotte's wedding dress in Sex and the City. Her wedding gowns are a reknowned part of her fashion house, but she also has designed skating outfits for Nancy Kerrigan, Michelle Kwan and Evan Lysacek which have earned her a place in the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame.

World Leaders to Pull an All Nighter in Copenhagen

Recently reading my student friend's updates on Facebook or Twitter I've seen numerous of them stating that they were pulling "all-nighters" to get the end of term essays finished. The latest news from Copenhagen is that the Danes are telling the world leaders not to go anywhere just yet on what is meant to be the last day of the Climate Change Summit.

Of course all nighters at the end of a period of discussion can get a result. The Northern Irish Agreement was meant to have been concluded on Maundy Thursday, it was only as a result of an all-nighter that the Agreement was made and the far more friendly Good Friday Agreement came into being.

President Obama sat down for an hour with the Chinese leader Wen Jiabao for an hour earlier in a head to head of what many correspondents see as the two key players in getting a global agreement settled. However, BBC News has just stated that President Obama is on his way to the airport and Air Force One to head to his Christmas vacation on Hawaii. He had earlier said he had come "not to talk, but to act". Whereas the Chinese Premier said:

"To meet the climate change challenge, the international community must strengthen confidence, build consensus, make vigorous efforts and enhance co-operation."

Apparently the major stumbling block at the moment is the American $100bn a year fund to help the developing countries business to develop in a green way. The Americans are wanting assurances that this is what the money will be going towards, the Chinese who are heading up the G77 of the developing nations is urging the USA to trust them to make sure this is what happens.

There are still poles of difference between these two major players, but it may be down to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to move the issue onwards if an agreement is to be made before the world heads away from Copenhagen. President Sarkozy of France however is saying that the Chinese are the ones currently holding up the talks.

UPDATE: Within half an hour of me first hearing this the BBC are now stating that the UN Secretary General's office is denying that such an edict to world leaders has been issued. However, I'm saying why not?

What Bank Ki Moon's office is saying is that they are still hoping to reach an agreement in a few hours, without the need for overnight discussions. Although it may no longer be a Treaty but an Accord that is signed and that a deadline (2010) to sign up for a legally binding agreement may be omitted from the final text.

FURTHER UPDATE: Latest Facebook update at 16:15 from Lib Dem MEP for Scotland George Lyon does not make for good reading.

Intrernational Outcry Against Aung San Suu Kyi Charges

Aung San Suu Kyi has now been officially charged by authorities in Burma (Myanmar) for breaking terms of her house arrest.

US Citizen John Yettaw who swam across the lake to her compound and then hid out there for two days, despite Suu Kyi asking him to swim back across the lake and not wanting him there, is the reason for these charges. The military junta seem to be ceasing on this outside and unwanted influence to detain the Nobel Peace Laureate for longer than they currently can and past the date of elections scheduled for 2010.

She will face trial having been removed from her compound to Insein jail this morning on Monday and the charges carry a maximum five year jail term.

US State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said:

"We have seen this report, which is certainly troubling if true. US Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton has seen it as well, and has asked the Department to work
to get more information."

Gordon Brown has added the concerns of the UK saying:

"The Burmese regime is clearly intent on finding any pretext, no matter how
tenuous, to extend her unlawful detention. I am deeply disturbed that Aung San
Suu Kyi may be charged with breaching the terms of her detention.

"The real injustice, the real illegality, is that she is still detained
in the first place. If the 2010 elections are to have any semblance of
credibility, she and all political prisoners must be freed to participate.

"Only then will Burma be set on the road to real democracy, stability
and prosperity."

Elsewhere Norway and Germany are amongst a growing list of nations that condemn the arrest and impending trial of Ms Suu Kyi.

Keep up to date with more and what you can do to help at the Burma Campaign UK site.

US Use of Bully Boy Tactics

It's the sort of threat used by paedophilic abusers, "Don't tell or we leave you exposed," threatening worse than is already experienced. But it is just the sort of thing that the USA has apparently be doing to the UK.

That would be the country that somehow has stood unwaveringly with the US on its war on terror every step of the way. Yet apparently if the UK reveals the alleged torture that Binyam Mohammed underwent at Guantánamo Bay the US have threatened to take away their intelligence sharing which would leave the UK heavily exposed. So like a victim clinging to its abuser because somehow there is a need the UK Government is keeping mum (mom) about the US's abuses because it can't afford to live without what it gets from the relationship.

If this is true what exactly has the US got to hide? Of course the use of torture on Prisoners of War is outlawed in the Geneva Convention not that the USA seems to pay much heed to that at times. If it is true why is the UK protecting the US? Is there some sense of self preservation?

Maybe David Miliband's statement that, "We never condone or authorise the use of torture," isn't all that close to the truth. If that is the case we need to know just what the UK did know, and when they knew it? Did we know before, during or only find out after? Who knew anything and what was their reaction?

The fact that the US are trying to suppress makes it all the more important that this does get an airing. Even if that means a trip and stay in the Netherlands for a few high profile people.

A Tale of Three Speeches

I'll admit that the political geek in me overcame the need for sleep last night to witness what promised to be an historic evening in American politics as it happened. Yes folk yesterday while South Dakota and Montana marked the end of the 2008 Presidential Primary season all eyes and cameras were focused on New Orleans, New York and St. Paul, for it was here that John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama were making their speeches.

McCain was first up to the plate and took his chance to try and reach out the the Clinton supporters who claim they would would not back Obama in November. He praised her and what she had brought to the campaign. He then tired to distance himself from President Bush, attacking his handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and environmental policy. Then it was time to lay into the Democratic nominee designate.

"You've known me longer than yesterday," he said, "which was when you started to get to know Senator Obama." The same old attack once more, while trying to advocate that he is actually the hand of change.

Next up was the Democratic winner in South Dakota from New York. She was introduced by her campaign manager Terry McAuliffe as the next president of the USA, was this a sign of what was hinted during the day about what she wouldn't say.

She started out thanking Obama, being grateful and honoured to fight in this race with him, asking her supporters to recognise what he had achieved. But then back on familiar sound bites she asked who was best and ready to take back the White House and govern from day one. Mention was made that she had won more Primary votes than any other candidate in history (this count does not include the caucuses), that she had won the swing states required to secure the 270 electoral college votes in the General Election. You could feel what was coming.

She wanted everyone of the 18m votes that were cast for her to be heard, honoured, recognised and counted. Still looking like she was looking for justice for the voters of Florida and Michigan. Then the big question. Where do we go from here? She said it was a question not to be taken lightly and that no decision would be made tonight. She encouraged supporters to tell her through her website what they thought she should do.

Then it was the turn of the first African American to win the nomination of a major party. He also thanked all the most talented, qualified field of candidates fielded against him. Noted that they are true leaders of the party and that Hillary has made history not just because she's a women but as a leader who inspired millions of Americans. He said that when universal health care came about she would be central to that victory.

Then his attack against McCain. This in not just an election about the change of party in Washington but about change in Washington. He acknowledged McCain accomplishment, then took a snipe at McCain, even he doesn't acknowledge mine. Then pointed out that 95% of the time he has been Bush's man so the distancing himself hasn't happened during the campaign. He said of the attacks on him not visiting Iraq if he'd made a few more trips to the hardest hit cities and towns by the economic recession he'd be more in tune with what change was really needed in America.

Iowa - So What?

Of the last new incumbants of the White House three, Ronald Reagan, George H W Bush and Bill Clinton, failed to win the Iowa Caucus. And before that Jimmy Carter was beaten into second by uncommitted Democrats in 1976, whe then polled more than Barak Obama did yesterday.

So While Hillary may have come third on 29.5 percent she is still 26 percent better off than when her husband first contested a primary for a national election. Mind you even taking out Iowa Senator Tom Harkin from the 1992 version the Clinton's only topped in Iowa when unopposed in 1996.

However, both she and John Edwards find themselves about 8 points behind the Democrat victor Barak Obama. Which puts Edwards further back than this time 4 years ago than he was on Kerry on a similar level of support. But both are about 10 points ahead of where Howard Dean was before he imploded with his scream at a rally. So for the Democrats while there may be disappointment in the result it doesn't spell the end of the road.

For the Replubicans Mike Huckabee can hold up the fact that every winner of the Republican Causus in Iowa since 1976 has been a Republican candidate for the White House. Though not necessarily in the triumphant year.

Mitt Romney who came second for the Republicans acually polled more than the current Presidents father, from a more crowded 2008 field and is closer to the leader than the then Vice President was before he stormed to the White House.

As racers know it ain't necessarily how you come out of the blocks or gate but how you finish the race that is important. So early days yet but still too early to tell who will be the two choices come November.