‘Tony Blair was told by the United States yesterday that he had no authority to tackle political negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians as he spent his first full day as special envoy to the Middle East.

Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, insisted that America would retain leadership of the "political track" while Mr Blair would work on raising funds for the Palestinians, as well as building their economy and infrastructure.

Bush to cede power to VP during colonoscopy

'The president has had no symptoms,' Snow says before Saturday procedure.

Bush to turn over power to V.P. temporarily July 20: President Bush will hand over power to Vice President Dick Cheney while he undergoes a colonoscopy on Saturday. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports.

Pesident Bush will undergo a routine colonoscopy Saturday and temporarily hand presidential powers over to Vice President Dick Cheney, the White House said.

"Every evening, I write notes to the families of young Americans like Doug Zembiec," said Gates, his voice pinched, eyes watering. "For you & for me, they are not names on a press release or numbers updated on a Web site. They are our country's sons & daughters."

So said Robert Gates, bushit’s Secretary of Defence, in his address to the American Marine Corps Association this week, lamenting the pointless deaths of 3,628 members of the American armed forces in Iraq.

There was no deal: PM's wife …..

Janette Howard says her husband never made a deal with Peter Costello in
1994 to step aside as Prime Minister after one and a half terms.

In a new biography of John Howard, which exposes the deep personal animus between the Prime Minister and his Treasurer, Mrs Howard says: "John wasn't into making firm commitments".

‘It was a slumber party on Capital Hill. Democrats held an all-nighter on July 17 in an attempt to mollify the great antiwar sentiment that is raging across the land. But their attempt to challenge Bush’s war on Iraq was sanctimonious and superficial at best. Not only were the Democrat’s pleas to set a timetable for withdraw fully pathetic, so too was their moral indignation.

‘Many consider Mr Costello's comments in the new biography of Mr Howard to be poorly-timed and politically stupid.

Frontbencher Tony Abbott has told Lateline the comments are regrettable, but only a reflection of Mr Costello's mood when he did the interviews for the book last year.

‘Tony Blair spoke to the media mogul Rupert Murdoch three times in the 10 days before the outbreak of the Iraq war - once on the eve of the US-led invasion - it was disclosed yesterday.

The telephone conversations were among six calls between the two men detailed by the cabinet office in response to a freedom of information request by the Liberal Democrat peer Lord Avebury.

‘At 10 a.m. on April 4, 2001, representatives of 13 environmental groups were brought into the Old Executive Office Building for a long-anticipated meeting. Since late January, a task force headed by Vice President Cheney had been busy drawing up a new national energy policy, and the groups were getting their one chance to be heard.

In terrorism, the Howard government shows innovation to rank with J.K. Rowling. It has sent Potter-like packages to the Australian public for bedtime reading, though they are mercifully less long and less widely read.

Costello plays down PM biography comments …..

Federal Treasurer Peter Costello has downplayed comments he made in a biography of Prime Minister John Howard.

Extracts of the book, published in Fairfax newspapers today, reveal Mr Costello remains bitter about a leaked 2001 memo from then Liberal Party president Shane Stone, in which he cops much of the blame for the Government's woes.

He is reported as saying he read it as "an attempt to finger him for the Government's maladies."

Is the United States provoking war with Iran, to begin while the Congress is conveniently on its August recess?

One recalls that it was in August 1964, after the Republicans nominated Barry Goldwater, that the Tonkin Gulf incident occurred.

Parties' climate change policies lack detail: Flannery …..

Australian of the Year, Tim Flannery, has attacked the major political parties for failing to provide details of their policies on climate change.

The Government has ruled out setting a target for reducing carbon emissions until after the election.

Labor has committed to a target, but has not detailed exactly how it will be achieved.

Abuse Of Public Service Sinks Government Advertising To New Low

Julia Gillard - Deputy Leader, Employment & Industrial Relations, Social Inclusion
Penny Wong - Shadow Minister for Public Administration & Accountability, Corporate Governance & Responsibility, Workforce Participation

Media Statement - 16th July 2007

‘As Americans turn increasingly against President George Bush’s calamitous war in Iraq, and revolt spreads through Republican ranks, the White House is again resorting to its tried-and-true ploy of fanning grossly inflated fears of terrorism.

The president just made two preposterous claims last week that insult the intelligence of his listeners. First, Bush insisted US forces in Iraq are fighting "the same people who staged 9/11."

Second, withdrawing US forces from Iraq, as the Democratic-controlled Congress is urging, means "surrendering Iraq to al-Qaeda."