 You might enjoy:
- Richard Reeves in Comment is Free: Will the internet kill thinktanks?
- Simon Usborne in Indyblogs: Wild Wild Web: The alternative Olympic medals table
- Jack Schafer in Slate: Veep Creep
- Rod Nordland in Checkpoint Baghdad: A tale of two tigers
- Sarah Ebner in School Gate: Should schools fund only their gold medal students?
You might enjoy:
- Jane Mayer in New York Review of Books: The battle for a country's soul
- Caryle Murphy in The Christian Science Monitor: For Gitmo detainee, rare phone call home to Saudi Arabia
- Derek Thompson in Slate: Do white people really come from the Caucasus?
- Simon Elegant in TIME: Will Beijing relax after the Games?
- Lisa Freedman in FT Living: Single Sex, mixed blessings
Today in Times Comment
And from the rest of the papers...
- Jonathan Freedland (The Guardian): Why the camping revival?
- Tony Travers (The Guardian): The Boris wobbles
- Ed Smith (The Guardian): True sport is about much more than counting medals
- George Osbourne (The Guardian): A blueprint for fairness
- Zoe Williams (The Guardian): Go on boys, take it outside
- Simon Jenkins (The Guardian): In Europe, as in Asia, Nato leaves a trail of catastrophe
- Leading Article (The Guardian): Go against the flow
- Simon Heffer (The Telegraph): Vaughan Williams should be revered
- Liz Hunt (The Telegraph): How we became a nation of winners
- Rafael Kandiyoti (The Telegraph): Pipeline politics caused war in Russia
- Rowan Pelling (The Telegraph): All I need is ginger pop and jelly
- Harry de Quetteville (The Telegraph): Cold War nostalgia masks past brutality
- Irwin Steltzer (The Telegraph): Which of these wise men will save us?
- Leading Article (The Telegraph): Nato must not shrink from this challenge
- Deborah Orr (The Independent): Gary Glitter's back - but what about all the others?
- Michael Brown (The Independent): Why not tell voters the truth?
- Denis MacShane (The Independent): The mood has darkened across the whole of Europe
- Mark Steel (The Independent): If you don't like sport, you're wrong
- Christina Patterson (The Independent): Our enduring love affair with Mills & Boon
- Frances Crook (The Independent): When prison fails, community sentencing can work
- Mary Dejevsky (The Independent): Dad and a family secret
- Alan McGee (The Independent): An original beauty is born in Scotland's rock'n'roll day
- Leading Article (The Independent): Save Britain's code of honour
- Jagdish Bhagwati (Financial Times): The selfish hegemon must offer a new deal on trade
- Leading Article (Daily Mail): How Labour has hammered the poor
And from around the world...
- Mikhail Gorbechev (New York Times): Russia never wanted a war
- Kathleen Parker (Washington Post): Enough with the Jesus test
- Bryan Mukandi (Irish Times): Africa's greatest asset is not oil or minerals but people
- Amit Baruah (Hindustan Times): Turn things around: for India, China remains a conundrum
- Maureen Dowd (Der Spiegel): McCain's green-eyed monster
- HDS Greenway (Herald Tribune): America botches Georgia
You might enjoy:
- James Forsyth in Coffee House: There''s no proof that Miliband is the answer to Labour's problems, but we know that Brown is not
- economist.com in Certain ideas of Europe: Giving John Major credit for Olympic Glory
- Steve Almond in Huffington Post: Dear Barack: The Veep choice that could shock the world
- Simon Barnes in Barnes in Beijing: After seeing the amazing Yelena, I need a bit of a lie down
- Oliver Kamm: Some people are in the wrong job
The papers today are faint with excitement about leaked details that Obama decided, while on his Hawaiian jollies, whom to nominate as his running mate. Senator Barack Obama has all but settled on his choice for a running mate and set an elaborate rollout plan for his decision, beginning with an early morning alert to supporters, perhaps as soon as Wednesday morning, aides said.
So, as it's all anyone will be talking about today, feast on some slices from the internet's banquet of speculation on the subject:
Obama wants you to be the first to know his happy news
A vigorous dissection of the possibilities
The lie of the land for a betting man
Mark Halperin at Time is nailing his colours firmly to the mast
Would Clinton supporters vote for Obama with Kathleen Sebelius as veep?
Guide to the offbeat choices
And finally... McCain plans to celebrate his 72nd birthday with his new best (running) mate
(*It probably couldn't be you, actually, unless you have really very good foreign policy credentials. But don't be too upset, it's meant to be an awful lot of work)
You might enjoy:
- Jonathan Raban in the London Review of Books: Two clicks
- Jason Horowitz in the New York Observer: Defiant Clinton women refuse to support Obama
- Alex Beam in Vanity Fair: Man on the court part I: Pervez Musharraf
- Xiaolu Guo in The Liberal: Blasting the past in China
- Edward Luutwak in Prospect: A Truman for our times
Forget the new Cold War. The US faces a far more immediate threat, according to that most revered of news sources, The Onion. It seems the Beijing Olympics is just one elaborate ruse to trap Americans. Michael Phelps better watch his golden back.
 It's nearly the moment every good political junkie has been waiting for. The conventions. Sure you've got your ticket, your tv schedule or your blog at the ready. But there's only a week left to get all the gear that every campaign groupie needs. Here's Comment Central's guide.
1) Ok, it's August. But what are you going to do if Denver hits a sudden cold patch? Snuggle down under your Democratic Presidents Afghan rug of course. Kennedy and Clinton will keep you warm.
2) And for the Republicans out there. Are you planning a trip to the lake while in St Paul? Or more concerned about out-of-season ice storms? Just buy both the McCain beach towel and the ice scraper and you'll be prepared for either eventuality.
3) We know. We know. You've seen it before. Heck, you may even be wearing it right now. But if you want to prove your support of Obama through and through, we can think of few greater tributes than this.
4) There's a lot of waiting around at conventions. We suggest you kill the boredom with some board games. We've got McCain playing cards, Obama playing cards, and a spot of DC Stratego for the really wonkish among you.
5) Don't pull a McGovern and lose track of time. Why settle for a normal watch when you can have your very own waving candidate one? (Guaranteed to make it through the Acceptance Speech at least). Keep Democracy Ticking.
6) Finally, you're going to need some snacks to keep you going. McCain clearly has a huge advantage here - simply grab a bag of the appropriately named chips. But Obama fans can kick back with their very own Obama-rama cocktail. And don't forget the extra lemon juice - because he has to win Florida...
Today in Times Comment
And from the rest of the papers...
- Boris Johnson: (The Telegraph) - The Olympics show that Britain's youth isn't aimless, feckless and hopeless
- Clive Aslet: (The Telegraph) - Folly of surrendering Britina to the sea
- Alan Cochrane: (The Telegraph) - A raspberry-jam making competition in Angus
- Leading Article: (The Telegraph) - World's most dangerous country no safer
- Hugh Muir: (The Guardian) - Diary of the Swinton Circle
- George Monbiot: (The Guardian) - The US missile defence system is a magic puddingt
- Polly Toynbee: (The Guardian) - Labour is bound to bypass the lessons of the 58ers
- Leading Article: (The Guardian) - Musharraf's timely exit
- Terence Blacker: (The Independent) - Obama's selfishness for the greater good
- Mary Dejevsky: (The Independent) - We may yet miss Musharraf
- Steve Richards: (The Independent) - Olympics teaches us that public spending works
- Leading Article: (The Independent) - Adrift in a polyglot world
- Roula Khalaf: (Financial Times) - Why Arab states must embrace Iraq
- Richard Littlejohn: (Daily Mail) - Why haven't the Left got Georgia on their minds?
And from around the world...
- Tyler Coleman: (New York Times) - Drink outside the box
- Nicolas Sarkozy: (Washington Post) -Europe gets started on quelling a crisis
- Leading Article: (South China Morning Post) - Olympics are proof of human frailty
- Greg Sheridan: (The Australian) - Failed dictator was our imaginary friend
- Leading Article: (Der Spiegel) - Vladimir Putin takes on a powerless West
- Kevin Davie: (Mail & Guardian) - Stumping with Barack and Jacob
You might enjoy:
- Nick Cohen in The Observer: Charles, a very modern Marie Antoinette
- David Dollar in Salon.com: Globalization is good for the poor
- Andy Borowitz in Huffington Post: Poll: Obama faring poorly among racists
- Frank Furedi in Spiked: Why the West can't kick its Cold War habit
- Sarah Ebner in School Gate: Gap years are shrinking: Good or bad news?
- Oliver Kamm: Arms and the campaigners
The pastor who officiated at Jenna Bush's wedding has taken against John McCain, after McCain volunteered his wife Cindy last week for a topless beauty contest. Although McCain aides have emphasised that they are sure the nominee was joking, Pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell has thrown his weight behind Obama, saying: "Well, I don't know a lot about John McCain's family history, I do know, however, that as recently as last week I think it was, the senator made a comment in South Dakota regarding his wife entering some Buffalo Chips contest which is this topless deal and if she were to enter she would probably win it and my personal opinion and based on my understanding of the Christian faith, that's not, not, N-O-T, not the type of expression that a presidential candidate, or anyone for that matter who is a follower of the Christian faith, ought to make...I don't know if that is a perfect case in point, but it surely does help to juxtapose the DNA of Senator Obama, if you would, versus the DNA of Senator McCain."
Caldwell must be hoping that Obama sticks to the naked truth and doesn't make any similar, ahem, boobs.
The world of pop brings a new meaning to the words 'democratic candidate': it seems that now any one could be in the running, just by asking. As anticipation of the VP announcement reaches howling point, ahead of the Democratic Convention next week Peter Wince hopes to woo Barack Obama with the ballad, "Make me your VP". Some people aren't content just being friends on facebook.
You might enjoy:
Today in Times Comment
And from the rest of the papers...
- Mike Jackson: (The Telegraph) - This must not be allowed to become WWIII
- Matthew d'Ancona: (The Telegraph) - New Labour works like clockwork
- Jenny McCartney: (The Telegraph) - Class warfare is just not classy
- Leading Article: (The Telegraph) - Labour's phony war puts us all at risk
- Yvette Cooper: (The Guardian) - Cameroneconomics don't add up
- Max Hastings: (The Guardian) - The Russians are like a kid with a knife
- Ariane Sherine: (The Guardian) - The changer danger of accepting help from a stranger
- Leading Article: (The Guardian) - Gordon Brown should adopt internet collaboration
- Bruce Anderson: (The Independent) - The end of empire is a muddy and a bloody business
- DJ Taylor: (The Independent) - What are the Olympics for?
- Tanya Gold: (The Independent) - Spare me lectures from celebs
- Leading Article: (The Independent) - A glint of gold in Beijing
- Stephen Glover: (The Daily Mail) - Modesty and pride - what Olympians can teach us
- Clive Crook: (Financial Times) - Washington is still hobbled by Iraq
And from around the world...
You might enjoy:
You might enjoy:
In my column in yesterday's paper I advanced the idea that since universal suffrage the UK voters had never got the election result wrong: The proposition is that in every contest in these last 80 years the party that was more fit to govern has been victorious. Sometimes both of the main offerings were weak and unappealing, often the winner wasn't much good, but always the winner was better able to conduct the business of government than was the loser.
Is the same true in the United States?
It may not be.
I wonder, on reflection, whether it was really right to elect Jimmy Carter instead of Gerald Ford in 1976, for instance.
And I think there must be a question mark over electing FDR for a fourth term.
I don't think we are going to get very far arguing over 2000, since almost everyone who thinks Gore should have been elected also believes that he was elected. In the circumstances it wouldn't be fair to start arguing that the voters got it wrong.
So - do American voters always get it right in Presidential contests? What do you think?
Iain Dale makes an acute and important observation in this morning's Telegraph: Many rich people now prefer to donate to think tanks, rather than give money to political parties, with all the attendant hassles.
I think this trend will increase. Look out for it as a coming issue.
Today in Times Comment
And from the rest of the papers...
- Jeff Randall: (The Telegraph) - Genetically modified politics - the answer to Labour's prayers
- Anne Applebaum: (The Telegraph) - Why is Vladimir Putin so scared of Georgia?
- Malcolm Moore: (The Telegraph) - Games fever abates out of Beijing
- Leading Article: (The Telegraph) - Crisis in Georgia highlights John McCain's strengths
- Martin Jacques: (The Guardian) - Malaysia is a multiracial success. But its stability is being put to the test
- Madeleine Bunting: (The Guardian) - We may admire the Nordic way, but don't try to import it
- Mikheil Saakashvili: (The Guardian) - Moscow can't be trusted
- Leading Article: (The Guardian) - Analysing the angst
- Robert Fisk: (The Independent) - Al-Qa'ida sends its warriors from Iraq to wage 'jihad' in London
- Dominic Lawson: (The Independent) - The Prince is entitled to his views - but not his ignorance
- Michael Brown: (The Independent) - Forget friends like these, David
- Leading Article: (The Independent) - Beware a despot bearing gifts of shared power
- Philip Stephens: (Financial Times) - The vulnerabilities that lie beyond Putin's belligerence
- Richard Littlejohn: (Daily Mail) - Obama for President? Don't count your chickens
And from around the world...
My colleague Tim Rice informs me of this badminton score: He & Yu (Chn) bt Kostiuczyk & Mateusiak (Pol) 22-20 23-21
and asks: Is this the first recorded victory by two pronouns in Olympic history?
Daniel Finkelstein
is Chief Leader Writer of The Times and writes a weekly column. Comment Central is his rolling guide to the best opinion on the web. Click
here for more information on the blog. Alice Fishburn, the Online Comment Editor, will also be posting.
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