World

I confess that I thought Orly Taitz had to be a made-up name. But no, apparently not. The latest tomfoolery exciting the “birther” movement is a transparently fake “birth certificate” purporting to demonstrate that Barack Obama was born in Kenya. As always, the indefatigable Dave Weigel is the go-to fellow for birther-related hilarity. The new focus on a bogus document from an anonymous source has riven the small community of activists who are trying to prove that Barack Obama cannot be president of the United States… “If this turns out to be a bad document that she’s posted, I think it gives the non-birthers an argument to say: ‘See, these

As is customary, James and I disagree about Iran. Or perhaps we merely have different ideas about what constitutes the most important Persian questions. James, I think (and I’m sure he’ll correct me if I’m wrong), places the nuclear issue above all others. I’m more agitated by the nature of the regime in Tehran. That is, I doubt that we can prevent Iran from acquiring a nulear capability at some point and that, while it would certainly be preferable if Iran didn’t have the bomb, we might have to get used to the idea that it will. It’s also quite possible, perhaps even probable, that a new regime in Tehran

‘Twat’ is not a swear word. This may come as a surprise to those of us who have studiously avoided using it in front of our mothers-in-law and elderly relatives. But after David Cameron said it in a radio interview, Tory press officers were quick to point out that Ofcom does not consider it to be one. Oddly, in the same interview, Cameron felt the need to apologise immediately after saying that the public were ‘pissed off’; a phrase that one would have thought was far less offensive than ‘twat’. Indeed, Ofcom’s own research suggests that Cameron rather boobed. It records that focus groups considered ‘piss off’ to be a

As the Obama administration’s top diplomatic brass fly to the Middle East to resuscitate the peace process, they will be inspired that 15 years ago Israel’s Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and King Hussein of Jordan shook hands at the White House and inaugurated a lasting peace. This week the Middle East will again take centre stage as an ‘airlift of American officials’, three of President Obama’s most senior advisers, arrives in Israel instructed to breathe life back in to the negotiations with the Palestinians while simultaneously pushing for a regional peace plan. The difficulties and sticking points have been well documented and Obama, a man embarking on the most ambitious

No-one who has done time at one of this country’s more expensive educational institutions will be surprised by this account of the aftermath of the 1939 Eton vs Harrow match at Lord’s. It’s a scene of carnage that could be lifted from the pages of Wodehouse or, more darkly, Waugh. Note too the attitude of the police and the frankly suspicious-but-far-too-good-to-check reference to Hitler. This, then, is the Sunday Express’s account, noted by George Orwell in his diary entry for the 16th of July, 1939. Worst Hat-Bashing For Years Our “Gentlemen” Enjoy Themselves Harrow beat Eton at cricket yesterday, at Lord’s, for the first time for thirty years, and then

Danny Finkelstein’s column today argues that Sarah Palin is the true leader of the Republican party these days. And he doesn’t mean that in a good way: There is no more eloquent statement of modern Republicanism than resigning office with time still on the clock. Mrs Palin has chosen to talk about power, rather than exercise it. She would rather write a book and give lectures about being a governor than actually be a governor. And her party has made the same choice. It has cast itself, deliberately, as the opposition, the angry outsider, and it is more comfortable in this role than it is as the party of power…

David T over at Harry’s Place blog has drawn my attention to this post from “habibi”. I’m happy to endorse the message. “This Thursday is the tenth anniversary of the brutal repression of students in Iran. Today a new round of repression is underway in Iran.Here is something you can do about it. An anniversary demonstration at the Iranian embassy in London is scheduled for this Thursday, starting at 6 PM. Please wear green and come along to 16 Prince’s Gate, SW7. The nearest Tube station is South Kensington.The only point – and I hope this leads other British bloggers to echo this call – is to show solidarity with

The Washington Post’s Lisa de Moraes has the right attitude to today’s media-overload as at least 16 networks compete to see who can provide the most gruesome coverage of the Michael Jackson memorial today. Odds are that ABC will be the winners, if only because they have Martin Bashir on their books… We’re guessing Jackson fans probably won’t be watching ABC’s coverage, Bashir being the guy who profited most by taking down Michael Jackson. In case you just came out from under a flat rock, Bashir’s the guy who did that 2003 documentary, bought by ABC, that led to Jackson getting slapped with those child-abuse charges and Bashir getting offered