Conservative Meltdown on Twitter

The right-wing implosion continues...

From Rob Neppell:

I'm sorry to have to do this, but effective immediately, I am shutting down Top Conservatives on Twitter. TCOT as a group and as a ranking system is the work of two people: Mike Leahy, and myself, and we have agreed from the beginning that it was an equal, 50-50 partnership and would be run as such. Unfortunately, over the past week, Mike has reneged on that agreement.

One week ago today, I sent Mike my thoughts on how TCOT should be run and how we should work together in the near future. This is particularly important, as due to his inability to work in a group decision-making environment, Mike was recently asked to leave the leadership team of Tea Party Patriots, a group that I remain a part of, and I felt it very important to reach clear and mutual agreement on how TCOT should operate. Mike responded that my plan sounded "reasonable", but that he "may have a few tweaks on it". Since then, I have asked him repeatedly to follow through and respond with his "tweaks" so that we could resolve any differences and go forward. He has refused to do so, citing other priorities and demands on his time. I asked one final time for his input yesterday, stressing the importance of the matter, but was again ignored.

At this point, I do not feel comfortable continuing to operate this site with a partner who deliberately refuses to communicate with me on fundamental issues, and it would be inappropriate for me to run it by myself given that our agreement was an equal partnership. I have never received a dime for my work on TCOT; Mike, on the other hand, has a paid contract with PJTV for his show "TCOT on PJTV". I've never asked for a cut of Mike's PJTV profits, but I have asked to simply understand what his agreement is with PJTV for the show that bears our group's name --- a request which Mike has also ignored.

As Mike is unwilling to discuss the operation of TCOT with me, I am shutting down those aspects of TCOT which are under my control, namely this website (http://topconservativesontwitter.org). I am also asking Mike to in turn shut down http://tcotreport.com --- or to relaunch it without using our group TCOT's name --- and stating publicly that as co-founder of TCOT, that site does not have my approval or endorsement.

Mike will surely respond to this action and complain that I simply wasn't patient enough, but I believe a full week is a long time to keep a partner waiting on critical matters. It suggests not so much a lack of time as simple bad faith.
I regret that it has come to this, but here we are. I do not rule out re-activating TCOT should the situation change, but for now: we go dark.
I would be glad to discuss this further with anyone who has questions; I can be reached at rob@kithbridge.com. I wish all conservatives on Twitter the very best.
-Rob Neppell

Arlen Specter Switching Parties from Republican to Democrat!

Great news! The Dems will be filibuster-proof.

From Washington Post:

Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter will switch his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat, according to sources informed of the decision.

Specter's decision would give Democrats a 60 seat filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, assuming Democrat Al Franken is eventually sworn in as the next senator from Minnesota. (Former senator Norm Coleman is appealing Franken's victory in the state Supreme Court.)

Read more here.

OFA: Obama's 100th Day Checklist

Click here to see a map of projects and jobs funded by the Obama administration's policies.

Prosecute Bush... Forget About Healthcare

I am a person who believes that you have to choose your battles.

I also believe that left-leaning Democrats are making a huge political mistake by pushing for prosecution of Bush administration officials and their role in approving of torture of detainees.

The left does this again and again. We aim for the cerebral over the bread-and-butter. This is why we have difficulty winning presidential elections.

Now the left is wholly focused on torture and has forgotten about healthcare.

If we don't get healthcare passed in Obama's first term... if we proceed with the partisan sideshow of trying to prosecute Bush and Cheney, my prediction is we will see a candidate like Mitt Romney win the 2012 election. A competent, safe, white, can-do kind of guy who knows how to run a business and who will promise to lower taxes.

For the record, I believe waterboarding is torture. I do not condone torture. I think that Obama should make the lines very clear during his administration and he should outlaw torture.

But whether detainees are tortured is not a day-to-day, pocketbook issue. Torture is a moral issue for the left, much as abortion is for the right.

Moral issues are niche issues. Healthcare and taxes are bread-and-butter-issues.

The right has taxes as its bread and butter. The left used to have labor and unions, but with their decimation, now we have healthcare.

But once again, the Democrats are allowing the discussion to be framed by those on the far left or more intellectual portion of the party, and are forgetting about the vast center.

Remember the lunch-bucket Democrats that Hillary won so handily? Remember how Obama had to struggle to connect with those voters? Obama didn't win the blue-collar vote on stem cell research or net neutrality, he won them by promising to lower their healthcare costs and promising new blue collar jobs. Republicans win them by promising to lower their taxes.

I mean I totally get it. Healthcare is... well, it's a little boring. A bunch of sad-looking Americans testifying before Congress about how they lost their home to medical bills. Can't afford college because of medical bills. Sick people, women, children. Blue collar.

And what Democrat doesn't want to see the most reviled administration in our lifetimes trotted out before the masses? Cheney sweating under the klieg lights! (Because it's now really and truly payback time for all those years we were kicked around.) Shiny new toy... fun distraction. Sexy!

I have a brilliant idea. Why don't the Democrats do a media blitz...trot out Al Gore, Jimmy Carter, or how about Wesley Clark or John Kerry (they were in the military)? and they can talk to the American people about why torture is wrong! We'll get Rachel Maddow to be the commentator. Lefties will wet their pants with excitement!

The rest of America will turn the channel.

While we're airing long PBS-type discussions about torture policy memos, Hannity or Glenn Beck on Fox will have whipped their audiences up to an angry froth, with talk of coddling terrorists (complete with relentless footage of 9/11).

Let's just show the American people how wonky and intelligent and SMART Democrats can be. Let's compare prosecuting Bush and Cheney to the Nuremberg Trials. Don't you think the American people will see the connections between terrorists accused of killing 3,000 innocent Americans to the innocent victims of Nazi genocide?

I'm being sarcastic, but these are the arguments I'm reading from the left.

Are we that far removed from the rest of the country that we really believe this will play in Peoria? And if we lose focus on healthcare by moving it to the back burner, it won't get passed this go-round and we'll have to wait for the next Democratic president after wandering the desert for another 20 years. Because if Obama doesn't pass healthcare, he's Jimmy Carter and a one-termer.

New Media Tech Delegation Visits Iraq #Iraqtech

The U.S. State Department sponsored a delegation of New Media tech executives from companies like Google, Blue State Digital, YouTube, Twitter, and others in a "fact-finding" mission to Iraq.

The purpose of the visit was to better understand Iraqi New Media infrastructure and usage. Back in 2003 few people in Iraq had satellite TVs or even mobile phones. Today more than 80 percent of the population has a mobile phone.

Internet access in households is estimated at five percent, but what that doesn't take into account are the numbers of Internet cafes, which is where the majority of Iraqis surf the Web.

Not surprisingly one of the things the tech honchos learned is that Iraqi teenagers are watching the same kind of YouTube videos that American teenagers are--albeit with longer download times. And large numbers of Iraqi college students are on Facebook, use Google, etc.

Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih's daughter is at Princeton. She's been pressuring her father to set up a Facebook page. He currently communicates with constituents via email, and is also planning to set up a Twitter account for the same purpose.


Click here to read the press conference transcript. Or read the tweets about the delegation here.

Video: Sec. Clinton's Remarks with Jordanian President

On April 21, Secretary Clinton hosted a working lunch for Jordanian King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein at the State Department.

Video: 4/21 State Department Press Briefing

Click here to read the entire transcript.

Topics covered:

SRI LANKA
Positive Developments as Tens of Thousands of Civilians Have Left in Recent Days/ Exact Number of Civilians Remaining is Unclear
Firing into the No-Fire Zone continues to be a major problem/U.S. calls on both the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE to Refrain from Indiscriminate Firing and Shelling
U.S. Urges the Government of Sri Lank to Allow the UN and ICRC to Access All Sites Where International Displaced Persons are Being Processed and Provided Shelter
Ambassador Blake is in Daily Communication with Senior Sri Lankan Military and Government Officials/Emphasizing the importance of demonstrating restraint and patience
Secretary Clinton has Raised Issue with Her Counterparts in Various Meetings
International Community is Focused on Trying to End Conflict and Protect the Civilians

RUSSIA
NATO Exercises are a Normal Part of NATO's Relationship with Georgia/Exercises is to help Georgia Meet NATO Standards/Exercises Are No Threat to Russia
Russia has Nothing to Fear from a Missile Defense System/Designed to Address a Threat from Iran
U.S. Sending Team to Rome to begin dialogue with Russia on Moving Forward from START

NORTH KOREA
Have Not Heard from South Korea on Discussion with North Korea/U.S. Supports Dialogue Between North Korea and South Korea
No update on American Journalists Detained in North Korea
All U.S. Government Employees Have Departed North Korea/U.S. Trying to Get Decision Reversed/Goal is the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula

LIBYA
Meeting Between Secretary Clinton and the Libyan National Security Adviser

IRAN
No Updates on the Status of Roxana Saberi/Expect Iran to Adhere to the International Civil Covenant on Political and Human Rights and the Declaration on Human Rights

TURKEY
Reports of Arrests of Intellectuals, Writers and University Professors in Turkey

PAKISTAN/AFHGANISTAN
International Community Must Come Together to Defeat the Taliban/ U.S. is working with other Governments to Bring Diplomatic, Military, and Other Types of Pressures to Defeat the Taliban
Civil Society Must be Strengthened and Governance Built Up

DEPARTMENT
Secretary Clinton to Testify Before the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Appropriations Sub-Committee on State/Foreign Operation
As Directed by President Obama, the Secretary is Looking at Ways the State Department can Cut Costs

Help Free Journalist Roxana Saberi

Join in a mass virtual demonstration supporting jailed journalist Roxana Saberi on Sunday, April 26--Roxana's 32nd birthday--by posting her profile picture on your blog or using it as your profile icon.

Roxana is being held in Iran on charges of espionage, which the State Department has called baseless. Join the group Free Roxana Saberi for the latest updates.

DOJ Statement on Torture Memos

From the Department of Justice:

In connection with ongoing litigation, the Department of Justice today released four previously undisclosed Office of Legal Counsel ("OLC") opinions – one that OLC issued to the Central Intelligence Agency in August 2002 and three that OLC issued to the CIA in May 2005.

"The President has halted the use of the interrogation techniques described in these opinions, and this administration has made clear from day one that it will not condone torture," said Attorney General Eric Holder. "We are disclosing these memos consistent with our commitment to the rule of law."

Holder also stressed that intelligence community officials who acted reasonably and relied in good faith on authoritative legal advice from the Justice Department that their conduct was lawful, and conformed their conduct to that advice, would not face federal prosecutions for that conduct.


The Attorney General has informed the Central Intelligence Agency that the government would provide legal representation to any employee, at no cost to the employee, in any state or federal judicial or administrative proceeding brought against the employee based on such conduct and would take measures to respond to any proceeding initiated against the employee in any international or foreign tribunal, including appointing counsel to act on the employee’s behalf and asserting any available immunities and other defenses in the proceeding itself.

To the extent permissible under federal law, the government will also indemnify any employee for any monetary judgment or penalty ultimately imposed against him for such conduct and will provide representation in congressional investigations.

"It would be unfair to prosecute dedicated men and women working to protect America for conduct that was sanctioned in advance by the Justice Department," Holder said.

After reviewing these opinions, OLC has decided to withdraw them: They no longer represent the views of the Office of Legal Counsel.

Click here to read the torture memos in their entirety.

Special Envoy George Mitchell in Israel

He meets with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.


Mitchell's statement:

U.S. policy favors in respect to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a two-state solution which will have a Palestinian state living in peace alongside the Jewish state of Israel, and we are looking forward also to efforts to achieve a comprehensive peace throughout the region and he [Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman] described the efforts being made to make economic improvements and get involved in other discussions with the Palestinians in the West Bank.

Hillary Clinton Meets with Haitian President Rene Preval

Secretary of State Clinton met with President Preval in Port-au-Prince.



Click here to read the full text of the remarks.

Michelle Bachmann Vulnerable in 2010?

Is there a possibility that Michelle "politically correct re-education camps" Bachmann can be unseated in the 2010 election? Keep your fingers crossed.

Do Teabaggers Hate Obama Because He Is Black?

From an Daily Kos piece:

They hated President Clinton, and tried to destroy him. But one of their elected governors didn't talk secession. They didn't talk revolution. They didn't attempt (and miserably fail) to launch nationwide protests against him. Bill Clinton was a lot of things. He was not black.

President Obama is no crazy liberal. He is increasing defense spending. Even Alan Greenspan is suggesting economic solutions more akin to "socialism." Gun lovers have nothing to fear. On policy grounds, we crazy liberals have been criticizing him from day one. The radical right have been lambasting him. With the nation fighting two wars and an economic meltdown, they openly hope he fails. But they are not about policy. They are about hatred. And they hate Obama as they have never hated any president. It's not complicated.

The DHS just warned: Right-wing extremists have capitalized on the election of the first African American president...

Janeane Garofalo was even more blunt in her assessment of the teabaggers.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

The question is a valid one, why are teabaggers protesting tax hikes, when Obama's tax plan will lower their taxes?

What I see in the teabagging movement is a lot of anger, a feeling of powerlessness. The movement has little to do with logic and a lot to do with emotion. Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas has in the past critiqued leftist street protest tactics, calling them "unfocused" and "cartoonish." His take on street protests and the teaparties "Why Yesterday's Protests Were Stupid":

The usual leftist protests fail most of these, falling into the worst, cartoonish stereotypes. They feature a mishmash of causes and issues, with no unifying theme. Is the protest about the Iraq War? Or Palestine? Or American imperialism? Or freeing Mumia? Or legalizing marijuana? Or blah blah blah blah? Who the heck knows? Who the heck cares? This is a classic clip from the Daily Show after one such protest:

Stewart: On Saturday, a 100,000 strong peace march descended on Washington seeking to crystallize America's dissatisfaction with the war into one single idea.
Clip of young male speaker: Peace!
Stewart: Okay.
Clip of male speaker: Justice!
Stewart: (pause) Fine.
Clip of male speaker: Environmental protection!
Stewart: (pause, confused look on face)
Clip of male speaker: No racism!
Stewart: (dumb-founded, and then says in Valley Girl-like voice) Dude! I didn't hike from Oberlin for this.

There's nothing novel, new, or interesting about these protests, making them easy to ignore. We've seen them a million times, the visuals are easily mockable, with the dreads and the stupid puppets and whatnot. And not only are they patently ridiculous, but we saw just how ineffective they were during the Bush years. No one gave a damn about them, not the media, not powers-that-be (in either party), and certainly not the public.

It wasn't the protest movement that moved the Democratic Party left on Iraq, it was Joe Lieberman's loss in his Democratic primary in 2006. Prior to that, Rahm Emanuel, as head of the DCCC, was telling Democratic candidates to steer clear of the war. After that primary, the Dems fully embraced ending the war in their campaigns and won huge that fall. In other words, the anti-war cause was best served via electoral politics. After Lieberman's loss, not even the media could ignore the saliency and validity of the anti-war position. "Patriotism" could no longer be used to silence anti-war voices, we had helped mainstream them.

So now conservatives are out in the cold, far from the levers of power. They are feeling marginalized, ignored, powerless. We know the feeling. It wasn't long ago that we were there. But instead of adopting the tactics that best served liberals on our way back to power, conservatives seemed to have learned the exact wrong lesson, adopting our most ineffective ones.

Sam Stein of Huffington Post asks whether the tea parties are turning off independents by exposing the same kind of extremist ugliness we witnessed at some of the Sarah Palin rallies during the presidential elections.



The best part is the man who calls Obama a "fascist" but can't give one reason why. Are these the Boston Tea Parties or the Mad Hatter's? It's clear to me that the teabag movement draws from Ron Paul supporters, white supremacists, and a couple dittoheads thrown in for good measure. Political success comes from the center... and these folks ain't it.

Ok, so first Obama was a secret Muslim, then he became the Anti-Christ and a socialist. Next he's not a citizen because he supposedly wasn't born in this country. Then he morphed into Hitler, Stalin, and a fascist. Teabagging logic: calling for protests about Obama's raising taxes when the reality is he has lowered them.

Call me confused. I wish those teabaggers would make up their damned minds!

Video: Obama's Remarks to Turkish Parliament

Breaking news! Obama Lands in Iraq

The President visits Baghdad. Bad weather forces him to enter the city via motorcade rather than using helicopter. President Obama will give 10 medals of valor to American troops.

High Ratings for President Obama

President Obama's poll numbers are at the highest levels since taking office.

The Obama Effect in Spain

A Daily Kos diary from a blogger who lives in Spain examining the effects of Obama's European visit.

Linda Hansen and Progressive Politics in the South

Linda Hansen is a southern progressive and Obama supporter who chronicled the Obama campaign for three years. Yes, We Did is a compilation of her newspaper and online commentary.

Linda is refreshing in her outspokenness and doesn't hesitate to tell you what she thinks about South Carolina governor Mark Sanford's threat to refuse $700 million in federal stimulus funds, which could lead to the firing of more than 1,000 teachers.

From Linda's Facebook page:

Why is S.C.'s Mark Sanford rabidly resistant to ARRA education funding?

It ain't about fiscal restraint. It's not about better schools for our kids or a larger tax base when we produce higher wage earners.

I suspect it's a right sinister political motive; one that is disastrous for my state and my country. Sanford, et al, see no advantage in a well-educated constituency. None. The state might have more money, but the price tag on that source of funds is too high. Better educated = more curious = better informed = less apt to be swayed by hot-button issues (like race, gender-bias and GLBT human rights). A smart constituency is too demanding. A smart constituency demands answers to the hard questions. A smart constituency cannot be frightened into submission by epithets (Socialist! A Threat to Family Values! Not Like You and Me!) or the code language of bigotry.

Sanford wants us fat, dumb and happy enough with poverty. And too scared to vote our own best interests.

You can read more about progressive politics in the South in Linda's book.

Secretary Clinton's Turkish Television Interview

Hillary Clinton was interviewed on Turkish television show Haydi Gel Bizimle Ol.

A PARTICIPANT: (Via interpreter) Welcome to Turkey. Welcome to our program. Ten years later, you are once more in Turkey. You first came to Turkey as First Lady, now as Secretary of State. According to you, during the last seven years, with the AKP government, in what way Turkey has changed? What is your impressions, according to some U.S. politicians? Do you think Turkey is going in the way of a moderate Islamic country or in another way?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, first of all, thank you. Thank you for having me here with you today. And I am so happy to be back in Turkey. I have had wonderful times here before, and I especially remember my husband’s visit when we came in 1999, right after the earthquake, and had a chance to really see firsthand the courage and the strength and resilience of the Turkish people.
I believe that Turkey is demonstrating, as I discussed with the prime minister and the foreign minister today, that democracy and modernity and secularism and Islam can all coexist. That is an extraordinary model for the world. So I’m enthusiastic and optimistic about not only Turkey’s future, but the future of our relationship and our partnership. I really consider Turkey’s commitment not only to growth and development and reform within Turkey to be important, but the role that Turkey is playing as a global leader increasingly is very significant.

A PARTICIPANT: (Via interpreter) Ms. Secretary, when you look at the foreign politics of USA, do you think USA is trying to soften its foreign policy with a feminine face? Because when you look at a woman Secretary of State, they were as tough as men in foreign politics. Are you going to be different than the former women Secretary of State? Are you going to be more feminine, more peaceful? How are you going to – what kind of a Secretary of State you will be?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I hope I’ll be a good one. (Laughter.) I hope that I will represent my country and our values and our interests effectively, and I hope that I will demonstrate to the rest of the world that with our new Administration, President Obama is sending a message that we want the United States once again to be working together with friends like Turkey and others.
I got into politics many years ago because I really was committed to children. I wanted to do anything I could to help children live up to their God-given potential. That’s how I see my role as Secretary of State. What can I do to further peace and prosperity and understanding so that every child, whether that child is in Ankara or that child is in Alaska, that child will have an opportunity to, you know, fully explore and develop whatever talents that boy or girl has. And I think that’s a better way of looking at foreign policy than a lot of the serious talk that sometimes goes on.

A PARTICIPANT: (Via interpreter) Thank you very much, Ms. Secretary. Of course, we have guests in our studio and they want to ask questions to you, too. Mary Ungul from Istanbul will ask a question to you.

QUESTION: (Off-mike.)
(Laughter.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I was a First Lady and I know how important that role is, and I think that Michelle Obama is doing a wonderful job. And she is also balancing her responsibilities very well. She has two young children and she has put their well-being first, because it’s hard when your father is elected president and you’re still a child. And so it’s really important to make sure that their two little girls have a really positive home life, and she is 100 percent committed to that. So I think she’s going to be a very effective ambassador for our country.
And I am excited because I was able to announce earlier with the foreign minister that President and Mrs. Obama will come to Turkey in about a month. We’re still finalizing the date, but I was thrilled when the White House called on the plane as we were coming and was able to finalize this decision, which I’m excited about as a demonstration of the very high value that the President and I place on our relationship with Turkey.

Click here to read the interview in its entirety.

Click here to watch the interview (interview is mostly in Turkish).

G20: Streetside View

London blogger Malcolm Clark shares his take on the G20 summit.

Malcolm spent time in the U.S. volunteering for the Obama campaign and writing about the elections from a British perspective. He is also the director of Make My Vote Count, a U.K. voter reform advocacy group.

You can read more about his campaign adventures at SixFifty: Lessons from America.

I took part in the Put People First march last Saturday. That was the big trade union and NGO (nonprofit) march through central London in advance of the G20 pushing job creation, different ways of tackling the financial crisis apart from bailouts, and putting climate change higher up the agenda.

Tens of thousands of people; carnival-atmosphere; lots of banners, placards, creative costumers, and marching bands. Some positive London-based media coverage in the run-up to the event. But by Sunday, the focus was back on the G20 leaders and the summit logistics.

I have had plenty of friends and even some colleagues out there these past two days. Certainly Wednesday's "climate camp" seems to have been a colourful, peaceful and productive way of demonstrating. Not sure of the rest.

One friend in the thick of it sent me a text this morning--responding to my wish that the protests have some impact--saying, "Not sure anyone had thought of impacts... or much of anything."

Traditional media inevitably focused on the sporadic (and very minimal) outbursts of violence and property destruction. I've seen far worse though, both here in London one MayDay and, particularly, in my summit-hopping days at the G8 in Genoa.

I did happily leave my office yesterday evening. Not for protesting, but for Obama welcoming duties.

I joined the fantastic "Brits for Barack" group and members of Democrats Abroad lining parts of the Mall and Parliament area awaiting Obama’s arrival for dinner with Gordon Brown. I took my place outside the famous gates to Downing Street and had an enjoyable few hours. We spotted Michelle, but the Man Himself entered underground and never came out to give us a wave.

Yet, as Steve, the Brits for Barack organiser, put it: “It was a great atmosphere. I’m sure the President and other world leaders will have seen the supportive banners and posters adorning the area we were in – with slogans like "Hope Restored – Thank You America," etc. Members of Brits for Barack gave interviews to a variety of world media, including ABC News, New York Daily News, Time Out, France 2, Nippon TV, and German television.

And yes, there was me getting in on the act, too. I was dressed for the part: wearing my Inauguration beanie with a selection of buttons (including a ViaDelia special); holding a "Vote Today" doorhanger left over from my election day efforts in Cincinnati; and, of course, waving an American flag that I had been handed on the Mall during the Inauguration.

In fact the whole thing was like reliving the great campaign rally days (minus the huge crowds), especially as I was in "blogger" mod and interviewed various of the Obama-philes. The crowning glory...two North Carolinans who had flown across to London especially to sell Obama memorabilia. Awesome! But because there were no big public Obama events, business was hard-going for them. Over the weekend I’ll write it all up and post pics on sixfiftyblog.com.

The atmosphere in London is not what I had envisaged some months back when the G20 and Obama's visit were first announced. Where were the adoring crowds? The Obama-mania? The big public speech (our own Berlin moment), or at least a "rope-line" meet-n-greet?

Yes, the political and economic climate is quite different than last November, especially here in the UK where the effects of the global downturn have been felt later than across the Atlantic. Yes, there are protests and security concerns to contend with. But I really feel that Obama --and his advisors--have missed a trick. There are still plenty of people who are fervent fans, or just want a glimpse of the President in person. There would have been a large response for some public event or speech especially, I believe, within London’s large black and ethnic minority community.

Wednesday morning, I went to the launch of the Hansard Society’s "Audit of Political Engagement 2008." Click here for more details about the report, including links to a summary and a pdf copy for download.

The Hansard Society publishes this report annually, and this time they specifically looked into whether there was an "Obama Effect" in the U.K. – in terms of interest in, knowledge of, and belief in the efficacy of politics and political activity.

In the population as a whole, there was no real change in any of these indices, but amongst minority ethnic communities there were significant increases in engagement levels and the feeling that politics mattered and could bring change. So there was an observable Obama effect. However, we shouldn’t get too carried away--this is from a small base; and is still on levels below the population as a whole.

To me, what the audit showed was that we have failed--“we” as in all of us involved in U.K. politics in all its form. For we have failed to capitalise on the amazing spectacle and symbolism of Obama’s campaign and victory and turn that into reasons why British people should care about British electoral politics and get involved with Politics with a big P. I’m not sure whether the events of the past week--whether the protests or what went on inside the G20 summit--will have rectified that.

The challenge is to find some way of doing so.

House Passes Obama Budget

Congressional Democratic House leaders passed Obama's budget today. Now on to the Senate.

Michelle Tells London Schoolgirls They Are Future Leaders

Michelle Obama visited a north London school where she shared her personal story to give the girls a sense of hope and possibility.

Live Update of G20

The BBC has live video and text of the G20 summit.

Protesters Rally to Oust S. Carolina Gov. Sanford

More than 1,000 teachers protested on the steps of the State House against South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's refusal to take the $700 million's worth of federal stimulus funds.

Without the stimulus money, an estimated 1,700 teachers could lose their jobs.

Click here to see photos from the rally.

Brits *Heart* Michelle

Our intelligent, attractive, and down-to-earth First Lady is a hit overseas.

Remember the days when no one liked the U.S.?

Could you have imagined the U.S. President and his First Lady receiving such fanfare four years ago?

Click here to see a slideshow of their visit, including the Obamas meeting the queen. The Obamas gave the queen a tech upgrade with the gift of an iPod.

There's been a bit of a fuss about whether Michelle breached protocol by putting her arm around the queen. But no harm no foul. The British press has mostly shrugged it off.

State Dept: U.S. Awards Encourage Elimination of Opium Poppies

A sizable portion of Al Qaeda and Taliban activities are funded by money from the opium poppy trade. One tactic the United States employs to defeat terrorists is eradicating their income sources.

From the State Department:

On Wednesday, April 1, the United States in conjunction with the Government of Afghanistan, inaugurated Good Performers Initiative award projects at a ceremony in Balkh Province. The award is designated for development projects in Balkh in recognition of that province’s success in eliminating opium poppy cultivation in 2008. The projects include delivery of tractors and associated equipment to each provincial district, and construction of health, education and community facilities.

Narcotics Affairs Section Representative, David Osgood, along with Ministry of Counter Narcotics Minister, General Khodaidad, and Balkh Governor Atta Mohammad Noor commemorated the delivery of the tractors and the start of construction in a ceremony held at the Governor’s compound.

The Good Performers Initiative awards provinces for successfully reducing poppy cultivation. In 2008, over $39 million were awarded to 29 provinces, including 18 that were declared poppy free. Balkh province received $1 million for maintaining its poppy free status for the third year in a row and has received over $4 million in GPI funds since 2006.
Other examples of Good Performers Initiative award projects include: the construction of a teachers’ college building in Paktia ($1.5 million), the purchase of farm machinery for Logar ($1.5 million), the construction of a school dormitory in Paktika ($1.5 million), and the construction of two girls’ schools in Laghman ($485,000).

Video: Secretary Clinton Speaks on Iran, Al Qaeda

Video: Obama, Brown Press Conference

The press conference of President Barack Obama and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown in its entirety.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Slideshow: Biden in Latin America

A slideshow of Vice President Joe Biden's visit with Latin American leaders.

Video: Obama's Limo Navigates Narrow London Street

Obama's limo (aka "The Beast") attempts a three-point turn on a narrow London street.

U.S. Will Seek Seat on U.N. Human Rights Council

Calling for a "new era of engagement" in foreign policy, the U.S. will overturn Bush administration policy and will seek a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council.

The official statement from the U.S. State Department:

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and U.S. Permanent Representative to the U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice announce that the United States will seek a seat this year on the United Nations Human Rights Council with the goal of working to make it a more effective body to promote and protect human rights.

The decision is in keeping with the Obama Administration's "new era of engagement" with other nations to advance American security interests and meet the global challenges of the 21st century.

“Human rights are an essential element of American global foreign policy” said Secretary Clinton. “With others, we will engage in the work of improving the UN human rights system to advance the vision of the UN Declaration on Human Rights. The United States helped to found the United Nations and retains a vital stake in advancing that organization's genuine commitment to the human rights values that we share with other member nations. We believe every nation must live by and help shape global rules that ensure people enjoy the right to live freely and participate fully in their societies.”

"Those who suffer from abuse and oppression around the world, as well as those who dedicate their lives to advancing human rights, need the Council to be balanced and credible," said Ambassador Rice. "The U.S. is seeking election to the Council because we believe that working from within, we can make the council a more effective forum to promote and protect human rights. We hope to work in partnership with many countries to achieve a more effective Council."

The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the UN system made up of 47 elected members whose mission is to strengthen the promotion and protection of human rights globally. The next round of elections to the Council will be held on May 15th in the UN General Assembly in New York. Members will be elected to a three-year term. The Council was created in March 2006, and is scheduled to undergo a formal review of its structure and procedures in 2011, which will offer a significant opportunity for Council reform.