9.25.13

» U.K.'s Labour Re-Embraces Socialism
25/09/13 15:16 from WSJ.com: World News
The U.K.'s opposition Labour Party will fight the next election on a platform that rejects the legacy of Tony Blair and embraces traditional European socialism, with measures including a freeze on energy prices.

» Hundreds of US Security Clearance Records Falsified, Federal Cases Show
25/09/13 14:12 from Voice of America
Federal prosecutors have documented at least 350 instances of faulty background investigations done by private contractors and special agents for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management in recent years, illustrating what some lawmakers c...

» Putin Defends Seizure of a Greenpeace Vessel
25/09/13 12:44 from NYT > International
President Vladimir V. Putin appeared intent on both defending Russia’s reaction and defusing potential diplomatic tensions if the crew members are charged with piracy.

» Greenpeace Faces Russia Piracy Case
25/09/13 11:41 from WSJ.com: World News
Russian authorities have opened a piracy case against Greenpeace environmental activists who attempted to scale an Gazprom oil platform in the Barents Sea last week to protest Arctic drilling.

» Putin says Greenpeace activists not pirates, but did break law
25/09/13 10:36 from Reuters: International
SALEKHARD, Russia (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday Greenpeace activists arrested for staging a protest at Russia's first offshore oil platform had violated international law but signaled they should not face charges...

» U.N. inspectors back in Syria to look at chemical weapons claims
25/09/13 12:40 from CNN.com - World
U.N. inspectors returned to Syria on Wednesday to look into at least a half-dozen claims of chemical weapons use -- some allegedly by the regime, others allegedly by rebels. 

» Rouhani: Nuclear weapons have no place in Iran's security
25/09/13 12:39 from CNN.com - World
Iran is prepared to engage in nuclear talks and nuclear weapons have no place in his country's security, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday. 

» Iran Applies Brakes to U.S. Mideast Plans
25/09/13 11:20 from WSJ.com: World News
President Barack Obama argued the U.S. case before world leaders for resolving the Middle East's deepest conflicts, but faced pushback from Iran.

» Iran's Rouhani tells UN: we pose no threat to the world - The Guardian
25/09/13 10:59 from world - Google News
The GuardianIran's Rouhani tells UN: we pose no threat to the worldThe GuardianSo the world should instead recognise Iran's basic right to carry out all parts of the nuclear fuel cycle. In his UN speech earlier in the day, Obama ...

» Bipartisan US suspicion of Iran remains
25/09/13 09:28 from FT.com - World
President Rouhani’s much-awaited speech at the UN received a tepid reception from leading members of Congress

» Can a Gay, Catholic Leftist Actually Squelch Corruption in Sicily?
25/09/13 09:00 from NYT > International
Rosario Crocetta is a reform-minded leader in a highly corrupt place that hates change. And that’s only one reason his life is in danger.

Hillary: Bill and Barack are a lot alike

THE OVAL

Martha Moore, USA TODAY9:11 a.m. EDT September 25, 2013

(Photo: Getty Images)

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When you work for one president while married to another, apparently you get to know them pretty well.

Hillary Rodham Clinton took the opportunity Tuesday to poke fun at both her husband and her former boss, introducing Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton before their joint appearance at the Clinton Global Initiative.

Displaying chops earned through years of appearances on David Letterman's guest couch, Clinton came up with what is virtually a Top Ten list of ways Presidents 42 and 44 are alike:

• "They are both left-handed." (So are their former electoral opponents George H. W. Bush and John McCain.)

• "They both love golf, a game that does not often reciprocate the love they put into it." (Clinton is known to both curse and take multiple mulligans – known as "billigans." Obama's scores are top-secret, presumably for a reason.)

• "They both are fanatic sports fans and go to great lengths to be in front of the TV or on the side of the court or the field. " (Obama is a student of NCAA "bracketology,'' Clinton loves the NBA.)

• "They both are master politicians." (Given her role in Clinton's successful campaigns and her status as runner-up to Obama's, she's not likely to say otherwise.)

• "Each of them has only lost one election." (Actually, Clinton has lost two: he ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1974 and he was defeated for reelection as governor of Arkansas in 1980. Obama ran for Congress from Illinois in 2000 but didn't make it past the Democratic primary.)

• "They are both Democrats."

• "They have fabulous daughters."

And the No. 1 thing that Obama and Clinton have in common, according to Hillary Clinton: "They each married far above themselves."

(Actually, Clinton ended her list by saying, "They each love our country." Undoubtedly true, but wouldn't have made the cut on Letterman.)

As noted, Mrs. Clinton also referred to Mr. Clinton and Obama as "No. 42" and "No. 44," their positions on the list of U.S. presidents -- stoking speculation as to whether she will seek to become "No. 45" in the 2016 presidential election.