By Steve Clemons

I had a three and a half hour long dinner with a Saudi notable in Jeddah the week before last.

I’ve been blogging and reading this morning at Columbus Circle in New York — and a TWN reader said hi to me at 7 a.m. there. It’s become a strange thing to run into people in parks, on the street, on planes who read this blog. I love it, but it’s still unusual.

Meet Buddy, the newest in the clan. Buddy on the left, cuddling with his new brother, Oakley the Amazing Weimaraner. Little Annie girl is in the foreground.

I’ve been engaged in an interesting debate with New Republic Deputy Editor Richard Just about the Beijing Olympics and what posture America’s Commander-in-Chief should take regarding the games. Hillary Clinton has been nudging George W. Bush to boycott the opening ceremonies. Barack Obama reports that he is of “two minds on the issue.

Traveling through Chestertown, Maryland up to Wilimington, Delaware and then on up to New York was roughly the route that George Washington used to take when making the journey from his home at Mt. Vernon up to Manhattan.

In recent weeks, I have met very senior advisors for the Obama, Clinton, and McCain camps. In each case, the senior presidential aide was quite aware of critiques I had offered regarding a variety of foreign policy issues.

For those interested, I have done a two-part exchange, a debate really, with New Republic deputy editor Richard Just over the issue of how an American President should approach the question of the Olympic Games with respect to ongoing human rights conditions in China.

I have a magnificent view this morning of the Arkansas River out my hotel window and just snapped this pic. I’ll be speaking to the Arkansas Committee on Foreign Relations this afternoon — and back to DC tonight.

When I was thinking about launching a civil society battle over John Bolton’s nomination to serve as US Ambassador to the United Nations and planned to do what I could to block his Senate confirmation, I talked to a few Senators about it — on both sides of the aisle.

Just got back to Washington from the Middle East, or what I called the Middle West when I lived in Japan. I’m tuckered out — but may be back on later. For those in Arkansas, I’ll be down in Little Rock on Tuesday speaking at noon for the Arkansas Committee on Foreign Relations.