Shame on Them: Republicans and Top Dems Missing at Arab American Leadership Summit

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(But for how much longer?) I have to give credit to Senator John Sununu. He showed up at the Arab American Institute’s National Leadership Conference in Dearborn, Michigan this weekend and openly talked about his search for his Palestinian grandfather’s home in old Jerusalem.

The Human Face of Climate Change

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(Huene Island, pictured above, part of the Carteret Island chain, has literally been cut in two by rising sea levels) Papua New Guinea’s Mission to the United Nations recently announced that it would evacuate the Carteret Islands, a horseshoe-shaped group of islands in the South Pacific.

Bhutto and Musharraf, Feuding Again

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Frankly there’s not a whole lot new here to comment on — they’re feuding over the recent bombings, IAEA inspectors, terrorism, and democracy. Expect plenty more through January. But I did want to highlight some fantastic acrylic paintings created by my friend over at Chapati Mystery.

Flip-Flop Alert: Senators Suddenly on the Fence

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Sens. John Sununu, Norm Coleman, and George Voinovich all voted for the Law of the Sea in 2004. According to sources in the Senate, all are now reconsidering their votes under heavy pressure from the likes of John Bolton, Frank Gaffney, and their most vocal black helicopter-fearing constituents.

Democracy, West Africa, and the UN

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The National Democratic Institute hosted a terrific (and huge and really long) lunch yesterday honoring the Fifty Fifty Group in Sierra Leone and Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. The work that Fifty Fifty has done to bring women into politics in Sierra Leone is very impressive.