A lot of folks out there think I’m a sucker for good email notes — or very effective, personalized fundraising appeals like Hillary Clinton’s invitation to all of us (including me) to possibly have lunch with her, after she picked up the groceries and with her husband dropping by to say hello.

Juan Cole has picked up stories from Reuters and Harpers on a transcript of President Bush’s conversation with Spanish President Aznar that confirms that he had no intention of seriously pursuing UN Security Council support and was exceedingly optimistic over the outcomes of Iraq.

Note the correction — the event will be from 3:00pm-4:30pm If you are near Dupont Circle on Thursday afternoon, you should drop by the New America Foundation to hear Council on Foreign Relations Vice President and Director of Studies, Dr. Gary Samore, in an event hosted by Dr.

(US Defense Secretary Robert Gates with the Egyptian Military, soon to be deploying troops to Darfur) Arab states have taken numerous hits in the media — some unwarranted, some deserved — for not taking a stronger role in condemning the violence in Darfur and arm-twisting the Sudanese government to allow for peacekeepers or peace talks….

The first question former President Clinton posed Afghan President Hamid Karzai was one of investment in Afghanistan. While the two touted the foreign investment starting to enter the country, Clinton suggested that everyone could contribute to average Afghans trying to make a living through Kiva.org — an online microfinance network like lendingtree.

In the internal White House battles over the Geneva conventions, enemy combatant policies, extraordinary rendition, and torture — which have been viciously waged between various Bush administration officials against other colleagues in the same White House — there are a few heroes who fought the “darkness at noon” solutions advocated by Vice President Cheney’s team….

Former President Clinton has opened the 3rd annual Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) after a stunning procession of world leaders entered the room to music reminiscent of a James Horner sound track.

The Clinton Global Initiative is the largest global telethon for good causes the world has yet witnessed.

I’ve just learned that John Bolton is meeting with conservative senators, urging them to oppose the Law of the Sea. A Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the convention is scheduled for Thursday.

I’m hoping Sameer will be able to confirm or deny this, but my guess is that President Bush’s speech to the UN General Assembly this morning was met by a chorus of yawns.