US releases inventory of foreign gifts to Bush and Rice From a ruby necklace to a bag of nuts: inventory of overseas gifts proves US officials may be popular in the Middle East after allThe Saudis lavished the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, with hundreds of thousands of dollars-worth of jewels last year, while President George Bush received a $7 assortment of nuts and dried fruit from the Dalai Lama. The items are listed on an inventory of diplomatic tat, sorry gifts, that US politicians and officials were granted in 2007.Other highlights include a bronze platypus paperweight given Bush by an Australian official, and a surfing exercise machine from the prime minister of Singapore. There was no mention of a cuddly toy, but the wife of the former Japanese prime minister gave Laura Bush two hand-embroidered pillows, with images of the first dogs, Barney and Miss Beazley.The president was given gifts worth more than $100,000 (£67,000) from Arab leaders. But he was outdone by Rice, who racked up $316,000 of bling from just two trip |
Let's hope the Condoleezza-Aretha double act sets a precedent As a benefit gig featuring Condoleezza Rice and Aretha Franklin showed, there are too few bipartisan musical collaborationsNews just in from the under-reported world of bipartisan musical collaborations – Condoleezza Rice and Aretha Franklin played a gig together last night.At a benefit for Philadelphia's urban youth, George Bush's former secretary of state played the piano, while Franklin – Barack Obama's choice to sing the national anthem at his inauguration last year – was on vocals.Rice, a classically-trained pianist, accompanied Franklin on I Say a Little Prayer as well as My Country, 'Tis of Thee.Reports of the Condi/Aretha double act made us realise there aren't nearly enough duets conducted across party lines.What about a supergroup featuring Bill Clinton on sax, Bush on bongos, Sting on lute, and John Prescott scat-singing over the top? Gary Barlow, who voiced his support for David Cameron earlier in the year – could write the tune.Or how about an all-woman affair fron |
Condoleezza Rice Becomes CBS News Contributor Ms. Rice is expected to comment regularly on national and international issues, CBS said. |
Careless talk costs jobs Careless talk costs lives, and this week it also cost a US radio presenter his job, writes Tomi Ajayi. The man who slipped and said making Condoleezza Rice NFL commissioner would be a 'big coon' was distraught at his sacking. "It kinda stinks," he said. Well yes, it does a little.Careless talk costs lives, and this week it also cost a US radio presenter his job, writes Tomi Ajayi. Talk-show host David Lenihan was live on-air, arguing the case for Condoleezza Rice to become the next commissioner of the National Football League. What happened next is unfortunate.
He said: "She's got the patent résumé of somebody that has serious skill. She loves football, she's African-American, which would be kind of a big coon. Oh my God - I totally, totally, totally, totally am sorry for that. I didn't mean that."
As far as Freudian slips go, this one was fairly awful. Lenihan later explained that he had meant to say, "a big coup". The manager of KTRS, the St Louis radio station, apologi |