The World is Talking. Global Politics

Sen. John Warner (R-VA) “will announce tomorrow at the University of Virginia whether or not he intends to seek a sixth term,” The Politico reports. “Warner is planning a 2 p.m. news conference on the grounds of the Charlottesville, Va., school, where he took his law degree over 50 years ago. The Virginian will give his speech near the statue of Thomas Jefferson on the steps of the school’s famous Rotunda, adding a fitting Warner flourish to the event.”

“Virginia and national political officials have been waiting with anticipation for the Warner decision. His retirement would set off a scramble for the open seat, perhaps pitting former Gov. Mark R. Warner against Rep. Thomas M. Davis or former Gov. Jim Gilmore.”

As we noted earlier this week, Fred Thompson will formally announce his candidacy for president next Thursday, September 6th via a video webcast. The Tennessean confirms the report and notes the former senator will then head out on a tour of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

According to a new ONE poll in Iowa, former Gov. Mitt Romney leads the Republican presidential field with 35%, followed by former Mayor Rudy Giuliani with 12%. Former Sen. Fred Thompson and former Gov. Mike Huckabee are tied for third with 11% apiece.

Tom Watson, who had such kind words for my wife’s immaculate novel yesterday, will be hosting tonight’s newcritics live blog of AMC’s Mad Men, the series where nicotine and manly cologne still cling to the nostrils. TW takes note of…

Saudi Jeans updates us on the demands being made by the supporters of Saudi reformists detained since February.

The Tunisian presidential airplane and the ‘unofficial’ trips it takes to Europe and the fashion capitals of the world has attracted the scrutiny of the country’s most outspoken bloggers. Who is using the president’s plane? Who approves the trips abroad and how much is it used for official business? These are some of the questions being raised in Arabic and French, which I am translating today into English.

“I can also tell an American blogger when I read one—they are different in a way that neither makes me laugh or angered. See this entry, for example. Well, maybe some aren’t that American, but the Americans—most expats, anyway—tend to lean towards that. To them, Uganda is little more than an experiment in hard living.”
This quote comes from 27 Comrade’s blog….Read on.

Sean’s Russia Blog is posting updates on Anna Politkovskaya’s murder investigation - here, here, here (46 comments), and here.

Fayyad from Palestinian blog Kabobfest writes about Abdulla Gul’s election as Turkey’s president. “Ironically, some secular extremists in Turkey, too (have) issue with the fact the Gul’s wife, Hayrunisa, wears a hijab, which is banned from all Turkish public institutions, and (for) some reason terrifies some, especially when Mrs. Gul wears into the presidential […]

Abu Aardvark (Marc Lynch) updates us on the latest news about the insurgency in Iraq.