Actually many Tories - including some MPs were involved in Hilary Clinton's campaign. The Republicans have not ben authentically fiscally conservative for decades!

Wiki this about Jeb. < control-f > Jeb search when you get there, or just google for an undisinfected version,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election_in_Flor...

Very dubious Republican from the Bush clan.

And talking of clans, Happy Burns night at the moment, yer sassenachs. Have a dram on me - I recommed the Highland Park, it's nectar.

"We do have special relationships with a few countries, Israel being an obvious example."

When you say "we" I assume you mean the US ruling class and its relationships with other ruling classes. The Saudi monarchy is probably the most important in the region with Egypt not far behind.

Surely, a nation in unstoppable decline deserves Sarh Palin and her Tea Party.

The public is finally coming around to seeing the true Sarah Palin. Instead of smiling and nodding while talking about murders and national tragedies, she should have shown some humility. I was compelled to create a visual commentary of her political rhetoric and its effects on my artist's blog at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2011/01/sarah-palin-made-me-do-it.html Drop by and let me know what you think.

What we really need is for Sarah Palin to win, she would within months so offend the hangers on the from our so-called political elite that we would get away from this one way "special relationship"

EtchTee:
Belated reciprocal greetings re: Burns night - his famous lines " Then let us pray that come it may, as come it will for a' that - that man wi'man the world o'er shall brother's be for a' that." are universal. How about after the Scots finally achieve their overdue independence - we have oursel's a special relationship - wi' Highland Park - that's the spirit eh?

Dr Gautem Sen - Incidentally, what is that an anagram of?
"Surely a nation in unstoppable decline deserves Sarah Palin and her Tea Party."
Oh dear, that is unnecessarily provocative. A nation that turns its back on Bushism and elects Obama cannot be described as being in unstoppable decline. The tea party is an over-trumpeted side show which hopefully will divide the republican backwoodsmen - they deserve that all right. On the other hand - a nation that winds up having to exist under a rag bag coalition of Tories and Lib Dems foisted upon it by it's own short-sightedness and gullibility deserves a rude awakening - and I think it's getting one. Having said that - perhaps the word 'deserves' is a bit strong. It's a tragedy really self inflicted by default.

"Gautem Sen" is an anagram of "enema guts"

Deep inside Buckskins is a lefty. He just cannot accept it. Come out of the closet Buckskins

why do you even bother Buckskins, really, why? What is your agenda, really, what is it? Please tell me, I am interested. I see your name on many of the comments on many of these pages on this site. You don't agree with it, you are openly hostile to it, and quite dismissive of people who agree with it. Maybe you shouldn't hang around lefty bleeding heart liberal sites from the Peoples Republic of Britain?

Nevermind why Buckskins bothers, why does anyone bother responding to him/her/it? Britain being left of Fidel Castro, yet America has an embargo on not so left Cuba but trades with even more left Britain? The USA is not going to salvage our rods again ... I know we haven't done well in Iraq, but we are not fending the now defunct Republican Guard off the shores of Brighton with pots, pans and pitchforks pleading with America to come and save us. These are not the expressions of a coherent mind, they are rumblings about events either from the previous century or the nonexistant. You cannot reason with such a point of view, so humour it instead. Buckskins for guest editor of Playboy.

Stuart Eels, there are plenty of us here in the USA who'd love to end the "Special Relationship" with the UK. Remember all most of us get out of the "Special Relationship" is cheap shots from bigots like you!

The sooner we eliminate NATO and admit that Western Europe is deeply Anti-American (Except for the Irish) and deeply Anti-Semetic too (Again the Irish less than the rest of you), the better for OUR nation.

NATO's only function is to provide a subsidy for European nationalism. You need to either pay for your own national pretentions or do without!

Oh no, not another Bush clan member on the horizon.

He was one of the idiots alledgedly behind the Florida voting scandal in 2000, wasn't he? Chads and all that?

And The Times is backing him - surprise,surprise.

"And Mulligrubs, yes we do have a Religious Right here, similar in beliefs to the US 'Moral Majority' (now there is a misnomer), Christian Voice and their ilk. However, they are not as vocal nor as powerful, yet should be watched as closely"

Just as they keep tabs on Brit Lefties and Communists in sheep's clothing in particular.

Bearing in mind that this is the New Statesman site, and all that that should imply, we should welcome Buckskins input and regard it as an opportunity to enlighten this narrow minded and uncomplicated cowboy. He has after all, had the dismal disadvantage of being subjected to a lifetime of red neck American Politics and therefore is obviously in urgent need of much intellectual stimulation and broadening of his mind. I do hope he calls again and eventually finds it here among the intelligent comments and posts - and that he will benefit from it by becoming politically and hopefully emotionally mature. We must regard this as a mission to one who has been deprived. So welcome Hopalong if you adopt an open mind - things can only improve for you. You must understand that you enjoy the sympathy and goodwill of all of us. We'll make a socialist of you yet! Nils Desperandum ol' pardner. I do hope I don't sound patronising.

“ Dr Gautam Sen
27 January 2011 at 06:02

Surely, a nation in unstoppable decline deserves Sarh Palin and her Tea Party”

As she for all practical purposes would be your PM, I’m not sure if the chaos in the UK is at all salvageable by anyone. I do however agree with your assessment of the UK. I wonder if the Indians will find your grand kids acceptable as immigrants.

Not at all Mr Grubs, and if this adopted pseudo attitude is the balm you need then by all means utilize it as your coping mechanism for your battered ego.

Des Demona - none taken - After all imitation is the sincerest form of flattery - I will bask in such well earned literary plaudits - thank you.
AND - I really like your 'Luton' repost to Buckskins - I think you've rumbled him - But even Luton cowboy wannabe's should be treated sympathetically rather than harshly - don't you think? They are already at a disadvantage to those who have lives.

Galahad

Thanks for that - I think I know some of the "UK religious right" that you refer to - although the term right is a bit misleading - none of them seem to know their born again arses from their happy-slappy elbows. Surely they can be discounted as a fanatical political force of the right -or is that being dangerously complacent do you think?

Be interesting to see her stand independently, maybe as a Tea Party candidate. Would split the right wing vote, so maybe it should be encouraged!

"They are already at a disadvantage to those who have lives."

Your lives are in here sweating bullets over American politicians because your own are our lapdogs.

@JP: It is sad, but plenty of British Tories (myself included) can't stand the Republican Party being forever in hoc to the religious right. I'd far rather have a centrist (or even a left-leaning) Democrat than a Republican.

This was a "poll of the 493 members of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee", who are activists with an eye on winning.
Presumably any selection would be made by a wider group of Republican members and/or registered Republicans.

Another poll today: "A new Rasmussen Reports survey of likely Republican primary voters shows that Mitt Romney leads the pack with the support of 24 percent. Sarah Palin, the party’s nominee for vice president in 2008, runs second with 19 percent, closely followed by Mike Huckabee with 17 percent.

...

"Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich comes in fourth in the Rasmussen poll with 11 percent support, while another former governor, Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, was next with 6 percent."

http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/inside-politics/2011/jan/24/polls-sh...

@Mulligrubs -

Without wanting to put words in his mouth, I reckon Douglas Clarke was mourning the fact that any medieval voodoo practitioners have influence on the politics of a supposed democracy.