The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, has given US President Bush a stark warning that he will need to seek the permission of Congress if he plans a strike against Iran. Nancy Pelosi, a staunch Democrat, made the comments days after Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton made similar remarks. 

Quote: "Pelosi, a Democrat, noted that Bush consistently said he supports a diplomatic resolution to differences with Iran "and I take him at his word." At the same time, she said, "I do believe that Congress should assert itself, though, and make it very clear that there is no previous authority for the president, any president, to go into Iran."

In another surprising development, Peter Hain, former Northern Ireland Secretary for the British Labour government, has endorsed Hillary Clinton for the next President of the United States. Last month, Peter Hain slammed the current administration as the "the most right-wing American administration, if not ever, then in living memory". But that statement isn't surprising considering Peter Hain has also done more harm to Northern Ireland than any other Northern Ireland Secretary. He championed homosexuality laws in this country and has been interrogated by the police over the cash-for-peerages scandal and possession of drugs. I wouldn't call his praise of Hillary a "ringing endorsement".

Quote: "Before meeting Senator Clinton for the fourth time as a minister, he said: "When the Democrats won last November [in the mid-term congressional elections] of course every Labour member, like me, cheered because they're our sister party." Mrs Clinton was "formidably briefed on Northern Ireland and an extremely impressive interlocutor".

Democrat Presidential candidate Barak Obama, who has championed abortion in the US, has announced his intentions to publish his policy on Israel soon. Obama stated that the US has an obligation to help Israel find partners for peace, as well as defend it from its enemies. 

Quote: "In his speech, he intends to remove any doubts that the Democratic Party's donors and constituents, many of whom are Jewish, may have about his support for Israel. "Israel wants peace with its neighbors more than anything else," he said.

Source Jerusalem Post, Telegraph, Haaretz