Oh Napoleon: Tiny Leaders Rule G8

President brings "psychological finesse" to the G20

(NEWSER) - Therapists could learn a thing or two from the "psychological finesse" Barack Obama showed in Europe this week, Maureen Dowd writes in the New York Times. Obama's upbringing taught him how to "slip in and out of different worlds," and that legacy was on display at the G20 conference as he turned the "the bluster and insecurities of other politicians" to his advantage. More»

Painful insults abound in leaked cables

(NEWSER) - The fallout from the WikiLeaks release of US embassy cables is only just beginning, but one thing is clear: there are going to be some seriously embarrassed diplomats. Some insults to world leaders, as collected by the Telegraph:

• Nicolas Sarkozy: The French president is an "emperor with no clothes," with a “thin-skinned” and “authoritarian” manner.
• Angela Merkel: The German chancellor "avoids risks and is rarely creative."
• Moammar Gadhafi: The Libyan leader can't travel without what one diplomat described as his “voluptuous blond” Ukrainian nurse.

5'5" French president shorter than Napoleon

(NEWSER) - At 5 feet 5 inches, Nicolas Sarkozy seems to feel a bit stature-challenged—so at the recent D-Day tribute, he used a 6-inch footstool, in addition to his elevator shoes, to hold his own against Barack Obama and Gordon Brown, the Daily Mail reports. Sarko “knew he was appearing on the same podium as far taller world leaders, and would have looked ridiculous” without it, says a French TV source. More»

If Irish approve Lisbon treaty, ex-PM in line for newly created position

(NEWSER) - If Ireland votes yes on the Lisbon treaty, officially creating the role of EU president, Tony Blair is looking more and more like the man for the job. Not that the former UK prime minister has publicly expressed any interest—he's remained tactfully silent—but he has pockets of support and a dwindling list of rivals, writes David Charter in the Times of London. More»

Brown and Sarkozy shine while Bush stalls, says columnist

(NEWSER) - The financial crisis hasn't just transformed the business world, writes Financial Times columnist Gideon Rachman; it's transformed world politics as well. Who are the winners and losers of the market upheaval?

• Gordon Brown seems more and more the "improbable savior" of the financial system. The British bailout has been taken up in Europe and the US, and the lugubrious PM is now an economic hero.
• George W Bush is the anti-Brown: the normally chipper president looks "panicky and out of his depth."