Barack Obama ‘too tired’ to give proper welcome to Gordon Brown  —  Barack Obama's offhand approach to Gordon Brown's Washington visit last week came about because the president was facing exhaustion over America's economic crisis and is unable to focus on foreign affairs, the Sunday Telegraph has been told.

Chas Freeman and 9/11  —  How important has resentment of Israel been to Al Qaeda's terrorism?  Here is one side of the argument, by an American who knows Saudi Arabia well: … And here is the opposing view, by an American who knows the Kingdom equally well: … So now you've heard two sides of the debate.

George W. Obama?  —  Washington has spent the past couple of weeks debating whether Barack Obama's ambitious agenda and political strategy are more comparable to those of Franklin Roosevelt or Ronald Reagan.  Oddly, hardly anyone is talking about the ways in which Obama is beginning to resemble the man who just vacated the White House.

Iran and Hamas back Sudan's Bashir  —  A delegation of senior Middle Eastern leaders has travelled to Sudan to express international support for Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese president, who is accused of war crimes in Darfur.  —  Officials from Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah joined Syria's parliament speaker …

Specter faces make-or-break shift as challenge looms  —  Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) does not have the fall-back option of running as an independent should he lose his 2010 primary election, giving the senior lawmaker strong incentive to abandon his party this year.

Hillary Clinton left red-faced by Moscow gift translation gaffe  —  Russian media have been poking fun at the US secretary of state over a translation error on a gift she presented to her Russian counterpart.  —  Hillary Clinton gave Sergei Lavrov a mock “reset” button, symbolising US hopes to mend frayed ties with Moscow.

Obama's Interview Aboard Air Force One  —  President Obama spoke in a 35-minute interview aboard Air Force One on Friday afternoon as he traveled from Columbus, Ohio to Andrews Air Force Base.  This is an edited transcript, as recorded by The New York Times.

Stark's hottest job: Janitor  —  Lack of work.  —  How hungry are people for work in today's sinking economy?  —  Nearly 700 people have applied for a single job as a school custodian.  —  Perry Local Schools have an open position — full time with benefits — at Edison Junior High School after its afternoon janitor retired.

Church: Florists Should Be Allowed To Say No To Gay Weddings  —  Concerned that the state's new same-sex marriage law would infringe on religious liberties, the Connecticut Catholic Conference today proposed some broad exemptions which it believes are necessary to protect those rights.

In Divide Over Health Care Overhaul, 2 Major Unions Withdraw From a Coalition  —  WASHINGTON — Two labor unions have pulled out of a broad coalition seeking agreement on major changes in the health care system.  —  The action, by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees …