Daily View 2×2: 25 October 2009 – Pakistani army takes Taliban chief’s hometown

Morning all. Clocks changed? Good. Now it’s time to catch up on the news including, as it’s a Sunday, another in my occasional series of “Forget Obama; forget West Wing – now THIS is what we should be copying from US politics”.

It’s the political ad that is just bursting to be copied for our next party political broadcast. Send your lobbying email to Lib Dem HQ now. (Probably best do that now rather than after watching the ad. In case you don’t agree with me. But you’d be mad not to. This is quality political advertising at its very best.)

2 Big Stories

Pakistani army takes Taliban chief’s hometown

Pakistani soldiers captured the hometown of the country’s Taliban chief Saturday, a strategic and symbolic initial prize as the army pushes deeper into a militant stronghold along the Afghan border. An army spokesman said the Taliban were in disarray, with many deserting the ranks.

The 8-day-old air and ground offensive in the South Waziristan tribal region is a key test of nuclear-armed Pakistan’s campaign against Islamist militancy. It has already spurred a civilian exodus and deadly retaliatory attacks.

Washington has encouraged the operation in the northwest because many militants there are believed to shelter al-Qaida leaders and are also suspected to be involved in attacks on Western troops in Afghanistan. The U.S. military has also kept up its own missile strikes in the lawless tribal belt, including a suspected one that killed 22 Saturday. [Associated Press]

New post strike talks scheduled

Fresh talks aimed at resolving the postal workers strike are to be held in London on Monday, the TUC has said.

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said the talks would be an opportunity “to break the deadlock”.

A further three strike days are planned from Thursday, in the dispute over pay, conditions and modernisation. [BBC]

2 Must-Read Blog Posts

What are other Liberal Democrat bloggers saying? Here’s are two posts that have caught the eye from the Liberal Democrat Blogs aggregator:

• Help Save the British Grand Prix – Rennard style – from Caron’s Musings. How could I pass up on a post that says, “They don’t buy the idea that the internet, just by disappearing up its own backside in a frenzy can change things without real practical action”?
• Energy without the Isotopes – from Lib Dem in Hackney: “The reasons that the Lib Dems are anti-nuclear are numerous, well informed, and accurate”. What are they then? Read the post and find out.

Spotted any other great posts in the last day from blogs that aren’t on the aggregator? Do post up a comment sharing them with us all.

Forget Obama; forget West Wing – now THIS is what we should be copying from US politics

This political advert from 2006 has simply not been surpassed for concept, script and execution. And it never will be. Ever.