US election diary

Hair-raising debate

Taking a break from terrorism, economic woes and Iraq, American internet surfers turned their attention to a more diverting question: is Senator John Edwards, the Democrats' vice-presidential candidate, too fond of his own hair to be trusted with high office? The cause of the debate was a piece of snatched video footage showing Edwards taking several minutes to prepare his hair for a television interview.

The footage was given wide airing by internet columnist Matt Drudge. The footage will doubtless cause glee among American conservatives. It amounts to revenge for a string of leaked video snippets, showing pillars of the Right being readied for television appearances. Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 included footage of Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, sticking a pocket comb in his mouth, sucking it then repeatedly slicking down his hair.

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'Evil' Iran backs Bush

President George W. Bush made Iran a charter member of his axis of evil, accuses it of sheltering al Qaeda and leads the charge to thwart Tehran's nuclear ambitions - but still got an Iranian endorsement over Senator John Kerry. Historically, Democrats have harmed Iran more than Republicans, said Hasan Rowhani, head of the Supreme National Security Council, Iran's top security decision-making body.

"We haven't seen anything good from Democrats," Rowhani told state-run television. "We should not forget that most sanctions and economic pressures were imposed on Iran during the time of [former Democratic US President Bill] Clinton. And we should not forget that during Bush's era - despite his hard-line and baseless rhetoric against Iran - he didn't take, in practical terms, any dangerous action against Iran."

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Brits told to butt out

A pro-Kerry letter-writing campaign by the Guardian, targeting undecided US voters, has provoked outrage across the Atlantic. The paper has encouraged its readers to express their opinions to voters in the key swing state of Ohio.

"Hey England, Scotland and Wales, mind your own business. We don't need weenie-spined Limeys meddling in our presidential election," was one email reaction. "Real Americans aren't interested in your pansy-ass, tea-sipping opinions. If you want to save the world, begin with your own worthless corner of it," was another.

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Tipping essential

A 50-ish suburban waitress is likely to pick the President this time around, pollsters say. But with a fortnight to go, she still hasn't made up her mind. This hypothetical middle-aged woman is among the millions of US females who comprise 60 per cent of all undecided voters, pollsters say. They agreed that the number of undecided women could range from eight million to 11 million, enough to swing the election.

- AGENCIES