For more analysis The New York Times’ website has a couple of interesting opinion pieces, one by a former advisor to Bill and Hillary Clinton, and one by a former campaign director for John McCain.

But he says he thinks it’s a smart decision, though the Republicans may exploit earlier criticisms Biden made of Barack Obama’s inexperience… and he thinks Hillary Clinton might be piqued and fail to really pull her weight in supporting Obama’s campaign.

Meanwhile the Clintons’ ex-advisor, Mark J Penn, tellingly says he doesn’t know why Obama didn’t choose Hillary Clinton. But aside from that he’s right behind the choice of Joe Biden, describing it as a “smart and successful” one, he dismisses the issue of Biden having voted for the Iraq war, because most senators did. He also points to the conflict in Georgia and the political turmoil in Pakistan as exemplifying the kind of international events for which it’s good to have someone like Biden on board.

Meanwhile in Pakistan, the front page of the Pakistani Dawn features the portraits of two men who look like they will soon be at loggerheads. The first is the smiling Asif Zardari, Benazir Bhutto’s widower and leader of the PPP, a potential candidate for president. The other is Nawaz Sharif, standing firm to stop Zardari, over the headline “Nawaz puts his foot down”.

China Daily (China)

Time to celebrate spirit of Beijing

The state English language newspaper China Daily certainly is celebrating the success of the Olympics, and in very lyrical language: “China’s 1.3 billion people rising as one to turn their dream into sweet reality”… “tales of heroism, valor and strength”… that sort of thing.

Sunday Morning Post (China)

The Sunday Morning Post from Hong Kong is also very congratulatory about China’s successful games, though it focuses more on its impressive medals haul – not only finishing ahead of the US for the first time ever, but over ten gold medals clear.

Gli Azzurri donano i ‘cimeli’ al Dalai Lama

The Azzurri give their ‘mementos’ to the Dalai Lama

A more sinister reason why the Chinese might be congratulating themselves at the end of these games is that very little fuss was made, in the end, about Tibet. Boycotts and fiery statements were feared by some and hoped-for by others, but there was virtually nothing. However, a number of Italian athletes have broken the silence, and that makes the front page of today’s Corriere della Sera amongst other Italian papers. The Canoist Josefa Idem was perhaps the most vocal – she dedicated her medal and gave her wetsuit to the Dalai Lama, who has also acquired an Italian fencing mask… and I think some boxing gloves might be on the way as well. The athletes pledged their support to the Tibetans, with Idem appealing to Europe’s politicians: it shouldn’t be our job to do this, she said, but you’ve put us athletes before the bull by allowing the games to be held in Beijing, so we are speaking out, now you do something.

The commentator Beppe Severgnini, in an article entitled “better late than never”, doubts whether the political or business world really will take action on China’s human rights record, but he salutes these athletes and says Italy should be granted an honorary medal for courage and dignity.