Hillary On the North

THE Irish fundraiser for Senator Hillary Clinton in Boston last weekend raised well north of $100,000 according to reports, but more interestingly, may have provided a window into how Clinton will play her husband's role in the Irish peace process to her advantage in the next election.

In her remarks Clinton specifically referred to how long the peace process talks in Northern Ireland took to come to fruition and the long-term view that her husband adopted in becoming involved.

This was in great contrast to how Republicans were handling foreign policy, she noted, and showed the need for sustained contact on major international issues, rather than ad hoc diplomacy as too often has happened during this administration.

One can easily see Clinton using the Irish example in her standard foreign policy speech, given the new realities about how long Iraq will take, the need for sustained diplomacy in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Northern Ireland as the success model will certainly have resonance for many Americans.

McGuinness Playing a Blinder

THE fact that the Reverend Ian Paisley has been forced to step down as moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church he founded in Northern Ireland is a backhanded compliment to the North's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.

Paisley has been forced to step down by his fundamentalist flock who find his partnership with McGuinness atop Northern Ireland's government repugnant.

McGuinness and Paisley have become known as the "Chuckle Brothers" because of the informal and friendly style they have adopted towards each other.

McGuinness has played a blinder in his relationship with Paisley, always affording the older man every courtesy and allowing him to take the lead, but making it perfectly clear that he has just as much power as him.

It would have been easy for McGuinness to play to his own gallery among Republicans and engage in some recriminations at Paisley when the reverend launched missiles in Sinn Fein's direction.

He has decided to do the opposite, however, and has succeeded with his charm offensive in building a genuinely friendly relationship with Paisley.

This has been anathema to the fundamentalist religious types who frequent Paisley's church and who now accuse him of a sellout - ironic that given that Paisley thrived with such tactics against other Unionist leaders for years.

The split in fundamentalist Unionism will have direct consequences when Paisley departs politics either through retirement or illness. Any split in Unionism can only be good for Republicans, so they will await developments with interest.

The British at Basra

THOSE British troops that just pulled back from Basra in southern Iraq and have been hailed as wonderful peacekeepers may just contain a few rotten apples in their ranks.

The Observer newspaper reported on Sunday that images of troops, obviously from Northern Ireland or Scotland, pledging allegiance to the Loyalist paramilitary outfit the Ulster Volunteer Force have appeared in The Purple Standard, the latest magazine for the paramilitaries.

The Standard used to be known as Combat and also had close links with fascist groups. The soldiers are shown wearing orange sashes and proclaiming themselves the "Loyal Sons of Basra."

Six soldiers in all are seen dressed in the Loyalist gear. The words "No Surrender" appear under the photographs.

South Belfast MP Alisdair McDonnell of the SDLP has no doubt that the British ministry of defense needs to conduct an inquiry into the Orange fascists in the midst of the troops. The Defense Department says it has no plans to do so. How surprising.

GOP Shunning Hispanics?

DOES the Republican Party have any idea just how alienated the Hispanic vote has become given the regular immigrant bashing that is going on by their candidates for president?

Yes is probably the answer, given the fact that alone of all the candidates for the White House, Senator John McCain is the only one to accept an invitation to speak to a Hispanic audience of tens of millions in a debate sponsored by the Hispanic TV network Univision.

The Democrats held their debate last Sunday with everyone except Senator Joe Biden taking part. Immigration, of course, featured prominently, with each candidate pledging that immigration reform would be high on the agenda if they were elected.

Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani have been duking it out on who will be toughest on illegal Hispanics, so it is hardly surprising that they have not taken the offer to appear on a Republican Hispanic debate. But it says something about the depth of trouble the party is in with the fastest growing electoral segment when no one else with the proud exception of McCain will agree to appear.

McCain obviously has a strong case that he should be a favorite candidate for Hispanics. He has been outspoken on the need for comprehensive immigration reform and has shown the kind of political courage notably lacking in his rivals.

It will be interesting to see where the latest entrant, Fred Thompson, comes down on the issue, but pro-reform activists will not be holding their breath.