Jerusalem - Israeli Interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is due to meet US President George W Bush at the White House "soon," a statement issued by his office said.

Bush spoke with Olmert on the telephone Wednesday afternoon and invited the Israeli leader to Washington, the statement said.

Olmert resigned last month to fight corruption allegations, but has since continued to rule Israel at the head of a transitional government which will be in place until early elections are held on February 10.

London, Oct 26 : Karl Rove, the noted architect of President George W Bush’s two victories, has said if Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama wins the White House race, it will be because he has beaten the Republicans at their own game.

The Democrats have copied Rove’s formidable tactics and ground operation, pumping out a disciplined message, assembling a broad-based coalition which includes young first-time voters and African-Americans, and drowning their Republican opponents with money.

George W. Bush continues to be poked fun at; as last nights' Saturday Night Live (SNL) mocked the way the Republican Party kept Bush far away from the McCain / Palin presidential campaign. 
  
Will Ferrell playing Bush opened the skit by endorsing Sarah Palin and John McCain, though only Palin played by Tina Fey could be found. A Palin look alike Fey admits to being busy 'traveling around this great country' and 'doing a little shopping', though her running mate McCain went missing, soon after hearing Bush's endorsement of the pair, 'last seen traveling on foot through the Adirondacks'. 
  

Washington, Oct 25 : President George W Bush and first lady Laura Bush on Friday cast their votes for Republican candidate John McCain in the 2008 presidential election, filling out an early voting ballot that will be sent by mail back to Texas.

“Today the President and Mrs. Bush cast their ballots for the 2008 election during the early voting process,” said White House press secretary Dana Perino.

“The ballots will be mailed back to Texas today. They plan to be here at the White House on election night,” she said.

Washington - The United States officially endorsed the NATO membership of Croatia and Albania, with President George W Bush on Friday signing an agreement already ratified by Congress.

The White House signing ceremony attended by the Croatian and Albanian ambassadors and other dignitaries followed a meeting between Bush and NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

The accession of the two countries was approved at a NATO summit in July and requires the approval of all 26 existing members.

New York, Oct 24 : Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is showing surprising strength among portions of the political coalition that returned George W. Bush to the White House four years ago.

A cross section of support that, if it continues for Obama through Election Day, would exceed that of Bill Clinton in 1992, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News polls.

Underscoring his increasing strength in the final phase of the campaign, Obama led his rival John McCain among groups that voted for President Bush four years ago: Those with incomes greater than 50,000 dollar a year; married women; suburbanites and white Catholics.