The US national security adviser Condoleezza Rice is to address the News Corporation thinktank involving Rupert Murdoch's most senior newspaper executives from the UK, US and Australia.
Ms Rice joins Tory leader Michael Howard and Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair's former director of communcations - both of whom are flying to Cancun, Mexico for the four day event, which starts tonight.

The identity of the special guests has not been publicised and News International in London refused to comment, but a spokeswoman for Ms Rice confirmed she would be speaking at 12pm, US Eastern Standard Time tomorrow.

She will will deliver her speech by satellite at the invitation of Mr Murdoch's Fox operation, which includes Fox News which has been hugely supportive of George Bush and achieved notoriety in the UK during the Iraq war for its ultra-patriotic reporting.

Although she is not there in person, the presence of Ms Rice underlines the importance of Rupert Murdoch's news operations to the Bush administration, which may [ed: not if these guys have anything to say about it] face growing criticism that it led the country into war on false pretences ahead of November's presidential election.

- posted by Cynthia @ 6:14 PM | | | Link |