Deborah Charles

Watch out James Patterson, Stephen King and Dan Brown. Sarah Palin has you beat -- at least this week.

All that experience on the campaign trail has served Palin well. The 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate, who is popular among many U.S. conservatives, has excelled in the first week of her multi-state, campaign-style media tour to promote her new book which was released on Nov. 17.

The former Alaskan governor's memoir, "Going Rogue: An American Life" topped the charts in its first week of publication.  Nielsen Bookscan said the new author eclipsed best-sellers Patterson and King whose books also debuted that week.

In a comparison of other first week book sales by current or past presidents or vice presidential candidates, Palin came in second only to former President Bill Clinton who sold about 606,000 copies of his memoir "My Life" in its debut week.  The former Republican vice presidential candidate's sales at 469,000 were just above Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's "Living History".

The figures don't include numbers from big box stores Wal-Mart, Sam's, BJs or libraries.

Fans have told of driving for hours to wait in long, snaking lines at Palin's book-signings which are reminiscent of last year's campaign stops.

Palin's sales were far above those of President Barack Obama, for his 2007 best-seller "Audacity of Hope", which garnered him so much success as he launched his run for the presidency.

Palin, who stirred controversy with her new book even before it landed on the shelves, complained in her memoir that she was "all bottled up" last year by advisers to her running mate, the Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

After the book was published, McCain strongly defended the top advisers from his 2008 campaign who were sharply criticized by Palin in "Going Rogue."

For more Reuters political news, click here.

Photo credits:  Reuters/Larry Downing (Palin's book on sale at a book store) ; Reuters/Rebecca Cook (Palin signs books in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Nov. 18)

Are Democrats trying to soften the blow for President Barack Obama if the Democratic candidate for Virginia governor, Creigh Deeds, loses in the November elections?

The Washington Post thinks so. It says in a front page story that top Democrats sense that Deeds is likely to lose in the key swing state so they're trying to distance Obama from him.

The article cites senior administration officials who are frustrated with the way Deeds has handled his campaign, saying he refused some strategic advice. They also say he did not reach out to some key constituencies that helped Obama win Virginia in the 2008 presidential race -- the first time in decades that a Democrat won in that state.

A senior administration official said Deeds badly erred on several fronts, including not doing a better job of coordinating with the White House. "I understood in the beginning why there was some reluctance to run all around the state with Barack Obama," said the official, who spoke to the newspaper on condition of anonymity in order to speak candidly about the race. "You don't do that in Virginia. But when you consider the African American turnout that they need, and then when you consider as well they've got a huge problem with surge voters, younger voters, we were just a natural for them."

So will this prep work help shield Obama from any fallout if the Democrat does not win the Virginia governorship?

For more Reuters political news, click here.

Photo credit: Reuters/Jim Young (Obama campaigns with Deeds)

Senator John Kerry, who once aspired to host meetings in the Oval Office, will be visiting President Barack Obama in that room Wednesday to talk about his recent trip to Afghanistan.

Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was credited with playing a key role in convincing Afghan President Hamid Karzai to agree to a second round of voting in a disputed national election.

A picture of him whispering into Karzai's ear on Tuesday was splashed across the major U.S. newspapers on Wednesday and news programs gave detailed reports on Kerry's behind-the-scenes shuttle diplomacy.

ABC news said over the last five days in Afghanistan, Kerry acted more like a secretary of state than a senator as he played a central role in brokering the agreement with Karzai and his main rival Abdullah Abdullah.

In Kabul on Tuesday after hours of talks with Karzai, Kerry said the Nov. 7 run-off would be difficult and made a point to praise the Afghan leader for endorsing the vote.

Now Kerry has a chance to give advice and his impressions to Obama, who has been meeting with his war council to make a decision on whether to send more troops to Afghanistan. Obama administration officials have stressed that a credible and legitimate government in Kabul is essential for Washington to be able to succeed in Afghanistan.

A new Washington Post-ABC News public opinion poll showed that Americans are evenly and deeply divided over whether Obama should send 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan, as requested by his top military commander there.

The poll showed 47 percent in favor of a troop buildup in Afghanistan while 49 percent oppose it. The survey also found a large majority of Americans believe the administration lacks a clear plan for dealing with the problems in Afghanistan.

For more Reuters political news, click here.

Photo credit: Reuters/Ahmad Masood (Kerry and Karzai at news conference in Kabul)

After being upstaged by her own boss as she announced a new Sudan policy on Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a special effort to let the media know she had a secret: after much pressure and delay Afghan President Hamid Karzai would announce on Tuesday how he planned to handle his country's disputed elections.

Clinton, who already had a briefing with the media in the morning to talk about Sudan, made a brief statement alongside Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Then she walked him out of the room and came back and invited a question about Afghanistan.

It was then that Clinton mentioned that Karzai would be making an announcement on Tuesday, though she said she did not wish to preempt the Afghan leader's news.

But her comment that she was "encouraged at the direction the situation is moving" suggested she expected the Afghan president to accept a run-off in the Aug. 20 election, which has been marred by allegations of widespread fraud.

Sure enough, on Tuesday in Kabul, Karzai welcomed a second round runoff against former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah.

The drawn-out voting process has complicated Obama's deliberations on whether to send thousands more troops to help out in the eight-year-old war.

For more Reuters political news, click here.

Photo credit: Reuters/Ahmad Masood (Karzai at news conference in Kabul)

After being upstaged by her own boss as she announced a new Sudan policy on Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a special effort to let the media know she had a secret: after much pressure and delay Afghan President Hamid Karzai would announce on Tuesday how he planned to handle his country's disputed elections.

Clinton, who already had a briefing with the media in the morning to talk about Sudan, made a brief statement alongside Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Then she walked him out of the room and came back and invited a question about Afghanistan.

It was then that Clinton mentioned that Karzai would be making an announcement on Tuesday, though she said she did not wish to preempt the Afghan leader's news.

But her comment that she was "encouraged at the direction the situation is moving" suggested she expected the Afghan president to accept a run-off in the Aug. 20 election, which has been marred by allegations of widespread fraud.

Sure enough, on Tuesday in Kabul, Karzai welcomed a second round runoff against former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah.

The drawn-out voting process has complicated Obama's deliberations on whether to send thousands more troops to help out in the eight-year-old war.

For more Reuters political news, click here.

Photo credit: Reuters/Ahmad Masood (Karzai at news conference in Kabul)

They're not linked, but the stories that topped the news shows this morning had to do with sex and with the Olympics.

Late-night comedian David Letterman made an unusual confession on his show last night: he was the victim of a $2 million extortion plot by a man who threatened to write a screenplay about Letterman having afffairs with female employees.

The talk show host quoted a blackmail note as saying: "I know that you do some terrible, terrible things and I can prove that you do these terrible things."

Initially, Letterman's audience didn't understand and thought he was telling a joke. They laughed as he said he found a package in his car three weeks ago from a person who was trying to blackmail him.

Then the audience seemed kind of stunned, not knowing how to react as the 62-year-old comedian spoke about the "very bizarre experience" as he admitted that he had had sex with women who work for him on the show. He then went on to say he hoped to protect his family and his job.

An employee with CBS's "48 Hours" was arrested in the case.

The other top story: President Obama's Olympic plea to try to win the 2016 Summer Games for Chicago.

Obama flew overnight to Copenhagen then went directly to speak to the International Olympic Committe, which will choose the host of the 2016 Olympics. Finalist cities also include Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Tokyo.

Obama made an impassioned plea for the place he said he fell in love with 25 years ago, the city he called the "most American of American cities."

The president was accompanied by his wife, Michelle, who spent the last two days lobbying IOC members to vote for her hometown to host the Summer Games.

Obama is due to make a statement shortly after he returns to the White House, around 4 p.m. (2000 GMT). The IOC is expected to announce its decision at 12:30 p.m. (1630 GMT).

 For more Reuters political news, click here.

Photo credits: Reuters/Robert Galbraith (Letterman at the 57th Emmy Awards in 2005);  Reuters/Kevin Lamarque (Obama hugs his wife before speaking to IOC in Copenhagen)

When President Barack Obama was running for president, he was heavily criticized by his rivals -- including his current secretary of state, Hillary Clinton -- for saying he would be willing to sit down with the leaders of countries like Iran.

Well, today is the day the United States takes part for the first time as a "full participant" in talks between Iran and six world powers to discuss Tehran's nuclear program.

Obama is not participating but he will likely be closely following results of the one-day talks in Geneva. U.S. officials have said Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns -- the head of the American delegation -- would not actively seek a one-on-one meeting with Iran's chief nuclear negotiator but would not reject one if the opportunity arose.

Though he's not going to Geneva, Obama will jet over to Europe this evening for a brief, cameo appearance in Copenhagen, where he hopes his star power and charisma can help woo International Olympic Committee members and convince them to choose Chicago as the venue for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Possibly as part of an effort to avoid criticism that he is skipping work to lobby for the Olympics, Obama will put in a full day at the White House -- including Oval Office meetings with Clinton and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner as well as a fundraising speech for the Democratic Governors Association -- before setting off for Denmark, where he will be on the ground for just about 4 hours.

No incumbent U.S. President has ever addressed an IOC session before. A star-studded advance team including First Lady Michelle Obama, television star Oprah Winfrey and American Olympians have spent the last couple of days trying to win over votes in the hard-fought battle for the 2016 Games.

So what will Obama's pitch be? Is there some surprise sports-related event that he'll take part in to convince the IOC to pick Chicago instead of the other three finalists: Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo?

Or will he spend his four hours in hyper campaign mode, speaking to as many people as possible and delivering emotional speeches on behalf of his home town?

By about 12:30 pm tomorrow (1630 GMT) we should know if his gamble paid off or if he might have just given his opponents some more fodder for criticism.

For more political news, click here.

Photo credits: Reuters/Dominic Favre/pool (Iran's chief negotiator Saeed Jalili (2L) and delegation attend talks in Geneva); Reuters/Larry Downing (Obama uses a light saber to practice his fencing stance at a White House event)

Remember Tom DeLay? Well, "The Hammer" has pounded too hard this time.

The former House Majority leader, who earned his nickname for keeping lawmakers in line on Capitol Hill, injured his foot while practicing for his "Dancing With the Stars" debut.

DeLay, a Republican who resigned from Congress in 2006 after he was charged in Texas with trying to violate campaign finance laws, announced his injury via Twitter.

"Old age is catching up to me, may have a stress fracture in my foot. no worries, it'll take more than that to keep me off the dance floor," DeLay wrote on Tuesday.

Just a couple of hours later, DeLay eased the concerns of his 2,142 Twitter followers: "No stress fracture! It is a pre-stress fracture. I live for another day."

DeLay seems to be taking this "Star" stuff seriously.

He has set his website up as a "fan site"  -- "Dancing with DeLay" -- where people can sign up for show updates. He has also posted links to photos of rehearsals on his Twitter page.

After his participation in the show was announced, DeLay mused about his possible partner. "Hoping its not Nancy Pelosi :)," he wrote last month.

Let's see if DeLay's dancing feet will be ready for  the show on Monday.

For more Reuters political news, click here.

Photo credit: REUTERS/Evan Sisley (DeLay in Canon Office Building on Capitol Hill on June 9, 2006, on his last day in Congress), REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci (couple competes in dance competition in Argentina)

Have a hankering to visit a hospital in Hawaii?

You could win a trip to tour the hospital where President Barack Obama was born. All you have to do is to submit the winning idea on how people can help Obama change the country for the better.

Progress Now, a liberal grass roots group, launched a new program to urge people across the country to help Obama pass healthcare reform and enact his other core campaign promises.

According to a press release, this campaign is the first part of the national launch of the '50 Ways You Can Help Obama Change America' -- a book by ProgressNow founder Michael Huttner.

"The campaign and book are designed to inspire more people to help -- at a time when progressive values are under attack in Washington and across the nation," Huttner said.

ProgressNow and its state partners are seeking entries on how to help Obama change America. You can enter the contest by clicking here.

The grand prize will be a trip for two to Honolulu for a private tour of the hospital where Obama was born, followed by a chance to take part in a community service project there on Jan 18.

The contest comes as Obama struggles to win enough support in Congress to pass a plan to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system amid mounting public skepticism and unified Republican opposition.

For more Reuters political news, click here.

Photo credit: Reuters/Hugh Gentry (Obama supporter at campaign party after November election)

Senator Edward Kennedy's son, Ted Kennedy Jr., served up one of the most emotional moments of his father's funeral on Saturday when he recalled how the late senator stood by him while he struggled after losing his leg to cancer.

Calling his father "my best friend," Ted Kennedy Jr told of a winter day -- a few months after his leg was amputated -- when his father urged him to go sledding on their steep driveway. 

"And I was trying to get used to my new artificial leg. And the hill was covered with ice and snow. And it wasn't easy for me to walk. And the hill was very slick. And as I struggled to walk, I slipped and I fell on the ice. And I started to cry and I said, I can't do this. I said, I'll never be able to climb up that hill.  
 
"And he lifted me up in his strong, gentle arms and said something I will never forget. He said, 'I know you can do it. There is nothing that you can't do. We're going to climb that hill together, even if it takes us all day.'"  
 
"Sure enough, he held me around my waist and we slowly made it to the top. And you know, at age 12 losing your leg pretty much seems like the end of the world. But as I climbed on to his back and we flew down the hill that day, I knew he was right. I knew I was going to be OK. "
 
"You see, my father taught me that even our most profound losses are survivable, and that is -- it is what we do with that loss, our ability to transform it into a positive event, that is one of my father's greatest lessons. "

"He taught me that nothing is impossible."

Kennedy's voice broke as he told the story, and paused to wipe his eyes. 

He went on to tell other anecdotes: his father was a Green Bay Packers recruit but he opted to go to law school instead; the elder Kennedy was a Civil War buff and he used to pack the family up into a car or rented camper to visit the great battlefields; and family vacations "left us all injured and exhausted."

Photo credit: Reuters/Brian Snyder (Ted Kennedy Jr wipes away tears as he speaks at his father's funeral)