Though some applauded Mr. Obama's criticism of America's allies in Yemen and Bahrain for their crackdowns on peaceful protesters, many noted the conspicuous omission of Saudi Arabia, another ally of the United States that is a conservative force throughout the region.
So far, they include Bolivia under the government of Evo Morales, a socialist president of indigenous descent and another ally of Mr Chávez.
Kawasaki hired William D. Powers, the former chairman of the New York State Republican Party and another ally of the governor's, as its lobbyist.
Standing conspicuously behind the heir are an apparent troika of regents: his aunt, Kim Kyong Hui, her husband, Jang Song Taek, both longtime confidants of his father, and another ally of his father, General Ri Yong Ho, the boy king's umbilical cord to the army.
It's now evidently part of the weekly news cycle to discover that the NSA has hacked into the emails or listened into the phone conversations of yet another allied leader.
Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat, another ally of the governor's and a former chairman of the Legislature's Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Caucus, said he saw Mr. Paterson as a front-runner.
The Bush administration has long been uneasy with the idea of Mr. Sharif as a potential leader of Pakistan, and now that Mr. Musharraf is out of the picture, the administration, despite public protestation of neutrality, is seeking another ally.
Another ally of Mr. Strauss-Kahn, Jean-Christophe Cambadélis, has decided to support Ms. Aubry.
