Back to Gideon RachmanIs it finally safe to breathe out? It does look like Obama has finally nailed down the Democratic Party nomination. Once he has settled the pesky question of what to do about Hillary, he can finally turn all his fire on McCain.
I previewed some of the campaign themes on FT video earlier today.
But one question, we didn’t get around to discussing is the big one - who will win? Although the pollsters have not had a great record in this election so far - they got New Hampshire badly wrong, remember? - they still offer a more reliable guide than any pundit’s opinion. A wise colleague once told me - “Always trust the polls over what you have heard on the doorstep. They’ve talked to more people than you have.”
And the polls are not that encouraging for Obama. This year should be a shoo-in for the Democrats - given the economy, Iraq, eight years of Bush etc etc. But the numbers suggest that this will be a very close race. The average poll lead for Obama is now less than 2% - and there are still months and months left for McCain to turn that around. I put money on Obama back in November - so I’m not going to back down now. But it’s going to be very tight.
This blog covers a variety of topics from US foreign policy to European politics and the Middle East - and whatever else happens to be in the news or catch my attention. I joined the FT as chief foreign affairs commentator in 2006, after a 15-year career at The Economist which included stints as a correspondent in Brussels, Bangkok and Washington. I write a weekly column on foreign affairs, which appears in the paper on Tuesdays. Occasionally my FT colleagues contribute posts to this blog.
Geoff Dyer is the FT's China bureau chief. He has been a correspondent in Shanghai and in Brazil and has also covered the pharmaceuticals and biotechnology industries from London.
Roula Khalaf is the FT's Middle East editor. She has worked for the FT since 1995, first as North Africa correspondent, then Middle East correspondent and most recently as Middle East editor. Before joining the FT, she was a staff writer for Forbes magazine in New York. 
James Blitz is the FT's defence and diplomatic editor. He has been the FT's political editor, based in London, and Rome bureau chief. James is a former Moscow bureau chief for the Sunday Times.
Alan Beattie is the FT's world trade editor. He has previously been economics leader writer and spent two years in Washington DC as chief US economics correspondent. Before joining the FT, Alan was an economist at the Bank of England. 
Victor Mallet is the FT's Madrid correspondent. He is a former Asia editor of the FT, and, in more than 20 years at the organisation, has also worked in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. In 1990 he escaped from Kuwait after being one of the few foreign correspondents there when Iraq invaded. 
Stefan Wagstyl is the FT's eastern Europe editor, co-ordinating coverage of the region. He has also been the FT's bureau chief in Tokyo and New Delhi.
