Back to Gideon RachmanAs the US presidential election nears, so the game of “pick the next administration” will grow in popularity. I have been indulging in a little speculation of my own, elsewhere.
In London, the local interest centres around the question of who will be the next US ambassador to Britain. If Obama wins, the guessing-game centres around Caroline Kennedy - a prominent Obama supporter, who spoke at the Democratic convention in Denver. This would be an interesting appointment, given that the last Kennedy to serve as US ambassador to Britain - Joe Kennedy - did not exactly cover himself in glory. He was forced to resign in 1940 after injudiciously suggesting that “democracy is finished in England”.
But there is also a far more interesting name doing the rounds than Caroline Kennedy - Oprah Winfrey. This is a bona fide rumour, put about by “well-placed sources”. The argument is that Oprah is also a prominent supporter of Obama and that she might be looking for a “change of direction” - having got bored with her mega-star status.
It sounds ridiculous. It probably is ridiculous. But she would certainly cause a stir.
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.
