Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is about to take her first tentative steps onto the world stage....Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.....Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili...[blah blah blah].....Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and new Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari....Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh....[ok, most importantly...]...The Alaska governor will also meet U2 singer and global anti-poverty campaign Bono on the sidelines of the UN meeting, said the ONE campaign, which is associated with the Irish rocker.

The McCain campaign specifically asked to include Palin in Bono's planned talks with the Republican presidential nominee, ONE said in a statement.

Bono also hopes to hold a meeting with Democratic nominee Barack Obama before the November 4 election, the campaign said. [AFP]

According to this article....

To understand the stylistic gulf between Barack Obama and John McCain, first consider their cultural references.

The Republican enjoys a good Henny Youngman one-liner and the 1970s Swedish pop group ABBA. He tells jokes about drunken Irish twins, and the reason he had to join the Navy instead of the Marines: His parents were married when he was born.

The Democrat, meanwhile, professes to "love the art of hip-hop." He listens to Jay-Z, Beyoncé and old-school favorites like Stevie Wonder on his IPod. Chicago is "ChiTown," sneakers are "kicks" and knuckle bumps are at times his greeting of choice.