Davos Watch

The World Economic Forum concluded today. Former President Bill Clinton reiterated his wife's Centrist position that we should not withdraw troops from Iraq prematurely. Further, he mentioned Climate change as the world's biggest worry (Greater than rogue nuclear weopons -- Russian, North Korean or Pakistani -- in the hands of a terrorist?!) As we nurse our wretched hangover in New York City, trolling the web and blogosphere for Davosian tidbits we found this, from the AP (Which, fascinatingly, beat Jason Calacanis to blog Davos):

"I spotted the Massachusetts senator, John Kerry, at a discussion about modernizing Islam and we got to talking as we filed out of the hall.

"'You know,' I told the failed Democratic presidential candidate, 'you could really make this whole Davos event by telling me you plan to run again.'

"Kerry edged away from me and my brandished digital audio recorder, starting to mumble something about how an answer would come 'somewhere down the line.'

"Before Kerry finished his sentence, the space between us was occupied by the formidable Teresa Heinz Kerry, who had a very specific timetable for what sounded like a possible joint venture.

"'We'll know by the end of the year.'

"Kerry said one more thing, laughed sheepishly and was swallowed by the crowd."

Run along, Kerry. See, The Corsair loves this kind of stuff. A place like Davos presents a million opportunities to catch the powerful and ambitious with their pants down. It is a literal Bonfire of the Vanities. More serious, from Marketwatch:

"...The world's 'fat cats,' as Bono called his fellow delegates, could hardly take their mind off the increasing likelihood of a short-term energy shock.

"Various doom scenarios were evoked at the summit, from terrorist attacks by local fundamentalist groups on Saudi oil infrastructure to Nigerian rebels preventing the country from exporting its oil.

"'If past supply shocks are any guide for the future, a meaningful supply disruption could drive oil prices to over $100 a barrel,' William Browder, chief executive of Russian fund Hermitage Capital Management, told MarketWatch in an interview.

"His worries were echoed at numerous conferences but also in private conversations in the corridors of the conference center.

"'My main concern this year at Davos is without a doubt energy prices. In the medium and long term, I'm not so worried because we can increase investment and do other things, but there's not much we can do about a short-term supply shock from Iran for instance,' Egypt Finance Minister Youssuf Boutros-Ghali said in an interview."