Why British Prime Minister Gordon Brown May Not Practice What He Preaches

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Botched Bio

President Bush and Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi have reaffirmed their close friendship at the G8 summit in Japan.

But the biography put out by the White House press office in its briefing book for the summit described Berlusconi as "one of the most controversial leaders in the history of a country known for government corruption and vice."

It adds the Italian leader is "regarded by many as a political dilettante who gained his high office only through the use of his considerable influence on the national media."

White House officials have apologized to Berlusconi and the Italian people, calling it an "unfortunate mistake."

Waste Watcher

On the flight to the G8 summit, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged his countrymen to cut back on food waste.

In Monday's Daily Mail he implored British citizens to store fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator so that they last longer, adding that action must be taken to "increase the global supply of food and reduce unnecessary demand."

But London's Daily Telegraph reports that upon his arrival, Brown was served a six course lunch that included white asparagus and truffle soup, crab and a supreme of chicken. The prime minister's so-called "working lunch" was followed later in the day by a dinner of 18 dishes over eight different courses that included caviar, smoked salmon, Kyoto beef and something called a G8 fantasy dessert.

Chance Encounter

The head of Minnesota's Gambling Control Board says that the Barack Obama campaign may be conducting an illegal raffle.

As we reported last night, Obama's campaign Web site says anyone making a contribution of at least five dollars before July 31 "could be one of 10 supporters chosen to meet Barack Obama."

The selected supporters can each bring a guest and will be flown to Denver to spend two days at the Democratic National Convention.

But the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper reports Tom Barrett of the Gambling Board says it is illegal in Minnesota to conduct a raffle as part of a political fundraiser. Barrett says the Obama Web site does not say the offer is void in Minnesota. And, he says three elements make it a form of gambling: It costs money to participate, it involves "luck of the draw" and one wins something of value.

The Obama campaign is insisting the fundraiser is not a raffle.

Paws for Concern

And finally, the British Kennel Club has entered the controversy over the proper use of bomb and drug-sniffing dogs in Muslim households and buildings.

The London Times reports that new guidelines proposed by the British Association of Chief Police Officers require dogs to wear rubber-soled booties when searching such property to avoid offending Muslims who believe the animals are unclean.

But one of Britain's leading imams, Ibrahim Mogra, says Muslims do not regard dogs as impure — only their saliva. He adds, "We Muslims should do our bit to change our attitudes."

And a spokeswoman for the Kennel Club says putting booties on sniffer-dogs could cause them distress.

— FOX News Channel's Zachary Kenworthy contributed to this report.