Word: primed
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President Obama holds his first meeting with the leader of one of America's closest allies on March 24, a man whose climb to power in many ways mirrors his own. Like Obama, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd beat an older, more conservative rival to lead his country, riding a wave of opposition to the Iraq War and support for more action on issues such as health care and climate change. Both men are intellectuals from modest backgrounds, they lost fathers to car accidents at young ages, and a series of international crises are filling both their inboxes...
...Served as a diplomat in Beijing and Stockholm. Later rose to prominence in Australia's Parliament as the Labor Party's "shadow foreign minister" and as an outspoken critic of Prime Minister John Howard's support for the war in Iraq...
...Soundly defeated Howard - Australia's second-longest-serving Prime Minister - in November 2007, in a rout dubbed a "Ruddslide." Drew support by pledging to withdraw combat forces troops from Iraq and focus attention on the environment, health and education...
...Married with three children. His wife, self-made millionaire Therese Rein, started a large employment agency and is the first Prime Minister's wife to remain in the workforce and keep her maiden name...
...partisan politics were such challenges to Sarkozy only coming from the left. But these days, the president's fellow rightists are also questioning his decision-making and leadership, with at least two conservatives clearly prepared to run against him for the Elysée in the 2012 elections. Former Prime Minister and long-time foe Dominique de Villepin has been seemingly omnipresent on French TV and radio second-guessing Sarkozy's thrifty economic stewardship and denouncing his decision to return France to NATO's integrated military command. (Read a TIME story on NATO...