Shaven-headed and crisply suited, Mr Hague could be an American executive, were it not for his ministerial red box and cufflinks bearing maps of Britain in blue and silver.

ECONOMIST: Bagehot

If past bipartisan practice is any guide, one or more extraordinary individual in uniform will grace the First Lady's box in the House gallery, perhaps bearing the scars of terrible wounds suffered in the line of duty.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Forgetting about the 'Saviors of Our Country'

While it's exciting to work beside world-class scientists such as ice-sheet climatologist Jason Box, glaciologist Alun Hubbard and geophysicist Richard Bates, it's equally disheartening to be here bearing witness to the catastrophic events they record.

CNN: Polar blog: 'There's something afoot in the Arctic'