International Law

Politico's Ben Smith explains why we should all be following US Senator Claire McCaskill on Twitter:

Many politicians are now on Twitter, but few are posting stream-of-consciousness updates from their BlackBerrys, and the telegraphic press releases that compose most official tweets can be a bit wearing.

So Sen. Claire McCaskill's feed, which she began, communications director Adrianne Marsh tells me, as a way to give constituents a running glimpse of the inaugural festivities ("Scalia in a really weird hat," read one entry), is pretty remarkable: obviously authentic, somewhat candid and much in the spirit of the new tech age.

"It gives me a little bit of heartburn, but it is what it is," said Marsh, who said McCaskill uses the program TinyTwitter on her personal Blackberry. "That's really the stream of consciousness way she takes in these events."

Read it here.  Senator McCaskill's use of Twitter is a much more interesting and revealing use of Twitter than that of any Australian politician I can think of.