(Photo: Jenn Lowery/LFI)

The incongruous Murdoch-Clinton romance, which has been hot for the past year or so, shows no sign of cooling down. Now, a source says, Rupert is greatly expanding his involvement with Bill’s big Clinton Global Initiative’s annual powwow this September, shortly before Hillary’s up for reelection. But then Murdoch’s Post has been as kind to her as it was relentless toward the ex-president. Murdoch’s involvement will be announced March 31 at the Time Warner Center (home to Fox News enemy CNN!), along with that of French president Jacques Chirac (a member of the Axis of Weasel, according to the Post), Virgin billionaire Richard Branson, and Gordon Brown, the heir apparent to Tony Blair in the U.K. All of which has some Clintonites boasting that CGI has become hotter than Davos as a desirable destination for global-power do-gooders. “People have been beating down the door to attend this conference!” swears an invitee. “It seems to have more energy than any other one in the world.” Clinton spokesman Jay Carson sought to tamp down any rivalry. “We see ourselves working in concert with the many successful global forums.”

Related:

• Archive: “Intelligencer”
• Articles by Greg Sargent
• Table of Contents: April 3, 2006 issue of New York | Subscribe!