It's one of those big countries: China, Russia, the United States, or somewhere or other . . .

JULIA Gillard reveals her limits in the foreign policy arena in a speech to the Malaysian PM.

Gillard in a speech yesterday:

I look forward to continuing to work closely with you [Malaysia] to ensure the success of the East Asia Summit with the US and China shortly to join.

Yesterday in parliament:

Gillard: I will be talking to President Obama about our region and the importance of the emerging new regional architecture including the East Asia Summit in which the US and China will participate.

Julie Bishop: No, no -- Russia!

Gillard: The emerging regional architecture involving the US sitting at the table, bringing the US to the table with China and with the other major economies of our region and with Russia at the table, is a very important development.

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website:

Leaders formally agreed to expand the EAS to include the US and Russia, a major development in regional architecture and something Australia has worked hard to achieve to help bolster the region's influence.

The PM on ABC1's 7.30 Report, October 5 last year:

I'M just going to be upfront about this: foreign policy is not my passion.

We'll take that as a comment . . . Tony Jones on ABC1's Lateline on Wednesday:

Surely the real question about Germany is not the impact that what happens there has on global warming over the whole planet, it's the impact it has on the amount of renewable energy that's used for electricity generation, in particular in Germany. And the percentages have changed dramatically. For example, in 2000 they had 6 per cent of their energy come from electricity. A mere nine years later in 2009, it's up to 16 per cent.

Bjorn Lomborg: Sorry, and the question is?

Jones: Well, I'm just saying . . .

Only the Right plays the despot card? ABC1's Lateline yesterday:

Sophie Mirabella, Liberal: If Ms Gillard believes Australians want to pay higher electricity and higher petrol prices, she is as deluded as Colonel "My people love me" Gaddafi.

Kevin Andrews, Liberal: There's been colourful language used in this parliament ever since I've been here.

Tom Iggulden: And indeed it has, like this attack on Bob Hawke when he was prime minister.

Ian Sinclair, National Party leader (1987): It's like Charles Manson saying he's going to care for Sharon Tate.

Ross Cameron, Liberal (2004): Today, in the mountains of west Pakistan, Osama bin Laden is stroking his beard and celebrating the advent of Mark Latham.

Jon Stanhope plays the despot card on ABC 666 yesterday:

These three senators that you name, I don't know whether those claims are true, but if they were, you know what are they saying? That yes, we were happy to support your democratic rights as long as you exercise them in a way that accorded with our beliefs, you know talk about non-representatives, you know, in this News Limited editorial. What you have here is a group of people with no responsibility for, you know, gay and lesbian relationships in the ACT, deciding how they would wish them to be recognised and, you know, it's counterintuitive, it's against the democratic rights that they would. You know it's a Colonel Gaddafi argument, isn't it?

New and unlovely verbs. I press conference therefore I am. The PM yesterday:

I'll be press conferencing later in the day, so we won't deal with those questions at the War Memorial. What we'll do is I'll be press conferencing mid-morning.

Independent Tony Windsor on Radio National on Wednesday:

I haven't had death threats before.

Windsor quoted by Peter Hartcher in The Sydney Morning Herald on Thursday:

I've had death threats before, but not as many.