U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

For a while there, it looked like the good ol' U.S. of A. might actually be the only major country absent from the World Expo in Shanghai later this year, a turn of events that could have ended up embarrassing on the world stage. After a whirlwind save by Hillary Clinton, the pavilion made it after all, and now the "mammoth gray steel structure meant to resemble an eagle stretching its wings in welcome" is going to be "the single biggest opportunity to nation brand that's ever come along." What 2,500 visitors an hour will get, and thank us for: "a taste of Hollywood and theme park razzle-dazzle," courtesy of Wal-Mart, PepsiCo, Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, General Electric. Ah, diplomacy. [AP]