Update from Zimbabwe, power and gold

Two stories out of Zimbabwe today.

First the ongoing power struggle between President Robert Mugabe and his would-be replacement Morgan Tsvangirai is still ongoing.

The two have been negotiating for weeks on how to share power in the government. Mugabe rejected the latest proposal from Tsvangirai that the two jointly chair the country's ruling cabinet on the grounds that there can only be one president. Mugabe has been trying to form a unity government with Tsvangirai's MDC party, but only in a way where he keeps all the power and sidelines Tsvangirai. So far Tsvangirai has (wisely) been unwilling to accept any deal that leaves him powerless.

In a worrying sign the MDC is accusing Mugabe's attorney general of trying to prosecute five members of their party, presumably to get them tossed out of the parliament and shift the majority in parliament back to Mugabe's ZANU-PF party.

On the upside Zimbabwe was able to put aside the political wrangling for a few hours and honor their Olympic team just home from Beijing. The Olympians were given cash prizes totaling $148,000 (hopefully they weren’t paid in Zimbabwean dollars). $100,000 of that went to swimmer Kirsty Coventry who won one gold and three silver medals at the Beijing Games.

Mugabe called Coventry the country's "golden girl". After winning medals at the Athens Olympics in 2004, Coventry, who is white, was honored as a national hero.