Born in New Jersey to a Palestinian father and Sicilian mother, Dean Obeidallah is a member of the "Axis of Evil" -- a group of comedians of Middle Eastern origin that humorously discuss subjects such as war, terrorism and suicide bombers. Produced by Ahmed Shihab-Eldin and Yasmina Hatem.

Albania, a small country on the outskirts of Eastern Europe, would seem an unlikely place to find a heated discussion about the upcoming U.S. presidential election. But Alexandra Poolos finds conversations about the election are front and center in this predominantly Muslim country.

President George W Bush's first Secretary of State, Colin Powell, has endorsed Democratic election candidate Barack Obama for the White House. Backing Mr Obama over John McCain, the Republican Party's choice to succeed Mr Bush in November, he said the Democrat had the "ability to inspire". "All Americans... not just African-Americans" would be proud of an Obama win, he argued.

Senator McCain said he was not surprised at his "long-time friend's" decision. He pointed out that other former secretaries of state had backed his own candidacy, naming them as Henry Kissinger, James Baker, Lawrence Eagleburger and Alexander Haig - all Republicans.

"I think he [Barack Obama] would be a transformational president," Powell told NBC's Meet The Press. An Obama victory would should "not just electrify our country, it would electrify the world", he said. Mr Obama was better suited to handle America's economy, the former secretary of state said.

"In the case of Mr McCain... you got the sense that he didn't have a complete grasp of the economic problems that we had," he argued. Powell was also "concerned" at the selection of Governor Sarah Palin" for running mate believing her not ready for the White House.

Video: Colin Powell on Obama