Mark Latham adopted a strategy borrowed from US political guru Dick Morris, called “triangulation”. The basis of the strategy is to distance yourself from both the left and the right. Latham’s version of this strategy saw him reading to kids. It also saw him proposing an investment bond for lower-income people that could be used to fund useful things later on in life.
Dick Morris coined his phrase when he was working for Bill Clinton. When you voted for Bill you got two for the price of one, or what some dubbed “Billary”. So should one be suprised that the suffix, now that it is probably running for president in its own right, should be borrowing policies from one of the triangulation alumni?
At least that appears to be what is happening. Look at this release from the New America Foundation (although they give Blair the credit for the idea, so perhaps Mark pinched it too):

“New America Foundation Applauds Senator Clinton for Proposing “Baby Bonds” for All Newborns
In a speech before the Democratic Leadership Council (7/24/2006), Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton called for $500 “Baby Bonds” to be established for every child at birth and at age 10. Funds could be used for college or vocational training, buying a first home, and retirement savings. Families earning below $75,000 a year would have the option of directing their existing child tax credits into the accounts tax-free. Baby Bonds was one among many ideas proposed by Senator Clinton to help middle-class families regain financial stability and help the poor move up the economic ladder.
“We commend Senator Clinton for proposing Baby Bonds for all newborns. Establishing these accounts would place millions of kids on a path to accumulate savings and wealth from the day they are born– thus expanding economic opportunity and security across economic divides, and helping to build wealth across generations,” said Ray Boshara, Director of New America’s Asset Building Program, which aims to broaden savings and asset ownership in America.
New America’s Asset Building Program is one of the nation’s leading policy centers for children’s savings accounts systems. Invited to advise Sen. Clinton and her staff on child savings accounts, New America has briefed several Members of Congress from both parties, Presidential candidates, and leaders throughout the world on the benefits of expanded savings and assets ownership —including the government of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, which rolled out its version of Baby Bonds—the Child Trust Fund—last year.
The Asset Building Program played a key role in the development of the ASPIRE Act, legislation that would establish progressively funded savings accounts at birth for every American child and introduced with bipartisan support in both the House and Senate in 2005. The program was also instrumental in developing the Young Savers Accounts proposal, introduced by Senator Max Baucus last March. To learn more about these bills, visit assetbuilding.org. For additional background, click here to read a New York Times op-ed co-authored by Asset Building Program Director Ray Boshara. To arrange an interview, please contact Jerry Irvine at (202) 986-2700 or irvine@newamerica.net.”