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Even Tom Cruise's belief in aliens and his acts of kindness may not prevent a box office stumble .

Lord only knows how Vladimir Putin got his own Super Bowl ring .

For what's it's worth, the President did actually meet with a widow of a soldier killed in Iraq before his speech on Tuesday . Hopefully he'll do more of this with future speeches.

Well, it's over and all I can say is: " Andrew Bogut ?" Good luck, Bucks! Meanwhile, back on the ranch...er, base: The President gives his post-major combat operations pep rally speech . It's also known as: Mission Accomplished: 2005 . In it, he acknowledges that people have died, praises the remaining Iraqis who aren't shooting at our troops, begs TV viewers to enlist, and essentially blames Saddam Hussein's regime for 9/11. I'm pleased to hear that he acknowledges that people do die in wars, and curious about his stance on military advice: he's only going to listen to the generals and leaders on the field. These same generals didn't know about the abuses at Abu Ghraib until after the fact, by the way. The multiple references to 9/11 (at least five) were expected, but the attempt to link it to what's going on in Iraq was just plain pathetic. Why? Because Saddam was a dictator, not a terrorist. He ruled a country with a cruel iron fist; he did ...

For those who decide to watch the President's speech, please make sure you're up on what's been going on: check your local and national papers and media outlets, converse with your family and friends, and yes even use the internet . If you want a more visual representation of what's been happening in Iraq -with regards to those who've given their lives - then check this out.

While some of you will be watching Batman Begins , Land of the Dead , or even the NBA Draft tonight, others will be tuning in to see President Bush's speech on how things are going in Iraq. Well, I got the inside scoop! It was easy really: I just checked out yesterday's Press Briefing . Odds are there won't be anything said that differs from what Scott McClellan mentioned. But if you are a fan of our President's bumble n' stumble oratory style, be my guest. I'll be switching back and forth between the speech and the Draft, all the long playing my "drinking" game. I do this not to belittle the people who are bravely fighting for us overseas, but to undermine how the Administration keeps giving us the same message over and over again while trying to make us think it's new. The purpose of this speech is not to support the troops; it's to keep the public in favor of the President's decisions and policies. With that said, feel free to play along...

For those who ask why the Democrats seem to complain or fight on every issue, instead of presenting "new ideas,” I offer you this quote: " When you're the minority, you need to fight. When you're the governing majority, you need to produce ." This doesn't come from Harry Reid or Howard Dean. It comes from Newt Gingrich, the former Republican House speaker. The minority party fights because it has no other option. It does not have enough votes to pass anything relating to its agenda, it doesn't get to have a representative chairing the committees, and it has few opportunities to voice its side of an argument. The majority produces because it has to. It can override a veto, its agenda becomes national news, and polls/opinions/commentaries are based on its actions (or inactions). From this prospective, the actions we've seen in Congress make more sense. House Republicans had to attack Clinton during the Lewinsky Scandal because they were in the majority ...

The search for the killer of the late Christopher Wallace better known to fans (including and especially me) as the Notorious B.I.G. goes on. It gets no better that a key eyewitness and former FBI informant Kevin Hackie recanted his testimony, thus dealing a huge setback to Biggie's mother Voletta Wallace and his ex-wife Faith Evans. He also denied remarks that he made in a June 2004 declaration prepared by the plaintiffs' attorneys including the assertion that former police officer David who wore the same red suits as Suge Knight, apparently pledging his allegience to the the Piru Bloods street gang. For eight years, the mystery of who gunned down Notorious B.I.G. — and why — has frustrated and fascinated the hip-hop world and fueled media interest. With FBI and police investigations failing to net even a suspect, numerous theories implicated corrupt cops, gang hits, bicoastal beefs — or all three at once. None have been provable, so far. A party Biggie attended at the Peter...

Gotta love the Press Briefings : Q Does the President agree with the Vice President that the Iraqi insurgents are in their last throes? MR. McCLELLAN: He agrees with -- I think you should put his comments in context, because the President agrees that there is significant progress being made by the Iraqi people on the political front. And that's what the Vice President was talking about in his remarks. He was talking about the significant progress that's being made, and he was talking about how the terrorists, the ruthless enemy that we're working to defeat, along with the Iraqi security forces, has not been able to stop that progress. Every step of the way, the Iraqi people are meeting their objectives. I just went through those objectives that they're meeting. The political process is moving forward. It's moving forward on schedule. And the Iraqi people have shown that they want to live freely. Democracy is taking hold. There are real challenges that lie ahead, and...

...But this guy might not have all his stars tomorrow. (Current) Gen. John Abizaid says the insurgency is in the opposite of "last throes." Well, paint me green and call me "Gumby."

Guess their hour is up ... Democrats call for Karl Rove's apology or resignation , much like the Republicans did for Senator Durbin . Quid pro quo .

I couldn't have put it any better than Michael Moore's website : "So George W. Bush wants to privatize Social Security because it is the only way to save Social Security from its long-term insolvency . He spends months wandering around the country trying to convince rooms full of carefully chosen already convinced people that his plan is a good one. No one buys his story . He says there is no lockbox and that there never was. He says that people should invest their Social Security money. The idea is an all-around failure but he keeps pushing it. GOP congressmen, facing mid-term elections next year, start to take heat from their constituents. The voters tell the congressmen to give up on this stupid idea. The congressmen, eventually, tell George to give up on this stupid idea. George won't give up (he's a hard worker) and so the congressmen cave. They come up with a compromise . The compromise allows for privatization of Social Security but does nothing to address...

Karl Rove believes that liberals (Democrats) wanted to talk to the terrorists behind 9-11, while conservatives (Republicans) wanted to defeat (read: kill) them . OK. Are the poll numbers for the President that low? When's that last time Rove had to give a speech or make a remark to get the media back in line? Maybe it's comments like this that tick Rove off: "Well, I think they ought to look at us as a country that understands freedom where it doesn't matter who you are or how you're raised or where you're from, that you can succeed. I don't think they'll look at us with envy. It really depends upon how our nation conducts itself in foreign policy. If we're an arrogant nation, they'll resent us. If we're a humble nation, but strong, they'll welcome us. And it's -- our nation stands alone right now in the world in terms of power, and that's why we have to be humble. And yet project strength in a way that promotes freedom. So I do...

JBlaze did a piece on the Runaway Bride earlier. Just like to share Doc Love's take on the whole thing. Diagnosis: she's crazy and he's a fool .

Edgar Ray Killen, an 80-year-old former Ku Klux Klan leader, got convicted of manslaughter in the 1964 murders of 3 people in the deeply segregated state of Mississippi. Rita Schwerner, the wife of one of the slaying victims Michael Schwerner, gave an account of a day when she got threatening phone calls, one in a whispered voice that said "The Jew-boy is dead". Mr. Schwerner had been branded a conspirator in the downfall of white people by building a school for colored people. Mrs. Schwerner broke her silence of 41 years in hopes of convicting Killen. 41 years to the day after Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney were kidnapped and killed under the cover of night, she got her wish. It's anyone's guess what Killen but if it were me I'd subject him to what he did to those 3 brave men back in 1964, or maybe gently shock his withered balls with a car battery 3 times a day. I'm evil right? lol. Let me know what you think.

It was deemed a relatively partisan agenda for awhile, but now it can no longer be denied: Congress wants an exit strategy . Now I realize that there are arguments against doing this, so let's address the big one: Empowering the Bad Guys. Before I start, let me go out on a limb and say I think your average person just wants an idea: here's how we are going to reduce our forces, here's how we're going to put the Iraqis back in charge of securing their own country, here's what needs to stay and what needs to come with us. Dates aren't crucial right now (although they could help). Just a sense that some thought has been put into this; that this isn't being planned like someone plans their commute to work. That said: if there is a plan in place, how is that making the terrorists stronger? Everybody knows there will be an exit strategy; the President and the military have admitted that much. By staying in Iraq after saying mission accomplished , saying thing...

A follow-up to my findings about support for the President's plan to save/destroy/change Social Security: The Washington Times and CNN had their own takes. Trust whatever polling group and method you want.

While President Bush gets a Republican in the Senate to help him strike back at Democrats on Social Security, the Democrats refocus on criticizing him for what happening (or not happening) in Iraq. I've said before that the Bush Administration doesn't seem to be good at multi-tasking, and this news doesn't change that feeling. It's a bad idea to try fight a battle on Social Security -a battle he's struggled to gain ground in - when the issue of "who, what and where" in Iraq hasn't been sorted out. Besides, up until recently , Iraq was an issue people supported the President in. I remember a time when Democrats didn't even want to mention the word "Iraq" beacuase Bush had such a command on the issue. Now he has to go around and remind people why we went there in the first place (and trust me the reasons have changed over time ). Point is, the President's strength is handling one issue at a time. With Republicans staring to break ranks...

Whether through the White House or his own accord, Scott McClellan doesn't want to see the truth. From today's Press Briefing: (The Topic: John Bolton's nomination to the U.N.) "Q Scott, it's not just the Democratic leadership or members of the Democratic Party -- it's members of the President's own party, some of which are calling for him to withdraw the nomination . So is he going to heed those calls or not? MR. McCLELLAN: No, that's not correct, Jennifer. It's a minority of Senate Democrats that are preventing this nomination from moving forward . It's very clear that he has -- Q Senator Voinovich is a Republican . MR. McCLELLAN: It's very clear that he has majority support. You're talking about one individual who has expressed his opposition to his nomination. But it is a minority Senate Democratic leadership that is preventing this nomination from moving forward and that is preventing from [sic] John Bolton getting about, doing the ...

Porter Goss, Director of the CIA, had an interesting conversation with Time Magazine. The 1st question out of the gates was about the guy who planned the 911 attacks: Osama bin Laden. The response raised questions itself ( bold by me): "WHEN WILL WE GET OSAMA BIN LADEN? That is a question that goes far deeper than you know. In the chain that you need to successfully wrap up the war on terror, we have some weak links. And I find that until we strengthen all the links, we're probably not going to be able to bring Mr. bin Laden to justice . We are making very good progress on it. But when you go to the very difficult question of dealing with sanctuaries in sovereign states, you're dealing with a problem of our sense of international obligation, fair play. We have to find a way to work in a conventional world in unconventional ways that are acceptable to the international community ." So Saddam Hussain's problem wasn't he was an evil ruler; it was that he was a d...

Microsoft helps the Chinese government from exposing it's citizens to "harmful" words like "freedom" and "democracy" . As disturbing as this is, I just hope China isn't the beta group for the U.S.

For those of you who love TV and don't want your favorite show to jump the shark , check out this list of 10 worst TV cliches . Lord knows I've witnessed my share of "a very special episode..."

Senator Joe Biden confirms what many of us already knew: he's seeking the Democratic presidental nomination . Sen. Biden has been on various Sunday morning news shows over the past couple of weeks, and at his current pace, he'll be a household name way before people start thinking about the 2008 election. I expect his his future appearances to be increasingly more hostile towards the Bush Administration, and we might start hearing a semblance of a message. But it says here Biden can play a bigger role for the Democratic Party, assuming he's willing to do so: decoy. The Bush Administration, despite having a "businessman" at the helm, has been poor at multi-tasking. They pick one issue or problem, pay as much attention to it as they deem necessary, and then move on to the next one. That's why they say things like "move on" or "this has already been discussed." That's why anyone bringing up past actions/bills/initiatives are labeled as ob...

The Slate's take on San Antonio Spurs power forward Robert Horry (disclosure: Slate is not known for their sports writing). And then, three days later, the results of Game 5 of the NBA Championship between the Spurs and the Detroit Pistons . Or there's always ESPN's point of view . The moral: sometimes the best way to silence the critics is to just play your game.

I have question: what is the purpose of the White House Press Secretary? Are they suppose to answer the media's questions in the name of the President? Are they to clarify the President's views and positions on various issues? What about the views of other White House staff, like the Vice President or the Cabinet? Is it O.K. to explain things, to elaborate, or should you just say, "Well, So-and-So already made a remark on that. Refer to them?" After a press briefing, aren't you supposed to come out feeling somewhat satisfied and/or informed? In trying to discover if Vice President Dick Cheney was still backing his statement about how we're kicking butt in Iraq , the Editor&Publisher had a very interesting exchange with Press Secretary Scott McClellan, where McClellan gave his best Rasheed Wallace "both teams played hard " impression. Also in the same briefing, McClellan dismissed questions about the Downing Street Memo as an attack by " an i...

Having family and friends of varying physical ailments, I know how important a proper diagnosis is when determining and treating infirmities. If the illness is new, or has many symptoms, it becomes the medical equivalent of investing on Wall Street, with the notable exception that this is literally life-or-death. So I have to say that I'm surprised when I heard that instead of any type of apology for making (or endorsing) unsubstantiated claims, there’s interest in a probe on Terri Schiavo to see how she suffered her horrific accident. Apparently John E. Bush ("Jeb" is his nickname), thinks there is foul play at work. Considering how the autopsy records have debunked any claim that Ms. Schiavo was in a typical coma, I supposed that jumping the gun to blame her husband for something else is easier than saying "My bad. I'm sorry that my posse tried to demonize you and use politicians with doctor's degrees to make the public think that Terri was basically taki...

President Bush is not happy with Iran's voting process . The other day he said that it "ignores the basic requirements of democracy." Democracy , according to Webster, is: 1 a : government by the people; especially : rule of the majority b : a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections 2 : a political unit that has a democratic government 3 capitalized : the principles and policies of the Democratic party in the U.S. 4 : the common people especially when constituting the source of political authority 5 : the absence of hereditary or arbitrary class distinctions or privileges Obviously, President Bush seems to believe in Definition 1a fully, and is insisting that Iran is ignoring Definition 1b. One can argue that the President himself has some issues with Definitions 2 thru 5 (I think I can see why he wouldn't be too kee...

Admist all the Howard Dean bashing a comment he made over the weekend my have been lost. In response to Vice President Dick Cheney's " Stop being mean to the GOP " remarks, Dean said the medium he used to express this view, Fox News , is basically a front for the GOP agenda . Make no mistake: the main story there was about the GOP's curious non-endorsement of the Voter's Rights Act , but this jab at Fox News will undoubtedly resurface. With everyone still hanging on Dean's words, it's only a matter of time before the mainstream media picks it up. Then people will begin to say"Well, is it true?" If Newsweek can be presented as being biased , then why can't Fox?

Check this out: we have a new generation of blue-collar people emerging. They're being dubbed " gold-collar ." It includes people between 18-25 who have the tastes of Paris Hilton but the income of Kelly Bundy. And like that famous blonde (Kelly, not Paris) they typically live with their parents and don't pay for things like, say, rent or utilities. Mom and Dad want them to have the opportunity to get the material items that they couldn't obtain in their youth. The credit card companies don't care, and with the new bankruptcy rules , why should they? Oh, and the income for a typical 9-to-5 (assuming the GCs work one) don't quite cover the excesses of the elite . I had hoped that the creation of bank check cards would curb this type of behavior. It looks like I was mistaken.

Now, as many of you who have seen my last post, a lot of times I write about relationships and things related to that. Now then, today's topic of discussion is whether women get unrealistic advantages when it comes to many things in life. All of you have heard by now about the runaway bride. In case you haven't, read my first post here . Women have the advantage in many, many ways including but not limited to: custody cases (if it's man Vs. woman, the chick has to be on crack not to get the kids), sexual harassment cases (who'd believe a guy if HE said he was harassed by a chick?), and physical advantages, meaning a woman can get paid as much as a man but for doing less physical work. But if you complain, she'll just respond "I can't do it cuz I'm a girl". But if you tell a woman she can't do it because she's a woman all hell breaks loose! They call you pretty much everything in the book, including being a chauvinist. How fair is that, hu...

I was all ready to do a piece on DC Comics movies versus Marvel Comics movies when I heard that Vice President Cheney said " We have a long war ahead of us, and our enemies are waiting for us to let our guard down ." So may response is "Whaaaa?" Didn't he say about a week ago that we were winning ? Which is it: are they running for the hills, or do we have to prepare for the long haul? Did something drastic happen over the last 12 days? BTW, don't let the new Batman movie fool you. Marvel is kicking DC's butt.

Remember the "Minutemen?" The guys who patrolled the Arizona border because (apparently) Homeland Security wasn't tough enough for them? Well, they may be gone ( kinda ) but they sure won't be forgotten. Especially when an guy who makes Leatherface look like a Care Bear manages to cross the Canadian-U.S. border... bloody weapons and all . So two questions I have for you (ok, no more Yoda-speak). One: how long until the new Patriot Act includes 500 Minutemen at each border making McMinimun Wage ; and two: how can you let a guy with bloody clothes and weapons pass through the border, considering what we've been doing to people who just "look like" terrorists ? Or are the suspected bomb makers more important than the chainsaw-welding maniacs? Where's Batman when you need him?

The media has been covering a story about someone who has gone missing; someone who is apparently more important now then they were a year ago. The media is also covering a story about a person who may have said the wrong thing and gotten in trouble because of it. The problem I'm having is which of these stories is about Natalee Holloway and which is about Howard Dean . Let me explain: Mr. Dean, current Chairman of the Democratic Party, is accused more or less for not being who he is "supposed" to be: a quiet fundraiser who stays out of the public limelight. As head of the DNC, he isn't supposed to say or do anything that Joe Biden or John Edwards might have to defend while they're not-so-subtlety campaigning for President in '08. They have "tsk-tsked" him for joking that Republicans can afford to stand in line all day to vote and for saying that the face of the Republican Party is white Christians. My thing is: didn't they know this was Howard...

I'm beginning to think that maybe we are too successful in our "ventures" in Iraq. Just recently, Vice President Cheney claims that the insurgents in Iraq are in " the last throes ," which is I guess is his way of saying that they're about to call it quits. He also alluded that the increased violence and level of attacks were a result of the insurgents losing this conflict. So, to translate: more American soldiers and innocent Iraqi civilians are dying -and dying more violently- because the bad guys are close to defeat. Which got me thinking, maybe that's why recruiting has been going down for the past few months. We're doing such a great job people don't feel the need to enlist! I mean, why bother if we're "winning," right? Those stories of recruiters lying to high school students about what they can expect, or making them think war is like a Tom Clancy video game, or telling potential recruits how to get fake diplomas and c...