Late Final: February 2005 Archives

A Hail Mary?

Lynn Swann is thinking about running for governor. As a Republican.

Didn't it seem like Roger Staubach would make this career move first?

By Ed Moltzen · 24 February 2005

Blogger Burnout

Liz Spiers flashes back to a prediction that may very well be on the money:

"I'm wondering if there's some point in the near future where everyone goes through some sort of collective blogger burnout. I'm waiting for the blog bubble to burst."

This might be the time.

There's certainly been a lot of post-election, knife-throwing going on: liberal blogs versus conservative blogs; conservative blogs versus liberal blogs; liberal blogs versus liberal blogs; conservative blogs versus MSM; liberal blogs versus marginal, fringe, conservative web site reporters; etc. etc.

There was a great line from the Ron Howard movie The Paper, in which Robert Duvall, playing a newspaper editor in a news meeting talking about the legion of opinion columnists, wonders aloud when people will just "shut...the...@#$@#$....up."

The great thing about the blogosphere is that it gives everyone the chance to be a newspaper columnist. It's also the drawback of the blogosphere. Not enough people know when to, well, what Robert Duvall said.

Well, if nothing else, baseball season is around the corner so instead of conservative blogs versus liberal blogs, we'll get back to a good diet of Red Sox blogs versus Yankee blogs. At least in baseball, there's an off-season to keep players and fans from burning out.

By Ed Moltzen · 24 February 2005

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Damn You, Groundhog

Another winter storm is heading for the New York metro area.

Meanwhile, 1,100 miles to the south, Randy Johnson is throwing heat for the New York Yankees.

By Ed Moltzen · 24 February 2005

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The Late Final-Michael Jackson Jury Contest

They have seated a jury in the Michael Jackson trial, so let the fun begin.

Be the person to correctly guess the date the first juror (or alternate juror) is thrown off the case for misconduct (being excused for illness or other valid reasons don't count) and you'll win the Late Final Michael Jackson Jury Contest.

The person coming closest to picking the correct date will win a coveted, out-of-print copy of Laughs: Breaking Into Standup Comedy. (Signed by the author, too!)

Just leave your guess in the comments, along with a valid email address, to qualify. (No purchase necessary.)

By Ed Moltzen · 23 February 2005

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"People, You Know, Bust Each Other"

Here is the Google transcript of the Charlie Rose show with Glenn Reynolds, Andrew Sullivan, Ana Marie Cox and Joe Trippi.

For that matter, here's the Google transcript of Oliver Willis and Patrick Ruffini on CSPAN.

Who will be the first blogger to get a SAG card for appearing on a TV series? That's the next question...

By Ed Moltzen · 23 February 2005

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Which Character Is Your Boss?

They do surveys on every topic, so why not this one: "The Top Ten Movie Characters Workers Say Remind Them of Their Bosses..."

Oddly, a Michael Douglas character comes in at both No. 10 and No. 1, and Bill Lumbergh" from Office Space only placed third.

By Ed Moltzen · 21 February 2005

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Diplomacy

As the 37th president might have said:

Only Bush could go to France.

By Ed Moltzen · 21 February 2005

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Making His Point

Rasmussen Reports has conducted a survey and found the following:

Two weeks after the President made Social Security reform a focal point in his State-of-the-Union Address, 36% of Americans over 65 say it is somewhat or very likely that their benefits will be cut if Social Security is reformed. That's down from 48% before the President's speech and 39% immediately following that speech.

If senior citizens are less and less inclined to fear President Bush's proposal, is there a single voting bloc left - besides the leadership of the Democratic party and a few liberal bloggers like Josh Marshall - who will try to pressure or threaten congressmen to derail Social Security reform?

By Ed Moltzen · 21 February 2005

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Hunter Thompson, RIP

The candy machine behind the newsroom at the Middletown Record always looked just a little bit off.

The legend is that Hunter Thompson, in his 20s and still searching for his niche, blew his job at the The Record in the late 1950s when, one day, he badly assaulted and maimed that candy machine when it took his nickel but didn't give him the candy bar.

As a young reporter at The Record, I'd go back to that vending room in between stories and look at deep dents at the bottom of the machine. I wondered if it was the same machine Thompson assaulted. (It certainly looked the same vintage.)

For a young reporter, Thompson's writing was great to read. It spoke of the great freedom that comes from not really caring who you please and who you don't. But one of my earliest (and best) editors - a Thompson contemporary in Middletown - once took me aside and upbraided me: "Quit reading that stuff. It'll destroy your writing. You want to read, read Hemingway."

Thompson killed himself yesterday. Like his life and his writing, he made sure his death was on his own terms as horrible as it was.

Like Hemingway.

MORE: In The Record's obituary of Thompson, it includes the candy machine story. For the record, he claimed to have lost two nickels, not one.

By Ed Moltzen · 21 February 2005

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The Anti-Al Jazeera and Iraq's Most Wanted

Omar from Iraq the Model provides this nugget of information that you could only find out from an Iraqi blog: (Hat tip: Media Lies)

...(T)he Iraqi media is also playing a good role in exposing criminals and there are some local channels that broadcast the confessions of arrested terrorists.
I think that the local TV station in Mosul has done a good job recently and the people are now even more disgusted from the doings of the terrorists and the terrorists reaction by attacking the station's HQ more than once in the past days indicates that they're really pissed off from this station's shows.

Hey, if it works for John Walsh, why shouldn't it work for Iraqi media?

By Ed Moltzen · 20 February 2005

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Saddam, Al Qaeda And The Troops

The Harris Poll's latest survey finds most Americans want most U.S. troops home from Iraq a year from now. It also finds, though, that most Americans think it was the right war, in the right place at the right time:

-- 88 percent of U.S. adults believe that Saddam Hussein would have made weapons of mass destruction if he could have (down slightly from 90% in November).
-- 76 percent believe that the Iraqis are better off now than they were under Saddam Hussein (same as November).

-- 64 percent believe that history will give the U.S. credit for bringing freedom and democracy to Iraq (up slightly from 63% in November).

-- 64 percent believe that Saddam Hussein had strong links to Al Qaeda (up slightly from 62% in November).

-- 61 percent believe that Iraq, under Saddam Hussein, was a serious threat to U.S. security (down slightly from 63% in November).

This would largely explain why, despite the anti-war crowd's mantra of "Where are the WMD?", President Bush was re-elected and why there are no LBJ-style protests outside the White House as there were during the Vietnam era.

After all this time, almost nine out of every ten Americans thinks Saddam would have produced WMD if he had the chance and almost two-thirds of Americans think the tyrannical, bloodthirsty dictator was a threat to the U.S.

Harris made some other findings, though, that it suggested were unusual:

-- 47 percent believe that Saddam Hussein helped plan and support the hijackers who attacked the U.S. on September 11, 2001 (up six percentage points from November).

-- 44 percent actually believe that several of the hijackers who attacked the U.S. on September 11 were Iraqis (up significantly from 37% in November).

-- 36 percent believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when the U.S. invaded (down slightly from 38% in November).

Actually, though, the 9-11 Commission found ample evidence Saddam and bin Laden played footsy, and that Saddam offered bin Laden sanctuary in Iraq even after the al Qaeda madman declared war on the U.S.

Bottom line: the numbers suggest clearly that most Americans simply think the war in Iraq was necessary. And the anti-war left is now focusing on fringe players on the far right and handwringing over every wink and nudge any members of Congress make on Social Security reform.

By Ed Moltzen · 20 February 2005

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Bad Luck City

One of the great things about Sirius satellite radio is the breadth of music available on its service for less than $13 a month. A song played on the Sirius Blues channel last night was attention-getting because of its title: "Bad Luck City" by R.L. Burnside. (The song was, really, classic blues.)

One of the great things about Amazon.com is that, when you hear an unusual song like that, many times you can find it there and download it for free.

By Ed Moltzen · 20 February 2005

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Left Vs. Right ... In Court?

Jeff Gannon/James Guckert told Newsweek he might sue Media Matters and possibly other bloggers.

He doesn't say on what grounds he would file a suit (essentially, he had become a pseudo-public figure in the White House press corps, knowingly had his previous Internet business documented in public records and even willingly did a CNN interview.)

No doubt, Gannon/Guckert's detractors acted with extreme - some might say even giddy, frightening - malice, but truth has always been an absolute defense. And that's something that Media Matters' David Brock knows very well.

By Ed Moltzen · 20 February 2005

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"Payback Time"

Mark Cuban on political bloggers:

Its payback time . The bloggers are here, and they are ready to knock down the gates and get their pound of flesh. The traditional media has no idea what is about to hit them.

He adds, "Dan Rather and Eason Jordan were just practice laps."

The biggest mistake he may be making is in limiting this to politicians, MSM or celebrities. (Super moms, you're going down.)

By Ed Moltzen · 17 February 2005

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Still On The Stump

The President is stumping for Social Security reform. Here's the transcript of his appearance in Portsmouth, N.H. yesterday to make a pitch for reform. It's worth reading.

But here's one section that jumps out, from a Q & A with the audience, that has nothing to do with Social Security:

MS. PARTIN: My name is Amy Partin. I'm a senior at the University of New Hampshire at Manchester. I'm studying English.
THE PRESIDENT: Good, yes. I could use a few lessons.

It's hard to recall another president in memory (possibly Reagan in some ways) who was as self-deprecating. Think of the last three Democratic presidents: Clinton, Carter, LBJ. "Self-deprecating" doesn't jump to mind about any of them.

By Ed Moltzen · 17 February 2005

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Rice and 2008

Michelle Malkin points to this provocative piece by Steven M. Warshawsky and asks, "see if you agree."

In the piece, Warshawsky takes apart the growing theory that Condoleezza Rice would make a great presidential candidate in 2008. But his argument has some holes that are worth pursuing.

He says, "For all her virtues and strengths, and she has many, Rice simply is not presidential material." The same was said of Harry S. Truman, Ronald Reagan, Teddy Roosevelt and George W. Bush. What is presidential material?

He says, "But she lacks the background and experience to be a credible, let alone winning, candidate for the White House in 2008. " John Kerry had a pretty impressive pedigree and resume. So did Al Gore. So, for that matter, did William Jennings Bryan. The American people don't elect a pedigree. They elect a leader.

He says, "No one starts his (or her) career in elected politics by running for the White House. The idea is absurd. " They also said it was absurd to think an actor could be president, or someone who was divorced, or someone who was Catholic.

He says, "Even Hillary, who has presidential ambitions of her own, realized that she had to start by winning a seat in the U.S. Senate. If Condi wants to be a serious candidate for the White House someday, she needs to pursue a similar course." A similar course? Does that mean, cherry pick the electoral landscape for an easy seat to win, carpetbag, and spend the next several years issuing press releases about obtaining funding for local dam projects? Should she move to Minnesota, try for Sen. Dayton's vacant seat, and work quietly as a junior senator under Norm Coleman? Actually, no, because he recommends against her running for senate.

He suggests she run for governor: "Since 1900, almost every elected President previously served as governor or Vice-President ..." Included in that lineup, though, are Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon, and LBJ, who left office broken and abysmally unpopular. So neither a governor's nor a vice president's credential is an automatic ticket to greatness.

He ridicules Dick Morris for suggesting Rice would be popular with women and minorities: "...This is nothing but crude identity politics masquerading as political analysis..." But then he goes on to say, "Whether we like it or not, most Americans – men and women – are not accustomed to having women in positions of significant authority outside the family. "

So perhaps it's a case of mistaken identity politics.

He also says Rice would have no base of support, primarily a regional base of support, that successful candidates usually have. Well, if "people who want a candidate who would kill, not coddle, the most terrorists" is a demographic, she'd be pretty strong there.

Look, it's too early to say whether Secretary of State Rice should run for president. Let's see how she does with the Middle East, North Korea, Iran, Darfur and the War on Terror first. If she handles them well, there may be a new definition of "presidential material" being written.

By Ed Moltzen · 15 February 2005

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Michael Jackson Hospitalized

Associated Press hints at his illness:

During Monday's proceedings, Jackson smiled and nodded at potential jurors. At one point he picked roughly at a fingernail, and later wrapped it in a napkin.

More theories here.

By Ed Moltzen · 15 February 2005

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On The Road

Business in sunny California. More blogging later.

By Ed Moltzen · 15 February 2005

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Here Now, The News

Reader Russell Granger recently left a comment in a long-ago post about Roger Grimsby, the legendary anchorman for New York's Eyewitness News during the '60s, '70s and early '80s, and graciously left this link.

In it, we see a compilation of clips from Eyewitness News and Grimsby through the years (it even has the opening/closing credit clip from The 4:30 Movie!)

You just don't see bright orange newsroom sets anymore.

By Ed Moltzen · 14 February 2005

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Seige in Kingston

There is an ongoing seige at the Hudson Valley Mall in Kingston, N.Y., where as many as three gunman reportedly opened fire.

The Times Herald-Record of Middletown, N.Y. is reporting that a U.S. Army recruiter was shot, and may have been targeted.

The Hudson Valley Mall is located on the outskirts of the city of Kingston, and is not one of the more upscale malls or shopping areas in the region. (It's listed at Deadmalls.com, but is described as having freshened up lately.) There is a strong state police presence in the area, and the major highways in the area include the New York State Thruway and Route 9W.

MORE: Michelle Malkin notes that police at a press conference indicated there was one gunman, and it all started in a Best Buy. Two victims were wounded - one by shrapnel - although police didn't provide any details about them.

MORE: Fox News is also reporting an Army recruiter was shot, but that the recruiter was not the target.

By Ed Moltzen · 13 February 2005

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A Self-Marginalizing Party?

Have Democrats been wrongly marginalized? At Blogforamerica, the answer is "yes:"

As hundreds of thousands of average Americans engage in this great grassroots movement, the standard Republican deception that the Democratic party is about a few elitist snobs won't hold up. It will become increasingly clear that we are America—we are suburban moms, secretaries, accountants, physicians, waitresses, and teachers. We are meeting in our communities and talking with our neighbors. We're rolling up our sleeves and realizing that not only can we do something about the problem but maybe, ultimately, we're the only ones who ever really could.

This is a party that has just elected Howard Dean as its leader, a man who said of the American president during war time: "...We need to remember that the enemy here is George Bush..." Who said, " "I hate the Republicans and everything they stand for..."

A one-time Dean consultant once said of fellow Americans who were murdered and butchered by terrorists: "Screw them."

When members of the Democratic party seek a bi-partisan solution to strengthen the retirement prospects for generations of Americans, and seek to reach out across the aisle, they are targeted as being disloyal, and called "faint-hearted."

That's not all. If you're a Democrat who is pro-life, you're met with scorn and thrown to the sidelines.

If you vote for the wrong Cabinet nominee, you're accused of aiding and abetting war crimes.

It only takes one issue, really, where a Democrat votes his or her conscience, apart from the party line, to be cast off. One strike and you're out. Under today's Democratic ground rules, the following would have been laughed out of the party:

Hubert Humphrey and Edmund Muskie. (Pro-lifers.)
John F. Kennedy. (Sent troops to Vietnam while supporting big tax cuts.)
Jimmy Carter. (Pro-life/supported restrictions on abortion.)
Harry S. Truman. (Unilateral war with North Korea and, well, The Bomb.)
Robert F. Kennedy. (Wiretapped Martin Luther King Jr. Imagine if Ashcroft had done that?)
William Fulbright. (Bill Clinton's mentor, he opposed civil rights.)

It's hard to fathom how today's Democratic party can say it's really the only party that ever could solve America's problems, when Democrats who did solve Americas problems back in the day would now be laughed or shouted out of the room.

By Ed Moltzen · 13 February 2005

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Go Howard Dean

But will he now release all of the records from when he was governor of Vermont?

From BlogForAmerica:

Like Jay Parmley, Chair of the Oklahoma State Democratic Party, who offered the reasons why he supports Governor Dean for Chairï¿½"he knows what it takes to lead and he knows what it takes to win."

He also knows what it takes to raise $50 million in cash, spend every last dime, and finish in fourth place with single-digit support.

By Ed Moltzen · 12 February 2005

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The F-Bomb

Imus dropped it yesterday, on both MSNBC and live radio.

By Ed Moltzen · 12 February 2005

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More On Giambi

Jason Giambi did face reporters yesterday and apologized. He wouldn't say for what. He was just sorry.

In hindsight, meeting with reporters and trying to explain himself was too easy. His next meeting should be with a room full of eight-year olds - the same eight-year olds who tack his poster to their walls, and who hear the news and ask, "Did Jason Giambi take drugs? Did he cheat? Did he lie?"

Major League Baseball is not suffering for resources. Neither is the U.S. Justice Department or New York City prosecutors. If they had any shame - because, apparently, Giambi has none - they would put their heads together and find a way to make Giambi go away. Far away.

By Ed Moltzen · 11 February 2005

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'Roid Noise

Jason Giambi is scheduled to meet with some reporters today to explain himself.

The idea behind it, apparently, is to answer all the nasty questions now and take the heat off of the admitted steroid user when he walks into Spring Training to start his season. News flash: He makes lots of money and plays for the New York Yankees. The heat's not going away until he does.

MORE: Pathetic. Just pathetic.

By Ed Moltzen · 10 February 2005

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The Ottoman Also Rises

Thomasville Unveils New Hemingway Furniture Collection

No details yet on the unveiling of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Home Wet Bar.

By Ed Moltzen · 9 February 2005

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Sorry, Senator

The Bush Administration, in its proposed budget for 2006, has, apparently, cut the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship from its spending plan.

Here's a link to the budget particulars. You can see the actual line item here.

MORE: Roman's weblog has additional information, noting, "Folks are saying that this particular cut will probably not go through." It would be interesting to note which senators, in particular, fight to put it back into the budget.

By Ed Moltzen · 9 February 2005

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Not A Bad First Lap

How would Joe Biden have done?

We'll never know, but it looks like Secretary of State Rice is having a successful first lap around the world in her new job. Not even La Monde is bad-mouthing her!

And she's embracing allies without apologies. Here's what she told the French:

In Afghanistan just a few months ago, men and women, once oppressed by the Taliban, walked miles, forded streams and stood hours in the snow just to cast a ballot for their first vote as a free people.
And just a few days ago in Iraq, millions of Iraqi men and women defied the terrorist threats and delivered a clarion call for freedom. Individual Iraqis risked their lives. One policeman threw his body on a suicide bomber to preserve the right of his fellow citizens to vote. They cast their free votes, and they began their nation's new history.

Now, though, tough talking may be needed. And that may not lead to smiles on the other side of the table.

By Ed Moltzen · 9 February 2005

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One Week

Pitchers and catchers report in one week to Spring Training.

By Ed Moltzen · 8 February 2005

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Really Simple Acquisition

Ask Jeeves has bought Bloglines, the news/RSS aggregator.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

By Ed Moltzen · 8 February 2005

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The New Chairman

Howard Dean has apparently locked up the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee, leaving the shrill wing of the party somewhat satisfied.

Among the main points his supporters listed as Dean's qualifications was his ability to raise huge amounts of cash in innovative ways. What they didn't say is that he also proved he could spend huge amounts of cash in innovative ways. Never before has a presidential candidate spent more than $50 million to finish in single digits in a primary campaign.

Here's Dean's FEC report. His report for February 2004 contains thousands and thousands of pages of contributions and expenses. (This section contains about 1,800 pages of itemized disbursements for the one reporting period.)

The question is: Once Dean moves into his new office, how long will it take party auditors to start screaming?

MORE: The deal may not be done. According to ScrappleFace, the DNC, considering a Dean chairmanship, may now be reviewing "Republican resumes" for the top DNC job.

By Ed Moltzen · 8 February 2005

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Social Security

Minds are open:

At a fundamental level, Americans still favor the concept of privatization. Findings from a variety of recent questions asked by numerous national public opinion organizations confirm this. When asked about privatization plans in general terms -- with little in the way of specifics, or pros and cons, in the question wording -- the public is slightly in favor of, or at least divided over, allowing a portion of Social Security contributions to be invested in the stock market.

A good bet is that the shriller the argument, the less chance it has of Americans embracing it.

By Ed Moltzen · 7 February 2005

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Professional Podcasting

KOMO radio in Seattle is offering a professional Podcast stream.

Evidently, the station has come to the conclusion that it's not a threat, it's an opportunity to extend its reach.

By Ed Moltzen · 7 February 2005

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Never Too Early To Raise Money For The Kid's College

At least it's not "comment spam."

By Ed Moltzen · 4 February 2005

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A Cardinal Fan Club

It's not surprising to find out that a Cardinal has a fan club. What's surprising is that it's not a St. Louis Cardinal, or an Arizona Cardinal.

It's Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.

Don't count on it helping his odds to become the next pope, if a vacancy occurs any time in the near future. Cardinal Karol Wojtyla never had one.

By Ed Moltzen · 3 February 2005

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Without Editorial Comment

Diane Sawyer, interviewing the parents of the late Sgt. Byron Norwood on "Good Morning America":

Question: A woman whose father had been killed under Saddam Hussein and who had held up her Finger with the K (sic) on it to show she voted for the first time in her life, she was sitting in front of you. First, did you know she would be there? And did you know you were going to lean over? >>
Answer: No. We had no idea who was going to be there. We met just as we went in the door. She turned around and introduced herself.

Ron Reagan:

I have to say, I‘m not comfortable using people that are in such duress for—as a political prop. If it did them some good, if they are happy with it and feel good about it, then I‘m happy for them. Other than that, the political use of them I would really rather do without. But it‘s a very touching moment.

Chris Matthews:

The reason it would come to some people‘s thought that it might be partially rehearsed, in a sense, that there‘s a selection process now for filling that balcony seating. So many of the people are seated up there because they represent a particular ethnic group or somebody who is in play politically or some symbolic group that they are trying to grab politically...
This is done so often, Pat (Buchanan). You are acting so naive about this. You could fill a baseball stadium with the wounded and the amputees. And I don‘t see those kinds of vivid displays in this country.

Tom Shales:

Was this a genuine expression of America appreciating its men and women in uniform, or a shameless political stunt using grief-stricken parents as pawns?

By Ed Moltzen · 3 February 2005

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Flash Poll

From CNN/USA Today/Gallup:

In the post-speech sample, 70 percent of respondents said Bush's policies on health care were positive, while 66 percent approved of the president's plan for Social Security.
Bush showed almost as much improvement on Iraq, with 78 percent of respondents saying U.S. policy there is heading in the right direction, a 12 percentage point increase over pre-speech polling. Overall, 77 percent of respondents said Bush is taking the country in the right direction after the speech compared to 67 percent beforehand.

The pollsters said 84 percent of those questioned right after hearing the speech gave it high marks - the best response to a Bush speech since his State of the Union Address in 2002 following the fall of Afghanistan.

No immediate polling data on the Democratic response to the State of the Union.

By Ed Moltzen · 3 February 2005

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SOTU 2005

"Thank you to the American people who paid the cost, but most of all, to the soldiers."

By Ed Moltzen · 3 February 2005

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Bounce

From Rasmussen Reports:

Fifty-three percent (53%) of American adults approve of the way George W. Bush is performing his role as President. Forty-seven percent (47%) disapprove. These numbers are the President's best of 2005 and reflect a four-point bounce from the weekend elections in Iraq.

Next up: The State of the Union Address.

By Ed Moltzen · 2 February 2005

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Choosing A New Pope

The official news from the Vatican press office (translated by Bable Fish), says this of Pope John Paul II's condition overnight in the hospital: "During the night the Saint Padre has rested for some hours." It describes the pope as being in stable condition.

But his apparent close call last night might make some Catholics wonder: After him, who? Who will succeed the only pope more than half the living world has ever known?

The simple fact is there is no way to predict to whom the College of Cardinals will turn to lead the billion-plus member church. What is known is that Pope John Paul II selected and promoted almost all of them - a group of about 145 men who share important aspects of the pope's theological beliefs.

Some other assumptions can be made (keeping in mind why it's dangerous to assume):

- The cardinals would not want to elect an elderly pope. Look for someone under the age of 70.

- The cardinals would not want to elect a pope who is too young, given that it's a lifetime position and given that Pope John Paul II - elected when he was in his 50s - has served for more than 25 years. Cardinals may think a term of that length is too much. Look for someone older than 60.

- Forget an American pope. Not gonna happen, not in our lifetime. However, Pope John Paul II, while Polish, had tremendous appeal to Americans when he was elected. He was chosen as an anti-communist, vigorous and youthful. A cardinal with American appeal could have an advantage in gaining support of cardinals concerned about further alienation of Catholics in the U.S.

- Catholics waiting for a new pope who will alter church doctrine on sex and procreation will probably be out of luck. Since Pope John Paul II selected almost all of the cardinals, it would be shocking if a reformer were elevated. Look for a cardinal who is a traditionalist.

- The Church was rightly criticized for its poor diplomatic decisions during World War II, while Pope John Paul II was regarded as a courageous defender of freedom at the end of the Cold War. Cardinals may have learned from history, and may very well look for proven diplomatic skills in choosing their next leader.

So, with those issues in mind, here's a look at some potential candidates for the papacy:

Cardinal Polycarp Pengo. Tanzanian, Pengo is a tireless advocate for the poor. He also has a reputation for speaking his mind and letting the chips fall where they may. His country has been ravaged by AIDS - but Pengo has reportedly downplayed the effectiveness of condoms in thwarting the crisis. With The Church and the rest of the world grappling with the African AIDS problem, Pengo could either be viewed positively by conservative cardinals for withstanding pressure to relent on birth control. But he could viewed as a potential diplomacy problem for countries who want to help Africa, and believe condoms are necessary.

Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Austria.

Another non-Italian, European pope? It could be a longshot. Schonborn has been among the fiercest critics of anti-Catholicism in Europe, but spent seven years working on The Church's efforts to reconcile with the Orthodox Catholic Church - a major project of Pope John Paul II's. So he both wins and loses points on the diplomatic front, but loses points because the odds are against another pope from his region of Europe.

Cardinal Norberto Rivera-Carrera. Rivera-Carrera, a Mexican, is among the most outspoken, pro-life clerics in the West. Mexico is almost 90 percent Catholic, but Rivera-Carerra may not have enough of a constituency in the College of Cardinals to even come close.

Cardinal Dionigo Tettamanzi. He will be 71 next month, which would put him on the outside of the "age" criteria discussed earlier. However, he is considered a moral conservative - like Pope John Paul II - and has been called "an Italian Pope John Paul II." He is probably the oldest member of the College of Cardinals who could be chosen.

Cardinal Keith O'Brien. How about a Scottish pope who was born on St. Patrick's Day? Cardinal O'Brien is also of the same mind as Pope John Paul II on procreation and sex. But it would likely be a warm, windless day at St. Andrew's before you'll see a Scottish pope.

Cardinal Wilfred Napier. South African, Napier is close to Nelson Mandela, studied in Ireland and said in an interview of his favorite music: "I listen to classical music, and pop as well. One of my favourites is the Credence Clearwater Revival. In the year of my ordination they released a single called Have You Ever Seen The Rain, and the b-side was also very good, Hey Tonight." He LOVES Credence. More importantly, to the other cardinals, he disputes the effectiveness of condoms in combating AIDS. Who knows whether his close relationship with Mandela would be viewed as a plus or minus by the other cardinals? In any event, if an African pope were to be given serious consideration, Napier could be viewed as being at the top of the list.

For a while, Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger have been viewed as favorites to become the next pope. However, Arinze is 72 And Ratzinger is 77 - which may be just too old for many in the College of Cardinals to consider when weighed against the other contenders.

After all, since the pope is reportedly doing much better today than yesterday, Arinze and Ratzinger may very well be retired before the College of Cardinals gets to vote.

By Ed Moltzen · 2 February 2005

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Rise And Shine Campers

It's Groundhog Day.

By Ed Moltzen · 2 February 2005

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Question Of The Day

Now that Howard Dean is about to take over as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is he still going to have a discussion about race in America? It seemed like he didn't have a chance to get that discussion going in between his "Confederate Flag" campaign blooper and the end of his campaign in Iowa.

Or, perhaps he'll just leave the equal opportunity discussion to others.

By Ed Moltzen · 2 February 2005

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Scoring Update

Pajamadeen - 1

Mujahadeen - 0

By Ed Moltzen · 1 February 2005

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Scenes From A Town Hall Meeting

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice held her first "town hall" meeting with department employees yesterday. She fielded questions, and some comments like this:

QUESTION: Secretary Rice, my name is Lee Rainer. I'm in the Bureau of Administration.
There isn't very much that goes on here in the State Department that the Bureau of Administration is not involved in. I don't have a question. I just want to let you know that we've got your back.

(Applause.)

SECRETARY RICE: Thank you. Thank you very much.

And then an employee asked if Rice, an accomplished pianist, would ever perform for the department. She responded:

...And about halfway through college I went to a very well known music festival and I encountered 12-year-olds who could play from sight what it had taken me all year to learn. And I thought, I'm going to end up playing a piano bar someplace (laughter) or maybe play at Nordstrom, (laughter) but I'm not going to end up playing at Carnegie Hall. (Applause.)

In terms of policy, there wasn't much earth-shattering provided in the session but it appears - for now at least - the rank-and-file is ready to work with her.

By Ed Moltzen · 1 February 2005

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The Democrats "Payola" Situation

Word is moving around - slowly, and certainly not as quickly as the Armstrong Williams and Maggie Gallagher stories - that liberal-thinking radio host Ed Schultz' radio program accepted financial backing from rich, left-wing sources.

Henry Hanks has some details.

Originally, stories out of Newsmax linked Randi Rhodes of Air America Radio to the hunt, but she got on the air yesterday and denied it. She half-defended Schultz and half left him out to dry:

I just want the record straight because Newsmax wrote this thing that implied that I took money from Democratic fundraisers at Sen. Mary Landrieu’s house. And the answer to that is no I didn’t, and that’s why I don’t work for that particular company that was raising money that way.
I didn’t like it. You know, I don’t even like the appearance of it. And that’s why I said, “Forget it. Forget it.” My listeners are probably like, “What’s the matter with you- we gotta get your voice out there.” And I said, “Listen. There’s a right way to do this and there’s a wrong way to do this. And for me, that’s wrong. It just doesn’t feel right to me."

I’m not going to carry anybody’s water. And if I have to get tough with Democrats and I have to start telling them we need a unified front, my phone is now going to ring saying, “You know, if it weren’t for our kindness and our goodness and our money you wouldn’t be where you are today." I just can’t answer to people like that. So I just walked away from the whole thing. Now Ed didn’t. But it’s still different.

Actually, during the scandal in which the term "payola" was invented, Alan Freed took money from record companies, and not a dime of government funding.

MORE: Bob Kohn: "Should journalists be accepting financing from partisen political groups?"

"Moose Lips", believes there is a difference between Armstrong Williams and Schultz - especially since the funding was from "private" sources. (No mention of the history with Alan Freed, though.)

By Ed Moltzen · 1 February 2005

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