What Caught My Eye Today

Congress - The House on Friday passed, by a 246-182 vote, a measure stating opposition to Bush's decision to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq. The nonbinding resolution was a symbolic rebuke of a wartime president who has lost favor with the public. Here is the text of the Democratic resolution expressing disapproval of President Bush's troop increase in Iraq that the House approved on Friday:

Resolved by the House of Representatives that
(1) Congress and the American people will continue to support and protect the members of the United States Armed Forces who are serving or who have served bravely and honorably in Iraq; and
(2) Congress disapproves of the decision of President George W. Bush announced on Jan. 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq.

Okay, members of the Senate, the ball is in your court. Are you guys going to actually do something or continue to make yourselves increasingly irrelevant by doinking around with all these procedural votes?

Japan - Japan has turned down an offer from Greenpeace to tow a whaling ship that caught fire off the Antarctic coast. The fire broke out the Nisshin Maru, the 8,000 ton flagship of the Japan whaling fleet, on Thursday, sparking fears that it could spill oil or chemicals. Greenpeace had offered on Friday to tow the stricken boat with its converted salvage ship Esperanza as the Nisshin Maru wallowed without power less than 100 nautical miles from the world's largest Adelie penguin colony. I'm having a de ja vu moment here...Alaska. Exxon Valdez. Man-made threat to sensitive habitat. I think we've been here before.

Healthcare - President George W. Bush said on Saturday it was crucial to rein in U.S. health care costs that are surging at twice the rate of wages and urged the Democratic-led Congress to work with him on the issue. In a proposal that received a chilly response from many Democrats, Bush wants to use tax breaks to encourage people who lack health insurance to buy it on their own. This caught my attention, if for no other reason than I'm relieved to see some policy discussion on something other than the war on terror.

Britney Spears - Pop star Britney Spears sported a newly shaved head when she dropped by a Los Angeles tattoo parlor and quickly drew a crowd. An LA television station KABC showed video of Spears entering the parlor with a small tattoo visible on the back of her neck and her head completely shaved. The tattoo artist told the station Spears got a "dainty" new tattoo. "She got some cute little lips on her wrist -- red lips, a little pink," he said. Spears has acknowledged that her image had taken a beating in recent months. She has become a regular fixture on the circuit of big-city U.S. nightclubs since her split in November from husband and former backup dancer Kevin Federline. Yo girlfriend, I'm no expert, but do you really think this is going to improve your image?