What Caught My Eye Today

Attorney General - The Senate voted 94-2 to pass a bill that would cancel the attorney general's power to appoint U.S. attorneys without Senate confirmation. Democrats say the Bush administration abused that authority when it fired the eight prosecutors and proposed replacing some with White House loyalists. Essentially, the Senate returned the law regarding the appointments of U.S. attorneys to where it was before Congress passed the Patriot Act, including the unilateral appointment authority the administration had sought in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks. I appreciate that not everyone is a history buff, by for the handful of you out there, is it just me or does this Patriot Act appear to be a modern take on Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798?

FBI - Speaking of Congress, Republicans and Democrats sternly warned the FBI that it could lose its broad power to collect telephone, e-mail and financial records to hunt terrorists after revelations of widespread abuses of the authority detailed in a recent internal investigation. "From the attorney general on down, you should be ashamed of yourself," said Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif). "We stretched to try to give you the tools necessary to make America safe, and it is very, very clear that you've abused that trust." If Congress revokes some of the expansive law enforcement powers it granted in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, Issa said, "America may be less safe, but the Constitution will be more secure, and it will be because of your failure to deal with this in a serious fashion." Well now, it certainly appears that Congress has been busy on the homefront. Seeing as they don't seem capable of doing anything constructive on the international stage, it is nice to see them making some progress at home.

Iran - Russia is pulling out its experts from the Iranian nuclear reactor site they were helping build, U.S. and European officials said Tuesday. The move reflected a growing rift between Iran and Russia that could lead to harsher U.N. sanctions on the Islamic republic for its refusal to stop uranium enrichment. The Russian departures are formally linked to a financial dispute with Iran but have a strong political component, linked to international efforts to persuade the Islamic republic to freeze activities linked to uranium enrichment, which can produce both nuclear fuel and the fissile material for nuclear warheads. How bad is it for Iran, when they can manage to piss off the Russians, who up until now have been criticizing the rest of the U.N. Council for trying to impose additional sanctions on Iran?

Dancing With The Stars - Heather McCartney Mills, the first contestant with an artificial leg to compete in ABC's "Dancing with the Stars," made her debut on Monday with the judges calling her an inspiration. Mills said she joined the contest to show you can overcome any disability. Mills had her left leg amputated below the knee after being hit by a motorcycle in 1993. The judges gave her 18 points, which was middle of the field. Phone-in votes count for 50% of the scores. Results will be announced on Monday. I say again, who would be callous enough to say anything bad about a one legged dancer in public? She could have stumbled all over the floor and still gotten a standing ovation.

Steriods - Eleven professional wrestlers have reportedly been linked in documents to the internet drug distribution ring that has produced charges against 20 people. Sports Illustrated magazine said investigators uncovered the names while sorting through information seized in raids last month on Florida firms allegedly prescribing steroids and human growth hormone over the internet. Oh for pete's sake, enough already. It's professional wrestling, for crying out loud. By its own admission, pro wrestling has said that it is sports entertainment not actual sport. Plus, for the physical punishment that these performers put themselves through, does this revelation really come as much of a surprise to anyone?