What Caught My Eye Today

Iraq - Stretched thin by four years of war, the Army is adding three months to the standard yearlong tour for all active-duty soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, an extraordinary step aimed at maintaining the troop buildup in Baghdad. The change is the latest blow to an all-volunteer Army that has been given ever-shorter periods of rest and retraining at home between overseas deployments. The extended tours are a price the Army must pay to sustain the troop buildup that President Bush ordered in January as part of his rejiggered strategy for stabilizing Baghdad and averting a U.S. defeat. Remember when the talk was all about 'victory'? Interesting how now our objective is to 'avert defeat'. My how the times are changing.

Stem Cells - A stubborn Senate voted Wednesday to ease restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem cell research, ignoring President Bush's threat of a second veto on legislation designed to lead to new medical treatments. The 63-34 vote was shy of the margin that would be needed to enact the measure over presidential opposition, despite gains made by supporters in last fall's elections. The House, which passed similar legislation earlier in the year, is expected to adopt the Senate's version in the next several weeks for Bush's veto. The Senate's action marked the latest act in a drama that blends science and politics on an issue that affects millions of disease sufferers and their families. They only need 4 more votes. That veto may not necessarily be a sure thing. I'm probably stirring up a hornet's nest (gee, there's a big shock), but where does the greater moral cost truly lie: Protecting some cells that some day may create a life or protecting thousands of people now with remedies that only stem cells can provide? Call me crazy, but I'm going with the latter.

Racism - MSNBC said Wednesday it will drop its simulcast of the "Imus in the Morning" radio program, responding to growing outrage about the radio host's racial slur against the Rutgers women's basketball team. The decision does not affect Imus' nationally syndicated radio show, and the ultimate decision on the fate of that program will rest with executives at CBS Corp. In a statement, CBS reiterated that Imus will be suspended without pay for two weeks beginning on Monday. MSNBC's action came after a growing list of sponsors — including American Express Co., Sprint Nextel Corp., Staples Inc., Procter & Gamble Co., and General Motors Corp. — said they were pulling ads from Imus' show for the indefinite future. That certainly didn't take long. The thing is that this was probably driving more by advertising dollars than by the racial slurs made by Don Imus.

NASCAR - The witness who discovered Michael Waltrip's overturned car initially thought no one survived the accident until the NASCAR driver wiggled out the back window. The witness, 18-year-old college student, stumbled upon the accident when she was returning home around 2 a.m. Saturday. She saw an overturned Toyota Land Cruiser in a ditch and rushed over to check on the occupants. She didn't see anyone in the car and no one answered her shouts, so she called 911 for help. The witness said she asked Waltrip how long he'd been in the car and he told her about 10 minutes. Waltrip was charged Saturday evening with reckless driving and failing to report an accident, both misdemeanors. He told police he fell asleep the wheel and woke up to find his car overturned in the gravel. Waltrip is having a rough first year as a car owner. He was caught cheating during Daytona 500 preparations when NASCAR found a fuel additive in his engine, and was docked a record 100 driver points. His crew chief was fined a record $100,000 and suspended indefinitely, as was his competition director. Meanwhile, he has failed to qualify for the five races since the 500. Well dagummit, y'all. Looks like our boy is having a a whole heap of trouble this year.