What Caught My Eye Today

Military - The Army is considering whether it will have to extend the combat tours of troops in Iraq if President Bush opts to maintain the recent buildup of forces through spring 2008. Acting Army Secretary Pete Geren said that the service is reviewing other options, including relying more heavily on Army reservists or Navy and Air Force personnel, so as not to put more pressure on a stretched active-duty force. Most soldiers spend 15 months in combat with a guaranteed 12 months home, a rotation plan that has infuriated Democrats because it exceeds the service's goal of giving troops equal time home as in combat. I said it before, and I'll say it again. The men and women of the armed forces are getting screwed by a foreign policy plan in Iraq (for lack of a better term) that practically no one believes has any chance of working.

2008 Presidential Race - There must be something in the water in New York. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Tuesday switched his party status from Republican to unaffiliated, a stunning move certain to be seen as a prelude to an independent presidential bid that would upend the 2008 race. The billionaire former CEO, who was a lifelong Democrat before he switched to the GOP for his first mayoral run, said the change in voter registration does not mean he is running for president. Despite his coyness about his aspirations, the mayor's decision to switch stokes speculation that he will pursue the White House, challenging the Democratic and Republican nominees with a legitimate and well-financed third-party bid. Bloomberg has an estimated worth of more than $5 billion and easily could underwrite a White House run, much like Texas businessman Ross Perot in 1992. I don't want to rain on Bloomberg's parade, but Perot's bid didn't go so well. Perhaps dude should raise his standards just a bit. I'm also betting that this latest development is probably pissing off Rudy Guilani.

Vatican - The Vatican issued a "Ten Commandments" for motorists to keep them on the road to salvation, warning drivers against the sins of road rage, abuse of alcohol or even simple rudeness. The unusual document from the Vatican's office for migrants and itinerant people also warned that automobiles can be "an occasion of sin" — particularly when used to make a dangerous passing maneuver or when used by prostitutes and their clients. And it suggested prayer might come in handy — performing the sign of the cross before starting off and saying the rosary along the way. Oh yeah, good idea. Keeping track of how many Hail Mary's I've said will really keep me focused on the dude in front of me. Don't you people have more important things to do; like telling women what they can and cannot do with their bodies?

Space Shuttle - Hours after undocking from the international space station Tuesday, Atlantis' seven astronauts finished a final inspection of the space shuttle to make sure its heat shield was ready to re-enter Earth's atmosphere. During their stay at the space station, Atlantis' astronauts helped install a new truss segment, unfurled a new pair of power-generating solar arrays, repaired a peeled-back thermal blanket near Atlantis' tail and activated a rotating joint that allows the new solar arrays to track the sun. The 11-day mission was extended to 13 days so astronauts could repair the thermal blanket. That's a lot of air miles, my friends. Seriously, have a safe trip home, astronauts.

Fatherhood - The sports world is inducting a couple new members into the fatherhood fraternity. First up is Tiger Woods. His wife Elin has given birth to their first child, Woods said in a statement on his Web site on Tuesday. "Elin and I are delighted to announce the birth of our daughter, Sam Alexis Woods. Sam was born early on Monday morning, June 18th," Woods said. With all that going on, dude still pulled off a second place finish at the U.S. Open. This boy has got game. Still on baby watch is NASCAR driver, Jeff Gordon. Gordon and his wife, Belgian model Ingrid Vandebosch, are now only days away from the birth of their first child, a daughter. Next week brings tests and meetings and decisions over whether to induce labor. Mark Martin will be on standby next Sunday in Sonoma, Calif., in case the Nextel Cup points leader needs to skip the race. Word to the wise, Jeff. Choose wisely, my friend.

Formula One - Speaking of motor sports, Formula One just wrapped up its two North American stops in Montreal two weeks ago and at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this past week. Rookie, Lewis Hamilton won both races and now tops the rankings with a 10 point lead over Fernando Alonso. But that isn't the big story. Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone says the fate of the US Grand Prix is in the hands of Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George, although he likely means George's wallet. The stumbling block could be the amount of money Ecclestone wants George to pay to stage the event in future years. A one-year extension for this race was added after original seven-year deal expired in 2006. With bidders such as Singapore willing to raise the stakes and other Asian sites such as South Korea and India preparing to jump into the bidding for F1 races, money to Ecclestone and for boosting US interest will be crucial. And with that, I'm thinking you can probably hear a pin drop for as much interest as this story is likely to generate with the average American sports fan, what with Formula One probably having about as big a fan base here as soccer does.