What Caught My Eye Today

2008 Presidential Race - As I wrote this posting this evening the totals were still coming in. John McCain won the New Hampshire primary completing a remarkable comeback and climbing back into contention for the Republican presidential nomination. Hillary Rodham Clinton moved out to a surprising lead over Sen. Barack Obama in the Democratic race. On the Republican side, it was a bitter blow for Mitt Romney, who spent millions of dollars of his own money in hopes of winning the kickoff Iowa caucuses and the first primary — and finished second in both. Mike Huckabee, who won the leadoff Iowa GOP caucuses last week, was running third in New Hampshire. On the Democrat side, Clinton, who finished third in Iowa, was mounting an unexpectedly stiff challenge to Barack Obama. Interviews with voters leaving their polling places showed she was winning handily among registered Democrats, while Obama led her by an even larger margin among independents. John Edwards was running a distant third. My first reaction to whoever wins this primary on each side is, "Good for you. Two down, 48 more to go." I don't want to discount the effects of momentum. All you have to do is look at the streak Obama is on to notice that there is some effect. However, primary season has only just begun, and being a Californian, I'd like to still have some candidates to choose from when February 5th comes. That said, I find myself having to recant some criticisms that I made of Hillary Clinton yesterday. I read that girlfriend became emotional just prior to the New Hampshire primary and basically told her to get a grip. I saw the actual video footage this morning. Other than a momentary pause, all she was guilty of was speaking from the heart...or really good acting. Mea culpa, Senator.

Maldives - Before we go any further, the Republic of Maldives are an island nation in the Indian Ocean. With that on with this really cool story... A quick-thinking Boy Scout foiled an assassination attempt on the president of the Maldives today, grabbing an attacker's knife as the man leapt from a crowd and lunged at the leader. President Maumoon Gayoom was unhurt, but his shirt was ripped as the attacker tried a second time to stab him before being overpowered by security guards. Mohammed Jaisham Ibrahim, wearing his blue Maldives scout uniform with a blue kerchief, was standing in the crowd to greet Gayoom. The attacker hid a knife in the Maldivian flag as he awaited Gayoom's arrival, then lunged at the president. Ibrahim reached out and grabbed the blade, and he was cut on the hand. The assassination attempt may have had a "political motive," but it was too early to say if Islamic militants were involved. Opposition to Gayoom's three-decade rule has grown in recent years and there have also been concerns about increased Islamic militancy in the Muslim nation. Setting aside for the moment the ramifications of this assassination attempt and increased Islamic militancy--neither of which have historically lead to positive development--how cool is it that this Boy Scout acted on instinct to save another person's life? Well done, my boy.

Economy - President Bush said that he is watching very carefully to see if the struggling U.S. economy needs a short-term boost from the federal government. He wouldn't comment on any specific ideas he is considering, such as tax cuts aimed at lessening the chance of a recession. Yesterday, Bush talked about recent indicators that have been "increasingly mixed," a new recognition of the challenges now facing the economy, primarily resulting from a severe housing crisis. Previous Bush statements have paid attention to the financial fears of many American families and the effects of the housing slump, but focused on what he calls the strong fundamentals underpinning the economy. 'A new recognition'? Is Bush like the last guy to figure this out. You have to wonder if he employed the same criteria for selecting his economic advisers as he did picking his former Attorney General and Secretary of Defense. 'A new recognition'...give me a break. Here's a suggestion, Mr. President. Why don't you pick up a newspaper or turn on the television once in a while. Between reports on who's likely to be your replacement, you might just here a sound bite here and there about how the U.S. economy is going down in flames.

Fashion - A decade after singling out the Spice Girls as fashion atrocities, Mr. Blackwell put just one of them — Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham — at the top of his 48th annual worst-dressed list. "Forget the fashion spice, wearing a skirt would suffice! In one skinny-mini monstrosity after another, pouty posh can really wreck-em," he said in a statement. The top 10 roll-call of fashion dishonors also included: #2. Amy Winehouse — "Exploding beehives above, tacky polka-dots below, she's part 50's carhop horror;" #3. Mary Kate Olsen — "She resembles a tattered toothpick-trapped in a hurricane;" #4. Fergie — "Yes, when it comes to couture chaos, guess it's all in a name!" The rest of the top 10 list included Kelly Clarkson, Eva Green, Avril Lavigne, Jessica Simpson, Lindsay Lohan and Alison Arngrim. Missing from the list was Britney Spears, who has made it many times before. "I felt that it was inappropriate at this time to make comment, when her personal life is in such upheaval. I hope 2008 is a better year for her," Blackwell said. Blackwell also released a Fabulous Fashion Independents list that included Reese Witherspoon, Jemima Khan, Beyonce, Angelina Jolie, Helen Mirren, Nicole Kidman, Katie Holmes, Kate Middleton, Katherine Heigl and Cate Blanchett. It's not so much the stars that he singles out, but the hyperbole that Blackwell uses to describe the fashion crimes that he accuses these stars of committing. I'll refrain from dumping on these fine individuals, not because I feel sorry for them (hell, no), but rather because I would be somewhat of a hypocrit in doing so. My fashion sense pretty much fits into a thimble.

Britney Spears - It was just another night on the town last night, and then another headline in the tabloids on Tuesday, for Britney Spears after the pop star had her car towed away and her visit to a high-end hotel triggered a scuffle between a photographer and a security guard. Honestly, I just cannot bring myself to dump on this broad anymore. It's just too easy. The challenge is gone.

College Football - The carnage, otherwise known as my fantasy college bowl picks, is finally over. I did manage to break .500 thanks to the GMAC bowl and the BCS Championship Game. My final tally came in at 18 out of 32. The Southeastern Conference proved its dominance as the nation's top conference as Louisiana State and Georgia finished as the top two teams in the final Associated Press Poll. The SEC has won three of the last five national championships behind LSU and Florida. LSU, which finished the regular season ranked No. 2, earned 60 of the 65 first-place votes and 1,620 points. Entering the bowl season ranked fourth, Georgia vaulted two spots to No. 2 with three first-place votes and 1,515 points. Southern California finished third after disposing of then-No. 13 Illinois, 49-17, in the Rose Bowl. The Trojans (11-2), who received one first-place vote and 1,500 points, finished the season with 11 wins for a school-record sixth straight season. Missouri (12-2) claimed the fourth spot and Ohio State dropped from first to fifth in the final poll. West Virginia (11-2), which ended its season with a victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, finished sixth followed by Kansas (12-1), which received the final first-place vote and 1,303 points. Oklahoma (11-3) and Virginia Tech (11-3) finished No. 8 and No. 9, respectively, while Boston College (10-3) and Texas (10-3) tied for the 10th spot. Tennessee (10-4) starts the second 10 at 12th, followed by Florida (9-4), Brigham Young (11-2) and Auburn (9-4). Arizona State (10-3), Cincinnati (10-3), Michigan (9-4), Hawaii (12-1) and Illinois (9-4) round out the top 20. Clemson (9-4), Texas Tech (9-4), Oregon (9-4), Wisconsin (9-4) and Oregon State (9-4) complete the poll. Virginia (9-4), Boise State (10-3), Arkansas (8-5) and South Florida (9-4) dropped out of the poll after bowl losses. My final word on the awesomely unpredictable 2007-2008 college football season is this--PLAYOFF.