What Caught My Eye Today

Afghanistan - The Pentagon is preparing to send at least 3,000 Marines to Afghanistan in April to bolster efforts to hold off another expected Taliban offensive in the spring. The move represents a shift in Pentagon thinking that has been slowly developing after months of repeated insistence that the U.S. was not inclined to fill the need for as many as 7,500 more troops that commanders have asked for there. Instead, Defense Secretary Robert Gates pressed NATO allies to contribute the extra forces. The proposal would send a ground and air Marine contingent as well as a Marine battalion — together totaling more than 3,000 forces — to southern Afghanistan for a "one-time, seven-month deployment." I like how the duration of the deployment is emphasized in quotes. I'm sure that is just to indicate a quote from a reliable, but anonymous, Pentagon official. Currently there are about 27,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, including 14,000 with the NATO-led coalition. The other 13,000 U.S. troops are training the Afghan forces and hunting al-Qaida terrorists. Bush administration officials pressed NATO allies for months to fill gaps in troops levels in Afghanistan, but many allied governments face public opposition to deeper involvement there. I guess the difference between the U.S. and its NATO allies, is that President Bush is at the end of his tenure, so it doesn't matter what the public opposition here is to sending more troops to Afghanistan. What does he have to lose? Legacy? Nah, I don't think so. That was shot to hell way before this.

2008 Presidential Race - Another one bites the dust... New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson ended his campaign for the presidency today after twin fourth-place finishes that showed his impressive credentials could not compete with his rivals' star power. Richardson had one of the most wide-ranging resumes of any candidate ever to run for the presidency, bringing experience from his time in Congress, President Clinton's Cabinet, in the New Mexico Statehouse as well as his unique role as a freelance diplomat. As a Hispanic, he added to the unprecedented diversity in the Democratic field that also included a black man and a woman. You know what all those credentials say to me? ESTABLISHMENT. Screw all that experience, we want change, darn it. In all seriousness, I have no idea what this guy stood for. Heck I know more about him for this announcement than I did before. Maybe that's why he's bowing out of the race. For those of you keeping track, we're down to 5 Democratic contenders and 8 Republican contenders. Last I checked, there are 19 candidates running for various third party nominations and 23 independent candidates. So still plenty of bad choice to choose from.

Gibraltar - Yup, time for another geography lesson. Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar. Britain and Spain have settled a long-running dispute over Gibraltar that blocked the European Union from ratifying some international conventions, including treaties on aviation and on children. EU ratification of a number of conventions had been held up for years by a disagreement between London and Madrid rooted in their dispute over the sovereignty of Gibraltar, a British colony at the foot of Spain. Spain had objected to British plans to appoint officials in Gibraltar to administer the treaties. Spain argued that this would recognize that Gibraltar had competence in foreign policy, a power Spain rejects. Britain and Spain had compromised on a so-called "post-boxing" system under which communications between Spain and Gibraltar involving the treaties will go through London. Britain captured Gibraltar in 1704 and Spain ceded sovereignty to London nine years later, but ever since, it has been fighting to regain the strategic spur that sits at the entrance to the Mediterranean. Far be it from me to criticize a diplomatic compromise, but what exactly did Spain get out of this? Seems to me that the British got the better end of the deal. Then again, if everyone is satisfied, who cares?

Mexico - A 10-year-old Mexican boy glued his hand to his bed to avoid going back to school after the Christmas break. "I thought if I was glued to the bed, they couldn't make me go to school," the boy said. "I didn't want to go, the holidays were so much fun. I remembered my mom had bought a very strong glue," he said of the industrial strength shoe glue he used to stick his hand to the bed's metal headboard, where he stayed stuck for two hours. His mother was unable to free him and called paramedics and police to help. The boy watched cartoons while they worked to unglue him, eventually using a spray to dissolve the chemical adhesive. He eventually made it school a few hours late. Admittedly, this isn't the most newsworthy story on the face of the planet, but for me it shows just how simple it can be to solve a problem when you are a child. Don't want to go to school? No problem. SuperGlue your butt to a piece of furniture. No elaborate lies or sophisticated espionage, just SuperGlue. Simple, but darned effective. Us adults could learn a thing or two for this, don't you think?

Golf - Golf Channel suspended anchor Kelly Tilghman for two weeks for saying last week that young players who wanted to challenge Tiger Woods should "lynch him in a back alley." Tilghman was laughing during the exchange Friday with analyst Nick Faldo at the Mercedes-Benz Championship, and Woods' agent said he didn't think there was any ill intent. But the comments became prevalent on news shows and the Rev. Al Sharpton joined the fray by demanding she be fired immediately. Can you say Don Imus? I listened to the sound bite, and have to say that had I been listening to the broadcast real time, I probably wouldn't have noticed. However, as much as it pains me to agree with Al Sharpton, the treatment this anchor is getting is no more or less deserved that what Don Imus was subjected to. In this day and age, there is a fine line between what is interpreted as harmless quips and racial slander. Clearly, she intended no harm and Tiger Woods didn't feel otherwise, but the fact remains that she did say something of questionable taste.