What Caught My Eye Today

2008 Presidential Race - Two items of note today. The passport files of the three presidential candidates — Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain — have been breached, the State Department said. A State Department spokesman said the breaches of McCain and Clinton's passport files were not discovered until today, after officials were made aware of the privacy violation regarding Obama's records a day earlier and a separate search was conducted. Aside from the file, the information could allow critics to dig deeper into the candidates' private lives. While the file includes date and place of birth, address at time of application and the countries the person has traveled to, the most important detail would be their Social Security number, which can be used to pull credit reports and other personal information. While this invasion of privacy is completely inexcusable, I question how much harm was really done here. Think about it. How long have these candidates been going at it? I have to believe that the press has had ample opportunity to 'vet' the candidates.

Next up, some good news for Barack Obama.

Bill Richardson, the nation's only Hispanic governor, threw his support behind Barack Obama for president, delivering one of the most coveted and tightly held endorsements in the race for the Democratic nomination. As a Democratic superdelegate, the governor plays a part in the tight race for nominating votes and could bring other superdelegates to Obama's side. He also had been mentioned as a potential running mate for either candidate. Richardson praised Hillary Clinton as a "distinguished leader with vast experience." But the governor said Obama "will be a historic and great president, who can bring us the change we so desperately need by bringing us together as a nation here at home and with our allies abroad." The Clinton campaign was publicly dismissive of the endorsement, after the New York senator failed to win it for herself. No sour grapes on the part of the Clinton campaign, wouldn't you say. Both of these stories say the same thing to me. This campaign season is way too long. With 6 weeks between primaries, any little tidbit manages to make the headlines, because there is nothing of actual significance to report on.

France - President Nicolas Sarkozy announced a modest cut in France's nuclear arsenal, to fewer than 300 warheads, and urged China and the United States to commit to no more weapons tests. Sarkozy said atomic weapons would remain a vital component of its defenses to deter potential attackers. He did not say how many warheads France currently has, and the Defense Ministry said that information is a state secret. The Federation of American Scientists, which tracks nuclear arsenals around the globe, said in a status report for 2008 that France had 348 warheads. More than half of France's nuclear weapons are believed to aboard submarines, with the rest on warplanes. We may only be talking about 48 nukes going the way of the do-do bird, but any reduction in nuclear arms regardless of the amount has to be a good thing, doesn't it?

Dalai Lama - Walking arm-in-arm with the Dalai Lama, U.S. House speaker Nancy Pelosi lent her support Friday to the Tibetan cause, calling China's crackdown in Tibet "a challenge to the conscience of the world." Pelosi, a Democrat from California, called for an international investigation into the violence in Tibet and dismissed China's claim that the Dalai Lama was behind the unrest as making "no sense." As to the first point calling for an international investigation--yeah, that'll happen...right after pigs start flying out of my butt. And when it comes to claims that make "no sense," even if Pelosi's allegations are true, its not like she can speak from a position of authority. Last I heard, there still was no sign of weapons of mass destruction anywhere in Iraq.

Liberia - Liberia is conducting its first census since 1984, after years of civil war, and a public holiday has been declared. Public advertisements and pop songs have been reminding people to stay at home to be counted, while dispelling fears that the census would mean extra taxes. Seriously, they enlisted a local pop star to record a song. Have a listen. Government officials hope the census will provide accurate statistics, vital for development planning. Constitutionally a census should be held every 10 years. Last year, the UN estimated the population was about 3.8 million. Census workers have already discovered that numerous villages that existed on the 1984 map are now deserted because of the war. Around 250,000 people were killed in Liberia's civil war and many thousands more fled the fighting. The UN maintains some 15,000 peacekeepers in Liberia. Frankly, I'm not surprised at the skepticism of the natives. If I was making a buck twenty-five a day (that's $1.25 or the equivalent of a cup of drip coffee at Starbucks), I'd be a bit wary of the government's motives as well.

Philippines - Be forewarned that those with queasy stomachs may want to skip this item. Philippine devotees re-enacted Jesus Christ's suffering by having themselves nailed to crosses in rites frowned upon by church leaders in Asia's largest predominantly Roman Catholic nation. Some 35 men and women were scheduled to go through the Good Friday rites in villages throughout the country. I have to admit that I limit my penitence to the confessional--must be that low tolerance for pain that I have. The yearly tradition has become a tourist attraction which sometimes draws thousands of local and foreign tourists. Again, call me crazy, but when I think tourist attraction, visions of Disneyland come to mind rather than re-enactments of crucifixions.

Soccer - Somebody out there may find this interesting. Freddy Adu scored a pair of goals and sent the United States back to the Olympics in the process. Adu staked the U.S. to an early lead and sparked a 3-0 victory over Canada on Thursday in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament. The Group A-winning Americans (3-0-1) earned an automatic berth in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing with the victory. Joining the United States in Beijing will be Honduras, which won Thursday’s first semifinal against Guatemala, 6-5, on penalty kicks. Honduras will play the U.S. on Sunday in the final. The Americans won the first meeting, 1-0. Or perhaps not. Still the Yanks made it to the Olympics in soccer. That's got to be worth something.

Cycling - Here's an update on the cycling world's version of a soap opera--otherwise known as the Tour de France. Astana, the team of defending champion Alberto Contador, was among those not invited to compete in the Tour de France. The Amaury Sport Organization announced the 20 teams invited to the premier race. Last month, ASO excluded Astana from its races this year because of doping violations in the last two years. As a result, the Tour de France in July will start without Contador. The 19 other teams for the event are: Gerolsteiner, Team Milram, Quick Step, Silence-Lotto, Team CSC, Caisse dEpargne, Euskatel-Euskadi, Saunier Duval-Scott, High Road, Slipstream Chipotle, Bouygues Telecom, Credit Agricole, Cofidis, Francaise Des Jeux, AG2R-La Mondiale, Agritubel, Barloworld, Lampre and Liquigas. So much for Levi Leipheimer's chances of participating in this year's premier cycling event.

Golf - Geoff Ogilvy was bogey-free over two days at Doral to remain atop the leaderboard (12-under) at the CA Championship one shot ahead of Tiger Woods. Woods is the three-time defending champion of this tournament and on this course, and he is paying attention more to his swing than his streak, which is at five on the PGA Tour and six worldwide. Imagine how Tiger would be doing if he wasn't using this event as practice for the Masters. Kind of scary, ain't it?

Basketball - Pessimists would say that I jinxed myself by revelling in my 15 correct picks out of 16 on the opening day of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championships. Optimists would say that that I was celebrating a run of good luck. The egotist in me agrees with the optimists. At the risk of stating the obvious, karma is paying me back big time in the second day of Round 1 contests. Halfway through today's matchups I'm 4 out of 8. Seriously, how many people would have picked #13 San Diego to beat #4 Connecticut? It's madness, I tell you. Complete madness.