What Caught My Eye Today

September 11 - Seven years and a day ago seems like a lifetime ago. Seven years ago, in a lot of ways, seems like just yesterday. In a somber ceremony outside the Pentagon, President Bush dedicated the first major September 11 memorial on the seventh anniversary of the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. military members in dress uniform unveiled the 184 granite-and-steel benches in the memorial park that represent each of the victims killed by the al Qaeda attack on the Pentagon. The memorial also features maple trees and light pools in a park of gravel. The benches are arranged according to the victims' ages. The crash killed 125 people in the Pentagon, along with the plane's 59 passengers and crew and the five hijackers. In a park near the site of the deadliest September 11 attacks, where more than 2,700 people were killed when New York's World Trade Center was destroyed, relatives of the dead held up portraits of their loved ones. Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama made ground zero their common ground for one rare day, free of politics and infused with memory. Putting their partisan contest on a respectful hold, they walked together into the great pit where the World Trade Center towers once stood and, as one, honored the dead from the terrorist attacks. It is comforting to know that the things in life that truly matter still have the ability to trump partisan politics. I was listening to a report on NPR and a relative of one of the victim's did a great job of summing up the importance of this day. He effectively said that Ground Zero is a reminder to both candidates of the importance of the job they are trying to win. I couldn't agree more.

Pakistan - President Bush has secretly approved U.S. military raids inside anti-terror ally Pakistan. The high-risk gambit prizes the death or capture of al-Qaida and Taliban extremists over the sensitivities of a shaky U.S.-backed civilian government that does not want to seem like Washington's lapdog. What's there to worry about? I'm sure Pakistan won't mind the occasional unannounced military incursion by the United States. Bush acted in July to give U.S. forces greater leeway to cross from outposts in Afghanistan into the rugged area along the Pakistan border. Pakistan's central government has little control in this area, where extremists have found what U.S. officials say is a comfortable safe haven. Yeah, screw national sovereignty. If the Pakistanis can't clamp down on terrorism in their own backyard, we'll do it for them. The "rules of engagement" have been loosened now, allowing troops to conduct border attacks without being fired on first if they witness attacks coming from the region. That would include artillery, rockets and mortar fire from the Pakistan side of the border. I'm not an expert when it comes to this sort of thing, but where is the legal foundation that permits the President to open up a can of whoop ass anywhere he wants?

Afghanistan - Insurgents killed two U.S. troops in Afghanistan on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, making 2008 the deadliest year for American forces since U.S. troops invaded the country in 2001 for sheltering Osama bin Laden. Lest you had forgotten, the original front for the war on terrorism was (and still is from the looks of things) Afghanistan. Pity how that whole deal in Iraq managed to divert our attention. The deaths brought the number of troops who have died in Afghanistan this year to 113, surpassing last year's record toll of 111. U.S. death tolls have climbed sharply from the first years of the war. Only five American service members died in 2001. Thirty service members died in both 2002 and 2003; the toll climbed to 49 in 2004, then 93 in 2005 and 88 in 2006. Some 33,000 U.S. troops are now stationed in the country, the highest level since 2001. Overall, more than 65,000 troops from 40 nations are deployed in Afghanistan. One can only assume that a troop surge will take place at some point to bring things back under control in Afghanistan. Especially since it worked rather well in Iraq.

2008 Presidential Race - While the two presidential candidates managed to put aside their differences for the daily, key players for both sides had no problem provide the media with some headlines. Let's start with GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

Sarah Palin left open the option of waging war with Russia if it were to invade neighboring Georgia and the former Soviet republic were a NATO ally. Asked whether the United States would have to go to war with Russia if it invaded Georgia, and the country was part of NATO, Palin said: "Perhaps so." I suppose that's the closest you can get to an actual "yes" if you are a politician. Questioned about whether she felt ready to step in as vice president or perhaps even president if something happened to the 72-year-old McCain, Palin said: "I do." Okay, in my mind that's a dumb question. How else is she supposed to respond--"Gee, I don't know. I'm just getting my hands around being a VP. I'm not sure I want bite off more than I can chew."

Meanwhile, the Democrats are doing some prognostication of their own. I'm sure you'll find their predictions rather surprising.

Barack Obama and former President Clinton talked for two hours today, their first meeting in a White House race that had once bitterly divided them. Clinton predicted that Obama will win the presidency "pretty handily." You don't say.

Cycling - Seems like now that Lance Armstrong has come out of retirement, everyone wants to get back into the game. Disgraced former Tour de France winner Floyd Landis plans to return to competitive cycling. Landis, an American, was stripped of his 2006 victory after testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone. His suspension by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency expires on Jan. 30, 2009. I'm all for getting back on the horse when you fall off, but seriously, Floyd, are you sure about this? Whatever you do, might I suggest that you do it cleanly and leave no reason for any suspicion.