"What's in a name?"

Condoleezza Rice needs a nickname. No, really. I know she has "Condi," but that's just not as evocative as "The Pretzeldent," "Turd Blossom," "Darth Cheney," "Scooter," etc.

So, I have a proposal: Der Condissar. A commissar ran a ministry in pre-Stalin Russia, with ministries being essentially equivalent to U.S. departments such as State, the one Rice heads. Plus, it evokes the 80s hit "Der Kommissar", as recorded by After the Fire (English lyrics) and Falco (German lyrics). If this idea takes off, I await the inevitable music video with great interest. (I also await the screams of people saying I'm comparing America to Soviet Russia.)

Michelle Malkin is bouncing up and down over the "fall of the house of Martin" and "collapse of the Canadian libs." Ed Morrissey and his commenters have more, including useful poll statistics. I have to say, conservative leader Steven Harper's comments remind me of a certain someone's pledge to restore integrity. How's that working out for you, guys?

Okay, snide digs aside, I wonder if the U.S. conservatives who are getting excited about this actually know anything about Canadian politics. The political landscape in Commonwealth countries tends to be quite different from America's, even if some of the labels are the same. (Socialized health care, tighter gun restrictions, abortion generally not particularly controversial, etc.)

According to a 2004 election guide, the Conservative Party of Canada wants to lower taxes, increase the size of the Canadian armed forces, try "violent or repeat young offenders" in adult court, cut taxes, and eliminate inter-provincial trade barriers. Oh, and they favor the traditional definition of marriage. Those are positions which I would consider conservative.

However, other stated intentions of the CPC are to continue public funding of health care (albeit with increased province control and privatization of some services), establish a nationwide sex offender registry, develop a better gun control program, crack down on industrial polluters, and spend money on research into early childhood. Those are, well, less conservative, to my mind.

Their main objection to the Liberals' proposed $5B subsidy is that it only addresses urban workers on a 9-5 schedule. "We will give money directly to all parents so they can make their own childcare choices." (Source: CPC web site.)

Also: "The recent decision of the Supreme Court of Canada has revealed that Canada's health care system remains in a fragile state after years of Paul Martin's cuts." The CPC web site states that the party "will stand up for ... [i]mproving the universal public health care system to prevent the drift towards a two-tier health care system."

The CPC site is running very slowly — perhaps because people all over the blogosphere are trying to learn about their positions? But if you Google the site for abortion, you get results like "A Conservative Government will not support any legislation to regulate abortion."

While this may be the beginning of the end for Paul Martin's liberal government (And if the reports of corruption are true, I'm sure my Canadian compadres are saying "Good riddance."), it's not exactly the sign of a coming global U.S.-style conservative hegemony.

My Canadian and British online pals have been known to make comments in the vein of "Well, America is a young country, eventually you can look back on this as growing pains." The Canadian issues and the British rape survey that's been going around have convinced me that the U.K. and Canada don't have as much room to talk as they thought. (To say nothing of Tony Blair's issues.)

Screw Denial

Response to the otherwise thoughtful editorial that Arthur quotes here: while the Bush administration increased the practice of extraordinary rendition, it began under the Clinton administration.

Nancy Pelosi can call Cunningham's resignation symptomatic of corruption, but let's not forget that Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid is potentially involved in the Abramoff scandal. Interestingly, Martin Frost points out that NP could be third in the presidential line of succession if the Democrats take control of the House in 2006.

I have to admit I don't think this is nearly as interesting as who will replace take Cunningham's spots on various committees. (Honestly, Condoleezza Rice is fifth in line right now, and Madeleine Albright was fifth before her.)

Cunningham served in the House Appropriations Committee, which is in charge of the budget, specifically on its Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations subcommittee and its Defense subcommittee. He was a member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and chaired its Subcommittee on Human Intelligence Analysis and Counterintelligence on the House Select Committee on Intelligence. Ray LaHood is currently vice chair of the Intelligence subcommittee, and will presumably become chair.

Cunningham also inspired the Top Gun movie. That was probably the first movie I saw that wasn't rated G — I have fond memories.

Don't Drop the Ball

The image says it all. I want to believe the Steelers can take down the Colts, but it's hard when no one else does. (Photo via the Indy Star.)

Fortunately, Ben Roethlisberger will be back in action. The Steelers have gone 2-2 since he injured his knee and was unable to play. The consensus seems to be that Dick LeBeau's defense won't be able to contain Peyton Manning; it remains to be seen if the improved Colts defense will be able to contain Roethlisberger and the running game.

I'm disappointed to read that Sibel Edmonds' case was turned down for certiorari. Her web site has more background. Here's a key piece of information from this ACLU timeline:

JANUARY 2005: The Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General releases an unclassified summary of its investigation into Edmonds' termination. The report concludes that Edmonds was fired for reporting serious security breaches and misconduct in the agency's translation program, and that many of her allegations were supported.

These comments on the Libby indictment concerning the Classified Information Procedures Act are potentially enlightening:

The law governing the use of the classified data is called the Classified Information Procedures Act, or CIPA. It sets up strict procedures for attorneys to review classified data with their clients in special rooms and for how the defense can request the disclosure of such secrets during a trial.

The arguments can be critical. If a judge agrees to permit the use of the information in open court, then the prosecutors are faced with having either to allow the disclosure of sensitive government information or to consider dismissing the charges.

"In this case the defense doesn't have to win on every element of their claims, they just may want to scare the daylights out of the government at this stage," said Weisberg.

I agree with Senators Leahy and Grassley: where's the accountability? How do we know that the leaks have been plugged and these people are no longer in a position to damage U.S. interests?

When You Wish Upon a Star

A must-read article about an American colonel who took his own life in Iraq. Certainly when someone described as a devout Catholic commits suicide, there are going to be lingering questions. For background on the mental health of soldiers in war zones, try this one.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been accused of tampering in the T.O. situation. Jones supposedly described himself as a "risk-taker." I have to wonder how the Dallas fans would react to that. I guarantee there are people in Dallas who are still annoyed about the whole star thing. (Thanks, AP and Chicago Trib, for the handy T.O. Antical Timeline.)

After the game, ESPN reported that Jerry Jones said T.O. could "sleep on the star." I have to wonder (a) if (former Cowboy) Michael Irvin suggested this acquisition and (b) what Bill Purcells would think of it. Well, okay, and if there's room for Keyshawn Johnson and T.O. on the same team, and if Drew Bledsoe could really handle T.O.'s ego. (Bledsoe has always seemed like a great guy, but not necessarily like one with a greater-than-average amount of mental fortitude. I think that potentially T.O. could be even harder on Bledsoe than he was on McNabb, given that Bledsoe has been somewhat inconsistent over the past few years.)

"Oh, Mickey, what a pity"

You've probably heard about Michael Irvin's latest legal problems, if only from Chris Berman's statement at the halftime break during the Jets-Saints game. (Poor Nugent. The Adam Vinatieri of the Buckeyes has come up short on a couple of crucial field goals this year.) I felt sorry for Berman; he was clearly upset. Not surprising, given that he and Irvin have worked closely together on ESPN.

The televised statement from ESPN was a brief recitation of the facts and a note that they were reviewing the situation. Here's an article with a timeline of Irvin's earlier drug problems. This page has a more detailed list. (Sorry about the background; I suggest highlighting the text to make it more readable.)

The Dallas Observer has a recent article about Irvin's off-field struggles. I have to wonder how this will affect his Hall of Fame candidacy this year. I believe he'll get in; whether it will happen this year is an open question.

In a way, this reminds me of Dwight Gooden's case. The difference is that Irvin at least theoretically has a lot more going for him, and to stay straight for, than Gooden did. (Wife, children, faith, relatively stable work, etc.) Interestingly, Irvin states that the situation was "not as it seemed" and that he had the pipe ... well, here's the quote:

Irvin told The Associated Press late Sunday the pipe belonged to a friend of 17 years who left a Houston rehab center and came to Irvin's house in Carrollton for Thanksgiving. ... "I know the type of demons they have to fight and I am going to help them, because it's the only way I can keep them from getting to my family. I have to clean up my friends because they are around my boys. It's upsetting."

In 1988, Irvin was drafted by the Cowboys, so a friend of 17 years would probably be someone he met shortly after becoming a Cowboy. Whoever this person is will probably become a witness for the defense, unless the charges against Irvin are dropped, as they were in the 2001 case. (I must say that this seems much less likely in this case, unless the search is found to be unconstitutional.)

As a football fan, I hope for Irvin's sake that the situation is as he described it. I'm not a particular fan of his, but it makes me sad to see former (and current) players in trouble off the field.

Torture Roundup

Ginmar has written two excellent posts on the ineffectiveness of torture: Why torture is unpatriotic is a great followup to Torturous. (When an Army interrogator who's done a tour in Iraq talks about why torture is a bad plan, I listen.)

Liberty Street reports that the prosecution of Jose Padilla was hindered because torture was used. Abu Zubaydah was captured in March 2002, two months before Padilla was arrested, but Mohammed was not arrested until 2003. (Source: BBC timeline.) In Mohammed's case, at least, the Padilla situation was not a ticking time bomb scenario. There was no reason for "excessive" waterboarding to be used to interrogate him concerning Padilla. This would seem to support slippery slope concerns: if torture is acceptable in a ticking time bomb scenario, then it may slowly become acceptable in other situations.

Even if torture weren't a betrayal of American ideals, and would be effective in all cases, it weakens the prosecutors' ability to hold alleged criminals accountable. The Ocala Star-Banner and Miami Herald have more on this.

"There's no way you could use what he said in military custody against him," a former senior government official said. (OSB)

In the Padilla case, the administration wanted to prevent a showdown in the U.S. Supreme Court over whether the president can hold a U.S. citizen indefinitely as an enemy combatant.

The Justice Department faced a Monday deadline to urge the Supreme Court not to review the Padilla case. Many legal experts expected the court to take the case and resolve the issue of presidential authority. ... "I think this is a sign of fear that they would lose," said David Rivkin, who has worked in the Justice Department for Republican administrations. (MH)

Law professor David Luban has written an interesting editorial about the moral and legal concerns surrounding torture, as well as current public discourse.

Wild Horses

The Courtier and I went out into the Black Friday crowds. (Not my idea, I'll have you know.) At Le Gourmet Chef we picked up some Tailgate Pasta — at 50% off, it was hard to resist. We'll probably make it when we watch the Steelers-Colts Monday night matchup. As a Steelers fan, I'm nervous about that game.

On College Game Day this morning, Chris Fowler chatted up Mac Brown, Texas' coach. Fowler asked if he could tell the coach that he was doing a heckuva job. He didn't seem to be too amused by that. (Can you believe Michael "Heckuva Job" Brown's new gig?)

Coach Brown also talked up his QB Vince Young, asking Heisman voters to give him a chance in the next game before making up their minds. As I said earlier, I'm afraid that horse is out of the barn.

Every once in a while I'm reminded that the online version of Fox News isn't slanted in the way that some of that network's higher-profile talking heads are. Case in point:

The first theme is that Tillman cast an enormous shadow. Far from a footballing, soldiering brute, he was a curious and independent thinker, a man who embraced the challenges of leadership but shied away from fame and praise. And he was, of course, a guy who — if you’ll pardon the cliché — risked and paid the ultimate sacrifice for his country.

The second theme to emerge from Tillman’s death is that his country probably didn’t deserve him. At every turn, the U.S. military has exploited, desecrated, and, ultimately, turned its back on Tillman’s heroism. The Pentagon has since closed its doors to Tillman’s family, sharing information about his death only when compelled to do so by members of the media, or by the Tillman family’s newfound allies in Congress.

I'm surprised the bold text got past the red pen, even in what appears to be a blog-style signed editorial section of the site.

Some Great College Games Today

Texas A&M looked like they might pull off an upset. Even though my Buckeyes would have been the loser (according to Ivan Maisel's calculations) if they'd pulled it off, I love an underdog win as much as anyone else. Vince Young is probably out of the Heisman running now. Even if you think this performance had nothing to do with the close one, there was plenty of footage of him sitting there on the bench looking cranky. If I were a Heisman voter, I'd want to see someone in that position standing up and trying to keep momentum going on the sidelines, not sulking.

Buffaloed indeed: despite one of the Volokh conspirators' gallant defense before the game, the best thing happened for Colorado was probably when one of the players proposed to his girlfriend on the field at halftime. That was sweet, but it doesn't make up for the utterly lame behavior of the fans in the student section. (And living in Pittsburgh, I know bad fan behavior when I see or hear about it.)

Incidentally, John Guydon is black and his girlfriend is white. Kudos to both of them for not being afraid to get engaged on national television. (Sadly, prejudice against mixed-race couples is not obsolete everywhere.)

Also in Colorado, local reporter Brian Maass has uncovered evidence of an operation trafficking Mexicans into the country illegally, some for purposes of prostitution. Lou Dobbs reported on the trafficking, but not the prostitution aspect. (Probably because CNN is "a family network," as its anchors are fond of saying when skirting a difficult subject.)

Kudos also to Boris Johnson. Mr. Johnson, in addition to being a member of the British Parliament, publishes a newspaper. He's invited anyone in possession of it to leak the "bomb al-Jazeera" memo to him, and indicated his willingness to risk a jail sentence. A number of bloggers (American and Brit, and possibly others) have followed suit. (So to speak!)

It's hard to imagine an American publisher who became a congresscritter having the same chutzpah, particularly in light of the few FOIA requests made by major newspapers. I have some thoughts on what that might mean for American journalism — more on that later.

Happy Turkey Day

Before the Detroit-Atlanta game started, I was watching the National Dog Show. Said show is sponsored by Purina. I have to ask myself — what kind of people were in the focus groups who vetted their slogan? How did "Your Pet, Our Passion" get past them? Also, an amusing side effect of the holiday shutdown: CSPAN was showing the Canadian parliament, rather than U.S. congressional proceedings.

By the time Atlanta had run up a score of 24-0, I was ready to go back to the dog show. Sadly, it was over by then. In retrospect, what was I thinking? It was Detroit: why didn't I just stick with the dog show?

I muted Mariah Carey and Sheryl Crow during the half-time shows. I was amused by Mariah Carey's dancing referees, though. I think it would have been great if Sheryl Crow's ballet dancers had been wearing zebra stripes.

Humorous commentary bit: one of the commentators envisioning Bill Purcells telling Keyshawn that he was a giraffe, not a gazelle. If some players are giraffes or gazelles — to say nothing of the zebras — then some others may be hippos or hyenas. I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

Happy Turkey Day, for those who celebrate it.

The Body Athletic

In case you ever wondered how the parts of the body really worked together to allow people to move in general and play sports in particular, well, now's your chance. Sort of. "Bodies ... the Exhibition" in New York features skinless, plastinated cadavers carrying a football and pitching a baseball, among other things. Pictures, not recommend for the faint of stomach or people on their lunch hour, are available here. Body Worlds did something similar, with bodies fencing, swimming, and jumping a hurdle. (Even if we don't go to that great big football field in the sky, I guess we can still play sports after we're dead.)

I saw the photo shown here and was quite surprised. People are into racing in east Asia? It's not just an American and European thing — who knew?

Once is chance, twice is coincidence ...?

The UK government's suppression of a memo that purportedly contains a record of a conversation between Prime Minister Blair and President Bush is presently big news in the blogosphere. Since both governments refuse to comment, and the trials of those who leaked the memo will be held in secret, who knows how long it'll be before we find out what the memo actually says.

Reporters Without Borders, an international organization concerned with the defense of press freedom, has issued a statement. It's in French, and an English statement doesn't seem to have been posted. I translated it, though, and here are some interesting bits:

"We do not dare to believe that these actions were really considered by the American president. That would be extremely serious and constitute a major outrage without precedent against the right of all to information, RSF declared. To bomb a press agency, in a time of peace. would be incomprehensible and unacceptable. These suggestions, if they are proven, also present a new perspective on the motivations of the Americans forces who have already bombed the the locations of the Qatarian chain in two places, in Afghanistan and in Iraq." ...

For its part, the satellite network has indicated that it was investigating the facts cited by the Daily Mirror and the authenticity of the memo. The Qatarian network affirmed that it was awaiting a confirmation from Downing Street before drawing any conclusions. "If the report is correct, this would be worrisome and shocking, and would raise serious doubts about the American version of previous incidents involving attacks against the offices of the network," added Al-Jazeera.

The U.S. has accidentally bombed the Al-Jazeera offices in Baghdad and Kabul? You have to admit, it seems kind of suspicious.

When Irish Eyes Aren't Smiling

Irish Eagle has an interesting post about security concerns and anti-war protesters at the Navy-Notre Dame game to be held in Dublin in 2012. I also have to wonder if the people who are displeased about extraordinary rendition will have forgotten about it by then. Of course, that also begs the question, will the U.S. still be engaging in this practice in 2012? P.S., Irish government, you can stop denying it — we know it's happening. You may not want to admit that the flights are going through your airspace, but there is some evidence that contradicts that position.

"But the Middle East is not a pottery store."

James Fallows has an article about security and strategy called "Why Iraq Has No Army" in the latest Atlantic Monthly. Even the little bit that non-subscribers can see is instructive.

The crucial need to improve security and order in Iraq puts the United States in an impossible position. It can't honorably leave Iraq—as opposed to simply evacuating Saigon-style—so long as its military must provide most of the manpower, weaponry, intelligence systems, and strategies being used against the insurgency. But it can't sensibly stay when the very presence of its troops is a worsening irritant to the Iraqi public and a rallying point for nationalist opponents—to say nothing of the growing pressure in the United States for withdrawal.

Retired Lt. General Odom has a lovely piece about the Middle East as the Global Balkans. There are a number of solid historical comparisons that suggest that pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq is a sound thing to do, or want to do.

"Silent Night"

Alfred Anderson, "the last veteran from any nation to have served in 1914," died yesterday.

Alfred Anderson was 18 when British and German soldiers crossed no-man's land on the first Christmas Day of the war to exchange handshakes and cigarettes and play an impromptu game of football with bully-beef cans, using their own steel helmets for goalpoasts. ...

As December 25 arrived he was billeted in a dilapidated farmhouse behind the trenches and never joined in the famous game of football. But only last year, the old soldier recalled: "All I’d heard for two months in the trenches was the hissing, cracking and whining of bullets in flight, machine-gun fire and distant German voices.

"But there was a dead silence that morning, right across the land as far as you could see. We shouted ‘Merry Christmas', even though nobody felt merry. The silence ended early in the afternoon and the killing started again. It was a short peace in a terrible war."

No, really, the football game — soccer, in American parlance — really happened. Historian Stanley Weintraub has written a book about it, and NRO interviewed him four years ago. He describes football as the "working-class religion."

Lopez: Can you imagine circumstances where something similar might happen again during such a bloody struggle?

Weintraub: I can't imagine such massive concentrations of troops again in a future war, nor can I imagine such collisions of similar cultures. Sadly, I can envision future conflicts with such culturally different opponents as Islamic forces. To see a common humanity in likely future opponents seems unlikely. A Christmas truce could not happen again without a mutual respect for the values of Christmas.

Emphasis mine. Hellfire Corner has a several first-hand accounts of the Christmas Truce.

Language, Sexism, Left and Right

Ann Althouse has posted about language and feminism. Yes, Prof. Althouse, this feminist at least gets irritated when she reads denigrating language on the web. It even annoys me when people on Crooks & Liars start going on about "Mann Coulter," or proposing things like "How'd it feel when she fell out of heaven?" or "Can I have a date?" as potential interview questions for Katrina van Heuvel. And I don't even like Ann Coulter! Even if I were a conservative, her professed opinions on the First Amendment would put me off severely. But it still bothers me to see the gender-specific rhetoric that's often used against her. (I could give other examples, but the left is of course not alone here. Prof. Althouse ran into this difficulty with Little Green Footballs, a conservative site, and, well, I still don't understand some conservatives' vituperative hate of Hillary Clinton.)

Women in sports media are particular targets. It makes me angry when people say that Dana Jacobson is ugly or "Jay [her male co-host] in drag," even if she did go to Michigan and I'm proudly sporting my "In Poland they tell Michigan jokes" T-shirt today. I read this piece and its comments about Sam Ryan made me feel actual fury.

We get to go down to Sam Ryan on the sideline. Between her name and voice, I think she was recently a man, but she's got that "10 beers later she's the hottest chick I've ever seen" thing going on for sure. I've had 16, so everything's A-OK here ...

So, yeah, Prof. Althouse. We know. We care. It bothers us.

I'd even been contemplating a post about this even before Prof. Althouse's comments, which is part of the reason I have links and examples fairly ready to hand. Sexist language is certainly a sign of (if I may appropriate some historically meaningful phrases) the problem with no name and gender trouble in our society, and in the blogosphere.

Feminists and others who run blogs and other sites bear responsibility for the discourse there. We can't do much about other sites but not patronize them and speak out against sexist language in general. Someone could, I suppose, organize a campaign against sexist language in the blogosphere. I'd probably support that.

But at the same time, the bigger symptoms of the problem — people who would be love to make abortion illegal and declare it equivalent to murder without providing alternatives or support (public or private), "ethnic cleansing" or genocide including rape in the Sudan, the high number of women around the world who have no viable economic alternative to sexual servitude — seem to be, well, a better use of time and words and energy.

Overlooking and marginalizing women in progressive (and other) movements is not a new thing. It goes all the way back to Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, who were abolitionists before they were suffragists. It happened again in the progressive and civil rights movements in the '60s. I'd argue that the language problem in the blogosphere is the same problem, writ smaller.

I can understand why she's skeptical about Democrats. My personal opinion is that all politicians have feet of clay. I don't see anything better coming out of the political right. Neither party has all the answers. Sometimes I feel like no party has any answers.

At some point I apparently read a poem that went something like "Every man was for his party, and no one was for the state." That line has been running through my head for some days now, but I can't seem to locate the source.

Redaction

The football community has lost several members of what might be called its "second generation" lately. The New York Giants have experienced the death of both co-owners in less than a month. Steve Belichick — the father of Patriots coach Bill Belichick and a legendary Navy assistant coach and scout in his own right — passed away on Saturday. Belichick kept that news from the players until after the game, which he coached "with a heavy heart."

Though these rumors may turn out to have been greatly exaggerated, there's much speculation about whether the Colts will see to the demise of the '72 Dolphins' place as the only team to have a perfect 17-0 season. Eugene "Mercury" Morris and Paul Warfield, who were members of that championship squad, appeared on ESPN's Cold Pizza this morning. "Call me when they're on my block, don't call me when they're in my town. ... They're unbeaten, we're undefeated," said Morris, pointing out that the Colts have several games left before the end of the season.

Morris also called out Jim Rome, who reportedly called the annual toast tradition "classless." In the first broadcast, Morris said that he wouldn't kick Rome's ass because he (Morris) was a Christian, but that Jim Rome was welcome to come to their Super Bowl party in Detriot, and he would pull Dom Perignon on his face. Dana Jacobs commented that the staff of Cold Pizza didn't necessarily agree with Jim Rome. After the segue to the Up or Down segment, Jeremy Schaap (filling in for Jay Crawford) commented that Mercury obviously hadn't been having the decaf. The commentators agreed that '72 Dolphins' stock was way up there.

Mercury's remarks about Rome, and Dana Jacobs' response, were missing from the rebroadcast. The comments in Up or Down were left intact, though, as were other references.

Jim Rome likes to do stuff like this. Consider the Jim Everett incident, when Rome called him "Chris" (as in women's tennis legend Chris Evert) one too time many. The video is available here. I think it would be hilarious if Mercury Morris gave Rome a champagne shower, except that it would be a waste of good Dom. For the record, I also believe that Morris could kick Jim Rome's ass. And I don't think the toast is classless. (Not that Jim Rome is exactly a much of an authority here.) This is sports. Celebration is part of the game. If we were talking politics, you could make an argument that it would be classless if it were happening publicly. (I have no problem believing that sort of thing happens privately. Imagine, for example, the Republican House and Senate leadership toasting their hold on Congress since 1994!)

It'll be interesting to see if Rome mentions Morris' comments this afternoon on Rome is Burning (airs at 4:30 Eastern time), or has the video. Maybe he'll be able to tell us if the footage was snipped from the second airing of Cold Pizza at Morris' request, or the producers'.

"Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose."

In case you've been seeing those promos for CodeBreakers and wondered why ESPN was making a movie about cryptanalysis, well, wrong referent. The codebreaking in this case is of the West Point honor code. The movie is about a nearly dynastic football team, the West Point Black Knights, which is rocked by an academic cheating scandal.

The West Point scandal actually happened — and don't think the timing is coincidental. No, I don't mean that it's a slur on the military in this time of war; how the movie portrays the cadets accused of cheating will determine whether or not that is the case. But there's been rampant speculation in the sports media about whether USC would "three-peat" as national champions since the pre-season.

The Black Knights captured the national college football title in 1944 and 1945, and shared it with Notre Dame in 1946: "a feat no team has repeated since," as ESPN describes it. The 1945 and 1946 Heisman Trophy winners were West Point cadets.

USC, of course, took the national title in 2003 and 2004, and they're making a strong run for this year's title. Trojan quarterbacks Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart won the Heisman Trophy in 2002 and 2004, and both Leinart and his mainstay in the ground game, running back Reggie Bush, are in contention for it this year. Just in case you think maybe the timing is a coincidence, note that the film will be broadcast immediately after this year's Heisman presentation ceremony.

You can read more about the film on ESPN's web site. Coach Wyatt has put together a great set of pages on the real life story of Coach Bob Blaik, the coach of the Black Knights and mentor to Vince Lombardi.

History is evidently repeating itself in an even more disturbing way: Billmon compares the El Salvadoran death squads to the Ministry of the Interior groups behind the disappearances in Iraq. Just this week, a high-level El Salvadoran former official was found to be liable for human rights violations — including torture — committed during that period. (He was allowed to become a U.S. citizen: how embarrassing.)

"All diplomacy is a continuation of war by other means."

I have never been so proud to be a Pennsylvanian — particularly a Western Pennsylvanian — as I am right now. (It ought to be noted at this point that I'm a relatively recent transplant, and wasn't around for the Steel Curtain era, when the Steelers won four Super Bowls in six years.)

It's all because of Jack Murtha. He had the guts to say that our troops' occupation of Iraq isn't contributing to stability in the region. National and homeland security blogger William Arkin sums it up well: "Withdrawal is not retreat." Murtha's plan calls for a pursuit of a more stable Iraq through diplomatic means, with a strategically positioned force outside Iraq. In other words, if we pull out and the Iraqi regime proves to be incapable of governing in accordance with the recently approved constitution, then we can leverage things to go back in, this time (hopefully) with international support, and be in a good position to reoccupy Iraq.

One argument for departure: the American presence is just irritating the insurgents. Consider these comments by Eric Margolis, made on the Friday edition of CNN's "Live From." (Emphasis mine.)

ERIC MARGOLIS, JOURNALIST/AUTHOR: ... You know, we declared victory there a few years ago and said everything was fine, but it's not because, well, we haven't been watching very carefully. The Afghans -- Afghanistan is a mess. We have not been able to establish a politically solid national government in Afghanistan and, as we're finding in Iraq, the longer our troops stay there, we have 20,000 troops now combing the countryside for Bin Laden, the longer we stay, the more they become irritants and in the eyes of the Afghans, and the Afghans are very naturalistic [Transcription error - nationalistic?] people who don't like foreigner are starting to turn against us in larger numbers.

PHILLIPS: Do you feel that Kabul will fall completely if U.S. troops left right now?

MARGOLIS: Yes, if we stop protecting the Karzai regime it would be a matter of days if not hours before he is thrown out. You know President Karzai is protected by 100 American bodyguards. He goes nowhere without them. He can't trust his own people. That, to me, is the most telling indication of how wobbly things are in Afghanistan.

Doesn't that sound familiar? The Green Zone in Baghdad? The assassination of lawyers participating in Saddam Hussein's defense? The Soviet/Afghan War?

As for cons, Iraq veteran Ginmar nails it:

I frankly don't think leaving Iraq is a good idea, for this reason: if us leaving was what the insurgents wanted, they'd know that fighting our soldiers and killing innocent civilians would be the one thing guaranteed to keep us there. Fighting and killing is what they're there for. Who will they fight and kill once we leave? These are radicalized young men; for the first time in their life, they have power and it's the power of intimidation. Who will they turn that on once we leave?

The comments to the entry are well worth reading, too.

In other words, we're in this horrid catch-22 situation. Staying provides fuel for the insurgents. Leaving ... well, I think the best thing I can do is quote the Council on Foreign Relations' Jane Arraf.

ARRAF: You know, when you have to figure out what Iraqis actually feel, it's a very tangled web that you have to unweave. And although most Iraqis would tell you that they want American troops to leave immediately, when you scratch the surface, there's a real fear there as to what would happen, if they actually did leave tomorrow. ... What would happen in the places that I've seen, the places that are the most volatile, the places where there is still fighting going on, the places where there are no Iraqi troops, where there are no Iraqi police, no Iraqi government, is there would be vacuums in those places and the insurgents would come back in, and the cities and towns would be taken over again. It's something we've seen over and over. It would be extremely worrying if troops left tomorrow or anytime soon in large areas of Iraq.

The rest of Arraf's remarks on torture and the atmosphere in Iraq are, if you'll pardon the expression, illuminating. Why couldn't we have decided we were going to spread democracy via superior statesmanship and not arms? Sigh. Also, let's not ignore the fact that the Iraqi constitution — supposedly the foundation of democracy in Iraq — may be fruit of the poisoned tree, with a big scary Trojan horse: the article that says no laws that contravene Sharia law may be passed.

The problem is not with Islam, the problem is with the dozens of interpretations of Islamic rules and principles. Islam is like any other religion in that its holy book and various teachings may be interpreted in different ways. In Iraq we see this firsthand because we have ample example of varying Islamic interpretations from two neighbors- Iran and Saudi Arabia. Who will decide which religious rules and principles are the ones that shouldn’t be contradicted by the constitution?

If our troops haven't been fighting and dying to "cut and run" ... have they been giving up their lives (in multiple senses) to create a nation where freedoms are subject to being interpreted away? This is another catch-22: the commitment to religious freedom is enshrined in the American constitution, even if Ann Coulter doesn't have much use for that part of it. (Seriously. It's in her book, too.) So it's hard to feel like I have much room to be upset about that little loophole. Even if my country's blood and money is enabling it.

No matter how folks try to spin it, don't buy the line that Democrats had their chance to pull out of Iraq and didn't. The difference between Rep. Hunter's plan and Rep. Murtha's plan isn't just semantics. Murtha's plan had actual strategy; Hunter's simply expressed "the sense of the House." And strategy is something that the Republicans have been accusing the Democrats of lacking since, well, Kosovo in 1999.

Then-Governor Bush's quote is particularly choice: "Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is."

My bottom-line opinion? Being able to pull the troops out of Iraq right now would be ideal. But even if you think our involvement in Iraq is motivated strictly by concern for the price of oil and Halliburton's profit margin, or maybe the president's pride, departing now would leave a vacuum for the insurgency. Having put the Iraqis in this position, we owe them something better than that, whether it's achieved through force of arms or by "other means."

"Life is full of these little ironies."

The Iraqi government is planning to investigate rumors of white phosphorus use at Fallujah. In what seems an incredibly ironic coincidence of timing, CNN's American Morning reported that a Marine reservist who helped to rebuild Fallujah has been hired to coordinate the rebuilding of part of New Orleans.

[CNN Reporter Alina] CHO: Lieutenant Coronel Dave Dysart is the man the Parish has hired as its director of recovery. He's done this type of job before on the other side of the world. Dysart, a U.S. Marine reservist, helped rebuild Fallujah, the Iraqi city that also suffered a flood. That experience got him this job.

When you first walked around this parish and you saw the devastation, did you immediately think Fallujah?

DYSART: Oh, ma'am, I had chills going up and down my spine. The streets were under water. I was actually riding in my vehicle and I reached for my weapon and it wasn't there! ...

DYSART: [In Fallujah] We actually went in and cleared out every single home and put markings on the buildings and those indicated that the Marines had gone into that house and assured that there was no weapons or insurgents in the house. Now these [homes in New Orleans] are marked to make sure that there was no one dead found inside the building.

Another example of such coincidences: last night's "Alias" (featuring Fantasy Football diva Jennifer Garner) and Wednesday's "Lost" both involved the use of torture. Both shows were created by J.J. Abrams. It's not the first time that either show has dealt with torture, but I felt a little uncomfortable watching something that was supposedly "entertaining" using torture as a plot device. You could say it hit a little too close to home, given that torture has been in the news a great deal lately.

Another White Night

This is what sports commentators like to refer to as tarnishing your legacy.

[Woodward's former partner] Carl Bernstein ... was loyal as ever but he did say something very revealing -- and unintentionally damning. "... [The White House] can’t turn off this searchlight [the Fitzgerald investigation], which is shining on a White House that runs a media apparatus so sophisticated in discrediting its critics it makes the Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Ziegler press shop look like a small-time operation." And these are the very thugs that Woodward was protecting while attacking the guy operating the searchlight.

I was born in 1980. I don't think I'm exaggerating to say that many people in my generation have viewed Woodward and Bernstein as being worthy of respect and practically heroic. Seeing him turn into one of the administration's voluntary mouthpieces à la Judith Miller and the covert propagandists is very disappointing.

CNN's Situation Room actually mentioned the white phosphorus allegations. The Pentagon's response was that most of the people remaining in Fallujah were "mostly" insurgents and their supporters. The Courtier raised a good point: the old and the infirm, and the poor, were probably unable to leave. Just like in Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Wilma. (An elected representative from Florida noted that most of his constituents were 80 or so, and they did have difficulty arranging for a couple days' worth of food before the storm hit.) See Riverbend for some local reaction.

Few Iraqis ever doubted the American use of chemical weapons in Falloojeh. We've been hearing the terrifying stories of people burnt to the bone for well over a year now. I just didn’t want it confirmed.

I didn't want it confirmed because confirming the atrocities that occurred in Falloojeh means verifying how really lost we are as Iraqis under American occupation and how incredibly useless the world is in general- the UN, Kofi Annan, humanitarian organizations, clerics, the Pope, journalists ... you name it- we've lost faith in it.

The Pentagon acknowledged the use of white phosphorus, but denied that civilians were targeted. Note, however, that their own words as reported on CNN don't rule out the possibility of civilians being inadvertently hit with WP.

Consider the words of Sunni politican Sa'doon al-Zubaydi, who was a translator and ambassador under the Hussein regime. He's responding to allegations of torture by Iraqis.

But the other factor is the factor of the culture of violence and violations of human rights that we've been living in for during the past two years, especially. And the American precedents are no exception to that.... The new Iraq that we hear about does not exist. The new Iraq that is supposed to have developed democracy to export it into the region has become an Iraq that can only export violence into the region. And that is not the dream that the American -- the American administration has promised the Iraqi people. It's a failure that can be seen by the Iraqi people, and I think by the world, of the American adventure in Iraq.

He calls for an investigation by a neutral, international third party. The entire segment with him on CNN's Your World Today is worth reading for the full context, as well as the comments from the Iraqi Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior. This older interview with al-Zubaydi is also interesting; it provides some information about his background. This AP article discusses some of the rumors about torture, and Iraqi politicians' respones.

While Zubaydi's comments could be perceived as those of someone who wants to protect his country's image in the aftermath of the torture allegations, it's no wonder that the Senate wants to see more progress in Iraq.

"I don't care who gets credit for this amendment," Warner [R-VA] said in response to questions about which party drafted the resolution. "Let's show the maximum amount of bipartisanship, reach across the aisle."

"Although our amendment was not adopted with some provisions that we think are important, the most important message that is being sent from the U.S. Senate today is: 'We want to change course,' " said Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, the Armed Services Committee's ranking Democrat. "Staying the course is not a strategy. It's a slogan."

The Politicization of Sports

As you may have heard, former Steeler and Buccaneer offensive lineman Steve Courson died in a woodcutting accident on Friday. Courson was probably best known for admitting that he took steroids, and that they were commonly used in the league.

The Courtier brought home a library copy of Steve Courson's book False Glory a few days ago; I read it yesterday. The impression the book gives is one of a person who wasn't entirely comfortable with who he'd become. The book was written in 1991, so that may have changed. (Maybe it will be reissued, like indicted former Bush administration official Lewis Libby's. There's no bestiality in Courson's book, though.) Steelers radio broadcast team members Tunch Ilkin and Craig Wolfley played for the Steelers around the same time that Courson did; I expect them to have plenty to say about him. They broadcast on WDVE. (Edit: Craig and Tunch did indeed speak well of Courson. Also, here's a link about Courson's post-football life that I neglected to include earlier.)

On "The Sports Reporters" this morning, one of the panelists mentioned talking to Ralph Nader about T.O. Seriously! Nader's take on the situation is that if T.O. is healthy and able to perform, then the consumers (i.e., fans) deserve to be able to see him play. Jesse Jackson has joined in, too. You know what that means — with Nader and Jackson on the other side, right wing bloggers and pundits will start talking about the Eagles' right to hire who they want. In this particular instance, I agree with that.

There was a big discussion of when Terrell Owens became T.O. Steve Young, Owens' QB during his first years in the league, argues that it wasn't the Redemption Catch that caused the personality change; according to him, T.O. was humble for a year after that. The change happened when Young retired and other senior 49ers left the team. The logical conclusion is that Owens went from being a plebe to being an upperclassman when his older teammates left, and went a little power-crazy. Michael "White House" Irvin is still carrying water for T.O. It's too bad that T.O. isn't spending his time talking to the steadier, less controversial Steve Young. Young might actually be able to give T.O. some advice and get him back on track to go somewhere else and be a decent teammate elsewhere. As far as the Eagles go, I suspect that horse has left the barn, unless Owens is able to obtain a legal remedy. This arbitrator's history of reducing suspensions has been widely reported.

An interesting tidbit from the 11/14/2005 Sports Illustrated: last year's Heisman also-ran (also-threw?) Kyle Orton, who's now starting at QB for the Chicago Bears, hopes to go into politics after his NFL career. "I'll probably go back to my home state [Iowa] and do something in that field. My father's career was in politics, so that has influenced me. [Byron Orton was in Iowa government for 30 years, retiring as labor commissioner last April.] I majored in history in college, and I definitely want to go to law school when I'm done playing."

It's not uncommon for former athletes, like other celebrities — the Gubernator, Ronald Reagan, and Sonny Bono all spring to mind — to pursue politics. Lynn Swann is contemplating a run for Pennsylvania's gubernatorial office; Dwayne Woodruff was recently elected to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. There's also Byron White, who became a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Sports Illustrated has a gallery of a few other athletes turned politicians.

This isn't a strictly American phenomenon. An aerobics instructor was elected to parliament in Afghanistan. Soccer player George Weah appears to have been defeated in Liberia; his opponent has suggested that she'd offer him a post in her cabinet, such as Minister of Sports and Youth. The Games Do Count is a recent book which explores the connection between sports and success in other professions, including politics. (Henry Kissinger and Condoleezza Rice are profiled, among others.)

Veteran Players

WaPo has a decent article which is mainly about baseball veterans. The NFL has a press release about veterans in the NFL and what various teams' activities in celebration of Veterans' Day. Basketball aficionado Dick Vitale addressed a group of veterans. I think they were rather bemused by his trademark "You're awesome, baby!".

Pat Livingston's The Pittsburgh Steelers: A Pictorial History has some information about how World War II affected the Steelers and the league.

The draft was relentless in destroying the team. The mailboxes at the club's training camp bulged with draft notices. Players were leaving for Army camps and Naval Training Stations on every train that ploughed through Hershey. The most valuable player on any team was the one who had a deferment. For the first time in the history of football, injured players were quite the thing.

The manpower situation was incredible. In 1942 Bronco Nagurski came out of a five-year retirement to join the Chicago Bears. Bill Hewitt, who worked in the shipyards in Philadelphia, made a comeback. The Steelers stripped the sandlots of any players who could last a couple of months before leaving for the Army or the Marines. ...

... football in Pittsburgh was strictly a part-time thing. It was like baby-sitting or moonlighting in a taxicab. The manpower problem was acute. The military draft was relentless. The Steelers were required to merge with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1943. As a further matter of survival they merged in 1944 they merged with the Chicago Cardinals ...

Some of the players came back from their service and played, much to the relief of their teams. The Steagles of 1943 are remembered somewhat fondly, but the "Card-Pitt Combine" of 1944 performed so poorly that they became known as the Carpets. In Pittsburgh, players returning from service in World War II included "Bullet" Bill Dudley (a Hall of Famer) and Chuck Cherundolo, who later became an assistant coach of the Steelers.

I've listed some interesting pages about the NFL and war from the NFL Hall of Fame site.

• War Relief and War Bond Efforts
  
• Pearl Harbor Day
• Football and War

While you're at it, check out the Hall's general history page. There's some good stuff there.

Thank a veteran, or a current member of the armed services, if you have the opportunity. If you live near an airport with a USO lounge, consider getting in touch to find out when you can welcome some returning service members. Ditto if you'll have a long layover in such an airport.

"Le malaise est profond."

I was listening to Beur FM couple days ago. It's the only radio station in France for French people of Arab descent. They have audio and video streams. My French is a little rusty, but I was able to pick out a few things when I was listening. Naturally, the riots were a big topic of discussion. One of their commentators remarked that "Le malaise est profond." Essentially, the commentator described the riots as a sign of profound sickness. (Of French society, or the individuals involved — take your pick.)

My personal opinion is that one can fume about "militant Islamo-facism" until one is blue in the face, or one can try to actually learn about the people who follow the Muslim faith. In that spirit, here's an interesting piece from a Muslim martial arts instructor, with links to a couple of others. I had no idea that some Muslims participated in football (soccer) tournaments during and after Ramadan.

Nights in White ... Phosphorus

Big news in the blogosphere: the use of white phosphorus in Iraq. Frankly, people are pissed.

The Courtier has a Ph.D. in biochemistry, in addition to being a military history buff, and I picked his brain a little bit last night. If a combined high explosive/white phosphorus shell were used, some of the phosphorus would be immediately burn anything or anyone flammable. An uncertain portion of the phosphorus would be thrown up into the air, creating a cloud of variable diameter that would depend on the amount of the shell's explosive payload. As the particles of phosphorus cooled, they would settle down to the ground. The range of dispersal would depend on wind direction as well as the size and strength of the shell.

Anyone who got white phosphorus on their skin would be subject to serious burns. An explosive shell would break windows of surrounding buildings, depending on its strength. In addition, few buildings will be completely sealed. Note Iraqi blogger Riverbend's comments about the futility of closing windows during a sandstorm as a measure to keep sand out.

A fair amount has been made of the fact that the U.S. is not a signatory of Protocol III of the Geneva Convention. The text of Protocol III can be found here. Article 2 Section 2 says that "It is prohibited in all circumstances to make any military objective located within a concentration of civilians the object of attack by air-delivered incendiary weapons." On the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) site, you can also see which conventions various countries have signed. Findlaw has a comprehensive list of international conventions relevant to the Iraq conflict.

Because the U.S. is not a signatory of this protocol, strictly speaking the use of white phosphorus violated no law. Here's an excerpt on the use of WP in Fallujah, as described in the March/April 2005 issue of the Army's Field Artillery magazine:

WP proved to be an effective and versatile munition. We used it for screening missions at two breeches [sic] and, later in the fight, as a potent psychological weapon against the insurgents in trench lines and spider holes when we could not get effects on them with HE. We fired "shake and bake" missions at the insurgents, using WP to flush them out and HE to take them out.

It is unclear whether there might have been civilians in range of spider holes, trench lines, and breaches. According to the Wikipedia article about Operation Phantom Fury, most of the civilians had left the city. If a breach means a breach of a line within Fallujah itself that U.S. forces were trying to keep secure — perhaps the line of checkpoints around the city described in the Wikipedia article — then civilians might have been within range. But without specific information, it's hard to say based on the article alone.

While Casey Kahn's understanding that it is illegal to drop WP on military personnel at all seems to be incorrect, he provides a useful description of the "shake and bake" technique:

The only use for WP during an FFE is against personnel. In fact WP during "fire for effect" is often done in a mix with HE giving the combined effect of explosive shrapnel with the melting of flesh. This is known as "shake and bake" ...

In the English version of an Italian documentary former Marine Jeff Englehart, who was acting as an escort, says he knows WP was used, because the request "came across the radio as a general transmission" heard via the speakers on the escort truck. Unlike Daily Ablution, I don't think that Englehart is necessarily discredited. While participation in combat is not a guarantee of greater truthfulness, escort duty in Iraq is hardly the equivalent of riding in a Jeep in a Fourth of July parade. In Fallujah, escort duty could turn into a firefight with little or no notice.

If you would like to see the documentary, the English version is here. Jeff Englehart begins to discuss the use of white phosphorus around minute 17. (It is a large file, and portions of it are rather graphic. While the documentary, at least in English, has certain qualities of propaganda, this does not mean that there is no truth whatsoever in it.)

The CDC and eMedicine have information about the effects of exposure to white phosphorus. My opinion of the bottom line: it's possible to do something wrong and yet not break any laws. If U.S. forces used white phosphorus, and failed to take precautions to avoid exposure to civilian targets, then the individuals responsible — all the way up the chain of command — should bear responsibility for that. I tend to think that the fault rests more on the higher-ups; the average soldier will have little to do with determining strategy, tactics, the standards for who is a legitimate target, and deciding which weapons are acceptable. Questioning those things certainly is not an option for them.

As an American, whatever U.S. forces do is done in my name — in all our names. I think questioning whether civilians might have been targeted by our forces, however few and however inadvertently, is a reasonable response.

Intelligent Deviance

T.O. held a press conference. This will doubtless get uglier before it gets resolved, much like the New Jersey governor's race. I'm not going to rehash it in detail; in a nutshell, I wasn't really convinced by T.O., his notorious agent Drew Rosenhaus was practically frothing at the mouth, and Sal Paolantonio reported that the Eagles were planning to stand firm against all legal challenges. My buddy Schadenfreude Dave and I were envisioning T.O. playing with the Cards or the CFL, just because no one else will want him. Okay, so that's far-fetched. But it is amusing, and it distracted us from wanting to bang our heads against the nearest hard surfaces while we were watching the press conference.

Texas passed its anti-same sex marriage constitutional amendment; sorry, Sheryl. I think it took incredible guts for her to come out while the debate about Proposition 2 was raging. Especially in Texas, which is not exactly known for its open-mindedness. State Representative Warren Chisum remarked "that the victory was won ... from the pulpits of the state of Texas." Oh yeah? Then I expect to see an IRS investigation into a great number of churches in Texas in the coming days. There was some concern that because of the way the amendment was drafted, it would deny recognition of man-and-woman common law marriages, which are recognized in Texas. We'll have to wait and see how that plays out, if at all.

Something disturbing: voter turnout was low, even with Prop 2 on the ballot. Even in two precincts the Chronicle article described as "heavily gay," turnout was something like 35%. They may have just been resigned — that's the only reasonable explanation I can come up with. Five'll get you ten that someone anti-gay will use that statistic to say that gays don't want marriage rights, they want their supposedly evil and deviant lifestyle to be accepted.

The citizens of Dover booted out their entire intelligent-design-in-science-class-lovin' school board. Even one minute was too much for the citizens of Dover. As Pennsylvanians, the Courtier and I are glad to be less embarrassed about that particular situation. (Now we just have the state legislature, judiciary, and Senator Man on Dog to worry about.) But hey, at least we're not Kansas, even if they do have the Chiefs' glass-breaking win to console themselves with. Look out, Indiana; if some of your legislators have their way, you'll be consoling yourselves with the Colts' performance. With Manning finally beating the Tom Brady and the Pats — in Foxboro no less — that's a pretty nice consolation prize, though. I lived in South Bend for five years, and my mom lives in Indy now; the state never seemed this, er, conservative back then. Well, I suppose these are the times that try our patience, if not our souls.

Another interesting development in education: Denver citizens voted to try performance-based incentives — more money for teachers if they make a certain number of catches per school year — no, wait, it's based on student test scores. Vermont is apparently thinking about giving it a try too.

The media has been making a lot of noise about wins in New Jersey and Virginia being a sign of Bush's weakness and the Democrats' resurgence. Frankly, I'll believe it when I see it, polls or no polls.

Watch Your Language

I thought it was a shame that the Dennis Quaid's Monday Night Football intro segment about humps — you know, the one that culminates in "Are you ready for some football?" — didn't have a comment about Peyton meeting his Waterloo in Tom Brady. (What can I say, I'm a history geek.) But then I wonder if I'm not contradicting myself.

You may remember that last season, after the U.S. entered the current Iraq conflict, commentators were very careful to dial back the war/warrior/hero rhetoric they often use. Things like "Our servicemen and women in the Gulf are the real heroes" and "Not that this compares to what are armed forces are doing in the Gulf" were frequently utilized disclaimers. This is actually a pretty common reaction, at least in the U.S., to armed conflict. (See, for example, this article on a sentiment against using martial language a year after September 2001.)

This year, the war metaphors have crept back in. I'd say that the significance of them is in the eye of the beholder. Let's face it, football especially is drama. Sometimes it's melodrama, as with the No Mo T.O. situation. Arguably, the war language adds to the viewing experience. I can't say it doesn't bother me a little, though. The danger level, the sacrifices called for, and the utility of serving in the armed forces far outweigh those of organized sports.

It's probably more important for the viewer to bear in mind the significance of the language than it is for the commentators not to use it, though. However much players may be shortchanged or smacked around by their leagues, their players unions, or their teams, it doesn't compare to the ways that some American soldiers have been shortchanged by, at the very least, their hierarchy.

On a lighter note, here are some of the oddments of language that I've noticed this season.

Moving Well in Space

Every time I hear this one, I imagine that the guys are playing in zero gravity, or on a spacewalk or something.

Juicing it Up

I haven't heard this as frequently as I did in the early part of the season. The network execs and the league may have realized that this isn't the best idiom for "make a play" that somebody could have come up with. (Juice is also slang for performance-enhancing substances; hence, Jose Canseco's book was called Juiced.)

Given that John McCain and other congresscritters are paying serious grim attention to steroid use in sports (especially baseball), this is pretty unfortunate slang. You probably heard that Pete Rose Jr. pleaded guilty to distributing a performance-enhancing substance today? I'm not much of a baseball fan, or a particular partisan of Pete Rose Sr., but I find that it deepens the family tragedy. Even if they did bring it on themselves.

"Looking like a moose out there on the ice"

I don't know what exactly that might be construed to mean — I can see several places to go with that, ranging from aspersions of goon-dom to awkwardness to excessive Canadianity — but the radio guy calling the Pens-Rangers game said it about Jaromir Jagr.

I think hockey would be improved it the sideline reporters wore skates and actually cruised around the rink as they did pre-game interviews, but I may be alone in that opinion.

Have a good night, my friends, and may your favored teams not suffer defeat. (Unless, of course, they're playing one of mine.)

Always Have a Backup

It was reported earlier today that T.O. was actually inactive, rather than suspended indefinitely, because Eagles coach Andy Reid wanted to "keep his options open." I can't find any solid confirmation, but it's a possibility to keep in mind, I suppose. However, if this is correct, then suspension was totally called for. You can't have that kind of threat to team discipline running around loose.

One source told the Times the fight "was like WWE Smackdown." Another source told the paper both Douglas and Owens threw at least two punches before Owens challenged quarterback Donovan McNabb and then everyone else in the room, saying "You want some? Anyone else want some?"

Michael Irvin mentioned talking to T.O. "during the break" (of ESPN's pre-game show), and gave more of Owens' P.O.V. I was so exasperated by the continued shillage that the exact content didn't stick with me, but it was what you'd expect — T.O. felt like he had done what the organization asked as far as an apology went.

Lest I turn into the Michelle Malkin of sportsblogging (by which I mean, shrill and monofocussed), let's change the topic. Sadly, former rodeo cowboy and fourth string QB Cody Pickett and the 49ers failed to provide really excitingly soap operatic football drama. Given that they had to go up against Eli Manning and the Giants, and that Pickett only had one week to prepare, this perhaps isn't too surprising. Still, a former fourth-stringer QB/special teams guy getting a real shot at the big time and money is part of the drama of the NFL.

Speaking of backups getting shots, Kordell Stewart took a few snaps in the Ravens/Bengals game when Wright was incapacitated. The Man Formerly Known as Slash was in good running form, and came so close to catching a tricky halfback pass. It may be some kind of Pittsburgh weakness for improbable comebacks that makes me feel like it'd be good to see Kordell starting at QB again, or it may just be nostalgia for his better days. Whatever.

T.O.'s backup just scored a touchdown on a reception and run against the Redskins — a sign of things to come? Maybe T.O. will settle down and pretend to be a good boy again, for a little while. For now, I intend to kick back and see what the Skins and Eagles will bring us in the way of entertainment.

Terrible Owens

When I heard earlier today that Terrell Owens had been suspended, I immediately thought that the situation could only degenerate. T.O. has been too outspoken, and the Eagles organization would eventually decide to hold fast.

My intuition was confirmed when I saw Michael Irvin on ESPN during the Miami-VA Tech halftime period. (Alas, poor Hokies, I knew them well!) This actually highlights a problem with former pro athletes turning to broadcasting — they don't necessarily have any sense of proper journalistic conduct. Irvin went on TV and was essentially a parrot or a shill for T.O., not an objective journalist. When you become a journalist you can't — shouldn't — be using your position to stand up for your friends or get their message out. It was Judy Miller in miniature, only concerning a much less important matter.

I doubt T.O. will want to back down;