PSoTD

Do you wonder what the news media could do with 18.24 million dollars?

O.J. Simpson's latest troubles may bring back terrible memories, a sense of outrage, bemusement or just a big yawn.

But for the media and the Las Vegas tourism industry, the arrest and pending case against "The Juice" could be the biggest thing since Siegfried and Roy.

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I wonder how well a nightly national television news program would work called "Middle Class News". One of the requirements of the program would be that nobody on the program - period, nobody, from anchors to reporters to producers - were compensated more than a middle class salary. Of course, defining that would take some work, but the whole intent would be to keep the news program staff from being insulated from the real world, which is something that people like Katie Couric and Brian Ross seem to be, and more importantly, what the editorial content decisionmakers seem to be as well.

You are wasting your time calling out Bush. CALL OUT THE NEWS MEDIA. Look at this embarrassing exchange between Wolf Blitzer and Senator Boxer:

BLITZER: Well, there's conflicting reports on that, Senator. Some suggesting that he's not even ready for a brigade of about 4,000 U.S. forces to start withdrawing by the end of this year. We'll see what he testifies tomorrow. But let me ask Senator Boxer, do you have confidence in General Petraeus?

SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D), CALIFORNIA: Well, I will have the chance to question him on Tuesday in front of the Foreign Relations Committee. My chairman, Joe Biden, has just gotten back from Iraq, as you know, and I think we'll know then. It's too soon to know. I don't know what he's going to say.

But let me tell you what I do know, Wolf. I do know what has happened since the surge. There has been no political reconciliation. We have had the deadliest three months, the deadliest summer ever in the war in Iraq in terms of the loss of our troops. We have 78 percent of the Iraqi people saying, please leave the country.

The Brits have withdrawn. We've had other reports saying the surge hasn't worked. So I intend to question General Petraeus about it. But the last point I'd make is, General Petraeus is really the messenger. The policy comes from President Bush.

BLITZER: Well, President Bush...

BOXER: And that's where I'm going to keep the focus.

BLITZER: President Bush was very firm in reacting to the new Osama bin Laden videotape in drawing consequences for the United States's stance in Iraq. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: If Al Qaida bothers to mention Iraq, it's because they want to achieve their objectives in Iraq, which is to drive us out and to develop a safe haven.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right. Those are enormous ramifications for the United States if the president's right.

BOXER: This president amazes me. Every time I see that fugitive terrorist on television taunting America, I think of how wrong this president was in turning away from going after that murderer who murdered our citizens, and moving into Iraq and not having any way of getting us out, while this guy keeps dyeing his beard apparently and making new tapes.

There's your opening, Barbara, and you whiffed. This President shouldn't amaze you, he should appall you. But more than that, here's the answer you should give Blitzer:

"If the President's right? IF THE PRESIDENT'S RIGHT? Wolf, you amaze me. How many times has President Bush been right about this war so far? Aren't there enormous ramifications for the United States if the President's wrong? AND AREN'T WE SUFFERING FROM THOSE RAMIFICATIONS NOW BECAUSE HE'S BEEN WRONG ON IRAQ?

Wolf, seriously, get your head out of your backside. Yes, he is the President for another year and a half, but we don't need to him to lock us in this war for a decade."

What is Wolf Blitzer going to do if Democrats respond like this? What's CNN going to do? Only have Republicans on? Why are you playing nice with Wolf Blitzer? Question his authority to figure out the questions to ask - because he's pretty damn horrible at it.

CNN seems to be about a step away from making this a daily program. It'll just take a little more packaging is all...

It's the weirdest thing - I could have sworn I saw Wolf Blitzer talk to McCain and Barbara Boxer yesterday on CNN, but apparently CNN gave the duty of providing the transcript to the mysterious one-fingered typist.

I'd like to find that transcript, because Boxer said something that requires further instruction.

Of all the cartoons my son has watched over his time on earth, I have to say that "Pokemon" is, for some reason, the most annoying. Or disturbing. I do not understand the appeal of the show. It would be one thing if there was just the difference of taste, but there's something generational going on, too. A lot of our son's friends love Pokemon and get the collectible crud. A lot of our son's friends' parents are like me, completely baffled by the allure.

The best I can tell, it's not so much the show but the community that is the draw - boys trading and sharing cards, talking about characters, etc. I guess I could see it as a training ground for sports fanship in a way - after all, I traded and collected baseball cards when I was a kid - but there's a difference. But I "get" watching sports. I do not "get" watching Pokemon.