Solipsistic

Wow.

A really cool, interesting choice to play Tony Stark.

I guess I'm kind of an idiot. My main concern about this game was hoping that Auburn won by three or more touchdowns and moved to #2 in the Coaches and Harris Interactive Poll. I should have just been hoping for a win. This is clearly not the same lackluster South Carolina team I watched a few weeks ago when they put up a uninspired win against the hapless Bulldogs of Mississippi State.

The Gamecocks are now under the leadership of explosive QB Syvelle Newton who exposed weakness in the Auburn secondary and was able to rush for big gains last night. Auburn held on for the win on the road in an SEC game and that is of paramount concern. (But...if we get down to the end of the year and are vying for the top two spots with USC and Ohio State, this game may keep AU out of the conversation.)

Can the Auburn secondary stop Chris Leak? Can they contain Tim Tebow? (Both QBs of Florida.) Auburn has played their most bruising game of the year at LSU then without a bye week went on to play Buffalo and then had only a few days rest before their Thursday night game.

Their secondary will be more healthy, their offense will continue to diversify, and they will be ready to play Florida at home on the 14th. One is tempted to worry a great deal about this Auburn team, but after their performance against LSU a few weeks ago, I believe this team can make it to the end of the season without a loss. They are displaying heart and a will to win.

It won't be easy, but they are capable.

That being said, if Ohio State and USC blow out opponents this weekend, Auburn will fall one more step behind in the national title hunt due to their narrow victory.

But a win's a win and as a fan, I've gotten to watch two amazing SEC contests this year. Auburn at SC and LSU at Auburn.

Auburn gets a longer rest before their next game on Oct. 7th against Arkansas.

Awesome.

(To my parents, I'm never actually been a huffer. That's a reference to the movie "Airplane.")

Dan Froomkin in the Washington Post:

Today's Senate vote on President Bush's detainee legislation, after House approval yesterday, marks a defining moment for this nation.

How far from our historic and Constitutional values are we willing to stray? How mercilessly are we willing to treat those we suspect to be our enemies? How much raw, unchecked power are we willing to hand over to the executive?

The legislation before the Senate today would ban torture, but let Bush define it; would allow the president to imprison indefinitely anyone he decides falls under a wide-ranging new definition of unlawful combatant; would suspend the Great Writ of habeas corpus; would immunize retroactively those who may have engaged in torture. And that's just for starters.

It's a red-letter day for the country. It's also a telling day for our political system.

The people have lost confidence in their president. Despite that small recent uptick in the polls, Bush remains deeply unpopular with the American public, mistrusted by a majority, widely considered out of touch with the nation's real priorities.

But he's still got Congress wrapped around his little finger.

Today's vote will show more clearly than ever before that, when push comes to shove, the Republicans who control Congress are in lock step behind the president, and the Democrats -- who could block him, if they chose to do so -- are too afraid to put up a real fight.

The kind of emotionless, he-said-she-said news coverage, lacking analysis and obsessed with incremental developments and political posturing -- in short, much of modern political journalism -- just doesn't do this story justice.

So once again, I'll go to the editorials and opinions first.

From today's New York Times editorial : "Here's what happens when this irresponsible Congress railroads a profoundly important bill to serve the mindless politics of a midterm election: The Bush administration uses Republicans' fear of losing their majority to push through ghastly ideas about antiterrorism that will make American troops less safe and do lasting damage to our 217-year-old nation of laws -- while actually doing nothing to protect the nation from terrorists. Democrats betray their principles to avoid last-minute attack ads. Our democracy is the big loser. . . .

"Americans of the future won't remember the pragmatic arguments for caving in to the administration.

"They'll know that in 2006, Congress passed a tyrannical law that will be ranked with the low points in American democracy, our generation's version of the Alien and Sedition Acts."

Mark Benjamin and Walter Shapiro write in Salon: "Despite the far-reaching implications of the legislation, the Senate galleries were virtually empty throughout the day, while most news coverage treated the congressional debate as of far more transient importance than the recent television confrontation between Bill Clinton and Fox TV host Chris Wallace. Many legislators had only a shaky understanding of what was in the Senate bill since its provisions were still being revised, after consultation with the White House, Tuesday night. As California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein complained in a Tuesday interview, 'I don't understand this rush other than to make it very political. This is a huge thing that our people are going to have to live by . . . It is important not only that it works, but that it also be just.'"

Dahlia Lithwick , writing in Slate, marvels that senators working in avowed ignorance of what precisely the administration has been doing are now approving legislation that they themselves don't understand.

"For the five years since 9/11, we have been in the dark in this country. This president has held detainees in secret prisons and had them secretly tortured using secret legal justifications. Those held in secret at Guantanamo Bay include innocent men, as do those who have been secretly shipped off to foreign countries and brutally tortured there. That was a shame on this president.

"But passage of the new detainee legislation will be a different sort of watershed. Now we are affirmatively asking to be left in the dark. Instead of torture we were unaware of, we are sanctioning torture we'll never hear about. Instead of detainees we didn't care about, we are authorizing detentions we'll never know about. Instead of being misled by the president, we will be blind and powerless by our own choice. And that is a shame on us all."

Here's just one example of what's in the bill that few people are aware of. Yale professor Bruce Ackerman writes in a Los Angeles Times op-ed: "Buried in the complex Senate compromise on detainee treatment is a real shocker, reaching far beyond the legal struggles about foreign terrorist suspects in the Guantanamo Bay fortress. The compromise legislation, which is racing toward the White House, authorizes the president to seize American citizens as enemy combatants, even if they have never left the United States. And once thrown into military prison, they cannot expect a trial by their peers or any other of the normal protections of the Bill of Rights.

"This dangerous compromise not only authorizes the president to seize and hold terrorists who have fought against our troops 'during an armed conflict,' it also allows him to seize anybody who has 'purposefully and materially supported hostilities against the United States.' This grants the president enormous power over citizens and legal residents. They can be designated as enemy combatants if they have contributed money to a Middle Eastern charity, and they can be held indefinitely in a military prison."

Oooh! "Lost" starts next week. That's a good show. How about those Saints? Can you believe TO tried to kill himself? Ahh, sweet gobbledy gook, take me away.

This is a turning point in American history. We are shifting away from a nation of laws to one of men. Hey Calvinists: be afraid. Be very afraid.

From Glenn Greenwald:

Opponents of this bill have focused most of their attention -- understandably and appropriately -- on the way in which it authorizes the use of interrogation techniques which, as this excellent NYT Editorial put it, "normal people consider torture," along with the power it vests in the President to detain indefinitely, and with no need to bring charges, all foreign nationals and even legal resident aliens within the U.S. But as Law Professors Marty Lederman and Bruce Ackerman each point out, many of the extraordinary powers vested in the President by this bill also apply to U.S. citizens, on U.S. soil.

As Ackerman put it: "The compromise legislation, which is racing toward the White House, authorizes the president to seize American citizens as enemy combatants, even if they have never left the United States. And once thrown into military prison, they cannot expect a trial by their peers or any other of the normal protections of the Bill of Rights." Similarly, Lederman explains: "this [subsection (ii) of the definition of 'unlawful enemy combatant'] means that if the Pentagon says you're an unlawful enemy combatant -- using whatever criteria they wish -- then as far as Congress, and U.S. law, is concerned, you are one, whether or not you have had any connection to 'hostilities' at all."

This last point means that even if there were a habeas corpus right inserted back into the legislation (which is unlikely at this point anyway), it wouldn't matter much, if at all, because the law would authorize your detention simply based on the DoD's decree that you are an enemy combatant, regardless of whether it was accurate. This is basically the legalization of the Jose Padilla treatment -- empowering the President to throw people into black holes with little or no recourse, based solely on his say-so.

There really is no other way to put it. Issues of torture to the side (a grotesque qualification, I know), we are legalizing tyranny in the United States. Period. Primary responsibility for this fact lies with the authoritarian Bush administration and its sickeningly submissive loyalists in Congress. That is true enough. But there is no point in trying to obscure that fact that it's happening with the cowardly collusion of the Senate Democratic leadership, which quite likely could have stopped this travesty via filibuster if it chose to (it certainly could have tried).

I fully understand, but ultimately disagree with, the viewpoint, well-argued by Hunter and others, that this bill constitutes merely another step on a path we've long been on, rather than a fundamental and wholly new level of tyranny. Or, as Hunter put it: "So this is a merely another slide down the Devil's gullet, not a hard swallow." But even with the extreme range of abuses the Bush presidency has brought, this is undeniably something different, and worse, by magnitude, not merely by degree.

There is a profound and fundamental difference between an Executive engaging in shadowy acts of lawlessness and abuses of power on the one hand, and, on the other, having the American people, through their Congress, endorse, embrace and legalize that behavior out in the open, with barely a peep of real protest. Our laws reflect our values and beliefs. And our laws are about to explicitly codify one of the most dangerous and defining powers of tyranny -- one of the very powers this country was founded in order to prevent.

Why are we investing such oversight in one man? Why?

How does this make the least bit of sense? Aren't we setting ourselves up for tyranny? Someone please tell how this is a good idea. (For Bush-backers, do you want Prez Hilary to have these powers? Kerry? Edwards?)

At least I have soma/college football.

Maybe. The Democrats have burned us before. I remain very skeptical.

Yes. It's true. The cleanest football program in the country is favored by 33 points over Temple this weekend.

The season premiere of "Veronica Mars" is online here. The video quality is mediocre, but the show is very good. Give this one some love and help it stick around for a full season and more. Tuesday nights at 9 pm (8 pm Eastern) on the CW.

Anyone caught speaking Esperanto
Is thought crazy or headed for jail
There's peace in the wilds of West Texas
Where the sun and the sky prevail

Don't take notice of the rising waters
Don't take notice where rivers run dry
They'll be digging through the landfills
To find evidence of our great demise

CHORUS:
There's a changing pattern before us
And the past tells the story quite well
By the time we make it to Barstow
We'll be more than halfway to hell

Waves of adverts that promise revival
Trinketware that batters the brain
The Devil bought the key to Branson
Drives a backhoe and wears a gold chain

Now we're living in the ending time frame
Bets in Reno are all the human race
Woke up in another test market
With a new headache filter in place

Jay Farrar, "Barstow"

You can guarantee most of your senators and reps. don't know. When did our country become so bassackwards?

The terrorists have won.

More Glenn Greenwald:

The administration is obviously aware of the transparent, and really quite pitiful, election-based fear that is consuming Democrats and rendering them unwilling to impede (or even object to) the administration's seizure of more and more unchecked power in the name of fighting terrorism. As a result of this abdication by the Democrats, the Washington Post reports, the administration spent the weekend expanding even further the already-extraordinary torture and detention powers vested in it by the McCain-Warner-Graham "compromise." To illustrate just how profoundly dangerous these powers are, it is worthwhile to review a specific, current case of an actual detainee in the administration's custody.

Bilal Hussein is an Associated Press photographer and Iraqi citizen who has been imprisoned by the U.S. military in Iraq for more than five months, with no charges of any kind. Prior to that, he was repeatedly accused by right-wing blogs of being in cahoots with Iraqi insurgents based on the content of his photojournalism -- accusations often based on allegations that proved to be completely fabricated and fictitious. The U.S. military now claims that Hussein has been lending "support" to the Iraqi insurgents, whereas Hussein maintains that his only association with them is to report on their activities as a journalist. But Hussein has no ability to contest the accusations against him or prove his innocence because the military is simply detaining him indefinitely and refusing even to charge him.

Under the military commission legislation blessed by our Guardians of Liberty in the Senate -- such as John McCain and Lindsey Graham -- the U.S. military could move Hussein to Guantánamo tomorrow and keep him there for the rest of his life, and he would have absolutely no recourse of any kind. It does not need to bring him before a military commission (the military only has to do that if it wants to execute someone) and as long as it doesn't, he is blocked from seeking an order from a U.S. federal court to release him on the ground that he is completely innocent. As part of his permanent imprisonment, the military could even subject him to torture and he would have no legal recourse whatsoever to contest his detention or his treatment. As Johns Hopkins professor Hilary Bok points out, even the use of the most extreme torture techniques that are criminalized will be immune from any real challenge, since only the government (rather than detainees) will be able to enforce such prohibitions.

Put another way, this bill would give the Bush administration the power to imprison people for their entire lives, literally, without so much as charging them with any wrongdoing or giving them any forum in which to contest the accusations against them. It thus vests in the administration the singularly most tyrannical power that exists -- namely, the power unilaterally to decree someone guilty of a crime and to condemn the accused to eternal imprisonment without having even to charge him with a crime, let alone defend the validity of those accusations. Just to look at one ramification, does one even need to debate whether this newly vested power of indefinite imprisonment would affect the willingness of foreign journalists to report on the activities of the Bush administration? Do Americans really want our government to have this power?

The changes that the administration reportedly secured over the weekend for this "compromise" legislation make an already dangerous bill much worse. Specifically, the changes expand the definition of who can be declared an "enemy combatant" (and therefore permanently detained and tortured) from someone who has "engaged in hostilities against the United States" (meaning actually participated in war on a battlefield) to someone who has merely "purposefully and materially supported hostilities against the United States."

Expanding the definition in that way would authorize, as Kate Martin of the Center for National Security Studies points out, the administration's "seizure and indefinite detention of people far from the battlefield." The administration would be able to abduct anyone, anywhere in the world, whom George W. Bush secretly decrees has "supported" hostilities against the United States. And then they could imprison any such persons at Guantánamo -- even torture them -- forever, without ever having to prove anything to any tribunal or commission. (The Post story also asserts that the newly worded legislation "does not rule out the possibility of designating a U.S. citizen as an unlawful combatant," although the Supreme Court ruled [in the 2004 case of Hamdi v. Rumsfeld] that there are constitutional limits on the government's ability to detain U.S. citizens without due process.)

The tyrannical nature of these powers is not merely theoretical. The Bush administration has already imprisoned two American citizens -- Jose Padilla and Yaser Esam Hamdi -- and held them in solitary confinement in a military prison while claiming the power to do so indefinitely and without ever having to bring charges. And now, it is about to obtain (with the acquiescence, if not outright support, of Senate Democrats) the express statutory power to detain people permanently (while subjecting them, for good measure, to torture) without providing any venue to contest the validity of their detention. And as Democrats sit meekly by, the detention authority the administration is about to obtain continues -- literally each day -- to expand, and now includes some of the most dangerous and unchecked powers a government can have.

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
So we can torture at will and imprison indefinitely.

Glenn Greenwald in Salon:

Yale law professor Jack Balkin, whose rhetoric is typically restrained and mild, put it this way this morning: "The Democrats may think that if they let this pass, they are guaranteed to pick up more seats in the House and Senate. But they will actually win less seats this way. For they will have proved to the American people that they are spineless and opportunistic -- that, when faced with a genuine choice and a genuine challenge, they can keep neither our country nor our values safe."

Beltway Democrats and many of their supporters seem incapable of understanding that their central flaw has not been that they are "too liberal" on national security, but that they are perceived as standing for nothing. They appear weak and unprincipled not when it comes to standing up to the terrorists, but when it comes to standing up to the president for what they actually believe. Support for the torture bill is unconscionable; that ought to go without saying. But it is also politically self-destructive, because it depresses their base (who wants to vote for a party that supports the president's torture bill?) and inflames the perception that they are unwilling to fight for their convictions unless doing so is politically expedient.

Our leaders care more about holding onto their seats than taking a stand for justice. It's enough to make me consider abstaining from voting.

Why vote? Who's representing me? Who's standing up for liberty, freedom, and justice?

"Gilmore Girls" which lost showrunners/creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino had its first new episode under new helmer David Rosenthal. Longtime fans were worried the show would lose its wit and charm. What's my verdict after seeing one episode?

Not so good. Lauren Graham's Lorelai came off as shrill and annoying. While she spoke quickly, she also spoke inanely. There was a very regrettable monologue about "rocket gum." Sometimes Lorelai is sublimely ridiculous. Last night, she was just ridiculous. (Also, when did Lorelai start reading or recommending Cormac McCarthy novels? She's always been more of "Valley of the Dolls"-type reader.)

The minor characters were okay. Rory's dialogue was a little forced and uncharacteristic. We'll see how Rosenthal handles Lorelai's relationship with her folks--always the show's most poignant emotional thread. (Kelly Bishop has always been my favorite cast member, but I'm worried Rosenthal will turn her into a harpy.)

But if they can't get Rory and Lorelai's voice right, we're in for a bad season.

Fox Sports puts together a weekly poll ranking all 119 Division I-A college teams. The admirable aspect of the poll is that it seeks to rank teams based on perceived skill as opposed to win/loss record. This poll ranks West Virginia at #12 and LSU #4. They argue that LSU and Auburn may be the best two teams in the country, but that Auburn needs to step up against South Carolina to crack the top two. After their performance against Buffalo, I'm inclined to agree.

Caught a nasty twenty-four bug yesterday, but was able to ride my fever out through plenty of bed rest, lots of fortified orange juice, and muy blankets. Not completely back up to snuff today, but feeling worlds better. Per my wife's advice, I didn't take Advil to break the fever, but let the fever break on its own--several times. Seemed to do the trick.

Why would I be uneasy about Auburn's 38-7 win over Buffalo? Buffalo is one of the worst teams in the nation. Auburn was only up by 10 at halftime and Auburn's outstanding defense allowed the Buffalo offense considerable yardage in the first half. Auburn was clearly a team that was not ready to play after their huge, bruising win over LSU. The second unit didn't get to take the field until the fourth quarter. They should have had this game put away before halftime. Auburn cannot play this way against South Carolina on Thursday night (ESPN, 6:30) or they will lose. Bright spot of the game: running back Ben Tate, picking up the slack for an injured Kenny Irons, ran for 114 yards and two touchdowns.

South Carolina's offense finally started jelling on Saturday. QB Syvelle Newton connected with Sidney Rice for five touchdowns and the Gamecocks trounced woeful Florida Atlantic University, 45-6. South Caorlina will give Auburn a game.

Auburn will be ready to take on South Carolina, though. The game is in primetime. It's a conference game. Any loss will dash Auburn's hopes of playing for the national championship. The Auburn D will keep this game out of reach and I expect the offense to put up some big numbers for the primetime audience. The Tigers, who were shown their mortality by Buffalo, will be energized and ready. I'm hoping with big numbers that the Tigers might move ahead of the clearly vulnerable USC. (If Auburn beats Arkansas 50-14 will they vault ahead of USC?)

Auburn's most likely losses of the year will come at the end of the season. Auburn is substantially better than Bama this year, but you never know with that game. I'm not sure if Auburn can beat Florida--their likely opponent in the SEC championship--twice in one year. Leak is a very good QB and Tim Tebow can run.

#1 Ohio State and #2 USC looked vulnerable in their games. I think Iowa can, and might, upset the Buckeyes this weekend. The USC schedule suddenly looks a little more challenging. It would be incredible if Auburn's only PAC-10 opponent this year, Washington State, manages to give USC a game this weekend. Not very likely, though.

How do kick em while they're down Temple do this weekend? They managed to finally score a touchdown after two consecutive 62-0 losses. But they still lost to Western Michican, 7-41.

Did anyone watch the Notre Dame/Michigan State game? The Spartans, who whacked the Irish in the first half, choked and allowed Notre Dame a three point victory. Embarrassing.

Iraq war fomented terrorism:

A stark assessment of terrorism trends by American intelligence agencies has found that the American invasion and occupation of Iraq has helped spawn a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11 attacks.

The classified National Intelligence Estimate attributes a more direct role to the Iraq war in fueling radicalism than that presented either in recent White House documents or in a report released Wednesday by the House Intelligence Committee, according to several officials in Washington involved in preparing the assessment or who have read the final document.

The intelligence estimate, completed in April, is the first formal appraisal of global terrorism by United States intelligence agencies since the Iraq war began, and represents a consensus view of the 16 disparate spy services inside government. Titled “Trends in Global Terrorism: Implications for the United States,’’ it asserts that Islamic radicalism, rather than being in retreat, has metastasized and spread across the globe.

I called my senators and reps. and told them this would happen and was a significant reason for not voting for Bush's Iraq resolution. Am I some geopolitical genius? No, this was an obvious consequence of our ill-advised, nonsensical war.

Who else doesn't support the war? Mel Gibson.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Mel Gibson has returned to the spotlight to promote his upcoming movie "Apocalypto," and to criticize the war in Iraq, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Almost two months after he railed against Jews when he was arrested for driving drunk in Malibu, the actor made a surprise appearance Friday at Fantastic Fest, an event in Austin, Texas, devoted to new science fiction, horror and fantasy films, the trade paper said in its Monday edition.

He presented a work-in-progress screening of his Mayan adventure tale, and then took questions. About one-third of the full house gathered for the film gave him a standing ovation. The film is scheduled for a December 8 release via Disney.

In describing its portrait of a civilization in decline, Gibson said, "The precursors to a civilization that's going under are the same, time and time again," drawing parallels between the Mayan civilization on the brink of collapse and America's present situation. "What's human sacrifice," he asked, "if not sending guys off to Iraq for no reason?"

How does our prez see the war? Just a comma. From an interview on CNN:

BLITZER: Let's move on and talk a little bit about Iraq. Because this is a huge, huge issue, as you know, for the American public, a lot of concern that perhaps they are on the verge of a civil war, if not already a civil war…. We see these horrible bodies showing up, tortured, mutilation. The Shia and the Sunni, the Iranians apparently having a negative role. Of course, al Qaeda in Iraq is still operating.

BUSH: Yes, you see — you see it on TV, and that's the power of an enemy that is willing to kill innocent people. But there's also an unbelievable will and resiliency by the Iraqi people…. Admittedly, it seems like a decade ago. I like to tell people when the final history is written on Iraq, it will look like just a comma because there is — my point is, there's a strong will for democracy.

Via Atrios.

Georgia waits until the fourth quarter to score. They pulled Freshman hopeful Matthew Stafford at QB. Joe Cox stepped in and led the offense in two touchdown drives.

Final score: Georgia 14, Colorado 13.

Here's a head scratcher. This ABC series from producer JJ Abrams is like a show full of "Lost" flashbacks. We get to watch a bunch of twenty and thirty somethings running into to one another in the city while they try to get their topsy-turvy lives in order.

I found it semi-watchable because with so many characters, it wasn't really boring. But it wasn't very good either. This show lacks focus and we've seen these stories before. Erika Christensen as a young nanny in trouble has a silly story line about a mysterious box and secret identities. She is being trailed by some men in black.

Hope Davis and Campbell Scott--in a big stretch for them, they're both playing sullen--are in the show, but they aren't given much to do. Interesting and fun choice of Sarah Vowell in a small part as an obnoxious cubicle dweller. I may watch it again to see Vowell (author of "Assassination Vacation"), but expect this one to be dead in a few weeks. It's up against "ER."

If it survives it will de due to the strong lead-in of "Grey's Anatomy". Also, if "ER" has finally run out of steam, "Six Degrees" may stick around.

Also, this was the second premiere I saw this week where a Goo Goo Dolls song was featured. The Goo Goo Dolls are perhaps the most melodramatic pop group ever so using their melodramatic tunes to accentuate your melodrama is overkill. Please, please, please TV producers stop using melodramatic pop to prop up your shows. I'm talking to you "Kidnapped" and "Jericho."

Colorado has shut Georgia out for three quarters and is winning 13-0. Bad news for Auburn fans. We want the SEC to look deep and Georgia to be undefeated or have one loss when we play 'em late in the season.

Wake up, Georgia. This team lost their opener to I-AA Montana State who in turn have lost two I-AA contests in a row. Get it together, Bulldogs.

So what?

Went to see "Half Nelson" last night and saw a preview for a new documentary about the US government secretly monitoring John Lennon when he became a vocal antiwar activist. The preview feature lots of talking heads including--I think it was--Gore Vidal saying "Nixon and Bush stood for Death. John Lennon for Life." I had a big laugh. I was the only one.

Truly ridiculous. Looked like a big lovefest for Lennon. I'll pass.

Watched several of the new shows last night. "Jericho" looks promising. The use of pop music in the show was poor, the school bus rescue was silly, and Gerald McRaney's climactic speech was too forced an attempt to end the show on an uplifting note. But there was enough creepiness, dread, and mystery to keep me watching for a few weeks. Promising start, but could lose its way very quickly. Can the show find the right mix of horror, domestic drama, and mystery to stay fresh?

"Kidnapped," for about a half hour, was awesome. The cast is accomplished and interesting. (Although, the choice of Delroy Lindo for the role of the FBI man is so reminiscent of "Ransom" that its a bit distracting.) The second half of the show, though, went through so many of the usual kidnap caper cliches that it was a yawn. The closing montage, once again to the tune of groaningly bad pop music, ground the show to a halt. The first half of this show was so joltingly good and refreshing, that I have hopes for this one. And as expected, Jeremy Sisto was great. More Sisto.

Finally saw "Studio 60" last night. So polished, interesting, and perfectly cast. Do not miss this show. Monday at 10 pm Eastern on NBC. (That's 9 o'clock for us Central dwellers.)

"The Class"? Strange, a little crowded, but some promise. The show ended on such a weird, dark comic note--man backs his car into a girl he just met and fell for. Have no idea where this soapy, "Friends"-like comedy is going.

Our landlord is having the apartment downstairs from us painted. The fumes are drifting up into our place. They are overpowering, giving me headaches, and, it may just be psychosomatic, but I swear I'm not thinking as clearly. We've popped open all the windows, but the fumes are still invading the place. I'll be glad when this is over with.

Horatio Sanz and Chris Parnell are gone from SNL. Sorry to lose Parnell, but it was definitely time for Sanz. Jimmy Fallon and Sanz were often not able to make it out of skit without laughing at how funny they were. Sanz also was big about taking over a skit with his improv and sloppy line delivery. A spotlight hog.

An absurd recent statement from the Sec. of Defense:

The fact of the matter is - if Saddam Hussein were still in power in Iraq, he would be rolling in petrol dollars. Think of the price of oil today. He would have so much money. And he would be seeing the Iranians interested in a nuclear program, he would be seeing the North Koreans developing a nuclear program, and he’d say well why shouldn’t he - and he would. So we’re fortunate that he’s gone.

With what resources would Saddam be developing nuclear weapons? He had none. He still would have none. This statement is ridiculous and purposefully misleading.

Why does this man still have a job?

Our President has been stating that his push to redefine interrogation guidelines is an attempt to provide clarity to US intelligence gatherers. It is not. It is an attempt to make something illegal--torture--legal. It's an attempt to get Congress to give inhumane and degrading treatment an explicit US seal of approval.

Much was made of the PAC-10 officiating crew's late game-changing calls in the Oklahoma-Oregon game on Saturday. There was also some controversy over some key calls in the Auburn-LSU game. The SEC upon review, though, ruled that the correct calls had been made.

Here's more on the overturned interference call:

The Southeastern Conference determined that officials made the right decision in reversing a pass interference call late in the Auburn-LSU game.

"Basically, the call of removing the flag would be correct because the ball was uncatchable after the defender tipped it," SEC media relations director Charles Bloom said Monday.

Auburn defensive back Zach Gilbert was flagged for interfering with receiver Early Doucet deep in its own territory in the 7-3 win over No. 6 LSU. The flag was waved off because officials deemed that Eric Brock's tip of the ball made it uncatchable.

Another controversial fourth-quarter call that went second-ranked Auburn's way was also correct, Bloom said.

LSU's interception on third-and-29 was negated because Daniel Francis was penalized for interference on receiver Courtney Taylor, giving Auburn an automatic first down.

That pass was ruled a catchable ball, Bloom said.

LSU coach Les Miles had complained after the game about both decisions, saying the interference on Taylor "didn't disable him from catching the ball."

Miles also said he believed the other play should have been pass interference because the ball was tipped downfield, not at the line of scrimmage.

The rule states only that an infraction occurs when the contact "could prevent the opponent the opportunity of receiving a catchable forward pass."

That was a close one. Couldn't watch the game live due to six hours of a library management seminar and a wedding reception. I was able to keep myself blissfully unaware of the outcome. Though as an Auburn fan I would have liked to watch a blowout--it may have helped Auburn leap over the Trojans in the Coaches Poll--this game was exciting, intense, and a game that I'm glad to have preserved on tape. Unfortunately, because this was a low scoring contest, the highlight reels were dominated by Auburn's lone touchdown drive. Highlight reels could not do the game justice. And how about punter Kody Bliss, my MVP, whose phenomenal kicking was the difference in this game for the ages.

Auburn's game next week against Buffalo will be a great chance for Auburn's backups to get some valuable playing time. The starters need some time to heal after this weekend's slugfest. Buffalo in their opening game of the season had to go into OT to defeat the mighty Temple Owls, 9-3. I don't forsee any way, possibility, situation that would lead to a Buffalo win. (Maybe someone puts Flubber in the cleats of the Bulls. See "The Son of Flubber.") The Tigers should win by about four touchdowns and hold Buffalo to seven points or less.

Speaking of Temple...They lost 62-0 for the second week in a row. Still the worst team in the nation. Mississippi State (0-3) lost to Tulane 32-29 making them a close runner-up.

Why is Ohio State ranked #1 in the nation? They are extremely talented, but their preseason position at #1 has to do with their drubbing of a suspect Notre Dame team in their 2005 bowl appearance. Why is USC ranked at #2 in the Coaches Poll? Because they beat a bad Arkansas team, 50-14. Arkansas barely squeaked by Vanderbilt this weekend, 21-19. After Auburn's nail biter against a very talented LSU team, I'm surprised more voters aren't comfortable giving Auburn the #1 spot.

Time Magazine has a great article about prosperity theology and its biggest voices, like Joel Osteen.

This movement is using the pulpit to sell self-help and get rich quick. A better place for these pastors would be on late-night television and in Holiday Inn conference rooms. It pains me tremendously to see the Gospel so mangled and sold as as a personal empowerment scheme.

(You have to sit through a short ad to real the whole article.)

That's the point spread for this weekend's USC/Nebraska game. This seems a bit inflated especially given the fact that USC has only played one game. Against Arkansas. I would put money on USC, but that spread seems a little ridiculous. Now if they were playing a team from their conference, this spread might be warranted.

From the AP:

A recent House of Representatives committee report on Iran's nuclear capability is "outrageous and dishonest" in trying to make a case that Tehran's program is geared toward making weapons, a senior official of the U.N. nuclear watchdog has said. The letter, obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday outside a 35-nation board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency, says the report is false in saying Iran is making weapons-grade uranium at an experimental enrichment site, when it has in fact produced material only in small quantities that is far below the level that can be used in nuclear arms.

Second verse, same as the first.

Is it necessary to clarify the Geneva Conventions in order to allow our intelligence agencies more leeway to torture? Josh Marshall has more:

Following up on Tony Snow's presser earlier this afternoon, as we noted, Snow argued that the White House doesn't want to gut or reinterpret the minimum level anti-torture protections under Article 3 of the Geneva Convention. They just want to help clarify the vague language.

Check back to the article in the Washington Post that ran on August 9th, however, for some helpful perspective.

The Post spoke to Army Lt. Col. Geoffrey S. Corn, who until recently was chief of the war law branch of the Army's Office of the Judge Advocate General.

Corn told the Post ... "that Common Article 3 was, according to its written history, 'left deliberately vague because efforts to define it would invariably lead to wrongdoers identifying 'exceptions,' and because the meaning was plain -- treat people like humans and not animals or objects.'"

Check out this interview with Mel Brooks son Max who wrote this Fall's much ballyhooed "World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War." I'm eagerly awaiting my copy from the library.

Got a peek at the new NBC series about the birth of superheroes and villains. I really liked it. It was not great. There were quite a few problems, but I'm willing to forgive the show it's faults because it was gripping, fun, and it moved. Last season's most legitimate network sci-fi entry "Invasion" was a slow, lumbering bore.

The show opens with some pretty hard to follow narration about fate, destiny, yada, yada, but then gets moving. We are introduced to several heroes/villains as they are discovering their powers in the midst of domestic turmoil and ennui. (Pretentious? Let me know.) There is a shadowy figure lurking around in the background who may be a Cigarette Smoking Man type, or someone more benevolent.

The show has a big scope, appears to have a nice budget, and has a decent cast. It's nice to see Milo Ventimiglia (Jess, from "Gimore Girls") playing a selfless character for a change. Adrian Pasdar leaves a strong impression as Ventimiglia's brother and aspiring politician. Will he be Lex Luthor or a leader of NBC's Justice League? I did not enjoy Masi Oka as the stereotypical Japanese worker bee who longs for significance. He's more Long Duk Dong than Kurt Wagner. Ali Larter appears to be the Phoenix of "Heroes."

This show works by creating a big canvas, introducing some intriguing mysteries, and being largely original. I do not know where this show is going, but I can't wait to find out. A must for superhero fans. So much better than "Smallville."

Not for the kiddies, though. Some disturbing gore and a little sex.

Kudos to Matt Lauer and The Today Show for conducting an insightful interview with the President. Lauer really challenges Bush on the issue of legality of our interrogation methods. Bush's response is pretty paternalistic and lacks nuance. See for yourself at the link above.

The founding fathers created two seperate constitutions, one for peace time and one for times of war:

UC Berkeley law Professor John Yoo, who as a Justice Department lawyer was one of the Bush administration's chief legal theorists, summarized its view in his forthcoming book, "War by Other Means":

"We are used to a peacetime system in which Congress enacts the laws, the president enforces them, and the courts interpret them. In wartime, the gravity shifts to the executive branch.''

This is simply false and emblematic of why so many of us want the Bush admin. gone yesterday.

Auburn D kept the Bulldogs scoreless yesterday. Final score: 34-0. Mississippi State has yet to score any points this season and has largely failed to carry the ball into their oppponent's territory. Mississippi State successfully focused their defense on Kenny Irons and kept him to only 69 yards breaking his streak of seven consecutive 100 yard games. The defense seemed to be somewhat singleminded, however, as they had no answer for quick running back Brad Lester and wide receiver Courtney Taylor. Both turned in great games and had their way with Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are on their way to having the worst offense in the SEC.

The game was a tune-up for next week's test against LSU. Auburn made several sloppy turnovers, but given the anemic offense of the Bulldogs, these mistakes were negligible. Against LSU, these kind of mistatkes could lose the game. I think these turnovers were the result of Auburn looking forward to next week, though. Expect a clean, intense matchup next Saturday.

The AP and Coaches Poll have been released. Somewhat disappointed. Notre Dame, understandably, jumped ahead of Auburn in both polls. Despite not playing this week and handling a questionable Arkansas team last week, USC moved into the #2 spot in the Coaches Poll ahead of Notre Dame. If I was an Irish fan, I'd be peeved. Auburn did move into the #3 spot in the AP and stayed at #4 in the the Coaches.

USC, playing a round robin schedule in the very soft PAC-10, could easily go through the season undefeated. Their only real test comes against Notre Dame on Nov. 25. If Notre Dame can get past Michigan next week, I look for them to be undefeated going in to their game against USC. Their schedule includes all three service academies. Ohio State's schedule also looks to be cake. Their toughest game will be on Nov. 18 versus Michigan. To go undefeated, however, you have to play your best ball every Saturday and face your opponents often at their very best. Upsets are possible, even likely, but on paper, I think the situation looks very good for Ohio State, Notre Dame, and USC.

Conceivably this means that Auburn could finish the season at #3, but if they somehow manage to run the table in the deep SEC and win the conference championship, I think a plurality of voters will place them at #2.

What have we learned after two weeks? If your team needs a tune-up before entering conference play, look to the PAC-10. (Except for USC, of course.)

What's up with Tennessee? After handling Cal last week, they almost lost to Air Force yesterday. Air Force went for two for the win in the closing seconds yesterday and lost, 30-31. What does this mean? A)Cal is very, very bad, or B)Tennessee was looking ahead to Florida next week and got sloppy, or C)Air Force has a good team this year. Probably a little bit of each.

Big ups to Troy who almost pulled off the monster upset against #9 Florida State. I think we may be dealing with some overrated Seminoles.

Worst team in the nation? Hard to argue against Temple who lost to Louisville yesterday 62-0. When the Temple quarterback wasn't lofting balls high over the heads of his receivers, he was hitting them in the numbers only to watch his passes fall to the ground. Excruciating. It was like watching a train wreck.

(Went to a sports bar yesterday with about twenty screens so I got to see quite a few games. Much fun if you have a few hours to waste.)

Dick Cheney.

Vice President Cheney said today that the ongoing national debate over the war in Iraq is emboldening adversaries to believe they can undermine the resolve of the American people to complete the U.S. mission in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"They can't beat us in a stand-up fight, they never have, but they're absolutely convinced they can break our will [and that] the American people don't have the stomach for the fight, " Cheney said on NBC's Meet the Press .

The vice president said U.S. allies in Afghanistan and Iraq "have doubts" America will finish the job there. "And those doubts are encouraged, obviously, when they see the kind of debate that we've had in the United States," Cheney said. "Suggestions, for example, that we should withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq simply feed into that whole notion, validates the strategy of the terrorists."

Journalist and blogger of note Andrew Sullivan offers this preview of the coming storm:

Next week, I'm informed via troubled White House sources, will see the full unveiling of Karl Rove's fall election strategy. He's intending to line up 9/11 families to accuse McCain, Warner and Graham of delaying justice for the perpetrators of that atrocity, because they want to uphold the ancient judicial traditions of the U.S. military and abide by the Constitution. He will use the families as an argument for legalizing torture, setting up kangaroo courts for military prisoners, and giving war crime impunity for his own aides and cronies. This is his "Hail Mary" move for November; it's brutally exploitative of 9/11; it's pure partisanship; and it's designed to enable an untrammeled executive. Decent Republicans, Independents and Democrats must do all they can to expose and resist this latest descent into political thuggery. If you need proof that this administration's first priority is not a humane and effective counter-terror strategy, but a brutal, exploitative path to retaining power at any price, you just got it.

Here's a really wild promotional photo from the upcoming film adaptation of the Broadway hit "Hairspray"?

John Travolta will be playing the role of Edna Turnblad, originally played by the cross-dressing Divine in the John Waters film. Bruce Vilanch and Harvey Fierstein played the role on stage. Frankly, I don't know why this musical was such a hit. Who could sit through two plus hours of either Vilanch or Fierstein hamming it up in drag?

Sounds horrible to me. Travolta will be far more tolerable, although I can imagine his feminine inflection being extremely grating. A lot like the late Jonathan Brandis in "Ladybugs."

A big "no prize" to anyone who both remembers "Ladybugs" and sat through the whole thing. Let me know in the comments below.

Watched RB Ian Johnson from Boise State demolish the Oregon State defense last night on ESPN. He ran for 240 yards and 5 touchdowns. A really incredible performance. At the same time, after watching Cal, Washington State, and Oregon State get waxed over this past week, I have to say that I am not impressed with the PAC-10. They look soft.

Guess where Ian Johnson played high school ball? Yes, Bill and Ted's alma mater San Dimas High.

Here's a thoroughly unpleasant dark comedy that follows Edmond Burke (William H. Macy) on a hedonistic quest for self-realization through seedy New York nightlife. With its episodic structure and Edmond's descent to Hell, this movie feels like "Pilgrim's Progress" in reverse.

"Edmond" is an adaptation of a Mamet play--the reason I went to see it--and given the scope of the movie and Edmond's violent thrill seeking, I'm baffled how this would have played on stage. Probably with lots of red lighting. The movie has been dumped unceremoniously into theaters, and it's no surprise. Who could market this thing?

The movie falters right out of the gate by never showing us who Edmond Burke is before his descent. We do get to see him business-suited and leaving his desk job, but we never get to know him in any substantial way so he becomes just an anonymous worker drone. Mamet is telling us, with the lack of detail, the Edmond is us.

SPOILERS AHEAD After having a Tarot reading from Happy Gilmore's grandma (Frances Bay) in which he learns he is leading the wrong life, he goes home and unceremoniously dumps his wife, played by Mamet regular and spouse Rebecca Pidgeon. The callousness of this act and its lack of context will leave most of the audience hating Edmond. Must a movie lead's be sympathetic? No, but by subverting an audience's need to sympathize with the protagonist, you are fighting an uphill battle.

Then we are treated to the movie's most interesting scene where a mysterious stranger (the Devil?) played by Joe Mantegna starts Edmond off on his quest for self-realization through indulgence. Edmond hits the streets ready to indulge in his fleshly weaknesses. The movie has several bizarre comedic scenes where Edmond haggles with various wayward ladies over the high costs of the flesh trade.

Edmond has a hard go of it and runs afoul of some pimps and con men. This unleashes his buried rage. He feels fully realized in this violence and takes it out on a naive cocktail waitress (Julia Stiles). The film saves its big joke for the closing moments as Edmond finally finds an ulikely someone (Bokeem Woodbine) to listen to, love him, and make him feel alive.

One is tempted to view this movie as a cautionary tale. A vision of what can happen when we stray too far off socially acceptable paths and indulge our prurient natures. (See "Eyes Wide Shut.") But given the movie's closing moments, it's clear that this whole contraption is not a morality play, but merely Mamet screwing with his protagonist and audience.

Only for diehard Mamet and Macy fans. The rest of you? Stay far, far away.

Hardly ever watch Leno. I find him bland and broad. (I'm a Colbert man). But this joke is pretty good:

"Over in England Prime Minister Tony Blair has decided he will step down in May. Looks like President Bush has toppled another foreign government."
---Jay Leno

Pretty funny:

A representative from the Tigua tribe of Texas, one of Jack Abramoff's former clients, says that he witnessed a clandestine meeting between the lobbyist and Karl Rove on the street just outside the White House -- and that Abramoff said he and Rove regularly met in such ways in order to stay below the radar.

Anyone else imagining Rove standing on the corner with a big overcoat stopping unsuspecting tourists: "Hello, sir. You look like a man with fine taste. Can I interest you in a Rolex?"

Here's Greg Mitchell from Editor and Publisher to give you the lowdown.

Scholastic, youth media giant (the Harry Potter series, Weekly Reader), was drawing criticism for it's co-promotion of controversial and fact-challenged ABC docudrama "Path to 9/11." They listened to the criticism and pulled their materials to be used in conjunction with the film.

TPM has more:

Educational media giant Scholastic, Inc. announced it's dropping its original classroom companion guides to a controversial new docudrama about the events preceding the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks -- and replacing them with materials stressing critical thinking and media literacy.

“After a thorough review of the original guide that we offered online to about 25,000 high school teachers, we determined that the materials did not meet our high standards for dealing with controversial issues,” said Dick Robinson, Chairman, President and CEO of Scholastic, in a press release.

The original materials had been criticized for oversimplifications and failures to address flaws in post-9/11 policies, including the invasion of Iraq.

The new materials, Scholastic said, will stress three issues:

1. Media Literacy - what is a docudrama; how does it differ from a documentary; what are the differences between factual reporting and a dramatization?

2. Background to 9/11 - what are some of the causes of unrest in the Middle East and other parts of the world that give rise to attacks on the U.S. and other countries?

3. Geography and Culture -- there is a long history of conflict in the Middle East. How well do students understand each of the countries involved and what influences their behavior?

"[D]eveloping critical thinking and media literacy skills is crucial for students," the release quoted Scholastic CEO Robinson as saying. "‘The Path to 9/11’ provides a very ‘teachable moment’ for developing these skills at the high school level."

I love the set of three questions. How important to place Middle Eastern conflict and 9/11 in a historical context as opposed to the simpleminded response "They hate our freedom."

I can think of a certain president who could benefit from having to mull over these questions. No, I'm not kidding.

An example of why this giant is bad for consumers.

Watched the premiere of Fox's new Ron Livingston comedy/crime proceudural--proceduraledy(?). May watch it again, but not likely. Is it "Moonlighting"? Is it "NYPD Blue"? The show's mix of romantic comedy and hostage negotiators in action scenes is awkward. Don't know how they're gonna do this week after week.

The show follows two hostage negotiatiors who are in the middle of a relationship, but can't decide if they are serious or just sleeping together. They also talk down criminals every week. Will this show find an audience? I'm guessing no, although FOX did premiere it after "House," so who knows. I mean "Yes, Dear" stayed on for six years.

"Standoff" is much better than "Yes, Dear."

The Sci Fi Channel follows the trend, a la "The Office," of posting webisodes. This one's about three minutes long and it shows some series regulars trapped on New Caprica planning a resistance movement.

This one in the service of restricting freedom of the press.

Excellent:

Key Republican senators have drafted a legislative plan for special military trials of suspected terrorists that diverges from a recent Bush administration plan by granting defendants rights that the White House has sought to proscribe, government officials said yesterday.

Under the lawmakers' plan, any future military trials of the nearly 200 eligible U.S. detainees held in military prisons at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and other locations around the world would be governed by a law that explicitly ensures that defendants have the right to know the evidence against them.

Via TPM.

Apparently the new ABC docudrama "The Path to 9/11" plays fast and loose with the facts.

From Condoleeza Rice:

Secretary of State Rice compared the Iraq war with the American Civil War, telling a magazine that slavery might have lasted longer in this country if the North had decided to end the fight early.

"I'm sure there are people who thought it was a mistake to fight the Civil War to its end and to insist that the emancipation of slaves would hold," Rice said in the new issue of Essence magazine.

"I know there were people who said, 'Why don't we get out of this now, take a peace with the South, but leave the South with slaves?'" Rice said.

Via Atrios.

UGH! Auburn won on Saturday, but fails to move up in the polls and now has fallen behind perennial favorite--justifiably--USC. This only becomes a concern if two of the following teams remain undefeated throughout the season: USC, Texas, and Ohio State, and possibly perenially overrated Notre Dame who currently shares the #4 spot with Auburn. We could have another situation where Auburn goes undefeated and cannot play for the national championship.

My gut tells me they aren't going undefeated.

Saw an ad for the new season of "7th Heaven" the other day and saw not one face I recognized. Has the entired cast been Darren'd? Where are the Camdens? (And no, I'm not a fan of the show, but do have a passing familiarity with it.)

I'm skeptical, but if they do and are able to halt the Bush admin., even if this were to mean deadlock, it would be a win for Democracy.

But of course, the Dems have 2008 to worry about so I'll be surprised if they act with much integrity. Here's hoping.

Auburn seems to have overcome their traditional Tuberville-inspired opening day jitters and come away with a win against the PAC-10's Washington State. They had somewhat of a slow start and made me a little nervous at times, but managed to trounce the Cougars 40-14. John Vaughan kicked a career long 52 yard field goal and scored Auburn's first 12 points.

This Saturday they get another tune up game against the Bulldogs of Mississippi State whose offense looked absolutely atrocious against South Carolina. Auburn's quick defense is going to murder them. Then it's on to possibly their most important game of the year against LSU.

Did anyone watch Tennessee trounce Cal? A beautiful game. My favorite game of the day, although Notre Dame at Georgia Tech and UAB at Oklahoma were close runners up.

Will the Coaches Poll correct for their early preseason placement of Oklahoma over Auburn? After the Sooners almost lost to UAB, I hope so.

Is Notre Dame overrated? Listening to Brent Musburger's abundant enthusiasm as the Irish and Quinn barely eked out a win, I grew quite annoyed. I think the ABC booth was a bit too enthused. You would have thought Notre Dame was destroying Tech given the play-by-play.

Why no posting today?

After getting a late start, I walked out to my car to get the day going and found one of my windows smashed in. The front passenger window for those of you keeping score at home. Tiny and large pieces of glass everywhere. Cleaning it up took about an hour. Then there was the job of getting estimates--not my first time doing this, unfortunately. Then there was the driving out to the suburbs so I could get the job done for just $100. Then there was the interminable wait at the questionable garage with less than inspiring staff. Then there was the return home at rush hour just in time to get prepped for a friend's party. Then there was the paper, due first thing in the morning, I just finished for my class.

The day was kind of a bust.

Oh, and nothing was stolen from my car except for about $1.50 in change. Bastards.

On one level, I'm very glad that my car was largely untouched, but on another I'm like if you're gonna cause me $100 worth of damage, why just take my spare change? (My radio is factory installed and doesn't work anymore.) Maybe I should just leave the door unlocked from now on.