Jan. 29: State of the Union fallout (Bush and non-Bush)

*Obama snubs Sen. Clinton



Is this how someone who wants to be president should act?



http://weblogs.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/blog/2008/01/by_frank_james_president_bush.html



Another reason I think Obama should have waited at least until after his first Senate term was over to run for president.



*The next endorsement.....



This endorsement business is starting to get ridiculous:



http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/shared-blogs/ajc/politicalinsider/entries/2008/01/28/obama_vs_clinton_and_now_toni.html





*Explaining blacks' affection for the Clintons



This column does a good job of explaining the connection African-Americans have felt to the Clintons:



http://www.sptimes.com/2008/01/27/Opinion/Behind_the_love_for_C.shtml



As we've seen recently, though, it's not a connection they can assume. To quote the late U.S. House Speaker Tip O'Neill: "People like to be asked."





*The forgotten man



Frank James also writes about the presidential election noise overcoming what President George W. Bush has to say. Indeed, Bush seems to be turning into The Forgotten Man (Who would have thought?). However, he still has a year to act. That must be remembered.





*Response to State of the Union speech



Also forgotten - sort of - in the flurry of presidential election news is the response to Bush's speech by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas. Here's a link:



http://www.startribune.com/nation/14624062.html



Good and upbeat, I thought. Incidentally, she just endorsed Barack Obama. She's been mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate.....



*Obama answers Israel questions



This from the Jerusalem Post:



http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1201523779464&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull





*Should religion matter?



Leonard Pitts asks that question:



http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-oped0129pittsjan29,0,4580814.story



The answer is no, any more than race and gender should matter. However, with the deaths of almost 3,000 people on 9/11 still fresh in people's minds, as well as the war in Iraq and perpetual Middle East troubles, a Muslim won't get elected to the White House anytime soon. That's the reality. Pitts is right, though. The question is how long it will take this country to realize that.









*Mourning Margaret Truman Daniel



Margaret Truman Daniel, the daughter of President Harry Truman, has died:



http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OBIT_TRUMANS_DAUGHTER?SITE=MABOC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-01-29-12-33-32



Indeed, she did establish multiple careers, the most successful one probably as a mystery writer. In 1992, when various presidential candidates were trying to compare themselves to her father, she respectfully told them to knock it off. She had a bit of her father's moxie.







*Montclair University journalists fight



Go, Montclarion:



http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/nyregion/29montclair.html?scp=2&sq=journalism&st=nyt



And I'm not going to say a word about the student body president's last name......Actually, yes I am. If his name reflects his attitude toward the press, he may want to avoid politics after he graduates.



*Further screwing up of baseball....



The Hall of Fame game will be eliminated after this season because of schedule complexities:



http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080129&content_id=2358555&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb



Ridiculous to end a tradition that's gone on since a year after the first Hall of Fame induction. Then again, with the players from the "Steroid Era" starting to be judged, maybe there isn't much of a reason for Hall of Fame exhibition games for the time being.



*Marlins raise ticket prices


Speaking of paying for nothing:


http://www.palmbeachpost.com/marlins/content/sports/epaper/2008/01/26/a2b_marlins_0126.html


I've been a baseball fan since I was 10. Between the steroids and the atrocious way in which Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria runs his team and treats fans, I'm falling out of love with the game.





*Mosaic is restored



Cool story of the day:


http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2008-01-28-ancient-glass-israel_N.htm





*True partnership


Second cool story of the day, about a former UM star and his wife:


http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2008/01/29/balanced_lineman?mode=PF


Even though he plays for the Patriots (Remember, the Dolphins are in the same division and had the original undefeated team.)......


*Shalom!

Make way for a new TV network:

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/entertainment/tv/sfl-flbshalom0129pnjan29,0,6148031.story


*P.D.Q. Bach is Back

My favorite of Johann Sebastian's children (and the only fake one), courtesy of composer Peter
Schickele:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0125/p12s03-almp.html

My favorite P.D.Q. Bach composition is the "Minuet Militaire," complete with musical quotes from football team bands (at least the drums, the "hut, two, three" and the whistle).

Here's a Web site that has all the P.D.Q. details:

http://www.schickele.com/