So much news....

Trying to get back into the swing of things is a little difficult. But at the same time, it's all so aggravatingly typical of the administration, the press, and the presidential candidates.

On the US Attorney front, the White House remains adamant: "We didn't do anything wrong. Even if we did something wrong, it wasn't our fault. And even if it was our fault, we'd happily admit it." Which explains why Alberto Gonzales' memory is suddenly going from crystal clear to all sort of... hazy. They must have everyone watching the Iran-Contra hearings.

I'm sure you remember that the White House is determined to keep the likes of Rove (or anyone else they consider indispensible) from talking about the incident under oath. And you've undoubtedly heard about Gonzales' top aide (and 'attorney for Jesus') who'll be pleading the Fifth. But that wasn't enough-- did you catch the bit about their attempt to prevent anything said from even being transcribed? But what you just don't understand is that asking people to testify under oath wouldn't even be necessary if it weren't for... here it comes... Bill Clinton. It's all they've got, folks.

In light of all this, Democrats and frightened Republicans decided to strip away one of the articles in the always-oily and mercilessly-abused Patriot Act: the one that permits the White House to appoint US Attorneys on a whim, indefinitely and for whatever reason, without any oversight. Somewhere out there, Nikita Kruschev is banging his loafer on a table and laughing hysterically.

But reality is still very much out of fashion among presidential fantasists. Joe Lieberman argues that there's no civil war in Iraq. John McCain knows that Iraq would be a cakewalk if only Democrats would do what the White House wants. I'd argue that this shows both men to be either A) utterly cynical liars who think it'll score them points in the future, or B) dangerously delusional. At any rate, people this out of touch shouldn't be leading Boy Scout troops, much less an entire state or (God forbid) the nation.

But I'm still really unhappy with their counterparts in the Democratic party. Remember that anecdote about a black athlete saying that black men had to be twice as good to even earn a spot on the team? I think it's been recycled for many other purposes, and sports anecdotes aren't exactly my forte, but the Dems should really be keeping it in mind-- they're going to be treated twice as harshly as any Republican just because they're Democrats. And the two front-runners aren't exactly inspiring me with their efforts. Barack Obama is still agonizingly vague about his own positions. But so is Hillary (I'd link to that story about her recent non-answer on gays in the military followed by a a hasty apology when she was called on it). Sadly, even though John Edwards has been admirably clear about specific issues, Katie Couric is too busy asking him why he's such a heartless monster to cover any of them. On 60 Minutes, for the luvva Pete.

"Some people watching this would say, `I would put my family first always, and my job second.' And you're doing the exact opposite. You're putting your work first, and your family second," she said, asking for their response.

Those questions provoked dozens of people to write to the CBS Web site, complaining that Couric was being insensitive. Some even questioned her right to ask them, given that Couric kept doing her "Today" show job, with breaks, when her husband Jay Monahan was diagnosed with colon cancer and died in 1998.

That WaPo article is disturbingly sympathetic to Couric, whose career should never, ever have gone beyond giving us the scoop on Rachael Ray's taste in footwear. Right, Katie. The man who wants to dedicate his life to fighting poverty in America is simply "putting work first."

But now let's go to our on-the-spot reporter, Ekatirena Kourakas, who has an exclusive interview with Hector and Andromache....

"Hector, you're determined to lead your countrymen into battle against a foe determined to level your city and kill or enslave all its people, even though you have a wife and young son at home. Some would say you're putting your work first, and your family second...."

And now that I've said that, it's clearly time for a refreshing latte followed by a sushi dinner.