... of people who have realized that lots and lots of Americans are very, very stupid, and there is lots and lots of money to be made off of them. Stupid money is worth the same as smart money ... just ask Rick Warren.

if it wasn't for the ugly, corrupt, vulgar nature of the people who have appropriated it.

It truly was an amazing sports year - hard to believe all of that happened in one 12 month period.

One nit: I think you mean Jason Kidd was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, and not that he suddenly took up hockey. Although if that's a purposeful avoidance of a word that was ruined forever in 2008, I'm all for it.

Obama knows how being thrust into the public spotlight can influence your thinking. Just by naming Warren to give the invocation--a trivial portion of the inauguration that has no weight whatsoever--Warren would come under fire for his more disgusting beliefs. And guess what? He has come under such fire, and has been forced to backpedal a bit from some of his more nefarious beliefs about homosexuals. By putting Warren under the microscope of public scrutiny, Obama is not just giving right wingers a voice, he is causing a major flock leader of right wingers to reexamine his positions and maybe even change a bit. That's how you change hearts and minds - not by shunning and castigating, but by letting them feel the pressure of public scrutiny themselves by granting them an audience.

Now will Warren completely disavow his former stances and become a champion of gay rights? Obviously not. But any nudge toward the left is a good nudge, and seeing eye to eye starts with opening a dialogue and giving someone an opportunity. One thing is certain - Warren wouldn't budge an inch if not given this opportunity.

And from the start of the pre-game festivities through the end of the first period, it was the best sporting event I've ever been to. The crowd was awesome, the atmosphere was electric, everyone simultaneously thinking to themselves "this is reall, really cool."

Then the Hawks decided that they could lay down against Detroit with a two goal lead, and Detroit made them pay. Maybe it's Wrigley Field that's cursed, and not the Cubs. It is built on a seminary, after all.

But yes, I agree that the NHL has outmaneuvered college football to take over New Years' Day, and I'm not all that upset about it.

Some misconceptions seem to be reappearing in the comments section which I'd like to address.

First of all, Blago wasn't indicted. A criminal complaint was filed against him. Big difference.

Secondly, the AG doesn't have to sign the appointment, the State Secretary of State does (Jesse White).

The fact is that Blago outmaneuvered everyone. If Illinois Speaker of the House Mike Madigan had gotten his act together, the legislature could have passed a law stripping Blago of his power of appointment. But they didn't, and Blago did what was perfectly within his legal right to do.

Furthermore, though Burris is a quite annoying grandstander, he is generally regarded as a decent man and an honest public servant, and there is no evidence (or even suspicion) of any foul play connected with his appointment. I don't see why anything Bobby Rush says--ridiculous as it may be--should have any impact.

Just because Blago has a criminal complaint filed against him does not mean everything he does is tainted. I think the guy is a narcissistic blowhard with potential psychological disorders. I think Roland Burris is a lightweight who took advantage of a situation. None of this is illegal, and a dangerous and terrible precedent is set if Burris is not seated because of the allegations of wrongdoing against Blago. No, it's not an ideal situation by any stretch, but it's not the end of the world either.

His glorious eminence shone a light so bright that I had to watch the game with sunglasses on. Every time he handled the ball was like watching Jesus fish. The only mistake he's ever made in his life, after all, was that taunting penalty, which was very Christ-like. I think the Left Behind folks will be glad to realize that Christ has returned, and his name is Tim Tebow. When Tim Tebow spits, a giant oak tree grows. Tim Tebow can cure diseases by looking at them. Tim Tebow's toenail clippings are legal currency in 45 countries.

... to get up there every day and equivocate, cover up, evade, hedge, waffle, and perform all of the other expert verbal gymnastic skills required of a Bush Press Secretary to avoid having your bosses arrested for treason. I never found Perino to be a particularly bright bulb, but she's not an idiot either, and the highwire act she performed on a daily basis had to be nothing short of exhausting.

That said, her logic on the mythical liberal media bias must mean that Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and the Tooth Fairy are all real, or else nobody would ever ask about them.

Hillary Clinton is a woman. She is a woman whose entire career, down to her political arrangement, er marriage, to Bill has been marked by the tireless pursuit of power and self-aggrandizement. When exactly, during the campaign, did she ever stand up for feminist principles? What did she say or do at this luncheon that reaffirmed her feminist principles other than utter a few carefully chosen bromides to a roomful of feminists?

I know feminists. I've been dating one for several years. Hillary Clinton is no feminist. She is a ruthless opportunist and power grabber who happens to have a vagina. Big difference.