Last night the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed Bolton's nomination from committee with a 10-8 party line vote.

Democrats initially said they were going to influence the lukewarmers to vote the nomination down, but hey...when's the last time Democrats ever relied on democracy to get something done?  That's funny.

So what was the next logical step?  Block Bolton's nomination:

Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer "put a hold on the nomination" of Bolton as US ambassador to the United Nations, her spokeswoman Natalie Ravitz said without indicating how the process could be delayed.

The move is intended to either force further negotiations or ultimately to prevent his nomination from reaching the Senate floor.

I slacked off of the playoffs for a while simply because I was tired of discussing blowouts.  For a while there, it looked like Round 2 was going to be full of sweeps.

Well, now only one sweep is certain.  The Washington Wizards tonight faced a Miami Heat team that was without Shaq at the MCI Center down 2-0.  Instead up stepping up and making this a real series, they alllowed Dwayne "Mighty Mouse" Wade to go buckwild.  And I'm tired of Alonzo Mourning flexing his bicep every time he makes a play.  We know he's got muscles.  We know he thinks he's a beast.  But the whole schtick gets tired the first 100 times you do it.

Tomorrow the Wizards should go to the local bait and tackle store, because they're about to go fishin.  I suggest some nightcrawlers, a few boxes of crickets, and maybe some rubber fish.

In the other game of the night, it seems as if San Antonio took a game off.  That's alright.  Every good team is allowed one of those.  It simply means they'll close out the series in San Antonio, rather than at Seattle.

However, the AP's Tim Korte and the Sonics's Antonio Daniels must have been smoking something tonight:

Allen had an impact despite shooting 0-for-6 in the final period and Vitaly Potapenko forced Tim Duncan into a missed 4-footer at the horn, lifting the Sonics to a 92-91 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night.

``In the playoffs, a lot of times it comes down to one stop,'' said Antonio Daniels, who had 18 points and eight rebounds. ``Vitaly did a great job of defending with his body. He forced him into a tough shot.''

Cmon.  Duncan got the ball just inside the perimeter where he DROVE to the basket for the four foot baby hook.  There wasn't anything complicated about that shot; Duncan has hit that bucket so many times he could hit it in his sleep.  If Potapenko was playing great defense Duncan would have never gotten that close to the basket.  Duncan simply missed the shot, that's all.

Seattle should be happy about that win, because there was no way they could win the series if they fell 3-0.  But guys, you're still down by a game to what is probably the second best team in the league.  Jerome James should have taken a hint when Antoine Walker pulled that stunt after Game 6 of the Pacers/Celtics series, just to get blown out by 40 in Game 7.  I'm sure the Wizards wish they weren't so cocky after they talked smack to the Heat after beating the Bulls, too.

As for the other two series, Indiana/Detroit and Phoenix/Dallas, they're both tied at 1 a piece and are shaping up to be pretty decent. 

Right now I've ignored the consensus that Indiana simply doesn't have enough gas to beat the Pistons, as they are now gearing up for two games at home.  But if they can get another game out of Jeff Foster like he had on Wednesday night, Detroit will be in trouble.

What makes Foster's big game impressive was that he scored 10 offensive boards against the guy that is probably the best center in the league, Ben Wallace.  Wallace is a beast, and is the defensive anchor for the defending World Champions.  But Foster has said he's been working on his game in the paint, and only time will tell if that was simply a mere fluke.

Regardless, Indiana is a dangerous team, with a dangerous player that's looking at every game as survival.  This is Reggie's last stand, and he plans to leave everything on the court.  Detroit will have to sweat a little, but I still think they'll pull it out.

Dallas/Phoenix is a virtual tossup, but I'm starting to lean towards the Suns. Amare Stoudamire is the difference maker, and he'll consistently get you 30 a game.  Finley had a great Game 2, but I don't think he can do that consistently the whole series.  Nor does he have enough gas to hold Shawn Marion the whole series either.  They're going to need Jason Terry and Josh Howard to step up in the later games.

Tomorrow night will tell whether Round 2 will be interesting, or whether we should simply look ahead to the conference finals.

FNC's Neil Cavuto has been known a time or two to give people a piece of his mind, and he did that yesterday on "Your World".

He rightfully railed against Washington legislators who complained about security and police forces only giving them a few moments notice before they had to leave Capitol Hill.  They were trying to PROTECT YOU FOOLS.  It's just a prime example of the gap between Washington aristocracy and the rest of society.

Yesterday, the New York State Athletic Commission publicly announced that James Toney had tested positive for steroids after his WBA Title victory over John Ruiz and have ruled the fight a no contest.

Toney can't fight in New York, or any state for that matter, for three months and was fined $10,000.  The WBA is guaranteed to give the championship back to Ruiz, and it's possible that Ruiz's handlers try to hold up Toney's share of the fight purse.

That punishment is pretty weak.  If Toney roided, and several people said he was acting volatile throughout the whole weekend, then he should have been fined much more.  Even though the fight wasn't highly publicized and Don King probably took a loss from it, $10,000 is barely a blip on the radar, and most boxers only fight months at a time anyway.  Instead of Toney fighting in late July, as he was currently working to secure a championship fight against IBF titlist Chris Byrd, he'll have to wait until August to fight, although it's doubtful if Byrd will take that fight now.

Another black eye has been levied against a sport who already has plenty.  It's bad enough that the heavyweight division is probably the worst it has been since the start of the Sullivan Era, but then to have a pudgy, out of shape boxer walk in and capture an alphabet title while roided won't help things either.  And although he was cheated, I'm not sure the best thing to do is give the title back to John Ruiz, who is about as entertaining to watch as sawdust.

I'm really beginning to question the sanity of my governor.

You see, in the great state of North Carolina my governor has this little stock car racing habit.  About a year and a half ago he decided to take a Hendricks NASCAR vehicle for a spin to raise money for an education program.  He crashed, but he walked away with no injuries.

I gave him a pass on that one.  Hey; it was probably a life-long dream, like most white North Carolinians.  You really can't blame him.  Besides; it was on a track, the walls were padded, and he was in a security device.  He wasn't in too much danger at the time, although tried his best to destroy the car.

But then he does this on Tuesday night:

As part of a publicity event, Easley climbed into the blue Lowe's No. 48 Monte Carlo at the governor's mansion, gave a thumbs up, then blasted out of the driveway.

Easley promptly lost control of the car, ending up askew against a curb on Lane Street. He missed striking a silver Mercedes sedan and a utility pole by mere inches.

No one was hurt, including Easley, who wasn't wearing a helmet.

Excuse me for a minute folks, but I need to holla at Mike for a second....

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Look Mike, you're an okay guy.  I mean, you're a Democrat, yet I voted for you to be reelected.  I'll give you your props; that game you ran on Ballentine?  PURE GENIUS.  You had the state believing HE was the liberal candidate in the race.  Shoot, I would have voted for you just FOR that stunt alone.

But let's get something straight.  When you get into a NASCAR vehicle, you're not some hillbilly from Lizard Lick fulfilling a life-long dream, you're the
GOVERNOR OF OUR STATE!!!

And it doesn't have anything to do with people whispering about our redneck governor; frankly I could care less about that.  The problem I have with this is, I don't want to check the Internet, or be listening to WPTF, or check N&O's website and see "'Days of Thunder' Wannabe Governor Kills Himself in Car Crash Going 200 mph".

I don't feel like reading 20 obituaries.  I don't feel like seeing CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC doing 24-hour coverage from the Governor's mansion.  I don't feel like watching a state funeral.  I'm sure a lot of people would like for our governor to live.  That's all I'm askin.  Bev Perdue can wait a few years before she ascends to the Democratic throne.

I'm not saying don't get into a race car at all.  You can get in one, look around, and maybe take a cruise around the block or something.  But that "cruise" shouldn't extend to no more than 60 mph, especially when you're speeding down the street from the mansion.  If you can't do that, then by all means wait three years.  North Carolina deserves a governor that's not in a full body cast. 

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UPDATE:  News & Observer readers, welcome!

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie told the press on Tuesday that the Eagles weren't renegotiating Terrell Owens's contract.  In fact, he outright dissed the idea:

"It's not even an issue," Lurie said in an exclusive interview. "It's a nonissue. There are a lot of things I spend time thinking about, but that's not one of them."

Lurie also criticized Terrell Owens's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, for giving the wide receiver "self-destructive advice" in persuading Owens to hold out for a new contract.

On top of that, Donovan McNabb did an interview today, and he stated:

``I feel that if he plays or not, we definitely have a chance of making it to the Super Bowl and winning it,'' McNabb said Wednesday, one day after owner Jeffery Lurie said the team won't redo Owens' contract. ``That's nothing against T.O. and it's nothing against anybody else. I just feel confident in the guys that we have. With T.O., I think we can do a lot of great things. Without him, I still think we can do a lot of good things.''

The main problem is this:  wide receivers think they are worth more to the team and thus more money than they actually are.  That's not to dimish the importance of a good passing game, but the credit and the criticism goes to the quarterback, not the receivers (that is, unless you are the Eagles, then throwing three picks in an NFC Championship Game is always the fault of the receivers).  That's why Tom Brady received a six-year, $60 million dollar contract extension this week.  The quarterback leads the offense.

But for some reason, wide receivers in today's NFL are ego driven, and then you get a guy like Drew Rosenhaus that will chat them up and they think they're invincible.  Unfortuantely, this isn't the NBA.  In the NBA, not only would T.O. had gotten a new deal, but he also would have had his previous contract bought out.

You should have worked on that J in high school, T.O.

Not only does Owens face having to give back money for missing the spring mini-camp (the Eagles says he owes almost $2 million), but it will take some time to get back into the team's good graces, no matter what McNabb says.  Don't worry, because there are several other receivers that Rosenhaus has duped along with him.  When it comes down to it, Rosenhaus doesn't care, because he's going to get paid regardless.

Chris Carter wrote about this a few weeks ago:

Of course, you better be a very good football player if you decide to hold out. You're the one taking the huge risk, not Drew. He isn't playing in the NFL. He doesn't care about your reputation and he doesn't care about the fans. Once the deal is done, though, there are never any lingering effects on either side. Teams know that it's just the nature of the business.

Carter's right about Rosenhaus's style, but I think this time around there will be lingering effects, namely Rosenhaus's reputation as well as the reputation of his clients.

If you haven't heard, John McCain is now speaking up in favor of a compromise that would only put a part of President Bush's judicial nominees on the floor for a vote.  I suppose he couldn't allow Nelson and Lott get all of the spotlight, so he had to weasel his way in that deal.

This is precisely the reason the Republican Party needs reform, and specifically needs to define who and what they are as a political party.  The Democratic Party is virtually unified in their support of left-wing policies and corruption.  The Republicans most identifiable members outside of Bush, Frist, Hastert, and DeLay are a handful of senators that make their name not from what they support, but what they oppose.

These senators - McCain, Voinovich, Snowe, Chafee, Specter, and Hagel - are the Mavericks, guaranteed to support the Democrats on any topic that's deemed controversial.  This handful of senators have the power to hold up important legislation and policies at any time.  It's one thing to oppose party-supported legislation from time-to-time, but when it consistently happens on almost every issue by the same senators there's a serious problem as to who has control of Congress.

The American people gave the Republicans a clear victory in 04, retaining the White House and gaining seats in both the Senate and the House.  This was clearly a mandate for conservative policies throughout the legislature, as most of the seats the Republicans picked up were from traditionally conservative states.  Fenceriders didn't get elected; conservatives did.  Yet, we have a number of number of senators constantly blocking any sort of reasonable legislation being offered to the U.S. Senate.  It's time for the Republican Party to tell the lukewarmers to shape up, or ship out.

If they don't, I'm sure some conservative groups will be glad to show them the door.  The Club for Growth gave Arlen Specter the scare of a lifetime in his primary race against Pat Toomey (who ironically now is their president).  Chafee could be targeted this year, as well as Snowe.  Hagel and McCain have their seats virtually for life, but they'll get theirs in 08, as both of them have no chance of getting the Republican nomination.

Regardless, conservatives should continue to push forward the agenda in the Senate.  A few monkeys shouldn't stop the show.

Since most of the country is going through a news drought, I thought I'd might talk about some of the more interesting things going on in North Carolina, my home state, over the next couple of days.  It seems as if we are going through a cultural reformation of some sort.

Traditional marriage supporters rallied at the Capitol yesterday in order to compel lawmakers to create a referendum that would amend the state constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman. 

The (Raleigh) News & Observer says only 500 people attended the event, when they were expecting thousands.  I don't know why they expected that many people, especially when you're having a rally in the middle of the week.  Perhaps these people need more practice in organizing rallies.  Some of the anti-war groups could probably help them with that.

As for the proposed amendment, if I see it on the ballot, I'll probably leave it blank.  I've been critical of gay marriage cases based on principle, considering that most state laws on this issue have been in place for over two centuries and there hasn't been one state that has voted for gay marriage via referendum.  As the Oregon Supreme Court noted in a recent opinion (and I wrote about here), the state has the right to regulate marriage, and always have.  Marriage has never been an individual right, or else polygamy and incest would be considered rights as well, and no one has defended them (yet).

But as far as I'm concerned, I could personally care less if a gay couple call themselves husband and husband, wife and wife, or whatever.  Nor do I see all of the hubbub about this issue outside of legal interpretation.  I also think these movement supporters are being dishonest when they say they're trying to "protect" their children, as the N&O stated was on some of the signs Tuesday.  Last time I heard, homosexuality isn't addictive.  Your child isn't going to turn gay because he saw two men kiss.  It's your job to prepare the child for things that he may see that is out of the ordinary.

That doesn't mean I want to see two women sucking face in public (and no; I don't think two women making out is hot, you pervs).  But nowadays parental and family groups are constantly looking towards government to shield their children from things they don't want to deal with.  Sure; there's a number of things that kids at a certain age are not mature enough to handle.  But one of the hard lessons about growing up is about learning how to adapt to changing circumstances.  Considering this country lives by a creed of freedom, parents need to find new ways to deal with these situations without continuously rallying for more government limitations.

Having said that, if a referendum is placed on the ballot, I'm sure Chief Justice I. Beverly Lake Jr. and the NC Supreme Court will abide by the wishes of the electorate, as they should.

Trent Lott was a guest this morning on the Tony Show radio show.  You can hear the 3-part audio clips here.  In the interview, he blasted Senate Republicans who had threw him "overboard" when he could have "used a little help".  He claims he's free, and can do things the way he sees it.

If he's free, then let him be free of Republican campaign money as well.  Ken Mehlman should cut him off.

Lott complimented himself as someone who could get things done.  There's no doubt that he got things done, but the question is were they good things?  I doubt if people would look at the Senate from 96-2002 in a positive light.  If the Senate is a dysfunctional institution, it's because Lott helped them become that way.  And under Lott's leadership, the Republicans have been an impotent majority.  At least under Bill Frist, they've taken a stand for what's right.

Previous Posts:

1. It's time to show Trent Lott the door
2. Democrats looking to compromise on nuclear option

Roll Call broke the story Monday morning about a supposed deal being etched out by Trent Lott, the Republican former Senate Majority Leader, and Democratic Senator Ben Nelson on the judicial filibuster issue.

Via National Review's The Corner:

A bipartisan coalition of Senators believe it is close to a deal that would avert the looming showdown between Republicans and Democrats over judicial filibusters.

The potential deal, spearheaded by Sens. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), would involve at least a half-dozen Senators from each party signing a letter or memorandum of understanding that signals how they would proceed to vote on all matters related to judicial nominations.

The six Senate Republicans would commit to opposing the so-called nuclear option to end judicial filibusters, which would leave GOP leaders short of the 50 votes they need to execute the parliamentary move to abolish the procedure.

In exchange, the six Senate Democrats would pledge to allow votes on four of the seven circuit court nominees who were already filibustered in the 108th Congress and have been renominated.

In a press statement, Lott acknowledges he has been working on a deal, but he hasn't agreed to this one. Regardless, it is the perfect example of why Trent Lott should never be trusted with any kind of Senate leadership position ever again. Make no mistake; Lott is trying to undermine his Republican colleagues in the Senate, not help. Going behind the back of Senator Frist and the the conservative majority - who have already stated they have the 50 votes needed to kill judicial filibusters - in order to give himself some face time and enact a bit of revenge for his screwup at Strom Thurmond's birthday party.

He hasn't forgiven President Bush for leaving him out to dry in that incident, and there's no doubt that he wants his old job back.  For Trent Lott, it was always about power and prestige.  Whatever he had to say to get into someone's good graces, he'll say it.  Lott has multiple faces; much more than two.

That's why he was able to go onto BET and sing the praises of affirmative action and "regretting" making MLK's birthday a holiday, right after praising Strom Thurmond's presidential run.  Words don't matter; elections do.

Brokering compromises that emasculates the Republicans in the Senate is a Trent Lott trademark.  It's probably what he's truly known for while being Senate Majority Leader.  Conservatives have criticized Bill Frist, and for the most part it is legitimate, but we can all thank the stars that the Senate Leader isn't Trent Lott.  If Lott continued serving as Majority Leader, there wouldn't be a filibuster controversy, because the Republicans would have lost it long ago.

After all, it was Lott's genius idea to split the senate leadership in half after Election 2000.  After 9/ll, Lott caved in to federalized airport security, something that is still causing headaches and problems to this day.  And one of the biggest reasons why Daschle was successful in obstructing the Republican agenda, like military voting bills, for example, was due to Lott's appeasing nature with the Democrats.

If Lott continues to engage in this sort of behavior, RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman should cut any funding for his reelection campaign, which is next year.  You would think Lott's embarrassing debacle a could of years ago would cause him to stay quiet.  But he is a liability to the party, and I don't see how he could be a positive to the Republican Party in any way, shape, or form in the future.

Previous Posts:

1. Democrats looking to compromise on nuclear option