Good one, Chris!

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Shortly after 9AM on September 11, 2001, while millions of us were watching disaster unfolding before our eyes, George W. Bush was in a classroom full of second graders in Sarasota, FL.

White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card bent down and whispered in the President's ear.

In a moment captured on video and replayed, White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card whispered in Bush's ear, saying, "A second plane hit the second tower. America is under attack." Bush's face froze, his lips tight.

Information was very fluid in those first minutes, and decisions were being made on a split-second basis.

I can't fault President Bush for waiting a few moments, not only to avoid alarming those closest to him -- the children -- but also to say the most reassuring thing he could under the circumstances. To ensure that he and his team were on top of the crisis and that decisions were being made that could safeguard as many American lives as possible.

Say what you will about the President; but you cannot fault him for taking time to be deliberate throughout the 9/11 crisis period.

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Bill Hobbs has an open letter to Al Qaeda on his site that warns them about tempting fate. They can still be obliterated with a single button.

We didn't have to invade and liberate Iraq and try to help it become a democracy. We could have pushed a few buttons and made Kabul and Baghdad disappear. We didn't because we're the opposite of your dysfunctional, godless, immoral, backwards, oppressive, failure of a society. We pulled our punches. We sent in the reconstruction crews right behind the armor and the infantry.

We didn't have to. We had - and still have - another option. One that would absolutely guarantee the end of the Islamofacist terror threat.

I bet that, if you blow up an American shopping mall and kill a bunch of innocent American kids and parents while they munch some Chik Fil A, or stand in line at Build-a-Bear or try on clothes at The Gap, a whole lot more Americans are going to reach the tipping point. The one where we say enough is enough, push the Instant Win button.

Don't test our patience.

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I was riveted -- as was most of the nation -- to a surreal scene playing out on NBC.

A split screen showed Game Five of the NBA Finals from Madison Square Garden between the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets on one side of the screen. On the other? A white Ford Bronco on the other side of the continent, making it's way along the freeways of Los Angeles. Inside, OJ Simpson, then the prime suspect in the murder of his wife, Nicole just a few days before in the Brentwood section of LA. Simpson had a gun to his head, and his best friend, Al Cowlings in the other seat trying to talk to him.

OJ wanted to go...somewhere. Ultimately though, he wanted to go home.

OJ Simpson had been a hero to a generation of America, including me. Former football star, movie star, commercial pitchman and sports commentator. The very idea that he could have brutally butchered his estranged wife and her friend was completely foreign to me, as it was to much of the nation.

All we knew was that the scene of a slow-speed chase along the freeways of Southern California was bizarre enough, but for that to sit alongside the basketball game on the opposite side of the screen was one of the most surreal moments of television that had happened before or since.

This was before MSNBC and Fox News Channel even existed. Few people had any idea what CourtTV was, let alone what channel it was on, and CNBC was an obscure business channel. Which left us with images on CNN, ESPN and the bizarre split-screen on NBC.

Of course, now we know where things went from there: the arrest and booking, the assembling of the "dream team" for the "trial of the century." Wall-to-wall coverage of a type that hadn't been seen since Watergate, and wouldn't be seen again until 9/11. And finally the acquittal.

OJ lives in relative obscurity today near Miami -- raising his kids, and trying to stay out of the limelight, lest a skeptical America asks him how his "search for the 'real killers' is going."

At least until his recent interviews with Fox News' Greta Van Susteren and NBC's Katie Couric.

The story of OJ Simpson is the ultimate "hero-turned-heel" story. And one that, at least I hope, we don't have to see relived again any time soon.

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I keep catching hell from folks who want to insist that a new draft is coming, and that the Bush Administration is engineering it so that "their rich kids" won't be caught up in it.

Citizen Smash has done the legwork to find out exactly who is behind this push.

But who is behind this movement to reinstate the draft? LetÂ’s check the Congressional Record.

In the House of Representatives:

Charles Rangel, NY
Neil Abercrombie, HI
Corrine Brown, FL
Donna M. Christensen,VI
William Lacy Clay, MO
John Conyers, Jr., MI
Elijah E. Cummings, MD
Alcee L. Hastings, FL
Sheila Jackson-Lee, TX
John Lewis, GA
Jim McDermott, WA
James P. Moran, VA
Eleanor Holmes Norton, DC
Fortney Pete Stark, CA
Nydia M. Velazquez, NY

In the Senate:

Fritz Hollings, SC

Never mind that both of these bills have been stuck in committee for over 18 months, and have almost no hope of ever seeing the light of day.

Don't believe me? Check the Congressional Record yourself. The bills are S89 and HR163.

So now I ask you. Who really has black folks' best interests at heart, and who is selling out our children for "thirty pieces of silver?"

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CBS anchordude Dan "What's the frequency, Kenneth" Rather was one of the few people to get an advance copy of My Life, Bill Clinton's new book. Ostensibly, he got ahold of it since he's going to softball question the former President on this Sunday's 60 Minutes.

"Maybe he didnÂ’t come totally, absolutely clean with himself, but he made an effort to do it," he (Rather) said, "an effort it would be difficult to find with any former President."

"I liked it more than I thought I would," he said, "more than I was prepared to like it. Who knew that Bill Clinton could write this well?"

CBS is in an all-out full-court press on Bubba's book; don't forget the CBS Radio one-hour infomercial call-in talk show with Bubba with The Early Show's Harry Smith tomorrow evening at 6P ET.

My Life publisher Random House sure wants you to call in so that they can have a huge payoff with all of this free publicity.

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Iran, rubbing it's collective hands in glee at the notion of a power vacuum in Iraq, is massing it's troops along the Iraq-Iran border in anticipation of a US pull out (or even pull back) at the end of the month.

The Saudi daily Al-Sharq al-Awsat, monitored in Beirut, reports Iran has massed four battalions at the border.

Al-Sharq al-Awsat quoted "reliable Iraqi sources" as saying, "Iran moved part of its regular military forces towards the Iraqi border in the southern sector at a time its military intelligence agents were operating inside Iraqi territory."

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As most know, a terrorist attack on a shopping mall in Columbus, OH was thwarted last week, with the arrest of one of the perps, Nuradin M. Abdi. Abdi was associated with Al Qaeda, and as Attorney General John Ashcroft keeps telling us as he nabs these folks, AQ wants to hit us at home, and hit us hard.

Michelle Malkin's new column this morning examines just how Abdi was able to quietly enter the US. Of course the unanswered question in all of this is how many other terrorists are out there plotting to blow up a shopping mall in Denver or an amusement park in Atlanta, or a ball park in St. Louis?

Nuradin M. Abdi, who was indicted last week for plotting with al-Qaida to blow up an Ohio shopping mall, flew here from Somalia and received bogus "refugee" status in 1999, according to authorities. Prosecutors allege that Abdi then fraudulently obtained a refugee travel document, which he used to fly to Ethiopia for jihad training. After returning, Abdi blended back into the American landscape along with tens of thousands of other refugees from a country known to be a breeding ground for Islamic terrorists. Columbus, Abdi's home base, is home to more than 30,000 Somalis — the second-largest Somali community in the United States, after Minneapolis.

The Somali-al-Qaida connection is well-established. Intelligence reports indicate that Osama bin Laden sent extremists to Somalia in the early 1990s to train and organize the Somali Islamic radical group al-Ittihad al-Islamiya. Bin Laden claimed responsibility for the deaths of 18 American soldiers in Mogadishu. In addition, a Saudi Arabian-based Muslim charity with alleged ties to al-Qaida has been funding refugee camps in Somali border towns. The feds have frozen the Al-Haramain Foundation's assets based on terrorism grounds, but the flow of refugees from the overseas camps subsidized by the group has not been stanched.

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An Al Qaeda-connected website has a new video up, this time of kidnapped American Paul Johnson. Johnson is a technician for Lockheed-Martin in Saudi Arabia, working on Apache helicopters.

Johnson was reported missing last week; an AQ-connected website showed a picture of him, along with his Lockheed-Martin business card earlier this week.

The website says that Johnson will be killed unless Saudi authorities free al-Qaida prisoners within three days.

"My name is Paul Marshall Johnson, Jr.," the seated hostage says in the tape, an elaborate tattoo on his left shoulder. "I am an American. ... I work on Apache helicopters."

The tape, which was first aired by CNN, also displayed his Lockheed Martin identification card.

The statement on the Web site says the holy warriors of the Arabian peninsula's Fallujah Brigade has "hit" the engineering team that "oversees the development of the American Apache helicopter that attacks Muslims in Palestine and Afghanistan."

It says: "The Fallujah Brigade has killed the director of this team and kidnapped one of its engineers, Paul Johnson, and if the tyrannical Saudi government wants their American master to be released, then they have to release our holy warriors that are held in Ha'ir, Ruweis and Alisha prisons within 72 hours of this statement's date or else we will sacrifice his blood to God in revenge for our Muslim brothers who have been liberally killed everywhere."

The Web site statement addressed Muslims all over the world, saying: "We have made a promise to ourselves to defend you. We will not let you down, and you should know that the treacherous tyrants who have helped the Americans against you, and shared your blood with them, do not represent the Muslims of Saudi Arabia. They are our enemies as much as they are your enemies. They are the enemies of God and his prophet."

"He felt he never had any fear for his safety and respects and honors their traditions and cultures," Johnson III said. "Dad said many times he loved living in Saudi Arabia."

Johnson's family could not be reached this evening for comment.

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The "beautimus" (to quote Don King, no relation) Michelle Malkin has joined the rest of us here in the jungle of the blogosphere.

Mind you, she's hit the ground running, with an excoriation of Paul Krugman's ongoing lies in the New York Times.

Krugman is entitled to his opinion about Ashcroft, no matter how ridiculous, but as the saying goes, he is not entitled to his own facts.

Welcome to the jungle, Michelle! Glad you're here with the rest of us!

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Columnist Christopher Hitchens seems to straddle the ideological fence at times. Sometimes, he's clearly on the liberal side, at others, he's squarely on the conservative side. It's almost as if he can't decide where he truly is. Then again, in the minds of many, he's close enough to the center to provide a clear enough picture of reality.

In his newest piece for Slate, Hitchens takes a look at that dead horse that is Abu Ghraib, and points out that though it may be dead now, look for it to zombify and bite us all in the collective keyster real soon.

It is going to get much worse. The graphic videos and photographs that have so far been shown only to Congress are, I have been persuaded by someone who has seen them, not likely to remain secret for very long. And, if you wonder why formerly gung-ho rightist congressmen like James Inhofe ("I'm outraged more by the outrage") have gone so quiet, it is because they have seen the stuff and you have not. There will probably be a slight difficulty about showing these scenes in prime time, but they will emerge, never fear. We may have to start using blunt words like murder and rape to describe what we see. And one linguistic reform is in any case already much overdue. The silly word "abuse" will have to be dropped. No law or treaty forbids "abuse," but many conventions and statutes, including our own and the ones we have urged other nations to sign, do punish torture—which is what we are talking about here at a bare minimum.

So far, the press has focused on the questions "who knew" and "how far up did it go?" I'm equally interested in the question of how far down it has gone and how widespread it is.

But that spectre is still there. And with the continued witch-hunt fostered by the initial pictures and stories, and fanned further by the uproar over Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 (whether his "documentary" is true or not), I have a fear that Hitchens is right -- that this will come back and bite us in the ass. Hard. When we least expect it or need it.

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From Drudge:

Bill Clinton is set to hit the talkradio waves with a live special promoting his new book -- one that CBS has ordered a "must carry" directive for all of its news affiliates.

Each and every one of CBS's news and talk stations will be required to take the Clinton book radio special, now scheduled for next 6 PM ET Thursday -- whether local programming management wants it or not!

"It's going to be like one big commercial for the book! Why didn't Mr. Clinton's publisher just buy an hour," one angry executive for a CBS news station said late Monday. "This is not news, this is marketing. I already feel dirty!"

CBS' parent company Viacom also owns the publisher of Clinton's book, Simon & Schuster.

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Award winning sports writer and author Ralph Wiley died last night of heart failure.

Wiley was formerly senior writer at Sports Illustrated, and the author and co-author of a number of books, including Why Black People Tend to Shout and By Any Means Necessary: The Trials and Tribulations of the Making of Malcolm X, which he co-wrote with Spike Lee.

Most recently, Wiley was a Page 2 columnist for ESPN.com, and penned more than 240 articles for them.

And while politically, he was to the left of the aisle, one has to admit that Ralph Wiley was one of America's best sportswriters. No, one of America's best writers. He'll truly be missed.

Wiley is survived by his son, Cole, and daughter, Maggie; his mother, Dorothy Brown, of Washington, D.C.; and his fiancé, Susan Peacock. He was 52.

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Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi

Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi rejected further outside influence on Tehran's nuclear ambitions two days before the International Atomic Energy Agency board of governors meets to discuss Iran's highly controversial program.

"We won't accept any new obligations," Kharrazi said. "Iran has a high technical capability and has to be recognized by the international community as a member of the nuclear club. This is an irreversible path."

Of course, that is barring a realistic outcome of the second question: Do you really think that Israel will sit still and allow -- yes, allow -- an Arab nation to develop nuclear weapons in their own back yard?

Think about this -- missles fired from Iran today can hit Israel. You know that Israel has to be scared spitless of this possibility.

And we thought India/Pakistan would go up first?

Israel might sit still, at least as long as George Bush is in the White House directing traffic. But let Ketchup Boy win the election. Mark my words, if Kerry wins, the whole damn place is going to go up like a powder keg.

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I ran across this from AllahPundit last night, and the only comment I can come up with is "Just damn."

This truly leaves me speechless.

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Al Qaeda terrorists have released another internet videotape of an execution; this time, purportedly of the murder of an American citizen, Robert Jacob, who worked for defense contractor Vinnell Corp. The murder supposedly took place in the Saudi Arabian capitol of Riyadh last week.

Of course, the video made the top of the rotation on Al Jazeera over the past few days.

The video was released on a site, that, according to US intelligence officials, has been used by terrorists affiliated wtih Al Qaeda.

The video, less than two minutes long, does not show any faces. It begins with men running in a garage and a voice yelling in English, "No, no, please!" A shot is fired, and the body of what appears to be a Western man falls to the ground. Two gunmen fire at least 10 more shots at the fallen man, then one kneels by his head and motions as if he is beheading him.

AQ are like fire ants. They need to die. Now. Horribly. And without prejudice, lest they attack us in our homes.

Anybody got any Spectracide?

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The International Committee on the Red Cross has given the United States an ultimatum: Charge Saddam Hussain by June 30, or free him.

Nada Doumani, a spokeswoman for the ICRC, told the (UK) Guardian: "The United States defines Saddam Hussein as a prisoner of war. At the end of an occupation PoWs have to be released provided they have no penal charges against them."

Her comments came as the international body, the only independent group with access to detainees in US custody, becomes increasingly concerned over the legal limbo in which thousands of people are being held in the run-up to the transfer of power at the end of the month.

"There are all these people kept in a legal vacuum. No one should be left not knowing their legal status. Their judicial rights must be assured," Ms Doumani said.

"If we consider the occupation ends on June 30, that would mean it's the end of the international armed conflict. This is the legal situation.

"When the conflict ends the prisoners of war should be released according to the Geneva conventions," Ms Doumani said.

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Distributors for Michael Moore's documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 are trying to get the film's rating changed now.

The film has been rated "R" by the Motion Picture Association of America, which means that anyone under the age of 17 must come with an adult.

Moore, in his infinite wisdom, insists that because teenagers are those who may have to go to war in the near future, they should be able to see the film without the interference of adults.

"It is sadly very possible that many fifteen and sixteen years olds will be asked and recruited to serve in Iraq in the next couple of years," said Michael Moore. "If they are old enough to be recruited and capable of being in combat and risking their lives, they certainly deserve the right to see what is going on in Iraq."

"Lions Gate Films will continue to aggressively support the artistic visions of our filmmakers. The MPAA rating applied to 'Fahrenheit 9/11' is completely unjustified," said (Tom) Ortenberg (President of Lions Gate Films Releasing). "We are adamant about overturning this decision in an expeditious manner to ensure that as many people as possible, including young adults who represent the future of our nation, are able to see one of the most important and thought-provoking films of our time in theaters on June 25."

"IFC has great concerns with the MPAA's decision and will do everything within its legal power to fight this unjust rating judgment," stated IFC Entertainment President Jonathan Sehring. "With a film like 'Fahrenheit 9/11', IFC is of the strong belief that all filmgoers should be empowered to make their own viewing decisions. The bottom line is this - during these times, it is crucial for the young people of this country to be fully informed. Michael Moore's voice deserves a broad audience and we are confident this ratings decision will ultimately be overturned."

The politically charged film (in the eyes of many -- myself included -- pure anti-Bush propaganda film) is due to be released nationally June 25.

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Actress Nicole Kidman is sparking a controversy over her upcoming film Birth, in which her character gets up close and personal with a ten year-old boy.

The shocking movie Birth will feature bizarre scenes of her nude and getting romantic with an underage lad she believes is the reincarnation of her dead husband.

The weird flick sees Kidman playing a widow, and two scenes have got New Line Cinema hot under the collar. Kidman and the boy strip off together to submerge in bubbles and then they even lock lips.

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