And to think I was pumped about winning the Wizbang award:

After leading his platoon through a fierce onslaught, enemy fire pounding them from every direction, 1st Lt. Neil Prakash went back in for more.

First Infantry Division Commander Maj. Gen. John R.S. Batiste joined Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment at FOB Scunion Jan. 14 to award this 24-year-old tank platoon leader one of the militaryÂ’s highest honors - the Silver Star Medal.

“An incredible officer, his accomplishments on 24 June are clearly heroic,” said Batiste. “He sets a very high standard for every one of us. I guarantee veterans of the past are standing very tall right now.”

Although born in India and maintaining strong ties to the Indian community, Prakash was raised in Syracuse, New York, in what he called a very patriotic American household.

Congratulate him-- and thank him for his gallantry -- at his blog, Armor Geddon.

Thanks to Nick for letting me know.

Congratulations, Avenger Red Six. And thanks for all you're doing for us.

Posted by: Ace at 09:39 AM | Comments (5)
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But you're not hearing about it because the "wrong party" seems to blame.

I'm a latecomer to this story, but it seems like a real doozy:

Ellis, 55, of East St. Louis, came under a spotlight publicly when FBI agents raided City Hall on Nov. 23 and took from his office computer hard drives, boxes of files and his lizard-skin briefcase. He's a Democrat precinct committeeman with ties to other leaders in the city.

According to his indictment, within two days of learning about the witness's contact with authorities, Ellis worked on a plan to plant one-half ounce of crack cocaine on the witness and have her arrested. Conversations between Ellis and an undisclosed person were apparently recorded. The talk shifted from a set-up to Ellis' alleged instructions to "dispose of her."

The other person showed Ellis a photograph "depicting what appeared to be the murdered" witness, the indictment states. The other person told Ellis, falsely, she was thrown to the bottom of Horseshoe Lake in Madison County.

Thanks to Nick.

Posted by: Ace at 08:45 AM | Comments (5)
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Well, not really so sudden -- I've had weeks of notice -- but a sudden decision to actually take action.

I (hopefully) will be more or less away -- gone -- from Tuesday to Sunday, although I hope to have Internet access and keep everyone vaguely appraised on my top-secret mission. Not that you necessarily care, but I believe in disclosure.

It seems to be the media buzzword. Disclose, disclose, disclose.

Okay, no big mystery: I'm heading out west to try to pitch a script.

At any rate, at the very last minute I'm trying to make very slapdash travel plans and also put together a guest blogging team for my absence. So, hopefully, this site will be pretty good while I'm gone, and the site could probably use an injection of fresh blood and insight.

Posted by: Ace at 07:51 PM | Comments (49)
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It is of course conference Championship day. The best day for football of the year. It is almost a cliche that some games played on this day will be described as "the real Superbowl."

Because the actual Superbowl is usually an enormous let-down. A few steps above the Pro Bowl, actually.

True, there have been some unexpectedly competitive Superbowls, especially in recent years. But, as any football fan knows, the Superbowl is usually won and lost in the first quarter. It becomes quickly apparent which team will win; and the game usually degenerates into a rollover blowout.

Why? Why do playoff games -- single elimination as well, with lots riding on the line -- usually remain competitive and interesting and hard-fought whereas the Superbowl turns quickly into a laugher?

The only explanation is that, whatever emotion playoff games engender, the Superbowl is ultra-emotional; it is the dream of every kid who ever touched a football to play in the Superbowl. And that remains the dream of even hardened veterans of the sport.

It's all about confidence and emotion, I guess. When one has confidence, when one believes in oneself, in one's plan, in victory, in a hopeful future, all things become possible. Confidence feeds on itself, and the team that gets ahead early becomes better and better.

And the team that falls behind, or suffers one three-and-out frustration after another, loses confidence, and that insecurity too feeds on itself. What might be easily done when filled with confidence and hope becomes difficult when the dream seems to begin to shatter. Play becomes half-hearted, uninspired, dispirited, going through the motions.

Playing out the clock. Putting in an appearance for appearance's sake.

And I suppose that's true in most aspects of life, from work to writing to war-fighting to relationships. Feedback cycles are either virtuous or vicious; confidence begets enthusiasm and lust for life, insecurity begets hopelessness and a feeling of futility.

And the Superbowl is one of the hottest crucibles out there; it's a perfect paradigm of the power of hope and confidence, and the burden of hopelessness and futility.

But that likely-disappointing game won't be played for another two weeks.

Today is for real football, not for examining the good and ill effects of human psychology under stress. There may be blowouts today, but most likely we'll have two hard-fought games in which neither team becomes so dispirited as to just give up and head to the lockers by the second-quarter in every way except the physical.

Let's have some fun.

Posted by: Ace at 11:39 AM | Comments (11)
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Alarming News has the pics.

Posted by: Ace at 10:52 AM | Comments (2)
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Instapundit says this is "not good." I don't know-- I think it's an acknowledgement of reality.

This follows, of course, Bush's dad, ever the realist, also undercutting the more emphatic thrusts of the speech.\

William F. Buckley has his doubts, too:

Okay. Never mind the tyrannies in spotty little states in Africa. Those cases are so hard as to make very bad law. A foreign policy that insists on the hygiene of the Central African Republic may be asking too much.

But what about China? Is it U.S. policy to importune Chinese dissidents “to start on this journey of progress and justice”? How will we manifest our readiness to “walk at [their] side”?

China, so massive, is maybe too massive a challenge for our liberationist policy, even as the Central African Republic is too exiguous. Then what about Saudi Arabia? Here is a country embedded in oppression. Does President Bush really intend to make a point of this? Where? At the U.N.? At the Organization of African Unity? Will we refuse to buy Saudi oil?

The sentiments of President Bush are fine, and his sincerity was transparent. But in speaking about bringing liberty to the rest of the world, he could have gone at it more platonically: but this would have required him to corral his enthusiasm for liberty everywhere with appropriately moderate rhetoric.

This he seemed resolute in not doing. But the confusion in language in the speech itself leaves some listeners wondering whether last-minute thoughts were had, which failed to iron out the policy statements, even as they had failed to iron out the language.

I think many appreciate the sentiments of the speech -- as do I. But where we depart, I think, is over the questions of What does this all actually mean?

And I don't think we're going to begin confronting China and Russia anytime soon. So what does the speech mean?

Posted by: Ace at 10:47 AM | Comments (12)
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One of the greats of television:

LOS ANGELES - Johnny Carson (news), the "Tonight Show" TV host who served America a smooth nightcap of celebrity banter, droll comedy and heartland charm for 30 years, has died. He was 79. "Mr. Carson passed away peacefully early Sunday morning," his nephew, Jeff Sotzing, told The Associated Press. "He was surrounded by his family, whose loss will be immeasurable. There will be no memorial service."

Sotzing would not give further details, including the time of death, the location or the cause of death.

The boyish-looking Nebraska native with the disarming grin, who survived every attempt to topple him from his late-night talk show throne, was a star who managed never to distance himself from his audience.

His wealth, the adoration of his guests — particularly the many young comics whose careers he launched — the wry tales of multiple divorces: Carson's air of modesty made it all serve to enhance his bedtime intimacy with viewers.

"Heeeeere's Johnny ..." was the booming announcement from sidekick Ed McMahon that ushered Carson out to the stage. Then the formula: the topical monologue, the guests, the broadly played skits such as "Carnac the Magnificent."

But audiences never tired of him; Carson went out on top when he retired in May 1992.
...

In 1993, he explained his absence from the limelight.

"I have an ego like anybody else," Carson told The Washington Post, "but I don't need to be stoked by going before the public all the time."
...

Carson was born in Corning, Iowa, and raised in nearby Norfolk. He started his show business career at age 14 as the magician "The Great Carsoni."

...

His quickness and his ability to handle an audience were impressive. When his jokes missed their target, the smooth Carson won over a groaning studio audience with a clever look or sly, self-deprecating remark.

Politics provided monologue fodder for him as skewered lawmakers of every stripe, mirroring the mood of voters. His Watergate jabs at President Nixon were seen as cementing Nixon's fall from office in 1976.

He dispatched would-be late-night competitors with equal aplomb. Competing networks tried a variety of formats and hosts but never managed to best "Tonight" and Carson.

There was the occasional battle with NBC: in 1967, for instance, Carson walked out for several weeks until the network managed to lure him back with a contract that reportedly gave him $1 million-plus yearly.

In 1980, after more walkout threats, the show was scaled back from 90 minutes to an hour. Carson also eased his schedule by cutting back on his work days; a number of substitute hosts filled in, including Joan Rivers, David Brenner, Jerry Lewis and Jay Leno, Carson's eventual successor.

In the '80s, Carson was reportedly the highest-paid performer in television history with a $5 million "Tonight" show salary alone.

I suppose his friends saw this coming, as they disclosed several days ago that Carson had been a secret contributor to the Letterman show, keeping his hand in comedy by submitting jokes for Letterman's monologue.

Thanks to TLowery for the (sad) tip.

Update-- We're Just Never More Than One Step Away From Paul Anka: Turns out...

Americans were reassured when Doc Severinsen, the showÂ’s bandleader,
would start up the showÂ’s bouncy theme song (written by Paul Anka and
Mr. Carson himself).

Thanks to Molly for the tip.

Posted by: Ace at 10:19 AM | Comments (6)
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Previously they've knocked down these rumors pretty quickly.

But now...

Iraq's interior minister on Saturday refused to comment on rumors that the top terror leader in the country had been taken into custody.

"I wouldn't like to comment for the time being," Interior Minister Falah al-Naqib said when asked about rumors that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi had been arrested. "Let's see. Maybe in the next few days we will make a comment about it."

Story Continues Below

Pressing him, a reporter asked, "Does that mean he is in custody?"

"No comment," the minister repeated.

The rumors about al-Zarqawi followed an interview aired on an Arab television station earlier this month in which a Saudi man arrested for a deadly truck bombing claimed that he heard from other insurgents that al-Zarqawi had been arrested by Iraqi police in Fallujah but released because authorities didn't recognize him.

Rumors spread that Iraqi authorities had al-Zarqawi in custody but were waiting to announce it just before the Jan. 30 elections.

I haven't mentioned the most recent rumors, because I suspected that, once again, they were just rumors with no truth to them.

But that "no comment" is very interesting.

Thanks to OrbusMax.

Posted by: Ace at 12:39 AM | Comments (10)
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You may assume he was talking about the War on Terror.

You'd be wrong.

From the context of his statement as reported in this article, he's talking about the political "war" to re-establish Democratic control:

But numerous party activists turned out as well to meet the candidates and offer their views on how the party can emerge from minority status.

"This is a war for the survival of the United States as we know it," Dean declared at a breakfast meeting with labor leaders and Hispanic activists.

Once again: They won't call a genuine war a "war," but they insist on describing internal politics with just that word.

I would prefer if they called wars "wars" and politics "politics," but what do I know.

Meanwhile...

The Rev. John R. Odams, pastor of Pilgrim Church, United Church of Christ, in BostonÂ’s Dorchester section, said he wasnÂ’t worried [about the terror threat to Boston].

“Emotional terrorism is probably a greater threat to us,” he said as he waited for a train. “We need to look at the bigger picture.

“It seems there are so many other dangers in our society that end up getting ignored — housing, homelessness, poverty — that are in some ways more threatening,” Odams said. (Emphasis added.)

Emotional terrorism.

Bigger threat than, you know, actual terrorism. Or should I say-- "terrorism."

Link and more commentary at Nerf-Coated World.

Posted by: Ace at 12:17 AM | Comments (6)
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What? That title isn't plain enough for you?

It's exactly as I describe it, guys.

For some reason I have the irresistible impulse to don a Member's Only jacket and start talking to automobiles. And then run along the beach in slow-motion, toting a pontoon, my hairy Shatnergut flapping sexily in the breeze.

Random and Unconnected Thought: You all have heard "Torn" as performed by Natalia Imbruglia, right? Yeah-- sucks, I know.

Try listening to the original version by Edna Swap. You won't be disappointed. It's a completely different song. And one you won't be embarassed about having on your iPod.

Posted by: Ace at 10:09 PM | Comments (23)
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