This week could be dangerous... (UPDATE)

UPDATE: 4:35 p.m. EST: Should we be surprised this is happening?

ORIGINAL POST:...in Iran.

The anniversary of the Islamic Revolution is Feb. 11, and there is the potential for the government forces (and its propaganda) clashing with the Iranian people who are seeking change.

Meanwhile, and the timing of this cannot be a coincidence, the country's nuclear ambitions were raised with a report that Iran had begun to enrich uranium. Israel was the first of what could be several countries to call for increased sanctions against Tehran.

Protesters gathered outside the Italian embassy in Tehran today to voice their displeasure at Rome's decision to support any effort to penalize Iran for its nuclear ambitions.

The clashes mentioned above are sure to be the emotional peg to any story about Iran over the next 24-48 hours, but remember that in the absence of Western reporters in the country it will be difficult to gain a firm grasp on how the military and police agencies respond to any anti-government protests.

Sphere: Related Content

Alabamans like Mike

A new poll -- for what any poll is worth these days -- suggests Alabama Republicans like Mike...as in Mike Huckabee.

These poll data should come as no surprise -- Huckabee's message will play well in the South, and don't forget that Mr. Huckabee is from that part of the country.

Mind you, Mr. Huckabee has not announced he's running for president, though if you ask my opinion I think he will.

Sphere: Related Content

Back to square one?

From Politico.com's Martin Kady:

The great bipartisan health care summit of 2010 is beginning to look like another act of political theater.

Republicans insist on completely starting over with a 'blank' sheet of paper – a move that would help them stall the Democratic agenda further. Idealistic Democrats are still holding out hope for the public option – making Republicans think Democrats aren't serious about a bipartisan bill.

It's hard to see how these parties could find a real compromise on health care at this point, but the summit will make for good TV.

And this from The New York Times:

It is not clear that Republicans and the White House are willing to negotiate seriously with each other, and Mr. Obama has rejected Republican demands that he start from scratch in developing health care legislation.

But Congressional Republicans have laid out principles and alternatives that provide a road map to what a Republican health care bill would look like if they had the power to decide the outcome.

The different approaches will be on display Feb. 25, when lawmakers from both parties are scheduled to go to Blair House, across the street from the White House, for a televised clash of health policy ideas.

As you read the language in those story excerpts, it is hard to see how the Feb. 25 event will be productive. And that, in my opinion, is precisely what the Republicans want. But they could be playing a dangerous game, if the president can make it clear that he is trying to be more moderate -- in other words, listen to the American people -- while the GOP remains glued to the right side of the political spectrum.

And I didn't need to scribble that on my palm to figure it out.

Sphere: Related Content

We're playing fast and loose with the numbers

I've read in multiple places today about the estimated number of people who watched yesterday's Super Bowl. Let's be careful how these statements are written. Here's (I hope) a complete summary of what you need to know:

1. Yesterday's Super Bowl appears to be the most-watched program in U.S. television history. However,...
2. The game is not the highest-rated program in U.S. television history.

The final episode of MASH is critical to understanding this because until Sunday it was the highest-rated and most-watched program to ever appear on American television.

With that in mind, more people watched yesterday's Super Bowl than any other event in U.S. television history. Remember, this is total viewers, not ratings. For the record: Final MASH episode--60.2 rating; yesterday's Super Bowl--46.4; Estimated total viewers--MASH: 105.9 million; Super Bowl: 106.5 million.

Most watched and highest rated are NOT the same thing.

Sphere: Related Content

What exactly was the fuss all about?

Wow, that Super Bowl commercial involving Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and his mother was so controversial!

I mean, how dare a mother appear on television to profess her love for her son and at the same time admit to her fears of a trying pregnancy.

Right after the commercial aired yesterday, I turned to my wife and said, "That's it? There's no controversy there. It's a mom and her son."

In fact, as you consider the merits of the Tebows' commercial, consider the message inherent in the GoDaddy commercials (which I have deliberately chosen not to provide links to here).

Enough said.

Sphere: Related Content

In case you missed it...

...I was interviewed for a local news story about the weekend snowstorm that blasted Pittsburgh.

Sphere: Related Content

If you want to be a viable political party...

...you must do more than say "no."

The Financial Times' Clive Crook reminds the GOP of that important political premise in this editorial.

What a strange 12 months it has been -- the Democrats have lurched to the left and angered the American people; the Republicans have offered no significant political initiatives and have been rewarded with victories in three states (New Jersey, Virginia and Massachusetts); a populist-inspired "National Tea Party" has had a one-time vice presidential nominee address its "convention"; and the blame game goes on.

Let's hope 2010 brings real political leadership.

Sphere: Related Content

Here we go again

This from the BBC:

'Iran has announced immediate plans to step up its nuclear programme, which Western nations fear could be used to make a bomb. Its nuclear chief said Iran would start enriching uranium to 20% from Tuesday, and that 10 new uranium enrichment plants would be built in the next year. Ali Akbar Salehi said the enrichment would take place at Natanz, Iran's main uranium enrichment plant. The move heightens fears Iran is moving closer to weapons-grade uranium.'

Here's the way I see it -- unless and until the West demonstrates that it will do more than threaten to do something, nothing is going to stop Iran from moving forward with attempts to develop a nuclear bomb.

Sphere: Related Content

The administration is trying to control the message

Don't they all?

The current White House press corps continues to voice its frustration at the president using new media and the one-on-one interview as a means of by-passing that group.

I'll be curious to see their reaction to Mr. Obama's decision to offer live television coverage of a planned health summit he's holding later this month with a group of Republicans. In other words, if the president and the Republicans simply by-pass the media (not likely in the case of the GOP) as they "spin" the summit -- both before and after it happens -- will the mainstream media openly criticize that choice?

The media-president rules are changing, and the still-being-written new rules are not going to be favorable to the "old" media. But more germane to this conversation, for the mainstream media to not acknowledge that president's have attempted to by-pass them in the past would be foolish; the technology is finally catching up to the attempts.

Sphere: Related Content

And so another professional football season comes to an end

Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints for winning the Super Bowl. To borrow a line from an old television commercial -- "they earned it."

There is considerable debate at times about which of the four "big" professional sports leagues is the model. From where I sit -- as a former sports journalist, someone who still appreciates professional sports, and someone who is cognizant of the relationship between the media and sports -- I don't think any of the four can be considered operating at an "A"-level in 2010.

Major League Baseball is hamstrung by a terrible disparity in talent, and I've advocated on this blog and elsewhere that a salary cap is the only way to fix it. There are simply too few teams each year with a legitimate shot at winning a championship, and an even shorter list of franchises that can sustain a championship-level club for more than 2-3 years. On top of the economic problems are the long memories of the steroid era. Little more about that needs to be said here.

The National Basketball Association lacks a viable franchise in most of the major media markets. One of its primary stars destroyed his professional and personal image a few years ago in a Colorado hotel room. The general public also seems less interested than ever in the game. The magic (pardon the pun) that existed for about 15 years with players such as Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan is gone. The public knows it.

The National Hockey League has an even worse problem in that regard. Its in-season American television contract is with a cable network that used to be known principally (if not exclusively) as the place to turn to watch the Tour de France. The league has lost its momentum in the Sun Belt and the West, where in both locations a minimum of four teams could legitimately need a new home (except there aren't four good places to move them).

And then there is the National Football League. A labor battle is looming on the horizon. While that is the worst of the league's problems, there also are chronic concerns about the long-term health of its players, an issue that the league office and the players' union have at times been negligent in their attention.

Of the four leagues, the NFL is in the best shape; but I'm not sure that is saying much these days.

Sphere: Related Content

The call to bipartisanship has been issused...

...now (and yet again) it's up to the Republicans to answer it. This from Politico.com:

President Barack Obama told Katie Couric during a Super Bowl pregame interview that he plans to hold a health-reform summit with congressional leaders later this month. “I want to come back [after the Presidents’ Day congressional recess] and have a large meeting -- Republicans and Democrats -- to go through, systematically, all the best ideas that are out there, and move it forward," Obama said.

And this from the Washington Post:

President Obama made a dramatic attempt to jump-start the stalled health care debate Sunday, inviting Republicans in Congress to a half-day summit on the subject to be televised live later this month.

The president made the offer in an interview with CBS News anchor Katie Couric just hours before the Superbowl. Obama challenged Republicans to come to the discussion armed with their best ideas for how to cover more Americans and fix the health insurance system.

"I want to consult closely with our Republican colleagues," Obama told Couric. "What I want to do is to ask them to put their ideas on the table... I want to come back and have a large meeting, Republicans and Democrats to go through, systematically, all the best ideas that are out there and move it forward."

The invitation to join him later this month follows comments he made on Thursday during a speech at a Democratic fundraiser in which he said he wanted to sit with Republicans and "walk through the [health care plans] in a methodical way so that the American people can see and compare what makes the most sense."

It also comes just weeks after the president received high marks for engaging the House Republicans in a televised, 90-minute discussion at their retreat in Baltimore. The president has been hammered by critics who said his year-long push to revamp the health care system did not live up to his campaign promise to conduct the debate in the open.

I don't mean to be naive, but the history of our country is for any member of Congress to respond positively to an invitation to meet the president at the White House. That is civility (among a host of other applicable terms). If any member of the GOP snubs the president, he or she should have to answer to his or her constituents.

However, in this "he's not my president" world in which we've lived for the past decade (or more), it's very possible that a snub (by many) could come. How sad that would be.

But I'll remain optimistic and with reason: CBS' Mark Knoller tweets the following:

House GOP Ldr John Boehner quick to issue statement welcoming Obama's invitation to bipartisan conversation on HCR.

Sphere: Related Content

Another snow storm? On Tuesday?????

Uh, Pittsburgh...we have a problem. We're digging out of Snopocalypse...but we could be staring at another six inches of snow on Tuesday!

Sphere: Related Content

The door is still open

This from Sarah Palin on FOX News:

Former Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin said it would be "absurd" to rule out a run for the 2012 presidential election.

"I won't close a door that could perhaps be open for me in the future," Palin said in the Fox News interview at the Tea Party convention in Nashville where she was the keynote speaker Saturday night.

Palin said if President Obama continues on the path he's on today, "He's not going to win" as an incumbent candidate in 2012. Palin said Americans are becoming frustrated because he "expects us to sit down and shut up and accept" his policies. Asked specifically which policies, Palin said Obama has been condescending to the American people with his "general personality."

Palin suggested that if President Obama declared war on Iran in the next two years, the political landscape would change dramatically in his favor. "There wouldn't be as much passion to make sure that he doesn't serve another four years," Palin said.

She said her knowledge about foreign policy and domestic economic issues has significantly increased since she was a vice presidential candidate. "My focus has been enlarged," Palin said.

She said she admired the Tea Party efforts because they are seeking "common sense solutions" that will right the economy and put the country back on the track of fiscal responsibility.

When asked whether or not her political enemies had run her out of gubernatorial office in the middle of a lame-duck term, Palin responded "Hell, no." Palin said her popularity had been adversely affecting her administration's day-to-day duties, and resigned because she did not want political distractions such as lawsuits against her to harm Alaska's well-being.

Setting aside whatever personal opinion you have about Mrs. Palin, I ask this question: Does anyone have a problem with two openly presidential aspirants -- Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin -- remaining visible news contributors and analysts on FOX News?

Sphere: Related Content

Is this arrogance or stupidity?

You have to love, just love, the trustees of Ohio State. That august body has approved a football ticket increase for Ohio State games. In this economy? Is it arrogance or stupidity?

Sphere: Related Content

Snow, snow...everywhere

I woke up this morning to 18 inches of snow in my front yard...



...which has turned my neighborhood into a white out!!



The Moretti family (and the dog!) trudged out into the snow this morning. One of us had lots of snow shoveling to do...



...while building a snow trench and fighting off some bad guy from Star Wars was more enjoyable to the younger crowd!



But that was a-ok with me, because I had...



...man's best friend to keep me company.

Sphere: Related Content