CBlountBlogs

Obama Still Hiding White Grandma

NewsMax’s recent story about Sen. Barack Obama’s white grandmother by independent journalist Andy Martin has created a firestorm across the Web.

In his commentary "Free Obama’s White Grandma," Martin details how the Obama campaign has "locked his granny away and refused to allow her to be seen."

Obama’s father was a black Kenyan, and his mother was a white woman from Kansas. His white grandmother, his mother’s mother, is Madelyn Dunham.

She raised Obama after he returned to Hawaii from Indonesia, where his mother had gone to live after separating from his Kenyan father.

But Martin alleges that the Obama campaign has been hiding Madelyn, while at the same time producing photos showing Obama with his black step-grandmother, Sarah Hussein Obama – even though she never saw the future senator until the 1980s.

Martin maintains that the moves are politically motivated – presidential hopeful Obama is hiding his white background to solidify his support in the black community.

Since publishing Martin’s story, NewsMax has been deluged by pro-Obama bloggers who claim Martin’s report is "racist," "inaccurate" or just "totally wrong."

Many direct our attention to a photo that appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times,
purportedly showing Obama with a black woman who is identified by the Times as Madelyn Dunham, Obama’s grandmother.

In fact, the Sun-Times, not NewsMax or Martin, is in error. The woman pictured on the Sun-Times Web site is not Madelyn Dunham, but Obama’s Kenyan grandmother Sarah Hussein Obama.

Readers who are troubled by the coverage of Obama’s grandmothers would do better to send their complaints to the Sun-Times rather than NewsMax.

McCain Mulled Leaving GOP

Sen. John McCain, frustrated after his loss to George Bush in the 2000 Republican primary, came close to leaving the GOP in 2001, according to Democrats involved in the discussions.

Before talking to the Arizona Republican, Democrats had contacted then-Sen. Jim Jeffords of Vermont and then-Sen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island about possibly leaving the Republican Party, the influential publication The Hill reports.

In late March 2001, weeks before Jeffords did leave the GOP and became an Independent, former Democratic Rep. Tom Downey of New York met with John Weaver, McCain’s chief political strategist, over lunch in Bethesda, Md.

According to Downey, Weaver asked why Democrats hadn’t asked McCain to switch parties.

Downey, then a well-connected lobbyist, said he told Weaver: "You’re really wondering?”

"Well, if the right people asked him,” Weaver said, according to Downey, who responded: "The calls will be made. Who do you want?” Immediately following the lunch, Downey called several powerful Democrats, including then-Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota.

In an interview with The Hill, Daschle said that throughout April and May of 2001, he and McCain "had meetings and conversations on the floor and in his office, I think in mine as well, about how we would do it, what the conditions would be. We talked about committees and his seniority.”

At the time, soon after Bush’ inauguration, McCain was working with the Democrats on many issues, from gun control to healthcare to campaign-finance reform, and some Republicans publicly criticized him, The Hill notes.

Downey said that at one point he thought McCain’s departure from the GOP "was almost a certain deal.”

Daschle stressed that McCain never considered becoming a Democrat, only an Independent.

But after Jeffords announced his departure from the Republican Party, turning over control of the Senate to the Democrats, McCain and Chafee broke off talks with Democratic leaders, sources told The Hill.

McCain, in a statement released by his 2008 presidential campaign, flatly denied that he nearly left the GOP. "As I said in 2001, I never considered leaving the Republican Party, period.”

And Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a longtime friend of McCain, said on Wednesday: "I have never heard one word from John’s mouth to suggest he was going to leave the Republican Party. These are political-intrigue stories that have no basis in fact.”

Rep. McDermott to Pay $700K for Illegal Phone Leak

NewsMax - Rep. Jim McDermott had no right to disclose the contents of an illegally taped telephone call involving House Republican leaders a decade ago, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

In a 5-4 opinion, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that McDermott, a Washington Democrat, should not have given reporters access to the taped telephone call.

McDermott's offense was especially egregious since he was a senior member of the House ethics committee, the panel ruled.

When he became a member of the ethics panel, McDermott "voluntarily accepted a duty of confidentiality that covered his receipt and handling of the . . . illegal recording. He therefore had no First Amendment right to disclose the tape to the media," Judge A. Raymond Randolph wrote on behalf of the court. Four judges agreed with him.

The ruling upholds a previous decision ordering McDermott to pay House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, more than $700,000 for leaking the taped conversation. The figure includes $60,000 in damages and more than $600,000 in legal costs.

Boehner was among several GOP leaders heard on the December 1996 call, which involved ethics allegations against then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga. Gingrich, who was heard on the call telling Boehner and others how to react to allegations, was later fined $300,000 and reprimanded by the House.

McDermott, who was then serving on the ethics panel, leaked the tape to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The New York Times, which published stories on the case in January 1997.

In a sharp dissent, Judge David B. Sentelle said that under the majority's ruling, "no one in the United States could communicate on this topic of public interest because of the defect in the chain of title," that is, the fact that the tape was illegally obtained.

"We do not believe the First Amendment permits this interdiction of public information," Sentelle wrote on behalf of himself and three other judges.

Boehner called the court's ruling encouraging, and noted that the court agreed with a bipartisan report of the House ethics committee in December.

"As I've said many times: when you break the law in pursuit of a political opponent, you've gone too far," Boehner said in a statement. "Members of Congress have a responsibility not only to obey the laws of our country and the rules of our institution, but also to defend the integrity of those laws and rules when they are violated."

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled against McDermott last year. The 2-1 opinion upheld a lower court ruling that McDermott had violated Boehner's rights.

The full nine-member appeals court later vacated the ruling and heard arguments in the case last fall and again in January.

A spokesman for McDermott declined immediate comment.
Lawyers for 18 news organizations - including major television networks, The Associated Press,

The New York Times and The Washington Post - filed a brief backing McDermott last year. They said a ruling against him could chill the media's ability to gather information on important public issues.

But in its January arguments, the court focused on House rules and the obligations of ethics committee members.

The ethics panel said in a report released in December that McDermott had failed to meet his obligations as a committee leader by giving reporters access to the taped call. The House panel took no further action against McDermott beyond release of its Dec. 11 report.

The case is Boehner v. McDermott, 04-7203.

'M.C.' Karl Rove Raps at Broadcasters Dinner

Presidential adviser by day, rapper by night: Karl Rove rocked the house in his hip-hop debut on an evening of rare levity for an administration under fire.

The balding, bespectacled Rove was given a standing ovation at an annual broadcast journalists' awards dinner on Wednesday night when he danced and posed with his Blackberry during an improvised rap skit.

As boss President George W. Bush looked on, Rove gamely flapped about the stage as comedian Brad Sherwood described his favorite pastimes: "Listen up suckas, don't get the jitters, but MC

Rove tears the heads off of critters."

Rove had told Sherwood that he liked to hunt, collect stamps and "tear the heads off of small animals."

Rove, 56, is the architect of Bush's two presidential election wins and often decried by critics as a ruthless political operative.

But Snoop Dogg and other rappers don't have to worry. Rove appeared far less threatening on stage, his rapping limited to occasional outbursts of "I'm MC Rove" - slang for "master of ceremonies."

Footage from the Radio and Television Correspondents Association Dinner was featured on morning news television shows and available at the YouTube Web site.

Rove is in the firing line as Democrats pursue his role in the dismissal of eight federal prosecutors, which they say was motivated by partisan politics. He eluded indictment last year in a case involving the leak of the name of a CIA operative.

Bush drew a laugh at the dinner with a joke touching on the prosecutors' firing.

"We really blew the way we let those attorneys go. You know you botched it when people pity lawyers," said Bush, who traditionally has used such occasions to make self-deprecating comments.

When asked by the comedian Bush declined to share Rove's nickname around the White House - "turd blossom," a reference to the flowers that grow from Texas cow dung.

Biden: Impeaching Bush Gives Us Cheney

Delaware Sen. Joe Biden said Tuesday that a case could be made to impeach President Bush, but that such a step would be politically impractical.

Biden told about 200 students at Drake University Law School that most Americans wouldn't want to impeach Bush. He said such a move would be bad politics and could have unintended consequences.

"I don't want to impeach Bush because I don't want Cheney," he said, referring to Vice President Dick Cheney.

Biden's comments came after a 40-minute speech, billed as a major policy address, where he linked Bush's policies to the sinking international stature of the United States.

Biden said the nation's reputation would not be repaired until there was a new president and Bush policies were abolished or drastically altered.

Among other things, Biden called for:

The razing of Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, the site of a prisoner abuse scandal.

The closing and abandonment of the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay Cuba, where suspected terrorists are being held.

A more assertive Congress that is willing to be steadfast in its opposition to the president's policies.

He said Bush, "has squandered the opportunity to unite and lead the world and made us less safe from both tyranny and terrorism ... I call on him to reform these policies in order to restore our constitutional balance, reaffirm our individual rights and liberties, and renew our moral leadership in the world.

"It is time for us ... to live up to our image of ourselves," Biden said.

Bush Critics Want Iraq Failure

Congressional critics of President Bush's Iraq policy "seem to be rooting for failure," former White House chief of staff Andrew Card said Tuesday. In an interview with The Associated Press, Card said lawmakers' efforts to mandate withdrawal timelines and threats to cut funding go beyond the scope of their duties. And he blamed critics in both parties for putting a negative slant on the war.

"We should be rooting for success," Card said. "I'm very upset that I see many of his critics, who are partisans, Republicans or Democrats, who seem to be rooting for failure. You know, they don't like his plan, therefore they want it to fail."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has said he would try to eliminate money for the war if Bush rejects Congress' proposal to set a deadline to end combat. Besides Reid, Card said, "there are several of them who are getting in the way of the president's plans being implemented."

"Their job is to fund it, provide policy guidance through laws, but they're not supposed to be the tacticians," Card said. "I find that far too many members of Congress are trying to be tacticians."

Card rejected any talk that Bush is too secluded as a leader and rarely hears opposing viewpoints.

"It is unfair, during my experience with the president, to tag him as being in a bubble or isolated," Card said. "And he certainly did not receive monolithic counsel and advice during my tenure as chief of staff."

Card was responding to former Bush pollster and strategist Matthew Dowd's criticism in Sunday's New York Times that Bush's "my way or the highway" leadership style and his like-minded inner circle have made him more "secluded and bubbled in" as president.

"I don't see him as Matthew Dowd described him," Card said. "I think there is a myth around the president that allows that definition to have more traction than it should. But I think it's a myth. It's not the George Bush that I know."

Card, who was chief of staff from January 2001 through April 2006, said Bush was eager to hear divergent views before he made a decision.

"There was always a healthy debate," Card said. "The president encouraged a healthy debate. In fact, he used to tell us regularly, 'If you present me one option, you're presenting me with a decision. And I want several options, so that I can make a decision."'

As for his own future, Card downplayed prospects that he would run for office in his home state, Massachusetts. Some Republicans want him to challenge Sen. John Kerry, who is up for re-election in 2008, or else run for governor.

"If people are waiting around for me to be a candidate, they shouldn't waste their time," Card said.

He said his close Bush ties would make it hard to run in Massachusetts, a Democratic-dominated state.

"It's a tough state to run as a Republican," he said. "It would be an especially significant challenge to run as a Republican who is not afraid to be associated with a president named Bush."

Sen. Harry Reid: End Funds for Iraq War

Ratcheting up pressure on the White House to end the Iraq war, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid joined one of the chamber's biggest anti-war Democrats on Monday in proposing to terminate funding for the conflict within a year.

The Senate has already defied a veto threat by President George W. Bush and joined the House of Representatives in backing a timetable for withdrawing American combat troops from Iraq.

But the new legislation unveiled by Wisconsin liberal Democrat Russ Feingold and co-sponsored by Nevada Democrat Reid would go farther and take the controversial step of ending funding for the war by March 31, 2008 - with three exceptions.

The exceptions would allow money to be spent for "targeted" and "limited' operations against al Qaeda; protecting U.S. personnel, and training Iraqi security forces.

It was unclear, however, how much support there would be in the closely divided Senate for such a move. But an aide to Senate Minority Leader and Kentucky Republican Mitch McConnell noted that many senators, including some Democrats, had said they would not vote to cut off funding for U.S. troops, even if they were unhappy with the war.

"My guess is most Republicans would welcome such a vote" to draw a clear line on funding, McConnell's aide said.

Reid said he would call for a vote on the Feingold legislation soon if Bush carries out his threat to veto the timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq.

The goal of getting all combat soldiers out by March 31, 2008, was contained in a "supplemental appropriations" bill providing about $100 billion in war funds and passed last week by the Senate on a mostly 51-47 party-line vote.

"I am pleased to co-sponsor Senator Feingold's important legislation," Reid said in a statement.

"If the President vetoes the supplemental appropriations bill and continues to resist changing course in Iraq, I will work to ensure this legislation receives a vote in the Senate in the next work period."

But before Bush can issue his promised veto of the supplemental war funds bill, the Senate and House must merge their two separate versions into one, a task that is not expected to be completed until at least mid-April.

Without the war-funding bill, the Pentagon will run out of money for the conflict in the coming months, although exactly when this would happen is a matter of dispute between lawmakers and the White House.

Vice President Dick Cheney repeated Bush's veto threat on Monday, saying lawmakers setting deadlines for withdrawal were calling for a U.S. "retreat." The effort was pointless, Cheney said, because lawmakers would not be able to muster the two-thirds majority needed to override Bush's veto.

"It's nothing less than an attempt to force the president's hand," Cheney said in prepared remarks at a reception for Alabama Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions. "They're going to find out that they've misread George W. Bush," he declared.

Reid's spokesman Jim Manley said the new Feingold legislation was "the next in a series of steps designed to try and force a change in administration policy."

Asked how many senators would support it, Manley conceded "it's an uphill battle ... but each time we've had some of these votes, we've picked up additional support."

Under the Bush administration's new Iraq policy announced earlier this year, the Pentagon has increased force levels in Iraq by about 30,000 troops. The United States has about 145,000 troops in Iraq.

Fidel Castro: U.S. to Kill Billions With Biofuel

Cuba's Fidel Castro published his first editorial since his July surgery on Thursday, signing his name to a scathing article on U.S. biofuel plans for Thursday's edition of the Communist Party newspaper Granma.

The article - e-mailed to the media in the early hours of Thursday and later posted on Granma's Web site - said nothing about Castro's state of health, but signaled that the convalescing leader is following world affairs closely.

It was the latest indication that Castro has no plans to retire from the limelight, after comments by various government officials recently that he is recovering well enough to soon take a more active role in government.

Castro has yet to reappear in public, however, having only been seen in photographs and video recordings or heard on the radio since his surgery. He has been pictured in track suits or pajamas rather than his trademark olive green uniform.

In Thursday's article, Castro said more than 3 billion people in the world were condemned to die prematurely of hunger or thirst from plans by his ideological foe, the United States, to convert foodstuffs like corn into fuel for cars.

"This is not an exaggerated figure, it's more likely cautious," Castro wrote in the ruling Communist Party's daily newspaper. "I've been meditating quite a bit since President Bush's meeting with North American automobile makers."

He was commenting on a proposal by the Bush administration to cut gasoline use by 20 percent by 2017, mostly by increasing the use of fuels such as ethanol, made from home-grown corn.

Bush's plan, unveiled in his State of the Union speech in late January, also counts on advances in making ethanol from other sources such as wood chips and switchgrass.

Castro said nothing about whether he intends to participate more actively in the government, after handing over day-to-day power to Raul Castro eight months ago.

The editorial, dated March 28, was sub-headed "Reflections of the Comandante in Chief" - a possible indication that Castro could from now on put his musings on world affairs down on paper, rather than in the lengthy speeches which have been the trademark of his more than four decades in power.

On Wednesday, Castro's elder brother Ramon Castro said the recovering leader was in good shape, but shed no light on whether he could soon make a live public appearance.

The Cuban government has not given any indication whether Castro could show up at an April 28 meeting in Cuba of a trade pact known as the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, or ALBA, as Bolivian President Evo Morales has said he hoped.

Bush: 'I Will Veto' Pork-Laden Iraq War Bill

President George W. Bush threatened on Friday to veto legislation approved by the House of Representatives that would impose a deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq.

Bush accused Democrats who orchestrated the vote of "an act of political theater" that they know will never become law.

"They set rigid restrictions that would require an army of lawyers to interpret. They set an arbitrary date for withdrawal with no regard for conditions on the ground. And they tacked on billions in pet projects that have nothing to do with winning the war on terror," Bush said.

"This bill has too much pork, too many conditions and an artificial timetable for withdrawal. As I've made clear for weeks I will veto it if it comes to my desk," Bush said.

U.S. Census Overstated Number of Uninsured

Some 1.8 million Americans fell off the government's list of the medically uninsured, but not because they now have health coverage.

The Census Bureau acknowledged Friday that for at least a decade, it has been overstating the number of people without health insurance. So, now it has reissued figures for 2005 and 2004.

The bureau plans to issue new numbers in August for every year going back to 1995.

The revised estimates show that 44.8 million people, or 15.3 percent of the population, were without health insurance in 2005. The original estimate was 46.6 million, or about 15.9 percent of the population.

The bureau discovered the errors while it was updating a computer system for its Current Population Survey, which yields data on income, employment and health insurance coverage, according to a press release.

The bureau said that some residents were counted as "not covered" by insurance when they had reported coverage. No other questions in the survey were affected, the bureau said.

Late Nite Jokes

Leno

Did you watch American Idol last night? Sanjaya was not eliminated. Did you know that Sanjaya is an ancient Indian name meaning "William Hung.” Did you know that?

Al Gore returned to Congress. Everyone said Al Gore was treated like a rock star. I think the rock star was Meat Loaf.

Gore told Congress that global warming shouldn’t be a political issue it should be a moral issue. And Congress said, "A moral issue? I’m sorry you lost us there.”

Actor Keanu reeves is accused of hitting a celebrity photographer with his Porsche Tuesday while leaving a parking lot. The good news, there was no damage done to the Porsche. I was so worried.

Conan

A Gore testified yesterday about global warming. Al Gore told members of Congress that, "The planet has a fever, and it needs a doctor.” When they heard this, members of Congress said,

"Yeah. You won an Oscar for this?”

Sources at the Pentagon say several factories in Iraq will soon begin making clothes to be sold in the United States. That’s right. Because Americans only want two things from Iraq: a central stable government and affordable quality men’s wear.

Britney Spears has agreed to give estranged husband Kevin Federline $20 million in a divorce settlement. Apparently Federline will get $2 million in cash and the rest in beef jerky.

Baseball spring training underway. Players on the San Francisco Giants don’t mind playing with Barry Bonds, because they’re hoping some of his greatness will rub off on them. Either that or they’re hoping Bonds will inject some of his greatness into their biceps.

Kimmel

I’m on top of the world right now. First of all, I‘m in third place in our NCAA pool here at the office; I have $500 riding on Ian Ziering from "Dancing With the Stars," and this is the first of five consecutive nights without Sanjaya. No Sanjaya on television.

The No. 1 topic here in the office is still Sanjaya. Sanjaya is the kid everyone hates from American Idol. I learned something interesting about him last night: He’s a boy!

We have something weird going on here. For the last three days there have been flies all over our studios. House flies. Landing on me, landing on guests. It turns out to save money, we built the set out of roast beef, which I didn’t know. The flies are feasting. They fly right to the camera. They’re like little Al Sharptons. Every time they see a camera, there they are.
We’ve had to get a "swat” team.

N.Y. Post Writer Sues Bill and Hillary Clinton

For months, former New York Post scribe Jared Paul Stern was at the center of unseemly accusations that he tried to shake down billionaire Ronald Burkle in exchange for good press in the newspaper's gossip pages.

Now Stern has fired back in a lawsuit filed Thursday against Burkle, the Post's archrival Daily News - even former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, whom Stern accuses of attacking him in an effort to suppress negative stories about themselves.

Represented by a longtime critic of the Clintons, Stern alleges the defendants defamed and inflicted emotional distress on him and wrecked his job as a contributor to the Post's hugely popular Page Six gossip column. He seeks unspecified damages.

Burkle spokesman Michael Sitrick called the lawsuit "preposterous."

"We are confident that we will prevail in this action," Sitrick said in an e-mail.

Daily News spokeswoman Jennifer Mauer and Jay Carson, a spokesman for the Clintons, all declined to comment on the lawsuit. So did defendant William Sherman, the Daily News reporter who broke the story about the allegations against Stern last year.

Federal authorities investigated Burkle's claim that Stern demanded $100,000 and a $10,000 monthly stipend to make negative stories about him stop appearing in Page Six. Stern has repeatedly denied such an extortion attempt, and federal authorities declined to file charges.

Stern, 36, was suspended from the Post and no longer works there. He is living in upstate New York, plotting his comeback.

"Jared did not commit extortion," Stern's attorney Larry Klayman said. "He did not conduct a shakedown. The bottom line is that Burkle is in deep, hot water."

Burkle, a California supermarket mogul and political donor, has previously spoken out on the case by expressing dismay with columns like Page Six, denouncing what he called the "shoddy standards of gossip reporting."

The Clintons are friends with Burkle, and Bill Clinton also has complained about Page Six items.
Stern's lawsuit claims the Clintons "conceived of and participated in and furthered the illegal actions of the other defendants in order to destroy Page Six of the New York Post and the New York Post in general."

"This was intended as a prelude to Hillary Clinton's run for the Presidency in 2008 as Page Six and the New York Post, owned and operated by Rupert Murdoch, were perceived as significant impediments to a successful candidacy and the Clintons' return to the White House," the lawsuit alleges.

Others named in Stern's lawsuit include a spokesman for Burkle and his head of security.
Stern's attorney founded Judicial Watch and is best known for lawsuits he pursued while running the conservative legal group.

Klayman pursued ethics claims against the Clintons throughout the 1990s and represented Gennifer Flowers, who claimed she had an affair with Bill Clinton, in a defamation lawsuit against Hillary Clinton.

Murdoch, whose vast media holdings include Fox News and the Post, surprised liberals and conservatives alike by helping raise money for Sen. Clinton's re-election campaign last year.

Late Nite Jokes

Leno

It is officially spring. Al Gore blamed the end of winter on global warming.

While on Capitol Hill today, Al Gore testified that if we act now, we can still save the planet. Well, not the whole planet . . . except Florida. He’s still a little upset.

This week marks the four-year anniversary of the war in Iraq. Former President Bill Clinton said, "I can’t think of any sadder anniversary — except my own.”

Last week a dead passenger was upgraded to first class on a British Airways flight. That’s one of the perks of being Keith Richards.

Letterman

Today is the first day of spring. Today is the day that the city takes off the manhole covers and puts in the screens.

Here’s the kind of thing that only happens only in New York. There’s a restaurant in New York City that’s selling a pizza. The price of the pizza: $1,000. Here’s what you get: caviar on the pizza, lobster, and a hat that reads, "Dumbass.”

Congratulations to Regis Philbin, who’s on the mend. He had surgery; it was a complete success. Everything is fine. And here’s the good part: Regis is no longer trapped in a man’s body.

Conan

Yesterday on the "Today” show, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he doesn’t care what Rush Limbaugh says, because Rush Limbaugh is "irrelevant." Arnold stated pronouncing irrelevant on the "Today” show and finished pronouncing it on the "Nightly News.”

Big news: Carl Rove was subpoenaed today. President Bush said he will allow Rove to answer questions, but not under oath. The president said, "I’m, all for him talking, as long as he doesn’t have to tell the truth.”

The world’s biggest airliner made history this week, by flying from Europe to New York. It’s a doubledecker that seats 550 passengers. The flight was also historic because it’s the first time 550 people watched the movie "Deuce Bigelow, American Gigolo.”

The state of Florida is funding an antigravity classroom, that allows students to experience weightlessness. Not surprisingly in the antigravity classroom the American kids still weigh 160 pounds.

Ferguson

Today is the official first day of spring. Did I mention I’m divorced? Twice! Once it might be 50-50; twice, it’s me.

Spring — a young man’s thoughts turn to love. As opposed to the rest of the year when a young man’s thoughts are about church, math . . .

The true mark of spring is the March Madness basketball tournament. I noticed about college basketball, that when there are players that don’t earn any money they try harder!

Sports analysts say that basketball has gotten better since the NBA instituted the 19-year-old [players] rule. You know who introduced that? R. Kelley.

Kimmel

Spring is here, flowers are in bloom, really the only dark cloud hanging over us now, is a young man named Sanjaya [on American Idol]. Our nation’s deepest fears were realized tonight when his fans, the "San-ginas," came thought for him.

He wasn’t even in the bottom three. He wasn’t voted off! They voted Bucky Covington off again, and he wasn’t even on the show!

I found out in his native tongue, his name means, "My ears are bleeding.”

Rosie really ripped into Elizabeth Hasselbeck yesterday. Elizabeth is the only conservative on the show — at least I think she is, it’s hard to tell, because every time she speaks Rosie shouts her down. They should change the name to "Rosie’s View.”

Newt Gingrich Raising Millions

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has decried the early start of the 2008 presidential race and the massive fund-raising it necessitates. But Gingrich himself has been busy raising cash for his new political organization.

Gingrich’s group, American Solutions for Winning the Future, has collected more than $2.1 million since it was created in October. It’s a so-called 527 organization, so it would be illegal for

Gingrich to use any of that money in a presidential campaign if he decides to run, as some have speculated. Gingrich has said he won’t make a decision until the fall.

"Still, the group can pay for salaries, Gingrich’s travel, office space, fund-raising, direct mail, television and radio ads and the like,” The Politico reports.

"In other words, it can fund the foundation for a campaign before there is one.”

American Solutions’ Web site says it seeks to build a network of more than 500,000 elected officials from all levels of government, along with activists and volunteers, "to create a wave of change that meets America’s challenges, seizes our opportunities and builds a better future for all Americans.”

The bulk of the money raised so far by Gingrich’s organization came from two donors who each contributed $1 million – Las Vegas Sands Corporation Chairman Sheldon Adelson, and North Carolina real estate developer Fred Godley.

There are no limits on the size of a contribution to a 527 organization.

In an address last week at Goucher College in Maryland, Gingrich said about the long campaign season: "I think it is absurd to have people out here running around raising money, arguing about politics for an entire year.”

Late Nite Jokes

Leno

Jury selection began this week in the Phil Spector murder trial. Spector said the jury he would like to select is either the OJ jury or the Robert Blake jury.

As I’m sure you know, jury selection in Los Angeles is followed by a three part process. The bungling of the evidence, the acquittal, then the book by the defendant called, "If I Did It.”

If you are not familiar with the case, legendary music producer Phil Spector is accused of shooting an actress that he just met. When Robert Blake heard about this, he was horrified. He said, "Hey, at least I took mine to dinner first.”

On this date in 1847 Brigham Young married his 42nd wife. You know what he told a friend before he married his 42nd wife? "This is the one. Those other chicks were nothing. You, you’re special.”

Letterman

Adam Sandler filling in.

Unfortunately Dave is suffering from a stomach flu. A common side effect of Botox injections.
I’m not going to do topical jokes . . . I like President Bush; he’s a nice guy. He told me he saw "Water Boy” 28 times.

He said he saw "Click” 53 times. He asked me where he could buy a remote like that. One that could rewind about five years for him. That’s what he needs.

Conan

In Washington D.C. people want the attorney general to resign. Some republicans are looking for a replacement for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, but apparently they need to find an experienced legal mind that President Bush is comfortable with. The No. 1 candidate is Judge Judy.

Scientists say they are trying to develop a drug that eliminates memories of traumatic events.

The research is being funded by Star Jones’ husband.

In Hollywood the other night, the producer of "Girls Gone Wild” was spotted hanging out at a gay bar. Which explains the title of the new DVD, "Girls Gone Wild — At Least I thought They Were Girls; I Was Really Drunk.”

According to USA Today, Tom Cruise’s wedding was in an Italian castle. Well that inspired Elizabeth Hurley to marry in a British castle, and inspired Eva Longoria to book her wedding in French castle. Meanwhile Kirstie Allie is getting married at White Castle.

Ferguson

Tomorrow, for the first day of spring, Dunkin Donuts is giving away free iced coffee. So if you’re going to commit a crime, tomorrow would probably be the day.

Tara Reid is starting her own fast food restaurant. Great news for anyone who likes their food cheap and soaked in vodka.

That Boy Scout in North Carolina was rescued by a dog named Gandolf. Do you know who I would have sent into the forest to find him? George Michael. He can always find a man in the forest.

Kimmel

Today is the first day of spring. I filled my shorts with daffodils to celebrate. Didn’t Al Gore say we’re all going to die by spring?

"Dancing With the Stars” is back. Fifteen million people watched last night. At least 8 million of those people were watching in hopes that Heather Mills’ artificial leg would fly off. They say that her biggest threats to the competition are Joey Fatone and termites.

Yesterday the Supreme Court debated a case where a high school student in Alaska was suspended for bringing a banner that said, "Bong Hits For Jesus” to school. The argument is whether the student’s right to free speech was violated. The case is Roe v. Weed.

Gore Refuses to Take Personal Energy Pledge

Former Vice President Al Gore refused to take a "Personal Energy Ethics Pledge" today to consume no more energy than the average American household. The pledge was presented to Gore by Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, during today's global warming hearing.

Senator Inhofe showed Gore a film frame from "An Inconvenient Truth" where it asks viewers:

"Are you ready to change the way you live?"

Gore has been criticized for excessive home energy usage at his residence in Tennessee. His electricity usage is reportedly 20 times higher than the average American household.

It has been reported that many of these so-called carbon offset projects would have been done anyway. Also, carbon offset projects such as planting trees can take decades or even a century to sequester the carbon emitted today. So energy usage today results in greenhouse gases remaining in the atmosphere for decades, even with the purchase of so-called carbon offsets.

"There are hundreds of thousands of people who adore you and would follow your example by reducing their energy usage if you did. Don't give us the run-around on carbon offsets or the gimmicks the wealthy do," Senator Inhofe told Gore.

"Are you willing to make a commitment here today by taking this pledge to consume no more energy for use in your residence than the average American household by one year from today?" Senator Inhofe asked.

Senator Inhofe then presented Vice President Gore with the following "Personal Energy Ethics Pledge:

As a believer:

-that human-caused global warming is a moral, ethical, and spiritual issue affecting our survival;

-that home energy use is a key component of overall energy use;

-that reducing my fossil fuel-based home energy usage will lead to lower greenhouse gas emissions; and

-that leaders on moral issues should lead by example;

I pledge to consume no more energy for use in my residence than the average American household by March 21, 2008."

Gore refused to take the pledge.

Late Nite Jokes

Leno

It’s chilly here. But it’s terrible weather back East. Another massive snowstorm has hit the Northeast . . . Or, as environmentalists call it, a "temporary global warming hiatus."

In fact, it was so cold in New York City, the rats at KFC were sitting under the heat lamps.

Over the weekend, a hundred thousand US Airways passengers were stranded. Not because of the storm; it was St. Patrick’s Day, and the pilots were all drunk.

Hillary Clinton announced that the vast right-wing conspiracy is back. Or maybe she said the vast right wing conspiracy is "Barack.”

Letterman

Do you watch Jeopardy? Guess what happened. For the first time in history, they had a three-way tie. Now it’s going to be decided by the Supreme Court.

Alex Trebek, the host of the show, was so stunned, he shaved his head and entered rehab.

Here’s a creepy story. A guy is flying on a long flight. Six-hour flight, British Airways. Half way through the flight, he realizes the person sitting next to him is dead. Long flight. Six hours. Person in the seat next to him, dead. I say, Hey, count your blessings.

And this morning, out of habit, JetBlue apologized.

Letterman's Top Ten

Top Ten Signs You've Been Watching Too Much College Basketball

10. To get in the mood, you ask your wife to dress like Billy Packer

9. Human resources asks you to stop handchecking co-workers

8. When announcer says Butler guard A.J. Graves averages 2.4 rebounds per game, you mutter, "It's 2.3, moron"

7. Recently hired a guy to mop up your sweat

6. Your kids are seeded according to how much you love them

5. In honor of Texas A&M, you name your triplets "A," "M," and "Ampersand"

4. Checked into rehab to kick $500-a-day "nacho cheese" habit

3. In a pinch, you ask, "What would UNLV assistant coach Greg Grensing do?"

2. The nagging voice in your head saying, "Cheney and I should really be focusing on Iraq"

1. Difficult to tell where your ass ends and the couch begins

Conan

The world’s largest airliner flew from Europe to New York today. The plane is so big, it can carry 500 passengers . . . or 80 Americans.

Hooters is in the news. Hooters announced it’s opening up its first restaurant in the Holy Land. After hearing this, Bill Clinton said, "As far as I’m concerned, Hooters is the holy land.”

Al Sharpton and Barack Obama spoke on the phone for about five minutes yesterday. They have reportedly put their differences behind them. Which means Obama can get back to running for president, and Sharpton can get back to whatever the hell it is that he does.

Ferguson

The new super jumbo jet landed here today. Huge, big jumbo jet. It’s an Airbus A380, it’s called. Doubledecker plane with a wingspan of the size of a football field. JetBlue has its own version of the Airbus. It doesn’t leave the ground. It’s just called a bus.

I had a great weekend. I was doing standup in Birmingham Ala. I was expecting banjos and all sorts, but it’s not. People in L.A. think Alabama is somehow related to Barack Obama. They’ve got no idea!

In Alabama, I was in this comedy club called the Star Dome. A planetary-themed comedy club. Which is very convenient. My act involves a lot of jokes about Uranus . . . I can just point.

Al Gore Refuses to Hear GOP Opening Statements

Former Vice President Al Gore apparently will brook no skepticism. Given the opportunity to testify about global warming before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on

Wednesday, Gore decided to arrive late, so he wouldn't have to suffer through the Republicans' opening statement.

He was seen waiting in a hall outside the committee room, Fox News reported. Republicans also objected to the fact that they received Gore's written testimony at 7 a.m. Wednesday morning - hours after Democrats received it.

"How are we supposed to prepare questions for our esteemed witness when we're basically given the testimony two hours before he shows up?" asked one committee Republican.

Republicans complained that Gore was getting special treatment.

The hearing entitled "Perspectives on Climate Change" will also feature Gore critic, Dr. Bjorn Lomborg, adjunct professor at the Copenhagen Consensus Center in Denmark and author of the controversial book "The Skeptical Environmentalist."

Later in the day, the former vice president will testify again, this time before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

FBI File Links Kennedy to Monroe's Death

A three-page FBI reports suggests that Robert F. Kennedy, the late U.S. attorney-general and presidential candidate, was aware of a plan "to induce" the suicide of Marilyn Monroe, according to a story in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Reportedly, allegations in the file suggest the 36-year-old actress, who had a history of staging sympathy-seeking suicide attempts, was deliberately given the means to fake another suicide on August 4, 1962. But this time -- it is suggested -- she was allowed to die as she sought help.

The document, reportedly uncovered by Los Angeles-based Australian writer and director, Philippe Mora, was included among thousands of pages released under freedom-of-information laws last October.

The file entitled "ROBERT F. KENNEDY” was received by the FBI on October 19, 1964 -- two years after star’s death.

Despite a disclaimer that it could not be sourced or authenticated, it was considered vital enough to send to the FBI's five most senior officers, including director J. Edgar Hoover's right-hand man, Clyde Tolson, according to the Herald report.

According to the report, the file raises the specter of an alleged conspiracy, apparently overseen by Kennedy friend, actor Peter Lawford.

The plan: Monroe was to unwittingly commit suicide with the drug Seconal, a barbiturate. In part, the report notes:

"Lawford is reported as having made 'special arrangements' with Marilyn's psychiatrist... The psychiatrist was treating Marilyn for emotional problems and getting her off the use of barbiturates.

"On her last visit to him, he prescribed Seconal tablets and gave her a prescription for 60 of them, which was unusual in quantity especially since he saw her frequently.

"On the date of her death ... her housekeeper put the bottle of pills on the night table. It is reported that the housekeeper and Marilyn's personal secretary and press agent ... were co-operating in the plan to induce suicide."

Reportedly, according to the uncovered file, Kennedy had checked out of the Beverley Hills Hotel and flown to San Francisco where he booked into the St Charles Hotel, owned by a friend.

According to the Herald report of the contents of the file: "Robert Kennedy made a telephone call from St Charles Hotel, San Francisco, to Peter Lawford to find out if Marilyn was dead yet."

Other key verbage in the file as reported by the Herald: "Marilyn expected to have her stomach pumped out and get sympathy for her suicide attempt. The psychiatrist left word for Marilyn to take a drive in the fresh air but did not come to see her until after she was known to be dead."

The actress was discovered in the early hours of August 5, lying on top of her telephone.

All the major players in the alleged conspiracy are now dead.

The FBI file further reportedly provided details about how Kennedy had promised Monroe he would divorce his wife and marry her and that he would take care of her looming contract problems with 20th Century Fox.

When Kennedy failed to follow through, Monroe reportedly called him at work and they had "unpleasant words. She was reported to have threatened to make public their affair."

Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama: Homosexuality Not 'Immoral'

Senators Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., responded on Thursday to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Peter Pace's comments that homosexual behavior is "immoral," but only after they were criticized for failing to do so by a homosexual advocacy group.

"Well, I've heard from a number of my friends, and I've certainly clarified with them any misunderstanding that anyone had, because I disagree with General Pace completely," Clinton told Bloomberg News. "I do not think homosexuality is immoral."

Also on Thursday, Obama released a statement on the issue. "I do not agree with General Pace that homosexuality is immoral," the Illinois Democrat noted. "Attempts to divide people like this have consumed too much of our politics over the past six years."

The remarks by the 2008 presidential candidates differed dramatically from their comments on the issue made earlier in the week.

On Tuesday, an ABC reporter asked Clinton whether homosexuality is immoral, and she replied: "Well, I am going to leave that to others to conclude."

A spokesman for the junior senator from New York later said that she disagrees with Pace.

On Wednesday, reporters also pressed Obama for reaction to Pace's comments. "Traditionally, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman has restricted his public comments to military matters," the Illinois Democrat said. "That's probably a good tradition to follow."

The lack of open criticism from Clinton and Obama brought a sharp response from Jo Wyrick, executive director of the National Stonewall Democrats, on Thursday.

Without mentioning either of the 2008 presidential candidates by name, Wyrick said that "most Democrats understand, and should understand, that morality isn't derived from sexual orientation or gender identity."

"Morality is how you treat your neighbor, support your community and sacrifice for your family and country," Wyrick said in the news release. "When I tuck my daughter into bed at night, those are the values I teach her.

"We expect Democratic candidates and elected officials to reaffirm those same values, to speak up when families or individuals are scapegoated or maligned for political gain, and to proactively argue the benefits of treating all Americans equally under the law without regard to their sexual orientation or gender identity," she added.

"Morality is also embodied in action," Wyrick stated. "Our Democratic presidential candidates support employment non-discrimination legislation, the extension of health-care benefits to our families and oppose constitutional amendments that attack lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people for political gain.

"Those are moral actions and positions that each candidate should be proud to campaign on," she said.

"National Stonewall Democrats looks forward to further working with our Democratic candidates so that, in the future, they can speak with moral clarity and continue to positively partner with our community," Wyrick noted.

Late Nite Jokes

Leno

Tomorrow, of course, is St. Patrick’s Day. Or as we call it here in Los Angeles, "Cinco de Gringo.”
You’ll be seeing people wearing those buttons, "Kiss me I’m Irish.” That’s the most popular one. Least popular one: "Frisk me I’m Arabic.”

A lot of restaurants are holding St. Patrick’s Day promotions. At Kentucky Fried Chicken one lucky customer will be chosen to run the rats out of KFC. I think they’re dying the rats green if I’m not mistaken.

In a stunning new poll in Time magazine, Hillary Clinton’s lead has dropped 19 points over Barack Obama to just 7 points. She’s now blaming it on a vast left-wing conspiracy.


Conan

President Bush celebrated St. Patrick’s Day by saluting prominent Irish Americans. Bush praised Sandra Day O’Connor, Tip O’Neill, and Barack Obama.

Tomorrow New York City will have its St. Patrick’s Day parade. This year there’s going to be 150,000 marchers. Not only that, there’ll be 200,000 crawlers, and 300,000 faller-downers.
This week Court TV announced they are creating a new courtroom show for Star Jones. For the first time, justice is glad that it’s blind.

At a zoo in Louisiana a female chimpanzee recently got pregnant even though all the male chimps had supposedly been fixed. And now paternity tests indicate that the father is a chimp named Conan. Not only did they name a chimp after me, they botched my chimp vasectomy.

Kimmel

It’s St. Patrick’s Day. It’s upon us. Pardon me if I seem a little woozy, but it turned out the corned beef I ate for lunch today had no food coloring in it at all.

This morning, Angelina Jolie adopted a leprechaun.

President Bush got a head start on St. Patrick’s Day. He met with the prime minister of Ireland this morning. There’s a tradition that they have called the Shamrock Ceremony where they exchange gifts. The United States and Ireland do a ceremonial exchange of gifts. [Video of Irish prime minister giving shamrocks and, dubbed in, a pair of underpants stating "Kiss me , I’m Irish.”]

Sen. Brownback 'Applauds' Pace Remark on Gays

Republican presidential candidate Sam Brownback is backing the Pentagon's top general over his remarks that homosexuality is immoral.

The Kansas senator planned to send a letter on Thursday to President Bush supporting Marine Gen. Peter Pace, who earlier this week likened homosexuality to adultery and said the military should not condone it by allowing gay personnel to serve openly.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs also said: "I believe that homosexual acts between individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts."

Lawmakers of both parties criticized the remarks, but Brownback's letter called the criticism "both unfair and unfortunate."

"We should not expect someone as qualified, accomplished and articulate as General Pace to lack personal views on important moral issues," Brownback said. "In fact, we should expect that anyone entrusted with such great responsibility will have strong moral views."

While there is no indication that Pace's job is in jeopardy, Brownback said "personal moral beliefs" should not disqualify anyone from a position of leadership in the U.S. military.

"General Pace's recent remarks do not deserve the criticism they have received," Brownback said. "In fact, we applaud General Pace for maintaining a personal commitment to moral principles."

Pace said he supports the military's "don't ask, don't tell policy" in which gay service members are required to keep their sexual orientation private.

A Brownback spokesman said the senator was working Thursday to get other lawmakers to sign his letter.

Brownback, a favorite of the religious right, has been a prominent opponent of gay marriage.

Presidential contender Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has said Pace should be given a chance to explain his comments.

Barack Obama Pledges No Personal Attacks

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama vowed Thursday not to make the marital and other personal troubles of political rivals a campaign issue.

"Absolutely not," Obama replied when asked in an interview on NBC's "Today" show whether he would raise personal issues in the race.

"Everybody has personal issues," Obama said. "And I think, ultimately, what people want to know is what are you going to do on behalf of the American people - and that's how it should be."

Among the Republican presidential candidates, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has been married three times and is estranged from his children, and Arizona Sen. John McCain has been married twice.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is weighing a bid for the GOP nomination, has been married three times and recently acknowledged that he was having an adulterous affair while pursuing impeachment of former President Clinton for lying about his relationship with intern Monica Lewinsky.

Sen. Joe Lieberman Alarmed by Radical Islam Threat

Sen. Joseph Lieberman said opponents of President Bush’s policies on the Iraq war are exercising "wrong-headed thinking” and are operating in a "political climate” where Bush can only do wrong.

In a speech Monday to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Lieberman called Islamist extremism "a totalitarian ideology as violent and vicious as the fascism and communism we Americans and our allies fought and defeated in the last century.”

And he lamented: "Unfortunately, many in our country today do not seem to share that critical understanding of the threats we face. Increasingly, the debate over our foreign policy is becoming so polarized, so bound up in the battles we are having here in Washington, that it seems blind to the real battle outside America, the challenge of our time from the Islamist extremists.”

Lieberman said an early withdrawal from Iraq would constitute a victory for Iran and al-Qaida, and a "catastrophic defeat” for the U.S. He urged support for Bush’s plan for a troop "surge” in Iraq.

The White House has previously cited Lieberman’s support for the administration’s Iraq policy. Press Secretary Tony Snow deplored his loss in the Democratic primary in Connecticut last year. And in an interview that appeared on the White House Web site, Vice President Dick Cheney likened Lieberman’s defeat to a "purge” of a strong supporter of the war on terror. Lieberman did win re-election as an independent candidate.

In his speech to AIPAC – America’s leading pro-Israel lobby, with some 100,000 members – Lieberman said: "There is something profoundly wrong when opposition to the war in Iraq seems to inspire greater passion than opposition to Islamist extremism. There is something profoundly wrong when there is so much distrust of our intelligence community that some Americans doubt the plain and ominous facts about the threat to us posed by Iran.

"And there is something profoundly wrong when, in the face of attacks by radical Islam, we think we can find safety and stability by pulling back, by talking to and accommodating our enemies, and abandoning our friends and allies.

"Some of this wrong-headed thinking about the world is happening because we're in a political climate where, for many people, when George Bush says ‘yes,’ their reflex reaction is to say ‘no.’ That is unacceptable.”

Cold Chills Global Warming Expedition

An expedition designed to show how global warming is heating the Arctic had to be called off after one of the explorers got frostbite, thanks to incredibly frigid temperatures that got as low as 100 degrees below zero.

Explorers Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen planned to make a 530-mile journey on foot across the Arctic Ocean, but they had to call off the trek after Arnesen suffered frostbite in three of her toes, and extreme cold temperatures drained the batteries in some of their electronic equipment.

According to The Associated Press, they had planned to call in regular updates to school groups by satellite phone and had planned online posts with photographic evidence showing the alleged effects of global warming on the Arctic regions. On their Web site www.bancroftarneson.com they claim that "Arctic climate is now warming rapidly" and added that "much larger changes are projected."

The cold truth, however, got in the way - the climate in the allegedly warming Arctic area turned out to be bitterly cold according to spokeswoman Ann Atwood, who helped organize the expedition. She told the AP that the two measured the temperature inside their tent at 58 degrees below zero one night, while outside temperatures were exceeding an astounding 100 below zero at times.

"My first reaction when they called to say there were calling it off was that they just sounded really, really cold," Atwood said. She added that Bancroft and Arnesen were applying hot water bottles to Arnesen's foot every night, but had to wake up periodically because the bottles froze.

Atwood admitted there was some irony that a trip to call attention to global warming had to be called off in part by extreme cold temperatures.

"They were experiencing temperatures that weren't expected with global warming," Atwood said. "But one of the things we see with global warming is unpredictability."

Abortion Killed Over 45 Million

Former Sen. Zell Miller says abortion has claimed the lives of more than 45 million Americans since 1973, and is to blame for manpower shortages in the U.S. military and the looming Social Security crisis.

"How could this great land of plenty produce too few people in the last 30 years?” Miller asked during a recent fund-raiser in Macon, Ga. "Here is the brutal truth that no one dares to mention: We’re too few because too many of our babies have been killed. Over 45 million since Roe v. Wade in 1973.”

"If those 45 million children had lived, today they would be defending our country, they would be filling our jobs, they would be paying into Social Security,” Miller said, according to LifeSiteNews.com. "Still, we watch as 3,700 babies are killed every single day in America. It is unbelievable that a nation under God would allow this.”

Miller also said embryonic stem research is the same thing as abortion.

"It is not a proper fate for a human being made in God's image ... killing is wrong when it is called abortion and it is just as wrong when it is called research," LifeSiteNews reported.

Miller urged others to join him in taking a stand against abortion.

"And sometimes in the life of a nation, a time comes when men and women of conscience and courage have to stand up and be counted and say, ‘Enough! No more, this cannot continue.’”

Gen. Pace: Homosexuality is Immoral

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday he considers homosexuality to be immoral and the military should not condone it by allowing gay soldiers to serve openly, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Marine Gen. Peter Pace likened homosexuality to adultery, which he said was also immoral, the newspaper reported on its Web site.

"I do not believe the United States is well served by a policy that says it is OK to be immoral in any way," Pace told the newspaper in a wide-ranging interview.

Pace, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., and a 1967 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, said he based his views on his upbringing.

He said he supports the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell policy" in which gay men and women are allowed in the military as long as they keep their sexual orientation private. The policy, signed into law by President Clinton in 1994, prohibits commanders from asking about a person's sexual orientation.

"I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts," Pace said.

The newspaper said Pace did not address concerns raised by a 2005 government audit that showed some 10,000 troops, including more than 50 specialists in Arabic, have been discharged because of the policy.

With Democrats in charge of Congress, Rep. Martin Meehan, D-Mass., has introduced legislation to reverse the military's ban on openly serving homosexuals.

Halliburton Outsourcing HQ to Dubai

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Oil services giant Halliburton Co. will soon shift its corporate headquarters from Houston to the Mideast financial powerhouse of Dubai, chief executive Dave Lesar announced Sunday.

"Halliburton is opening its corporate headquarters in Dubai while maintaining a corporate office in Houston," spokeswoman Cathy Mann said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "The chairman, president and CEO will office from and be based in Dubai to run the company from the UAE."

Lesar, speaking at an energy conference in nearby Bahrain, said he will relocate to Dubai from Texas to oversee Halliburton's intensified focus on business in the Mideast and energy-hungry Asia, home to some of the world's most important oil and gas markets.

"As the CEO, I'm responsible for the global business of Halliburton in both hemispheres and I will continue to spend quite a bit of time in an airplane as I remain attentive to our customers, shareholders and employees around the world," Lesar said. "Yes, I will spend the majority of my time in Dubai."

Lesar's announcement appears to signal one of the highest-profile moves by a U.S. corporate leader to Dubai, an Arab boomtown where free-market capitalism has been paired with some of the world's most liberal tax, investment and residency laws.

"The eastern hemisphere is a market that is more heavily weighted toward oil exploration and production opportunities and growing our business here will bring more balance to Halliburton's overall portfolio," Lesar said.

In 2006, Halliburton -- once headed by Vice President Dick Cheney -- earned profits of $2.3 billion on revenues of $22.6 billion.

More than 38 percent of Halliburton's $13 billion oil field services revenue last year stemmed from sources in the eastern hemisphere, where the firm has 16,000 of its 45,000 employees.
Cheney was Halliburton's chief executive from 1995-2000 and the Bush administration has been accused of favoring the conglomerate with lucrative no-bid contracts in Iraq.

Federal investigators last month alleged Halliburton was responsible for $2.7 billion of the $10 billion in contractor waste and overcharging in Iraq.

Halliburton last month announced a 40-percent decline in fourth-quarter profit, despite heavy demand for its oil field equipment and personnel.

Karl Rove Calls Obama the 'A-Word'

Only two months after a rival to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama did it, presidential adviser Karl Rove used the "a-word" Thursday when describing the U.S. senator from Illinois: articulate.

"He's charismatic, he's articulate, he's a very strong figure on the national stage," Rove told a crowd at an event planned by the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service. "But something tells me that people are going to say (they want) experience and depth. As a result it's going to be, 'Can he live up to the standards?"'

Articulate seems to be a word following Obama, a black, first-term Illinois senator. U.S. Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, a Democratic presidential hopeful, described Obama to the New York Observer in January as, among presidential candidates, "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy." Biden later apologized for his remarks.

President Bush also referred to Obama as "an attractive guy, he's articulate" during a January interview on Fox News Channel.

While Biden's comments came as a descriptor to Obama's race, Rove used the term as describing Obama as a candidate as Bush used it to describe him as a person. After the Biden remarks, Obama cautioned that they could be taken as disparaging toward previous black presidential candidates, including Carol Moseley Braun, Shirley Chisholm, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.

A staffer with Obama's campaign did not immediately return a request for comment.

Late Nite Jokes

Ferguson

It’s a great day for the Georgia man who won $80 million. I found out who he is; I Googled him. He’s a 52-year-old man who lives with his mom. I wonder what he’s going to do with his money. He’ll probably use it to get a younger, hotter mom. A trophy mom.

There was a guy in Wisconsin who was trying to recreate a "Jackass" stunt. He was badly burned after one of his friends set his privates on fire. Listen, as far as I’m concerned, we’re no longer friends once you set my privates on fire . . . we’re no longer friends. We’re not friends, we’re married, that’s what it is.

This is the year I’m going to get fit, because in my closet I’ve got my fat pants and my thin pants. Trouble is, my thin pants are leather. I’m not giving up the dream. But I’d be an old guy in lerather pants. I don’t really need them anyway. At my age, I could just walk around with no pants on, and it would look like I’m wearing leather pants.

Valerie Plame to Testify Before Congress

Valerie Plame, the CIA operative exposed after her husband criticized President Bush's march to war, will testify next week before lawmakers probing how the White House dealt with her identity, the chairman of the panel said Thursday.

Also invited to testify March 16 before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is Patrick Fitzgerald, who this week won conviction of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby of obstruction and perjury in the case, said Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif.

Waxman said Plame has accepted the invitation and Fitzgerald has not responded. In a letter to the prosecutor, Waxman proposed a meeting with ranking Republican Tom Davis of Virginia to discuss the terms of any testimony.

The hearing will be the first public forum at which Plame has agreed to answer questions. At a news conference in July announcing a lawsuit against Libby and other Bush administration officials, Plame read a short statement but did not respond to questions.

"The trial proceedings raise questions about whether senior White House officials, including the vice president and Senior Adviser to the President Karl Rove, complied with the requirements governing the handling of classified information," Waxman wrote in his invitation to Fitzgerald.

"They also raise questions about whether the White House took appropriate remedial action following the leak and whether the existing requirements are sufficient to protect against future leaks," Waxman added. "Your perspective on these matters is important."

Fitzgerald has made clear that, unlike earlier independent counsels appointed under a law now expired, he is not required to submit investigative reports to Congress.

"I think we should conduct this like any other criminal investigation: charge someone or be quiet," Fitzgerald said when he announced Libby's indictment.

His spokesman, Randall Samborn, said he didn't know whether that policy would affect Fitzgerald's response to Congress.

"We've only just received it and we're going to review it," he said. "No decision has been made."

Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, is the highest-ranking White House official convicted in a government scandal since the Iran-Contra affair two decades ago.

Libby's attorneys, who are expected to ask for a new trial, told jurors that Libby was made a scapegoat while Rove, former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer and former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage were the actual leakers. Attorney Theodore Wells said

Thursday he didn't expect hearings to bring out any new information.

"I think, for anyone who followed the case, the facts are out there," Wells said. "I don't know of any other leaks. You've got Fleischer with multiple, Rove with two, Armitage with two. I'm assuming that's it and I still believe Libby didn't leak."

Plame's name was leaked to reporters in mid-2003 after her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, began criticizing the Bush administration's handling of prewar intelligence on Iraq.

Nobody was charged with breaking a law by discussing Plame and Libby is the only person charged with a crime in the case.

Plame's name arose often during Libby's trial, but she did not testify. Waxman said the trial raised questions that Plame and others could perhaps answer.

"The Committee will receive testimony from Ms. Wilson and other experts regarding the disclosure and internal White House security procedures for protecting her identity from disclosure and responding to the leak after it occurred," according to Waxman's statement.

Though the criminal case is over, Wilson and Plame have a civil lawsuit pending against Libby, Cheney, former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and others.

Late Nite Jokes

Ferguson

Not such a great day for Captain America. In today’s issue of the comic book, Captain America died. He died! Captain America is not my favorite comic book character, though. It’s Regis Filbin.

The movie "300” comes out Friday. The last big Greek movie was "Troy.” Achilles was played by Brad Pitt, and Helen of Troy, the classic beauty . . . who played her again? Orlando Bloom. That’s who it was.

The ancient Greek stories are strange . . . the story of Odysseus is basically the story of a long, hellish commute; and along the way, a sorceress turns Odysseus’ friends into pigs . . . which is not really magic if you’ve ever been to a high school reunion. All you need is time and carbohydrates.

Other famous Greeks . . . who have we got? Sophocles, Diogenes, Chucky Cheese.

Late Night Jokes

Ferguson

The nation’s largest Powerball lottery was earlier tonight in Times Square . . . over $350 million was the prize. So many people were waiting for it in Times Square. There hasn’t been that many people trying to get lucky in Times Square since the hookers left.

Funny thing in the news today. There was a man in Germany who was arrested for defecating in a bank. Apparently, he didn’t fill out a deposit slip.

Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff, Scooter Libby, is going to jail. With a name like Scooter, I’m sure he’ll be popular. You know what they say about scooters: They’re fun to ride till your friends see you.

People are saying that Scooter Libby is taking a bullet for Dick Cheney, but I’m not sure about that. Because if Cheney wants someone to take a bullet, he usually delivers it himself.

I went into the town of San Francisco on Saturday. and I went to the Ghirardelli chocolate factory, which I have to tell you was a bit disappointing. I thought it would be a chocolate factory. It’s not. There were no oompa loompas! They don’t make any chocolate there! They’ve outsourced the chocolate to India, probably. Ghira New Delhi.

Very hard to navigate. I got caught in traffic . . . they were having a parade . . . big surprise.

I was trying to drive out of the town and there were just too many one-way streets. They call it the one-way system in San Francisco. San Francisco of all places. You’d think you’d be encouraged to go both ways in San Francisco.

Michael Moore Skewered in Documentary

NewsMax - The cameras get turned on Michael Moore for a change at the South by Southwest film festival, where the documentary "Manufacturing Dissent" will have its world premiere.

The film from directors Rick Caine and Debbie Melnyk, playing Saturday night at the Austin, Texas, festival, follows Moore during the release of "Fahrenheit 9/11" and questions many of his tactics.

Among its revelations: that the confrontational documentarian did interview former General Motors Chairman Roger Smith, the elusive subject of his 1989 debut "Roger & Me," and simply chose to leave it out of the finished cut.

Moore, who won an Academy Award for 2002's "Bowling for Columbine," has not responded to e-mail and phone requests for comment.

"The people who can attest to this are extremely credible and do attest to this in the film," said John Pierson, the independent film veteran who helped sell "Roger & Me" to Warner Bros. and now teaches at the University of Texas at Austin. "I've always loved `Roger & Me.' I loved working on it. I really believed in it, and that's really bad. The fundamental core of the film is how his mission to get Roger Smith fails and, P.S., Michael spent 18 years since then swearing he never interviewed Roger Smith."

South by Southwest producer Matt Dentler said there was a similar buzz at the festival in 2002 when Alexandra Pelosi showed her documentary "Journeys With George," in which she followed President Bush during his first run for the White House.

"I think on the surface people have a certain conception about what (`Manufacturing Dissent') is that for the most part is probably false. The film is for the most part critical of Michael Moore but it's not a political film, there's no partisanship," he said. "It's an issue of questioning the media, deciphering who's the architect of what we consider fact and fiction and reality."

Syndicator Keeps Ann Coulter

The distributor of conservative pundit Ann Coulter’s column, Universal Press Syndicate, has no plans to drop her column despite the flap she created with her recent "faggot” comment.

Coulter used the gay slur in reference to Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards during a March 2 speech at the American Conservative Union’s Political Action Conference.

So far three newspapers that carried her column have announced that they would stop running it, and the gay rights group Human Rights Campaign has launched a letter-writing effort demanding that Universal stop distributing the column.

But in a statement, Universal’s president and editor Lee Salem said: "The contracts with the many writers and cartoonists we represent call for specific products and we have no legal interest in what they may do or say outside of that relationship.

"In the case of Ann Coulter (and others across the political spectrum whom readers have urged us to drop), she is not an employee and we have no legal power to ‘fire’ her, though, of course, any of her subscribing newspapers can drop her column at any time.

"Whether the words she chose in referring to John Edwards were misplaced humor or outright bigotry, we would not have distributed them in her column.”

Coulter’s column runs in about 100 papers.

Sen. Barack Obama’s Stock Deals Questioned

Just weeks after taking his seat in the U.S. Senate, Barack Obama was involved in two questionable business deals, buying stock in companies whose backers included major donors to his political campaigns.

In February 2005, Obama bought about $5,000 worth of stock in AVI BioPharma, a drug company working to develop a medicine to treat avian flu victims, according to Senate disclosure statements cited by the New York Times.

Less than two weeks later, Sen. Obama began pushing for an increase in federal financing to fight avian flu, a move that eventually helped lead to the Senate’s approval of a $3.8 billion appropriation to fight the flu.

George Haywood, a major investor in AVI BioPharma, and his wife have contributed nearly $50,000 to Obama’s campaigns and his political action committee.

Obama also bought more than $50,000 worth of stock in Skyterra, a satellite communications company. Tejas Securities, a brokerage that handled investment banking for Skyterra, and people associated with it have raised more than $150,000 for Obama’s political action committees since 2004, the Times reported.

Tejas’ chairman, John Gordon, has held fund-raisers for Obama, and the Illinois Democrat used Gordon’s private plane to travel to political events in 2005.

At the time Obama made the stock investments, he was "enjoying sudden financial success,” according to the Times.

He had signed a $1.9 million deal for his book "The Audacity of Hope” after becoming the third African-American elected to the Senate since Reconstruction. And his wife Michelle, now vice president for community and external affairs at University of Chicago Hospitals, had received a promotion that nearly tripled her salary to $317,000.

Obama’s spokesman Bill Burton said the presidential hopeful was unaware that he had invested in the two companies. Obama’s broker had bought the stocks without consulting with him, under a blind trust that was being set up at the time, according to Burton.

Obama finally learned of the investments in the fall of 2005, said Burton, and sold the stocks at a loss of $13,000.

"There is no evidence that any of [Obama’s] actions ended up benefiting either company during the roughly eight months that he owned the stocks,” the Times disclosed.

"Even so, the stock purchases raise questions about how he could unwittingly come to invest in two relatively obscure companies, whose backers happen to include generous contributors to his political committees.”

After the Times article appeared, spokesman Burton insisted that Obama’s "dealings were completely above board."

Obama's Ancestors May Have Owned Slaves

Democrat Barack Obama, who would be the first black president, has white ancestors who owned slaves, according to a genealogical researcher.

The researcher, William Addams Reitwiesner, says the discovery is part of his first draft of research into Obama's roots. Obama's father was from Kenya and his mother was a white woman from Kansas.

Obama wrote in his autobiography, "Dreams from My Father," that while one of his great-great-grandfathers was a decorated Union soldier, family rumors also say he is distantly related to Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy.

Reitwiesner found in 1850 Census records from Kentucky that one of Obama's great-great-great-great grandfathers, George Washington Overall, owned a 15-year-old girl and a 25-year-old man. The same records show that one of Obama's great-great-great-great-great-grandmothers, Mary Duvall, also owned two black slaves — a 60-year-old man and a 58-year-old woman.

The Baltimore Sun first reported Reitwiesner's work and asked genealogical experts to review it, but they would not confirm the findings.

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said the senator's ancestors "are representative of America."

"While a relative owned slaves, another fought for the Union in the Civil War," Burton said. "And it is a true measure of progress that the descendant of a slave owner would come to marry a student from Kenya and produce a son who would grow up to be a candidate for president of the United States."

Reitwiesner found that two other presidential candidates were descendants of slave owners — Republican John McCain (news, bio, voting record) and Democrat John Edwards.

The New York Daily News reported recently that genealogists found that relatives of former segregationist Sen. Strom Thurmond appear to have owned the ancestors of civil rights activist Al Sharpton.

Pelosi Says It's Time to Green Up the Capitol

It's time for Congress, better known for its wasted hot air and its red-blue divide, to go green, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says.

The California Democrat asked House Chief Administrative officer Daniel Beard in a letter to undertake a "green the Capitol" initiative to ensure that buildings and operations in the Capitol complex meet the most up-to-date environmental standards.

"The House of Representatives should provide leadership to the nation in providing an environmentally responsible and healthy working environment for our employees," Pelosi said in the letter also signed by Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and House Administration Committee Chairman Juanita Millender McDonald, D-Calif.

The Democrats asked Beard, working with Senate counterparts, the Architect of the Capitol, Capitol Police and others, to provide preliminary recommendations by April 30 and a final report by the end of June.

Beard, in an interview, said that as part of a 2005 energy bill, lawmakers already are working on a bill to cut energy costs by such measures as installing lights that automatically adjust with changes in sunlight.

He said that in addition to finding ways to make buildings more energy-efficient, they would look at business practices and employee benefits such as those encouraging the use of public transit.

Private companies have found they can reduce operating costs by 20 to 30 percent by cutting energy purchases and conservation measures, he said.

Beard's office oversees the House side of the Capitol and four House office buildings. Some 10,000 people work in the complex.

Pelosi sent her letter to Beard on Thursday.

Late Night Jokes

Leno

The music industry is stumped by the huge drop in sales of rap music. Sales of rap music down 21 percent this past year. A lot of rappers have had to cut back on their lifestyle. Rappers now have to choose between bitches or hos. They can’t have both.

A lot of rappers getting rid of the gold teeth. They’re going with aluminum siding…it’s cheaper.
KFC has a new slogan: We do chicken RAT.

KFC is now giving out action figures in their buckets of chicken. See here? It’s the Orkin Man action figure.
Letterman

Today is the 74th anniversary of the movie "King Kong.” It’s a story about a woman who becomes involved with creature from another species. And that wouldn’t happen again until Maria Shriver met Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Guess what’s back in New York City? Beavers. Beavers back in New York City. It’s an infestation of beavers. It’s so bad, they’re thinking about bringing in Dick Cheney.
Apparently, the beavers didn’t just get here. They’ve been here quite a while. One has been living for years on the head of Donald Trump.

Letterman's Top Ten

Top Ten Ways To Make The Grammy Awards More Exciting

10. One Grammy is full of angry yellow jackets

9. Less Rascal, more Flatts

8. Give a Grammy to the artist whose CD is easiest to open . . . Am I right people?

7. Michael Richards hands out Rap and Hip Hop awards

6. My steamy kiss with Madonna re-enacted by Justin Timberlake and Ludacris

5. Announce Academy Award winners

4. Performance by Dennis Kucinich

3. Put another "m" in "Grammy"

2. Satellite hookup to any winners who are currently incarcerated

1. Special Grammy award to the presenter not wearing underpants

Conan

Paris Hilton’s in trouble. Paris Hilton violated her parole this week, and as a result she could get three months in prison. When asked about it, Paris said she’s hoping ot get off . . . and she’s also hoping to avoid prison.

The other day an American Airlines employee tried to let former Vice President Al Gore bypass airport security, but guards stopped Gore and made him go through the metal detector. The head of security said "we had to search Al Gore. He could have been armed with a speech.”

Wal-Mart says it classifies its customers into three groups: brand aspirationals, price sensitive affluents, and value-price shoppers. Wal-Mart says the new categories will replace the old customer classifications: teeth, or no teeth.

Angelina Jolie announced she is now adopting a Vietnamese baby. When reached for comment, Jolie said, "Only three more countries to go.”

Ferguson

It’s been a crazy week. The Oscars started on Sunday, finished on Monday . . .
The stock market has gone up and down more than George Michael in a forest.
I have gone green in my middle age. I’m green and Scottish. I’m Shrek!

Kimmel

Crazy day today. We had a car chase. We have a lot of car chases here in L.A. It’s actually encouraged by police. They say, either pull over or run as fast as you can.

Angelina Jolie has filed papers to adopt a Vietnamese boy. She adopted her first child in Cambodia, her second in Ethiopia, she gave birth to a third child in Namibia, now she’s getting a child from Vietnam. She’s working her way down the alphabet. She’s at "v” now. Stay cool Yemen; she’s coming.

What’s odd is, Brad Pitt is not listed on the adoption papers. Angelina filed to adopt as a single parent, which has raised questions as to whether or not their marriage is in trouble. It isn’t. There’s a very simple explanation: For Christmas, Brad signed Angelina up for the Orphan of the Month Club. March is the Vietnamese baby.

Iraq Withdrawal Means Terrorists Win

A quick withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq could allow victorious Muslim extremists to fan out into other countries, with some militants going to Afghanistan to fight alongside a resurgent Taliban, Vice President Dick Cheney says.

The vice president, just back from a trip that included unannounced stops in Afghanistan and Pakistan, addressed a conservative conference Thursday night where he sharply criticized efforts by some Democrats to restrict funds for President Bush's troop buildup in Iraq or to place restrictions on their deployment.

While noting that the House already had passed a nonbinding resolution voicing opposition to Bush's Iraq policy, Cheney said that "very soon both houses of Congress will have to vote on a piece of legislation that is binding."

The legislation would, among other things, help pay for the additional 21,500 troops Bush is sending to Iraq.

"I sincerely hope the discussion this time will be about winning in Iraq, not about posturing on Capitol Hill. Anyone can say they support the troops, and we should take them at their word. But the proof will come when it's time to provide the money and the support," Cheney said. "We expect the House and the Senate to meet those needs on time and in full."

The vice president spoke at an annual dinner of the Conservative Political Action Conference. The audience included conservative activists, leaders and policymakers.

Earlier on Thursday, Democratic officials said House Democratic leaders had coalesced around legislation that would require troops to come home from Iraq within six months if that country's leaders fail to meet promises to help reduce violence there.

The plan would retain a Democratic proposal prohibiting the deployment to Iraq of troops with insufficient rest or training or who already have served there for more than a year. Under the plan, such troops could only be sent to Iraq if Bush waives those standards and reports to Congress each time.

The proposal is the latest attempt by Democrats to resolve deep divisions within the party on how far to go to scale back U.S. involvement in Iraq. Rep. James Moran said the latest version has the support of party leadership and said he believes it is final and has the best chance at attracting broad support.

"We're going to report out" a war spending bill "that's responsive to the will of the voters last November and brings our troops home as soon and safely as possible," Moran, D-Va., said in an interview.

During his visit to Pakistan, Cheney expressed concern to President Gen. Pervez Musharraf over al-Qaida's regrouping inside Pakistan's tribal regions and an expected Taliban spring offensive in neighboring Afghanistan.

"If our coalition withdrew before Iraqis could defend themselves, radical factions would battle for dominance. The violence would likely spread throughout the country and be very difficult to contain. Having tasted victory in Iraq, the (militants) would look for new missions. Many would head for Afghanistan to fight alongside the Taliban," Cheney said.

He said others would head for capitals across the Middle East and work to undermine moderate governments. "Still others would find their targets and victims in other countries on other continents. Such chaos and mounting danger does not have to occur. It is, however, the enemy's objective," Cheney said.

"In these circumstances, it's worth reminding ourselves that, like it or not, the enemy we face in the war on terror has made Iraq the primary front in that war," he added. Then, to laughter and applause, Cheney said, "To use a popular phrase, this is an inconvenient truth."

It was a play on the Academy Award-winning environmental documentary featuring former Vice President Al Gore, "An Inconvenient Truth."

"If you support the war on terror, then it only makes sense to support it where the terrorists are fighting us," Cheney said.

New York City Bans Use of the 'N-word'

New York City symbolically banned use of the word nigger on Wednesday, the latest step in a campaign that hopes to expunge the most vile of racial slurs from hip hop music and television.

The City Council unanimously declared a moratorium that carries no penalty but aims to stop youth from casually using the word, considered by most Americans to be the most offensive in the English language.

The New York City measure follows similar resolutions this month by the New York state assembly and state senate, and supporters of the ban are taking their campaign to The Recording Academy, asking it not to nominate musicians for Grammy awards if they use the word in their lyrics.

Many rap artists and young New Yorkers toss the word around as a term of endearment or as a substitute for black, angering some black leaders who consider those who use it as ignorant of the word's hate-filled history in slavery and segregation.

"This could be the beginning of a movement," councilman Albert Vann said.
Councilman Leroy Comrie, a sponsor of the moratorium, said the campaign against the word has gained strength since comedian Michael Richards spewed it in a racially charged tirade in Los Angeles.

The Laugh Factory club where Richards performed has since banned comedians from using the word there and the former "Seinfeld" television star has apologized.

"The Michael Richards incident really brought it to another level. It has forced people to express their outrage. Many people had been seething quietly," Comrie said.

Comrie also asked TV network Black Entertainment Television to stop using the word in its shows. Representatives of BET did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A Grammy spokesman said he doubted the academy's 11,000 voting members would support any measure that might censor artists.

"They are not going to be supportive of something that excludes someone simply because they are using a word that is offensive," said Ron Roecker, vice president of communication for the Recording Academy.

The city resolution calling for the moratorium traces the etymology of the word from the Latin "niger," meaning black, to its first documented written use in 1786 as a term slave masters used to label their African slaves.

Use of the word by blacks exploded with the rise of rap music in recent years, and some black comedians like Chris Rock continue to use it in their routines.

"What, is there a fine? Am I going to get a ticket?" Rock mocked in a Reuters interview when asked about the City Council move. "Do judges say, '10 years, nigger!'"

Rock said politicians were trying to divert attention from real problems: "Enough real bad things happen in this city to worry about how I am going to use the word."