Working off the controversy, Headline News should embrace the idea. The idea: Feature all the female anchors in an ad, say that they're foxy ladies (that should stir Fox News) and announce that all 18-54 year old men (and some women, not that there's anything wrong with that) should tune in for the eye candy.

After all, wouldn't you rather have a doll in pouty lips and flippy hair deliver bad news?

Congrats to "Wizard" Ozzie Smith for making the baseball Hall of Fame. It's nice to see defensive genius being recognized the last two years, with Bill Mazeroski getting a plaque last summer.

Now, folks, I may just be a zealous fan, but can we do something about the injustice of Braves outfielder Dale Murphy not getting anywhere near enough votes to get in the Hall?

The media quickly - and not subtly - has tried to turn the fall of Enron into a Whitewater-esque scandal for President Bush. Democrats really, really want this to be huge, and the media is itching to find a scandal involving Bush, energy and corporate money.

Knowing that the GOP loses in fights with the media, it's best to encourage the administration to get any troubles out in the open as soon as possible and list all dealings with the company, whether it's contributions for the Bush campaign (or even Democratic campaigns that also received cash) or show the files of anyone else who works for the president.

The Enron collapse is turning out to be a business scandal, not a political scandal. Start congressional investigations, throw CEO Ken Lay into the Hudson River with a brick tied to his feet, whatever, but watch out for the sharks after Bush.

Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill made a perfectly reasonable observation about how he wasn't shocked by Enron's demise because the "genius of capitalism" means some companies succeed while others fail.

This weekend, though, as the Dems and media got through dissecting the story thus far, for the Bushies it was 'damned if you do, damned if you don't.' If the Bush administration had helped Enron stay in business, then it would be because of the influence from campaign contributions. But because they didn't do anything, it's their fault for Enron employees losing any retirement savings.

My local paper, the AJC, has blatantly attempted to link Enron to the Bush administration. Every day over the past week, in above-the-fold headlines on the front page, the paper has decided that the fall of Enron is a Whitewater-esque scandal. There are only two common words in the headlines: 'Bush', and, 'Enron'.

And this is when there is no 'there' there. Bush's administration hasn't hidden connections or campaign contributions. Saturday's headline shouldn't have read, "Enron lobbied for loans," but instead, "Despite contributions and influence, Enron refused help by Bush."

The second point was made by California liberal Democratic Congressman Henry Waxman: that the Bush cabinet secretaries, who received calls from Enron in late October, should have alerted the public to the impending collapse of Enron. But by late October, the Enron stock price had already fallen to about $10 from a high in February of about $80. In raising this point journalists failed to address fundamental economics: If Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill had publicly warned Enron shareholders that the company could soon go bankrupt the price would have plummeted anyway as more would have tried to sell than wanted to buy. And employees with shares stuck in a 401 (k) still couldn't have done anything.

Still, let's look at other connections of Enron and see how the Dems truly are scared to touch it:

The Washington Post found time to mention on the front page this weekend about how Enron received White House help on overseas projects from former president Clinton's folks, namely a power plant in India, which 'happened' to coincide with a $100,000 donation to the DNC:

Clinton's chief of staff, Mack McLarty, was later hired by Enron. Lay also played golf with President Bill Clinton and slept in the Clinton White House. Lay served as an adviser to the Clinton White House on energy issues. The Clinton administration, in turn, helped Enron get a contract for a gas pipeline in Mozambique and other projects, according to reports.

Representing Enron include:

Bob Bennett, who represented President Bill Clinton in the Paula Jones matter, and is now Enron's lead Washington lawyer.

Neil Eggleston, a former White House associate counsel in the Clinton administration who also represented the neighbor who helped sink Linda Chavez's nomination as labor secretary. He also worked for the Democrats on the Iran-Contra investigation and represented one of the women who accused then-Senator Packwood of an unauthorized kiss.

David Boies represents Andrew S. Fastow, Enron's former chief financial officer. Similarly, Mr. Boies was a key figure in the fight against Mr. Bush in the Florida election recounts. The Clinton administration Justice Department also hired Mr. Boies to litigate the antitrust case against Microsoft.

Much help here from the Media Research Center, Smartimes.com and the Drudge Report.

This week's JUST SHUT UP award goes to actor Sean Penn, who believes that talk show hosts and mass murderers go hand in hand:

"I think that people like the Howard Sterns, the Bill O'Reillys and to a lesser degree the bin Ladens of the world are making a horrible contribution," Penn told Talk magazine, calling Fox News Channel's O'Reilly "an embraced pariah."

"He's a grumpy, self-loathing joke," the actor says of O'Reilly. "There's a long history of people who capitalize on the lowest common denominator of people's impulses, Adolf Hitler being one of them. Not everybody wants to hit the wall in a violent rage and break their knuckles, so he does it for them."

I was going to respond with a snippy retort at one of his movies, but I can't think of a one in which I didn't like Sean Penn's acting. Oh, well, he still sounds like an idiot with that remark.

I guess part of getting back to normal involves the Politcal Correct police running amok again, even in the face of history.

I'm sure you've heard the hubbub over a statue commemorating the event where three NY firemen raised an American flag at Ground Zero. Seems that the statue will be racially correct, so instead of the historically accurate three white men, the New York City fire department ordered it to show a white man, a black man and a Hispanic fireman.

Kevin James, member of the Vulcan Society - which represents black firefighters - decided to step in the fray with an inane explanation:

"The symbolism is far more important than representing the actual people," he said. "I think the artistic expression of diversity would supersede any concern over factual correctness."

I can't wait for the new portraits of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which surely will be redone to show a black man wielding a pen, or the new Last Supper featuring a gay Hispanic couple.

Security guards at Washington's Reagan National Airport forced Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), 75, to strip to his underwear on Jan. 5 before boarding a flight. Guards did not buy his explanation that he has a metal hip, which he received after a horse fell on him 20 years ago. (AP)

Seriously, folks, a 75-year-old white man at an airport frequented by members of Congress - if this kind of thing is necessary for people to feel safe at airports, then it ain't ever going to happen.

Does anyone else not feel the teensiest bit guilty of skipping the comic strip Curtis during the annual fortnight of Kwanzaa crap?

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) himself is providing ammo for the GOP in case the leadership of the Republicans ever want to fight back for once.

A mining company in South Dakota, Daschle's represented state, turned to the majority leader for help. Homestake Mining will be relieved of any legal liability that it might have for damage done to the environment in digging gold from the Black Hills over the last 125 years.

The company had been planning to close the mine this month, but before scientists use it for a physics lab, Homestake insisted they be shielded from lawsuits. Daschle was the chief sponsor of the unprecedented bill, under which the federal government will assume liability for any environmental damage.

Quite a sweetheart deal for the company and the state, eh?

Brit Hume on the January 2 edition of Fox News Channel's Special Report with Brit Hume:

"Four years ago, when Chief Justice William Rehnquist criticized the U.S. Senate, then under Republican control, for its failure to act on judicial nominations, the New York Times put the story on its front page. At the time, the were 82 vacancies, as Rehnquist noted in his yearly report. Now, four years later with the Senate in Democratic hands, there are 94 judicial vacancies, and Rehnquist has renewed the criticism. But on Tuesday, as a Media Research Center noted, the New York Times put the story inside the paper, with no mention of the Senate until the 10th paragraph."

Actually, the best way to fight back against Democrats is by using weapons they recognize: bowing to special interest groups.

The National Italian American Foundation issued a statement expressing outrage at the Senate's failure to bring a vote on the nomination of Eugene Scalia, a labor lawyer and the son of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, to be the Labor Department's solicitor general.

It's such a good weapon that Daschle and others on the Left remained silent when Bush used an executive order to appoint Scalia last week.

Big time kudos to the president for his continuing harsh words regarding Daschle and taxes.

Even fellow Democrats are avoiding eye contact with Daschle following his speech this month that called for a repeal of Bush's tax cut that hasn't even been implemented. Not only didn't the tax cut cause the recession, it wasn't passed until months after the recession began!

This is just one more example that the Democrat leaders want the recession to last at least until November, and even then they won't concede any rebound for fear of it helping conservatives during mid-term elections.

I want you to remember that as I pointed out during the 2000 presidential campaign, both Al Gore and Bill Bradley advocated tax increases during a recession. I'm not sure how that spurs the economy, but through weird notions like this the country increasingly will rely on the GOP to solve the nation's finances.

The best rebuff was from Democrat Zell Miller of Georgia, wondering how Daschle could completely overlook his own party's chances in November:

"Maybe it's at a level my brain can't reach," he said. "How do you have as one of your highest priorities to re-elect the moderate Democrats from South Dakota, Montana and Missouri on one hand, then on the other hand blame them for voting for a tax cut that he maintains has created this recession? Hello?"

Give him hell, Zell!

Congratulations, you made it to 2002, the Year of the Palindrome. Anyone over age 10 is part of an incredibly rare generation to see two such years: 1991 and 2002. The last humans to take part lived in 999 and 1001, and I don't think many of the people then cared much.

I think Yasser Arafat's henchmen watch too much Monty Python's Life of Brian when judging the Israelis. When are the Palestinians going to realize that they're not dealing with the People's Front of Judea, and the Jews won't be sending out suicide squads to take care of business. No, that's what tanks and F-16s are for.

Yasser running around last week shouting that he was shocked, appalled and innocent after Israel siezed 50 tons of weapons bound for Palestinians was hilarious. "Ship? Egad, I have no clue what Jews talkin' 'bout!" What a moron.

Red China atrocity of the week:

A court in China issued an "evil cult" indictment, which could lead to a death sentence, to a Hong Kong businessman earlier this month. His crime? Transporting Bibles into the country.

The court in the city of Fu Qing said Hong Kong trader Li Guangqiang had "used an evil cult to damage a law-based society", the Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy reported.

Li Guangqiang in April and May 2000 took 33,000 bibles in two lots into China's Fujian Province to supply an underground Christian group called the Shouter's sect, the group said on Saturday. He was arrested on his second trip.

The group said it called on the Hong Kong government to support Li and demand that China specify the definition of "evil cult". It said that although China had never made public how many such groups there were, the rights group estimated at least 16 Christian organizations had been listed that way.

The Bush administration is supporting an Energy Dept. plan to develop hydrogen-based fuel cells, rather than high-mileage gasoline-fueled vehicles.

This is disappointing, because it doesn't address fuel economy standards (i.e., raising the limit for SUVs from 16 to 25 mpg in the city). Even better, that idea equally unpopular with carmakers and organized labor, which means it must be a good way to go!

Additionally, we need to get cracking on all kinds of alternative-fueled vehicles besides fuel cells. As soon as car is made that is big enough to fit me and uses alternative fuels, then I'm game. Until then, keep trying and let's get serious about controlling our own destiny in the oil industry.

Newest Vents from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Osama's favorite w(h)ine: White Infidel.

In regard to still more student testing: you don't fatten a pig by weighing him every day.

If Tuesday Weld married Fredric March II, would she be Tuesday, March the Second?

Why all the furur over CNN saying that Paula Zahn is just a little sexy? It's the only part of the ad that was accurate.

Oh, the weather outside is frightful
The fire inside delightful
The computer is all alit
Let us Vent, let us Vent, let us Vent!

News for anyone who thinks TV has gotten bad: TV has always been bad.

My friend is wrong a lot, but at least he's wrong with confidence.

The '60s sure seemed a lot longer ago back in the '80s than the '80s do now.

Batman's Words of Wisdom: "Let that be a lesson. In the future, be more careful from who you accept free lemonade."

Homer quote: "Mr. Scorpio says productivity is up 2%, and it's all because of my motivational techniques, like donuts and the possibility of more donuts to come."

Random site: The Palindromist Magazine -- A way to celebrate 2002, the year of the palindrome. This site is for people that have seen a few too many.

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