This reminds me of when “Brownie” got a vote of confidence:

THE PRESIDENT: The Attorney General went up and gave a very candid assessment, and answered every question he could possibly answer, honestly answer, in a way that increased my confidence in his ability to do the job.

Huh? Was Mr. Bush watching the same hearings that I saw? Oh, apparently not:

Perino later added that Bush did not watch the testimony but received updates from aides.

That might help explain Mr. Bush’s bizarre comment. I don’t know one could watch Mr. Gonzales claim 70+ times that he couldn’t remember events related to the US attorney firings and think he did a good job. Even GOP senators said he should be fired. But the president seems to be creating his own reality now.
On another matter, it’s interesting that Mr. Bush, citing the Virginia Tech shootings, elected not to tell any jokes at the White House Correspondents Association dinner. I certainly didn’t miss Bush’s comedy, and one can make a solid argument that this decision showed respect to the mourning families. But this sense of respect stands in stark contrast to the 2004 dinner, when Mr. Bush joked about not finding the Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. Thirty-three people died at Virginia Tech; thus far 3,332 Americans have died in Iraq.

I’ve never done much number crunching on the issue, but it seems sports teams are often the beneficiary of public welfare. Often it comes in the form of stadium subsidies. But there are other ways taxpayers can help sports owners out, as this deal between Nashville and the Predators illustrates:

[Team owner Craig] Leipold told The Tennessean the NHL team averaged about 13,500 in paid attendance for home games this season, which allows them to put the city on notice for next season.
If average paid attendance is below 14,000 next season, the Predators could ask Metro to buy enough tickets to boost the team to that level. If Metro chose not to buy the tickets, the Predators could pay the city an exit fee of about $18 million and leave Nashville.

That sounds like a sweet deal. The team, apparently, is guaranteed a certain level of ticket sales, regardless of its record. The taxpayers stand to lose here, what about the owner(s)? What is his risk? Come to think of it, how often do sports franchises go out of business?
Interesting aspect of this related to the NHL:

One reason the Predators might invoke the clause is that beginning next season, the NHL is requiring teams to reach 13,200 in paid attendance to qualify for the league’s full revenue-sharing package. Teams must average at least 14,000 in paid attendance in 2008-09 to qualify for full revenue-sharing benefits.

Seems the league may have over-expanded if it needs to enact attendance incentives. Or tickets simply cost too much for many fans. At any rate, I’m not sure how this requirement helps improve the NHL’s competitive balance if the league limits revenue sharing to teams that are already struggling.

The Daily Show pretty well summarizes a day’s worth of testimony into a couple minutes:

In short, Alberto Gonzales didn’t remember anything, except that he had acted properly. He also apologized for the mistakes that were made, and yet would handle the firings the same way all over again.
You know that things are bad when at least six senators from your own party have called for you to resign. This is reminiscent of when the Harriet Miers nomination blew up; the only person left supporting Bush’s guy (or gal) is Bush himself.

Like Atrios, I surprised by the margin of this poll number:

A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken last weekend found that 78% of respondents feel people now in the country illegally should be given a chance at citizenship.

Given election results in a few border districts last November, I’m not necessarily surprised that a majority of Americans support a path toward citizenship, but I am surprised at the 78% number. That’s strong support.
If you’ve only been listening to right-wing radio types the past few years, you would be lead to believe that there’s a mass political movement afoot to build a 3,000 mile wall and ramp up deportation. Well, if GOP candidates want to run on American nationalism in 2008, more power to them. I think there’s a political reason Karl Rove never went down that path.
I’m not good at reading the public mind, but I suspect this poll question reflects the American realization that:
(1) We have a lot of illegal immigrants,
(2) They’re needed to do jobs most Americans don’t like,
(3) We aren’t going to deport them, so
(4) We might as well work them into the system rather than force them to live as second-class humans.
At least that’s my thinking. It’s about time we get past this “amnesty” red herring and move forward with a realistic immigration policy.

I don’t expect this to become a regular feature, but I have a positive post about Senator Corker. Via the League of American Bicyclists, I sent e-mails to my U.S. Senators and Representative voicing support for the Bicycle Commuters Benefits Act of 2007 (HR 1498, SB. 858). [I’m not a commuter, but I generally support all legislation favorable to cyclists.]
I got an e-mail back from Corker (the only one thus far) which reads, in part:

It is important that we continue to reduce energy consumption when possible, and now is a perfect time for us as a country to really get serious about energy alternatives and conservation. As Mayor of Chattanooga I promoted cycling and created bicycle lanes in our urban areas and wrote a bicycle master plan. I am an avid cyclist myself. I appreciate your interest in a letter being circulated by Senators requesting support for the Bicycle Commuters Benefits Act of 2007. I have received this letter and as I look into signing it I will certainly consider your thoughts about S. 858 and incentives for bicycle commuters in general.

That sounds like support. Let’s hope so. It would be nice to have your senator vote your way every once in a while.
On related note, earlier I posted on the “Jeff Roth Bicycle and Pedalcyclists Protection Act of 2007.” It appears that the House and Senate bills have been consolidated and the measure is awaiting passage in the House.
UPDATE: Congressman Duncan mailed a letter suggesting that he also supports the Bicycle Commuters Benefits Act of 2007.