Late Friday the White House trid to sneak a news story past us.

They released the official explanation of the job offer to Congressman Joe Sestak. The Congressman beat Senator Arlen Specter in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary. The Conressman said in February that he was offered a "high ranking position" in the Obama administration to get out of the race.

Since then the White House has been avoiding the topic and the story didn't really gain steam until Sestak won.

I believe it was the big reason that Barack Obama did not hold a news conference during that time.

White Hoouse counsel issued a memo on Friday. Youy can read it by clicking here,.

The very fact that they had White House counsel answer the question hints at a problem. Counsel is immune from perjury charges. Obama, Gibbs and Clinton have all avoided answering directly.

It is the worst job in the world-being the #3 in command in al-Qaeda.

The death of Mustafa Ahmed Mohammad Uthman Abu al-Yazid in a US drone attack in Washington is, by my count, the 6th #3 to be killed or captured in the past seven years. Others say he is the seventh.

Either way, being #3 in al-Qaeda is the worst job inthe world.

Right now some poor sap is getting notification that he is the new #3 and I am sure he is not to happy about it. Not only is your career being cut short, but there is no chance for career advancement. #1 and #2,Osama Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri are hiding in a cave.

al-Qaeda is a lot like your company I bet. Upper management is protected, while middle management is expendable.

Remember during the 2008 Presidential campaign when Hillary Clinton said she landed in Bosnia amid gunfire - and she didn't.

Well, at least she didn't say she was in the Marines.

In Connecticut, Democratic Senate hopeful Richard Blumenthal has apologized for saying he served "in" Vietnam rather than "during" the conflict, when he wore the US Marine Corps Reserve uniform but never deployed to that war zone.

In fact, he got five deployments before working with Toys for Tots.

Blumenthal still leads his Republican rival Linda McMahon, a professional wrestling executive, by double digits in recent public opinion polls.

Then there is Republican Representative Mark Kirk has been forced to correct his claim that he was named US Naval Reserve "Intelligence Officer of the Year." And that is not the only whopper.

Kirk apologized Today for making inaccurate statements about his service in the Navy Reserves, while acknowledging more discrepancies.

Kirk said a letter sent by his congressional district office last year described him as a veteran of Operation Desert Storm, the first Persian Gulf war, but he did not participate in that operation.

Kirk later flew over Iraq for intelligence reconnaissance missions in 2000. He said Thursday he does not recall coming under enemy fire on those flights and added it was sometimes hard to tell whether his plane was being targeted.

But C-SPAN video shows Kirk on the House floor saying he was fired upon.

"The last time I was in Iraq I was in uniform flying at 20,000 feet, and the Iraqi air defense network was shooting at us."

And if you can't lie about your own service - just lie about your Grandfather's service. Republican Governor of Arizona Jan Brewer got caught in this whopper -

.“Knowing that my father died fighting the Nazi regime in Germany, that I lost him when I was 11 because of that . . . and then to have them call me Hitler’s daughter. It hurts. It’s ugliness beyond anything I’ve ever experienced.”

But her dad died a decade after World War II, of lung cancer, and the closest he came to “fighting the Nazi regime in Germany” was working in a weapons plant in Nevada during the war.

Don't politicans realize that there is a thing called Google now? It pretty much eliminates lying.
Google is like Kroptonite to Politicians. It takes away the lies and makes them mere mortals.

What are they going to do now? Left with the truth, how do you get elected?

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I got the idea from Max Camacho, a commentor on this blog. After my commentary on bad drivers, he pointed out that I was standing in the highway - making me a stupid pedestrian.

He was right.

I hate reporters who stand by the side of the road to do stories.

I especially hate when they do it during snowstorms. It makes no sense.

So I was a hypocrite and Max was right for calling me on it. More importantly, he gave me an entire commentary.

Thanks Max.

I know it is a few days old, but I wanted to talk more Armando Galarraga.

He could have been the 21st pitcher in Major League Baseball to pitch a perfect game. Instead he did something much better. He taught us all a lesson in dealing with adversity, empathy and forgiveness.

Umpire Jim Joyce should also be remembered and commended, but I believe the miracle in Detroit started not when Joyce blew the call, but when Armando smiled. That smile started a domino effect of good will that is the stuff of legends.

That is why I talk about it again in my latest commentary, because we should never forget what Armando did. In fact, we should tell the story to little leaguers and especially that parents of little leaguers.

I wrote more about this for Philadelphia Magazine -you can read it by clicking here.

I'm certain BP would rather wait - and so would Tony - but it's time.

Agree?

Much is being made of the fact that five women won in major Primary elections last night - in Arkansas, California, Nevada and South Carolina.

But there is much more going on - for the first time in history women out number men in the workforce - there are more women managers- and more women are graduating from college than men.

I predict that by 2016 we will elect a woman President. There is a major gender shift going on in this country.

All I know is - they can't do any worse than the men, So bring it on!

Debrahlee Lorenzana, the woman who claims she was too sexy for her job.

You know the story by now, it has been everywhere, Lorenzana claims she was told by her bosses that the combination of her figure and her tight clothes was too distracting for her male co-workers.

She was let go by Citibank and now she is suing.

I wrote much more of the story here

But it seems that Debrahlee got exactly what she wanted - attention. And in this culture of celebrity where anyone and everyone can be a star - I do not think her 15 minutes of fame is over.

Mark my words - Debrahlee Lorenzana will get a reality show.

Bruce Banner is the comic book character who turns into the Incredible Hulk, a destructive monsterr, when anyone makes him angry.

The famous line from the 1983 movie version of the story featured the now famous line, "You aren't going to like me when I'm angry."

That is a perfect analogy for the mood of the American electorate right now - you are not going to like them when they are angry - and they are irate.

My feeling is that this is going to be an historic mid-term election and all incumbents - both Republican and Democrats - are in trouble. But Democrats will lose FAR more seats than Republicans because they have more seats up for grabs - and several Democrats won in Republican Districts in both the 2006 midterm and the 2008 Obama win.

The economy, immigration, health care, two unpopular wars and oil spilling into the Gulf are causing the anger.

This midterm will be one for the history books as Hulk wreaks havoc on Washington.

The President has been criticized in recent weeks for not showing enough passion. I think some people want him to be the "Coddler in Chief." Others want him to be the "Butt Kicker" in Chief, as they want him to get angry.

Truthfully, I don't care if he hugs anyone or kicks anyone's butt. I just want him to do everything possible to fix the damn hole in the Ocean.

President Obama will be making an address to the nation tomorrow night. I am hoping he will say three things. First, that the military is taking over operations in the Gulf. Second, that we are shutting down operation on BP's Atlantis deep sea well until it can be fully inspected.

And then I want him to make a bold statement about our future energy policy. I want him to call upon the great minds of the United States to come up with alternative fuels. I want him to set a time line of ten years for a new clean energy policy that will vastly decrease our addiction to oil.

This could be a tgreat moment in history, a turning point in the way we think about energy. Or it could just be a disaster.

Wasn't it Rahm Emanuel who said, "Never waste a disaster?" Don't waste this one.

My family made the decision a couple of weeks ago to go to the Gulf and try and help. I was even going to put together a commentary on national public service and how we should all pitch in.

And then I started researching to see if anyone had started a volunteer organization. My heart sank.

There are several agencie looking for volunteers; but right now nobody needs them or wants them. BP certainly doesn't want any and the wildlife organizations only really want people trained to deal with animale.s

Several sites are asking for volunteers to sign up, like The Louisiana Gulf Response, but right now there are enough volunteers and not enough work to do.

There will be a time when volunteers are needed, just not yet. And that is why states are taking names for violunteers.

That is why I am asking for ideas. I want to go down with my family and do something. Many have suggested going down and vactioning. The Gulf businesses are taking a big loss in revenue because people who normally go down this time of year are staying away.

So let's share ideas here and plan on meeting at the Gulf to show our support. A time and date and place can be worked out later. But let's go to the Gulf!

I had my commentary all shot and ready to go. I was about to join the chorus of critics blasting the Obama speech for being heavy on promises and light on specifics.

And then I changed my mind.

I got back to the TV station to edit when I read the news flash about what happened at the White House. I know that it was probably all set up that BP executives would give President Ovbama the 20 Billion he asked for the night before, but still, he got it, with no string attached. And it came with a promiseto replenish the money if needed.

And that is when I went out and reshot the commentary.

I know the President also talked about stopping 90 percent of the oil in the Gulf by lat June. I was skeptical of that too - but now I have some reason for optimism. I mean, he did get the money.

Also, on Monday I asked that the President call together America's great minds to come up with a plan for a clean energy policy, much like JFK did when he called on our great minds to come up with a plan to land on the moon.

I'm sure the President didn't take my counsel, but I'll be darned if he didn't mention to race to the moon and called on the nation's great minds.

So I have changed my mind about the President's speech. More importantly, I am rooting for him to carry out his mission, as you should.

The New York Times recently published a story entitled "U.S. Tries to Reintegrate Taliban Soldiers."

The story tell how the military is allowing captured Taliban fighters to go back to their Afghan villages with the promise that they will have nothing to do with the Taliban again. The fighters must then pledge in front of the village elders.

The Times tell the story of one 23 year old who was released even though the Marines caught him with a bomb trigger device, ammunition and opium buried in his yard. Hmm, I wonder what he was going to use that for?

It is unbelievable how much the military bends over backwards to mollify the same people who are trying to kill our soldiers.

And that brings us to Army Lt. Michael Behenna who celebrated his 27th Birthday behind bars at Leavenworth prison where he is serving time for murder. He killed an Al-qaeda operative in Iraq. An operative suspected of attacking Behenna's squad and killing Michael's brothers in arms.

Behenna brought Ali Mansur in for questioning. Mansur was released and Behenna was told to take him back to the village where he found him. Why would any superior officer make such a dumb call? Something happened on the way back to the village and Mansur was killed.

Behenna was convicted of murder, even though a key witness was hidden by the prosecution.

If we can release Taliban fighters with a promise to be good, we can at least give Michael Behenna a new trial. Can't we treat our own soldiers as well as we treat our enemies.

If you want to read more about Lt. Behenna, send him a letter or email his parents - click here.

It was a wonderful day. I hope all Dads had a great day.

In the wake of our day, I was saddened and worried. What are we leaving our children?

My Dad left me a better world. He was part of "The Greatest Generation" that survived a depression and fought tyranny.

I am part of "The Me Generation," We borrowed against our children's future to avoid a depression.

Avoiding problems and putting them off for future generations is what we do best.

We are not leaving the world a better place. The "Me Generation" took from our parents and now we are taking from our children.

I just hope that greatness skips a generation or two. And the problems we leave our children will give them the opportunity to be great.

More here.

My wife warned me not to do this commentary. She said people will think you are cheap.

But I did it anyway. And I am not cheap.

I just hate the concept of tipping. Now many of you probably don't have any problem with it. But let me give you this scenario. Let's say you go to a Department store tomorrow to buy some clothes. Not the salesman probably is doing as much work as a waiter at a restaurant to help you pick out clothes.

Let's say at the end, you want to buy an article of clothing for $100. And then the salesperson says, "No, wait, it is $120 dollars. But I am not going to ring up the extra twenty. Just leave it on the counter."

You would probably call for a manager or the better business bureau or the police.

And yet you have no problem doing it at a restaurant or an hotel.

We should end tipping and just pay the people in the service industry better. Now, am I cheap?

I am not on tonight.

What a night not to be on! Gen. McCrystal is removed from his post and I'm not on to rant about it.

I think McCrystal is a good man. I also think he left President Obama little choice but to let him go.

The guy I think is the real villain in all of this is Michael Hastings, the freelance reporter for Rolling Stone magazine. The aides must have felt comfortable with him, allowed him access and he abused the privledge.

He was a rat in the Eagle's nest.

I can onlt\y assume that these comments by the aides were not made during a formal interview.

That doesn't excuse them of McCrystal, but it doesn't excuse Hastings either.

Hastings has cost the country a good man. And he probably set back access to the military and its brass for years to come, All for a story filled with bar room gossip.

And the real shame is that Michael Hastings is undoubtedly proud of himself.

Feel free to use the comment section to discuss the situation.

So Stanley McChrystal is out and David Petraeus is in as Commander in Afghanistan.

McChrystal got to leave the hell hole after saying some stupid things to a reporter from Rolling Stone Magazine. He jokingly asked if Joe Biden's last name was "Bite Me, for instance.

Maybe the 90 thousand plus troops there should be calling the Vice President "Bite Me" and then they could all go home.

The McChrystal debacle was a silly distraction from a failed police in the region. Things are not going well. Why are we even there anymore?

Not one more American should die to support a corrupt Afghan Government and a country whose economy is supported by drug sales.

As I have said many times and will continue to say - bring the majority of troops home now.

What I can't understand is why is there no outrage? Why are there no protestors for our longest war? It seems they are giving our President a pass on this protracted and meaningless war.

Our men and women deserve better. They deserve more than our apathy.

We all pay the cost of shoplifting.

A recent survey showed that MOST people have shoplifyted at least once in their life. But the real problem is the 1 in 11 people who shoplift as a habit.

There is not a type - men do it as much as women and adults do it three times more than teenagers.

I have a unique idea to stop shoplifting. Watch the video and read more about it here and then tell me what you think.

This week 11 people from Boston to Virginia were arrested and accused of being part of a Russian espionage ring, living under false names and deep cover in a patient scheme to penetrate what one coded message called American "policy making circles."

These moles living in deep cover were called "legends" by the KGB. They are legends alright - legendarily bad!

The arrests were the result of an F.B.I. investigation that began at least seven years ago.

The criminal complaint was like something out of a spy thriller. They swapped bags as they brushed past each other in a train station stairway. They sent messages by shortwave burst transmission or in invisible ink.

The suspected spy ring had everything it needed for world-class espionage: excellent training, cutting-edge gadgetry, deep knowledge of American culture and meticulously constructed cover stories.

The only things missing in more than a decade of operation were actual secrets to send home to Moscow.

The assignments, described in secret instructions intercepted by the F.B.I., were to collect routine political gossip and policy talk that might have been more efficiently gathered by surfing the Web. And none of the 11 people accused in the case face charges of espionage, because in all those years they were never caught sending classified information back to Moscow.

It seems that this group either liked living in America too much or were just not very good. Either way they were incompetent, adding to the list of incompetent foreign agents who have taken on this country in the last couple years.

The Christmas Bomber, the Times Square Bomberand the Bad News Bears - it seems our greatest security asset is their incompetence.