In perusing the news this morning a couple of things jump out at me: Trent Lott's resignation and Pepsi dumps Btittany Spears for Destiny Child lady (I forget her name). On a serious note, Spears is fading out faster than super grover on a pogo stick. How often do we try to tell people that fame and beauty are fleeting, but no, they don't listen. I'm not saying that she's hot but she is facing irrelevance. I guess nothing can ever substitute for talent. Look at Madonna, who I tend to loathe, she has a decent voice and can dance, which has guaranteed her staying power. it is sad to see these teenage girl super stars who sell out their dignity and are dumped by the wayside after a couple of years.

In this spirit, I also have reservations about teenage high school basketball phenoms who skip college. I am not opposed to skippin college because I believe the NCAA is crooked and cruel and racist and many of these young men have difficult family situations and need to get paid, so more power to them. However, I just wish that their relatives would caution them so that they don't get too ancy. Only a relatively small percentage of high school stars eventually make it in the NBA, the rest flounder in Europe or Turkey or wherever else there are NBA cast aways.

As for Mr. Lott, this is most interesting. How quickly did we go from Republican gloating to internal crises. The point is that Lott has provided fodder for Dems and Indeps. He is rightly and widely perceived as racist and his continued presence in the senate still remains a burden for the Republicans. Democrats can still campaign against "the party of the likes of Lott." As for Lott himself, on BET he expressed his support for affirmative action (a far right wing white Mississipian!!!) and inclusion, etc. this then presents a problem for him because Blacks can now put pressure on him to reject or reconsider some of Bush judicial nominees such as Shedd from Texas who is no friend civil rights. I guess it'll be interesting to see if Lott returns to his old ways or has truly seen the error of his ways.

Either way, the Republicans do have a problem on their hands for 2004. Let's assume Bush wins the war and his approval is sky high, there is still the problem of the economy which, even if it turns the corner, will still be a slow growth economy. However, I think the war will put pressure on the economy. i also think Bush's judicial nominees will motivate the center-left. I think that when word gets out about the potential impact of the judicial conservative slant, women, ethnic groups, labor, etc will react. but, we'll see.