Denny's apology falls far short on Irish Famine smear

What a mealy-mouthed apology Denny's just issued for their incredible behavior in mocking the victims of the Irish Famine. Here it is:

"Denny's has a history of using humor in its television advertising. It is certainly not the intention of the company to offend anyone or any group and we apologize if this spot has in any way. As a result of the feedback we have received from our customers the spot will no longer be on the air after Tuesday. We thank those who took the time to contact us."

Gee, thanks. Denny's will apologize "if" the ad offended? It offended all right, and it seems utterly incredible that this company does not see fit to issue a decent apology.

This is typical of a company with an appalling record on human rights. They lost a huge lawsuit because of discrimination against African American employees and customers. What they need to say is, "We apologize to the Irish American community for depicting the Irish Famine as some kind of humorous event, when in fact 1 million people died of starvation. We realize that such a tragedy was not proper material in any way for a 'humorous' advertisement."

Let's keep up the pressure on Denny's so they cannot dismiss us so lightly. Earlier an Irish American community leader who has been in touch with Denny's said they are "backpedalling faster than a circus clown" and the company has begun to realize just how wrong-headed the advertisement appeared.

"They are being flooded with calls" he reported. "They have no idea what they have set off here."

The ad ran last week and immediately led to major anger in the Irish American community.

Until they fully explain themselves and make a decent apology, I still believe any Irish American with a trace of pride in their heritage will support a boycott of the Denny's restaurant chain after their disgraceful Irish Famine ad currently running on television.

They had announced that in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the end of the Irish Famine, they would be offering unlimited pancakes for customers. Yes, you read that right.

It is disgraceful.

One million people starved to death in the Great Famine, one million more fled Ireland, most to America. To make fun of the greatest human tragedy of the 19th century in Europe is unpardonable. Whoever created the ad, whoever approved it, whoever decided on it it should go on television should be fired forthwith.

Will Denny's also feature an ad joking that they are also offering pancakes in celebration of the end of the Holocaust and the deaths of six million Jews? Perhaps they can celebrate Armenian Genocide Day with some free pancakes as well.

Remember, this is the company that lost a massive suit because of the way they treated African American customers and staff.

What would you expect from a pig but a grunt?

I am delighted to see that the Ancient Order of Hibernians has rushed out a statement condemning this incredibly insensitive and hostile ad which has been shown all over America in the past few days.

Equally as important, there are already Facebook sites cropping up calling for a Denny's boycott. I wholeheartedly endorse that. On the eve of St. Patrick's Day to offer such a degrading and insensitive portrayal of Ireland and Irish America's version of the Holocaust is frankly disgusting.

What were they thinking? More importantly will they get away with it ?

Call Nelson Marchioli, Denny's President, and explain to him what this insult means.: 1-864-597-7781 Ext 8122 to organize a national boycott against the food chain.

Young Joe Kennedy III won't run for Congress

Despite earlier reports that he was ready and set to go, Joseph P. Kennedy III will not seek election to Rep. William Delahunt’s seat, the Barnstable County, Massachusetts, assistant district attorney said.

"Where I’m at right now is I’ve got a job that I love and a place that I enjoy," he said.

Delahunt has said he is considering retiring from Congress when his term ends this year. Kennedy, 29, said he will not run no matter what Delahunt decides.

Although the Kennedy family is often considered the king-making political power in the state, the young Kennedy said the decision was his.

“My family in particular knows the decision to run for office is a very personal one,” he said. “They’ve been very supportive as I’ve been trying to think about it. It was my decision alone.”

Kennedy, a former Peace Corps member, has been very active in state Democratic circles since first coming on the scene in 2006 when he and his twin brother, Matt, co-chaired the late Sen. Edward Kennedy’s last Senate campaign. At times, he has been with Delahunt at 10th District events, fueling rumors that he was interested in running.

Democratic political consultant Michael O'Shea said Kennedy would have been the natural front-runner.

"Any time a Kennedy gets into a race, everybody better think twice," he told the Boston Globe.

"You are running against history, against a legacy, while at the same time you are trying to tell people who you are. The Kennedy name has immediate cachet with Democrats."

Chile earthquake begs question of what is happening to our Earth

Huge earthquake in Chile, Tsunami threatened, earthquake in Haiti, crazy cold weather in Ireland and the U.S. What is happening to our world?

In a word nothing, or at least nothing we can explain.

Of course the doomsayers say we are bound for perdition, the global warmers will say it is all a sign of impending future disasters, global coolers will point outside their windows and say see it is snowing,therefore no global climate change.

None of them know whether they are talking sense or blather.

We live in a random world,where the unexplained happens all the time,. Why does one person die and not another? Why are our lives so full of doubt and uncertainty? Some will say religion explains it all ,others that nothing does.

Neither is satisfactory because we just don't know.Sure we can speculate and in the case of religion,put forward a formidable case, but until someone returns from the other side and tells us how it is we are all just guessing.

Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld put it best .There are unknowns and known unknowns --Which means its all unknown.

Father of Irish jihad warrior in Afghanistan speaks out

An Irishman who died fighting in Afghanistan while waging Jihad has finally had his story come to light as his family battle to have his remains brought back to Ireland

John Burke from Clonmel, County Tipperary changed his name to Muhammad Omar and died fighting there in 1989. The Irish Times has turned up his records.

Burke became a Muslim radical after he left Tipperary at nineteen and moved to London where he joined a local mosque. He then went to Pakistan and later Afghanistan.

In a letter to his father, Burke described the “guerrilla-style” training he received and the period he spent at the front fighting Soviet troops then occupying Afghanistan. “We would bomb . . . with mortars and anti-aircraft guns,” he wrote. “The Russians would reply with mortars and tank fire. I always thought mortars used to whistle as they came down like in the movies, but they don’t.”

He was killed in battle near the city of Jalalabad and was mourned as a martyr in jihad publications.

Now the family want his remains brought back to Ireland after the International Red Cross has identified his resting place.

His father told The Irish Times that “My only hope was to see if I could get his body home. I wrote to everyone I could think of to see if they could help. The Red Cross eventually found out where he was buried . . . but there are still questions over whether it is his actual burial place. Other people have said he was buried in a cemetery somewhere.”

“It is still devastating to think about it even after all these years,” he said.

Caroline Kennedy screw up finished Governor Paterson

Forgive Caroline Kennedy if she is feeling a little upbeat today. She knows revenge is a dish best eaten cold and David Paterson was just served up one very chilly desert. He will not run for governor again and will be very lucky to hold onto the job until November.

His failure to nominate Kennedy when she wanted the senate seat is the root of all his troubles.Why he failed to do so will go down as one of the most boneheaded decisions ever made by a New York politician. After that he was a dead man walking

He upset the entire political hierarchy and painted a target on his back for The New York Times who have now proceeded to finish his career in politics. Maybe it would have happened anyway but I can't see the Times pursuing a Paterson vendetta if he had chosen Caroline.

Remember the circumstances. Hillary had gone to the State Department and Caroline had expressed interest in the seat.

Paterson, who had decent enough approval numbers at the time decided to dilly and dally before finally shafting Kennedy in favor of the colorless Kirstin Gillibrand.

Big no no. Caroline was running with the approval of the Democratic Party elite who had tolerated Paterson to that point.

Not for long. They have taken direct aim since and now have his scalp.

It is possible to feel sorry for Paterson, the accidental governor who seemed to make a fist of it in the early going but it all came apart after the Kennedy snub.

Now he will go down as a historical quirk, a nonentity who got to office by a sex scandal and leaves pretty much because of another one.

How he must wish he had that Kennedy decision back just one more time.

Muslims blame bomb on 'fanatical Roman Catholic terrorists'

It all depends on your point of view.

Below is the largest Muslim periodical in Ireland's take on the recent bomb outside a police station in Northern Ireland by IRA dissidents. MUPAC, the Muslim Public Affairs Committee newspaper, reported it thus. This is not ironically reported by the way.

"Fanatical, fundamentalist Roman Catholic terrorists were responsible for a car bomb outside a court house in Newry, Northern Ireland, in an apparent resurgence of 'Christianist' violence.

"These Holy Warriors, reportedly operating in the name of Jesus and representative of the beliefs of many millions of Catholics around the world, sought to wreak havoc and mayhem by positioning the explosive device close to nightclubs and shopping centres, with no apparent concern for women or children who may have been in vicinity. These Catholics have no wish to participate in the mainstream political process.

"If you see any Christians acting suspiciously, especially those dressed as nuns or 'men-of-the-cloth,' don’t hesitate to contact the police immediately and let the authorities decide whether or not they pose a threat. The Pope is yet to comment on this disgraceful incident. His silence speaks volumes."

My green light for Obama's Saint Patrick's party

The invitation slipped softly through the mailbox this morning. The ornate handwriting and the address was a dead giveaway.

"The White House Washington D.C. The President and Mrs. Obama."

Phew! I'm still on the list.

The hardest invite every year is to the White House Saint Patrick's Day party, presided over by the Irish Prime Minister and the President.

Irish Americans have been known to throw tantrums worthy of Britney Spears when they find they are not on the list. The Irish government had to host a separate party in a downtown hotel last year to somehow mollify those left out.

That was not good enough for one Irish American leader who stood forlornly outside the southeast gate, desperately hoping that some passing influential figure would give him a magic pass.

It didn't happen.

This year, after the shenanigans a few months ago with the gatecrashing couple, it certainly will not happen.

Last year, there were almost as many Obama political friends from Illinois as Irish Americans. No doubt the President thought a Saint Patrick's present to loyal supporters of long standing was a nice gesture.

Consequently, the numbers of Irish Americans was down sharply. The gnashing of teeth could be heard from Boulder to Belfast. Grown men were said to have threatened hara kiri if they were not placed on the list.

Worse, invitations were only offered singly, meaning many wives and husbands had to be left behind. The shrieks could be heard from Boston to Belmullet.

I don't know how many are invited this year, but I do thank the President for ensuring there are no more family splits and that couples are now invited.

Me, I'm a jaded old journalist a lot of the time, but the White House invite remains one of the most-special things in my life. My wife? She's planning the dress already.

Thank you. Mr. President.

Immigration reform is dead

Comprehensive immigration reform for 2010 and beyond is dead. There, I've said it. It is time to concentrate on alternative strategies.

As the founder of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, a movement that took thousands of Irish to Capitol Hill to lobby for reform, it gives me no pleasure whatsoever to say this.

I know first-hand of many Irish undocumented who live in fear that the knock on the door will come. They are very much in my thoughts as I write this.

But the math does not lie. There is no chance in hell that a filibuster-proof majority exists in the U.S. Senate for most anything right now, let alone immigration reform. The Senate is where American legislation goes to die.

It might be possible to squeak a bill by the House, but there are more than enough anti-reform votes in the Senate to block any hope of passage. That will not change.

For fifteen years or so, a great effort was undertaken to pass a comprehensive reform bill. It looked like the promised land when the Kennedy/McCain bill looked certain to gain passage in 2007, but a filibuster-proof majority never existed.

Now, there are even fewer votes despite a Democratic majority. It is time to ditch comprehensive reform and focus on parts of immigration reform that can pass.

The Dream Act is one, which would allow undocumented people who were brought here as children to become legal. It is cruel and unusual punishment to deport such people who, through no fault of their own, were brought here often as infants, and have known no other life.

Start by passing that, let's then look at what other areas we can address and adopt a piecemeal approach rather than a grand sweeping plan which has brought us nowhere.

The definition of madness is that we continue to do the same thing over and over hoping for a different result. It is time to stop the madness.

First, we must be honest and admit that there is no political future for comprehensive reform. Only then can we actually start to get legislation passed.

New York Times' David Brooks talking through his 'fundament'

David Brooks in The New York Times is pining for the return of the male Protestant ascendancy class which ruled this country for generations.

He says despite the birth of diversity in fields as diverse as banking, journalism and government, the disaffection is greater now than ever before.

Which makes him yearn for the Good Old Days, it seems, though he denies that is his point.

Here's his money quote: "Yet here’s the funny thing. As we’ve made our institutions more meritocratic, their public standing has plummeted. We’ve increased the diversity and talent level of people at the top of society, yet trust in elites has never been lower.

It’s not even clear that society is better led."

That last comment is clearly a call for return to the old ways.

You remember them. When banks caused the Great Depression, newspaper moguls started wars, and secret governments led by men like J. Edgar Hoover destroyed people's lives at will. A time when blacks were lynched and Asians interned and Presidents stood by, when some greedy corporations operated without any impediments and women were kept in their place and father knew best ?

"No Irish, Blacks. Ethnic or anyone not WASP need not apply signs" hung over almost every power position in society.

Ah yes, the Good Old Brooksian days.

John F. Kennedy ended most of that and Barack Obama finished it off. Ronald Reagan, son of an alcoholic and graduate of Eureka College, not Harvard, made it to the White House. Women, black, Hispanic, ethnic kids of all classes and creeds learned to believe they could make it anywhere, too.

Sure, it's messy, noisy and troublesome at times. Sure, there are times when we seem stuck in reverse and only able to inch forward at best. Yet we are better off, living longer and better cared-for than at any other time in the nation's history.

But guess what? We are closer to the spirit of the Founding Fathers than ever before. Men and women are not yet treated equally, but we are heading in the right direction, color of skin and ethnic class is no longer a total dividing line in out society.

We only have to look at the current occupant of the White House to see how far we have come. Brooks and his crackpot theories belong on the ash heap of history.

The Good Old Boys and their Good Old Days are gone forever.

Why I'm heading for Winter Olympics gold in curling in 2014

I want to become an Olympian so I'm thinking of taking up curling.

Yes, I know I'm, a bit old, mid fifties and all that, but after watching the curling on TV last night I think I can still hack it in four years time.

Basically you throw or glide something that looks like an iron or a kettle lid along the ice hoping to land close to a disc object a few hundred feet away.

It is horseshoes for Olympians, except there is more skill in horseshoes.

There's more. There are two sweepers, who clean the ice with brooms in front of the kettle lid as it flows down towards the ice. That's why my wife would be an excellent Olympian too.

She is always complaining about sweeping up after me -- now we can do it to win gold together.

There are lots of silly sports at which you can win Olympic medals, but curling takes the biscuit.

The silver lining is that I can still dream of being an Olympian three decades after I reached the height of my athletic prowess when my friend and I combined to win the three legged race at our school sports day for former pupils.

Now if they ever have three legged curling I'm even more interested

Irish defense minister resigns over brothel allegation

Irish defense minister Willie O'Dea has resigned after denying under oath he linked another politician to a brothel and later admitting that he had.

O'Dea gave the false information to a journalist last year about Limerick Sinn Fein councilor Maurice Quinlivan.

He told a journalist for the Limerick Leader: "I'd like to ask Mr Quinlivan, is the brothel still closed?"

Later O'Dea made a statement under oath denying he had said this but when he found the interview had been taped he admitted he had done so, essentially admitting to perjury.

Two months ago he agreed at the High Court to pay damages to Quinlivan.

In his resignation letter, O'Dea stated that staying in office would "distract from the important and vital work of the government.""

In a debate in the Irish parliament yesterday he had defended his role.

"Having seen the transcript, I took the initiative - I went to my solicitor and immediately corrected my affidavit," he said.

"I was not forced or pressed to do this. I did so of my own volition as I then knew that my original affidavit was wrong."

He claimed he had been tipped off about the brothel by a police officer.

John Gormley, leader of the Green Party, the junior coalition government partner, pulled the plug on O'Dea after accusing him of misleading statements.

"At the very conclusion of yesterday's Dail debate, Mr. O'Dea said his original actions in the matter were based on information given to him by An Garda Siochana (the police)," he said.

"We were very concerned by this behavior by a member of government. We have also taken the view that Willie O'Dea's comments and conduct during yesterday's debate and in subsequent media appearances were inappropriate.

"All these factors have led us to conclude that Willie O'Dea could not continue as a member of this government."

Opposition Fine Gael party leader Enda Kenny said the credibility of the coalition cabinet was "in tatters."

"Despite knowing the full facts, the Taoiseach and his Fianna Fail and Green ministers queued up just yesterday to vehemently support Deputy O'Dea, to assert that he had done nothing wrong other than a simple human mistake, and to vote complete confidence in him."

Irish and Haitian stars will gather for Haiti relief

One island people will help another through a multi-cultural evening of music and readings to raise money for the relief effort in Haiti. Hosted by Irish American Writers & Artists, Inc. (IAW&A), the Wed., Feb. 24^th event gets underway at 7:00 pm sharp at Klub 45, the music venue above Connolly’s Pub on West 45^th Street near New York’s Times Square.

Terry George, the Academy Award nominated director/writer of the film “Hotel Rwanda” will host “Relief for Haiti: Island People Supporting Island People.” Scheduled musical guests include Moya Brennan, Ashley Davis, Black 47, Jameson’s Revenge, Morning Star, Clay Ross & Matuto, Seanchai and Unity Squad, as well as a Haitian band Brother High Kanaval and Creole jazz band Mozajik. Readers will include National Book Award winner Colum McCann, Amy Goodman of Democracy Now, Malachy McCourt, T.J. English, Michael Patrick MacDonald and others.

Proceeds from the event will support the Haitian relief efforts of Concern Worldwide, the international humanitarian relief agency that was founded in Ireland 41 years ago. Concern has worked in Haiti since 1994 and its team of 260 staffers has developed a large local infrastructure that has put the organization at the heart of Haitian relief efforts.

“Island people are known for their fierce pride and independence,” IAW&A co-founder T.J. English said. “And yet, when disaster strikes, island people are made vulnerable by the very thing that makes them unique. Surrounded by water, they become dependant on the outside world for basic supplies. Few people know this better than the Irish. The earthquake that struck Haiti last month is on a scale equivalent to the Great Famine in Ireland.

“Directing our donations through Concern is the best way we can help our island brothers and sisters in Haiti,” he added.

“During the period of ‘The Great Hunger,’ when the people of Ireland were in greatest need, the world responded, and the Irish have never forgotten,” Siobhan Walsh, Executive Director of Concern Worldwide US said. “As Seamus Heaney so eloquently put it, ‘who is our neighbor, our neighbor is all mankind.’ This is an extraordinary example of the Irish never forgetting its history and always reaching out to help those less fortunate in their darkest hour. It’s a great honor for Concern to be chosen by the Irish American Writers & Artists and we thank them for making this event possible.”

Huffington Post column agrees with printing anti-Irish jokes

Huffington Post columnist Rory Fitzgerald has come out in favor of Douglas Murray, the Scotsman who encouraged his readers to tell their worst Irish jokes in his column in The Daily Telegraph in London. A hundred or so took Murray up on it, and his column was filled with the worst kind of Irish stereotypical jokes.

"Mr. Murray is in the right of it, I think. He's defending the right to free speech, which includes the right to offen," Fitzgerald writes.

I could not disagree more.

Murray is, in fact, director of the United Kingdom's Center for Social Cohesion. This institute was founded "to promote human rights, tolerance and greater cohesion among the U.K.'s ethnic and religious communities and within wider British society."

It is incredible that a man in that position would allow his column to be used for the worst kind of anti-Irish humor-- and that the Huffington Post columnist would agree with it. In this case, it is not the joke but the status of the person who is encouraging it to be told that is the issue.

Murray used the spurious reason that his column was motivated by a settlement involving a fine against a minor British politician for telling such a joke in public after an Irishman who heard it complained.

He has every right to an opinion, but to then encourage the bigots to tell their own jokes in his own column is a bridge too far.

The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs has already complained about the absurdity of an alleged civil-rights worker openly encouraging such bigotry.

And bigotry is what it is. If you lived in Britain as I did during the 1970s, the vicious strain of anti-Irish sentiment was no laughing matter.

Everywhere from tabloid media to television comedians to construction workers among whom I worked were "Paddy" jokes depicting us as thick, dumb and lazy.

I knew fellow construction workers who adopted fake British accents, who grew extremely self-conscious about their identity as a result. It was an interesting insight into what other ethnic groups in far worse situations must face. "No Dogs, Blacks or Irish " were well-documented signs used by some landlords at the time.

It was no joke.

The anti-Irish sentiment faded after the end of The Troubles and the Celtic Tiger, but now appears to be making a comeback, perhaps because Ireland is in recession again. Murray is doing his bit to fan the flames. The fact that he is allegedly someone interested in better race relations makes it doubly troubling.

If Murray had called for Black or Muslim jokes, the outrage would have been heard all across the Atlantic. But somehow, Irish jokes are okay.

They are not, especially coming from the British. Rory Fitzgerald and the Huffington Post, that alleged paragon of truth and equality for all, should be able to see that too.

(Huffington Post columnist responds to IrishCentral. Click here for story)

Despite Internet, Irish reading more newspapers than ever

It appears there is a place on earth where people cannot get enough of reading newspapers. It is called Ireland.

Look at this quote from today's Irish Times "The survey, conducted by Millward Brown Lansdowne, showed that, overall, the number of people regularly reading a newspaper in the Republic increased during 2009 by 3,000, to 3.529 million."

Yes, increased. While the rest of the world is losing ground daily to the internet those pesky Irish are reading more newspapers than ever. Good for them!

Yes, newspapers, those old-fashioned paper things that leave ink stains on your hand, the technology created by Guthenberg in the 15th century with the first printing press.

Latest figures from Ireland are stunning, as if the Internet was never invented. The JNMR survey shows the Irish Times at its highest readership ever, with 369,000 average daily readership.

The Sunday Independent has passed the one million mark in readership while the other major daily The Irish Independent recorded an average daily readership of 581,000, an increase of 61,000 over the 2008 figure.

The Irish Examiner recorded an average daily readership of 208,000, an increase of 6,000 on the 2008 figure according to the survey.

What gives? I have no idea to be honest, but it wonderful and heartening to see.

Bill O'Reilly exposes Sarah Palin on Limbaugh 'retard' quote

Bill O'Reilly remains one of the few members of the media who asks hard-hitting questions regardless of the person he is interviewing.

On Tuesday night he confronted Sarah Palin with the harsh reality that she was trying to have it both ways with the use of the word "retard." Palin had slammed Rahm Emanuel,White House Chief of Staff, for using it but had said that when Rush Limbaugh used it he was using "satire."

Give me a break. The use of the word was just as offensive by Limbaugh as it was by Emanuel and Palin should have just said so. Instead she tried to have it both ways and got caught by O'Reilly.

Here is what Limbaugh actually said: "Our political correct society is acting like some giant insults taken place by calling a bunch of people who are retards, retards" ... "I think their big news is he (Emanuel) is out there calling Obama's number one supporters f'ing retards. So now there's going to be a meeting. There's going to be a retard summit at the White House."

That is every bit as insulting regardless of whether it is satire or not. Kudos to O'Reilly for calling a spade a spade. You get the sense sometimes that hardliners on left and right refuse to ask the tough questions of their own kind.

Not Bill O'Reilly. No sir.

Irish Catholic Church survival may depend on meeting with Pope

Twenty-four Irish bishops will spend the most-important two days of their lives meeting with the Pope and other high Vatican officials in Rome on Monday and Tuesday.

They know that nothing less than the long-term survival of the Irish Catholic Church is at stake because of their collective failure to address the cancer of child sex abuse by members of the clergy over the past decades.

If they fail to address this issue once and for all and come completely clean on the extent of it and the steps they are taking, they will find themselves in a tightening death spiral when they arrive back in Ireland.

Irish people will no longer accept for a second that a Roman collar gives a man the right to carry out arguably the worst form of crime short of murder -- that of child sex abuse. If the Church was a major corporation with a history of covering up child abuse by its workers, it would have been shut down long ago.

Put simply, there is little confidence in the present leaders of the Irish Church because of what has been allowed to happen on their watch. Following the Famine, the Church became an almighty institution with a top down leadership that brooked no argument, even from elected political leaders.

When the cancer of child sex abuse by clergy began to spread, they immediately went into denial mode, and for many years succeeded in brushing the worst of the issue under the rug.

Now that time has passed, the Church faces the bleak landscape of a population that is deserting them in droves and young people who have become overwhelmingly cynical about men of the cloth.

It will be an extraordinary moment when Pope Benedict addresses the issue with the bishops. When was the last time that a Pope spent so much time on a corner of his Church that has always been the ultimate team player? Not for nothing was the phrase, "Rome dictates and Ireland takes" invented.

Now, the Pope will no doubt seek to dictate future policy in Ireland. He is not really clear of this issue himself, having incredibly promoted the Boston Cardinal Bernard Law after he was revealed to have covered up blatant child sex abuse in his Archdiocese.

So the plan they come up with has to be clear and perfectly simple. Any future episode of child sex abuse must be immediately turned over to authorities for prosecution. Any current cases on their books, still not investigated, must be taken up immediately. Any present or future bishop who covers up such an incident is complicit in a crime, must be forced to resign and be prosecuted also.

The Irish Church has an opportunity, strange as it may sound, to show the way on this issue to the rest of the Church, by enacting such direct and straightforward doctrines that there can be no ambiguity whatever about them.

Only by admitting the scope of the problem, coming completely clean and accepting strict future governance on this issue can the Church begin to find its way again.

Such methods will not come easy to men who are used to dictating rather than accepting rules and regulations. But is it their only hope of becoming relevant again as spiritual pastors in the life of Ireland.

The Rome visit is a critical crossroad.

Sarah Palin 'Palm Pilot ' criticism is grossly unfair

Sarah Palin's Palm Pilot moment is no big deal. The Democrats are looking foolish with their attacks on her because she just used an earlier form of technology.

Frank Rich in The New York Times makes it sound like its a treasonable offense. Lighten up folks -- there is nothing new in the world. The invention of the telegraph was once the Twitter of its day. It is all about how you communicate.

Whatis Barack Obama's TelePrompter, or Bill Clinton's well-practiced moment of reflection before answering a question? British Prime Minister Harold Wilson used to light his pipe before answering a particularly tough one. An Irish politician I knew used to start by thanking the questioner for the question in order to give himself a little more time to come up with an answer.

They are means to deliver the message and Palin should not be criticized. In this day and age, she knows every word she utters is watched like a hawk.

Whatever else she is, she is certainly able to deliver a speech -- which she did at the Republican National Convention in 2008 just a week after being chosen. Even the McCain people had to agree that was a stem-winder.

What is the difference between glancing down at notes and glancing at your hand? Nothing whatsoever. In fact, it's even a little bit endearing, a bit of '60s technology in a super-sized age.

Democrats should know better on this one.

Susan Boyle doesn't need a man

It is Valentine's Day, and everyone seems to be determined to find Susan Boyle a man. The British tabloids have been full of profiles of eligible men, not to mention the US equivalents.

To which I say: If Susan Boyle was a man, would there be anything like this attention paid to her single status?

You know the answer to that -- of course not. There is a double standard. She is one of a kind, a true superstar who has made it without much need of help from man or beast to the very top.
Her fans embrace her true talent. They are not interested in who she is dating, or how her personal life is shaping up.

We hear enough of that from every two-bit celebrity ready to spill all.

I saw a horrific one the other day when one of those dreadful Kardashian women talked about how she was sampling her own breast milk. PUHLEEZE.

In contrast, Susan Boyle has been a true warrior, a person who has not descended to the levels of the tabloid tell-all.

So this Valentine's Day, I have a message for Susan: Keep doing what you are doing and don't let the speculation get in the way of your priceless gift -- that stellar voice that transported so many fans to heaven and back again.

That's your true gift to the world this Valentine's Day.

Irish man John Furlong helps open Winter Olympics

John Furlong has taken the lessons of playing fields in Tipperary and applied them to the management of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

His opening remarks at the Olympics represented the highlight of his life. It was the first time an Irish accent was heard at an opening ceremony since Lord Killanin, the former International Olympic Committee chairman in the 1970s.

He is CEO of VANOC, the organizing committee which has brought all the Games venues in on budget and a year in advance.

“I’ve tried to take the essence of sports – fair play, integrity and teamwork – and incorporate them in the culture of this organization.” The father of five and grandfather of six caught the Olympic bug during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

He played for Ireland’s national basketball and handball teams and jokes that to make the Irish Olympic team “All you needed was a letter from your grandmother.”

When he came to Canada 30 years ago, the customs officer challenged him to make the country better.

He began to do that almost immediately, serving on the Canadian Olympic Committee, then headed the group which won the 2010 Games, and now leads the body delivering the Olympics to the world.

He hopes when the last person in the world turns off their TV at the end of the Games, they say, “Wow, Canada did a fabulous job.”

Patrick Kennedy wants to be a father, not a politician

I think it is safe to say that Patrick Kennedy never knew what he wanted until he saw his father on his deathbed.

Anyone who knew Ted Kennedy knew how devoted his family was to him. Whatever the public figure and foibles, in private Ted Kennedy was an absolutely adoring father, stepfather, uncle and grandfather.

Patrick watched this love unfold on his father's death watch, and reflected on his own life, at 42 and unmarried.

From that moment on, according to a family source, he believed he wanted some of the same unconditional love. He knew it would never happen as long as he stayed in Congress, where the lifestyle and his own mental and substance abuse problems merely exacerbated his situation.

A few weeks back, Patrick saw a poll that he was in the fight of his life to retain his Rhode Island seat. The anti-incumbency mood and his own high profile as a target were coalescing to make it very likely he would barely hang on to his seat.

At that moment, Patrick made his decision, I am told, to free up his life and get away from the Washington storm that has made it so difficult for him over the past few years to become a private person.

Now, he wants what every human being wants, a family, loving wife and kids. I hope he finds it.

It is wonderful that on his deathbed Teddy passed on the greatest message of all, the primacy of family and shared love.

Bill O'Reilly and Fox News will definitely kill Lincoln

Bill O'Reilly will kill Lincoln all right. His upcoming book entitled 'Killing Lincoln' will allegedly be an insight into the death of our most famous president, as viewed through the eyes of a Fox News anchor.

This should make interesting reading. Will O'Reilly divine what ' the folks' at the time really felt about Lincoln? Will his talking points memo say that Lincoln moved to quick too soon on that pesky Negro emancipation stuff ?

Will John Wilkes Booths' brothers, supporters, Tea Party links be explored? Were there co- conspirators? Where was General Grant on the night in question? Cui bono--who benefited?

Did Booth really break his ankle when he jumped on to the stage at the Ford Theater? Perhaps two modern day doctors could dispute.

Then there's the gun Wilkes Booth had. He was perfectly entitled to own it of course, he needed it like all God fearing Americans. besides, he saw what Sherman did to the south and he was merely using it for self protection.

And what about Mrs Lincoln? Was she having an affair? Get Geraldo on here to discuss. Perhaps she was having it off with Edward Stanton, who remains a mysterious figure in all of this?

Haven't you heard that the Booth diary was missing eighteen pages and that Stanton might have torn them out? -- heck its Lincolngate!

Heath care! Did Lincoln get the proper care? The hospital was government run so clearly not. Newt Gingrich can explain why.

Up next Fox News will discuss the death of Julius Caesar and ask was Anthony really guilty or was he just worried about a communist takeover. Glenn Beck will lead the discussion

The secret role of the women who saved Northern Ireland peace deal

The unsung hero of the peace deal reached in Northern Ireland last week was an unlikely figure.

Arlene Foster, who was temporarily appointed first minister after Peter Robinson stepped aside, played a key role in creating the deal, according to insiders.

“It would not have been done without Arlene,” stated one talks participant in Belfast, who pointed out that Robinson was distracted during much of the early negotiations and more than a little suspicious that Sinn Fein would exploit his evident political weakness.

Robinson stepped down temporarily after revelations about his wife’s affair with a 19-year-old, and the story that he and his wife arranged for an illegal loan for the young man, Kirk McCambley.

During that period it was Foster (pictured above), who took the initiative and played a key role as a conduit between Sinn Fein and the DUP leader.

“Arlene is very clever, very smart, she’s quite hardline but can work with people better than Robinson,” said the source. “She has an ability to get where she wants to.”

Foster impressed major businessmen in America during a recent visit here when she was seeking investment in Northern Ireland.

Now that she has replaced Robinson even on a temporary basis, her name will be to the forefront as leader if Robinson is forced to step down.

In that regard Robinson is clearly heading for more problems, with the revelations on Tuesday in The Belfast Telegraph that he and his wife lobbied for the builder who gave the loans to McCambley on a previous project.

Amazingly, though, the furor over Robinson’s wife may well have helped the process. At the time it looked hopelessly deadlocked, but it also gave Robinson the desire to reach a deal, to show that he still mattered when it came to politics and that he could lead.

The other unsung hero of the deal was Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She and her U.S. envoy Declan Kelly had given an undertaking to remain honest brokers, but as the talks looked headed for failure they took a gamble.

Kelly went public in the Irish media about the consequences in America if the deal collapsed. He talked about the impossibility of selling investment opportunities in Northern Ireland if it became clear that the political will for stable government was not there.

His interview coincided with news of several bad job losses in Northern Ireland, and focused attention once again on the economic damage that no deal would bring.

The story became a major factor in how the parties concerned were dealing with the negotiations. On talk radio in Belfast there was hundreds of angry calls from both sides calling on their leaders to strike a deal.

The American pressure worked, as did the 20 or so phone calls that Clinton made directly to party leaders at critical times in the North.

Kelly too deserves a major share of the credit. He is still new to the job but has quickly become a trusted figure on both sides, no easy task in Northern Ireland.

The payoff for him and Clinton is a foreign policy success for an administration that could really use some good news. It was a successful deal and a moment of satisfaction all around.

Overworked Bill Clinton rushed to hospital for heart surgery

Bill Clinton has been rushed to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York, the same hospital in which he underwent heart surgery a few years ago in New York.

The former President was suffering from chest pains in his Harlem office, and his staff brought him immediately to the hospital.

Hillary Clinton is believed to be on her way to her husband's side at the hospital.

The former President has been keeping an extraordinarily heavy schedule, and has just returned from a visit to Haiti, his second in several weeks.

He has often spoken about the bad heart genes he has inherited from relatives, and since leaving the presidency, has been working out regularly and has lost considerable weight.

Good news about Catholic Church you'll never hear

The Catholic Church is going through tough times with issues such as lack of vocations and abusive priests.

But it is time Catholic healthcare systems and the incredible work that Catholic hospitals do for the ill and needy in this country is recognized.

There facilities are present in all 50 states providing acute care, skilled nursing, and other services including hospice, home health, assisted living, and senior housing.

Here are some amazing facts:

* There are 624 Catholic hospitals.

* There are 60 Catholic health care systems.

* 1 in 6 patients in the United States are cared for in a Catholic acute-care facility each year.

* More than 5.5 million patients were admitted to Catholic hospitals during a one-year period.

* There were more than 92 million outpatient visits in Catholic hospitals during a one-year period.

* Catholic hospitals account for more than one fifth, or 20 percent, of admissions in 21 states and the District of Columbia.

* Catholic hospitals employ more than 525,193 full-time employees and 233,394 part-time workers.

Chris Matthews calls Sean Hannity a 'hyena' on global warming

It is an Irish brawl sure to keep fans on the edge of their seat, Chris Matthews of NBC has denounced fellow Irish American Sean Hannity as a 'clown and a hyena' because of his comments on global warming.

Matthews really got worked up and said to Hannity and some other leading republicans: "It isn't something to laugh about gentlemen unless you don't care what happens to this planet down the road."

Hannity, the Fox News host, has been mocking Democrats, and Al Gore in particular, about global warming because of the huge snowstorms that the East Coast is experiencing at the moment.

On his 'Hardball' TV program on Wednesday night, Mathews said: "Up next, the anti-science crowd in the Republican Party is saying that that the snow storms we're having are evidence against global warming These guys, these clowns- go to high school!"

After a break Matthews continued: "Next, hyena time. Here’s Sean Hannity on Fox, Monday. Quote. Here’s Sean talking, 'It's the most severe winter weather in- winter storm in years, which would seem to contradict Al Gore's hysterical global warming theories.'

"Here's Senator Jim DeMint twittering yesterday. Quote, 'It's going to keep snowing in D.C. until Al Gore cries uncle.' And here's Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell when asked about passing climate change legislation, just yesterday.

"Quote, 'Where’s Al Gore now?' Well, here are the facts, gentlemen. The average global temperature last year was the second highest on record. The past decade was the warmest ever. Cold weather in one area over several days doesn't change the reality of what’s happening to this planet, the only one we've got, by the way."

No word of response from Hannity yet, but expect it to be hot and heavy when he does.Word is the two actively detest each other.

Irish bachelors can rejoice this Valentine's Day

So much for the weaker sex! Irish women live five years longer than men on average, a larger gap than here in the U.S. or most of the rest of Europe.

The Central Statistics Office figures also show, not surprisingly, that there are far more older women in Ireland than men when you count in the earlier death rate.

So the obvious ambition for any Irish bachelor this Valentine's Day is to keep living.

He may be unsuccessful in love and currently in his fifties, but very soon he will have his pick of the ladies, indeed perhaps many of the same women who turned him down in the past.

All he has to do is watch as his fellow middle aged, drop like flies and he gets to pick up the pieces afterwards.

Now that's not a bad Valentine's Day surprise for some old bachelor farmer who thinks love has passed him by.  

 

Malcolm Gladwell says Irish are bad drunks

The Irish are bad drunks who can't handle their liquor, like Italians and an obscure Bolivian tribe says Malcolm Gladwell in the latest issue of New Yorker.

The world's most famous pop psychologist bases his evidence on studies of various ethnic groups in New Haven in the 1950s.

He says that Italians at the time drank every bit as much as Irish did, but that family rituals and practices meant that the drinking took place in a structured environment.

The Irish it seemed just got drunk, here there and everywhere. When it came to admission to the local alcoholic center, only 40 Italian names were mentioned while there were literally hundreds of Irish.

Hey listen, 1950s New Haven doesn't sound like Nirvana to me either and I might like a few scoops before heading home for the nightly bacon and cabbage too.

A dollar to a dime the Italian Mama had a much better evening meal waiting with a nice glass of wine.


The Irish can't even stand up to the Cambia tribe in Bolivia says Gladwell, who drink 180 proof rum morning, noon and night, yet never get drunk or angry because it is all within a cohesive cultural structure.

Gladwell meanders on in his piece and throws in this gem.

"If you are good-looking and the world agrees that you are good-looking, drinking doesn't make you think you're even better-looking."

Huh? Methinks Malcolm might need a drop of the hard stuff to knock some of this nonsense out of him.

Tea Party serves piping hot cup of hate and bigotry

Anti-immigrant hatred was spewed at the Tea Party convention over the weekend, but you probably didn't know it, as it was barely reported.

Instead we had a lot of speculating about Sarah Palin and a 2012 White House run, and the Tea Party crowd came across as fairly decent folk, mad as hell, but civil.

Not so.

Consider the following, widely applauded remarks by keynote speaker Tom Tancredo, the racist anti-immigrant former congressman.

Here are his words about Americans who voted for Barack Obama. He stated there should be a "civics literacy test" for those who voted for Obama. He stated Obama was elected by people who "couldn't spell the word 'vote' or say it in English" and that they had elected a "committed socialist ideologue called Barack Hussein Obama."

Doesn't that just make you proud to be an American? This age-old appeal to racism and anti-immigrant sentiment?

He also claimed that the Mexican president was seeking to create a new country by joining the U.S. and Mexico as one country and eliminating borders.

And that Obama was ashamed to put his hand on his heart when The National Anthem was being played.

Interesting isn't it, that very little was written about Tancredo's rant and hate-filled speech. Are we suddenly afraid to counter such racists in this country? Are we sleepwalking toward disaster where rabble-rousers like Tancredo can fan the flames of hatred and division at a time when we have never needed more to come together as nation?

The Tea Party strikes me as the poison party when they allow such racists to rant on. Shame on them for allowing Tancredo his racist platform.

Pope lashes out at Irish Catholic Church child abusers

Pope Benedict XVI has warned that the dangers of pedophilia still exist in the Church.

He made the comments before he meets Irish bishops next week to discuss the scandals in Ireland that have resulted in four archbishops stepping down.

In a clear reference to the Irish situation, Benedict, speaking of the imperative to protect children at all costs, stated that "Jesus' harsh words in the Bible about those who harm children should commit everyone to never lowering the level of respect and love."

He acknowledged that "unfortunately, in a number of cases, some of its (the Church) members acted in contrast to this commitment."

Benedict is meeting bishops from Irish dioceses to discuss the Murphy Commission Report into abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese, which led to the resignations.

The Murphy Report found that bishops had "obsessively" covered up child abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese from 1975 to 2004, and operated a policy of "don't ask, don't tell."

The report unleashed a torrent of criticism of the cover-up. Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, who had been appointed by the Pope in part to clean up the mess, moved swiftly and decisively to fire those bishops named in the cover-up. However, victims groups say many unexamined cases still remain in other dioceses.

The Vatican later ordered several leaders of the Irish Catholic Church to come to Rome, where Benedict expressed "outrage, betrayal and shame" over the abuse.

The Pope will write a pastoral letter to the people of Ireland over Easter outlining steps that will be taken in future to protect children from abusers.

Phoebe Prince, bullied schoolgirl, did not die in vain

Phoebe Prince did not die in vain.

The reaction to her suicide after suffering unrelenting bullying means that such cases will be taken much more seriously in the future.

The 15-year-old native of Ireland, who had recently moved to the U.S., was bullied to death in her South Hadley, Massachusetts, school by a group of "mean girls" who taunted her to the point where she took her own life.

The reaction in Massachusetts, where outraged parents have demanded action, will likely result in a state law and much greater effort to ensure that bullying is given the focus it deserves.

All across the United States, schools can learn from what went wrong for Phoebe Prince and what caused her horrible death.

Speaking as a parent of a young girl, I believe the Phoebe Prince story has made me concentrate more on ensuring that such issues as bullying in school are given the proper prominence in her school.

Put simply for parents out there: It is never too soon to speak to kids these days about bullying and other activities, which now take on a whole new sinister twist with cyber-bullying via texting, social sites such as Facebook and e-mail.

Phoebe's case is especially sad. She had just recently moved from Ireland and her main crime seemed to be that she dated a popular high school football player.

Since she died the outpouring has been incredible, and a deep mark has been left in her local community.

The word needs to go out from there that bullying will not be tolerated and that teachers must intervene when they suspect it is happening. Clearly, there was a deep problem in South Hadley even before Phoebe.

Her death may help ensure that such bullying and such tragic consequences never happen again.

The truth about Hillary Clinton and the Northern Ireland breakthrough

Right on time for the latest peace settlement in Northern Ireland comes the tinny yapping of those who believe America should have nothing more to do with Northern Ireland.

Niall Stanage, a journalist based here, made an ass of himself last year for some incredibly stupid comments to the effect that Hillary Clinton and the Obama administration were no longer interested in Northern Ireland and Hillary herself would not personally intervene.

That was shortly before Hillary went to Northern Ireland herself and directly negotiated with the parties there after appointing a key Irish American advisor Declan Kelly as her point person on Northern Ireland.

In the last few weeks I believe there were up to twenty phone calls between Hillary Clinton and the parties in Northern Ireland in trying to find a solution,while Declan Kelly was on the ground for almost two weeks helping with the negotiations - political ones that is, Mr. Stanage, in case you didn't notice.

Stanage however, is still insisting that America was not interested in the Irish peace process Here is what he wrote yesterday. "Although the U.S. has an economic envoy to Northern Ireland, no special political envoy has been appointed by Obama, as had been the case in both the Clinton and Bush administrations. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton knocked down a bizarre story that she would appoint herself to that role last summer. And, despite rumors that swirled of an imminent Clinton appearance late last month, while she was on a trip to London and the talks remained deadlocked, no such mission materialized."

Oh Lord. I suppose Hillary's trip to the north, the first ever stand-alone visit by a Secretary of State was not a political engagement with her as envoy? Or the fact that she will meet personally with both leaders from Northern Ireland later this month? Or that details of an economic conference on Northern Ireland to held in America are being put together?

Or indeed, that Obama invited the two Northern Ireland leaders to the White House for St. Patrick's Day? That sure doesn't sound like an administration that is looking to back away from Ireland at all. Or indeed the fact that Hillary is encouraging talks between Irish American leaders and groups from other ethnic conflicts countries with large communities in America to see what lessons can be shared.

As usual Stanage has but one source on all his stories, Trina Vargo, the head of the US-Ireland Alliance, who for some reason desperately wants to convince people that Irish Americans have no clout in America any more — as against I suppose the bankrupt Irish property developers who provided much of the major funding for the US-Ireland Alliance

Strange world we live in, where journalists persist in writing a version of history and events that is proven to be far wide of the facts that it is almost comical.Except there is nothing comical about bad and biased reporting.

100 years later-- original Scottish whisky found at South Pole hut of Irish explorer Ernest Shackleton

Ernest Shackleton failed in his bid to reach the South Pole but the Irish-born Antarctic explorer may have let the world a more significant gift.

Just discovered are three crates of whisky and two crates of brandy beneath the floorboards of hut used by Shackleton in 1908 during his quest to reach the South Pole.

The 102 year old Scotch whisky find is like finding the original recipe for distilling the hard stuff.

The whisky is from Whyte and Mackay Scottish master blenders and the whisky unearthed is the original blend for the brand which has long since been thought lost for ever.

Richard Paterson, a current day master blender for Whyte & Mackay, , described the unearthing of the bottles as “a gift from the heavens for whisky lovers,” and said “If the contents can be confirmed, safely extracted and analyzed, the original blend may be able to be replicated.”

Paterson described what the taste would be like

[W]hiskies back then — a harder age — were all quite heavy and peaty as that was the style. And depending on the storage conditions, it may still have that heaviness. For example, it may taste the same as it did back then if the cork has stayed in the bottle and kept it airtight.

Let's raise a glass to Ernest Shackleton from Kidare then, to thank him for saving something truly unique --not exactly what he wanted to be famous for but whatever.

It's a deal in Northern Ireland as Sinn Fein and DUP agree on way forward

Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson reached a deal at midnight on Thursday with his party members to continue in government with Sinn Fein.

The British and Irish Prime Ministers, Gordon Brown and Brian Cowen, are expected in Belfast on Friday to witness the deal being inked. Both had flown to the North to take part in the negotiations late last week.

The deal will allow policing and justice powers to be devolved to Northern Ireland and a compromise has been reached on Orange parades marching through nationalist areas.

Peter Robinson stated his party had accepted the deal unanimously. Earlier in the week, 14 members of his 35-member assembly party were said to have rejected it.

However, a series of last minute negotiations were successful. Among them, apparently, was a decision by the British government to help unionists who invested in a church credit union that collapsed to get their funds back.

“We have had a very constructive meeting of our assembly group and I had the opportunity to put to them proposals which we have been working on," said Robinson.

"Everyone present believes that this is consistent with our election manifesto and pledges we have made to the people."

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams said the DUP's decision had come after "a lengthy stretch of negotiations."

Praising his own party's negotiating team, he added: "I believe that the Assembly and political institutions can now proceed on the basis of equality, fairness and partnership.

"They also have to deliver for all citizens, that is the collective responsibility of all the political parties."

Robinson felt that the deal was a good one for all members of the DUP.

"An essential element of the Democratic Unionist manifesto is the requirement for community confidence and we believe that this can be the basis of gaining that confidence," he said.

"It does more than dealing with devolving further powers. It deals with how we deal with the powers that we have."

The DUP decision was welcomed by Alliance Party leader David Ford, who is expected to be the new justice minister.

"This is what the people of Northern Ireland have waited so long to hear and it means that the Executive can get back to the real work of providing quality services and strengthening our economy, " said Ford.

"We may face a few challenges in the coming months as regards the justice devolution process, but I am very hopeful that this will signal a new, more positive era for Northern Ireland."

However, Traditional Unionist Voice spokesman Jim Alistair described the DUP as "snowmen who had melted" under the pressure to get a deal.

A deal reached in Northern Ireland as talks end?

The basis for a deal on saving Northern Ireland's power sharing government now exists, says Sinn Fein Minister Gerry Kelly.

Kelly made the comments outside Hillsborough Castle, where talks have now officially ended after 10 days.

It is now up to Democratic Unionist Party leader Peter Robinson to sell the new deal to his party --something he failed to do earlier this week.

Renegotiations since then however, have apparently brought the two sides very close together. The negotiations have come to a conclusion.

"We believe that it is a positive conclusion and we believe that it is the basis on which to move forward," Kelly, pictured above, said.

DUP leader Peter Robinson is now expected to address his Assembly party to seek agreement.

The issues of policing, justice and Orange parades have dominated the talks.

Bill O'Reilly wins easily in debate with Jon Stewart

Bill O'Reilly definitely won the face-off with Jon Stewart on the O'Reilly Factor last night but Stewart closed with some haymakers that kept the margin of victory down.

America's favorite left and right wing pundits produced surprisingly little fireworks. Both men were incredibly polite to one another.

One longed for a Michael Moore, or some other agent provocateur, to lose his cool and throw a tantrum.

O'Reilly's home court advantage certainly helped. From the outset he peppered Stewart with questions and the strangely passive Comedy Central host seemed to give formulaic answers.

O'Reilly even channeled his inner Tim Russert -blessed be his name -when he flashed up on screen comments abut Stewart that called him a 'cultural arbiter.'

Stewart seemed a little disengaged in the middle rounds, content to try and parry the friendly barbs of Bill O'.

However, as the interview entered its last two minutes or so Stewart improved significantly.

He underscored how legitimate concerns about Obama had been turned by Fox into a 'full panic attack' for millions of Americans that Obama was a raving socialist.

He also credited Fox with having the clearest narrative on TV about who the good and bad guys were. However, when O'Reilly tried to explain away Glenn Beck as just a regular guy Stewart was all over him.

O'Reilly tried to say that Beck represented some kind of everyman phenomenon but Stewart was having none of that.

Overall, O'Reilly won on points because Stewart seemed so subdued for so long.

Tune in tonight for Round 2 when O'Reilly allegedly vets Stewart for Vice President-now that should be fun.

Gordon Brown threatens snap election in Northern Ireland

Gordon Brown has played his hand in Northern Ireland warning the Democratic Unionist Party that he will call a snap election if they refuse to reach agreement with Sinn Fein on future governance.

(Click here for link to Guardian piece)

The Brown move is a calculated political decision which will confront the DUP with the harsh reality that, if they cannot do the deal with Sinn Fein, a deeply divided party will face into elections where they may suffer heavy defeats from moderate unionists in the Ulster Unionist Party and extreme unionists in the Traditional Unionist Voice Party.

Brown's people have also made it clear to the DUP that the $1.2 billion package which was open to them and Sinn Fein for the transfer of policing powers will no longer be available if they do not reach agreement.

The Brown initiative was revealed by the Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey who also stated there would be no unionist pact prior to an election.

Brown is hoping that the DUP will realize the electoral jeopardy they are in as public opinion is sharply against them on their failure to agree an outcome with Sinn Fein.

Robinson thought he had a deal with Sinn Fein but discovered that 40 per cent of his parliamentary party opposed him when he presented it to them.

The British pressure seems certain to have an impact, if anything can. The next few days will surely bring a resolution one way or the other to the impasse that has lasted for nine days now while the parties try to agree a framework.

Bill O'Reilly shows class by inviting Jon Stewart

You have to hand it to Bill O'Reilly.

On Wednesday, the Fox talk-show king will host none other than Jon Stewart, his mirror opposite in very possible way.

It's the Comedy Channel meets Fox in one of the great smack-downs of this television talk era.

Okay, they did meet before in 2004 on Bill O's show, but this time, with President Obama in power, this is going to be very different.

Why did Stewart agree to go on O'Reilly's show?

Because that's where the ratings are, stupid.

And Bill has got them -- four million people a night.

Fresh of his ride around America with that evil mini-me Glenn Beck, O'Reilly seems set to push the boundaries again by having Stewart on.

But that is what is likable about Bill. Even though he is a conservative, he is not afraid to challenge and be challenged.

Really, could you imagine the quicksilver Stewart on Glenn Beck? It would be a wipeout.

But with O'Reilly, it becomes a real heavyweight bout.

Seconds out, round one.

John Murtha, last of the old Irish Democratic bosses, gravely ill

Congressman John Murtha of Pennsylvania lies seriously ill in hospital after complications from gall bladder surgery and the last of the old Irish Democratic Party bosses may be on his way out.

Murtha was a 'Tip' O'Neill guy, the type of old style Irish American pol, skilled in the backroom manoeuvres where real power lay. He never looked good under the klieg lights and he would be first to admit he didn't talk, or debate great either. But when there was a job to do John Murtha did it.

It has become fashionable to denigrate such pols today in this allegedly squeaky clean arena, but pols like Murtha got it done. Men like Murtha, 'Tip; O'Neill and Lyndon Johnstone in his day passed some of the most extraordinary civil rights legislation ever created by the U.S. Congress.

Murtha like George Washington Plunkitt believed in 'honest graft' the kind of graft that helped bring jobs to his local district and made sure that the voters returned to thank him every election.
Like making sausage the process was not too pretty but the end result was a much better country. Murtha understood that as a veteran and war hero himself. Let's hope he gets better.

Groundhog day in Northern Ireland as talks sputter

It is no coincidence that today is Groundhog Day in Northern Ireland when the past returns as both present and future.

What we are hearing is that DUP leader Peter Robinson signed on to a deal on policing, justice and parades but then found that over one third of his parliamentary party opposed him.

No surprise there. In their day Ian Paisley and David Trimble had to shake off such backwoodsmen in order to draw Northern Ireland into the twenty-first century.

Robinson may not be as lucky however. He is already weakened by the political scandal surrounding his wife. Now he has done a deal with Sinn Fein that there is no further room for negotiation on.

Ulster says no is still a delightful refrain for the ears of DUP backbenchers who fail to understand the past and are intent on repeating it in their rush to utter irrelevance.

If they walk away from this deal the DUP will catch all the blame and Robinson's leadership will be deeply in doubt.

Once again Sinn Fein will have negotiated a position that has caused a split in unionism.You'd think the unionists would figure that once in a while and come to terms with reality rather than running back to the past.

Groundhog Day indeed.