Day: August 15, 2006

Former President Ford was admitted to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota on Tuesday for “testing and evaluation,” his office said in a statement.

President George W. Bush: The only thing we have to fear is the fearmonger himself

Osama bin Laden must be howling with laughter. He’s a man with no armies to command or weapons to brandish, except for the most powerful weapon of all: fear. More Americans drown in bathtubs every year than are killed by terrorists — and indeed we’ve now reached the point where bin Laden doesn’t actually have to kill anyone to achieve his goal of promoting military conflict between the Islamic and Western worlds.

Our national obsession with celebrities — figures we recognize from TV and film and, in some cases, just for being famous — has for many years sold magazines and influenced such art forms as popular music. But the fascination with celebrities is now having an impact on American theater, from Broadway to summer stages, where film and television stars with little or no stage experience are being brought in simply to sell tickets.

Sen. George Allen, R-Va., the son of the old coach who chose politics over football, just found a way to follow in his dad’s footsteps — by making himself famous for his own offensive line. He repeatedly referred to a young man of Indian heritage by making up a name for him — “Macaca” — which many Web sites say means a monkey.

Federal agents arrested more than 130 alleged drug traffickers from coast-to-coast Tuesday, saying they smuggled heroin from Mexico and even offered phone-up home deliveries like a pizza shop.

President Bush said Tuesday that the foiled plot to blow up flights between Britain and the United States is evidence the U.S. could be fighting terrorists for years to come.

Hundreds of Israeli soldiers walked out of Lebanon on Tuesday — some smiling broadly and pumping their fists, others weeping or carrying wounded comrades — as a cease-fire with Hezbollah solidified after a shaky start. The process was expected to accelerate over the coming days.

The FBI Monday admitted it overreacted big time by arresting three Texas men simply because they purchased 1000 cell phones. Turns out they weren’t trying to blow up a bridge in Michigan. They resell the disposable cell phones for a living.

Inflation at the wholesale level edged up by the smallest amount in five months in July as falling food prices helped offset another rise in energy costs.