I,M ALAN ONE OF THE COUNTY CORK O'BERNSTEINS

How great was it to see the Prez in Ireland lifting a Guinness in a small village pub. And then paying for it. Those scenes of him squeezing flesh made it seem as if people "over there" like him more than some of us here. Hope that Icelandic ash does not prevent him from getting more hand shakes and hugs from some of his other newly found relatives.

So how can you figure Scotty, our Senator. He opposes Paul Ryan's budget because of it Medicare impact. This after some more of his serious deliberations. Anytime the guy veers off from his Republican brethren, he needs to deliberate. Its like a sign to them that he is about to go off on his own. On the other hand, finding someone to run against him will not be easy because some of these issues are near and dear to us. So he gives us a few crumbs. I did see a tidbit on line that Elizabeth Warren is being pushed to run. Now I almost don't believe she could win; but I seriously would love to see her run. She is just wonderful and if you have ever seen her on Jon Stewart's show, you know how serious, smart, and funny she is.

So, "Common", a rapper, performed at the White House. Won two Grammys and appears in Gap ads. But the right wing crazies went after Michelle and him like piranhas. Karl Rove and Sara led the pack just shooting at anything that moved in an effort to paint this guy as a misogynist and a cop hater and a threat to our very lives. Hate to repeat myself, but Jon Stewart really got on their asses hysterically.

To further repeat myself (to begin a sentence with a preposition would send all my high school teachers over the edge)Stewart gleefully wished the other night that both Huckabee and Trump stayed in the race because they would give him so much material--especially Huckabees rock and roll relationship with Ted Nugent who basically believes you should be able to keep cannons in your house since it is your right to bear arms. Any of you buying his albums?

What to make of Cornel West and his criticism of Obama ("my dear brother") for not being "black" enough. Ironically, I have heard this in a sports context but cannot place it though it involved one player criticizing another for the same thing. I think it is a puddle I should not step in though today's Globe (the same paper which hates Larry Summers) praised Larry for his decision to let West go to Princeton and not grant him tenure. It does seem very ugly. Kind of like some of the pejoratives hurled around when some of us don't support everything about Israel politics.

Speaking of which, couldn't Netanyahu waited more than a day or perhaps until he went home to criticize Obama's proposal. We knew he would not agree but come on give the guy a break. To his credit, Obama then went in front of AIPAC (these are the big Machers of pro Israel advocacy and financial support) and did not back down. Guys like Kraft, Sumner Redstone, and Sheldon Adelson are probably falling over themselves to give big bucks to the Republicans immediately. I am nearly at the point of saying the Issraelis, like us, got what they voted for and if they don't like his policies, they can un-elect Netanyahu next time around. Almost, I said.

Along semi-similar lines, I read in the NY Times (or somewhere) that there is worry among French Jews that this disgusting sexual assault in NYC will cause anti-semitism to rear its head in France--apparently it lies very close to the surface and Strauss Kahn is unfortunately a member of my tribe.

SPORTS TALK

So anyone doubting that Tiger is officially a "head case"? Sure he has physical injuries but his head is so addled, I am surprised he can even utter a coherent sentence. He may need to return to the woods of Mississippi for more "treatment of his sex addiction". I think I have said this before but--does it strike anyone as weird that this is the state with the worst Health Care in America, with a Governor who blasts Obamacare at any opportunity, and it is the only place where you go when you are a famous "sex addict".

No baseball chat but I will say Adrian Gonzalez is a big time player for the red flops. On the other hand, I would be worried about both Beckett and Lackey. The Yanks look no better than a .500 team though I will take Cano over Pedroia any day.

The Celtics got old and tired looking very fast. And I don't know what to make of Rondo. I hope his total inconsistency (good one night and bad the next) was due to injury and not to pouting over the loss of his best bud Kendrick--who by the way has just been benched by the Thunder. I do think Jeff Green is a keeper though I would get rid of everyone else they can.

Tim Thomas stole another one last night and also has been tres (my French is so good) inconsistent--last night he was brilliant but prior to that he stunk up the joint. Ditto for Lucic. But I like their odds to get past Tampa--and anyhow, one of the original six should be in the finals.

That's it. Sayonara and good luck to all those folks in Joplin.

I TOLD YOU SO--MORE OR LESS

I semi-predicted that once the U.S. went into Libya with NATO and the UN and once the Republican support for that decision was a few days old, I opined that there would be partisan criticism of something. Sure enough, Lindsey Graham and old Joe Lieberman immediately decided we should find and then kill Qaddafi. Then the Trumpster spoke up and said we should go in just for the oil. Bright lights all of them. All of which was predictable and did not take a brain surgeon to anticipate--its all about getting at Obama no matter what he does.

Speaking of which, I have no qualms or second thoughts about Bin Laden's death and would have pissed my pants to have been in one of the helicopters landing in that compound. So kudos to those folks. On the other hand (don't you just love that!!), I was very uneasy about those crazed and probably drunk flag wavers in front of the White House the night it was announced. Like it was some big football game on a Saturday afternoon. And those TV folks just lapped it up as they awaited Obama's appearance. Something was off about that whole scene.

And now we should see the pictures just to make sure he really is dead and to make sure (I guess) that the President is not deceiving us. Palin and Graham (again) are leading that parade. After all, Sara can see Russia from her house and Lindsey can see what from South Carolina? Flags of the Confederacy on the state house?
They make me want to puke.

Speaking of the Trumpster--he gets the birth certificate and now wants to see academic records because how could someone like Obama go from Occidental to Columbia and then to Harvard. Bob Schieffer called it for what it was--a tacit racist request. I do hope he gets the nomination and, if not him, then Michelle Bachman. Both lunatics.

Saw Inside Job the other day on DVD. Very scary and personally very embarrassing since almost everyone of the villains is a member of my religious tribe.

A great white shark was cited off Cape Cod and made the front page of the Globe along with the usual front page articles about corrupt politicians and the Archdiocese. Now if the shark were on Commonwealth Avenue, I think that would be a front page story--but where the fuck is the shark supposed to be and what is the point? A warning so we don't swim there or something? I am so persnickety.

Let it be known far and wide that I hate groupons. Cannot even figure out the bill when it ultimately arrives.

This is semi-sports: Peter King writes a regular column on the Sports Illustrated website. Today, he quoted a second journalist (David White of the SF Chronicle) who is leaving the profession to become a minister. In his last column, White left his readers with a bunch of wishes. One of which was the following (not a perfect quote): he does not want to see any player who scores a touchdown or crosses home plate pointing to the sky unless they also point to the sky when they make an out, or fumble, or screw up in some other way. Seems fair to me and has always been something I wondered about.


NOW SOME SERIOUSER SPORTS

Watched Real Madrid and Barcelona in one of the 4 games they played against each other in the last month. Mostly great games--I love David Villa of Barcelona. However, the acting and the diving and the phony pain was unbearable--made the game almost a sideshow. I want blood or exposed bones or nothing. And why don't they have a diving penalty. These guys are flopping all over.

Any day the Lakers get swept is a better day in America. Kobe deserves anything bad that happens to him after that sexual assault in Colorado. and Bynum and Odom are no better. They acted like thugs at the end of yesterday's game.

The Bruins will have their hands full with Tampa--much like Montreal with a bunch of little guys zooming all over the place. Not very big but oh so fast and adept. The Bruins matched up much better with the Flyers. A note: watch the first game next year between the Bruins and the Flyers. That hit on Bergeron will not be forgotten even if it was clean and Giroux will likely be susceptible to revenge.

Very worried about the Celtics. They did come back Saturday but looked decrepit the first two games. Just don't know which team will show up tonight.

How long will we be talking about Jeter's age? Being a leader from the neck up is unrelated to age--he could bat .250 and he could be carrying the team. Mind you, I am not sure they have enough pitching to do much but lets not get him an AARP membership just yet.

Adios.