Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke executed a tango so hot and seductive it cannot be described with enough superlatives.

Gilles and Cheryl dancing the perfect Argentine Tango...10-10-10 score...amazing choreography...it was solid, seductive, almost sexual, fast, slow, quite, bang bang! Seriously, Gilles and Cheryl ooze sex appeal from every pore of their bodies because that performance was hotter than hot! "It is easy to fall in love with her when you dance with her...she makes magic, it is her..." Gilles told Samantha Harris after the dance. Carry Ann Inaba said "the honest truth is, in that number, I could not tell who is the professional and who is the celebrity"...watch!


Lil Kim and Derek Hough dancing the Argentine Tango...getting 9-9-10 score...you go girls!


Smoothest move:
Lil' Kim and Derek Hough executed a smokin' tango that was haughty from the waist up, naughty from the waist down. Sexy! It earned the first 10 of the season, from judge Bruno Tonioli.

Smoothest move, part deux:
French lady-killer Marini and his gorgeous partner Cheryl later upstaged Lil' Kim and Hough with a tango so hot and seductive it cannot be described here for fear of scorching the retinas of our valued readers. Marini and Burke's score: A perfect 30.

Most embarassing costumes:
In a show that specializes in idiotic getups, it's hard to stand out. But Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough redefined silly Monday night in red-and-white outfits that were more "car hop" than "Lindy hop."

Spray-tan overdose alert:
Judge Bruno appears to get one shade darker during every commercial break. Even announcer Tom Bergeron noted that Bruno is starting to look like "a really tan Bela Lugosi."

Most out-of-step judge:
Snooty Len Goodman is often at odds with Bruno and Carrie Anne Inaba, but his score of 5 for Lawrence Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska's serviceable tango was a full two points below that of his fellow judges — and just plain stingy.

Best dance teacher:
Chelsie Hightower has transformed pigeon-toed rodeo cowboy Ty Murray into a contender. After earning a solid 25 points for their spirited Lindy hop, Murray claimed, "[Others] might outdance us, but they ain't gonna outwork us."

Most overqualified contestant:
Melissa Rycroft, a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, looks like she Lindy-hopped out of the womb. Is it really fair to pit her head-to-head against an NFL player and a rodeo cowboy?

Edyta Nudity Scale:
High. But — shockingly — Edyta was outdone in this category by fellow pro Karina Smirnoff, who wore a shiny red strappy thing that might best be called a "body thong."

A trippy note:
Have you noticed that at least one contestant trips on the steps leading down to the dance floor at the beginning of every show? And it's not just the amateurs: This week it was Smirnoff. Whoever's waxing those steps: Knock it off.

Who will go?
Do us all a favor and send Holly Madison and Steve Wozniak home with respect.
Next, send Steve-O and Chuck Wicks.

Who should be the top three?:
Gilles Marini, Lil Kim and Melissa Rycroff.

And the winner?:
Gilles Marini

Obama is obviously over his head...

[From American Elephant]
If you’ve ever sat through a presentation (in college, business, whatever) and listened to a speaker clearly over his head try to bullshit his way through… thinking he knows more than upper management and the audience at large… then you know exactly what it was like to witness President Barack Obama’s news conference tonight.

Barack Obama’s lack of understanding of history, business and the problems facing our nation are only matched by the enormity of his arrogance and hypocrisy. He continues to give himself a free pass because of the problems he inherited, like he didn’t know what he inherited when he applied for the job. He continues to proclaim his support for veterans, even though up until last week he was trying to significantly cut their benefits. He promised to go through the budget line by line, but still can’t offer anything he’s willing to cut other than defense procurement and an overview of medicare.

He chirped back to one reporter “I like to know what I’m talking about before I speak.” If only that sentiment were true, Barry would have shut up a long time ago.

I respect the office of the Presidency, which is becoming all the more difficult because the chump sitting in the seat doesn’t deserve my respect. Over his head is an understatement. He’s not punch drunk, he’s clearly clueless. An empty suit full of platitudes that fit the moment without any value set or ideal other than increasing the control and power of the government. So what if he campaigned against burdening future generations… that doesn’t matter now, let’s ratchet the debt up more. Sure he’ll increase growth more than the liberal CBO thinks… by limiting pay, increasing corporate taxes, increasing energy expenses, and threatening all companies with the thought of government takeover. Yeah, that will work.

The only thing worse than a guy running the world’s largest economy having never run so much as a candy store, is the guy running the world’s largest economy having never run so much as a candy store while thinking he knows more than all the people who have.

And by the way, why do you have to have a list in front of you to decide who to call on? If you are such a great orator, and have such high intellect, can’t you decide on the fly whose questions to answer? And don’t think anyone was fooled, we all know you still had a teleprompter, you just moved it further back away from the tv cameras. Even the B.S. artists in the board room or some college lecture hall have to get by without a teleprompter, yet our President can’t seem to pull that off.

Officers Remembered..."When we look at the sun, the moon and the stars, we will remember you".

By Ann M. Simmons and Peter H. King, LA Times




Mourners jammed the 19,000-seat Oracle Arena in Oakland today to pay their respects to four Oakland police officers killed by a parolee after a routine traffic stop turned into a manhunt and gun battle.

Hundreds of law enforcement personnel and government officials from across the nation and Canada joined family and friends of the slain officers: Mark Dunakin, John Hege, Ervin Romans and Daniel Sakai. The entire 800-strong Oakland police force attended, wearing black tape stretched diagonally across their badges. Many sniffed back tears.

Funeral for slain Oakland...Inside the arena, the four-sided scoreboard that in basketball games hangs over center court showing replays of spectacular dunks and posting player fouls was running a slide show of photos of the four officers. They included pictures of them in SWAT training, hiking in the Sierra Mountains, schoolboy pictures, family ski outing snapshots, a photo from a desert trek and couples in evening clothes posed by the San Francisco Bay waterfront.

Bagpipes played as the flag-draped coffins of the slain men were carried into the arena and placed behind enlarged photos of the officers mounted on tripod stands. Family members followed behind, and then to seats in the lower section of the arena. Members of the general public were seated in the upper rows.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums and state Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown were among the dignitaries seated on stage, which was festooned with about two dozen flower arrangements.

"It is with heartfelt sadness yet with a sense of hope that we honor the lives of our fallen brothers," said Father Jayson Landeza, Oakland Police Department chaplain. "As we honor the lives of these fallen, we cherish their legacy . . . and offer support to their loved ones."

Landeza read a letter from the White House in which President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama offered condolences. Obama said that the way in which the officers were killed was a reminder that "the work to which they dedicated their lives remains undone."

"Their commitment to their fellow man will never be forgotten," Obama said. "May their sacrifices be rewarded with eternal peace."

Acting Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan praised the slain men as "exemplary police officers" and "brothers." He said their colleagues would remember them by "their smiles, their personalities, their days beginning in the locker room and the time they spent with us."

Sgt. Dunakin, 40, of Tracy, and Hege, 41, of Concord, were motorcycle cops who were killed after they pulled over 26-year-old Lovelle Mixon in a routine stop. Oakland police said he opened fire on the officers almost immediately and fled to a nearby apartment. There, he fatally shot Oakland SWAT officers Romans, 43, of Danville, and Sakai, 35, of Castro Valley. Police then shot and killed Mixon.

Dunakin, the father of three, had handled several assignments during his 18 years with the department, including robbery and homicide. He was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 1999, according to the police department.

"His colleagues respected his competence," read a statement released by the department before the funeral. "On the street, when Mark handled a homicide, they knew things would go well. He was just that kind of individual."

He was an avid motorcyclist who enjoyed participating in police motorcycle competitions. He joined traffic operations in 2006.

"Everyone who knew him will miss his kindness, his calming presence and his genuine, sincere smile," the statement said.

Hege, a 10-year veteran of the department, worked as a teacher before becoming a police officer. He was hired full time in 1999 after joining in 1993 as a volunteer reserve officer. His lifelong dream was to become a motorcycle officer, which he achieved after patrolling the streets of Oakland for 10 years.

A die-hard Raiders football fan, Hege worked overtime at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum during Raiders home games.

"John gave his heart, soul and seemingly limitless amount of time to the Oakland Police Department," the statement read. "Yet he always made time for his family and friends."

The same was true in death. His organs were donated to save the lives of four people and his tissue will enhance the lives of 50 others, the statement said.

Romans, the father of six, was a 13-year department veteran and served as a drill sergeant in the United States Marine Corps for nine years before joining the Oakland Housing Authority as a police officer. He received the department's highest honor, the Medal of Valor, in 1999 for evacuating residents from a West Oakland fire.

Promoted to the rank of sergeant in 2005, he supervised a crime reduction team. Romans was an avid outdoorsman and an accomplished cook who loved spending time with his family and friends.

"He epitomized the quintessential teacher, mentor and leader," the statement said. "He will be truly missed."

Sakai, the father of one, was a nine-year veteran who joined the department after working for five years as a community service officer with the UC Berkeley Police Department. He was on a crime reduction team and served as a K-9 officer, patrolling the streets with his canine partner Doc. He was promoted to sergeant two years ago.

"His devotion and dedication earned him the respect of his peers, the police statement said. "Friends, family and co-workers will remember him as a great teacher, leader and mentor to all who came in contact with him."

Killed Saturday were Sgts. Mark Dunakin, 40, of Tracy; Erv Romans, 43, of Danville; and Daniel Sakai, 35, of Castro Valley. Officer John Hege, 41, of Concord.

Their killer was Lovelle Mixon, 26, of Oakland, who was shot dead by police. He was an at-large parolee whom police linked Monday to the rape of a 12-year-old girl on 74th Avenue in February. Investigators also said he could be responsible for at least one other sexual assault and possibly more in the same area.

The killings have drawn attention to Oakland from across the state and nation.

RuPaul picks a winner on RuPaul's Drag Race

More Gay & Lesbian Videos At LogoOnline.com

Text of President Barack Obama's news conference Tuesday at the White House, as transcribed by CQ Transcriptions:

OBAMA: Good evening. Now, before I take questions from the correspondents, I want to give everyone who's watching tonight an update on the steps we're taking to move this economy from recession to recovery, and ultimately to prosperity.

Now, it's important to remember that this crisis didn't happen overnight and it didn't result from any one action or decision. It took many years and many failures to lead us here. And it will take many months and many different solutions to lead us out. There are no quick fixes, and there are no silver bullets.

That's why we've put in place a comprehensive strategy designed to attack this crisis on all fronts. It's a strategy to create jobs, to help responsible homeowners, to restart lending and to grow our economy over the long term. And we're beginning to see signs of progress.

The first step we took was to pass a recovery plan to jump-start job creation and put money in people's pockets. This plan's already saved the jobs of teachers and police officers. It's creating construction jobs to rebuild roads and bridges.

And yesterday I met with a man whose company is reopening a factory outside of Pittsburgh that's rehiring workers to build some of the most energy-efficient windows in the world.

And this plan will provide a tax cut to 95 percent of all working families that will appear in people's paychecks by April 1.

The second step we took was to launch a plan to stabilize the housing market and help responsible homeowners stay in their homes. This plan's one reason that mortgage interest rates are now at near historic lows.

We've already seen a jump in refinancing of some mortgages, as homeowners take advantage of lower rates. And every American should know that up to 40 percent of all mortgages are now eligible for refinancing.

This is the equivalent of another tax cut, and we're also beginning to see signs of increased sales and stabilizing home prices for the first time in a very long time.

The third part of our strategy is to restart the flow of credit to families and businesses. To that end, we've launched a program designed to support the markets for more affordable auto loans, student loans and small-business loans, a program that's already securitized more of this lending in the last week than in the last four months combined.

Yesterday, Secretary Geithner announced a new plan that will partner government resources with private investment to buy up the assets that are preventing our banks from lending money.

And we will continue to do whatever is necessary in the weeks ahead to ensure the banks Americans depend on have the money they need to lend, even if the economy gets worse.

Finally, the most critical part of our strategy is to ensure that we do not return to an economic cycle of bubble and bust in this country. We know that an economy built on reckless speculation, inflated home prices, and maxed-out credit cards does not create lasting wealth. It creates the illusion of prosperity, and it's endangered us all.

The budget I submitted to Congress will build our economic recovery on a stronger foundation so that we don't face another crisis like this 10 or 20 years from now.

We invest in the renewable sources of energy that will lead to new jobs, new businesses and less dependence on foreign oil. We invest in our schools and our teachers, so that our children have the skills they need to compete with any workers in the world.

We invest in reform that will bring down the cost of health care for families, businesses and our government.

And in this budget, we have — we have to make the tough choices necessary to cut our deficit in half by the end of my first term, even under the most pessimistic estimates.

At the end of the day, the best way to bring our deficit down in the long run is not with a budget that continues the very same policies that have led us to a narrow prosperity and massive debt. It's with a budget that leads to broad economic growth by moving from an era of borrow and spend to one where we save and invest.

And that's what clean energy jobs and businesses will do all across America. That's what a highly skilled work force can do all across America. That's what an efficient health care system that controls costs and entitlements like Medicare and Medicaid will do.

That's why this budget is inseparable from this recovery — because it is what lays the foundation for a secure and lasting prosperity.

The road to that prosperity is still long, and we will hit our share of bumps and setbacks before it ends. But we must remember that we can get there if we travel that road as one nation, as one people.

You know, there was a lot of outrage and finger-pointing last week, and much of it is understandable. I'm as angry as anybody about those bonuses that went to some of the very same individuals who brought our financial system to its knees, partly because it's yet another symptom of the culture that led us to this point.

But one of the most important lessons to learn from this crisis is that our economy only works if we recognize that we're all in this together, that we all have responsibilities to each other and to our country.

Bankers and executives on Wall Street need to realize that enriching themselves on the taxpayers' dime is inexcusable, that the days of outsized rewards and reckless speculation that puts us all at risk have to be over.

At the same time, the rest of us can't afford to demonize every investor or entrepreneur who seeks to make a profit. That drive is what has always fueled our prosperity, and it is what will ultimately get these banks lending and our economy moving once more.

We'll recover from this recession, but it will take time, it will take patience and it will take an understanding that, when we all work together, when each of us looks beyond our own short-term interest to the wider set of obligations we have towards each other, that's when we succeed, that's when we prosper and that's what is needed right now.

So let's look towards the future with a renewed sense of common purpose, a renewed determination, and most importantly, renewed confidence that a better day will come.

All right. With that, let me take some questions. And I've got a list here.

Let's start off with Jennifer Loven, AP.

Q: Thank you, Mr. President. Your treasury secretary and the Fed chairman were on Capitol Hill today asking for this new authority that you want to regulate big, complex financial institutions.

But given the problems that the financial bailout program has had so far — banks not wanting to talk about how they're spending the money, the AIG bonuses that you mentioned — why do you think the public should sign on for another new sweeping authority for the government to take over companies, essentially?

OBAMA: Well, keep in mind that it is precisely because of the lack of this authority that the AIG situation has gotten worse.

Now, understand that AIG is not a bank. It's an insurance company. If it were a bank and it had effectively collapsed, then the FDIC could step in, as it does with a whole host of banks, as it did with IndyMac, and in a structured way renegotiate contracts, get rid of bad assets, strengthen capital requirements, resell it on the private marketplace.

So we've got a regular mechanism whereby we deal with FDIC-insured banks. We don't have that same capacity with an institution like AIG. And that's part of the reason why it has proved so problematic.

I think a lot of people understandably say, Well, if we're putting all this money in there, and if it's such a big systemic risk to allow AIG to liquidate, why is it that we can't restructure some of these contracts? Why can't we do some of the things that need to be done in a more orderly way?

And the reason is, is because we have not obtained this authority. We should have obtained it much earlier so that any institution that poses a systemic risk that could bring down the financial system we can handle and we can do it in an orderly fashion that quarantines it from other institutions.

We don't have that power right now; that's what Secretary Geithner was talking about. And I think that there's going to be strong support from the American people and from Congress to provide that authority, so that we don't find ourselves in a situation where we've got to choose between either allowing an enormous institution like AIG, which is not just insuring other banks, but is also insuring pension funds and potentially putting people's 401(k)s at risk if it goes under, that's one choice, and then the other choice is just to allow them to take taxpayer money without the kind of conditions that we'd like to see on it.

So that's — that's why I think the authority is so important.

Q: Why should the public trust the government to handle that authority well?

OBAMA: Well, as I said before, if you look at how the FDIC has handled a situation like Indy bank, for example, it actually does these kinds of resolutions effectively when it's got the tools to do it. We don't have the tools right now.

OK. Chuck Todd?

Q: Thank you, Mr. President. Some have compared this financial crisis to a war. And in times of war, past presidents have called for some form of sacrifice.

Some of your programs, whether for Main Street or Wall Street, have actually cushioned the blow for those that were irresponsible during this — during this economic period of prosperity or supposed prosperity that you were talking about.

Why, given this new era of responsibility that you're asking for, why haven't you asked for something specific that the public should be sacrificing to participate in this economic recovery?

OBAMA: Well, let me — let me take that question in a couple — couple of phases.

First of all, it's not true that we have not asked sacrifice from people who are getting taxpayer money. We have imposed some very stiff conditions. The only problem that we've had so far are contracts that were put in place before we took over.

But moving forward, anybody — any bank, for example — that is receiving capital from the taxpayers is going to have to have some very strict conditions in terms of how it pays out its executives, how it pays out dividends, how it's reporting its lending practices, so we want to make sure that there's some stiff conditions in place.

With respect to the American people, I think folks are sacrificing left and right. I mean, you've got a lot of parents who are cutting back on everything to make sure that their kids can still go to college. You've got workers who are deciding to cut an entire day — an entire day's worth of pay so that their fellow co-workers aren't laid off.

I think that, across the board, people are making adjustments large and small to accommodate the fact that we're in very difficult times right now.

What I've said here in Washington is that we've got to make some tough choices. We've got to make some tough budgetary choices. What we can't do, though, is sacrifice long-term growth, investments that are critical to the future, and that's why my budget focuses on health care, energy, education, the kinds of things that can build a foundation for long-term economic growth, as opposed to the fleeting prosperity that we've seen over the last several years.

I mean, when you have an economy in which the majority of growth is coming from the financial sector, when AIG selling a derivative is counted as an increase in the gross domestic product, then that's not a model for sustainable economic growth.

And what we have to do is invest in those things that will allow the Americans' capacity for ingenuity and innovation, their ability to take risks, but make sure that those risks are grounded in good products and good services that they believe they can market to the rest of the country, that those models of economic growth are what we're promoting, and that's what I think our budget does.

Q: (OFF-MIKE) you've described this as — as an economic crisis like nothing we have seen since the Great Depression.

OBAMA: Well, as — as I said, the American people are making a host of sacrifices in their individual lives. We are going through an extraordinary crisis, but we believe that, taken — if you take the steps that we've already taken, with respect to housing, with respect to small businesses, if you look at what we're doing in terms of increasing liquidity in the financial system, that the steps that we're taking can actually stabilize the economy and get it moving again.

What I'm looking from the American people to do is that they are going to be doing what they've always done, which is working hard, looking after their families, making sure that, despite the economic hard times, that they're still contributing to their community, that they're still participating in volunteer activities, that they are paying attention to the debates that are going on in Washington.

And the budgets that we're putting forward and some of the decisions that we're having to make are going to be tough decisions, and we're going to need the support of the American people. And that's part of why what I've tried to do is to be out front as much as possible explaining in very clear terms exactly what we're doing.

Jake?

Q: Thank you, Mr. President.

Right now on Capitol Hill, Senate Democrats are writing a budget. And according to press accounts and their own statements, they're not including the middle-class tax cut that you include in the stimulus — they're talking about phasing that out — they're not including the cap-and-trade that you have in your budget and they're not including other measures.

I know when you outlined your four priorities over the weekend, a number of these things were not in there. Will you sign a budget if it does not contain a middle-class tax cut, does not contain cap-and-trade?

OBAMA: Well, I've emphasized repeatedly what I expect out of this budget. I expect that there's serious efforts at health care reform and that we are driving down costs for families and businesses, and ultimately for the federal and state governments that are going to be broke if we continue on the current path.

I've said that we've got to have a serious energy policy that frees ourselves from dependence on foreign oil and makes clean energy the profitable kind of energy.

We've got to invest in education, K through 12 and beyond, to upgrade the skills of the American worker so we can compete in, in the international economy.

And I've said that we've got to start driving our deficit numbers down.

Now, we never expected, when we printed out our budget, that they would simply Xerox it and vote on it. We assume that it has to go through the legislative process. I have not yet seen the final product coming out of the Senate or the House, and we're in constant conversations with them.

I am confident that the budget we put forward will have those principles in place.

When it comes to the middle-class tax cut, we already had that in the recovery. We know that that's going to be in place for at least the next two years. We had identified a specific way to pay for it. If Congress has better ideas in terms of how to pay for it, then we're happy to listen.

When it comes to cap-and-trade, the broader principle is that we've got to move to a new energy era, and that means moving away from polluting energy sources towards cleaner energy sources. That is a potential engine for economic growth.

I think cap-and-trade is the best way, from my perspective, to achieve some of those gains, because what it does is it starts pricing the pollution that's being sent into the atmosphere.

The way it's structured has to take into account regional differences. It has to protect consumers from huge spikes in electricity prices. So there are a lot of technical issues that are going to have to be sorted through.

Our point in the budget is: Let's get started now. We can't wait. And my expectation is that the Energy Committees or other relevant committees in both the House and the Senate are going to be moving forward a strong energy package. It will be authorized. We'll get it done. And I will sign it.

OK?

Q: (OFF-MIKE) willing to sign a budget that doesn't have those two provisions?

OBAMA: No, I — what I said was that I haven't seen yet what provisions are in there. The bottom line is, is that I want to see health care, energy, education and serious efforts to reduce our budget deficit.

And there are going to be a lot of details that are still being worked out, but I have confidence that we're going to be able to get a budget done that's reflective of what needs to happen in order to make sure that America grows.

OK, Chip Reid?

Q: Thank you, Mr. President. At both of your town hall meetings in California last week, you said, quote, I didn't run for president to pass on our problems to the next generation.

But under your budget, the debt will increase $7 trillion over the next 10 years. The Congressional Budget Office says $9.3 trillion. And today on Capitol Hill, some Republicans called your budget, with all the spending on health care, education and environment, the most irresponsible budget in American history.

OBAMA: Yes.

Q: Isn't that kind of debt exactly what you were talking about when you said passing on our problems to the next generation?

OBAMA: First of all, I suspect that some of those Republican critics have a short memory, because, as I recall, I'm inheriting a $1.3 trillion deficit, annual deficit, from them. That would be point number one.

Point number two. Both under our estimates and under the CBO estimates, both — the most conservative estimates out there, we drive down the deficit over the first five years of our budget. The deficit is cut in half. And folks aren't disputing that.

Where the dispute comes in is what happens in a whole bunch of out-years. And the main difference between the budget that we presented and the budget that came out of the Congressional Budget Office is assumptions about growth.

They're assuming a growth rate of 2.2 percent; we're assuming a growth rate of 2.6 percent. Those small differences end up adding up to a lot of money. Our assumptions are perfectly consistent with what blue chip forecasters out there are saying.

Now, none of us knows exactly what's going to happen 6 or 8 or 10 years from now. Here's what I do know: If we don't tackle energy, if we don't improve our education system, if we don't drive down the costs of health care, if we're not making serious investments in science and technology and our infrastructure, then we won't grow 2.6 percent, we won't grow 2.2 percent. We won't grow.

And so what we've said is, let's make the investments that ensure that we meet our growth targets that put us on a pathway to growth as opposed to a situation in which we're not making those investments and we still have trillion-dollar deficits.

And there's an interesting reason why some of these critics haven't put out their own budget. I mean, we haven't seen an alternative budget out of them.

And the reason is because they know that, in fact, the biggest driver of long-term deficits are the huge health care costs that we've got out here that we're going to have to tackle and we — that if we don't deal with some of the structural problems in our deficit, ones that were here long before I got here, then we're going to continue to see some of the problems in those out-years.

And — and so what we're trying to emphasize is, let's make sure that we're making the investments that we need to grow to meet those growth targets, at the same time we're still reducing the deficit by a couple of trillion dollars, we are cutting out wasteful spending in areas like Medicare, we're changing procurement practices when it comes to the Pentagon budget, we are looking at social service programs and education programs that don't work and eliminate them.

And we will continue to go line-by-line through this budget, and where we find programs that don't work, we will eliminate them.

But it is — it is going to be an impossible task for us to balance our budget if we're not taking on rising health care costs, and it's going to be an impossible task to balance our budget or even approximate it if we are not boosting our growth rates. And — and that's why our budget focuses on the investments we need to make that happen.

Q: But even under your budget, as you said, over the next four or five years, you're going to cut the deficit in half, then, after that, six years in a row, it goes up, up, up. If you're making all these long-term structural cuts, why does it continue to go up in the out-years?

OBAMA: Well, look, it is going to take a whole host of adjustments, and we couldn't reflect all of those adjustments in this budget.

Let me give you an example. There's been a lot of talk about entitlements in Medicare and Medicaid. The biggest problem we have long term is Medicare and Medicaid. But whatever reforms we initiate on that front — and we're very serious about working on a bipartisan basis to reduce those deficits or reduce those costs — you're not going to see those savings reflected until much later.

And so a budget is a snapshot of what we can get done right now, understanding that, eight, ten years from now, we will have had a whole series of new budgets and we're going to have to make additional adjustments.

And once we get out of this current economic crisis, then it's going to be absolutely important for us to take another look and say, are we growing as fast as we need to grow? Are there further cuts that we need to make? What other adjustments are — is it going to take for us to have a sustainable budget level?

But, keep in mind, just to give one other example, as a percentage of gross domestic product, we are reducing nondefense discretionary spending to its lowest level since the '60s, lower than it was under Reagan, lower than it was under Clinton, lower than it was under Bush or both Bushes.

And so, if we're growing, if we are doing what's necessary to create new businesses and to expand the economy, and we are making sure that we're eliminating some of these programs that aren't working, then, over time, that gap can close.

But I'm — look, I'm not going to lie to you. It is tough. As I said, that's why the critics tend to criticize, but they don't offer an alternative budget. Because even if we were not doing health care, we were not doing energy, we were not doing education, they'd still have a whole bunch of problems in those out-years, according to CBO projections. The only difference is that we will not have invested in what's necessary to make this economy grow.

Is Lourdes here from Univision?

Q: Thank you, Mr. President. Today, your administration presented a plan to help curb the violence in Mexico and also to control any or prevent any spillover of the violence into the United States.

Do you consider the situation now a national security threat? And do you believe that it could require sending national troops to the border? Governor Perry of Texas — Texas has said that you still need more troops and more agents. How do you respond to that?

OBAMA: Well, first of all, let's focus on what we did today. It's very significant.

We are sending millions of dollars in additional equipment to provide more effective surveillance. We are providing hundreds of additional personnel that can help control the border, deal with customs issues.

We are coordinating very effectively with the Mexican government and President Calderon, who has taken on an extraordinarily difficult task of dealing with these drug cartels that have gotten completely out of hand.

And so the steps that we've taken are designed to make sure that the border communities in the United States are protected and you're not seeing a spillover of violence, and that we are helping the Mexican government deal with a very challenging situation.

Now, we are going to continue to monitor the situation. And if the steps that we've taken do not get the job done, then we will do more.

One last point that I want to make about this. As I said, President Calderon has been very courageous in taking on these drug cartels. We've got to also take some steps, even as he is doing more to deal with the drug cartels sending drugs into the United States, we need to do more to make sure that illegal guns and cash aren't flowing back to these cartels.

That's part of what's financing their operations. That's part of what's arming them. That's what makes them so dangerous. And this is something that we take very seriously and we're going to continue to work on diligently in the months to come.

Kevin Baron, Stars and Stripes? Is Kevin here? There you go.

Q: Mr. President, where do you plan to find savings in the Defense and Veterans Administration's budgets when so many items that seem destined for the chopping block are politically untenable, perhaps?

OBAMA: I'm sorry. So many ...

Q: When so many items that may be destined for the chopping block seem politically untenable, from major weapons systems, as you mentioned procurement, to wounded warrior care costs, or increased operations in Afghanistan, or the size of the military itself.

OBAMA: Well, a couple — a couple of points I want to make. The budget that we've put forward reflects the largest increase in veterans funding in 30 years. That's the right thing to do.

Chuck asked earlier about sacrifices. I don't think anybody doubts the extraordinary sacrifices that men and women in uniform have already made. And when they come home, then they have earned the benefits that they receive. And, unfortunately, over the last several years, all too often the VA. has been underresourced when it comes to dealing with things like post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury, dealing with some of the backlogs in admission to VA. hospitals.

So there are a whole host of veterans issues that I think every American wants to see properly funded, and that's what's reflected in our budget.

Where the savings should come in — and I've been working with Secretary Gates on this, and we'll be detailing it more in the weeks to come — is, how do we reform our procurement system so that it keeps America safe and we're not wasting taxpayer dollars?

And there is uniform acknowledgment that the procurement system right now doesn't work. That's not just my opinion. That's John McCain's opinion. That's Carl Levin's opinion.

There are a whole host of people who are students of the procurement process that will say, if you've got a whole range of billion-dollar, multibillion-dollar systems that are, where we're seeing cost overruns of 30 percent or 40 percent or 50 percent, and then still don't perform the way they're supposed to or are providing our troops with the kinds of tools that they need to succeed on their missions, then we've got a problem.

Now, I think everybody in this town knows that the politics of changing procurement is tough, because, you know, lobbyists are very active in this area. You know, contractors are very good at dispersing the jobs and plants in the Defense Department widely.

And so what we have to do is to go through this process very carefully, be more disciplined than we've been in the last several years.

As I've said, we've already identified potentially $40 billion in savings just by some of the procurement reforms that are pretty apparent to a lot — a lot of critics out there. And we are going to continue to find savings in a way that allows us to put the resources where they're needed, but to make sure that we're not simply fattening defense contractors.

One last point. In order for us to get a handle on these costs, it's also important that we are honest in what these costs are. And that's why it was so important for us to acknowledge the true costs of the Iraq war and the Afghan war, because if — if those costs are somehow off the books and we're not thinking about them, then it's hard for us to make some of the tough choices that need to be made.

OK, Ed Henry. Where's Ed? There he is.

Q: Thank you. Mr. President. You spoke again at the top about your anger about AIG. You've been saying that for days now. But why is it that it seems Andrew Cuomo seems to be in New York getting more actual action on it?

And when you and Secretary Geithner first learned about this 10 days, two weeks ago, you didn't go public immediately with that outrage. You waited a few days. And then when — you went public after you realized Secretary Geithner really had no legal avenue to stop it.

And, more broadly, I just want to follow up on Chip and Jake. You've been very critical of President Bush doubling the national debt. And, to be fair, it's not just Republicans hitting you. Democrat Kent Conrad, as you know, said, quote, When I look at this budget, I see the debt doubling again.

You keep saying that you've inherited a big fiscal mess. Do you worry, though, that your daughters, not to mention the next president, will be inheriting an even bigger fiscal mess if the spending goes out of control?

OBAMA: Of course I do, Ed, which is why we're doing everything we can to reduce that deficit.

Look, if this were easy, then, you know, we would have already had it done, and the budget would have been voted on, and everybody could go home. This is hard.

And the reason it's hard is because we've accumulated a structural deficit that's going to take a long time, and we're not going to be able to do it next year or the year after or three years from now. What we have to do is bend the curve on these deficit projections.

And the best way for us to do that is to reduce health care costs. That's not just my opinion. That's the opinion of almost every single person who has looked at our long-term fiscal situation.

Now, how do we — how are we going to reduce health care costs? Because the problem is not just in government-run programs. The problem is in the private sector, as well. It's experienced by families. It's experienced by businesses.

And so what we've said is, look, let's invest in health information technologies. Let's invest in preventive care. Let's invest in mechanisms that look at who's doing a better job controlling costs while producing good quality outcomes in various states and let's reimburse on the basis of improved quality, as opposed to simply how many procedures you're doing. Let's do a whole host of things, some of which cost money on the front end, but offer the prospect of reducing costs on the back end.

Now, the alternative is to stand pat and to simply say, we are just going to not invest in health care. We're not going to take on energy. We'll wait until the next time that gas gets to $4 a gallon. We will not improve our schools. And we'll allow China or India or other countries to lap our young people in terms of their performance. We will settle on lower growth rates, and we will continue to contract, both as an economy and our ability to — to provide a better life for our kids.

That, I don't think, is the better option. Now, am I completely satisfied with all the work that needs to be done on deficits? No. That's why I convened a fiscal responsibility summit — that started in this room — to start looking at entitlements and to start looking at the big drivers of costs over the long term.

Not all of those are reflected in our budget, partly because the savings we anticipate would be coming in years outside of the ten-year budget cycle that we're talking about.

OK?

Q: But on AIG, why did you wait — why did you wait days to come out and express that outrage? It seems like the action is coming out of New York and the attorney general's office. It took you days to come public with Secretary Geithner and say, look, we're outraged. Why did it take so long?

OBAMA: It took us a couple of days because I like to know what I'm talking about before I speak.

All right.

Major?

Q: Good evening, Mr. President. Thank you.

Taking this economic debate a bit globally, senior Chinese officials have publicly expressed an interest in international currency. This is described by Chinese specialists as a sign that they are less confident than they used to be in the value and the reliability of the U.S. dollar. European countries have resisted your calls to spend more on economic stimulus.

I wonder, sir, as a candidate who ran concerned about the image of the United States globally, how comfortable you are with the Chinese government, run by Communists, less confident than they used to be in the U.S. dollar and European governments, some of them center-left, some of them Socialist, who say you're asking them to spend too much?

OBAMA: Well, first of all, I haven't asked them to do anything. What I've suggested is, is that all of us are going to have to take steps in order to lift the economy.

We don't want a situation in which some countries are making extraordinary efforts and other countries aren't with the hope that somehow the countries that are making those important steps lift everybody up. And so somebody's got to take leadership.

It's not just me, by the way. I was with Kevin Rudd, the prime minister of Australia, today, who was very forceful in suggesting that countries around the world, those with the capacity to do so, take the steps that are needed to fill this enormous hole in global demand.

Gordon Brown, when he came to visit me, said the exact same thing.

So the goal at the G-20 summit, I think, is to do a couple of things, number one, say to all countries: Let's do what's necessary in order to create jobs and to get the economy moving again. Let's avoid steps that could result in protectionism, that would further contract global trade. Let's focus on, how are we going to move our regulatory process forward, in order, so that we do not see the kinds of systemic breakdowns that we've already seen?

And that requires, that means not just dealing with banks, but also some of the other financial flows that are out here that are currently unregulated. We've got to update regulations that date back to the 1930s, and we're going to have to do some coordination with other countries in order to accomplish that.

As far as confidence in the U.S. economy or the dollar, I would just point out that the dollar is extraordinarily strong right now. And the reason the dollar is strong right now is because investors consider the United States the strongest economy in the world with the most stable political system in the world.

So you don't have to take my word for it. I think that there is a great deal of confidence that, ultimately, although we are going through a rough patch, that the prospects for the world economy are very, very strong.

And, and last point I would make, in terms of changing America's image in the world, Garrett, I, you know, I haven't looked at the latest polling around the world, but I think, I think it's fair to say that the response that people have had to our administration and the steps that we've taken are ones that are restoring a sense of confidence and the ability of the United States to assert global leadership.

Q: (OFF-MIKE)

OBAMA: That will just strengthen — excuse me?

Q: (OFF-MIKE) global currency?

OBAMA: I don't believe that there's a need for a global currency.

Mike Allen, Politico? Hi, Mike.

Q: Mr. President, are you — thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. Are you reconsidering your plan to cut the interest rate deduction for mortgages and for charities? And do you regret having proposed that in the first place?

OBAMA: No, I think it's — I think it's the right thing to do, where we've got to make some difficult choices. Here's what we did with respect to tax policy.

What we said was that, over the last decade, the average worker, the average family have seen their wages and incomes flat. Even in times where supposedly we were in the middle of an economic boom, as a practical matter, their incomes didn't go up. And so, well, we said, Let's give them a tax cut. Let's give them some relief, some help, 95 percent of American families.

Now, for the top 5 percent, they're the ones who typically saw huge gains in their income. I, I fall in that category. And what we've said is, for those folks, let's not renew the Bush tax cuts, so let's go back to the rates that existed back in, during the Clinton era, when wealthy people were still wealthy and doing just fine, and let's look at the, the level at which people can itemize their deductions.

And what we've said is: Let's go back to the rate that existed under Ronald Reagan. People are still going to be able to make charitable contributions. It just means, if you give $100 and you're in this tax bracket, at a certain point, instead of being able to write off 36 percent or 39 percent, you're writing off 28 percent.

Now, if it's really a charitable contribution, I'm assuming that that shouldn't be the determining factor as to whether you're giving that $100 to the homeless shelter down the street.

And so this provision would affect about 1 percent of the American people. They would still get deductions. It's just that they wouldn't be able to write off 39 percent.

In that sense, what it would do is it would equalize. When I give $100, I'd get the same amount of deduction as when some, a bus driver who's making $50,000 a year, or $40,000 a year, gives that same $100. Right now, he gets 28 percent, he gets to write off 28 percent. I get to write off 39 percent. I don't think that's fair.

So I think this was a good idea. I think it is a realistic way for us to raise some revenue from people who've benefited enormously over the last several years.

It's not going to cripple them. They'll still be well-to-do. And, you know, ultimately, if we're going to tackle the serious problems that we've got, then, in some cases, those who are more fortunate are going to have to pay a little bit more.

Q: It's not the well-to-do people. It's the charities. Given what you've just said, are you confident the charities are wrong when they contend that this would discourage giving?

OBAMA: Yes, I am. I mean, if you look at the evidence, there's very little evidence that this has a significant impact on charitable giving.

I'll tell you what has a significant impact on charitable giving is a financial crisis and an economy that's contracting. And so the most important thing that I can do for charitable giving is to fix the economy, to get banks lending again, to get businesses opening their doors again, to get people back to work again. Then I think charities will do just fine.

Kevin Chappelle (ph)? Hi, Kevin.

Q: Thank you, Mr. President. A recent report found that, as a result of the economic downturn, 1 in 50 children are now homeless in America. With shelters at full capacity, tent cities are sprouting up across the country.

In passing your stimulus package, you said that help was on the way. But what would you say to these families, especially children, who are sleeping under bridges and in tents across the country?

OBAMA: Well, the first thing I'd say is that I'm heartbroken that any child in America is homeless. And the most important thing that I can do on their behalf is to make sure their parents have a job. And that's why the recovery package said, as a first priority, how are we going to save or create 3.5 million jobs?

How can we prevent layoffs for teachers and police officers? How can we make sure that we are investing in the infrastructure for the future that can put people back to work right away? How do we make sure that, when people do lose their jobs, that their unemployment insurance is extended, that they can keep their health care?

So, there are a whole host of steps that we've done to provide a cushion for folks who have fallen on very hard times and to try to spur immediate projects that can put people back to work.

Now in the meantime, we've got to work very closely with the states to monitor and to help people who are still falling through the cracks. And you know, the homeless problem was bad even when the economy was good.

Part of the change in attitudes that I want to see here in Washington and all across the country is a belief that it is not acceptable for children and families to be without a roof over their heads in a country as wealthy as ours.

And so we're going to be initiating a range of programs, as well, to deal with homelessness. One area in particular I want to focus on is the issue of veterans. The rate of homelessness among veterans is much, much higher than for nonveteran populations.

And so we've got — a number of the increases that we're looking for in our budget on veterans funding directly addresses the issue of homeless veterans. That, I think, can provide some real help.

Ann Compton? Hey, Ann. You sound surprised.

Q: I am surprised. Could I ask you about race?

OBAMA: You may.

Q: Yours is a rather historic presidency. And I'm just wondering whether, in any of the policy debates that you've had within the White House, the issue of race has come up or whether it has in the way you feel you've been perceived by other leaders or by the American people? Or has the last 64 days been a relatively colorblind time?

OBAMA: I, I think that the last 64 days has been dominated by me trying to figure out how we're going to fix the economy, and that affects black, brown and white.

And, you know, obviously, at the inauguration, I think that there was justifiable pride on the part of the country that we had taken a step to move us beyond some of the searing legacies of racial discrimination in this country, but that lasted about a day.

And, and, you know, right now, the American people are judging me exactly the way I should be judged. And that is: Are we taking the steps to improve liquidity in the financial markets, create jobs, get businesses to reopen, keep America safe? And that's what I've been spending my time thinking about.

OK. John Ward, Washington Times? Where's John?

Q: Thank you, sir.

OBAMA: There you go.

Q: Thank you, Mr. President.

OBAMA: Sure.

Q: In your remarks on stem cell research earlier this month, you talked about a majority consensus in determining whether or not this is the right thing to do, to federally fund embryonic stem cell research.

I'm just wondering, though, how much you personally wrestled with the morality or ethics of federally funding this kind of research, especially given the fact that science so far has shown a lot of progress with adult stem cells, but not a lot with embryonic?

OBAMA: OK. No, I think it's — I think it's a legitimate question. I, I wrestle with these issues every day.

As I mentioned to — I think in an interview a couple of days ago, by the time an issue reaches my desk, it's a hard issue. If it was an easy issue, somebody else would have solved it and it wouldn't have reached me.

Look, I believe that it is very important for us to have strong moral guidelines, ethical guidelines, when it comes to stem-cell research or anything that touches on, you know, the issues of possible cloning or issues related to, you know, the human life sciences.

I think those issues are all critical, and I've said so before. I wrestle with it on stem cell; I wrestle with it on issues like abortion.

I think that the guidelines that we provided meet that ethical test. What we have said is that, for embryos that are typically about to be discarded, for us to be able to use those in order to find cures for Parkinson's or for Alzheimer's or, you know, all sorts of other debilitating diseases, juvenile diabetes, that, that it is the right thing to do.

And that's not just my opinion. That is the opinion of a number of people who are also against abortion.

Now, I am glad to see progress is being made in adult stem cells. And if the science determines that we can completely avoid a set of ethical questions or political disputes, then that's great.

I have, I have no investment in causing controversy. I'm happy to avoid it if that's where the science leads us. But what I don't want to do is predetermine this based on a very rigid ideological approach, and that's what I think is reflected in the executive order that I signed.

Q: I meant to ask — just to follow up — do you think that scientific consensus is enough to tell us what we can and cannot do?

OBAMA: No. I think there's, there's always an ethical and a moral element that has to be, be a part of this. And so, as I said, I, I don't take decisions like this lightly. They're ones that I take seriously, and, and I respect people who have different opinions on this issue.

But I think that this was the right thing to do and the ethical thing to do. And as I said before, my hope is, is that we can find a mechanism, ultimately, to cure these diseases in a way that gains 100 percent consensus. And we certainly haven't achieved that yet, but I think on balance this was the right step to take.

STAFF: Last question.

OBAMA: OK. Stefan Collison (ph), AFP?

Q: Mr. President, you came to office pledging to work for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. How realistic do you think those hopes are now, given the likelihood of a prime minister who is not fully signed up to a two-state solution and a foreign minister who has been accused of insulting Arabs?

OBAMA: It's not easier than it was, but I think it's just as necessary.

We don't yet know what the Israeli government is going to look like, and we don't yet know what the future shape of Palestinian leadership is going to be comprised of.

What we do know is this: That the status quo is unsustainable, that it is critical for us to advance a two-state solution where Israelis and Palestinians can live side-by-side in their own states with peace and security.

And by assigning George Mitchell the task of working as special envoy, what we've signaled is that we're going to be serious from day one in trying to move the parties in a direction that acknowledges that reality.

How effective these negotiations may be, I think we're going to have to wait and see. But you know, we, we were here for St. Patrick's Day, and you'll recall that we had what had been previously sworn enemies celebrating here in this very room.

You know, leaders from the two sides of Northern Ireland that, you know, a couple of decades ago — or even a decade ago — people would have said could never achieve peace, and here they were, jointly appearing and talking about their commitment, even in the face of violent provocation.

And what that tells me is that, if you stick to it, if you are persistent, then, then these problems can be dealt with.

That whole philosophy of persistence, by the way, is one that I'm going to be emphasizing again and again in the months and years to come as long as I'm in this office. I'm a big believer in persistence.

I think that when it comes to domestic affairs, if we keep on working at it, if we acknowledge that we make mistakes sometimes, and that we don't always have the right answer, and we're inheriting very knotty problems, that we can pass health care, we can find better solutions to our energy challenges, we can teach our children more effectively, we can deal with a very real budget crisis that is not fully dealt with in my, in my budget at this point, but makes progress.

I think, when it comes to the banking system, you know, it was just a few days ago or weeks ago where people were certain that Secretary Geithner couldn't deliver a plan. Today, the headlines all look like, well, all right, there's a plan. And I'm sure there will be more criticism, and we'll have to make more adjustments, but we're moving in the right direction.

When it comes to Iran, you know, we did a video, sending a message to the Iranian people and the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran. And some people said, well, they did not immediately say that we're eliminating nuclear weapons and stop funding terrorism. Well, we didn't expect that. We expect that we're going to make steady progress on this front.

We haven't immediately eliminated the influence of lobbyists in Washington. We have not immediately eliminated wasteful pork projects. And we're not immediately going to get Middle East peace. We've been in office now a little over 60 days.

What I am confident about is that we're moving in the right direction and that the decisions we're making are based on, how are we going to get this economy moving? How are we going to put Americans back to work? How are we going to make sure that our people are safe? And how are we going to create not just prosperity here, but work with other countries for global peace and prosperity?

And we are going to stay with it as long as I'm in this office, and I think that — you look back four years from now, I think, hopefully, people will judge that body of work and say, this is a big ocean liner. It's not a speedboat. It doesn't turn around immediately. But we're in a better, better place because of the decisions that we made.

All right? Thank you, everybody.

Cheryl and Gilles lead the pack...again...sharing 9-9-9 score with Shawn Johnson & Mark Ballas and Melissa Rycroff & Tony Dovolani

Watch Gilles and Cheryl dancing the Samba one more time...enjoy!

Let me tell you...being a pre-pro Cha Cha Cha and Salsa dancer myself, Sex and the City's actor, Gilles Marini and his professional dance partner, Cheryl Burke, are the partners to watch for this season of Dancing With The Stars...Their Samba tonight, as with their Cha Cha Cha on Week 1 and Quickstep on Week 2, they are serious...and superhot. They deliver. They captivate. They sex it up. And they bring the sensuality and sex appeal to the floor never seen before. Melissa Rycroff & Tony Dovolani, Shawn Johnson & Mark Ballas, Lil Kim & Derek Hough are also doing well this week. Hey, even Chelsea Hightowers and her macho man did very well. Eventhough Chelsea slipped tonight, she and Ty were so together and so tight. The way Ty handled Chelsey when she fall, it was amazing. Ty held it together. He used his strength to lift her up. And didn't miss a step on the next cross body lead. If the rodeo man carried on like that, we will see great dances from them. Three great women dancing their butts off to be seen and Ty slowly feeling the groove and getting it right, next week will be a hot week not to be missed. I still think that Shawn is still stiff, sometimes looking very cold on the dance floor. I think Lil Kim is getting way too hot to handle. Melissa is a smart dancer. Tony knows when to press her buttons. All Tony needs to do next week is to pretend he is dancing with Cheryl Burke and everything will be alright. All Cheryl needs to do is to treat Gilles as Tony. The sexiness that Gilles brings to the dance floor this season is indescribable...there is something pleasurable and something sweet about him. When Gilles gets very close to Cheryl's body or when they are face to face, you can't help imagining them kissing and making love. That's how powerful their sexy appeal is. If Cheryl continues to bring or incorporate some sensual body contact into the dances and Gilles follows through on the floor, I think many people will achieve orgasm by watching them. As a follower myself (Cha Cha Cha and Salsa), I know when the chemistry is there. I know the feelings of feeling sexy and being in the moment, being driven by passion and desire to be used for pleasure on the dance floor. Cheryl is a smart choreographer and a considerate partner -- she ignites his power and his confidence, lets and allows him to shine as she offers her solid, sexy body for his pleasure! Gilles trusts her and uses her body to the fullest. And as a result -- they look very sexy together...and their dance, even sexier. We thank them for giving us such a great show, week after week. For tonight, I don't think shawn deserved 9-9-9, but that is ok. She did well. Melissa deserved 9-9-9 from the judges tonight. Gilles, as we had naturally expected, rose to great expectations. And you can tell Cheryl is dancing as if she was partnering Tony or Maksim. She is obviously using her own sex appeal to send the message across -- keeping it high class, sexy and blistering hot. But, be warned -- watch out for Lil Kim! She is a firecracker, she is awesome and she is explosive...Derek knows how to lead Lil Kim and uses her sexiness to create a compact, sexy dance. Derek is hugely popular and that is great for Lil Kim.

Brothers and Sisters...Sun 3/21/2009

Here's an episode for you...watch.

Sarah Palin, Angelina Jolie nominated as two of the finalists for Time 100 Most Influential People

NAME: SARAH PALIN
AGE: 45
OCCUPATION: Governor of Alaska
PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 0

PRO: Beautiful, straight-talking, party-energizer hockey mom from the great state of Alaska. Her VP nomination — along with her steamrolling convention address and ratings-breaking debate — revitalized the GOP's slumping self-image. By 2012, she could be a presidential contender or a red-state Oprah.

CON: What some see as from-the-gut straight talk, others see as ill-informed prattling. And we'll always wonder how John McCain would have fared had he not chosen a nominee who looked like the most famous female comedian in the country.


NAME: ANGELINA JOLIE
AGE: 33
OCCUPATION: Actress
PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 2

PRO: Arguably the most beautiful living woman in the world today. In one year, she played a tigress (Kung Fu Panda), an assassin (Wanted) and a burdened single mom (the Oscar-nominated Changeling). And she used the near parasitic interest in her personal life to her advantage, unloading her new kids' baby pictures for $14 million, all of which went to charity. A class above the rest.

CON: Despite a new era of American bipartisanship, millions of tabloid-loving gossip buffs remain devoted to Team Aniston.

Elected officials continue to cheat, Nancy Pelosi pats them on the back for "protecting national interest". If this is change, what is new?

What a month in America...tax deadline is drawing inexorably near (and I am still looking desperately for a tax man to help me file my '08 tax returns). Elected officials continue to cheat taxpayers...(yes! and the latest to cheat is another democrat -- Senator Chris Todd -- who changed the language on the stimulus bill (at the last minute!. I think it is safe to assume that the "change" is to protect the AIG bonuses)...Nancy Pelosi patted democrats on the back for "protecting the national interest". Goldman Sachs (Wall Street's most storied firm is surviving on taxpayer dollars) feels no shame, Republican heads explode over AIG bonuses, Chris Brown gets away with beating Rihanna (we all know she didn't mind the abuse because she loves him), Jim Cramer will be off the air for good next week after 17 years(great job Jon Stewart for grilling him on live TV!) for lying to investors...way up in Alaska, America's most famous teenagers/lovers/parents -- Levi Johnston and Bristol Palin -- have called it off mutually as Obama abandoned a plan to make private insurers pay for veterans' combat injuries...Pentagon has planned to kill F-22...Leanne Rimes got caught cheating on her hubby...more and more stars are injuring themselves on the dance floor...Simon Cowell finally gave Matt Giraud a well-deserved shout out on American Idol...a pastor was gunned down while delivering a sermon in church...Yesterday, actress Natasha Richardson (the 45yo daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave) died in NYC as Obama told Californians that things will be ok (again) but made no promises, and Oprah poses with Michelle Obama on the cover of "O" and by the way, Oprah would never ever ever share the cover with another human being (and the last time she shared her cover, cuddled a bunch of cute white baby golden retrievers)...what a month it has been.

I hear that several states are considering raising additional tax revenues by charging drivers a fee based on the number of miles they drive. In order to monitor our comings and goings, they would install GPS chips, which they’d no doubt have to pay for, in their various vehicles. The Big Brother aspect aside, they are already being taxed on mileage at the gas pump. If you drive a lot, you fill up more often. Even politicians as stupid as the ones we have here in California should be able to figure that out.

But when it comes to taxes, our elected officials are as insatiable as hogs at a trough. To their way of thinking, double-taxing us is only a poor substitute for triple or quadruple-taxing us. In the immortal words of Henny Youngman, take the death tax…please. While you’re alive, you’re taxed on every single dollar you earn, so you would think that dying would finally provide relief from the tax collector, but you’d be wrong. Even liberals should recognize there is something shameful about taxing a dead person’s estate for money that has already been taxed while he or she was still breathing. But shame, it seems, is something that has completely disappeared from the national landscape. I can’t recall the last time I heard anyone confess to being ashamed about anything. People go on TV and brag about their crimes and addictions, and they’re applauded by the studio audience and given benediction by Saint Oprah.

Single women are no longer even embarrassed to be pregnant, but neither are male celebrities ashamed to have impregnated any number of groupies. Professional athletes are caught using steroids and blame it on their youth or, worse yet, claim they don’t recall having performance-enhancing drugs shot into their fannies. Millionaire politicians, whose finances are arranged to minimize their own tax liability, aren’t the least bit ashamed to call for increasing taxes on the rest of us. What’s more, the same buffoons who keep raising the minimum wage never bother paying withholding taxes for their own menials until they find themselves being considered for Cabinet positions.

It’s easy to find fault with politicians and celebrities, but they’re not the only ones who lack a sense of decency. After all, until his last arrest, O.J Simpson had probably signed more autographs over the past 14 years than Tiger Woods and Derek Jeter put together Even Jane Fonda, who should have been sent to Leavenworth for lending aid and comfort to the North Vietnamese, hasn’t been shunned or shamed. Instead, she’s spent the past three decades winning Oscars, hawking exercise tapes and being honored by feminist groups.

And, lest we forget, the same jerks (not same sex) who openly despised Elia Kazan for half a century because he had the temerity to name Communists have lionized John Dean even though his sole claim to fame was ratting out his Republican friends and colleagues 35 years ago. Considering how tolerant and accepting society has become, I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised that Barack Obama is held in such ridiculously high esteem by so many people. Blame it on my cynicism, but to me, he comes across like a late night TV pitchman. If he hadn’t made such a success out of politics, I would have expected him to wind up doing infomercials for Ginsu knives or that hair paint product that comes in aerosol cans.

Recently, I saw a poll that asked Americans to name the people they most admire. It was an interesting list. Six of the people were dead, four of them by assassination. Only one woman, Mother Teresa, made the top 10 and she came in 10th, just behind airline pilot Chesley Sullenburger. In ascending order, the remaining eight were John Kennedy, John McCain, Abe Lincoln, George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Martin Luther King, Jesus Christ and, topping the list, Barack Obama. I admit I was slightly put out that six politicians made it, even if four were Republicans, and I didn’t. But when I discovered that even God only came in 11th, I didn’t feel nearly so bad.

New leader of Idol: Matt Giraud...Here's the best for the night...Matt singing "So Small" last night

It is about time! Thanks Simon and Randy. It is about the right time to let viewers and Idol fans to refocus on Matt Giraud -- to give Matt a second look in this competition. Great vocal, great smile, great guy. Thanks for singing Matt!


Another great performance by Allison Iraheti...definitely a finale material

Michael Sarver singing "Ain't Going Down" last night

A lovely day in San Francisco: 2pm Tuesday

Looking nice and warm out on the corner of California and Fillmore in San Francisco.

Cheryl Burke is dating hot Abercrombie & Fitch model, Maxwell Zagorski

Cheryl Burke and Maxwell Zagorski sharing a romantic moment together at a party in LA. The were introduced by Lance Bass during their tour last year...Cheryl just landed a hot new partner on the dance floor in the gorgeous Frenchman,Gilles Marini, but her biggest score is her new Abercrombie & Fitch model boyfriend, Maxwell. Fans are already vomitting blood and disapproving of Maxwell. They all want their precious Cheryl to be with a much mature, stable, classy San Francisco guy

Almost perfect Quickstep by Cheryl and Gilles...watch

Score: 9-9-9. It was classy and elegant. What a classical performance last night on DWTS.
Cheryl and her gorgeous boyfriend kissing after a great night dancing with Gilles Marini. Also in the video Kim Johnson and her companion, and Lance Bass and his boyfriend.

Brothers & Sisters...3/15/2009

[From The Gays of Daytime]
Remember a time when the siblings going on a road trip was just pure fun? Yeah, not so much after Rebecca just broke up with Justin and Tommy is facing imprisonment for embezzling Ojai Food's money. Oh, and Kevin and Scotty are not having sex because their schedules get in their way. So what do they do? PUT. THE. SEX. ON. THE. SCHEDULE. How to take the spark out of any relationship 101.

Anyway, Kevin & Justin take Tommy to Baja for some reflection time, but it's Spring Break and all sorts of things are going on.

Chapter 40 of "The Average American Male" by Chad Kultgen

From Ambrose Aban's Facebook's posting.Today at 3:37pm | Edit Note | Delete


I walk into a party with Carlos that he invited me to when I told him that Alyna broke up with me because I got Casey pregnant. The first thing I notice is that there are no women at this party.

I say "Is this a gay thing?"
Carlos says "Of course. What kind of parties do you think I go to?"
"Why'd you invite me to a gay party?"
"It's better than staying home by yourself?"
"No, it's not"
"Well, maybe you'll meet a cute boy who'll give you a blowjob and make you realize how stupid you were to stick your dick in a pair of meat curtains in the first place."

Then Carlos says, "I am going to mingle," and abandons me in a the middle of an apartment full of fags.

As I go to the fridge to get a drink I run into a guy who says," So you're here with Carlos, huh? I didn't think he had it in him..."
"Excuse me?"
"To get somebody as hot as you"
"We're just friends. I'm straight!"
"Oh, cool...he told you we all suck each other off at the end of the night, right?"

Ambrose: That's it, the spoiler for you...now go get your own book.....

Who kills Edie Britt on Desperate Housewives?

"Desperate Housewives" star Neal McDonough told Access Hollywood's Billy Bush in an interview for Access and "The Billy Bush Show" that he would be the one to do in his on-screen wife.

"I had to do something nasty to my wife in the show," he said.

And Neal, who plays Dave Williams - a character with multiple personalities -- on the ABC show, said it wasn't easy to knock off Nicollette Sheridan .
"It was hard for me because Nic played my wife all year and she has become such a great friend," he said. And according to him, her death gets pretty grizzly.

"I go hunting in the woods and I'm not hunting for deer," he said. "[It's] a little WWE." The star added that his murderous role has raised his profile with fans - but not necessarily in a positive way.

"Before this, people knew who I was but now it's, 'You're the son of a bitch who messed with Mrs. McLusky, you're the guy who's killing Edie,'" he said.

He may not win over fans anytime soon, hinting that he may have more killing to do.

"I'm not saying who I'm whacking," he said.

"Do you take out Mike [Delfino, played by James Denton]?" Billy asked him.

"Not in this episode," he said, adding, "I'm sworn to secrecy!"

Americans need CNBC to do strong, watchdog journalism

Jim Cramer is out! Real, genuine, honest, sincere Journalism is in!
Building off of the momentum from last week, in which CNBC personality Jim Cramer was subjected to an embarrassing lecture by the Daily Show's Jon Stewart, the group is launching, alongside its letter, a website: http://fixcnbc.com/

Gorgeous Michael Sarver thinks Rock & Roll would prolly be the most challenging for him...

Michael Sarver talking...hoping his #1 idol, Celine Dion, to come back

Idolatry...watch...Danny is competent but Paula is biased and she is wrong...

Why are the judges, especially Paula Abdul, giving Danny Gokey more than enough good words all the time? Because of his much talked about back story? -- losing his wife and all?...Ok, we love Danny, too, but enough of that bias shit...Please judges refocus on Matt Giraud, Allison Iraheti, Michael Sarver and Lil Rounds...Danny is good but Simon is right, it is still too early to tell...And Americans are begining to realize he is not all that...just a good singer. Paula, shut your piehole. Go get some more botox!

Below, Danny Gokey singing "PYT" on MJ night last week.

QueerGam to David Goldman: We are with you, God is with you.

The story of a father desperately fighting to bring home his now 8 year-old son, Sean, is a very compelling international story. US (Hillary Clinton and congressmen) urge Brazil to return boy to US dad, ex-supermodel, David Goldman
US lawmakers on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling on the Brazilian government to return a boy who is living with his stepfather in Brazil to his American father. Of 432 lawmakers in the House of Representatives, 418 voted in favor of the resolution to urge Brazil to return nearly nine-year-old Sean Goldman to the custody of his American father, David Goldman.

Gayle Roberts of SF LGBT Center: Join us for 3-ring inspired fun at Soiree 7 March 28!

Hi Ambrose,

Just wanted to follow-up on your twitter about the SF LGBT Community Center. Thanks for your concern about our reduction in hours! Just wanted to let you know we've never had an endowment, so there was nothing to loose in the recent economic downturn.

However that said, like every other nonprofit in town the financial downturn has seriously impacted us. Government, foundation, corporate and individual funding across the board is down everywhere. So we're looking at ways to not only increase revenue (our annual Soiree is on Mar 28th, we're excellerating our institutional asks, and reaching out to more individuals), but also reducing costs. For example, we recently started composting our garbage and cut our monthly bill by 50%!

So after reviewing building hours it was determined that Friday and Saturday nights were the slowest, so like any other business, we're closing a couple hours early just those two nights because it cost us more to stay open those few hours than the revenue we were generating. (Of course, if anyone would like to book a large event one of those nights, we'd be happy to stay open for them!)

If you ever have any other questions about the Center, or would like to get more involved yourself, please do not hesitate to drop me a note. We are only as strong as our community. Thanks so much!

In Service,
Gayle Roberts
SF LGBT Community Center Development Director
(415) 865-5524 gayler@sfcenter.org

Join us for 3-ring inspired fun at Soiree 7 March 28!
Info or tickets: brownpapertickets.com/event/55239
Subscribe to eNews: sfcenter.org/subscribe.php
Connect up: Linkedin.com/in/gayleroberts
Follow me: Twitter.com/gaylesf

QueerGam to Jason & Jonathan Shuffield: We love you!

Hey bitches, we love them so much. Below, Jason and Jonathan Shuffield welcoming you to their show. Watch and participate!

The show (cut and paste this link):
Catch them live every Wednesday Nights, 8:30pm - 10:00pm PT
http://www.zedalza.net/damnsexy.html



The Damn Sexy Show
Damn!Sexy Radio is made up of the crazy antics and colorful opinions of two real life brothers, Jonathan and Jason Shuffield. Hailing from the great Pacific Northwest they began a clothing line for the more “well-rounded” individual called Damn!Sexy Clothing. Soon the business morphed into a more media based platform, bringing out the natural talents of both brothers. Jonathan has been performing musically for the past 15 years, releasing his first independent album at 17. With acting and directing credits to his name as well as heading up many non-profit organizations around Washington state, he is also a sought after public speaker. Jason has many years experience in broadcasting and is best known by colleagues as his on-air personality, Crash. Together the brothers run an online magazine and do a local television cooking show called, Damn!Sexy Cooking. Even with a very specific upbringing (growing up the sons of a Baptist minister) the brothers’ views on the world can greatly differ. One is more liberal while the other a bit conservative, one is definitely gay while the other is a straight family man, yet they have a whole lot of fun! From sex to video games to politics, these boys cover it all, and always from their very unique perspectives. They may not always agree, but they will always be brothers.

Get in on the discussions and leave your comments anytime, email: sexysounds@damnsexyclothing.com

QueerGam to Jim Cramer and CNBC: You knew! You lied for personal gains! Jail!

Bravo to Jon Stewart this week. Stewart has charged that people at CNBC knew what was going on behind the scenes on Wall Street but didn't tell the public. He has accused CNBC anchors and pundits of abandoning their journalistic duties and acting like cheerleaders for the market.

"In a tremendous boom period, they covered the boom and people wanted to believe in the boom," said Andrew Leckey, a former CNBC anchor and now president of the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism at Arizona State University.

"They didn't uncover the lies that were told to them. Nobody did. But they should be held to a higher responsibility."

Prince Williams: "I can wholeheartedly relate to the Mother's Day campaign as I too have felt (and still feel) the emptiness on such a day

Prince William and younger brother, Prince Harry, (below) of Great Britain


Prince William has spoken in depth publicly for the first time about death of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, 12 years ago, saying "mummy" is now a hollow word "evoking only memories." Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a Paris car crash 12 years ago. Prince William was only 15 and his brother Prince Harry 12 when Diana died in a Paris car crash along with Dodi Fayed in 1997. The Prince made the comment Thursday during a speech to mark his new role as patron of Britain's Child Bereavement Charity -- a group his mother was once involved with. The British Press Association reported that he told the launch of the charity's Mother's Day campaign: "My mother Diana was present at your launch 15 years ago, and I am incredibly proud to be able to continue her support for your fantastic charity, by becoming your royal patron.

"What my mother recognized then -- and what I understand now -- is that losing a close family member is one of the hardest experiences that anyone can ever endure.

"Never being able to say the word 'Mummy' again in your life sounds like a small thing. Tell us what you think about Prince William's moving comments

"However, for many, including me, it's now really just a word -- hollow and evoking only memories.

"I can therefore wholeheartedly relate to the Mother's Day campaign as I too have felt -- and still feel -- the emptiness on such a day as Mother's Day."

The charity wants to raise awareness of the problems suffered by mothers bereaved of a child or children bereaved of their mother.

Based in Buckinghamshire, a region west of London, it educates professionals and supports families after a death. Writing in Britain's Daily Mail newspaper about his new role, the Prince said the reality of losing a child or parent was "awful."

"Initially, there is a sense of profound shock and disbelief that this could ever happen to you. Real grief often does not hit home until much later.

"For many it is a grief never entirely lost. Life is altered as you know it, and not a day goes past without you thinking about the one you have lost." Mother's Day in the UK always falls on the fourth weekend of Lent, and this year is on March 22. Earlier this week France's leading society magazine, Point de Vue, reported that the Prince would marry his long-term girlfriend, Kate Middleton, this summer.

QueerGam to Bristol Palin: Be a good mom. Forget Levi. Cos you're worth it.

Alaska's most famous teenagers and parents, Levi Johnston and Bristol Palin, who gave birth to Tripp, now 2-month old baby boy, are now no longer together. Yes they broke up. And the liberal-obssessed columnists/writers/bloggers/anchormen and anchorwomen are blaming the Palins. And they seem to be so happy that these two teenagers are breaking up. Even CNN. Of all the networks. Forget MSNBC and all the other Obama-media obssessed networks, CNN has yet to do a nice, heart-warming story on the Levi-Bristol relationship.

Above, Todd Palin and his children, Piper Palin, Willow and Bristol with baby brother Trig, listening and watching their mom Sarah Palin addressing America (and the world) at the glittering Republican National Convention in Denver.

From the begining, Johnston was the man. A self-described "redneck trash" who needed to screw virgins badly. He was a hunk who could have anyone he wanted then -- and he is still gorgeous from head to toe and will have anyone he wants. Bristol is a young girl who (like millions of other teenage girls out there, was sexually charged and horny as shit). Who could blame them for having sex at that age when both were young, hot and horny? Like it or not, teenagers love sex and they will have sex. The only difference is: Johnston couldn't pull out and cummed inside. But it is ok. We can just blame Sarah Palin for all this. Either that or we can finally start to question our own judgment? Now that their relationship is over and Palin is back in the limelight, again, should we continue to point our accusing fingers at the Palins? Political analysts from The Huffington Post to CNN have already done that...they have not been objective or balanced in their reports thus far. But that is understandable. Nothing good is going to come out from the reports they are currently planning or doing about the breakup and Sarah Palin. What about the role of the media?

You want to depend on the liberal media? You gotta be kidding me? LoL