Oh my, Sean (Kelly Green) sent me the link to this audio on The House that Rock Built, a fantastic blog. I've taken the liberty to include the audiocast directly in this post. You gotta check it out. It's 15 minutes of pure emotional breakdown. And you think I might take football too seriously? This guy takes it to an entirely new level.


MP3 File

There is perhaps nothing more pathetic than MSU head coach John L. Smith sending out 3 of his players to "guard" against a flag-planting by ND that never was going to happen, because ND has class. Tools like Smith expect everyone else to be as toolish as they are.

I got this graphic from Chris' blog, Musings of a Domer:

I think (and hope) that after this season is done, the MSU game may be seen as a turning point of sorts. Despite ND's terrible 1st half play, they pulled out a great comeback late in the 2nd half. It takes heart and good coaching to have done so. When Willingham's Irish got down big they just collapsed more.

The bad news is that the Irish have a lot of weaknesses, some of which may be difficult to improve upon. The first is Quinn's schizophrenic play. There is no other way to describe it. When he starts out well, you know he's going to have a great game, but if things go poorly for him at the start, we get a performance such as he had in the 1st half. I think this is something Quinn can and will correct.

The second is ND's running game. The offensive line continues to get better but still lacks experience and age. Walker just doesn't seem quick or aggressive enough out there. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I think ND should start Travis Thomas at tailback.

The third and most disturbing is ND's defensive back play. They are too short and too slow (despite their efforts in the off-season to speed up). Michigan's Manningham creamed us, and MSU exploited the weakness as well. Mintor must learn to compensate for this weakness by mixing up coverages better. Nevertheless, I think this is a weakness that keeps ND from winning the National Championship, if the chips should fall in a way to keep us in the hunt.

Despite these negatives, ND is a great football team, and I stand by my preseason prediction that they will win the rest of their regular season games including USC.

This is quite possible:

WASHINGTON - It's Nov. 8, the day after the election. The costliest and nastiest campaign for control of the House in history is .... not yet over.

Instead, in this hypothetical case, both parties are short of the 218 seats needed to guarantee control. The outcome will be decided by run-off elections in Louisiana and Texas, recounts in a half-dozen races that are too close to call and perhaps a party switch or two.

Now that election season is getting heavily underway, and polling data is quickly becoming truly meaningful, I shall focus more of DC's time on the details of the House and Senate races.

THE best resource on the web for following the races and the polling data is Electoral-vote.com ... During presidential election years, it displays a U.S. map with the states' electoral votes going Republican or Democrat based on the most current polls in each state. This year, the states are colored according to the polling on their senate races.

Here is the map as of today (Red is Republican, Blue is Democrat; shades represent how close the race is):



Also note that I have added the House and Senate Score graphics on DC's right sidebar. These graphics are "live" and thus update when Electoral-vote.com updates its aggregate polling data.

I got this pic off Rush Limbaugh's website...

It's the Mel Gibson driving game! Just collect bottles of tequila while avoiding collisions with cops and flying Stars of David... It is safe for work, that is unless you can get trouble for playing games there. And the music is worth it too.

I feel like some fun, and since this blog is my little bit of tyranny, all of you have to have fun too ;-)

First up: the Sen. George Allen insult generator... If you are alive, he's got an insult for you, no matter who you are!



I told him I was Irish (I'm not) and he called me "Mr. Potato Head" ... Meanie

The answer is D. Muslims, of course:

Indignation erupted across Germany’s political spectrum on Tuesday after a renowned opera house said it had dropped a controversial production of Mozart’s Idomeneo from its programme because it feared becoming a target of Islamist extremists.

Wolfgang Schäuble, interior minister, attacked the decision by Berlin’s Deutsche Oper not to show the 200-year-old work as “crazy”, “ridiculous” and “unacceptable”.

Bernd Neumann, culture minister, said it showed “the democratic culture of free speech is in danger”. [read the article]

Ah but it gets worse. Check out this quote from a "retired German Muslim leader" who asked not to be named in the article: "This is typically the kind of reaction that shapes this persecution complex among young Muslims when what we need is a policy of de-escalation."

Thus his solution, as seems to be the case with every western Muslim voice I've heard, is APPEASEMENT. We can't criticize the Muslim community and its radical elements or we'll just make the problem worse..... Riiiiggghhhht

First the headline:

German opera house cancels provocative Mohammed staging

Now the pertinent quote:

One of three opera houses in the German capital, it cancelled director Hans Neuenfels's production of "Idomeneo", a 1781 drama set in ancient Crete, because authorities warned it could present an "incalculable security risk".

In the staging, which sparked audience protests during its premiere in December 2003, King Idomeneo presents the lopped-off heads of Poseidon, Jesus, Buddha and the Prophet Mohammed and displays them on four chairs.

And now for the quiz: German authorities canceled this play because they feared the wrath of:

A. Greek mythologists
B. Christians
C. Buddhists
D. Muslims

Wipe that smirk off your face, friends! After Bubba's meltdown on FoxNews Sunday with Chris Wallace, Rush Limbaugh acknowledges Bill Clinton's contributions to the "war on terror".

"[I]n spirit of bipartisanship, ladies and gentlemen, and in the spirit of reaching out to those on the other side of the aisle, demonstrating fairness and understanding: I think we should all admit before we get started with all this that we need to be kind. President Clinton did protect us from those who threatened us greatly... The Branch Davidians. "

OBL's been in the news recently, so it seemed like an appropriate time for this bit of genius from Family Guy... make sure and watch it all the way through the end!

A lot of the sectarian violence that has been occurring in Iraq has been in the Anbar province (the large province in Iraq's west). But check out this excerpt from StrategyPage:

Coalition forces in Iraq have suddenly received the manpower equivalent of three light infantry divisions. They did not suffer any repercussions in domestic politics as a result, and now have a huge edge over al-Qaeda in al-Anbar province. How did this happen? Tribal leaders in the largely Sunni province on the Syrian border got together and signed an agreement to raise a tribal force of 30,000 fighters to take on foreign fighters and terrorists.

These leaders have thrown in with the central government in Baghdad. This is a decisive blow to al Qaeda, which has been desperately trying to fight off an Iraqi government that is getting stronger by the week. Not only are the 30,000 fighters going to provide more manpower, but these tribal fighters know the province much better than American troops – or the foreign fighters fighting for al Qaeda. Also, this represents just over 80 percent of the tribes in al-Anbar province now backing the government.

This is pretty depressing:

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Hundreds more Iraqis died in violence in July and August than in the previous two months, many of them tortured to death because of their religion with cables, acid and power drills, a U.N. report said on Wednesday.

The July total of 3,590 deaths was unprecedented, it said, while the August figure of 3,009, though lower, was also among the worst yet.

In its previous report two months ago, it gave a combined figure of 5,818 for the two months of May and June. The latest two-month figure shows an increase of more than 13 percent over that number, which it described as a sharp surge at the time.

"Hundreds of bodies have continued to appear throughout the country bearing signs of severe torture and execution-style killing," it said in a statement announcing its latest report.

"Terrorist attacks, the growth of militias, the emergence of organized crime reflects a lack of centralized and authorized control over the use of force in the country, which results in indiscriminate killings of civilians," it said...

The Colts moved to 3-0 today with a victory over the tough Jacksonville Jaguars: 21-14.

However, the day was marred by tragedy when Rashad Wayne, brother of Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne, died in a car accident this morning in Louisiana. The accident happened well before the Colts played at 1 p.m., yet Reggie played and played well. I can't imagine how tough that was and will continue to be for him. He and his family will be in my prayers.

Forget the flag-planting, and try this for motivation!

So the Colts have a new mascot... Its name "Blue" is lame and well, everything about it is lame. Here the maxim "a picture is worth a thousand words" is apropos:



I think it's supposed to be a horse, but I'm not exactly sure.

Well, when it comes to last-minute football games, I wonder if my heart can take too many more weekends like this one :-)

Friday, as I mentioned in the prior post, Roncalli played its rival Cathedral. The game, however, only completed one half Friday night, before it was postponed due to lightning. Ever the dedicated fans, one of my friends and I attended the 2nd half yesterday at 6 p.m. Beginning the half down 0 to 10, Roncalli scored 14 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to win 14-13.

At that point I really didn't think anything could top top that comeback and, to be honest, I did not expect Notre Dame to be in that close a battle. As it turned out, and as you're all aware, it took the Irish scoring 19 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to beat Michigan State. More on this game later...

And in a half hour, the Colts play an extremely tough Jacksonville. Too much of a good thing this weekend? Nah.

As far as highschool football games go, this one ranks pretty damn highly. It's two Catholic schools, from the same city, both with great winning traditions, going head to head in a hard-hitting contest. Last year Roncalli lost to Cathedral in the regular season but beat them the sectionals (an uncomfortably common occurrence if you're a Cathedral fan). During my tenure, we beat them twice in the regular season and once in the sectionals and never lost to them.

This year is going to be a tough contest for the Rebels though, so we'll see what shakes out tonight. Let it rain!

Never lose to State again? I don't know about that. I don't care about that. It is tomorrow that I want. And them.














"Revenge is never a straight line. It's a forest, And like a forest it's easy to lose your way... To get lost... To forget where you came in."

























"That woman deserves her revenge, and we deserve to die."

I love to take a group's lyrics and turn them on their head for a purpose they didn't intend...


Rage Against the Machine - Testify


The movie ran through me
The glamour subdue me
The tabloid untie me
I'm empty please fill me
Mister anchor assure me
That Baghdad is burning
Your voice it is so soothing
That cunning mantra of killing
I need you my witness
To dress this up so bloodless
To numb me and purge me now
Of thoughts of blaming you
Yes the car is our wheelchair
My witness your coughing
Oily silence mocks the legless
Those who travel now in coffins
On the corner
The jury's sleepless
We found your weakness
And it's right outside your door

Now testify
Now testify
It's right outside your door
Now testify
Yes testify
Its right outside your door

With precision you feed me
My witness I'm hungry
Your temple it calms me
So I can carry on
My slaving sweating the skin right off my bones
On a bed of fire I'm choking on the smoke that fills my home
The wrecking ball is rushing
Witness your blushing
The pipeline is gushing
While here we lie in tombs
While on the corner
The jury's sleepless
We found your weakness
And it's right outside your door

Now testify
Yeah testify
It's right outside your door
Now testify
Now testify
It's right outside your door

Mass graves for the pump and the price is set
And the price is set
Mass graves for the pump and the price is set
And the price is set
Mass graves for the pump and the price is set
And the price is set
Mass graves for the pump and the price is set
And the price is set

Who controls the past now controls the future
Who controls the present now controls the past
Who controls the past now controls the future
Who controls the present now?

Now testify
Testify
It's right outside your door
Now testify
Testify
The war is right outside your door

Pope Benedict is schedule to visit Turkey in November, but amidst the recent fury, Muslims in that country have warned him not to visit. It is not entirely clear, however, to what degree these warning are concerned with his safety and what degree they are a threat.

Adding to this chorus is an odd voice: Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turk who attempted to kill Pope John Paul II in 1981. Agca wrote in a letter sent from his jail cell:

"Pope Ratzinger listen to someone who knows these things very well. Your life is in danger. You absolutely must not come to Turkey... For your own welfare you must make a grand gesture of honour and resign. Then you must return to your native land (Germany) and in your place an Italian cardinal can be elected Pope, possibly (cardinal Dionigi) Tettamanzi or (cardinal Tarcisio) Bertone. Then the Vatican should become a centre of peace and fraternity. The world has a need of this it does not need hatred and vendetta."


Sometimes I think these people are insane.

Panda Bites Man, Man Bites Him Back

Look at the fangs on this thing!

First there were the books. Then there were the movies. Now... the play

Also, J.R.R. Tolkien's son Christopher Tolkien has completed 30 years of work to finish The Children of Hurin, a work began by his father in 1918 but later abandoned. Hurin contains much of the same literary mythology as The Lord of the Rings.

I'm sure most of you have seen these stories, but if not:

Catholic nun shot to death at children's hospital in Muslim-run Somalia...

39-year old Muslim lawyer and "activist" in Britain calls for the death of the pope...

Ok, I'll be the one to break the ice.

That was the worst game of ND football since the 2004 thrashing by USC 38-0 in the final game of the Davieham era.

And there's plenty of blame to around for the 47-21 loss. Coach Weis wants to be blamed first, but I can't start to criticize his game plan before I fault the players themselves for bad passes, dropped balls, and missed tackles. And the turnovers. God, the turnovers. It was simply a sloppy game on all fronts. And give the victors their due: Michigan played well, and despite officiating oddities, they won and they deserved to win.

But I feel there is one man who has been left out. A man who has, in my opinion at least, totally escaped the blame for the misery of last Saturday. A man who has burned us in the past. ND AD, Kevin White.

Why? Scheduling. If you schedule an impossible list of challenges, can one be surprised when you fail? To give a little demonstration of what I mean, examine the following list. Listed below are the first four games of each of the top 12 teams from the AP poll. I have italicized the opponents who are currently either ranked or receiving votes.

1. OSU: N. Illinois, Texas, Cincinnati, Penn State
2. Auburn: Washington State, Mississippi State, LSU, Buffalo
3. USC: Arkansas, Bye, Nebraska, Arizona
4. WVU: Marshall, Eastern Washington, Maryland, Eastern Carolina
5. Florida: Southern Miss, Central Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky
6. Michigan: Vanderbilt, Central Michigan, ND, Wisconsin
7. Texas: North Texas, OSU, Rice, Iowa St.
8. Louisville: Kentucky, Temple, Miami (FL), Kansas St.
9. Georgia: Western Kentucky, South Carolina, UAB, Colorado
10. LSU: LA Lafayette, Arizona, Auburn, Tulane
11. Virginia Tech: Northeastern, UNC, Duke, Cincinnati
12. Notre Dame: Georgia Tech, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State

For the record, 8 of the top 12 teams play one or no team receiving any votes from the AP voters. None of the teams have played more than 2. Not only do all of the teams on ND's first four games receive votes, so do two of the next 3.

As I said before, there is plenty of blame to be shared for the loss to Michigan, and all of the teams ranked above ND are truly deserving of their rankings. All I am trying to say is that, what has playing such a ridiculous schedule gotten ND? Do you see any designation in the rankings denoting that we play a tough schedule, or conversely, that West Virginia has played a cupcake one?

Nothing. We get no reward for our strength of schedule. All we've gained in a 2-1 record, and it could conceivably get worse. No team can get up for challenging games week after week after week, especially one as thin in depth as this one. You need time to recover, both physically and emotionally, from week to week. And as much as I disdain the idea of making ND in any way like every other university, I think, in this case, I'm willing to make an exception.

Folks, this is the sad reality that now faces the world. There are many good and peace-loving Muslims, but their religion is being overrun by individuals and groups who believe and practice the violent form of jihad. In many Muslim-majority nations, it is illegal to convert to Christianity and Christians are treated as second-class citizens. Islamic terrorists have "taken the sword" to Christians in eastern Asia, Africa, and the middle east. And historically, Islamic armies took the sword to Turkey, Northern Africa, and even western Europe.

By no means is Christianity completely clean in history--the Crusades went way beyond any claimed defense of Christendom and in 1982 Lebanese Christians massacred Palestinian refugees (see Sabra and Shatila) --but that further emphasizes the point that Pope Benedict XVI made in his recent controversy-stirring speech: using violence to spread religion is wrong. This certainly includes a violent form of jihad.

The Islamic community's response to the pope, including that by the so-called moderates, is therefore quite sad and telling. Groups have burned his image in effigy, they have attacked churches in the West Bank, they have compared the pope to Hitler and to the crusaders, and they have said his remarks may be responsible for creating war between Islam and the West.

Rather than respond in this fashion, they should have stood up in bravery and strongly endorsed Benedict's remarks. Imagine if an Imam had immediately gone public with a statement such as this: 'We wholeheartedly agree with the Pope. Using violence to spread religion is morally wrong, from the crusades of the middle ages to the violence use of jihad today by the terrorists.' Instead, many of these Muslim talking-heads have responded with cowardous, using the western media (see note about the NYTimes editorial below) to obscure their ultimate goal: that Sharia govern around the globe, through violence or otherwise.

It may take another major attack, in Europe or the U.S., but the West WILL awaken to this threat. And let there be no mistake: it is in Islam's interest to have a civil war against the violent jihadists rather than let them drag the whole religion into a hopeless war against the West.

Note: The NYTimes ran an editorial yesterday decrying the pope's statement and also calling on him to apologize. In doing so the editors showed their frightful ignorance of not only the pope's speech but of the entire role of the papacy in the Catholic Church. This is the key quote from the editorial:

"A doctrinal conservative, his greatest fear appears to be the loss of a uniform Catholic identity, not exactly the best jumping-off point for tolerance or interfaith dialogue.

The world listens carefully to the words of any pope. And it is tragic and dangerous when one sows pain, either deliberately or carelessly."

First of all, it is the central role of the papacy to maintain the health and unity of the Catholic Church, is it not? Would anybody be served if the pope relaxed a moral stance in order to please the whims of another group or religion? Second, if the pope's statement sowed any pain it is much needed pain. Often times the truth hurts the worst of all.

I realize this is not football related, but it's too important and timely to pass up:

This week, Pope Benedict XVI gave a speech that criticized the violent form of jihad practiced by Islamist terrorists today and by Muslim armies in the past. In that speech he quoted a Byzantine emperor who said that Mohammed had brought "things only evil and inhuman."

The pope did not endorse this quote, but merely used it as context regarding the historically violent approach of jihad.

Many Muslim groups around the world have reacted critically to the Pope's speech. And I do not blame them for being critical if they feel the pope is unfairly disparaging their religion.

However, the reactions of some Muslims have escalated to a violent fury--thus completely supporting the pope's criticism! Those who react critically to a claim that they are violent, by using violence, are both idiotic and barbaric. There is no other way to describe them.

Here is a photo of some Muslim "activists" burning an effigy of Pope Benedict:



Update: The idiocy expands...

Turkey's ruling Islamic-rooted party joined a wave of criticism of Pope Benedict XVI on Friday, accusing him of trying to revive the spirit of the Crusades with remarks he made about the Muslim faith. A Turkish lawmaker said the pontiff would go down in history "in the same category as leaders such as Hitler and Mussolini" for his words. [read this article]

Hmmm, let's see... The pope decries violence and he is called a crusader and compared to Hitler. This is so idiotic, it wouuld be laughable if the consequences were not so grave.

Well this isn't true of all the fans by any means, but the weekly riots certainly don't help their overall image any.

After OSU's victory over Texas last week, students rioted resulting in 40 fires and 17 arrests.


"THE official Ohio State riot following the game in the west quad... Gasoline, alcohol, and cars will be available!!!"

Haha, yeah, this article from the spoof news site The Onion has it about right:

SARASOTA, FL—Bowing to pressure from alumni, students, and a majority of teaching professors of Florida State University, athletic director Dave Hart Jr. announced yesterday that FSU would completely phase out all academic operations by the end of the 2010 school year in order to make athletics the school's No. 1 priority. "It's been clear for a while that Florida State's mission is to provide the young men and women enrolled here with a world-class football program, and this is the best way to cut the fat and really focus on making us No. 1 every year," Hart said. "While it's certainly possible for an academic subsidiary to bring a certain amount of prestige to an athletic program, the national polls have made it that our non-athletic operations have become a major distraction." FSU's restructuring program will begin with the elimination of the College of Arts and Sciences, effective October 15.

I got this hilarious graphic from Chris's blog, Musings of a Domer... Make sure and check it out for a lot of good posts on ND football and other topics.

Here's my football season so far...

Games attended (at any level): 7

Roncalli's record: 1-3
ND's record: 2-0
Colts record: 1-0

Combined record: 4-3

...

My participation as a fan isn't too shabby this year, but Roncalli is dragging my combined record down considerably compared to a year ago. This weekend should help a little bit, with Roncalli facing a should-win situation and with the Colts facing a pathetic Houston team. ND plays Michigan though, and as I predicted before the season, the Irish could lose this one. We'll see who comes to play.

From this Daily Mail article:

The study - carried out by a man - concluded that men's IQs are almost four points higher than women's...

He claims the 'glass ceiling' phenomenon is probably due to inferior intelligence, rather than discrimination or lack of opportunity...

A focus on a factors such as the ability to quickly grasp a complex concept, verbal reasoning skills and creativity - some of they key ingredients of intelligence - revealed the male teenagers had IQs that were an average of 3.63 points higher...

Women needn't feel despondent, however, as the scientists believe women can achieve just as much as men - as long as they work harder....

Well, that's settled...

Mark this as the only time I have ever--and ever will be--interested in one of Oprah's shows. Back in 2004 when McGreevey openly admitted he was gay and then resigned the governorship of New Jersey, I praised his decision to be open but I also was critical of the way he handled that aspect of his life and his resignation.

Now he has a book out about his life and he'll be talking about it on Oprah. This could be an eye-opener for people who do not understand the difficulties that face a person (especially a very public person) who is gay and deciding whether or not to "come out."

Fears of revenge attacks on stingrays over Irwin death

Yeah... that's exactly what Irwin would have wanted... geesh

"Radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam."

- Rosie O'Donnell, The View, 9/13/06















She went on to denounce the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. I wonder if she knows the Taliban's policy toward homosexuals? That is, to beat them, throw them into a ditch, and run a bulldozer over them.

Five years after Pearl Harbor, WWII was over and done. It was because the country was full of serious people on all sides of the political spectrum. Five years after September 11th, we are still fighting, in no small part, because of the idiocy and obstructionism of people like Ms. O'Donnell. If she and those who think like her ever assume power, Western civilization is doomed.

The IndyStar has an article describing the roles played by 6 Hoosiers who responded in the hours of the WTC tragedy. These stories help keep 9/11 from becoming so sterilized that it loses meaning.

Peggy Noonan has a great column entitled, "The sounds of 9/11, beyond the metallic roar." HIGHLY recommended reading.

Well tonight is the Manning bowl. Oh wait, you already knew that, because the television networks have been hyping this game non-stop for a few days.

My prediction? The Colts will be too much for the Giants, but don't look for the Colts to get it done on the ground or for this to be a low-scoring affair.

Finally, 7 out of 12 "experts" on espn.com have picked the Colts to win the Super Bowl this year and we are 4th in ESPN's power rankings, but David at In The Agora isn't buying it.

Rally sons of Notre Dame:
Sing her glory and sound her fame,
Raise her Gold and Blue
And cheer with voices true:
Rah, rah, for Notre Dame
We will fight in ev-ry game,
Strong of heart and true to her name
We will ne'er forget her
And will cheer her ever
Loyal to Notre Dame

Cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame,
Wake up the echoes cheering her name,
Send a volley cheer on high,
Shake down the thunder from the sky.
What though the odds be great or small
Old Notre Dame will win over all,
While her loyal sons are marching
Onward to victory.

Michael Novak has a column up on NRO saying that ND is now "America's Team." Here's the power quote:

I have a nephew, Joseph (Joe), who is just back from the Philippines, and in few months on his way to Indonesia — he works for the State Department. At the Sunday afternoon dinner (a family tradition in the old days) at my sister’s apartment, he was marveling that the announcers, and even some of the Georgia Tech guys, kept saying the night before that Notre Dame is “America’s team.” That sounded amazing to us. Even Joe can remember when Notre Dame meant the immigrants’ school, the outsiders fighting for a little respect, and thrilled by a win as an underdog.

How things change. (Only in America)....

Notre Dame fans don’t just cheer for Notre Dame. They are not just loyal. They truly love the place (even if they have never actually been there) or, more exactly, they love the spirit that has animated its football squads since even before Knute Rockne was coach. Spirit is not tangible, and it is only really effective when ND has some 260-pound tackles and guards, some hard-charging runners like Jerome Bettis, and one of those passers of Heismann quality that the school is famous for.

Yet even if it always had those heavier assets, but not the spirit, it would not be Notre Dame. We would not love it so.

When you look at the extremely low academic and behavioral bar that many colleges set for their players, you can't help but have the feeling that many in the college football are taking advantage of these young men. And unlike the nimrods who suggest that the solution is to pay the players, I offer this simple solution: raise the bar!

First of all, do not admit football players on scholarship if their academic progress out of high school is so low that they don't even belong in college. Secondly, punish players who do things wrong. Notre Dame does a good job here, but most others do not. Purdue, for instance, allowed a player to play who drove drunk but got out of his DUI on a technicality. Texas will end up suspending Tarell Brown only one game because, although he was caught with possession of marijuana and firearms, he tested negative for the drug. I'm sure we could name countless other examples of lax or non-existent discipline.

ND dropped to 4th from 2nd in the AP poll, being leapfrogged by USC and Texas. They dropped from a tie for 3rd to a tie for 5th in the USAToday Coaches poll, jumped by Auburn and now tied with West Virginia.

Now I think ND may have been ranked one or two positions too high in the preseason polls, so this week's drop is not completely unreasonable. However, consider that Texas's first week opponent was North Texas, USC's was Arkansas, and West Virginia's was Marshall. As Sean argues on Kelly Green, if the polls are going to reward you for playing cake teams, why schedule anyone tough? The only exception may be Auburn who played Washington St. I don't know how good or bad Wash. St. is supposed to be, so I can't condemn Auburn's opener just yet.

This just shows that people who try to criticize ND's strength of schedule are just plain ignorant.


Update: Well, Sean has pointed out that Washington St. is indeed a cake team this year, so that question's solved... Also, one of my other friends pointed out that Texas, USC, W. Virginia, and Auburn all played at home in their opener as well, whereas ND's game was away.

Notre Dame did not look exceedingly strong last week against Georgia Tech, and they have dropped slightly in the rankings to reflect that. However, the Irish showed poise against a tough opening opponent and Weis ran a generally conservative game plan. Tomorrow the gloves come off and Penn State won't know what hit them. They played weakly against Akron, a much weaker opponent than Tech.

My prediction: ND 24, PSU 7.

If Newt missed the point in his prescription for the GOP'S health, Ryan Sager hits it straight on. In his book The Elephant in the Room, as summarized by John Tierney writing in the NYTimes, Sager argues that the GOP needs to get back to its small-government roots if it wants to retain the support it enjoyed by the Reagan voter-coalition and yes, the 1994 GOP Congressional revolution led by Newt Gingrich.

Republicans have to relearn the principle that big government is not the solution to all our woes. President Bush's massive prescription drug benefit program and the Congressional GOP's full embrace of countless earmarks show that they have lost their way.

Current GOP political strategy is in fact a wager: stress foreign policy and social conservatism and bank that the disenchanted libertarian Republicans will show up at the polls and be driven to vote GOP based on these factors. Democrats have ensured the success of this policy as they have been bankrupt on both foreign policy and to a lesser degree social issues.

Sooner or later, however, this wager will no longer hold. If the right Democrat steps up to attract these libertarians and if problems in Iraq lead to foreign policy ambivalence, the Reagan coalition may be broken and Republicans may again find themselves in the minority.