In this segment from CNN's "American Morning," two college students are asked to predict the '08 nominees for their respective parties. Republican Laura Elizabeth Morales picks Ron Paul, sending host Rick Sanchez into a near-apoplectic fit of disbelief.

Co-host Kiran Chetry tries to reign things in, explaining that while Morales has every right to prefer Paul, the question was about the likely nominee. But Morales just sticks to her guns, mitigating her choice with "idealistically." Well, "idealistically," I could hope that if I step in front of a bus, I don't get hit, but that does not actually affect my statistical chances of becoming a pancake.

Democrat Rachel Moore goes Morales one better and simply refuses to pick any candidate at all. She just blathers for a while about how anyone would be better than Bush, and all that matters is that some Democrat wins. She also can't be nailed down on the most important Democratic issue. In fact, when it comes to answering questions directly, Moore makes Morales look like a genius.

As a woman, I think it's great that "American Morning" found two college-aged women to represent the younger segments of the parties. But did they have to find these two?

MSNBC news commentator Keith Olbermann has never pulled punches, but this "special comment," directed at President Bush after the Scooter Libby sentence commutation, may have taken him to a new playing field. It's an A-1, tour-de-force rant: a point-by-point ennumeration of the ways in which Olbermann feels Bush has allowed partisanship to replace all other judgement, ruining the integrity of the presidency and exhibiting a destructive contempt for all American citizens who have placed their faith in the office.

No doubt Bush's supporters (and Olbermann's detractors) can find many bones to pick not only with Olbermann's opinions, but with the way in which he presents them as ringing truths. (And no doubt many of those arguments will feature several points about the evils of the Clinton administration.)

Find fault where you will; it is, after all, simply one man's opinion. But if nothing else, concede the passion here, the eloquence, the fervor of a patriot who feels he's got no place to hang his hat anymore. Recognize, at least, that here before us lies one of the most well-worded, well-presented, well-structured hissy fits in a good long stretch of recent memory.

Ah, Farfur, you squeaky-voiced, incendiary, singing, dancing promoter of violence to children, we hardly knew ye. Good.

This week, Tomorrow's Pioneers, a children's program on Palestinian Hamas station Al-Aqsa TV, featured Mickey-Mouse-like Farfur getting "martyred" by Israel. Farfur has been making international headlines for a few months now, with his cheerful lessons about worldwide Islamic rule and his call-in segments where kids chat about annihilating the Jews and sing about using AK-47s as he dances along.

But just in case the kids watching had ANY doubts left about which side they were supposed to be on, there's this kicker of a final episode, in which Farfur takes a beating for not giving up his land to Israel, and then his cute-as-a-button young cohost, Saraa, sweetly informs us that Farfur has taken the long dirt nap for the cause. Charming.

Incidentally, wiki reports there's been controversy about how accurately the show's been translated by the Middle East Research Institute. However, I can't help but notice nobody's challenged the authenticity of the AK-47 song. Good riddance, Farfur.