Dang the Olympics are crazy. Here are several conclusions I have come to about them.

1. First off, watching all these world class athletes is bad for my self-esteem, as they are so fit and sexy, and I by comparison am such a not-sexy blob. Oh well, they probably don't have sweet blogging skills like me.

2. It sucks that this is all happening on the other side of the planet because it means all the best stuff is happening either while I am or should be sleeping, or while I'm at work. Needless to say, my Tivo is getting quite the workout. There is always the possibility of watching them on NBC.com while at work, but that is risky business... watch the Olympics or stay employed? Hmmm... which is more patriotic?

3. Why is it that there are sporting events that the are only interesting in the Olympics? I mean, for me this is true for many things that are relatively mainstream like swimming or gymnastics. I don't ever really watch these things, not even the world championships, but when they are on during the Olympics I feel this strange compulsion to watch them, and they seem so dramatic! This weekend I spent nearly 2 hours watching badminton. Did you hear that? Badminton. That is downright inexplicable.

4. And finally, while I think Michael Phelps is amazing, definitely one of the fastest swimming humans in history, I will be so glad when this two weeks is over and I don't to be beaten over the head with stories about him for another four years. Yes he's a great swimmer, and yes he's won a crapload of gold metals, but dang - enough is enough. I feel bad for the rest of the American men's swim team. Here is a demonstration of my point: can you name one other male US swimmer? Me neither.

So, having said all that, I think I'm going to flip over to NBC.com - go America! I'm so patriotic that work can wait, and heck, I've already sacrificed sleep, why should work get any better treatment?

As George Santayana said, "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." We secretly funded, supplied, and trained the Afghan's during their war with the Soviets in the 1980's, only to have them use those weapons and learned skills against us twenty years later. Well, here we go again.

Don't get me wrong, I definitely think the effort to suppress terrorists and extremists such as the Taliban and Qaeda is very important in Afghanistan right now, I'm just not sure throwing money (particularly our tax dollars) at the problem is the solution. A better solution in my opinion would be to get more US and international military support there on the ground. Of course this is impossible because of our current, albeit misguided, involvement in Iraq.

And with Afghanistan's own corruption and heroin trafficking issues already being so prevalent, can we trust that this money will be spent efficiently and effectively? My real fear is this: how long will it be until the arms and training this money pays for are turned against us? Perhaps it's time to review our track record and come up with a fresh solution.

John McCain baffles me by repeatedly contradicting himself as if no one will notice. MoveOn.org made this video to point out just such an occasion that happened this week, this time regarding his inaction on Energy Policy as a Senator, followed by his call for Congress to get to work on Energy Policy reform. Whoops?

So let me preface by saying I am not a Paris Hilton fan. At all. Now, having said that, I must admit that I find this response to John McCain's recent use of her image in an anti-Obama ad pretty funny. Also, her suggestion for energy policy seems pretty reasonable... which is just unsettling.