Barking Up Every Tree

"Predictably, the press seized upon this. Commentator David Gergen called the president 'frank and humble.' The New York Times decided he was 'more humble about the mistakes he has made over the past two and a half years.' And the Associated Press called the speech 'a high profile display of candor.'

"Tom Shales, the television critic of the Washington Post (in the modern era it is entirely appropriate to have a TV critic critique the President of the United States) said that Bush was 'determined to sound determined.' In other words, the president did very, very well.

"Why? Because when the media concentrate on how you are newly humble about your mistakes, then they are not concentrating on the mistakes themselves. Instead, they are concentrating on you and how more appealing you have become.

"Americans love humility from those on high. They love the admission of error. They love redemption. (Ask Bill Clinton, whose approval ratings never dipped below 60 percent during the Monica Lewinsky scandal.)"

Man, this could be a big one if Abramoff is getting ready to sing:

"Jack Abramoff, the Republican lobbyist under criminal investigation, has been discussing with prosecutors a deal that would grant him a reduced sentence in exchange for testimony against former political and business associates, people with detailed knowledge of the case say," reports the New York Times .

"Mr. Abramoff is believed to have extensive knowledge of what prosecutors suspect is a wider pattern of corruption among lawmakers and Congressional staff members. One participant in the case who insisted on anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations described him as a 'unique resource.'

"Other people involved in the case or who have been officially briefed on it said the talks had reached a tense phase, with each side mindful of the date Jan. 9, when Mr. Abramoff is scheduled to stand trial in Miami in a separate prosecution."

Here's a weird Hollywood tale in the L.A. Times : The creator of the "Girls Gone Wild" videos, "who made a fortune persuading young women to bare their breasts for the camera, testified that an armed intruder stole cash and possessions and then forced him to make a humiliating, half-naked video."

No shortage of sordid details.

The New York Post goes with the Paris angle:

"Party girl-turned-crime fighter Paris Hilton feared for her life, believing the same thugs who brutalized 'Girls Gone Wild' producer Joe Francis were coming after her, the soft-core smut peddler said in court yesterday."

Jacko hasn't been in the news for awhile, so:

"Michael Jackson's ex-wife wants a judge to make him return their kids from the Middle East, while the pop idol's advisers continue 'desperate' negotiations to save him from financial ruin, sources said yesterday," says the New York Daily News .

"Debbie Rowe filed legal papers accusing the embattled entertainer of 'abducting' Prince Michael I, 8, and Paris, 7, a source close to Rowe confirmed."

Prince Michael ?

Finally, did the governor of New Mexico engage in excessive touching with the lieutenant governor of New Mexico? Diane Denish is backing away from an Albuquerque Journal story about her and Bill Richardson, says the New Mexican , but only slightly:

" 'He pokes me,' Denish said when confronted about photos taken of Richardson and her at an appearance in Bernalillo in late October. 'He pinches my neck. He touches my hip, my thigh, sort of the side of my leg.' Denish told The Journal, 'I try not to put myself in that situation, trying not to stand or sit next to him.'"

A real hands-on governor.