This may sound like a rant...

but every week there is some new "non-news" event preoccupying the entire media that ultimately does nothing but diffuse our attention from what's really going on in our opaque government.

This week it's Newsweek's blurp and subsequent retraction regarding the "alleged" but highly likely desecration of the Holy Koran by personnel at Guantanomo. That similar accounts have been circulating throughout various global media for quite some time apparently has no bearing when it comes to the Bush Administration's wielding of this as its own political football. This, from an Administration that will stop at little, if anything, to skewer and spin its own press. But if Newsweek is to be held accountable for the riots and deaths in Afghanistan based on its publication of erroneous information (stemming from government sources, by the way), then why has Bush gotten off scott-free for basing his preemptive attack of Iraq upon specious, illogical and disputed "erroneous information" in the first place?

Presidential-accountability is just too much to ask for from our declasse cowboy masquerading as Commander-in-Chief, isn't it? He'll let his press secretary field inquiry for the time being, until someone writes him some charming platitudes to pitch to oath-signing supporters.

And let's not go the conspiracy-theory way and suggest that Newsweek was set up, just so the Bush Administration can point its crooked little snot-infested finger and say, "See? You guys always get it wrong! You are not to be trusted!"

Give me a break.

In the meantime, while everyone's attention is on this nonevent, the Republican-lead senate is getting ready to chip off a little bit more of our democracy and stick it to the Democrats and, by extension, at least half the population if not more, by once again changing rules for its own power-crazed benefit. This time it's the filibuster rule. What will it be next?

I shudder to think.