The Pacers were able to get a steal in the NBA draft. Grainger was a potential top five pick who somehow managed to still be availible at #17. He’s positioned to play immediately. He’s not a shooting guard to replace Reggie Miller, but he just might be the last piece of the puzzle needed to get a championship.

Also, in the news of the insane, we have this little gem. I’m honestly not sure what made someone think this was a good idea, but they really need to do some more ‘thought-showering’ on it.

I watched President Bush’s speech the other night and found it to be pretty good. I don’t really like his speaking style because I don’t think it’s natural or emotional enough. He always comes across as a pseudo-puppet for his speech writing staff as a result. I also didn’t like his reference to 9/11 because that event really has nothing to do with Iraq.

However, his main point (That we are fully committed to winning the war and things are progressing in that direction nicely.) was something with which I absolutely agree, and I’m very glad that he finally got up and defended himself to the national media. They have been beating him up over this issue incessantly and, while I don’t know that it’s really hurting the war efforts all that much, I do think that they are not saying these things because they are looking at the big picture and wanting to make the world a better place. They are quite obviously trying to sell newspapers, tv time, and books. This is what the media does.

I’m also glad he didn’t set a time table for pulling out. That would have been phenominally stupid. I am also glad that he said he’s listening to his military commanders with respect to how many troops are required to achieve their goals. I don’t know why people seem to continually fail to understand that we’re not there to defeat an enemy so much as to create an ally. (If you are anti-Bush, feel free to insert an oil industry joke here.) The people of Iraq have been beaten down both physically and psychologically to believe that they need dictators and terrorists to lead them if they ever want to get somewhere as a nation. If they choose to they can become a powerful nation for freedom. If they choose otherwise, as the people of Vietnam did, then our leaders will have to be willing understand this and accept it without, well, doing what we did in Vietnam.

One more basketball tidbit, Oden is going to Ohio State. Look for them to be in the Final Four in 2007.