AND ANOTHER THING …

The argument from the camp of presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich is that the media have virtually ignored the Ohio congressman’s long-shot campaign. The campaign staff may have a point: Rep. Kucinich last week brought a chart reportedly showing waste in Pentagon budget to a recent debate broadcast on National Public Radio but listeners weren’t shown the chart even once.

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Freshman U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud, known for his plain speaking and straightforward style, had this to say about President Bush’s new immigration plan: “It is important for the United States to strike a delicate balance between the interests of U.S. workers, foreign workers, and the need for increased homeland security and enforcement. I believe these reforms must be handled in a responsible way that does not unfairly burden American businesses looking for workers or a U.S. worker’s ability to find and fill job openings. Ultimately, any proposal must ensure that one element is not sacrificed to the detriment of another.” The learning curve is steep in Washington. Sometimes it takes two terms to learn to say so little at such length.

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The potato industry is fighting the popularity of those low-carbohydrate diets by pointing out that their product is high in vitamin C and potassium. According to the U.S. Potato Board, a potato has a mere 9 percent of the recommended daily allowance of carbohydrates and it has protein. As potato lovers, we wish them well in the campaign and hope the butter, sour cream and frying-oil industries are soon able to make similar cases.

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After an exhaustive investigation, a senior U.S. government official said last week there were no known terrorists among the passengers ticketed on an Air France flight to Los Angeles that was canceled Christmas Eve. According to the Los Angeles Times, a man with the same name as a Taliban fighter “turned out to be a regular guy,” the U.S. official said. A regular guy going to Los Angeles … sounds a little suspicious from here.