We note, with some admiration, Laura Bush's strong defense of Burma and her well-handled White House press conference Monday afternoon in the wake of the cyclone there that killed an estimated 10,000 people.

We applaud her spirited and thoughtful defense of the human rights violations that have occurred there and her urging of that nation to accept U.S. and other foreign aid for this disaster.

She took questions like a pro and showed a broad understanding of the political situation and challenges that go on inside that country. She also doesn't get enough credit for the dignified example that she has set over the last few years. While some in her position may have been a distraction, she has been a credible and dignified asset during her husband's presidency.

When her husband first took office, she was asked what kind of first lady she planned to be and she said responded by saying she'd simply be herself. And so she has played a quiet yet strong role, dare we mention the steel magnolia phrase, drawing attention to literacy, reading, women's health and now Burma.

We're only sorry that her role hasn't been as more of an ambassador. She is quite a formidable advocate when she takes up a cause. We think she is a true role model who held her own in public moment — on the eve of a big wedding no less. She has done the office of first lady proud with her grace.

— Andrea Billups, The Washington Times

In the midst of all of the primary cacophony, it was good to have a nice UFO sighting — actually a couple of them — to take our minds off of the wonkery. Strange the stories of similar lights appearing in Florida and Arizona. Perhaps there will be a bigfoot sighting soon to kick off the summer.

We like Condi Rice — perhaps not her retro-hair — but definitely her. We think she's smart and thoughtful, and has carried herself in a high-minded way amid much criticism of the current administration. We do not think she is the wisest choice for vice president.

Not that she isn't qualified, because she is, but because of her connection with George W. Bush. That will most certainly be used against her if she is the veep nominee. The Barackster, who seems like he's headed toward victory, even with all of the Hill-Bill machinations, will point to the General and Condi and say they represent the past. It's not a bad political argument either. They sorta do. He'll use McCain's age and Condi's Bush association against them very effectively. We can already see the TV ads, too. With a younger and more unknown running mate, McCain escapes a lot of the "this is a total step backward" criticism, we think. Not that we don't respect Condi and hope she continues in some sort of national public service role. That said … a black female candidate on a GOP ticket would just kill a bunch of the liberals, dontchathink?

Firing her chief strategist at the 11th hour won't help Hillary. It might be the above-board thing to do, but it also makes her look like she continues to crash. It's the notion that she can't keep her team together as her campaign runs out of steam. Some people in the middle of America who can't find Colombia on a map will not understand the implications of his lobbying, thus making her look more like a shrew for canning him when she's losing. It's a perception thing, and not everyone out there is a political junkie, something people in Washington tend to forget.

NFL star and PETA bullseye Michael Vick is now playing football on his prison's team. Mebbe he's trying to stay in shape while he's in the pokey. Wouldn't he be concerned that he might get hurt? Seems like a good place to sustain serious injuries. Go play — uh, go.

We were sorry to see that Charlton Heston died, but very glad that he disappeared from public life when it was clear his Alzheimer's was progressing. We remember him strong and passionate — doing that "my cold dead hands" speech at the NRA meeting.

We still don't think the USA should be going to those Olympics this summer.

They call it a polygamist "retreat" so we gotta wonder if this is where dudes worn out by having four or five wives and three dozen children go to chill before returning to their illegal broods. Probably it's the womenfolk who need the rest here, although they always have free babysitting, we bet. Life there is also likely nothing like it is on "Big Love." The subject matter is tough but we think the writing is sublime.

— Andrea Billups, The Washington Times

Be Kind to Lawyers Day is Tuesday, April 8th — insert laugh track here. With apologies to our gal pals and a coupla other folks who pass muster — Shelly Steinbach, are you listening? — we think this new holiday will go over pretty much like lead balloons. Probably good for some joke fodder on Leno and Letterman, tho, and parfait for Colbert. No doubt Hallmark will eventually produce cards for this one. Everyone has a holiday, or so it seems.

A crusader we admire, Thor Halvorssen, wrote a piece on the Fox News Web site about celebrities, Chavez and Venezuela that we think bears a read; check it out. Sean Penn. Rhymes with nut. We think Thor will one day become an ambassador, if not a senator. We applaud his work at the humanrightsfoundation.org. He may be the youngest person out there — he's just 32 — making the biggest impact on these issues. This is a person to watch — elegant and a genius thinker with the tenacity of a pitbull.

Chelsea Clinton: MORE candid by the day. Have ya noticed? Nothing to lose so she's going for it for Mommy. Monday in North Carolina, she (politely) slammed the Bush administration and once again refused to answer the Bill and Monica question. Speaking of: What is Monica doing these days? And wonder who she is supporting in this election? Be a good get to chase her down TMZ-style and ask. Be funnier still if she turned up at a Hillary rally with Bill on the stump.

Barbara Walters sure seemed "Obamacized" on "The View." Babs was dazzled by his star-power, and she herself is a star-maker. Elisabeth was probably watching the interview and dying deep down to dub him a socialist. We think she has big stones to represent, yo, for the cute conservatives chicks. Whoopi has been oddly restrained and thoughtful, we must add — not the lightening rod that some predicted.

If you were to, say, … cut off Madonna's head and Photoshop out the breasts, those arms of hers would look much like those of a 110-pound high school wrestler, no? Or a bantam weight boxer. Fierce but not exactly girlie.

— Andrea Billups, The Washington Times

Recapping the weekend: Hillary won't quit — Chelsea, BTW, says mom will be a better president than dad. We'd love for her to elaborate on that can of worms, but we're pretty sure she won't. The Barackster can't bowl — we are totally SHOCKED (sarcasm added) — and we note he looks mighty odd visiting a dairy and communing with the cows. Basketball, yes. Milkers, nah, although we can appreciate the photo op. On the GOP track: The general looked right at home visiting a military base in Mississippi, and we might also add, he looks to us a bit more relaxed now that he's the frontrunner. You can see it in his face.

How will they count those delegates in Florida and Michigan? We still are eager to see how it all shakes out. Speaking of Michigan, we were on a flight this weekend to Detroit with none other than Hizzoner, the newly indicted mayor of Motown, Kwame Kilpatrick. Hum this song along with us, wontcha — "I wear my sunglasses at night…" — that's right. Dude entered a 10 p.m. flight wearing shades. Took a seat in the front row of first class and quickly put on headphones. Maybe he was listening to relaxation tapes. Maybe it was a good ole Barry White CD. Seems possible. Barry is for the lover in you and, well, you know the mayor's story. We won't go any further except to say that people are divided on strategy. Some say they think he'd fare well in a trial, given that in Detroit there are some who still support him. Others think he might cop a plea and earn probation and a fine. While others surmise that his former chief of staff might make a deal and rat him out to save herself. She's lost a lot, too, in all of this. We couldn't blame her. All in all, this is a disaster with likely no happy end.

Moving from politics, as we write Larry Greatman — whose name is apt, for he is a GREAT man — is at home in Lancaster, Calif., being attended to by hospice. His chemotherapy made him sick and did not work. We first met him about nine years ago, the father of a friend of a friend. He taught middle school for many years in Lancaster, Calif., and when we covered education long ago, we weighed in with him to get a perspective on what real teachers were thinking on some hot-button issues. He was always thoughtful and it was clear to us that he not only loved kids, but he represented the integrity of good teachers, a man who lived well and taught youth by his own example. As reporters, we often get to interact with powerful, famous and inspired people. After many years of doing just that, we offer that Mr. Greatman stands out in that flock of notables as a true spirit. Those close to him might describe him as a mensch. Example: he used to drive cross-country from Cally to Washington to visit his daughter, not because he was afraid to fly, but because he enjoyed the ride. What we adore is his ability to be strong enough to be vulnerable. We watched him weep tenderly over a Passover seder as his family members were remembered. And we choked up at a wedding in November when he stood under the chuppa, his only daughter a vision of perfection in creme satin and pearls — wiping away tears as he gave her away — a glorious, emotional sight. As a woman, we have admired the way he looks at his wife of decades with a glance that says she's still THE most gorgeous woman in the world. Ah, that we would all know such love and devotion. We honor Mr. Greatman because of the dignity and joy he puts in the world. There are people all around us — not famous but incredibly grand — who live life well and make us feel good about humanity, people of quiet dignity whose goodness is loud! We ask that you consider telling those people in your own life how much you admire them now. We just did.

— Andrea Billups, The Washington Times

That Sarkozy is a chick magnet. Didya see the pic of the French prez with the Queen? She was smiling like a smitten school girl. And the model missus? On a day a naked photo from her modeling days resurfaced around the world, Madame Carla shows up on a state visit to Britain looking like a modern Jackie O in Dior. Yummy. We loved her suit so much we almost climbed inside our computer just to fondle it. And she wore FLATS. Decadence (and likely Chanel), probably so she wouldn’t tower over the new hubbie. He must have some kind of charisma. They are the world's hottest power couple. They make Paris and Benji look like apartment dwellers from Tarzana.

Ah, yes a tiny glimpse into the Chelsea Clinton personality as she shot back at a student at Butler University that it was "none of your business" when asked about her mom, Monica and Bill scandal. Seems the apple does not fall too far from the (dad) tree. Mainly, we're just glad to note that she can stand on her own, although candidly we'd have liked to have seen her go postal on the dude, just for fun. Be cool to have her speak at the Democratic convention along with Michelle Obama.

Actress Demi Moore's over-40 beauty secret? LEECHES. Ummmmletusthinkaboutitno.
Botox, check. Facial fillers, sure. Surgery, if necessary. But big, slimy blood-sucking worms. NOT. Is having a 20-something hubbie not enough for this girl? AS IF.

Some British dude has fashioned a dung catapult to scare off would-be vandals. Could we possibly get a blueprint for this device? We plan to shoot it off our roof at folks who play those big booming bass stereos with the windows down in their cars. No volume control. No peace. BTW: We use the same standard for hotels. No fluffy bathrobe. No peace.

If we followed the logic of the latest polls, the longer this presidential primary contest goes on, the chances grow for everyone hating both Democratic candidates. Probably too soon for McCain to feel good about it all, but certainly his handlers must be taking lots of notes. Who would have thunk it, with all the Bush haters foaming at a change in administrations, that the Democrats would be having such trouble. Kinda wild.

— Andrea Billups, The Washington Times

Have ya noticed how President Bush has become a lot less protective of his image of late? Posing with the Easter Bunny in a snuggle — at this point he's gotta get the love somewhere, no? We bet the White House releases a good photo with the president and Jenna at her wedding. That would be some positive PR. We're still super sad there is no White House wedding and we're dying to check out her dress.

Loving the pix of the Barackster layin' low for a couple of days in the Virgin Islands, one of our fave spots, too. It could be cool to have a possible president who looked attractive once again, ya know. Probably not since Kennedy did we have a commander in chief so young with some cute potential. Young folks like him because he not only sounds hopeful, but he looks relatable — not like someone's dad or grandfather. BTW: These presidential candidates sure do need a vacation at this point, along with the media types who cover them day to day. No more exhausting travel than a campaign.

That story on Mrs. Clinton and her Bosnia trip is odd fiction. We think she more than misspoke. It feels like she made the whole thing up and got caught. Maybe she just dreamed it. It might seem like a small thing, but at this stage, these little things add up to zap her credibility, which seems like it’s being called into question near daily.

Our Curtis Granderson got hit by a ball and fractured his finger. He will not start the Tigers season. We are highly disappointed. Nonetheless, we can't wait for baseball season to start in full. We could watch it everyday.

Allow us to say this much about recent developments in Detroit. Those people need some help. People are frustrated, the city is really struggling, the economy is a trainwreck and now they have a mayor who kinda feels like a legend in his own mind. We wonder how much of his own legal bill related to his case he tries to pawn off on the city? Just wait. His high-dollar counsel will turn in a mega-bill, and the mayor will blame everyone else but himself and try to force the city into paying it, we bet.

— Andrea Billups, The Washington Times

Divide the delegates, stop the madness and put Florida and Michigan behind us. We think Chris Dodd's idea is the most practical and cost-effective, not that anyone seems to be paying attention to the money, even in these dire economic times. We would have thought people would have quacked a lot louder over the notion that it was cool to raise, say $12 million, on the internet for a primary re-do as was suggested, but apparently no. They should have. Oy. Let taxpayers pay for someone's insane political screw-ups? Now that's appropriate.

That new Bin Laden tape. Seems to be met with a 'whatever,' even as he attacked the Pope at a key time. We think someone's 15 minutes are over.

In hindsight, we are super-offended by the Rev. Wright remarks. Wonder if any news outlet would have the stones to invite HIM to the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in April?

A lot of movie stars and wannabes have turned up naked this week, huh? Probably a good lesson in a. not getting naked to jumpstart a career and b. retrieving one's er personal property after a romantic split. We won't be naming names, but they're hard to miss.

We love, love, love that Florida Coach Billy Donovan who opened up a can of Gator anger on his team, kicking them out of their million-dollar practice facility and stripping them of school apparel because he felt they weren't trying hard enough. After back-to-back NCAA championships, the team was forced to play the NIT. Not funny to a competitor like Billy. We LOVE IT that he lowered the boom. It's a good lesson in not getting too big for your britches.

Sunday is Easter. If you can't make it to church — and you really should cause it's Easter and you should — at least dye some eggs. The designs are a lot cooler than when you were little, if you haven't tried this in say, a coupla decades. It's a lot funner than you think. Plus, you can still eat 'em on Monday or even make some egg salad, which is way underrated as a food source.

Peeps, consumed in your car during a commute … are calorie-free. So are those delicious Reese's Peanut Butter eggs. We made an official ruling. Enjoy.

— Andrea Billups, The Washington Times

Some observations about the presidential campaigns thus far:

We are glad, on some level, that the Barackster has raised the dialogue on race. We all dance around it. Most of us pretend to be comfortable with it, but few of us understand it because it is not our experience. We do believe he brings an unusual perspective, given his life experience, and we think he continues to struggle with his own identity to this day. Cynical people will debate his motive, but we think his addressing his own life and problems with his culture add momentum to understanding. We just do.

We don't for one second think Obama's defense of his former pastor, however, is going to go away. The speech had impact, was elegant and won't be soon forgotten. It will allow him to dodge it in the primary season, but he can expect it to return if indeed he does meet John McCain in the general election. The debate he'll face has been fully outlined on talk radio this week. Republicans can hardly wait to take him on.

We do fee like this Democratic primary season is over. The Barackster feels more presidential. While he's talking about issues, Hillary is whining about delegates. He's leading the conversation. She's reacting. Sure she's fighting for her political life, but in Michigan, trust us here, voters care about jobs, finances and feeding their families. Her parachuting into Detroit — a once-proud place that has been sold out by corruption — looked calculated if not desperate.

If we are to do the cipherin' here — quoting the great math scholar Jethro Bodeen — she can't win. Not even a do-over primary in Michigan would tip it. How she exits elegantly, we are uncertain. One thing we believe is this: video did kill the radio star and with the younger generations, having someone who is the face of hope is a big deal. Whether he can deliver is hard to say. But for the youth of this country at least — and it's uncertain if they'll vote — they want someone who projects hope, who looks vibrant, not like their grandfather, who can make them believe that politics and our whole Democratic process isn't just something in textbooks. On that level, Obama is energizing people who didn't care before.

In other funner news, the first J-Lo baby pics are online today at PEOPLE.com. Everyone, it seems, is preggers or giving birth in Hollywood these days. They are among the few who afford kids, it would seem.

— Andrea Billups, The Washington Times