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

Spring Training continues and as always, our thoughts turn to baseball, one of our fave hobbies, even if we are a chick. (Marry me, Curtis Granderson?) Kidding, it's all about the game, not the boys.

Keeping to that theme, is there anyone else out there besides us who wishes we could bring retired Fed Reserve Chief Alan Greenspan off the bench?

While Greenspan is probably living the posh life these days, counting his money, America needs some fiscal help. Anyone have a cell number? We'd like to ring him up to chat.

Wall Street is shuddering and while we are glad Starbucks is down to $17 and some change a share, our dollar is looking ever more like the peso. Oye! And candidly, while we are hardly a financial genius, this currency crisis is starting to hit close to home. We were pondering with the better half a trip later this spring to Europe, but being fluffy metrosexuals, neither one of us can cop to staying in some two-star hotel and dining on 50 cent, er, better make that euro, croissants. We'd really like something new from Ferragamo, shoes being our jagged little pill, but in Italy, we'd be lucky for a couple of glasses of house Orvieto, let alone some fine leather goods that used to be had on the cheap when our dollar was rockin'.

Not so now. While we also pondered sunny days in Florida, a reward for completing our book contract, we are now considering places where we could drive — qu'elle domage — rather than fly, given the rising cost of airfares. It's gloomy out there in travel world. While flying has, in the past few years, become one step up — and we do mean a small step — from Greyhound travel, now it's starting to become a luxury given the flaming costs of oil. As a family with no children and intense wanderlust, we're getting a little huffy if not restless.

That Ben Bernanke dude — nothing personal — seems not to be helping so much, dontchathink? Not that the cyclical economy is entirely his fault, but his reactions to it have been less than Greenspanian. Al probably would have done something different, we bet.

In other funner news:
A headline in the UK Guardian screamed: "Why does Hillary wear such bad clothes?" And ya know what, we're glad they wrote the story because sometimes that very notion keeps us up at night. If you can't get the fashion part right, what with all that money and all those handlers, what else will you screw up? Remembering the old adage: "Our ability to accessorize is what separates us from the beasts." Yellow suits. Who can wear YELLOW besides Tyra Banks?

Funseekers: check out this short from aspiring filmmaker Adam Williamson, a student at the University of West Florida in Pensacola. It's a cutie.

If that doesn't make you laugh, we offer this link we found on the Florida Democratic Party's Web site.

Is politics a great sport or WHAT?

— Andrea Billups, The Washington Times

In this feel-good age, where every kid gets a trophy, even the losers — is it any wonder that Michigan and Florida are working for a do-over in their primary elections? They knew when they voted for earlier primaries that their actions could cause problems, but they went ahead anyway despite concerns.

There used to be such a thing as consequences for one's behavior — including political bad judgment. But apparently no. With our national economy tanking ever so, even in states like Florida and especially Michigan, the cost of a do-over primary is in the millions. In Florida, estimates range from $10-12 million. Hardly chump change, particularly in a place where the infrastructure has long been outpaced by growth.

We can hardly blame big-time donors who are asking for their money back. If you're gonna hand over five or six figures to assist your chosen political party, you'd expect they'd spent it wisely, not fritter it away.

But states wanting a little more political clout decided they'd plunge in, holding primaries out of step with the national party rules and taking their chances. Now, it seems, because they couldn't comply, their primary hubris has caused them trouble. Like the hovering suburban turbo-parents, moving mountains to protect their little one's mojo — you know the type, the ones you want to kill at soccer practice — now they cry foul, using words like "disenfranchised" as a way to force another election because they couldn't get it right the first time. "All voters voices must be heard," they whine.

Blah, blah, blah. Sit in it and deal.

We actually hope neither Michigan nor Florida run a new election. It's too expensive, opens them up for legal challenges and creates more drama where there should be none. They made the decision to screw up and they should enjoy the punishment for not following the rules. The candidates will have to deal with it — play it as it lies, so to speak — and let the delegate counts mount as they will. And the donors ... if it were us and we'd dropped a pile o' change expecting reform, we'd say return our dough and not a moment too soon because this election, for the Democrats at least, is turning into a bigger train wreck as the days go on. And that's a shame for everyone.

In other, funner news:

We chuckled long and hard in our jammies Saturday night watching a broadcast of "SNL." Mariah Carey wore nearly decent clothes — for her. Who knew? Anyhow, Tracy Morgan, a one-time cast member (memba "Astronaut Jones" and "Brian Fellow?"), appeared on the Weekend Update news segment to talk about politics in his own inimitable style. Of the Democratic candidates, he joked, deadpan:

"If Hillary's last name wasn't Clinton, she would be just another crazy white lady with too much money and not enuf lovin'."

LOL.

— Andrea Billups, The Washington Times

We couldn't help but click on her pictures, then read over her My Space account. We learned about her story, too, and pictured the reality of her young life.

She was a Jersey girl, on the run from a bad family situation, looking to move to the big city to chart her own course. Music was her escape and hopeful vocation, but in order to pay her bills there, she'd need some cash. She'd been homeless, hungry, knew what it felt like to struggle in a place that sucks up the vulnerable and rewards the powerful. And so, the brunette beauty with the rockin' body turned to prostitution. Not the icky, street pimp kind. But the undercover, businessman variety, where no one gets hurt, everyone has money (and usually a wife), and girls earn their keep not on the streets but in the finer hotels, discretely behind closed doors. Hey, it pays the bills and it's better than stripping.

We feel for Ashley Dupre, the exotic and at once wholesome-looking call girl who allegedly serviced New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer several times over. Somebody's daughter, nobody's concern, she took the easy money to fund her life, hoping it would give her freedom to sing and perhaps one day make music a reality. The odds in that world were certainly against her. And now, she's the slutty coda on a promising political career and what will be a historic scandal. Did we mention a family with three teen daughters has been destroyed?

If New York seemed tough before, wait till she feels the brunt of the paparazzi onslaught, camping outside her building, following her everywhere, calling her parents in search of a story, a television appearance, an exclusive with the party girl who took down a state.

Wonder how long it takes to sell her tale of sex and power to OK magazine or some other publication that pays for news and offers her the world to spill the details of how she romped with the governor and how he liked to do things "not safe," according to the fed transcript. Was he into weirdness, lonely, angry? What did he like? And why does she think he'd sacrifice his career — and his good name — for a few nights of passion, if you could call it that, with a no-name girl half his age — for big money.

It hasn't been easy for Monica Lewinsky. Nobody paid her but she's still a punchline, even as she moved on with her education and business ventures. She's still the chubby bimbo with the stained blue dress who got the president impeached.

For Ashley, we hope it's different, and if she takes the money and runs — why wouldn't she after her name and image have been blasted all over the globe — that she uses it to change her life for the better. We hope she will continue to sing and that life ahead blesses her with self-esteem and direction — not sleaziness and despair.

— Andrea Billups, The Washington Times

One of our favorite bloggers is Perez Hilton, whose influence continues to grow. He filed this straight up tidbit about the Guvernator that we share. In the aftermath of the Al Gore expose — seems his big, big life ain't even green — and here he is, the spokesman for global doom, rolling in SUV and the like. Shame, shame. Mr./Mz. Hilton makes an excellent point here, too. These folks are too rich to really be green. It's only cool if it doesn't get in the way of their lifestyles.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose official place of work is in the Northern California city of Sacramento, reportedly spends nearly every night in his Los Angeles-area mansion.

The distance between the two cities is about 360 miles one way!

The governor uses his own money to pay for his Gulfstream flights, which price out at about $10,000 an hour.

Good thing he earned some major cash as a bodybuilder/actor.

But, the environmental costs are high. Flying TO AND FROM WORK is not very ecologically sound, as our Perezcious readers know!

The governor's staff says he purchases "carbon credits." Such credits are aimed at offsetting the greenhouse gases generated by his flights but do nothing about the particulates and smog-forming compounds released into the air.

The reason the Governator gives for the 'commute'? It's so he can spend time with his family. Admirable but can't the family move up to Sacramento?

Arnold recently made the cover of Newsweek for being 'green'. Looks a little hypocritical to us!

Ahem .... we'd have to second that emotion.

PS: Loving that so many are reaching out to Silda Spitzer, a true Baptist Southern belle (a characterization true to our own heart.) Grab those teenage girls and walk, honey. And pull an Ivana: GET EVERYTHING.

— Andrea Billups, The Washington Times

'Scuse us while we rant, but we're plumb sick and tired of seeing yet another power wife have to step to the podium, professionally coiffed, tight-lipped and MUTE, as her cash-cow of a philandering husband admits wrongdoing.

If we were the lovely Silda Spitzer, we'd head straight to a spa followed by a shopping session that put a blue flame under the family wallet. It's not the first time we've seen this, but it sure makes us sick to have to look at it YET AGAIN.

Candidly, we felt super-bad for Hillary back in the day. Then there was Kobe Bryant, whose gorgeous spouse sat by his side as he cried his way out of a fling with a HOTEL employee. (At least she got a giant pink diamond out of it and decided to stay, what with an NBA star's salary financing her young life.) Then, in Detroit, the wife of the hip-hop mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, stood by stoically as her husband apologized for a text-message scandal with his former lover and chief of staff, a tryst that he had denied in sworn testimony in a police whistleblower trial.

And now Mrs. Spitzer, dutifully there beside her hubbie — who has long felt just a itty bitty bit too smug for us, at least his public persona seems to suggest — and she's fabulous, pretty and probably also shell-shocked as she holds it together as the cameras flash and the pundits roar. Thought bubble: This goon doesn't deserve me, the (insert profanity here).

For once, we'd like to see one of these scorned ladies hold her own press conference — Donna Hanover, Line 1? — and lay it all on the line. "My cheatin' better half is about to lose everything as soon as I can get my divorce attorney to return a call. He may look like a superstar, but at home he's just another weanie on the climb."

Be good to see, no? C'mon. You secretly wish it were so.

In other, happier news: Good on the Barackster for telling Hillary to sit and spin on a possible veep scenario. AS IF. He was right. He's winning, she's not and what STONES she has to suggest that they are considering him as a possible running mate. If we were a voter on the fence, that alone would move us away from Mrs. Clinton. The nerve, huh?

Then again, she stood beside Bill and didn't walk either. What to say ... sometimes we sense a lingering anger there. We just do. On some level, watching this today, we could understand.

Does anyone else wonder why Eliot Spitzer didn't RESIGN?

— Andrea Billups, The Washington Times

One of our favorite current musicians is Juanes, the hunky Colombian rocker who does not record in English. We interviewed him a few years ago and were taken with his sincerity — ok, so he's muy caliente — and also his forthright concern for his homeland, which has been battered by drugs, insurrection and some bad stuff over the years.

He is one of the few Latin artists who can fill U.S. arenas as well as huge stadiums abroad. One reason is his sensitivity for suffering and global call for peace. Think Bono but in a better and Spanish package. (Download the provocative "La camisa negra" and if you can translate, you'll get our drift.)

Juanes, a singer and fierce guitarist — he's a Metallica fan like us, swoon — performed this weekend at Madison Square Garden. Below is an accounting of the show from the Associated Press. We love how he's reaching out to war-torn areas of Latin America and calling for unity (even amid the Chavez crap). We think he's a true ambassador, and we hope his desire to place himself amidst his people doesn't ultimately harm his safety.

Juanes Preaches Peace on U.S. Tour; free concert on Colombia/Venezuela border

By Sigal Ratner-Arias
ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — Juanes kicked off the U.S. leg of his world tour at Madison Square Garden, bringing a message of peace and a giddy enthusiasm to be performing in "the temple of music."

He opened Thursday night with his hit "A Dios le pido," and kept the public on its feet with more than 20 songs, including "Mala gente," "Fotografia," "Volverte a ver" and the megahit "La camisa negra."

The Colombia star showed his activist colors, preaching peace between his homeland and its neighbors amid a diplomatic crisis over a deadly Colombian cross-border raid into Ecuador last week that killed a senior Colombian rebel and 24 others.

"This night as a Colombian, I want to extend my right hand and embrace all my Ecuadorean brothers, I want to extend my left hand and embrace all my Venezuelan brothers," Juanes said. "Only we can come together under a single flag, the flag of peace."

A hush fell over the stadium as Juanes led a tribute to land-mine victims, singing "Minas piedras" while two giant screens carried images of the victims of anti-personnel mines by photojournalist Gervasio Sanchez.

Leading a band of seven, guitar in hand, Juanes briefly lost his way while singing "Mentira" — but the crowd was forgiving.

"I forgot the lyrics and it's my turn to improvise," Juanes confessed to wave of applause.

For an encore, Juanes played a rousing rendition of Colombian Joe Arroyo's "La rebelion."

Juanes is planning a free concert at the Colombian-Venezuela border to foster peaceful resolution of the crisis embroiling both nations and Ecuador, his public relations firm said Friday.

The concert is to take place at the border between the Colombian city of Cucuta and the Venezuelan city of San Antonio de Tachira within the next three weeks, firm Rogers & Cowan announced in a statement released in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where the presidents of Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador met Friday to try to resolve their differences.

Juanes will ask musicians from Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and other Latin American nations to join with concertgoers "in demanding that the region's governments find a diplomatic solution to ease the growing military presence along area borders," the firm said.

The rocker has previously performed as part of the Nobel Peace Prize awards ceremony and to raise awareness and money for an anti-landmine foundation in Colombia.

— Andrea Billups, The Washington Times

We can see the storm clouds brewing over this Democratic delegate squabble. It reminds us how we felt in 2000 after the hanging chad incident and how the Gore folks acted, got all uppity and legal and just pit-bulled that election 'til it finally ended in disgust.

Doing the math, it seems like Hillary's in trouble, but if there is a possibility with the superdelegates, the uncounted delegates for her to pull closer, we are sure Hillary is going all out with every ounce of mean and legal wrangling she can muster to make sure she's in it to win it.

Already the ridiculousness is apparent, with her man Howard Wolfson comparing the Barackster to Ken Starr (we actually thought Ken Starr was a nice man the time we spoke with him, but we digress...).

Hillary already has a likeability factor. If she smears Obama and then bloodies up the waters in a delegate fight — and somehow she comes out ahead — surely she will have angered a lot of folks within her own party who already dislike her (for whatever reason, right or wrong) and will chalk this up to the Clinton dirty tricks of old.

She'd better be really careful how she plays ball. Truly. 'Cause it could blow up on her in the end and pave the way for John McCain, whose folks must be already handicapping such an implosion/explosion.

Not very cheery, but that's what we see ahead.

We were listening to talk radio as we drove across Florida today and that was all the chatter, too. How Floridians can't afford the estimated $24 million that they say it would cost to re-do the Florida primary. As for Michigan, can ya think of another place where they have absolutely NO money to fund another primary? No place broker.

This is shaping up as quite a train wreck.

— Andrea Billups, The Washington Times

Well, the Barackster doesn't have it totally sewn up just yet, even after last night. But we do see something far more fascinating shaping up: a fashion cage match between Michelle the "Obama Mama" and the John the "General" McCain's missus — Elle Woods, Vol. 4.

Sashay, shantay. Work, work it girls.

These women have long lean, model-type silhouettes that make them both a designer's dream. Easy to dress, tons of public appearances to show off the fashion wares. Love, love, love the black number worn by Michelle at last night's rally in Texas. Whose was it? We MUST know. Great hair and make-up, too. MAJOR SNAPS.

And those up-dos on Cindy. Better than Oscar hair! We just can't help ourself from gushing. Washington has been nearly devoid of fashion hope and now this — shining on the horizon.

If those two dudes are the eventual nominees, we have absolute fashion potential headed for the White House.

We could not be happier. Not since Jackie O was it so.

We'll let the wonks handicap the issues. We'll be all over the shoes. Finally, something to believe in.

— Andrea Billups, The Washington Times

The good folks at Ebay sent us a key political and fashion tidbit (we love it when these two things merge). The Barackster appears to be beating Mrs. Clinton not only in the delegate count but also in Ebay t-shirt sales.

A Hillary tee from designer Marc Jacobs (love him — PLEASES SEND PURSES NOW), designed by the main man himself to raise money for the New York senator, sold on average for $54.82 in the past two weeks. (Actual sales price is $38, which is quite the bargain for ANYTHING by Marc.)

But a 900-limited edition Barackster tee designed by the graffiti artist Obey — and given out free at his campaign stop, no less — was going to Ebay bidders at an average price of $381.39, over the past month. That is some memorabilia, already.

Ebay’s pop culture expert Karen Bard — who knew they had one? — said of the online fashion race: "As the old adage goes, actions speak louder than words and the purchase power of more than 290 million eBay users suggests that Barack Obama is the most stylishly appealing candidate running for the Democratic nomination. Users are snapping up the limited edition Obama Progress tees by graffiti artist Obey for hundreds of dollars even though they were handed out for free at his rallies."

No word on which candidate Karen might be supporting in the election, however.

Speaking of Hillary: Would LOVE to be a fly on the wall in the Clinton camp about now, wouldn't you? Man, the sparks must be flying and the adrenaline is high. Breathtaking if she wins or loses in Ohio and Texas, a stunning fall or a neck-and-neck race that probably will be decided at the convention. Yowza. Oh, the drama. This has been a tres, tres fun election cycle, no? With more to come. OH BOY.

That new Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev — yet another bad headline name, but admittedly better than Ahmadinejad — looks a whole lot like Prince Andrew. Memba him? Married to Sarah Ferguson, little bro of Prince Charles. Check out the pix. Striking resemblance.

If John McCain picks Florida Gov. Charlie Crist for his running mate, it will be the campaign of the silver foxes — two dudes with white hair. How that would play, image-wise, would be an interesting debate for political consultants, we're sure. Of course hair doesn't matter, but appearance does. Can't deny that in this pop-culture world.

The Meatmen are back. Tesco Vee and his punk rock tribe return to tour after a decade in Cambodia. This weekend, we caught a set of the band's Monster Hate in '08 Tour, which will continue later this month with performances at SXSW in Austin, Texas. Ya gotta see this show. Fired up, ready to go. Tesco makes Henry Rollins look like a cereal eater.

In search of something (else) thoughtless and wonkless, we caught a showing of the new Will Ferrell flick 'Semi-Pro' this weekend. Not as funny as the racecar movie, but the bear wrestling scene is priceless. Co-star Woody Harrelson — kill us for saying this — looked really fit and tan, kinda cute, despite the '70s clothes and haircut. Man, it all reminded us of high school.

— Andrea Billups, The Washington Times