Tucker Carlson thinks Vick's problem is lack of execution

Welcome to the sports controversy capital of the universe. Just in the last two days....

-- A national journalist, a.k.a. a national joke, last caught pretending to be Keith Olbermann online because apparently he doesn't have enough real stuff to do, thinks that Michael Vick's penalty for dog-fighting should be the electric chair. Well, that would be American exceptionalism, I guess.

-- A national politician, a.k.a. the 44th President of the United States, wades needlessly into controversy over Michael Vick because....maybe his approval numbers were trending too high too soon?

-- Another national political figure becomes Attytood's new best friend.

Maybe it's all so we can forget about what's happening on the field?

Two notes: First of all, several people have asked about NBC News and numerous organizations crediting Gov. Rendell this line from what I wrote on Sunday....

They don't play American football in China, but I believe that if they did, not only would they have played this game but 300,000 fans would have marched barefoot through the drifts for 15 miles to get to the stadium, drilling each other with advanced calculus problems as they walked.

First of all, from what I've gathered the misattribution wasn't Rendell's fault -- he actually credited me for the line but to get their typical 5-second soundbite, it was cut down and fully attributed to Rendell. In spite of that, he called and left me a very gracious voicemail apology over the confusion. Apology more than accepted! -- it's been great having someone like him running interference the last three days.

Second note: Sorry for the brief disappearance, an absence that was partly long planned and partly unplanned -- everything is fine and back to normal and so I'm here tonight with a couple more posts, then off Friday and Saturday as usual and back on Sunday for what should be a long, uninterrupted start of 2011.