In a closed trial, Iran convicted Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi of spying and sentenced her to 8 years in prison. What’s the U.S. government’s friendly, multilateral reaction?

The White House said President Barack Obama was “deeply disappointed” by the conviction…

“Deeply disappointed” is a familiar term; does President Obama have to pay the U.N. royalties for using it? Usually they save that one for when a Jewish kindergarten is bombed or a mosque is used as a weapons cache or a few billion aid dollars are embezzled.

President Bush got a continuous stream of criticism for the forward and un-nuanced way he said things. Sometimes, though, words and phrases from the official Democrats’ Guide to a Presidency that Doesn’t Get Ruined By Other Countries Not Liking Us Enough simply don’t cut it.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the United States was working with Swiss diplomats in Iran to get details about the court’s decision and to ensure Saberi’s well-being. She said in a statement the United States will “vigorously raise our concerns” with the Iranian government.

Let’s hope Mrs. Clinton’s skills at being a cold hard… communicator come in handy in this case.

Hooray! I only now read about the Navy’s rescue, having spent much less time than usual staring at pixels this weekend:

Acting with President Obama’s authorization and in the belief that the hostage, Capt. Richard Phillips, was in imminent danger of being killed by captors armed with pistols and AK-47s, snipers on the fantail of the destroyer Bainbridge, which was towing the lifeboat on a 100-foot line, opened fire and picked off the three captors.

Two of the captors had poked their heads out of a rear hatch of the lifeboat, exposing themselves to clear shots, and the third could be seen through a window in the bow, pointing an automatic rifle at the captain, who was tied up inside the 18-foot lifeboat, senior Navy officials said.

Thanks to President Obama and the various muckety-mucks who settled on this course of action. Another job well done by American forces. Happy Easter to the Captain, and to all!

…Except the pirates. Not sure what God will do with you, but we couldn’t have you hijacking boats and threatening lives. Whatever the shipping companies decide about arming their employees or hiring guns, I can only guess this will reduce attempts against crews flying the stars & stripes.

Exurban League made up a funny potential Obama response to the captive standoff with pirates off the coast of Somalia:

For too long, America has been too dismissive of the proud culture and invaluable contributions of the Pirate Community. Whether it is their pioneering work with prosthetics, husbandry of tropical birds or fanciful fashion sense, America owes a deep debt to Pirates.

The past eight years have shown a failure to appreciate the historic role of these noble seafarers. Instead of celebrating their entreprenuerial spirit and seeking to partner with them to meet common challenges, there have been times where America has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive.

I laugh because I’d prefer not to cry; the parody works so well because it strikes familiar chords from the Obama songbook.

Meanwhile, why are the pirates still breathing? Their captive Captain Richard Phillips made a break for it, but didn’t get very far:

Around midnight local time, Phillips jumped off the lifeboat and began swimming, but was recaptured, according to Defense Department officials speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk about unfolding operations.

Sailors on the USS Bainbridge, which is patrolling nearby, were able to see Phillips moving around and talking after his return to the lifeboat, and the Defense Department officials think he is unharmed.

I would hope that if American troops are afforded any opportunity to neutralize the pirates without harming Captain Phillips, they’ll do so. Then again, we bankroll Palestine… so why not warm-and-fuzzify our response to piracy and throw these poor Somalis a bone, too?

[Update: added the link for the second quote.]

Every noise you hear during a new episode of The Office is the sound of a great show being run into the ground. It started when they brought Toby back. Why, after his great departure? Because they had an idea for one semi-funny episode and wanted the occasional easy joke from a familiar character?

The Office‘s magic has always been in how believable the cast and writers made the nonsense: Michael Scott remains to inflict insanity because he’s been around forever and nobody has the heart to fire him. Jim Halpert slacks at his job, but is awesome in every other conceivable way. Pam, likewise. The rest of the characters are quirky weirdos who, like actual people, sometimes say and do utterly ridiculous things.

And now? Charles has been around for a month and has had a single good line (“I am aware of the effect I have on women.”). Watching Jim flail is zero fun. A Pam who quits her job to follow Michael is a dumb, depressing Pam. The Michael Scott Paper Company is a decent joke, but a comletely uninteresting storyline. I’ll keep watching for the funny moments (tonight’s first episode had quite a few), but will no longer expect anything great. Question: if the show’s boring and tired now, what’s next season going to look like?

Columbus needed one point in three games to get into the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, and last night they got it – with an exclamation point.  It is very fitting that the Columbus Blue Jackets captain, and the face of the team, scored the goal to put the Jackets into the playoffs for the first time ever.  Rick Nash tied the game last night against Chicago late in the third  period with a backhand shot that snuck past Chicago’s netminder, and just like Rimmer said, I’m not sure he could raise his hands any higher in celebration.  The guys have worked hard this year to get to this point, and now it all pays off…now lets see some great playoff beards!

Capping off a whirlwind trip across the Atlantic to bash Dubya and American history in general on foreign soil, President Obama’s done something crazy and acknowledged that Iraq exists as something other than a punch line to be accompanied by a smirk.

“Under enormous strain and under enormous sacrifice, through controversy and difficulty and politics, you’ve kept your eyes focused on just doing your job,” he said.

Politics — like candidate Obama wearing his opposition to the war as a badge of honor among the leftist groups he actively courted throughout the campaign. Politics like President Obama’s ongoing references to the Iraq war as a mistake and a distraction that he’ll rescue our poor soldiers from as soon as possible. Although this visit certainly strikes me as “a good thing,” I’d like to see the President accept Iraq as his responsibility more than grudgingly. I also wish he’d admit that maybe what our armed forces have accomplished has been worth the losses they’ve incurred.

“And because of that, every mission that’s been assigned, from getting rid of Saddam, to reducing violence, to stabilising the country, to facilitating elections, you have given Iraq the opportunity to stand on its own as a democratic country.”

I think this is as close as we’ll get to an admission from President Obama that America has done good things in Iraq, although he’s supported none of them.

Congrats to Penn State for being “the best of the rest,” with a hard fought win in the NIT tournament championship game.