I can't wait for the Olympics to start on Friday. I have my TIVO set to record the awesome spectacle that is team handball. 

I think if Peter Cooke is going to make volunteerism a major part of his campaign, he’s already in trouble.

Cooke wants to encourage Utahns to volunteer in their community by offering to help pay down their student loans. That’s a nice goal. But Utahns already volunteer...a ton.

According to the Volunteering in America website, Utah ranks #1 for volunteerism. Nearly 45% of residents already volunteer at total of 177 million hours annually.

I kinda feel sorry for Cooke right now. The Denise Graham/UDOT issue has disappeared. His attempts to make corruption at DABC has fallen flat. This idea doesn’t seem fated to get much traction either. You have to wonder if there’s anything his campaign can do to generate some excitement ahead of November.

Also, if this a big idea from your campaign, why would you choose to roll it out the day before Pioneer Day? People are taking vacations and focused on the remaining days of summer. Nobody is paying attention right now, and it’s going to get lost in the haze of July and August.

Timing is a big part of politics, especially when managing the news cycle. Certainly this could have been done much better.

I think I'm not surprised that Orrin Hatch is moving back to the center now that he's survived a challenge from the Tea Party.

Conservatives are outraged that Hatch says he will "practice the art of compromise" while trying to restructure the tax code. 

Hatch understands that any major overhaul of the tax code would have to be bipartisan to pass Congress. He's reached out to those on the other side of the aisle before, and he will do it again. 

Ideological purity isn't priority one for him anymore. He's virtually assured another term in the Senate, so he's naturally looking ahead to security his legacy. 

Hatch is pushing back against the article, saying the reporter connected some dots that aren't there. I tend to 

Since bi-partisanship is no longer a weapon that can be used against him, he won't have to worry about upsetting conservatives who believe compromise is a dirty word...unless they're able to repeal that pesky 17th Amendment to the Constitution.

I think Mitt Romney's wounds right now are mostly self inflicted.

It’s absolutely astonishing to me that Mitt Romney’s campaign is handling the tax return issue so poorly. Did he not run for president in 2008? Did they not think this would become an issue this time around? They seem utterly unprepared for the questions everyone knew was coming.

I’m not going to speculate on what’s in those returns, but his refusal to release more than two years of them certainly makes it look like he’s got something to hide.

One thing I’ve learned over the years is bad news does not get better with time. The information will come out at some point, and Romney’s stonewalling is only delaying the inevitable.

I think Penn State’s punishment from the NCAA will force much needed change on that program.

A $60 million fine, a reduction in scholarships and a ban from postseason play or bowl games is a harsh penalty, but the lingering effects on the football program and university will be much, much worse.

I was a resident advisor in the athletic dorms at the University of Oklahoma right after that football program was slapped with probation by the NCAA. Scholarships were reduced and everyone was hyper vigilant about even the appearance of impropriety coming from the program. Nobody did anything without thinking twice or even three times if it would cause problems.

Before the NCAA sanctions, Sooner football was arguably out of control. Barry Switzer ran the school and the football program was worshiped across the state. That’s what happens when you win national championships and are a perennial top-10 program. Then in the span of six months it all fell apart. There was a rape and shooting in the athletic dorms along with a number of NCAA rules violations. Deservedly the program was censured.  

It took a long time for Oklahoma Football to recover. I think Penn State may never return to their former glory.

I think the controversy over the U.S. Olympic uniforms being manufactured in China is the wrong thing to focus on.

Why are we not talking about the fact that the uniforms the athletes will wear at the opening ceremonies have a giant Ralph Lauren logo on them?



And don't get me started on those stupid berets.

Parting thought: “Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.” ~ Plato