So the last 15 minutes of TV watching has been odd. Let me count the ways.

1. One of the moderators of the Democratic presidential candidate debate is asking questions in Spanish. No one is answering in that language. I have to imagine there are some very confused Hispanics right now trying to figure out what John Kerry thinks about sending more troops to Iraq.

1a. I think I have a fair command of English, and I'm still trying to figure out what John Kerry thinks about sending more troops to Iraq. He spent most of his answer time criticizing W and talking about his Vietnam experience. My guess is that'll be a fairly common approach for Kerry regardless of the question.

(FWIW, I think Kerry did note at the end that sending more troops was wrong and that we should look for international help)

2. I'm unclear on the concept of Dick Clark's Rockin' NFL Kickoff Eve. I'm also similarly unclear on Britney Spears' hair as JQ is. Then again, when you have a new album in the works, anything goes.

2a. And when did we start auctioning off parts of our national heritage for things like a pre-game concert? Sarah caught this one, as the Mall's been tarted up to help with this venture in product placement that apparently has national security implications.

I suppose I should start looking forward to watching Hillary Duff, Ashanti, Sean Paul, and 3 Doors Down rock in the 2004 NFL season on board Old Ironsides.

3. During a break in MTV's Phat Football Jam Session I caught an ad for a drug called Levitra. In it a man was having trouble throwing a football through a tire swing, trouble that apparently ended when he started on the drug. This not-so-subtle message, as you may have guessed, is for the newest drug for erectile dysfunction.

3a. The ad was done up in purple text boxes and fonts that reminded me of ads for Nexium and omeprizole. It even uses a lit match as a symbol. I'm a little worried where the guy's burning sensation is located. He may need a different drug.

4. The debate, as you might imagine, is a bore. The only thing that snaps me back to reality are the recurring references to Ambassador Moseley Braun. Thankfully she was ambassador to New Zealand, where outside of knocking Steinlager it's hard to screw things up.

The other thing that surprises me is how poor all of these folks are on the stump. Oddly enough, Dennis Kucinich has probably been the most articulate. I suppose he's gotten a lot of one-on-one speaking practice at campaign stops.