News briefs – Obama riffs on Coz, Olympic torch and opening boycott, Benedict calls out Bush

Barack Obama plays Bill Cosby

No, he’s not wearing a sweater, but in black-majority high schools, Obama is preaching much the same message — challenging parents to get involved with their kids’ education rather than dissing schools, and kids to put down the video games.

Olympic torch relay is still on

But, the rest of its international appearances, a la the San Francisco run, are going to be cut short. And, when International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge called on China to respect its “moral engagement” toward improving human rights, Jiang Yu from the Chinese Foreign Ministry politely told him to STFU.

Growing boycott of Games opening is also on

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon is now questioning out loud whether or not he will attend the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony. Preznit Bush is gonna look awfully lonely up there on that big reviewing stand. Of course, Ban is taking the Gordon Brown route on this. Just as the British Prime Minister claims he always planned to only attend the closing ceremony, Ban says he plans a “substantive visit” to China at some other time this year.

Pope Benedict – might does not make right

That’s the message Pope Benedict XVI will give the U.N.. But Preznit George (the Last, we hope) will continue to stick his fingers in his ears and say, “Nyaah, nyaah.”