I am glad the New York Times invites different voices to express themselves on the Op-Ed page but do I really have to be subjected to John Bolton and John Yoo, two neoconservatives who preach the gospel of American exceptionalism.

Today, they write in their piece that the Senate should have its Treaty power restored, whereby any treaty signed must be approved by two-thirds of the Senate, and that President Obama should not allow treaties to pass by the other common method used by modern presidents, called an Congressional-executive agreement by them, and also known as joint resolutions.  Texas joined the union by joint resolution back in 1845, not by treaty.

Now all of this sounds good and fine.  The Constitution is our sacred document.  As Americans, it is the one thing we all agree is a paramount document.  But that is all noise to distract the reader into buying what they are really selling: that America is the exception to every rule that the international community wants to put forward.

Remember John Bolton, he who was appointed to the UN during a recess and had at one point as a stated goal to destroy the institution.  And John Yoo, a guy who believes in the Unitarian executive theory, and, save for this article, would just as well see the Capitol fall into the reflecting pool and disappear forever.

These guys simply don’t want the United States to consider the Kyoto Accord and its successor agreements.  They don’t want the United States to be subjected to the International Criminal Court, which could find that some folks working in the name of this country actually committed war crimes (see Dick Cheney; se also Henry Kissinger).

These guys simply want the United States to play by its own rules and never have to yield to international pressure.

America is an exceptional country.  It is the land of opportunity.  It is a beacon of freedom.  It is a place where dissidents and dissonance are welcome.  But that doesn’t make it more equal than everyone else in the world.  If we stand for equality in this country, then we must be compelled to accept equality in the world community.

Some might say I am naïve in thinking this way; that we must protect this country from entangling alliances and follow those sacred words of George Washington.  Well, President Washington was addressing the notion of taking sides.  Kyoto and the ICC are about collaboration and accountability to make this world a better, safer, and cleaner place.

Carolina (-3) at New Orleans

Still playing for the division title, the Panthers will be doing everything to win this game, and it will work.

Houston (-3) vs. Chicago

The Texans are a late season surprise.  The Bears are a special teams force.  But, alas, the Bears will miss the playoffs as they lose in Texas.

Pittsburgh (-10.5) vs. Cleveland

Romeo, Romeo…wherefore art thou?  Gone after this game.  A casualty of continued mediocrity for the new mistake by the lake.

Detroit (+10) at Green Bay

I guarantee nothing here.

Cincinnati (-3) vs. Kansas City

Cincinnati, now that it’s way too late, is actually performing like a solid football team.

Buffalo (+6) at New England

This will be a close divisional contest that New England will win.

New York Giants (+6.5) at Minnesota

They say the Giants will rest, but I wouldn’t be so sure that means they are going to lay down.  Ths rivalry is long and heated, and sometimes results in bizarre outcomes.

Tampa Bay (-13) vs. Oakland

Tampa Bay can still make it and they have the easiest shot with Oakland in town.  Down goes the Cable Guy!

Atlanta (-14) vs. St. Louis

Blowout from the starting kickoff.  Enough said.

Indianapolis (+3) vs. Tennessee

Home dog will prevail against the mighty Titans.  This could turn into an exhibition game since both teams are already locked into the playoffs.

Philadelphia (-1) vs. Dallas

The Cowboys’ luck will run out—probably because of something Tony Romo does.  Will the Eagles make the playoffs?  Lots of scoreboard watching in this one.

Baltimore (-12.5) vs. Jacksonville

Baltimore needs a victory here.  Jacksonville needs the season to be over.

New York Jets (-3) vs. Miami

This is the game of the week.  Who would have thunk it?  In sloppy GIANTS Stadium, I see a late score to pushe the Jets over the top.

Seattle (+6.5) at Arizona

Seattle will play well for Coach Holmgren on the final Sunday. Arizona’s free fall will continue.

San Francisco (-3) vs. Washington

The 49ers are going one way and the Redskins are going the other way.

Denver (+8) at San Diego

All signs point to San Diego winning going away, but I just don’t trust them in a big spot like this.  Rivers has too much hate inside of him.

It is too bad that Newsweek gave its Last Word of 2008 to George Will.  Ever the conservative apologist, Will spends much of his column being critical of Democrats, pro-environmental initiatives, and gay rights.  He seems stuck in the past, as he cannot get his head around that peanut allergies can be fatal.  He thinks 2008 should be the year of David Petraeus.  He blames the obesity trend in New York on Mayor Bloomberg’s crackdown on smoking.  He even uses the word jihad for Mayor Mike.

Will mentions Blagojevich, Spitzer and others who got it wrong in 2008, but he fails to mention one rather prominent name:  Barack Obama.

Indeed, 2008 was a difficult year.  Some I know are happy to see it pass into history.  The economy tanked and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue to slog on.  Friends of mine have been laid off.  I voluntarily left my job in June only to see a shrinking job market repel my advances for new employment.

Well, George, even if all of what you write in your column is true, and even if 2008 brought us some tough and sobering news, I for one am not going label it as you did.  It was not a YUCK year.  You’re just a silly conservative curmudgeon.

2008 ushered in the Age of Obama, and for that, we should all be grateful.  Obama ran on a message of hope.  In the midst of a failing economy and a worsening American reputation abroad, he is putting together an administration of top notch pragmatic thinkers.  In a year when conservative doctrine and a lack of transparency finally and fully bit the United States in the buttocks, here comes a man courageous enough to lead us out of the darkness.

2008 not only makes us hopeful for a better future, but it makes us humble.  We cannot have it all.  We must live life on life’s terms.  We must do what we can to get by and let the rest go.  We must be happy with who we are.  We must work a little harder and be a little more honest with ourselves and with our loved ones.

2008 also allowed us a chance for personal discovery.  In the midst of a long and heated campaign, we were forced to have a discussion about gender and race, about conservatism and liberalism.  Some welcomed it, like President-Elect Obama, who gave one of the epic speeches about race in this country’s history back in Philadelphia in March.  2008, I think, has made people realize just how ugly it can be and how they should cherish the good things that they can keep.  As we shake our heads at the idiots, we realize something about ourselves.  Greedy, powerful, and lustful are no way to go through life.  Did Dean Wormer say that?

So let’s raise a glass to 2008, for kicking us around, making us humble, but also for giving us hope.  2008 will give us the strength to do better in 2009.

Last week was one for the ages.  OUCH!  If you are still reading this blog, it means you have a sense of loyalty. Or, you are looking at my picks and going the other way, which is a method I used when my father was a gambling man.

Anyway, I actually feel good about the picks below.  This could be a redemptive weekend.

Dallas (-4) vs. Baltimore

Dallas is peaking at exactly the right time of the season.  This game is going to be close and could fall right on the number, but I am impressed with just how powerful the Cowboys are right now.

New England (-7.5) vs. Arizona

The Cardinals in cold Foxboro just doesn’t make a lot of sense.  New England is still in a big playoff fight so they should dispatch the Arizona.

Cincinnati (+3) at Cleveland

The lowly battle of Ohio on the shores of Lake Erie.  The Dawg Pound will be moaning as Cincinnati enjoys some more late season success at the hands of the ailing Browns.

Miami (-4) at Kansas City

The Dolphins need to keep winning.  They are better in all facets of the game.  December in Arrowhead could be tough but the Chiefs just do not have any game.

Detroit (+7) vs. New Orleans

Detroit may well win this game.  They have been so close for so long now, and the Saints come limping in with their season over.

Tennessee (+2) vs. Pittsburgh

The team with the best record in football is a home underdog?  This is very interesting.  Pittsburgh, as good a team as it is, has been lucky, and is going to run out of that luck this weekend.

Tampa Bay (-3.5) vs. San Diego

Tampa Bay will win this game by at least a touchdown.  San Diego has disappointed all season long.  At least the weather is nice out there.

San Francisco (-5.5) at St. Louis

The 49ers will continue to show that they have integrity as a team even though there is little to play for, except for a tougher schedule next year and a lower draft pick.

Denver (-7) vs. Buffalo

In Mile High Stadium, flailing Buffalo will run out of gas against the high powered, if deeply flawed, Bronco team.

Houston (-7) at Oakland

If only Houston had started the season as well as it is finishing it, they would be considered for the playoffs.

Seattle (+4.5) vs. New York Jets

The Jets are 0-3 on the west coast.  If they prevent going winless, it will not be by much.

Minnesota (-3) vs. Atlanta

This is a giant game between two emerging powers.  I take Minnesota only because they are home.

Philadelphia (-5) at Washington

The Jim Zorn era may be getting shorter and shorter with each passing loss.  Look for the surging Eages to keep their slim playoff chances alive here.

New York Giants (-3) vs. Carolina

The Giants are going to overpower the Panthers, everyone’s darling right now.

Chicago (-4) at Green Bay

Green Bay is done.  Chicago still has a shot, and is a respectable team.

I’ve become an average picker people.  I don’t seem to have my early season form.  Why?  I don’t know but if you do, please tell me.

This week’s games offer some real excitement, critical matchups, and a couple of duds that would be better off in, say, London.

Enjoy the games.

Buffalo (+8) at New York Jets

Which Jets team will show up?  Have the Bills fallen off a cliff?  Divisional rivalry late in the season.  I say it stays close.  Take the Bills and the points.

Detroit (+17) at Indianapolis

Huge spread.  Huge mismatch.  Detroit is, as Charles Barkely is now famous for saying, “TURRIBLE.”  The Colts are riding high.  Poor Rod Marinelli.  Well, at least he has a job for now.

Green Bay (-2.5) at Jacksonville

Two terribly disappointing teams playing a mostly meaningless game.  Take the home underdog in Jacksonville.

San Diego (-5.5) at Kansas City

Now that San Diego is counted out, look for them to bust out a can of whoopass.  Sorry KC.

San Francisco (+6.5) at Miami

Two rising teams.  Maybe next year’s Super Bowl matchup?  Not really, but this will still be a fun game to watch between two enthusiastic teams, one of which has playoff aspirations.  Miami is the pick.

Seattle (-2.5) at St. Louis

The Who the Hell Cares Bowl.  I don’t think anyone in either city is terribly interested.  Maybe those poor television stations could save some money and not show up at all.  I’ll take St. Louis.

Tampa Bay (+3) at Atlanta

Now this is a game. A playoff game for sure.  Tampa Bay risks falling back in the race.  Atlanta may have done its best work already.  I’d stay away if I was actually putting my money anywhere, but I’ll take the Falcons.

Tennessee (-3) at Houston

Tennessee doesn’t need to win.  Houston is just getting better and better but still outside of the playoff picture.  The Titans are so damned professional, I can’t bet against them.  If I could, I might make some money this week.

Washington (-6.5) at Cincinnati

Sorry Redskins fans, but your team is going to lose this game.  Clinton Portis vs. Jim Zorn, The Reality Show, will continue.

Minnesota (+3) at Arizona

Two fast teams playing on a fast track down in the desert.  This could be like an old AFL game with point being scored up in the 40s.  I like Arizona.

Denver (+7.5) at Carolina

That extra half point scares me.  Carolina should win, and maybe handily, but Denver is impossible to read.  Based on that logic, and a hunch, I’m taking the Broncos to cover.

New England (-7) at Oakland

New England is in unfamiliar terrain.  Oakland is in a landfill.  Give the points and take the visiting Pats.

Pittsburgh (+2) at Baltimore

Great big physical game.  OUCH!  The Ravens are a solid team.  Hopefully the sideshow between T-Sizzle and Hines Ward won’t take center sage.  I like the Ravens at home.

New York Giants (+3) at Dallas

New York is in the playoffs.  Dallas needs a win.  Romo needs some big game integrity.  Here on Sunday night, will he get it.  Sorry, even if he does, I’m a Giants fan so I ain’t betting on him.

Cleveland (+14) at Philadelphia

Philadelphia is getting better.  They had a great game last week.  Cleveland is reeling.  All the more reason to take the Browns to cover.

Last Week: 7-8

Season: 102-100-5

Thursday night football, a regular staple now (which most of us still can’t see), is at it again.

Tonight the Bears host the Saints in Cold, Rain, and Snow.

Well, I married me a wife and she’s been trouble all my life… I’m going where the chilly winds don’t blow!

Wait, I digress.

Take the Bears, give the 3 points.

Pick:  Bears (-3)

Apparently, President Obama will have to make a decision between preserving jobs and cutting a wasteful contract out of the government’s budget.  I am all for New Deal like job creation programs, but this looks like a pretty easy decision.  Please, Mr. President, do not continue to give in to the military-industrial complex by building the F-22.

Remember what Ike said:  “Beware the military-industrial complex.”

The F-22 is a plane that was designed for the cold war.  It has never actually been used in combat.  Our very pragmatic Secretary of Defense, Bob Gates, does not like it.  So, shouldn’t it be an easy decision?

Now it is supporters, pandering to the job creation argument, for keeping up the program.  Let’s debunk this quickly.  The plane’s production, or more accurately, 60 planes, would create jobs, or preserve jobs.  But would the planes be useful?  In 21^st century warfare, critics argue that these planes are outdated and no longer useful.  Since they have, in fact, never been used, wouldn’t their production really just be more money to the fat-cats who own these big military firms?

I am sympathetic to the notion of job creation.  Hell, I don’t have a job!  But, in this situation, it’s putting people to work to make something that is not useful.  Why don’t we ask them to make Tommy Guns?  How about Sherman Tanks?

Why don’t we force the military and its chummy contractors to develop some new ideas and train its workers to make some new weapons that are, like the ionic man, better, stronger, and faster.

Please, let’s stop preparing for the next war by using strategies from prior wars.

Mike and Mike bring you their confidence picks every Friday on ESPN Radio.  Well, I am bringing you my lack of confidence picks this weekend.  Last week’s performance was the worst of the season, but perhaps there will be a rebound here.

Atlanta (+3) at New Orleans

I am a believer in Atlanta and not so much in New Orleans.  Atlanta seems to be improving week to week.  New Orleans is up and down, and a little injured.

Indianapolis (-14.5) vs. Cincinnati

Perhaps they could put the slaughter rule in effect here.  Once Cincinnati goes down by 30, they can call the game.

Cleveland (+15) at Tennessee

Tennessee should handle the broken down Browns but I can’t picture a blowout, not with Tennessee’s offense.

Green Bay (-6.5) vs. Houston

Cold weather Packers should be able to handle the warm weather Texans.

Chicago (-7) vs. Jacksonville

The only thing left that even looks tough for the Jaguars (as opposed to the Jaguires) is the leather jacketed Jack Del Rio, and that’s an open question.  Chicago looks to keep pace with the Vikings.

Minnesota (-10) at Detroit

The classic trap game.  Lots of folks are saying pick Detroit but I think the Vikes are making a December run and will not be seduced into laying down on this one.

Philadelphia (+7.5) at New York Giants

Giants 27, Eagles 20.  The extra half point puts me into the Eagles camp on this one.

Denver (-9) vs. Kansas City

The Broncos are due for a bad game after their great performance against the Jets.  That’s why I am picking them to kill the Chiefs.

Miami PK at Buffalo

The game is being played indoors in Toronto.  Pennington will enjoy that.  The Bills will not.

Seattle (+7) vs. New England

New England should win this game, but after last week’s stinker against Pittsburgh, I have lost confidence in them.

New York Jets (-4) at San Francisco

I have no faith in the Jets.  They are still figuring out how to be a winning team.  They have been figuring it out since 1969.  They should still win this game.  But I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t.

Pittsburgh (-3) vs. Dallas

Brings back great memories for those who lived through the glorious 1970s.  I like Roy Gerela to miss a few field goals, but I see Mel Blount intercepting a late Staubach pass and returning it for a touchdown.

St. Louis (+15) at Arizona

Arizona has peaked and is on its way down.  St. Louis is down.  This game will be played down to the Ram level and stay closer than two touchdowns.

Baltimore (-6) vs. Washington

Washington’s playoff hopes are fading.  Early season media darlings Jim Zorn and Jason Campbell have been found out.  Baltimore is a very good football team and will continue to show that this weekend.  Did you hear that Ray Lewis was with Antonio Pierce and Plax?  Neither did I.

Tampa Bay (+3) at Carolina

Tampa Bay has better offense and defense.  The Panthers are not what we thought they were.

Last Week: 7-9

Season: 95-92-4

There are calls from the Democratic Party that Barack Obama should get more involved in the economic crisis NOW.  Obama, a very public presence during this transitional stage, has refused to inject himself into a leadership role.  The markets are wavering, mostly going downward.  Other countries are looking on with some frustration.  Why does the United States, the most dynamic economy in the world, have to heed to tradition in these extraordinary times.

The answer that Obama gives is that there is one president at a time.  The answer that underlies Obama’s answer is that a president-elect risks hanging an albatross around his neck if he links himself with the outgoing—and failing—president.

Let us consider James Buchanan and Herbert Hoover, two presidents who rank near the bottom of the list of this country’s chief executives.  As 1860 turned to 1861 and South Carolina started a parade of secession, President Buchanan did nothing.  He had no power to move Congress.  He had no will or confidence to move the emerging Confederacy.

As 1932 became 1933, President Hoover continued to assure Americans that good times were just around the corner and that big loans to banks and railroads and insurance companies would eventually stimulate the economy.

The two men waiting in the wings, respectively, did nothing.  In the winter of 1860-1861, Lincoln stayed in Illinois and assembled his so-called team of rivals, and as one historian wrote, grew a beard, inspired perhaps by a letter from a little girl who said facial hair would make the boyish Lincoln look older.

Franklin Roosevelt, in the winter of 1932-1933 continued to be critical of Hoover’s profligate spending ways—ironic in retrospect—and went on a lavish cruise with some of the wealthiest men in America.

But on the day these two men took office, they were men of action.  Perhaps they were protecting themselves politically by waiting.  Perhaps they had a sincere regard for tradition.  But whatever their reasons, they got started right away.

Lincoln told the fractured country that civil war was only going to happen if the South initiated hostilities and then responded when those hostilities began.  Roosevelt told us that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself, quickly declared a bank holiday and then put together the largest reform package in U.S. History.

Both were criticized during the transition and both took the political risk to stay away from the toxic policies and personalities of the previous administrations.

And so it is with Obama.  Now this is in no way a guarantee that President Obama will go down in history as one of this nation’s finest, but we should be mindful of history as we watch this delicate dance between Obama and Bush.  And we should be thankful that Inauguration was moved from March to January, so Obama’s team of rivals can start their work.  The sooner the better.

The argument is being put forward that we need to build up a new corps of American fighters.  Instead of fighting with guns and ammo, these people will fight the good fights of nation building and conflict resolving.  This will be a Civilian Reserve Corps, trained not in combat and military strategy, but in restoration projects and job creation.

On the surface, it sounds excellent.  We should export the greatest things about the United States to other parts of the world: the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  First Lady Laura Bush has been working in Afghanistan doing just that, helping to promote literacy and freedoms for women.  General David Petraeus’s surge strategies has restorative elements, too, by providing policing and a security system that creates a more peaceful environment.

As noble a goal as nation-building is, is it a viable undertaking.  On the one side, it is the Peace Corps gone wild.  It puts trained, energetic, idealistic people in tough places to make a difference for the better.  It provides some resources, education, and innovation to the most undeveloped parts of the planet.  It makes both the givers and receivers of such a relationship feel great about themselves.

But it also upsets the status quo and perhaps foments further violence and resentment.  After the Civil War, Reconstruction efforts in the former Confederacy were complicated not only by the presence of the United States Army, but by the claim the opportunistic “Carpetbaggers” and turncoat “scalawags” were trying to change the way things were done too quickly and with little sympathy for traditional southern values.  Some argue that Reconstruction was a total failure; others that it took about a hundred extra years, and still needs some work.

The other key criticism is that people in the United States will argue that those dollars should go toward places like the Ninth Ward, and the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, and the most undeveloped parts of Appalachia.  Why direct money and effort toward people in Somalia if we cannot take care of our own?  The correct answer—but a difficult sell—is that, as the world gets smaller and national security concerns get more complicated with non-state actors, it is important that we are providing help in seemingly insignificant places.  We must always be a player in the world.