PLANET CALIFORNIA

Maria Shriver, one of the world's most interesting women, stands with her husband and says so. She spoke today to the California Women's Leadership group. Her edgy earthiness is a relief from the negativity we've heard.

She's pulled Arnold's butt out of the fire today. She was magnificent.

RUSH REFUSES TO APOLOGIZE

Okay, Rush, go ahead. Be a jerk about all this swirling around your head. You say you won't apologize? Okay.

But here's the deal, Big Boy. You've screwed up. You need to acknowledge the following:

1. Politicizing sports is a very unhappy turn for most sports fans. We want to escape from all that we hear daily.

Don't proselytize while I'm watching my Chiefs. I don't want to hear it. I want to hear nothing about politics or culture when I'm watching Priest Holmes or Dante Hall (ain't he somethin?).

You also were wrong about using McNagg to make your point. You're damned lucky the other guys in the booth didn't take your head off.

2. Hey, Bud, if you're using drugs, you need help. Kay? Admit it, get clean and get off other people's backs about drugs. It's none of your business and hypocritical.

WHAT WERE YOU DOING TWENTY OR THIRTY YEARS AGO?

I didn't think so. I can't remember either. Probably something real dumb. The mudslingers continue. Till something sticks, plan on hearing more and more and more and...

SPEAKING OF GROPING...

I'll bet all the teenboys are groping their billfolds to remove many dollar bills to pay for their own personal copy of Esquire. They'll really like the cover. Brittany is darned near buck neked.

Now...see. That's what happens when you hang out with people like Madonna. A nice Republican girl would never do something like that.

Tee Hee.

Thanks for the read.