Besides hiring an actor who looks nothing like the president, Yum! Brands apologized for the caricature characterization, and pulled the commercial from the Chinese market. According to MSNBC, the food corporation gets a third of its revenue from China, where it operates more than 3,700 restaurants, which explains the quick response to the stir.

“The ad was created in Hong Kong for the Hong Kong market only. It was meant to be a spoof and no disrespect was intended. It is no longer airing and will not be re-aired,” a Yum! spokesman said in a statement.

However, this isn’t the first time Yum! has peddled a racial stereotype in a foreign land to sell what it calls food. In 2010, the company ran an Australian commercial that featured a white soccer fan calming down rowdy black spectators with fried chicken.

The bill passed 277 to 148 with bi-partisan support and now heads to the president’s desk after overcoming resistance from liberal members of Congress, who objected to continuing the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

In a statement, Congressman John Yarmuth, D-KY, who voted against the bill, criticized the compromise for letting affluent taxpayers off the hook.

“The long-term costs of this bill are far more damaging to our nation than the short-term gains. Borrowing money to give tax cuts to the rich – tax cuts that are more than most families make in a year – is unconscionable. Economics shows this is a dead-end. History proves it would be disastrous. And basic morality dictates that our priorities should focus on making our economy work for everyone – not just the wealthy few.”

In the end, however, Yarmuth saw the majority of his fellow Democrats join 138 Republicans to approve the bill. It has been reported that Obama personally whipped support for deal among House Democrats in the final days leading up to the vote.

LEO Weekly discovered through an account bearing Connell’s name and other personal and professional references that there could be a history of flirting with derogatory racial comments, particularly when mentioning President Obama. Archives reveal the Twitter account, which was started in February 2009 and has been idle since May 28, 2010, is filled with messages that could raise more questions about the sincerity of Connell’s recent apology.

Last week, Connell, who was hired by WHAS in March, publicly apologized for the on-air remarks about the president during her mid-morning program. The station had received almost 75 complaints, some of which called for her firing.

“The only thing I can do is express my embarrassment that was the phrase that came to mind and apologize for the offensive way I was trying to convey my point about the president’s mixed heritage. It was inappropriate, and truthfully, I was shocked when that tumbled out of my mouth,” Connell told The ‘Ville Voice, a local blog. “My only excuse is that when talking for three hours without the opportunity to choose words in advance, sometimes my brain doesn’t do the good or right thing. I am human.”

The management at WHAS agreed that the comment was a gaffe, but rejected calls to terminate the conservative host, arguing everyone makes mistakes and that the incident won’t be repeated.

From The Courier-Journal:

(Connell’s) boss Kelly Carls, director of operations for Clean Channel Louisville, said that the apology was sincere and that the station will not discipline Connell.

“I know Mandy, I know her well. And I know that people have used the word ‘racist’ in connection with her, and frankly that’s ridiculous because she’s not,” Carls said. “ … The only action I’ve taken was a caution to be more careful in the terminology that she uses in the future.”

But it appears Connell might have a history of using such terminology, at least according to the Twitter account in her name.

Earlier this year, for instance, a Tweet posted on May 28, 2010 made this statement: “First black president + tar balls = career ending inappropriate jokes. I’m out.”

Previous Tweets from the account were sent while Connell still was working for WINK News in Fort Myers, Fla., and makes jokes with other questionable language, including allusions to the Ku Klux Klan and unclear references to “raccoon gangs” and failing schools.

“Racism accusations have jumped the shark,” reads a Sept. 17, 2009, Tweet. “Is it tacky to wear my white sheet after Labor Day?”

“Raccoon gangs. It’s probably because they went to failing schools and had no other alternatives,” an Oct. 6, 2009, Tweet reads.

When confronted with accusations that these sorts of comments are at the very least insensitive, a Tweet from Aug. 7, 2009, reads unapologetically: “I no longer care if someone calls me a racist. Too many have cried ‘racist wolf’ too many times. Screw ‘em.”

Connell was unavailable for comment, and messages left with her producer have not been returned.

When asked if Connell had a Twitter account, Kelly Carls told LEO Weekly that she doesn’t have one affiliated with the station, and the local Clear Channel executive isn’t sure if she has a personal one.

“I’ve never discussed it with her,” he says. “Until picking up the phone and talking to you, I never heard of any Twitter account.”

Carls said he would ask Connell about the social networking account tomorrow morning, but wouldn’t discuss hypothetical scenarios or whether he finds the account’s messages troubling

“Well first, I don’t know if they’re real. Second of all, I’d have to see them, and third, I’d have to look at the context,” he says. “I never even heard about this account before, so I’m not going to comment on something I don’t know anything about.”

From Bloomberg News:

Daniels has the self-confidence of a politician riding high and the data-driven focus of a policy geek. Metrics thrill him, and not surprisingly most of his government tweaks started with an offending number. He saw the number of child fatalities and more than doubled the number of caseworkers, from 696 to 1,590, reducing each worker’s load and cutting the deaths by 40 percent. He assessed rising traffic fatalities and increased the number of troopers, cutting deaths to 680 in 2009 from 814 in 2008. The state was spending $37,662 in incentives to create each new job, so he ditched “the worthless” Commerce Dept. The outlay is now $8,701 per new job.

However, he’s got zero charisma compared to other GOP stars vying for the spot. And then there’s the “social truce,” comment that caused a stir amongst social conservatives. Maybe the number crunching conservative would make for an excellent vice-presidential nominee? Think about it, President Obama barely won Indiana’s 11 electoral votes back in 2008 and Daniels’ approval ratings are over 60 percent in the Hoosier state.

From Global Language Monitor:

President Obama’s Oil Spill speech echoed his elite ethos, with a broad plan for an alternative-energy future and few specifics. The only specifics of the address were the continuation of the off-shore drilling ban, effectively putting tens of thousands of Gulf Coast jobs in jeopardy.

The speech certainly had its faults and left many of the president’s supporters flat, but did its phraseology put off the average citizen enough to make Obama “(appear) aloof and out of touch,” with the ongoing disaster? That seems a bit of a stretch and maybe even more over analyzing by a 24-hour cable news media that needs fodder.

And in the rush to criticize a not-so-good speech, cable news outlets have overlooked the more important story that the Obama administration reached a preliminary agreement with BP executives that would see the oil company pay $20 billion over several years into an independently controlled escrow account. Even if the speech went over the audiences head, which is debatable, the president negotiated a hefty compensation for Gulf of Mexico residents affected by the disastrous oil spill.

Haus party: Speaking of the Republican candidates for Congress, Larry Hausman says he’s prepared to debate his primary opponents anytime, anywhere. “I think it’s time for all four of us to come to the table for a debate or a series of debates and allow the Republicans of Louisville to hear how we will address issues once elected to office,” he said in a press release.

Let the Sypher begin: Now that the University of Louisville men’s basketball season over, let the ugly sex scandal involving coach Rick Pitino and vixen Karen Cunagin Sypher can commence. The trial is scheduled to start June 1 and docketed to last nine days, which might result in a swarm of national media and it’s traveling circus. Let’s hope it doesn’t last a day longer.

Google me: There are a number of cities vying for Google Fiber’s gigabit infrastructure. We’re not even sure what that means. It sounds a bit too nerdy to understand, but Republican mayoral candidate Jonathan Robertson has tried to make it a campaign issue and get the public excited about it.

Law of the land: Yes, he did. And now that President Obama has signed the historic health care bill, the question is what will happen now?

As political observers predicted only one member of Kentucky’s delegation supported the bill — U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, D-3, who issued the following statement:

From Congressman John Yarmuth’s office:

“During my three years in Congress, there has been no single issue that I have heard more about from Louisvillians than health care. To this day, the enormous majority have told me they want change that will guarantee access to health care, rein in skyrocketing costs, and give them more choice and control in the marketplace. I came to Congress largely to accomplish these goals on their behalf … This is a vote I did not cast for my party or for politics, but because it is the right thing for our country and the right thing for Louisville. This is a promise I made to my constituents. It is the most important vote I have cast as a member of Congress, and it is the one about which I am most proud.”

However, it is expected that Republicans nationwide will run against the passage of the bill in the upcoming mid-term elections later this year. And among Yarmuth’s many potential GOP challengers, at least one has come out swinging against the historic vote. Unveiling his own plan for the country’s health care system earlier this month, third district Republican Congressional candidate Larry Hausman has issued his own statement on tonight’s health care vote.

From the Hausman campaign:

“I am very disappointed in the decision by Congress to pass this wasteful and ineffective health care package that brings the IRS closer to the people than their doctors. I will not only fight against this government expansion that is against the will of the people but will also continue to offer free market solutions to bring down the cost of medical care.”

From The Nation:

Online videos have become probably the most effective — and definitely the most entertaining — means of modern political communication.

Now, Americans for Financial Reform … is getting into the action in a big way with the release of a new video urging Congress to pass real financial reform.

The video, which was created in association with the producers of Funny Or Die, was directed by Ron Howard and stars all the actors who portrayed “Presidents” on “Saturday Night Live,” including Will Ferrell (George W. Bush), Fred Armisen (Barack Obama), Darrell Hammond (Bill Clinton), Chevy Chase (Gerald Ford), Dan Aykroyd (Jimmy Carter), and Dana Carvey (George H. W. Bush). In addition, Jim Carrey rounds out the cast with his inspired portrayal of Ronald Reagan.

In this sketch, President Obama gets a surprise visit in the night from ex-Presidents Bush Sr., Bush Jr., Clinton, Ford, Reagan and Carter to get a few pointers about the Consumer Financial Protection Agency and why it’s so important.

Text it out: Kentucky State Sen. Denise Harper Angel, D-Louisville, has proposed a bill that would make it illegal to text and drive in the commonwealth. The legislation provides drivers with a probationary period of being let off with a courtesy warning until Nov. 1, 2010, but after that it slaps offenders with a fine of $100 to $300, which doubles if your text messaging caused the accident. If passed, Kentucky would join 19 other states and the District of Columbia that ban texting while driving.

Beshear’s special delivery: Central Kentucky voters are headed to the polls today in what’s being called a referendum on expanded gambling at racetracks. The special election between Democrat Jodie Haydon and Republican Jimmy Higdon in the race to represent Kentucky’s 14th Senate District could shake up the leadership and makeup of the state Senate, which has been Gov. Steve Beshear’s roadblock to his legislative agenda. The winner will replace Republican Dan Kelly of Springfield, who resigned after Gov. Beshear plucked him for a circuit judgeship position, which has become the administration’s favorite strategy to deal with the Republican controlled state Senate. If Haydon wins, the GOP would hold a 19-to-18 majority in the Senate, with one independent who caucuses with the Republicans.

TIME asks: Can the feds really create jobs?

Stop teasing me: U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., recently said that President Obama called to ask Conyers why he was “demeaning” him. The veteran congressman has expressed some heavy criticism of Obama’s policies on health care reform and the war in Afghanistan.

The Prez certainly hits all the right notes in this one, limiting his propagandizing on Afghanistan and Pakistan to moderately acceptable military-industrial-complex levels; instead honoring the humility and the tragedy of our nation’s soldiers, killed in lands both foreign and domestic.

UPDATE: Here’s a video featuring a truncated version of the speech below it.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1QBQgSZ38I[/youtube]

We come together filled with sorrow for the thirteen Americans that we have lost; with gratitude for the lives that they led; and with a determination to honor them through the work we carry on.

This is a time of war. And yet these Americans did not die on a foreign field of battle. They were killed here, on American soil, in the heart of this great American community. It is this fact that makes the tragedy even more painful and even more incomprehensible.

For those families who have lost a loved one, no words can fill the void that has been left. We knew these men and women as soldiers and caregivers. You knew them as mothers and fathers; sons and daughters; sisters and brothers.

But here is what you must also know: your loved ones endure through the life of our nation. Their memory will be honored in the places they lived and by the people they touched. Their life’s work is our security, and the freedom that we too often take for granted. Every evening that the sun sets on a tranquil town; every dawn that a flag is unfurled; every moment that an American enjoys life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness -– that is their legacy.

Neither this country -– nor the values that we were founded upon – could exist without men and women like these thirteen Americans. And that is why we must pay tribute to their stories.

Chief Warrant Officer Michael Cahill had served in the National Guard and worked as a physician’s assistant for decades. A husband and father of three, he was so committed to his patients that on the day he died, he was back at work just weeks after having a heart attack.

Major Libardo Eduardo Caraveo spoke little English when he came to America as a teenager. But he put himself through college, earned a PhD, and was helping combat units cope with the stress of deployment. He is survived by his wife, sons and step-daughters.

Staff Sergeant Justin DeCrow joined the Army right after high school, married his high school sweetheart, and had served as a light wheeled mechanic and Satellite Communications Operator. He was known as an optimist, a mentor, and a loving husband and father.

After retiring from the Army as a Major, John Gaffaney cared for society’s most vulnerable during two decades as a psychiatric nurse. He spent three years trying to return to active duty in this time of war, and he was preparing to deploy to Iraq as a Captain. He leaves behind a wife and son.

Specialist Frederick Greene was a Tennessean who wanted to join the Army for a long time, and did so in 2008 with the support of his family. As a combat engineer he was a natural leader, and he is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Specialist Jason Hunt was also recently married, with three children to care for. He joined the Army after high school. He did a tour in Iraq, and it was there that he re-enlisted for six more years on his 21st birthday so that he could continue to serve.

Staff Sergeant Amy Krueger was an athlete in high school, joined the Army shortly after 9/11, and had since returned home to speak to students about her experience. When her mother told her she couldn’t take on Osama bin Laden by herself, Amy replied: “Watch me.”

Private First Class Aaron Nemelka was an Eagle Scout who just recently signed up to do one of the most dangerous jobs in the service – diffuse bombs – so that he could help save lives. He was proudly carrying on a tradition of military service that runs deep within his family.

Private First Class Michael Pearson loved his family and loved his music, and his goal was to be a music teacher. He excelled at playing the guitar, and could create songs on the spot and show others how to play. He joined the military a year ago, and was preparing for his first deployment.

Captain Russell Seager worked as a nurse for the VA, helping veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress. He had great respect for the military, and signed up to serve so that he could help soldiers cope with the stress of combat and return to civilian life. He leaves behind a wife and son.

Private Francheska Velez, the daughter of a father from Colombia and a Puerto Rican mother, had recently served in Korea and in Iraq, and was pursuing a career in the Army. When she was killed, she was pregnant with her first child, and was excited about becoming a mother.

Lieutenant Colonel Juanita Warman was the daughter and granddaughter of Army veterans. She was a single mother who put herself through college and graduate school, and served as a nurse practitioner while raising her two daughters. She also left behind a loving husband.

Private First Class Kham Xiong came to America from Thailand as a small child. He was a husband and father who followed his brother into the military because his family had a strong history of service. He was preparing for his first deployment to Afghanistan.

These men and women came from all parts of the country. Some had long careers in the military. Some had signed up to serve in the shadow of 9/11. Some had known intense combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, and some cared for those did. Their lives speak to the strength, the dignity and the decency of those who serve, and that is how they will be remembered.

That same spirit is embodied in the community here at Fort Hood, and in the many wounded who are still recovering. In those terrible minutes during the attack, soldiers made makeshift tourniquets out of their clothes. They braved gunfire to reach the wounded, and ferried them to safety in the backs of cars and a pick-up truck.

One young soldier, Amber Bahr, was so intent on helping others that she did not realize for some time that she, herself, had been shot in the back. Two police officers – Mark Todd and Kim Munley – saved countless lives by risking their own. One medic – Francisco de la Serna – treated both Officer Munley and the gunman who shot her.

It may be hard to comprehend the twisted logic that led to this tragedy.  But this much we do know – no faith justifies these murderous and craven acts; no just and loving God looks upon them with favor. And for what he has done, we know that the killer will be met with justice – in this world, and the next.

These are trying times for our country. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, the same extremists who killed nearly 3,000 Americans continue to endanger America, our allies, and innocent Afghans and Pakistanis. In Iraq, we are working to bring a war to a successful end, as there are still those who would deny the Iraqi people the future that Americans and Iraqis have sacrificed so much for.

As we face these challenges, the stories of those at Fort Hood reaffirm the core values that we are fighting for, and the strength that we must draw upon. Theirs are tales of American men and women answering an extraordinary call – the call to serve their comrades, their communities, and their country. In an age of selfishness, they embody responsibility. In an era of division, they call upon us to come together. In a time of cynicism, they remind us of who we are as Americans.

We are a nation that endures because of the courage of those who defend it. We saw that valor in those who braved bullets here at Fort Hood, just as surely as we see it in those who signed up knowing that they would serve in harm’s way.

We are a nation of laws whose commitment to justice is so enduring that we would treat a gunman and give him due process, just as surely as we will see that he pays for his crimes.

We are a nation that guarantees the freedom to worship as one chooses. And instead of claiming God for our side, we remember Lincoln’s words, and always pray to be on the side of God.

We are a nation that is dedicated to the proposition that all men and women are created equal. We live that truth within our military, and see it in the varied backgrounds of those we lay to rest today. We defend that truth at home and abroad, and we know that Americans will always be found on the side of liberty and equality. That is who we are as a people.

Tomorrow is Veterans Day. It is a chance to pause, and to pay tribute – for students to learn of the struggles that preceded them; for families to honor the service of parents and grandparents; for citizens to reflect upon the sacrifices that have been made in pursuit of a more perfect union.

For history is filled with heroes. You may remember the stories of a grandfather who marched across Europe; an uncle who fought in Vietnam; a sister who served in the Gulf. But as we honor the many generations who have served, I think all of us – every single American – must acknowledge that this generation has more than proved itself the equal of those who have come before.

We need not look to the past for greatness, because it is before our very eyes.

This generation of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen have volunteered in a time of certain danger. They are part of the finest fighting force that the world has ever known.  They have served tour after tour of duty in distant, different and difficult places. They have stood watch in blinding deserts and on snowy mountains. They have extended the opportunity of self-government to peoples that have suffered tyranny and war. They are man and woman; white, black, and brown; of all faiths and stations – all Americans, serving together to protect our people, while giving others half a world away the chance to lead a better life.

In today’s wars, there is not always a simple ceremony that signals our troops’ success – no surrender papers to be signed, or capital to be claimed. But the measure of their impact is no less great – in a world of threats that no know borders, it will be marked in the safety of our cities and towns, and the security and opportunity that is extended abroad. And it will serve as testimony to the character of those who serve, and the example that you set for America and for the world.

Here, at Fort Hood, we pay tribute to thirteen men and women who were not able to escape the horror of war, even in the comfort of home. Later today, at Fort Lewis, one community will gather to remember so many in one Stryker Brigade who have fallen in Afghanistan.

Long after they are laid to rest – when the fighting has finished, and our nation has endured; when today’s servicemen and women are veterans, and their children have grown -– it will be said of this generation that they believed under the most trying of tests; that they persevered not just when it was easy, but when it was hard; and that they paid the price and bore the burden to secure this nation, and stood up for the values that live in the hearts of all free peoples.

So we say goodbye to those who now belong to eternity. We press ahead in pursuit of the peace that guided their service. May God bless the memory of those we lost. And may God bless the United States of America.