The announcers talked in such a low key, melodious, monotone you could hardly tell them from the music. It all seemed to blend into one continuous unobtrusive background lullaby. We didn't really listen to these voices, they were simply there like faithful servants, helping set the mood for whatever we were doing. If you had nothing to do and tried to listen "at" them, they would probably put you to sleep.

Ever wonder what happened to all those talented voices? Well, I think I found them. They went to work for the government.

Flipping through C-Span and CNN during the day, you will find Ari Fleischer presiding over his daily press conference. He'll tell you everything the president feels today or felt yesterday without changing pitch one bit. You could also listen to Richard Boucher, spokesman for Colin Powell's State Department, briefing reporters who are all lulled into questions in the same flat monotone. If you're looking for excitement, this ain't it, but it's great background without music. It will not disturb anything else you want to do.

If you want excitement and comedy, then you've got to wait for the Donald Rumsfeld show, the daily Pentagon performance. This is a lively skit dealing with defense, offense, security and insecurity, weapons of mass destruction and the search for bin Laden. All brought to you with tons of homely fare about people being all that they can be. Everybody has a great time.

The latest thing on the Rumsfeld show has been the new Pentagon Bureau of Disinformation that was set up to throw the enemy off guard by disseminating false information, or what we used to call propaganda. Don thought that the American public was ready to accept strategic deception and strategic leaks. But the press responded with something along the lines of how can we tell when you're telling the truth. Now, we're told the idea is off the books and the project shut down. Don says he sent the new department packing.

In other words, the whole thing has deteriorated into that puzzle on a card. Maybe, it's Don Rumsfeld's business card. On one side it says: "what's on the other side is a lie." And when you turn the card over you find that the second side says: "what's on the other side is the truth." You can start wherever you want and the game has no end.

Tune in next week and maybe Don will show you a moebius strip.