The countdown to Turkey Day has commenced. Seems like a good time for a news quiz.

1. The latest anti-Obama merchandise on T-shirts and bumper stickers is the slogan, "Pray for Obama: Psalm 109:8." What does the verse say?

a. "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?"
b. "Woe is he who takes or gives a bailout."
c. "Let his days be few; and let another take his office."
d. "You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day."

2. Which 2008 presidential candidate recently declared the "war has been lost" in Afghanistan?

a. Barack Obama.
b. John McCain.
c. Fred Thompson.
d. John Edwards.

3. At a World Cup qualifying soccer match last week, France advanced over Ireland thanks to a controversial goal. It seems a referee failed to notice a French player had illegally touched the ball with his hand moments before putting it into the net. Afterwards, the French player said:

a. "Hey, these refs are as bad as the ones in the Southeastern Conference."
b. "I will be honest, it was a hand ball … but I'm not the ref."
c. "I only touched it for a second."
d. "It's only illegal if you get caught."

4. Which of these is NOT something University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban accomplished this month:

a. Put his team securely into the No. 2 position in the AP Top 25.
b. Qualified his Crimson Tide for a spot in the Southeastern Conference championship game Dec. 5 in Atlanta.
c. Warranted a glowing mention in Sarah Palin's new book, Going Rogue.
d. Made a cameo in the recently released motion picture, The Blind Side.

5. Speaking on National Pubic Radio last week, who said, "Because of the energy from 1,500 people in the crowd, and it was an energy of hatred — it actually pushes you as a performer further into the character, and you really, you know, you kind of believe the scene?"

a. Sacha Baron Cohen.
b. Sarah Palin.
c. Oprah Winfrey.
d. Nick Saban.

6. How did Dick Cheney respond when he was recently encouraged to run for president in 2012?

a. "Go run yourself."
b. "No chance."
c. "I'm tanned, rested and ready."
d. "Bring it on."

7. Among the many Alabama high schools named for people, what would be the most chuckle-inducing matchup?

a. Jess Lanier vs. Sidney Lanier.
b. Jefferson Davis vs. Robert E. Lee.
c. Mary Montgomery vs. Susan Moore.
d. John Leflore vs. John Carroll.
e. Bob Jones vs. Benjamin Russell.
f. T.R. Miller vs. B.B. Comer.
h. All of the above.

Answers

1. c. "Let his days be few; and let another take his office." The Christian Science Monitor reported the story last week, headlining it "Biblical anti-Obama slogan: Use of Psalm 109:8 funny or sinister?"

Speaking on TV last Tuesday, Frank Schaeffer, son of prominent theologian Francis Schaeffer, said, "There is a crazy fringe, to whom all these little messages pouring out of Fox News, now on a bumper sticker, talking about doing away with Obama, asking God to kill him."

2. c. Fred Thompson.

The one-time senator from Tennessee who has dabbled in acting (The Hunt for Red October and Law & Order to cite but two) and in 2008 threw his hat in the GOP presidential primary is now working in talk radio.

Speaking last week, Thompson said of President Obama's slow walk-up to a new Afghanistan policy, "It really doesn't matter how President Obama divides the Afghan baby, how he splits the difference between (Gen. Stanley) McChrystal and (Joe) Biden. Because the war has been lost."

Savvy readers may recall Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., saying something similar in 2007 about Iraq, declaring the war there "lost."

It was Thompson who then slammed Reid, accusing the senator of "encouraging our enemies."

3. b. "I will be honest, it was a hand ball … but I'm not the ref."

French striker Thierry Henry's admission has done little to pacify the Irish, who are justifiably upset by the no-call in a match that will prevent their team from advancing to the 2010 World Cup.

While many voices from Ireland were demanding a rematch, Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen vowed to confront French President Nicolas Sarkozy over the matter. No word on if he plans to use his hands.

4. c. Warranted a glowing mention in Sarah Palin's new book, Going Rogue. The former governor of Alaska and one-time vice-presidential candidate apparently was too busy settling scores to take note of Saban's success on the field and on camera.

5. a. Sacha Baron Cohen.

The British actor appeared on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross last week to promote the DVD release of Bruno, the 2009 movie where he portrays a gay Austrian fashion reporter. Cohen described his terror when his homoerotic make-out session during a wrestling match so enraged an Arkansas audience that some took to throwing chairs at the actor.

6. b. "No chance."

Liz Cheney, daughter of the former vice president, recently hinted — perhaps jokingly — that her dad would make a wonderful presidential candidate in 2012. At a Republican event in Houston last week, Dick Cheney was encouraged to throw his Stetson in the ring. One audience member shouted, "We need you, Dick." The former veep's terse response appears to be the final word on that possibility.

7. h. All of the above, naturally.

Have a happy Thanksgiving.