Idle threat of the week

While most folks were out celebrating America 232nd birthday with loud explosions, Florida Governor Charlie Crist was quietly taking steps to become America's 47th Vice President.

Crist, whose bachelor status, sparkly looks and history of frequenting gay clubs has led many to question his sexual orientation, announced on July 4th that he will be wed to a woman.

Crist will also buck the current convention of endless engagements and marry the 38-year old mother of two in September. Yet despite this effort to butch up his political resume and fast, it is highly unlikely Crist will be picked as John McCain's running mate. While the popular governor would surely help McCain in Florida, if McCain can't win the GOP-leaning sunshine state on his own there is no point in him even picking a number two.

But Crist wasn't the only one who spent the holiday weekend boning up on his heterosexual bona fides. Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez did so quiet literally, as rumors of his late night rendezvous with Madonna continued to light up the back pages of the New York tabloids.

Rodriguez surely isn't gay, but that hasn't stopped Red Sox fans (and a surprising percentage of Yankee fans) from making a sport of slurring him with school yard taunts that say otherwise. While, in general, being linked up with a woman who has spent time as an international sex symbol would be an effective retort to such name calling, Madonna has always been loved by gay man and has aged very mannishly, meaning this development will likely give the cat-callers even more ammunition.

And A-Rod and CC's attempts to put the rest the question of their sexuality is the idle threat of the week for July 1-6.