The focus in England is not on whether Tony Blair cooked the books on Iraq, but whether soccer-celeb David Beckham will be sold to Barcelona. This is big stuff to a nation where everyone (and thing) has its place. To Britons, Spain is where you go for a middle-class holiday, not where you dump the captain of the national team.
Beckham is larger than the sport he plays. He's got an iron foot, great hair and a stylish wife, the former Posh Spice, Victoria. Becks is as beloved for his clothes as his deadly free-kick; his loss would rob the country not only of tabloid entertainment, but also of standing in the world's premier sport.
Americans shouldn't dismiss the furor as nonsense. This is a country, after all, where 200,000 people bought Hillary's book in the first day of sales and Ozzy Osbourne has his own show. In fact, Becks and Spice have just wrapped up a tour of the States. They must have learned from the British invasion 40 years ago - if you've really got an act, come to America.
