Easy

Chicago. -- The British writer Paul Johnson is writing a book on American history to go with his large volumes on the history of Christianity and of modern times.In a related article that leads off the current issue of Commentary, he tells us that our presidents used to be great, but that is no longer the case. Mediocre or worse men now not only win the job, but make up the bulk of those applying for it. This would be less shocking but for our past record of greatness: ''No other major country over the past two centuries can boast a comparable roll call of ability, high-mindedness and courage.

There are many tough issues before us. The John Arnick issue isn't among them.The Arnick issue is easy.You don't need to be Solomon to figure this one out. You don't even need to be as smart as William Donald Schaefer.John Arnick should not be a judge. You know that. I know that. The only people who don't seem to know that are the guv, a bunch of Maryland senators and some of their lobbyist pals.Let's try this axiom on for size: Nobody who calls women "bimbos" and "lying bitches" and one well-known anatomical vulgarity so ugly we can't even put in the paper could ever be a good judge.

The phone was ringing . . . three, four, five times. I picked it up. Dial tone. It's hell when you've lost a step.Oh well, easy come, easy go. I didn't want a shot at the WBA, IBF and HBO (not listed in order of importance) version of the heavyweight championship anyway.Sorry, Riddick, find another overweight, over-the-hill impostor for your next title defense, scheduled May 21 on the premium cable channel.Let's not be guilty of a rush to judgment following Riddick Bowe's easy-breezy stroll past Michael Dokes Saturday might.

What if they'd hooked up? What if Safely Kept had had a two-length lead turning for home, with Housebuster in hot pursuit? What if . . .The Sprint is the traditional jump-start to the Breeders' Cup championships, but it became an anticlimax Thursday when Safely Kept was retired with an injury. With her defection goes one of racing's most anticipated clashes of recent memory.Although there were few down moments to the Maryland-bred mare's brilliant 24-for-31 career, the biggest disappointment is that she never got a real chance to defeat Housebuster, the other big-name sprinter of the past two seasons.

DREARY WINTER gone, I found my stout septuagenarian sidekick, Fats Drobnak, soaking up the early spring sun on the Canton waterside promenade. Fair April looms, I said, bringing All Fools' Day and the opening game tomorrow at Camden Yards. You, a baseball aficionado, will surely be there, yes? "Fishin? That ain't for me. Not enuf action. The game? I'm a no-show." I sense you misunderstand in part. But why forego Opening Day hoopla and the unveiling of our much changed Birds? Puzzling.

THE AMERICAN MILITARY just fought a war that was, like, totally shaped by video-broadband-GPS-laser-laptop technology, and in three weeks swept the field while sustaining few casualties. More gizmos are in the offing, and the question is: Will the thrill of putting all that stuff to use again and waging digitized war just be too tempting to resist? Put it another way: Is war becoming too easy? American armed forces are in the process of mastering IT, and although there's still a long way to go, it's showing results.

THE SEARCHFOR MAGGIE WARD.Andrew Greeley.Warner.452 pages. $19.95.On the surface, Jerry Keenan had everything. Born into a wealthy, devout Catholic Chicago family, he possessed good looks and had a future as a lawyer. But then came World War II and a harrowing tour of the Pacific Theater. Although he returned a decorated hero and was unhurt, Jerry constantly relives the horrors of seeing his friends die and knowing he caused the deaths of other men. Before resuming his life in Chicago, Jerry decides to drive across the country and try to expunge his nightmares.

IT WAS EASY for Republicans to curse Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott when his only apparent sin was praising Strom Thurmond's 1948 segregationist run for the White House. The Party of Lincoln has become quite good at distancing itself from the kind of outright bigotry and race-baiting that Republicans used to win Southern hearts and minds during the contentious struggle for civil rights in the 1960s. But the more the focus of Mr. Lott's trouble moves away from his apparently nostalgic comments and toward his record as a reflection of Republican ideals, the more he becomes a difficult figure for his party to confront.

Food: *** 1/2 (3 1/2 stars) Service: *** (3 stars) Atmosphere: ** (2 stars) Rob Wecker, one of the owners of the Iron Bridge Wine Company, says he thinks of his wildly successful wine bar and small-plates restaurant as a "Cheers with wine," referring to the Boston bar in the 1980s TV show of the same name. By that, he means he and his brother Steve had in mind a place reasonably enough priced that people could come three times a week, instead of waiting for a special occasion. The Iron Bridge caters to regulars, and the staff will probably greet you by name if you eat there more than occasionally.

As the Maryland Terrapins begin their 2006 season against William and Mary today at Byrd Stadium, the prevailing fan sentiment is that coach Ralph Friedgen needs to get the team back to a bowl game after consecutive 5-6 seasons. But frankly, that's the least he should do. Yes, the Terps' 2006 schedule includes a spate of tough games, and yes, life in general in the 12-team Atlantic Coast Conference will never be as easy as life in the old nine-team league was - but with all due respect, getting a team to a bowl game in 2006 is hardly the challenge of a lifetime.