Contrary to today's news reports, James Brown,

the Godfather of Soul, has not passed away. He

has merely got a brand new bag.

"It is such a wonderful moment for us in Afghanistan

to have our great friend, our great supporter, a man

that helped us liberate, a man that helped us rebuild,

a man that helped us move toward the future.

So as I disambiguate the black keys from the white,

let's give a big round of applause to

James Brown and the Famous Flames."