Who Would've Guessed?

Not one of us. I did handicap him at 7.5 to 1 shot, but not with a male prostitute. Wowza. But now it seems kind of obvious. Like, the toupee should have been a tip-off.
Tengrain at Mock, Paper, Scissors is er, on top of this one.

The President in the Swimming Pool

America's best senator happens to live not in my neighborhood, but about one neighborhood over, maybe a mile or so away. 'Jesus, Jess' you say. 'We had no idea you were a swell, living the high life in an exurban mansion accessible only through a large, protective, moat-like, gated barrier.'

Friends! I am not such a person, because the senator is not Trent Lott or John D. Rockefeller. The senator is Russ Feingold, and he really is a smack-dab-in-the-middle of middle America guy. My neighborhood is made up of older ranch style houses with unfinished basements and one car garages. (The Senator has a 2 car garage).

It is possible to run into Senator Feingold all over town. About a year ago, I saw him swimming laps in the lap pool at our health club. "Health Club!" you snort, "sounds prestigious!" "Not at all," I answer. "Just like the Y, and locally owned!"

I told my daughter that the next president of the United States was in the pool. Sadly, only a short time after we saw him he made the announcement that he would not be running for president. Still, whenever we walk past the lap pool my daughter asks "is that the president's swimming pool?"

Qwinky Dink, Dr. Dictionary?

Do you think there is anything behind the selection of today's Word of the Day?

Just wondering.

Safe things to say about Senator Craig

So I'm a little late on the Craig um, circle jerk and from the um, reams of info at all t'other blogs I see that there is really not much to add.

Except that we can be pretty sure that Craig isn't going to be er, fingered as one of the senatorial clientele of the DC madame on that list Larry Flynt is carrying around.

It's fun to stay at the WHYYYYY EMMMMMSEEEEEAAAAAAAAA!!!

Senate to George Bush: Yes, you have been kicking us in the nuts. We have just voted that you should kick us in the nuts harder

The needle is on 'flight' on the fight or flight meter today.

I feel despair.

Senate passes Bush-backed spy bill

Will this sign of impending doom come to pass?

John Dean was on Randi Rhodes show this afternoon. He said that if Alberto Gonzales resigns during the Congressional recess there is no way the Bush Administration would be so stupid as to replace a cabinet level official with an interim appointment.

He does not recall that an official of that level has ever been replaced with an interim appointment and that doing so would show the highest levels of contempt for congress. (Not contempt in the legal sense, but in the sense of an abject and total belief in the unitary executive.) If Bush were to do such a thing the wheels would utterly be off this administration.

Somehow, given that warning, I can absolutely see it happening. In other words, no one ever erred overestimating the stupidity of this administration.

Wanna play Senatorial Sleaze Pool?

I would like to start a little game. It's a bit like Dead Pool, where you select a group of celebrities you think are going to die within the year. Points are assessed by how unlikely your pick is. In the past year, I think Anna Nicole Smith would get you decent points, but Gerald Ford was pretty obvious.

The inspiration for my game is the clip at Political Wire . Larry Flynt says that he will spill the beans on another senatorial customer of prostitutional delights and decadences. Flynt gives us a little teaser. He says "I was shocked, especially at one senator but..."

Hmmm. Ready to play? Who could the senator be that would shock,shock Larry Flynt?

Please leave your guesses in comments. I will do my best to unfairly handicap your choices with an unjustifiable points system. To help toward that end here are some thoughts:

Wayne Allard - given his anti-immigration bent, a Mexican prostitute might be shocking. 10 pts

Barbara Boxer - very shocking indeed! 50 pts

Sam Brownback - not shocking, practically expected. 2 pts

Robert Byrd - my first choice. I actually hope he is on the list. 50 pts.

Saxby Chambliss - see Brownback above. 2 pts.

Russell Feingold - this would hurt. I would not be shocked, I would be mortified. 10¹⁰⁰ pts.

Lindsey Graham - If the prostitute is anyone other than Jeff Gannon/Guckert. 10 pts

Joe Lieberman - shocking because I don't think he could pay someone to fuck him. 100 pts.

Trent Lott - not shocking, expected. Not even a black prostitute would shock given Lott's admiration for Strom Thurmond. 7.5 pts.

David Vitter - 0 points. Are you paying attention?

John McCain - only mildly shocking. Since there is nowhere to go but up for his campaign, it could actually provide some bounce. 25 pts.

Who it is not: Senator John Barrasso R-Wyoming. He's only been a senator since June 25, 2007. 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 oogle google points.

UPDATE: Look! I put the new poll feature up so you can vote there, too.