Remember this bizarre story? (Photo: AP) MORE »

Former Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research Carl Ford, speaking on the intelligence failures that led to our stunning victory in Iraq, tries out a beautiful new method of buck-passing: It’s Congress’ fault for believing the crap guys like him told them. Which sounds like dodging responsibility, but it makes sense, really. It’s the Otter defense: You fucked up, you trusted the White House. MORE »

Capitol Hill interns: There’s still time left to nominate yourself, or have a friend nominate you, in our Hill Intern Hotties contest. But we’re planning to announce the nominees tomorrow, so don’t delay. Nomination guidelines here.

If you’re more interested in fortune than fame, however, this proposal might appeal to you more:

The post speaks for itself. We will refrain from embellishing it with cheap-and-easy Washingtonienne humor.

The full text of the post, after the jump.

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Rep. Jim Moran is a pretty colorful House member. In the past few months, we’ve learned about his weight loss challenge, his arrest at the Sudanese embassy, and his conspiracy theorizing. And now this: MORE »

In a world of constant spin, it’s refreshing to come across someone who doesn’t even try. The Washington Post reports:

Two organizations that have provided free trips to hundreds of federal judges received large contributions from tobacco, oil and other corporate interests, according to documents released yesterday.

The Montana-based Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment (FREE) and George Mason University’s Law & Economics Center previously said corporate money does not pay for the judges’ seminars or declined to disclose their donors.

But documents released by the Community Rights Counsel, a nonprofit Washington law firm, show that corporations including Exxon Mobil, Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco have contributed tens of thousands of dollars toward these programs.

How did FREE respond to this news? In surprisingly frank, unintentionally amusing fashion. Check it out, after the jump.

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HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson, speaking before a group of minority executives in Dallas, had this to say about his interaction with an applicant for a government contract who voiced opposition to the president:

“[This contractor] made a heck of a proposal and was on the (General Services Administration) list, so we selected him. He came to see me and thank me for selecting him. Then he said something … he said, ‘I have a problem with your president.’

“I said, ‘What do you mean?’ He said, ‘I don’t like President Bush.’ I thought to myself, ‘Brother, you have a disconnect — the president is elected, I was selected. You wouldn’t be getting the contract unless I was sitting here. If you have a problem with the president, don’t tell the secretary.’

“He didn’t get the contract,” Jackson continued. “Why should I reward someone who doesn’t like the president, so they can use funds to try to campaign against the president? Logic says they don’t get the contract. That’s the way I believe.”

Wow. We had a hard time believing Secretary Jackson actually said these things (although his honesty is refreshing). After talking to a HUD source, we find it less difficult to fathom. The results of our investigation appear after the jump.

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Here are two quotes from the weekend papers that we particularly enjoyed. The first comes from a Boston Globe article about how Americans for Tax Reform, headed by anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist, has received contributions from some unlikely sources — including $4.3 million from Richard Scruggs, the Mississippi trial lawyer known for supporting Democratic causes: MORE »