* What the fuck happened to the John Sweeney I used to know? Where’s the spirit? Where’s the guts, huh? “Ooh, we’re afraid to go with you Bluto, we might get in trouble.” [Hotline Blog]
* What does Derek Whittenburg (motorist) think of the Senate Democrats stunt? “They’re high, or whatever.” [Jalopnik]
* That old retired journalists are decrying Wikipedia only makes us love it more! [CNN]
* On a slightly related note: We are increasingly sure that “addicted to oil” is not a metaphor, but a very serious physicial condition afflicting many of our elected represenatives. [PublicEye]
* Hooray! Thanks to the tireless efforts of our anti-American journalists, the TV on Air Force One will be changed to CNN. [AJC]

From the mailbag… MORE »

Oh, and they’re really good at Googling stuff: MORE »

* Reliable Source: Bush will divert Air Force One today to vote in the Texas primary. . . David Boies‘ wife chartered two planes to bring 50 of his best friends –including Tom Brokaw, Charlie Rose, Ted Olsen, Walter Isaacson, Tom Friedman, Ben Bradlee, Sally Quinn and Margaret Carlson– to Vegas for his surprise 65th birthday party. . . Alan Greenspan turned 80 yesterday; book advance could reach $8m. . . George Stephanopoulos gets manicures. . . Jenna Bush dined at the Capital Grille on Saturday. . . Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) attended the Oscars. . . Martin Sheen seen praying at St. Stephen’s Church. [WP]
* Under the Dome: Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) has cast 17,532 roll-call votes. [The Hill]
* Lloyd Grove’s Lowdown: Katie Holmes‘ character in “Thank You for Smoking” was inspired by Maureen Dowd. [NYDN]

From high above the Southern Hemisphere, an operative on Air Force One espied the Time scribe’s fledgling literary effort:

Time’s Matt Cooper is working on a book proposal. In a race with the New York Times’ Judith Miller, the White House press corps’ version of William Conrad (only slightly less sweaty) knows that the market just won’t bear two self-righteous reporters sniveling about their woes (and Miller’s got 85 days in the clink to pad out her book). MORE »

From today’s White House briefing on Air Force One:

Q Will you have any time to talk to the Canadians about soft lumber? MORE »

In this WH pool report, the President views the hurricane’s path from AF1 and waxes profound:

“It’s devastating,” POTUS said as he watched, according to Scott McClellan. “It’s got to be doubly devastating on the ground.”

“Strike that,” he continued. “It’s like devastating times a hundred. . . . No, no, no, wait: Devastating to infinity.” He paused and added, “Infinity plus one.” Later, Bush was heard to observe that Katrina’s effects were “ginormous.”

Full report after the jump.

President Bush pauses aftering having a first-hand look from the window of Air Force One of the damage to New Orleans [AP]

MORE »

• Inside the Beltway: Podesta group issues press release titled “How Not to Prepare for a Massive Hurricane, by President Bush“. . . White House pool report noted Air Force One served “the biggest cinnamon bun you ever saw, even bigger than the ones you can buy in the mall.” [WT]
• Inside Politics: Buchanan calls for Republicans to attack Bush for his immigration policies. . . Will evangelicals accept Romney, a mormon, in ‘08? [WT]
• Names & Faces: Schwarzenegger museum in Austria closes. [WP]
• Liz Smith: Bill Clinton and Desmond Tutu will receive awards from the Human Rights Campaign. [NYP]