Wonkette

• Bush stresses need for US to remain in Iraq, he fears, “We will have lost our soul as a nation” if forces are removed. [WP]

• Scotland Yard charges 11 in “liquid bomb” plot, yesterday’s press conference more CSI than Sherlock Holmes. [NYT, WP]
• Italy to lead peacekeeping force in Lebanon, provided standing around in stylish blue helmets is the extent of the “leading.” [BBC]
• Obama now carrying hopes of Democratic party and all of African continent on shoulders. [LAT]
• Uptight, “Washington Type-A” parents fear humiliation from what their kids write on these new “blogs.” [WP]

• Bill Frist shows his compassionate conservatism by tolerating Nantucket-summering douchebags [Melissa C. Morris]

• In Sweden, all girls named Inge, all think Condi’s gay. [Swedes for Obama]
• The Colorado gubernatorial race hinges on the polarizing sheep-fucking issue. [Pandagon]
• Esquire “We’re not gay, really” Magazine congratulates Barack Obama for not dressing Sensenbrennerly. [Esquire]
• Newspapers plan on buying RV and blowing the kids’ inheritance, as they’ll be dead in 5 years. [E-Consultancy]

* Reliable Source: After much anticipation — namely by Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts — Sen. John McCain made his cameo halfway through last night’s “24″. . . Scheduler for Sen. Jeff Sessions has been “dealt with” following post of “provocative photo” online. . . Jordan’s King Abdullah spotted at Georgetown Safeway. [WP]
* Under the Dome: Brian Williams confused Sen. Barak Obama with Rep. Harold Ford during State of the Union broadcast. . . Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) hawks hardcover version of “The Constitution in Crisis” report with a introduction by Joe Wilson. . . Colin Powell sings “Happy Birthday” to opera singer. . . Liam Neeson and Holly Hunter play the Lincolns in Library of Congress production. [The Hill]
* Inside the Beltway: Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) is the longest-serving House member. [WT]

We didn’t make it past the Note’s hilarious fake Iraqi election exit poll. The one they funded by selling off on “vintage, eBay-ready Note Notebooks.” Complete with fake exit poll hotline! There will likely be fake results! Not unlike 2004. MORE »

Our second to last Wonk’d of the slow season. Please keep collecting the lamest excuses for “famous” that you can — and remember, we’re including famous-for-DC outside of DC — and send them to . In this issue, an actually rather impressive-for-August number of sightings of famous-for-DC, including lots of generals (Clark, Meyers, McCaffrey), George Will hyping and diving, Tucker Carlson at McDonald’s, Leahy, Dukakis, Coulter, Baldridge, Koppel, Chertoff, Woodruff, Kerry, McClellan, Pennington, Clinton, Obama, King, Sharpton, Gannon, Hunt.

They’re all after the jump.

MORE »