Wonkette

After months of careful edits, cooperation with the McCain campaign, professional insights of several world-class reporters and editors, the New York Times printed one of the worst, most inadvertently hilarious stories Thursday about John McCain: how he screws sexy lobbyist whores and then steals everyone’s corrupt money. This story was such crap — structurally, thematically, content-wise — that it made Rush Limbaugh defend John McCain and unite the right (the right!). Today, the Times is trying to save its few remaining subscriptions by taking questions online. Executive editor Bill Keller responded in length to the first one, and hopefully he will be fired soon. MORE »

Last night, the New Republic teased that they were working on a story about those crippling newsroom politics at the New York Times surrounding the John McCain sex corruption story. The insidery tale is up on TNR’s website now, and it has launched a massive journalism nerd flock to read the details. When did executive editor Bill Keller talk to John McCain, and did McCain solicit corrupt lobbyist sex with him too? How do the paper’s Washington and New York bureaus resolve their competing agendas? Does David Brooks look as stupid in person? All is revealed! MORE »

* Scooter Libby is just another persecuted Scientologist. [Outside the Beltway]
* John Edwards goes live tonight using same video chat software your favorite porn sites use. [John Edwards]
* This thing doesn’t look like that thing. [C&L]
* Bill Keller thinks your newspaper sucks. [Romenesko]
* Nancy Pelosi has spendy outfits. [MoJo]
* Hu Jintao is, apparently, the master of his domain. [Dean's World]
* Product placement in future SOTUs is a magic money teet. [Matthew Yglesias]
* Don Sherwood is the kind of guy that would choke a woman and not have the common courtesy to make his hush money payments. [The Politico]

• YouTube, vloggers, and predictions for 2008 that comprise the wet dreams of the vloggerati. [James Kelm's Home Page]

• New Jersey’s got debts that no honest state can pay. [Gawker]
• The new and improved Bill Keller: now with an army of “demi-human reporter-goons.” [Rude Pundit]
• Joe Lieberman likes splitting hairs as much as he likes combing them over. [Roger Ailes]
• Europeans stunned by speed with which CIA starts front-companies. [Counterterrorism Blog]

• Not much to say, except that this is the funniest post about anything we have read all week. [Alicublog]

• More than you perhaps ever wanted to know about the VRA renewal fuckup. [ePluibus Media]
• Still angry at Bill Keller. Guys, it’s been days. We forgot about that already. [TAPPED]
• Claude Allen — remember him? We might not get a big garish public trial. FOR SHAME. [TPM Muckraker]

* Bush twins unemployment index goes to zero at the same time the Bush twins in DC index goes to zero. Saddest possible trombone plays a solo for every bar owner in Georgetown. [Fresh Politics] MORE »

Next week on ‘Reliable Sources’, a roundtable on Bill Keller: Hanging or public hanging? MORE »

• John Snow writes Bill Keller an angry letter. Bill Keller is surely used to getting letters from old retired cranks, but still… [The Corner]

• “There are no shitty-attitude exemptions in the Bill of Rights.” [Alicublog]
• Sure, sure, we’ll revoke the New York Times‘ “press privileges,” as long as in return you agree to give up fucking with web design. [The Dumb Ox]
• Lt. Cotton, from Baghdad, also writes Bill Keller an angry letter. Now that Osama bin Laden knows that John Snow knows that UBL overdrew three times last year, Lt. Cotton’s life is in grave danger. [Powerline]

Looks like Judith Miller has completed her awkward segue from self-righteous hero to former New York Times reporter. Bill Keller just posted two emails on the Times’ sight explaining Miller

• Reliable Source: Alito’s senior thesis found at Princeton. . . Wolf Blitzer has lost 15 pounds in two months. (From standing on camera all day, we presume). . . Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.) introduces bill to investigate murder of Tupac Shakur. [WP]
• Rush & Molloy: New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller was reportedly convinced about WMDs after several private meetings with Paul Wolfowitz. . . PETA flack: “When we first heard that Dick Cheney was hunting pheasants, we thought that it might be a misspelling of ‘peasants.’ His hunt for Osama failed, so he’s now reduced to hunting small birds.” [NYDN]
• Lloyd Grove’s Lowdown: Negative review of Maureen Dowd’s latest book is set to run in the New York Times on Sunday. Writes Kathryn Harrison, “Maureen Dowd comes across as someone who wants to be liked.” [NYDN]
• Cindy Adams: Oliver Stone is moving “gingerly” ahead on his 9/11 film. [NYP]
• Page Six: “Which strapping son of a cable TV talk show host has been selling marijuana on the side? The pot-puffing party boy, who’s supposedly pursuing an acting career, was overheard offering to sell two young lovelies weed at a recent fashion party.” [NYP]
• Fox 411: Warren Beatty is not interested in running for the governorship of California. [Fox News]