The rampant, raging Absolut vodka controversy took on new dimensions this weekend when a pack of insane nativists vowed to boycott Absolut and demanded the firing of the employee who approved an ad that encourages the Mexicans to take over the Northern Hemisphere. To be fair, it is well known that The Illegals and their cohort take most of their political marching orders from liquor ads. MORE »

This edition of Rumors marks the end of Intern Sharon’s tenure with Wonkette. She got a “real” job, and for that we will never forgive her. If you’re interested in being the new Wonkette intern, applications are currently being sorted through. Send yours (sans attachments, please) to us with the subject line “Intern.” MORE »

• Fitzgerald will not issue a final report and possible indictments are not expected this week; lawyers involved say the prosecutor is “leaning toward indictments but continuing to weigh thousands of pages of documents and testimony.” [NYT]
• Miers supported abortion ban in 1989; today she insists the court should not determine “social policy.” McClellan: “[P]ersonal views and ideology and religion have no role to play when it comes to making decisions on the bench.” [WP, NYT, LAT, WT, USAT]
• Miers‘ questionnaire lifts support among Republicans; Democrats have concerns about her abortion views. [LAT, WSJ]
• Miers was vetted by a few White House “insiders”; she met with Bush but not with Cheney or Rove. [USAT]
• Bush “made his displeasure known” to Rove two years ago and has “made his life miserable about” the leak investigation, says “presidential counselor.” [NYDN]
• Bush announces $32b domestic security bill: “We’re going to get control of our borders. We’ll make this country safer for all our citizens.” [NYT, LAT, WSJ, WT]
• White House to reduce next Gulf Coast relief package to around $20b. [WSJ]
• Republicans losing support among conservatives, moderates, and independents. Ronald Brownstein: “This two-front war complicates the challenge for the GOP as Bush tries to regain the initiative in Washington and the party prepares for the 2006 midterm elections.” [LAT]

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• White House is willing to open the Strategic Petroleum Reserve if needed in aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. [WSJ, WP]
• Bush, in attempt to change topic from Iraq, again calls for overhaul of Social Security and says “there is more we can do” about border security. Bush on Social Security: “I’m going to keep working this issue.”[NYT, WP, USAT]
• Roberts argued for a permanent ban of racial quotas in the workplace and against school busing designed to integrate students. [WP]
• Roberts advised the Reagan administration not to expand policing powers to government agencies such as the Interior and Agriculture Departments; called “a classic conservative articulation of the individual’s right to be protected from state power.” [NYT]
• Leahy gives heads-up to Roberts: expect questions about the “Bybee memo” that defines the legality of torture. [NYT, LAT]
• White House official says Republicans have lost their advantage on education; No Child Left Behind is increasingly unpopular among both parties. [WSJ, LAT]

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