Wonkette

The Hill is all a-buzz today (sorta) with the news that ABC investigative reporter Brian Ross was booted from the National Beer Wholesalers Association and Brewers Association annual holiday reception last week when he showed up with a camera crew. The Beer Wholesalers’ receptions are epic events on the Hill, since they involve higher-end beer than is generally offered by House catering and the leftovers always mysteriously end up “up for grabs” when the night winds down. The segment, designed to show the average (oblivious) American how lobbyists spend money to influence Members and their aides, reportedly airs tonight. [Roll Call, subscription required, from The Raw Story]

Al-Qaeda personally calls Brian Ross on his prop phone to confirm reports from Mike Chertoff’s gut. [The Blotter]

Let us examine the case of Deborah Jeane Palfrey. So far, the shock-and-awe guy and one predictably hypocritical State department functionary have been outed as whoremongers. Who’s left? A “high-level CEO,” the head of a damn think tank, lobbyists, “military officials,” and a Bush administration economist. An economist? This is what passes for sexy intrigue now? MORE »

* Luckily, Brian Ross already has “DC Madam’s” number in his prop phone. [The Blotter]
* Barry Hussein will be in New York stealing money from Hillary all week, enduring what David Letterman calls humor tonight. [NYP]
* Elizabeth Edwards is shocked to find that a “rabid Republican” lives near her barony in North Carolina. [AP]
* Southern states fly flags at half-mast on the death-day of the confederacy. [Lawyers, Guns and Money]
* Tom DeLay is back dropping Hitler-bombs. [A Tiny Revolution]
* Geezers think sound-byte culture destroys political discourse; whipper-snappers can’t pay attention to anything longer. [PrezVid]
* Ann Althouse gets The Bends. [Althouse]
* ’60s weren’t that different really — same military failures, same unsubtle obscenities. [Worldwide Standard]

If we were a little more gullible, today we would be the proud winners of the Peabody Award that’s going to Brian Ross and his goddamned prop phone. MORE »

ABC News investigative star Brian Ross has finally gone too far with his “I’m talking on this pretend cell phone” picture: Now the Feds are trying to record all the calls made on the fake mobile. MORE »

ABC News’ man with the prop phone actually had a phone conversation with new-media guy Mark Glaser. MORE »

• House GOP leadership must admit to A. possible criminal conspiracy, B. complete incompetence, or C. a lingering hope that one day Mark Foley would start liking cocks with a little hair on them. [The Left Coaster]

• Brian Ross: a careerist Democratic mastermind who lied to influence the elections, and who even now sits at home rapping his fingers on a desk made from the bones of his crushed enemies. [The Jawa Report]
• Iranian uranium tourism to start soon, ribbon cutting by Johnny Knoxville. [Al Jazeera]
• There’s no fooling Justice Scalia, he knows no Mexican can resist the primordial call of the Cuervo. Further Scalia questioning concerned funny hats and laziness. [Above The Law]
• Don Sherwood wants you to know his drunken whoring never interfered with his tax cutting. [Hotline On Call]
• New Google “Truth Predictor” to instantly analyze bullshit from politicians, tell you if its brown and solid or green and runny. [Captains Quarters]
• Old Bush rips into young Bush’s Presidential style, or just forgets to mention his name — old people, can’t trust ‘em. [HuffPo]
• But you can count on them to keep a pulse going in the dead-tree news business, just ask Howard Dean’s mom. [Gawker]

Our Monday Mark Foley write-up presented the timeline of events as we knew it. Since then, barely anything more has come to light. Today’s Brian Ross interview in the Wall Street Journal is an interesting read, though it doesn’t shed as much light as it suggests. MORE »

• Through his lawyer, Foley outs himself, blames childhood abuse and booze for his urges. Bush, Mehlman condemn him, support Hastert. [WP, NYT, LAT]

• Which means Hastert won’t have to give up Speaker’s office ’til after the election, maybe. [NYT, WSJ]
• Pagefuckergate story-breaker Brian Ross talks to the WSJ, debunks Hastert-Harris “democratic conspiracy” theory. [W$J]
• Yearly North Korean nuclear test threats resurface, this time maybe for real. [WP]
• Bush was at his “King Learish” best yesterday in California where he broke his own fundraising record, and had fun blasting Democrats while doing it. [WP]
• Congress has $20M stashed in a mattress to pay for “a celebration in the nation’s capital ‘for commemoration of success’ in Iraq and Afghanistan.” [NYT]
• American population to reach 300 Million people sometime next week. [LAT]
• Dow Jones market index sets new all time high. [WP, NYT]
• Hillary Clinton appears at an Alexandria fundraiser for Webb, calls Allen a “subservient Republican.” [WP]