High on the list of things I don’t in any way give a shit about is the use of steroids in baseball, or any other sport, or, really, sports at all — beyond having something look at when I’m sitting alone at a bar, and the bartender won’t talk to me anymore because I might have asked her something about carpet and/or drapes. It follows then, that I don’t think investigating the use of steroids or other “performance enhancing drugs” is a good use of Congress’ time or taxpayer dollars or C-SPAN airtime, or even the kilobytes required to store this post. MORE »

Benny Hinn, pictured, became the latest super-rich and shady televangelist to tell the Senate Finance Committee to go fuck themselves today and keep their collective noses out of his church’s totally clean financial records. A month ago, Finance Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley sent Hinn and 6 other creepy dudes a lengthy questionnaire probing their finances to determine whether they were inappropriately enriching themselves through their “nonprofit” religious work. Only one church, Joyce Meyer Ministries, provided the information while Creflo Dollar of World Changers Church International told Grassley to get a subpoena or shove it. Benny wasn’t quite so rude, it’s just that with Christmas coming he’s so busy making money off his parishioners he can’t adequately respond until next year. [Yahoo News]

The Senate Finance Committee has some whacky notion that prominent televangelists might be engaging in some Church-sponsored hypocrisy. Yeah yeah, politicians are always looking for scandals so that they might “pass laws” or whatever, but this one might have some legs. Sen. Charles Grassley, the ranking Republican on the committee, has requested that six ministries turn over certain financial records by Dec. 6, because he thinks said books may have been… sauteed? But Grassley clearly has no case, since three of the televangelists heading these ministries are members of the Board of Regents at Oral Roberts University, a sleepover camp for Jesus that’s scot-free of recent scandals. MORE »

Just like us, senators are always trying to sneak out of work early, so they can hit the road and get out of here. Per Al Kamen: MORE »

* Over 1,300 Iraqis have died in the past week due to the sharp uptick in violence. Asks one Iraqi, “And they say there is no sectarian war? What do you call this?” [WP]
* 70% of Americans are against the Dubai port deal, including 58% of Republicans; Bush’s approval rating slips to 34% in NYT-CBS poll. [NYT]
* Coast Guard assessment cited “many intelligence gaps” in Dubai port deal. [WP, NYT, USAT, WT]
* Senate drafts bill to curb earmarks. [WP]
* India meets Bush with a new sense of empowerment. [NYT]
* Intelligence agencies remain in bureaucratic disarray. [NYT]
* Administration will oppose new United Nations panel on human rights. Kofi Annan: “I think we should not let the better be the enemy of the good.” [WP]

MORE »

We sympathize with our readers who are fearing their mental levees may give way under the category five headspin today’s Red Cross story is causing. Let’s see if we have all of this right. MORE »

• CIA’s extensive anti-terror program goes largely unchallenged despite increasing criticism of surveillance tactics; Bush is a firm believer in the covert effort. Official: “Everything is done in the name of self-defense, so they can do anything because nothing is forbidden in the war powers act. It’s an amazing legal justification that allows them to do anything.” [WP]
• Bush pardoned 11 people last week; “he seems inclined to show mercy to people who have surmounted their mistakes.” [USAT]
• Laura Bush “blends private advice with understated public prodding, using her ample popularity as ballast for her husband.” [WSJ]
• With scrutiny over Jack Abramoff, lawmakers say no to free tickets to sporting events. [WSJ]
• New line of succession at the Pentagon ranks the undersecretaries for intelligence, policy and acquisition ahead of the secretaries of the Army, Air Force and Navy. Expert: “Rumsfeld doesn’t do things randomly. His inner circle is the key group.” [WP]
• Gen. Peter Pace clarifies his disagreement with Rumsfeld: it was a non-disagreement. [NYT]

MORE »

• Kaine and Corzine win gubernatorial races in Virginia and NJ; Texas approves ban gay marriage. [WP, WP, NYT, USAT]
• Frist and Hastert seek investigation into the disclosure of CIA’s “black sites” to the Washington Post. McClellan: “The leaking of classified information is a serious matter and ought to be taken seriously.” [WP, NYT, WT]
• Alito “has signaled he would be highly reluctant to overturn long-standing precedents” such as Rove v. Wade. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine): “At this point, I see no basis for invoking ‘extraordinary circumstances’ and for anyone to mount a filibuster.” [WP, NYT, LAT]
• Schwarzenegger’s initiatives are rejected; his “celebrity may not be the tonic it once was.” [LAT, LAT, USAT]
• Election came at a sensitive time for both parties, especially the GOP. [NYT, WSJ, LAT, USAT]
• House to decide fate of ANWR; Senate approves drilling by vote of 51 to 48. [WP]
• Grassley (R-Iowa) proposes $70b in tax cuts. [NYT, WSJ]

MORE »

• Bush defends selection of Miers: “I picked the best person I could find.” Brownback, Grassley remain skeptical; Hatch, Sessions are supportive. [WP, NYT, WT, LAT, USAT]
• White House and RNC campaign to convince conservatives that Miers is a wise pick; uncertainties about Miers mutes “rapid response” from advocacy groups. [WP, WSJ, USAT]
• Bush asks Congress to offset costs of hurricane relief with “substantial” cuts in entitlement programs; says there is need for new oil refineries. [WSJ, NYT]
• Bush implies he will use executive privilege to withhold Miers documents. [NYT]
• Miers reportedly told a former boyfriend that “life begins at conception” and abortion is “taking a life”; turned to faith and conservative causes in her mid-30s. [WP, NYT, WT]
• Bork: “I think [Bush] is just trying to avoid trouble — but the message comes through: Do not be controversial, do not express strong opinions that arouse opposition.” [LAT]

MORE »

• Reliable Source: Jenna Bush was spotted at a private party in Glover Park’s Town Hall on Saturday night; she wore a “satin turquoise camisole” and smoked Newports. [WP]
• Under the Dome: Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Fla.) compares politics to prostitution: “I have to go up to total strangers, ask them for money and get them to expect me to be there when they need me. What does that sound like to you?”. . . Lawmakers move to ban the BTK killer from being buried in Arlington National Cemetery. [The Hill]
• Rush & Molloy: Spokespeople for Simon & Schuster and The New York Times deny Arianna Huffington’s claims of a $1.2m book deal for Judith Miller. [NYDN]
• Page Six: With Carpal Tunnel in his right hand, Vernon Jordan now shakes with his left. . . Specter, Grassley support televised Supreme Court proceedings. [NYP, NYP]
• Inside the Beltway: Wolf Blitzer was nearly killed by Israeli guards in 2002. [WT]

Yesterday’s protests on the Hill by disability-rights group ADAPT prompted some coverage (mostly here) and lots of confusion. Having had their signs confiscated outside the building, the group’s message was somewhat blurred, though they apparently did a good job of clogging the hallways and getting arrested. We were especially impressed by the response they got from Sen. Charles Grassley, who asked the police to wait until after the office closed to arrest the disabled people, thus ensuring all of them spent the night in jail. Sensitive! MORE »