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Texas Republican Ted Poe was just giving a good ol’ speech on the House floor Monday when he decided it was time to quote “successful Confederate general” Nathan Bedford Forrest without mentioning that Forrest was also a founding Grand Supreme Lizard of the Ku Klux Klan. MORE »

Former DC Mayor Anthony Williams introduced this now-beloved district-wide public holiday in 2004 to commemorate Lincoln’s freeing of Washington DC’s slaves a couple months before he freed all the slaves in the Confederacy (Washington was sort of a trial balloon, we guess). MORE »

Those lovable WashTimes kids are at it again! MORE »

* James M. McPherson talks about The Mighty Scourge at Politics & Prose. “America’s preeminent Civil War historian (Battle Cry of Freedom, Crossroads of Freedom) has gathered together a group of his essays — some previously unpublished — on the Civil War, including essays on General Robert E. Lee’s goals in the Gettysburg campaign, Lincoln and Grant in the Vicksburg campaign, and Lincoln as commander in chief.” [P&P]
* Army of Me at the Black Cat with Cedars and Ki Theory. $10 at 8:30PM. [Black Cat]
* Roland Mesnier discusses being pastry chef to the White House. “He provides behind-the-scenes insight into the characters, tastes, and obsessions of the five presidents and first ladies he served during his 25 years in Washington. Fiercely loyal to each of the first families, Mesnier’s bipartisan message is positive and inspirational.” Plus recipes. At the Penn Quarter Olsson’s. Free at 7PM. [Olsson's]

* National Governors Association winter meeting like a Miss America pageant — Governors just want to help poor little sick children. [WP, NYT]
* The Governors also give advice to each other about running for President. Haley Barbour fulfils his contractual obligation for one Civil War reference per sound bite. [NYT]
* In other antebellum news, Al Sharpton finds out his ancestors were slaves to more than just a buffet line. [WP]
* John Edwards’ staff orders him to spend Sunday night watching A Few Good Men after telling Bob Schieffer that “Americans can handle the truth.” [WP]
* Congress living by the letter, not spirit of the “no joyriding in lobbyists’ Gulfstreams” law. [USAT]
* White House warns Pakistan that aid money might decrease if they don’t find Osama, and that it’s totally Democrats fault. [NYT]
* The Christian RightTM is having a hard time finding a Presidential candidate that hates all the right things. [NYT]
* House will try to make amends for all that trouble in Holland, 1945. [NYT]

Not even God loves Republicans these days: Tim Johnson has apparently recovered from his horrible ordeal. The South Dakota Democrat whose brain went screwy this week is now “responsive,” which is way more than you can say for Strom Thurmond’s last 20 years in the Senate. MORE »

The Senator from Delware (yes, they get Senators for some reason) continues his quixotic run for the Presidency by turning into a weird racist. MORE »

James Baker III is a realist, all right. MORE »

• Heard on the Hill: Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), in a closed Senate Armed Services Committee meeting: “We need better intelligence. If we had better intelligence in the Civil War we’d be quoting Jefferson Davis, not Lincoln.” (The Senator’s office disputes the word “we.”) … Chris Matthews to George Allen: “Matthews continued, ‘I’m not going to call you Sen. Ma….’ He paused a beat, then continued his joke with, ‘Caucasian.’” [Roll Call]
• Yeas and Nays: The Congressional Softball League fracas continued on into last weekend’s championships… Senator John Kerry chatted with Tim Robbins at Olives Restaurant. [Examiner]
• Reliable Source: Confused readers, possibly mistaking Amy and Roxanne for Rich Coen, wonder why Reliable Source would cover Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. [WP]
• Lowdown: Bruce Willis is not eager to call himself a Republican. [NYDN]
• Washington Whispers: George W. Bush uses and gives out personalized Sharpies… Self-described former “geeky [congressional] page” is performing one-woman play in the Rayburn building. See just how geeky here. [USN&WR]

When Condi Rice favorably compared the disastrous U.S. occupation of Iraq to the American Civil War and somehow extrapolated that Abraham Lincoln also blew up 50,000 Iraqis, we just assumed it was the usual nonsense from the crazy lady.

But a weird new study proves Rice is actually half-right about something for a change.

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