Conservative sensation Nicolas Sarkozy was recently elected as president of France thanks to his promises to be a total Republican by helping millionaires, hurting the poor people and hating on Muslims. So far, his presidency has been a great success. But his wingnut backers in America (who previously hated France more than anything in the world, except for Muslims) were heartbroken over his failure to get arrested cruising for gay sex in a public bathroom, or at least get divorced. Today, the world is rejoicing: Sarkozy just divorced his wife, while in office, making him the first French president to be a divorced guy and the first French president to get divorced while being president. Liberté, égalité, Giuliani! MORE »

Vern Ehlers — “the smartest man in Congress” and also the reddest — is, it turns out, the man responsible for the death of “Freedom Fries” in the Congressional cafeterias, according to today’s Heard on the Hill. Ehlers, as chair of the House Administration committee, has authority, apparently, over the menus of House restaurants and cafeterias. The news that Freedom Fries are back to being French was apparently noteworthy enough to bring Nancy Pelosi to levels of rhetorical power previously seen only when she’s attacking Howard Dean. As her office posted on The Hill’s “congress blog”: MORE »

You know what we’re excited about? Another couple hours of debate on that Iraq resolution in the House. You know the one. The “America Roolz, Terror Droolz Bill” or whatever. Salon’s Michael Scherer chatted with a couple lawmakers about the bill, which is apparently just as popular among war-weary Republicans as it is among most Democrats. Take, for example, Walter Jones (R-NC), the guy who coined the term “freedom fries” (now there’s a legacy we wouldn’t wish on anyone). Representative Jones invited Scherer into his office to chat about his misgivings about the war, and share the thoughts of soldiers whose opinions he’d solicited. Jones read an email from an Army captain quoting one of those soldiers: MORE »