Sure, their food sucks. But they dress better, and they have those awesome accents. And then there’s this: MORE »

* President Bush moves to replace Gale Norton as Interior Secretary with Dirk Kempthorne — who may have some skeletons in his closet (and is less popular than Spuddy Buddy). MORE »

First Jessica Simpson snubs President Bush — and now she disses his daughters? MORE »

* Reliable Source: Jessica Simpson maintains smile throughout brief trip to Capitol Hill. . . Gore may have exaggerated the response of conservatives to his film. . . Olympic speedskater Joey Cheek meets Bush, Pelosi. [WP]
* Inside the Beltway: After Sunday services, Bush changes from his suit to his biking gear faster than a speeding bullet. . . Scott McClellan on rumors of a shakeup: “This is part of the inside Washington babble that goes on in this town. It’s part of the parlor game.” [WT]
* Page Six: Susan Sarandon on Sen. Clinton: “I find Hillary to be a great disappointment. . . She’s not worse than other politicians, but I hoped she would be better. What America is looking for is authentic people who want to go into public service because they strongly believe in something, not people who are [just] trying to get elected.” [NYP]

* Over in the Netherlands, someone thought it would be a good idea to have a soccer game pitting the gays against the Muslims. [The Fagat Guide] MORE »

We realize that many of you have gone home by now. And we also admit that we posted a picture of her just a few hours ago. MORE »

Jeez, people, calm down! We know, we know — Jessica Simpson is on Capitol Hill! MORE »

It’s one of the oldest cliches in politics, and this year it seems like it’s never been more true: As Jessica Simpson goes, so goes the Nation. MORE »

* Reliable Source: Jessica Simpson is visiting Capitol Hill next week. [WP]
* Inside the Beltway: Clarence Thomas invoked no laughter during the last Supreme Court term. [WT]
* Page Six: Blind item: “Which gorgeous, auburn-haired network news reporter was caught in the act with a married assignment editor? Seems they ducked into the office of a reporter they thought was out of town, but the other reporter suddenly opened the door and found her colleague giving the boss oral sex. The official story is they were just ‘talking.’”. . . Tomorrow night’s Gridiron Club will bridge partisan divide with humor. [NYP]
* Cindy Adams: Barbara Bush’s former press secretary and close friend of Condoleezza Rice, Michael Ovitz, plans to write a book. . . Two endings were made for “Thank You For Smoking.” [NYP]