Wonkette

America’s Princess Diplobot had a busy end of March: She celebrated 4,000 troop deaths in Iraq, reminisced about slavery, and reignited vice presidential rumors all by herself, by doing nothing more than talking to a friendly bear. Way to go, girl! Catch up with Condi after the jump!

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Each week, veteran Condiwatcher Peter Huestis (also known as Princess Sparkle Pony) provides a summary of the searing wit and infinite wisdom of America’s Favorite Princess Diplomat™!

Listicles, of course, are the year-end gift writers give themselves. But you know what? It’s been such a peculiar year for the Condibot that it would be totally criminal not to look back and reflect on its thrilling awkwardness. Join me on an epic journey through my personal (hey, get your own column!) favorite special moments in Dr. Ferragamo’s 2007, and my picks for AP’s Condirazzi photos of the year, after the jump…

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* Democrats plan to pass what bills they can in the first 100 hours of the new Congress. Other, more complex issues like Iraq, may not be finished in the first 100 days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. [WP]
* King Abdullah of Jordan tells George Stephanopoulos, “We’re juggling with the strong potential of three civil wars in the region.” [WP]
* Bipartisan commission today begins debating establishment of diplomatic initiatives with Iran and Syria. [NYT]
* Members of Congress from both parties lament the training standards of Iraqi military and police. [WP]
* President Bush don’t sleep here no more; he just deals with his “funk” over midterms by globetrotting and considering his legacy.[WP, NYT]
* Whither the New England Republican? [NYT]
* Newspaper whose readership is almost entirely Medicaid patients reports that state spending on Medicaid declines for the first time ever. [USAT]

• Approval of Bush rests at 36% in Newsweek poll: most Americans are pessimistic about the direction of the country and do not believe Bush can be effective; 65% disapprove of his handling of Iraq; and the Republican “base seems to be cracking.” [Newsweek]
• Alito, in 1985, wrote that he believes “very strongly” that “the Constitution does not protect a right to an abortion.” [WT]
• Coalition of liberal groups including Naral, Planned Parenthood, the AFL-CIO, the Sierra Club, and the NAACP are set to launch an anti-Alito television campaign; line of attack will expand beyond abortion. [NYT]
• Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) says senators have learned to be critical of intelligence findings before approving military action: “We don’t accept this intelligence at face value anymore.” [WP]
• Brownstein says the GOP “has tilted its agenda so heavily to the demands of its conservative base that moderates feel alienated. Over the next year, the choice for Republicans is whether to adapt to that evidence.” Democrats, meanwhile, must “coalesce behind comprehensive solutions to the problems most concerning the country.” [LAT]
• Bush leaves today on four-day trip to Asia. [USAT]
• Time magazine names Mike Huckabee, Mark Warner, Kenny Guinn, Janet Napolitano, and Kathleen Seblius as the country’s top governors. [Time]
• With close ties to Bush loyalists, “Progress for America often functions like an unofficial extension of the White House, advancing the president’s policies alongside the Republican National Committee.” [NYT]

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