Wonkette

Now that John McCain is the official Republican Presidential nominee, it’s time to think about who will be his Vice President. When this question first arose several weeks ago, names like “Romney” and “Lieberman” came up. Now we can confirm that McCain’s running mate will probably be a lady! Two emphatic “no”s from Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice just prove how passionately these women ache to be the first female since Geraldine Ferraro to lose a bid for the number-two position. MORE »

• Heat Wave in California takes out aging power transformers, “When these transformers were installed, you had neighborhoods that weren’t air-conditioned, homes without two computers and five television sets.” [LAT]

• Bill Clinton stumped for Lieberman in Waterbury yesterday, “Lieberman did not mention Iraq or his support for the war, and Clinton touched only lightly on what he referred to as ‘the pink elephant in the room.’” [WP]
• 105 men “shackled at the wrists and the ankles” deported from Virginia. [WP]
• Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (Tex.) and Rep. Mike Pence (Ind.) sponsor new immigration plan today. Plan expects illegal immigrants to “self-deport,” apply for a visa, quickly return to work legally in the US. [WP]
• Govs. Schwarzenegger and Blagojevich pony up state money for stem cell research. [NYT]

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HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson’s defense of his April 28 remarks, in which he implied that a government contractor was denied a job after voicing opposition to the Bush administration, has been a communications disaster. Some of you may be wondering: Who’s in charge of the Secretary’s p.r. effort?

Someone who is now on “scheduled leave,” that’s who. Think Progress has the full details here, a post cataloging HUD’s inconsistent explanations over the past few days.

Our favorite detail: the HUD spokeswoman in question is named “Dustee Tucker.” We haven’t encountered a name this sexy since Stormie Janzen. And Dustee, just like Stormie, is quite attractive. Check out the drooling comments to this post, or just take a look at this picture:

We don’t make these names up, people. Sometimes truth is stranger — and better — than fiction.

After the jump, more Dustee Tucker photos — including one in which she bears a striking resemblance to Tiffani Thiessen, of “Beverly Hills, 90210″ fame.

Update: ThinkProgress now reports that (1) Secretary Jackson “deeply regrets” his “anecdotal remarks”; and (2) HUD Inspector General Kenneth Donohue will be investigating Secretary Jackson’s conduct.

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Sometimes books get pulled due to massive and widespread plagiarism. And sometimes they get pulled for more amusing reasons. Consider what happened to Leaving Women Behind : Modern Families Outdated Laws: MORE »

Overheard conversations are largely the territory of other blogs (both here in D.C. and elsewhere). But for some odd reason, lately we’ve received a lot of emails about funny things people have overheard. We’ll share some of them with you today. MORE »

• Rush & Molloy: Sen. Ted Kennedy’s (D-Mass.) alleged “secret love child” jokes about having “the classic Kennedy drinking problem”. . . Al Gore and Ralph Nader expected to attend Beastie Boys event at Sundance. . . Rudy Giuliani lunches with Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and Al D’Amato. [NYDN]
• Lloyd Grove’s Lowdown: George Clooney’s father urges Jack Abramoff’s father to chill out: “I’ve found it very hard not to bite my tongue, but I do. You can’t really respond for your kid.” [NYDN]

• Reliable Source: Ralph Reed’s flack, Lisa Baron, writes a column that is too racy for the Washington Post to even excerpt. . . Jenna Bush spotted on shopping spree at Bluemercury cosmetics store in Georgetown. . . Harriet Miers dined with Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison on Tuesday. [WP]
• Page Six: David Letterman: “Bill Clinton and George Bush Sr. have been named ‘Partners of the Year’ by Time magazine. In fact, they’ve become so close, they’re thinking of making a cowboy movie together.” [NYP]

• Reliable Source: “Military Idol” takes off. . . Ludacris skips the Howard University Homecoming. . . Philanthropist Jim Kimsey “toasted and roasted” at Kennedy Center. . . At Sunday’s game, Andrea Mitchell kissed Alan Greenspan whenever the Redskins scored. . . Diane Keaton spotted at Starbucks; Nicole Kidman seen near K Street. . . Van Susteren sells her house. [WP]
• Under the Dome: U.N. interns blanket Capitol Hill with blue rubber bracelets to celebrate its 60th anniversary. . . Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) mingles with famed winemakers in his office. [The Hill]
• Liz Smith: Maureen Dowd’s next book is titled “Are Men Necessary?” [NYP]
• Lloyd Grove’s Lowdown: Alec Baldwin critiques Hutchison: “Why are contemporary Republicans so full of shit?” Replies her flack, “We take criticism from Alec Baldwin about as seriously as advice from Michael Moore.” [NYDN]
• Rush & Molloy: Clinton autographs $11,000 lunch-box to auction it again. [NYDN] MORE »

• Cheney was first to tell Libby about Plame, but not necessarily by name; notes taken by Libby contradict his own testimony. Cheney’s information came from Tenet; it’s unclear whether Cheney or Libby knew of Plame’s undercover status. [NYT]
• White House advisors use lessons learned by Reagan and Clinton to survive the “darkest days of the Bush presidency”; Bush will reiterate the necessity of staying on the offensive in Iraq and will urge fiscal discipline at home. [WP]
• Ben Bernanke, senior White House advisor and renowned economist, nominated to succeed Greenspan; noted as “the economic equivalent” of John Roberts. [WP, NYT, LAT, USAT]
• Bernanke has “unassailable credentials and enough distance from the White House to blunt charges of cronyism or ideological motivations.” [WP, LAT]
• Bush will not release documents related to Miers‘ White House work. Bush: “It’s a red line I’m not willing to cross.” [NYT, LAT, WT]
• Coalition of conservative groups calls for Miers to withdraw in a “dramatic escalation in the battle over her nomination.” [WP, WSJ, WT]
• Iraq approves draft constitution; American death toll reaches 1,999. [WP, WP]
• Frist “has also been deeply involved in legislation affecting his family’s business” since arriving on Capitol Hill. [NYT]
• Parties ready talking points for possible indictments. [WSJ, WT]
• CIA leak scandal is rooted in disagreements over Iraq between administration officials and the “permanent bureaucracy of Washington”; Brent Snowcroft and Lawrence Wilkerson provide details of administration’s decision-making process. [WP]

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• Maybe it was her sexy nipple clamps that made Kay Bailey Hutchison forget all about blowjobs.
• Gawker breaks down the Weekend of Judy. Friday: Keller puts heart on sleeve, Judy in bulls’ eye. Saturday: The redhead goes wild. Sunday: Judy fights back.
• Mike Brown memorialized as a ringtone.
• Did you know you could watch every “Colbert Report” for free on the interweb? Yes, you can. Tonight’s show will be a gravitas barn burner: Lou Dobbs! Tell us how you feel about immigration, Lou.
• Jon Stewart doesn’t have an email address. So who’s been reading all the porn I send?