Reading Elisabeth Bumiller’s gossipy, speculative, color-over-facts White House reporting typically feels like eating Cap’n Crunch for dinner. She’s a White House correspondent in the MoDo mold.

But Bumiller’s latest piece for the Times can be read without guilt. First, it’s her farewell to the White House beat — she’s going on book leave, to work on her Condi bio. Second, as an essay in the Week in Review section, it’s not trying to masquerade as hard news.

It’s full of juicy little tidbits — like this one:

Karl Rove, the president’s top political adviser, got so mad about an article that he told me he was putting my e-mail address in his spam filter.

A few more excerpts, after the jump.

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• The blogosphere has been dominated by Domenech’s demise. Our coverage is collected here (scroll down).
• Candid photographs of Katherine Harris: they’re as addictive as crack, and as dangerous too.
• Speak incoherently and carry a big pen: President is now the longest-sitting president since Jefferson not to exercise his veto.
• A fire breaks out in the CNN studio — probably arson by a jilted lover. As for the “suspicious package” at the White House, let’s blame it on the French.
• Embroiled in the latest “to blog or not to blog” pseudo-scandals: Washington Times opinion page editor Tony Blankley, and Newark mayoral candidate Cory Booker.
• Some of our subjects here at Wonkette can get so sensitive. Lighten up, guys!
• Supreme Court justices can get so childish. It’s all fun and games until someone breaks a gavel.
• Rummy slaps around MoDo: “If you believe everything you read in Maureen Dowd, you better get a life.” We don’t know whose side to take in this one.
• Career advice for radio talk show hosts: don’t call the Secretary of State a racial epithet. She may not be the next NFL commissioner, but she can still kick your ass.
• Dick Cheney’s diva-licious demands, revealed.
• Last week was your chance to buy a piece of history: Duke Cunningham’s loot hit the auction block.
• President Bush goes on a candor offensive, taking unscripted questions from town-hall audiences — and even Helen Thomas.
• Congressmen get to have all the fun: free booze, plus trips to Colorado and Scotland. What’s not to like?

In yesterday’s guessing game, we asked you for guesses on two blind items: MORE »

This afternoon’s Pentagon briefing brought Maureen Dowd’s latest column to our attention (because, truth be told, we don’t read her religiously). We came across the passage that Donald Rumsfeld was questioned about: MORE »

We’ve already shared with you the best part of Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s Pentagon briefing: his slap at the saucy Maureen Dowd. But there were some other interesting or amusing moments in today’s press conference.

Today’s conference didn’t seem like a fun one for Secretary Rumsfeld. He stood at the podium looking constipated and squinty, like someone driving on a sunny day without shades. He spent much of the briefing on the defensive, responding to largely hostile questions from the pool (except for that softball about the hostage release — which he didn’t make very much of, strangely enough).

Several of Secretary Rumsfeld’s lines cry out for rejoinders (again, these are paraphrased, but they should be pretty close):

“Iraq needs a good government, a competent government, a government that governs from the center.”

And what about America?

More choice quotes appear after the jump.

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We’ll have more to say later about Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s press briefing at the Pentagon, which is currently going on. But we wanted to pass along this priceless exchange as soon as possible (paraphrased; we don’t have the transcript yet): MORE »

Yes, we know; American doctors screw up big-time too. We’re just sounding a note of caution, that’s all. Did you see The Barbarian Invasions? Remember the Canadian hospital with all that open wiring coming out of the ceiling? MORE »

In this edition of Chatology, Department of Homeland Security head Michael Chertoff pulls a half-Ginsburg, spinning through both Meet the Press and This Week. On various issues, Chertoff blames Michael Brown, Mary Matalin blames the media, Joe Lieberman blames Chertoff, Evan Bayh blames the Democrats, and David Gregory blames himself. Random wisdom from Ari Fleischer: “You can be right and still be bonkers.” Speaking of which: Cheney is “almost like the wizard dealing with the muggles” — Howard Fineman.

Full rundown and highlights after the jump.

[Ed. note: Don't miss Ana Marie Cox's appearance at the National Press Club, this Wednesday, February 22, at 6:30 PM. For more details, as well as information about how to obtain tickets to this free event, click here.]

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