Wonkette

This is why John McCain will win the presidency: All of his exciting sex scandals happened 50 years ago, and since then he’s pretty much confined his misdoings to dull and complicated campaign finance/influence peddling bullshit that nobody cares about. We defy you to watch this very informative attack ad without falling asleep 15 times. How boring is this ad? So boring that in spite of the fact that it’s called “Tainted” we could only manufacture one tiny joke about Ralph Reed’s monstrous, world-devouring taint. Please Jesus let Vicki Iseman be knocked up with a little walnut-cheeked hellion so the DNC can make better ads. [YouTube]

Jack Ashford could not be reached for comment. (AP) MORE »

• House Republicans took up military tribunals for detainees yesterday, embracing a significantly more conservative position than their Senate counterparts. Meanwhile, President Bush has asked Congress to ratify the tribunals already set up by the Defense Department. [WP, NYT]

• Between Israel’s new war in Gaza and Lebanon, Iran’s nukes, and Iraq just being Iraq, the Bush administration is in a bit of trouble mideast-wise, and it’s all Iran’s fault. [WP]
• Hillary Clinton faces an electorate made up of people who have already made up their minds about her. [WP]
• Congressional Democrats present their own gay marriage political lightning rod: the minimum wage raise. With state ballot initiatives and everything. [NYT]
• The Emergency Broadcast System is being updated to eventually include disaster text messages from your federal government. [NYT]
• Jack Abramoff, Ralph Reed, Michael Scanlon, and Neil Volz are all being sued by an Indian tribe for fraudulently closing said tribe’s casino while working for a rival. [NYT]

* Ralph Reed is happy to grip and grin with a blatant adultering cousin-fucker, as long as it brings in contributions. [Talk To Action] MORE »

Quoth the Anonymous Hill Staffer: “You write AAHS with the questions you have, not the questions you want.” Not that he means that as an insult to you, dear, questioning, readers. It’s just that AHS isn’t questioning, and is growing disturbed at how much of an expert he’s proving to be in the queerer elements of congressional life. We say: keep up the homo stuff, it’s hilarious. Questions involving boring heterosexual sex are also welcome, of course, and if they’re from hot chicks, AHS will probably give you an answer in person. The guy’s desperate.

Find out how desperate, after the jump.

MORE »

* Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will cost $94B in 2006, up from $48B in 2003, and higher than comparable costs of the Vietnam War; Senate will debate another round of emergency spending next week. [WP]
* Bolten “hopes to demonstrate to the public and the Republican-led Congress that it will no longer be business as usual in a White House afflicted by political defeats, an overseas war and shrinking public support”; Tony Snow and Dan Senor top the list of likely successors to McClellan. [WP, USAT, W$J]
* Bolten faces the challenge of finding “ways to open up the Oval Office to new ideas and to the opinions of people who are not longtime Bush confidants.” [WP]
* Rove will focus on November’s midterm elections: “The president and the new chief of staff said they wanted me focused on the big strategic issues facing the administration.” [NYT]
* Bush will urge Chinese President Hu Jintao to “take a more aggressive stance against governments that U.S. officials believe could potentially threaten U.S. interests and, more broadly, the international system.” [WP, W$J]

MORE »

• Democratic leaders believe the “ethics-corruption issue,” not Samuel Alito, will win them seats in November. [WP, W$J]
• Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) says he has enough votes to be the next majority leader. Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio): “We’ll see where the votes really are.” [USAT]
• Bush orders insurers to fill gaps in Medicare program; “Republicans have joined Democrats in asserting that the federal government botched the beginning of the prescription drug program.” [NYT]
• Under pressure of Jack Abramoff scandal, Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) will temporarily step aside as head of the House Administration Committee. [WP, NYT]
• Twenty-five year friendship with Abramoff is “proving highly inconvenient” for Ralph Reed as he runs for governor of Georgia; his records have been subpoenaed. [WP]
• After signing bills, Bush maintains the presidential power to override them. Political professor: “The president is basically saying that those structural changes are nice, but I don’t have to listen to anybody in particular.” [NYT]
• Sen. Specter (R-Penn.) vows to look “closely” at NSA eavesdropping: “I don’t see any talk about impeachment here.” [NYT, WT]
• Success of Alito challenges the conventional wisdom on the Supreme Court and abortion. Sen. Feinstein (D-Calif.): “I do not see a likelihood of a filibuster.” [NYT, WT]
• At the hearings, Alito said “I don’t know” 29 times, Democrats mentioned Vanguard 68 times, and Republicans uttered “integrity” 43 times. [WP]
• Laura Bush is “irritated” by criticism of the administration’s AIDS prevention program in Africa. [WT]
• At the United Nations, the administration takes a defensive posture regarding human rights. [WP]
• Opponents of abortion are making strides outside of the political arena. [NYT]

• The Nationals’ stadium isn’t Anthony Williams’ baby, it’s Rosemary’s. Major League Baseball reaches new depths of depravity, soul-sucking evil. [DCist] MORE »

• 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]

• Documents show Frist was aware of his investment in HCA Inc.; his statements about “blind” trust are questioned. [WP, USAT]
• Republicans preview response to possible indictments. Hutchison (R-Texas) hopes “that it is an indictment on a crime and not some perjury technicality where they couldn’t indict on the crime and so they go to something just to show that their two years of investigation was not a waste of time and taxpayer dollars.” [NYT]
• Leak investigation “likely to accelerate second-term turnover in the Bush administration”; White House officials said to have “grim determination to conduct business as usual, even though it’s clearly not possible.” Bush reportedly frustrated and angry. [WSJ, NYT, NYDN]
• Criticism of Miers lacks modern precedent; senators demand release of Miers‘ White House files. Brownback (R-Kan.): “If we’re to give advice and consent, we’ve got to have a full picture.” [NYT, LAT, WT, USAT]
• Senate Judiciary Committee may call James Dobson to testify about Miers. Specter: “I don’t think the nomination is in trouble.” [WP]
• Allen (R-Va.) expects Rove, Libby will resign if indicted. [WP]
• Fitzgerald seen as “a special counsel with no discernible political bent who prepared the ground with painstaking sleuthing and cold-eyed lawyering.” [WP]

MORE »