Wonkette

We don’t like to get involved with “senate bills” around here, but now and then we find a non-odious proposed law — a rare bill that doesn’t aim to steal away more of our money and rights.

S. 2590 only wants “to require full disclosure of all entities and organizations receiving Federal funds.”

In other words, there would be a website on the Internets, and you the American consumer-citizen could go to this site and find out who and what is spending all your tax dollars. Republican Tom Coburn and Democrat Barack Obama sponsored the legislation, and a bunch of other big names joined the bipartisan fun: Hillary, McCain, Reid, even Frist!

But a secret crook has put a “secret hold” on the bill.

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Above, an ad that ran in Charleston Daily Mail and the Charleston Gazette last week, while the President was visiting West Virginia for a fundraiser. John Raese, the gentleman with the, uh, big-ass gun, is challenging crazy old bat Robert Byrd for his Senate seat (which will be pried from Byrd’s cold, dead ass). MORE »

You know, Ginny, you work in the same building — you could just ask. MORE »

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* We wonder if Urban Outfitters makes royalty payments to Fidel, or vice versa. [The Feed] MORE »

* Reliable Source: Mark McKinnon compiles the Gang of 500’s favorite music. . . CBS considers a drama about Washington lawyers. [WP]
* Inside the Beltway: Sen. Robert Byrd welcomes spring: “Lovely, lovely spring. It takes a cold heart indeed not to love the springtime.” [WT]

Here’s what our Anonymous Hill Staffer had to say when he sent this one in: “I’d just like to point out that I started these sober, but finished them drunk (as we’ve been drinking in the office for the last two hours).” Looks like someone stopped by Schneider

* Reliable Source: Bush will divert Air Force One today to vote in the Texas primary. . . David Boies‘ wife chartered two planes to bring 50 of his best friends –including Tom Brokaw, Charlie Rose, Ted Olsen, Walter Isaacson, Tom Friedman, Ben Bradlee, Sally Quinn and Margaret Carlson– to Vegas for his surprise 65th birthday party. . . Alan Greenspan turned 80 yesterday; book advance could reach $8m. . . George Stephanopoulos gets manicures. . . Jenna Bush dined at the Capital Grille on Saturday. . . Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) attended the Oscars. . . Martin Sheen seen praying at St. Stephen’s Church. [WP]
* Under the Dome: Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) has cast 17,532 roll-call votes. [The Hill]
* Lloyd Grove’s Lowdown: Katie Holmes‘ character in “Thank You for Smoking” was inspired by Maureen Dowd. [NYDN]

* Reliable Source: RNC returns fire: “Senator Clinton would be better served if she spent less time flattering herself with perceived obsessions and more time focusing on her job.”. . . Arnold Schwarzenegger shows off “huge stogie” in the lobby of the Four Seasons. . . Anna Nicole Smith checked into a Georgetown hotel yesterday. [WP]
* Under the Dome: Lobbyists bask in the flattery of parody film “Thank You For Smoking”. . . Moby joins with Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) and Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) to protect animals. . . Staffer of Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) punches intoxicated bar patron after harassment. [The Hill]
* Rush & Molloy: Some pool correspondents believe Bush wears his bike uniform under his suit when he goes to church; there is a mysterious “bulkiness.” [NYDN]
* Lloyd Grove’s Lowdown: “You Don’t Know Dick” action figure of a “snarling, shotgun-toting (but not anatomically correct)” Dick Cheney is selling for $29.95. [NYDN]

* Sens. Kerry and Kennedy may attempt to filibuster Alito; Dems Ben Nelson (Neb.), Robert Byrd (W.Va.), and Tim Johnson (S.D.) announce support of Alito’s confirmation. [WP, NYT, LAT]
* Bush distances himself from Jack Abramoff during news conference; offers defense of NSA eavesdropping and stance on Katrina inquiry. [WP, NYT, LAT, USAT, WT]
* Admin has used “at least two separate rationales for why they did not ask for statutory authority” for NSA eavesdropping program. [WP]
* Public opinion of NSA eavesdropping is “nuanced and remains highly unresolved,” according to NYT-CBS poll; disapproval of Congress and the Republican Party are both high. 61% are concerned about losing civil liberties. [NYT]
* If tax cuts are allowed to expire in 2010, deficit will turn to surplus in 2012. [USAT]
* Lewis Libby’s lawyer asks Patrick Fitzgerald for documents “related to what journalists knew from any source” about Valerie Plame. [WP, NYT]

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A self described surly old bastard writes us today, moved by concern for an item mentioned in our Daily Briefing: “The first dog to walk on the Senate floor dies. Is this a warning or a news item?” MORE »

• Reliable Source: Nancy Reagan, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld and Tom Brokaw will attend tomorrow’s White House dinner for Prince Charles and Camilla. . . Patrick Fitzgerald is a “confirmed bachelor”. . . John Roberts was Groucho Marx for Halloween. [WP]
• Inside the Beltway: White House pool report: “In what has become something of a custom on Monday mornings in October, President Bush today announced a Supreme Court nominee.” [WT]
• Under the Dome: Interest in Scooter Libby’s 1996 novel spikes. . . Joe Biden’s not so-secret for fundraising: “Find enough beautiful women and enough guys will show up.”. . . Robert Byrd is a product of the Spanish flu of 1917-1918. . . Jane Harman, 60, runs 26-mile Marine Corps Marathon in five hours and 23 minutes. [The Hill]
• Ben Widdicombe’s Gatecrasher: Alito’s son: “I became interested in politics and got involved with Gary Condit (not like that). I served as a parking aide to Nancy Pelosi (I won’t even start on her), but was fired when Barbara Boxer came onto me.” Widdicombe responds, “Since when did college kids get so picky about sleeping with senators? No wonder the country’s going to hell.” [NYDN]
• Page Six: McCain and Giuliani dined together recently. . . Charlie Rangel asks that Cheney be tested for mental illness. . . Tucker Carlson and Moby will attempt comedy with Triumph the Insult Dog. [NYP, NYP, NYP]
• Cindy Adams: Jon Corzine’s ex-wife tells-all. . . George H.W. Bush is planning another parachute jump. [NYP]

For those of you who were impressed by the Note’s “leaking” of today’s Presidential address: There is no Presidential address. And here we always thought of pretend freelance speechwriting as Peggy Noonan’s schtick. We admit we were almost taken in ourselves, especially at the top, where Bush sounded like Tracy Flick. By the time we got to the part about 10 billion dollars for carpools and mass transit, however. . . Of course, that bit was about 2000 words in. Should have tipped us off right there: Robert Byrd doesn’t give speeches that long anymore. We assume most readers just stopped after the first paragraph as usual. MORE »