Congratulations to Michael Steele, who finally beat out that actual Confederate slaveowning plantation owner to become the first African-American President of the United States! Maybe we should celebrate with something fun, like a national WAR WITH IRAN, hmm? Well, even though we were *praying* for the old white guy — a member of a whites-only country club! — to come from behind and “steele” the black person’s victory at the last minute, we are “steele” satisfied with Michael “Steele.” Let’s “steele” away to our Wonkette Time Machine and revisit a hilarious chapter in state political history: Michael “Steele’s” brief and mostly unsuccessful political career in the important state of Maryland! MORE »

• $286b transportation bill, which funds a record 6,371 pet projects, marks a “significant shift from Bush’s once-uncompromising stand on earmarks.” [WP, NYT, USAT]
• NARAL’s anti-Roberts advertisement sparks backlash; Annenberg study concludes “the ad is false” and “uses the classic tactic of guilt by association.” [NYT]
• 9/11 Commission was notified of military intelligence about the hijackers; Weldon says the panel’s “refusal to investigate. . . is evocative of the worst tendencies in the federal government that the commission worked to expose.” [NYT]
• Roberts advised O’Connor to be evasive at her confirmation hearings, suggesting he will duck questions about his opinions on specific cases. [WP]
• Specter supports administration’s position on Roberts‘ memos. [NYT, WSJ]
• Protesters set to join Sheehan; Rice, Rumself plan to visit ranch today. [USAT]

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Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney had a George-H.W.-at-the-market moment when he succumbed to a fit of populist exuberance and rode the Boston subway. When a reporter questioned him on the fare, he replied it was “a buck.” Which is true for those of us who happen to live in 2003; the current fare is $1.25. Still, for our money, the most disturbing revelation in the piece was that Romney’s predecessor Michael Dukakis is a regular T rider,at the reduced senior fare of 35 cents. When did he stop tooling around in that cute little tank of his? MORE »