As America mourns the suspicious death of “D.C. Madam” Deborah Jeane Palfrey and gives up hope that anyone or anything can bring down Dick Cheney (or even David Vitter), let’s look back in anger at other recent suspicious suicides involving Our Federal Government. Did you know one of Palfrey’s escort-service contractor ladies also supposedly hanged herself? And what about all these FBI targets and mysterious CIA agents meeting weird, tragic ends? WTF, people, WTF? MORE »

For the great crime of hooking up willing ladies with horny politicians, “D.C. Madam” Deborah Jeane Paltry was facing four to six years in prison, and today she was found dead in a shed behind her mother’s house in Florida. The men who paid for hookers through her service, such as Republican Senator David Vitter, have paid no price for their crimes, and they remain in power as the very people who make up the laws. Anyway, good-bye, Deborah Jeane. Though we didn’t know you at all, you had the grace to hold yourself while those around you crawled. They crawled out of the woodwork, and they whispered into your brain. They set you on the treadmill and then Dick Cheney had you killed. But Wonkette just sent your name to this moon spaceship, Deborah. Enjoy the ride to a better place! [Washington Post]

Pretend-cowboy George W. Bush was all set to give some kind of anti-sleeping-pills speech today, but he’s so upset about the sleeping-pill suicide of pretend-cowboy Heath Ledger that the whole thing’s been postponed! That’s what White House spokeslady Dana Perino told a sobbing press corps today. Brokeback Mountain is Bush’s favorite movie of all time. [Associated Press]

Bush Hits New Low in N.H. [AP via Boston.com]
The Day in Pictures [Seattle PI]

* “It was worth the trip to “Delaware’s Largest Thrift Store” just for the perfectly broken-in brown leather shoulderbag I found for $3.99; the store is large and clean and what it lacks in shoes and jewelry (I recognized a few pairs from LAST summer, and the accessories section seems to have disappeared), it more than makes up for in tops, dresses, and nightgowns perfect for wearing in place of dresses.” [Brightest Young Things]
* Nobody really gives a fuck about the iPhone in Washington. [DCist]
* “The Rat Killing Hawk of Red Cross Square” strikes, raining rodent body parts throughout the streets. [Herb of DC]
* “Seared sea scallops, garlic mashed potatoes and chardonnay sauce at Corduroy (bonus with buffalo mozzarella porcupine appetizer).” [metrocurean]

* Montgomery County Teenage Suicide. Don’t do it. [WTOP]
* Traffic circles actually reduce the number of accidents, including bike and pedestrian accidents. [Rethink College Park]
* Smithsonian American Art Museum lighting designer writes about how he lit the Joseph Cornell Retrospective. [Eye Level]
* Women in DC becoming blonder, more attractive. [Radical Flower]
* Miracle Fruit is “like some weird new experiment from Willy Wonka’s factory, only Willy Wonka is some shady horticulturist from Fort Lauderdale known to the world only through his cryptic messages on obscure gardening blogs.” [Eat Foo]

Here’s a grisly breaking news report: A naked dead construction worker has been found at the bottom of an elevator shaft at the Newseum construction site. MORE »

The coveted Wonkette endorsement for Montana’s senate race goes to … the guy who drank “a silver solution to boost his immune system in the late 1990s after he became concerned about a possible shortage of antibiotics after the year 2000.”

And why is that so awesome? Because it turned his skin blue.

Stan Jones is running as a Libertarian in the Conrad Burns-Jon Tester race. He bravely concedes that he doesn’t have a shot in hell of winning, even if the voting machines run on Windows 98. But he’s out there anyway, getting his message across. And what exactly is that message? We read his position papers and found a lot of the standard Libertarian stuff we support — the usual guns, money, dope and responsible sinning + blow up Washington while Congress is in session — and some folksy twists we know you’ll love, after the jump.

MORE »

An Atrios guest-blogger posts something rather insensitive about a 9/11 American Airlines ticket agent killing herself due to guilt. It becomes a minor left-blogdom in-fight (and wins one of Andrew Sullivan’s patented “not funny anymore” awards). The source: an Oprah repeat. The problem: there’s not actually any proof that this ever happened.

Our own half-assed investigation, after the jump.

MORE »

* When everything that’s soulless and wrong becomes a Power Point slide. [The Nation] MORE »

• To prevent suicides and bad PR, with high schoolers and detainees alike, just be honest. [Eric Umansky]

• John Murtha and Frank Rich get dressed down, respectively: “both of whom argue that Iraq is a disaster, Somalia is either a brilliant tactical decision or a stunning loss for America — and this within hours of each other.” [Captain's Quarters]
• The Senate Commerce Committee will vote on Net Neutrality Thursday. FireDogLake lists the phone and fax numbers of the Senate Commerce Committee members. Commenter says: “Without net neutrality the telecom industry can control political speech on the internet every bit as much as they already control political speech on TV.” [FireDogLake]
• Married women are (not) de facto bitches. Concept “generating a lot of buzz in the blogosphere.” In other news, “generating a lot of buzz in the blogosphere” is the new “pale smattering of freckles.” [Dean's World]
• Glenn Greenwald loves “Federalist 69,” plugs own book. [Unclaimed Territory]