America’s news MVP of the week, Washington state’s The Columbian, spoke to gayish ex-state Rep. Richard Curtis this morning in his first interview in two days. They only chatted briefly on the phone — so briefly that the Columbian only quoted him twice. Fortunately, both quotes are kinda funny. MORE »

* John Edwards smash! [Wizbang Politics] MORE »

Flipping though an advanced copy of Gonzo: The Life of Hunter S. Thompson, one item popped off the page. Apparently, Thompson used to date Sally Quinn of The Washington Post: “He was always pumping me,” she says of the late journalist’s thirst for Washington gossip. MORE »

* Ancient Canadian comic to host White House correspondents’ dinner — thanks, Stephen Colbert! [E&P]
* Attack on Iran, come she will. [Arab Times]
* Don’t ever change, The Note. You’re perfect just as you are. [Think Progress]
* Mark Warner can quit campaigning anytime, really, he just likes it. [Hotline on Call]
* John McCain’s two favorite things: “straight talk” and when Wolf swirls his tongue. [Media Matters]
* Return of the “The Fairness Doctrine” could force all broadcast news to resemble Fox. [Captain's Quarters]
* War on drugs: still the undisputed champion of unwinnable wars. [Hit & Run]

* Fox News is looking to fill the long vacant position of “fact writer.” [Mediabistro]
* Silvestre Reyes is smart, just not relevant-to-national-security smart. [The Volokh Conspiracy]
* Congressman Roger Wicker, whose Mississippi upbringing imbued him with a deep love for opacity in government operations, wants congressional staff salaries off the internetz. [Potomac Flacks]
* Rahm Emanuel did not have awareness relations with those Mark Foley mails. [Unclaimed Territory] MORE »

• Source of NYT story on NSA eavesdropping steps forward and says spying is widespread: “We need to clean up the intelligence community. We’ve had abuses, and they need to be addressed.” [ABC News]
• Abramoff scandal probe centers on Sens. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.), Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), Harry Reid, (D-Nev.) and Reps. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.) and Bob Ney (R-Ohio), sources say. [WT]
• NSA begins internal investigation into eavesdropping; probe will not determine legality of program. [WP, NYT]
• Bush attacks Democrats “who claim that we acted in Iraq because of oil, or because of Israel, or because we misled the American people.” [NYT, USAT]
• Reps. John Boehner and Roy Blunt are both tied closely to lobbyists; Boehner is criticized for last month’s vote on immigration bill. [NYT, WT]
• Howard Dean sees Abramoff scandal as a “Republican finance scandal.” [WT]
• House Republicans may ban travel paid by lobbyists. [NYT, WSJ]
• Approval of Bush rests at 46%; support of eavesdropping is divided along partisan lines. [WP]