Yesterday the President and First Lady and Bill Clinton and some other important types planted some stuff out on the Anacostia River, including a tree or two, and Barack started joshing with Michelle about who’s the better tree-planter. This completely confused one “Political Punch” reader. SHHHH nobody tell them that “talking trash” is code for “doing it in the butt.” [Political Punch]

Idaho Congressman Bill Sali has been participating in the current GOP Cuddle Party For Oil. But no one will listen to him even though he knows everything! In fact, he could solve the entire energy crisis in one hot minute if people paid any damn attention, because he knows that there “could be up to 40 barrels of oil” in a single tree. Ha ha, look at what you’ve really been hugging all these years, you filthy liberal hippies: a filthy casket of crude oil. Unless somehow Sali doesn’t know what he’s talking about? MORE »

* “Did you ever try calling a Senator’s office, or a real representative’s office, and been told they can’t talk to you because you are not a constituent? I’ve hit upon a solution: our very own Pasquino!” [A Portable Snack]
* President of the Washington, D.C. NAACP Chapter, Lorraine C. Miller, is first African American Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. [Native Son]
* Metrobus kills two women at 7th and Penn. [WP]
* Belgian’s Blusser is only on tap in four places in the world. DC is home to two of them, Central and Citronelle. [Counter Intelligence]
* Beautiful DC dogwood tree. [The Average Blogger]
* Tickets now on sale for annual WABA Gala. Intern Lauren has attended the past two years and vouches for the open bar and totally high level of fun. [WABA]

* President Bush says he plans for the military to stick with the “bigger is better” plan. [WP, NYT, LAT]
* He goes on to talk in code about midterm elections, says, “there was sex,” and indicates intention to work with Democrats on passing immigration and Social Security overhauls. [WP]
* Robert Gates spends his second day on the job in Iraq, listening. [WP]
* Dick Cheney will testify on behalf of Scooter Libby using his classic “let me tell you something, son” style. [WP, NYT, LAT, USAT]
* Condoleezza Rice showing signs of “emerging pragmatism” that may allow her to actually accomplish something in the next two years. [WSJ]
* Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen takes DCCC chair. [WP, NYT]
* Visions of the White House dance in Virginians heads, as James Gilmore says he’s in for 2008. [WP, NYT]
* We never needed that anthrax vaccine anyway. [NYT]
* “You could say D.C. is the new North Carolina.” [WP]

Way to go, hippies — we listened to you bitch about not irreversibly altering the Earth’s climate, we put some of your beloved “trees” on some mountains, and now they’re going to kill us all. MORE »

Katherine Harris has rally to demonstrate support of GOP bigwigs, no one shows up. MORE »