Wonkette

Cable news anchors, you are all fired, except for Chuck Todd. You freak out for weeks about all the crazy doomsday scenarios in which Hillary Clinton might be able to WREST the nomination from Captain Hope, and finally at 2 a.m. you’re like, “Oh, but the math.” This is a photograph of Hillary Clinton also thinking about math. [New York Observer]

This Nancy Pelosi character is a real piece of work. The Speaker of the House keeps offering opinions on what to do about the Democratic nomination for president, and every time it’s some version of “Oh well, things will work themselves out P.S. VOTE FOR OBAMA. OR CLINTON, IF YOU WANT.” First she says she doesn’t think Democratic superdelegates will go against the popular vote at the convention — meaning that Pelosi is just another Obama freak riding the Hope Express all the way to President McCain’s inauguration day. But then today on Good Morning America she says pretty much the opposite thing! MORE »

You almost feel sorry for Rudy when he’s trying to explain his less-than-palatable libtard history to the Republican base. And then you remember that he’s Dick Cheney on a higher dosage of vengeance pills. And while he can’t shake away questions about his support for the rampant annihilation of fetuses or his nurturing of the taco taco Mexicans in NYC, the explanation he offers for his McGovern vote in ‘72 should keep the naysayers at bay: I voted for McGovern, but I wanted to vote for Nixon. MORE »

Those South Carolina Democrats be getting vehdy vehdy tricksey! As it happens, the state executive committee that voted 13-3 last week to keep Stephen Colbert off of its state primary ballot was taking heat from supporters of Malawian candidate Barack Obama. And who said South Carolinians hated teh Negroes? MORE »

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey to the Senate floor, where more Democrats will say “waterboarding is bad” and then probs vote for him. The vote was 11-8 after senators Chuck Schumer and Dianne Feinstein, the new Joey Liebs, supported the nomination. [CNN/AP]

• The Supreme Court strikes down the Bush Administration’s plan to try Guantanamo detainees before military commissions, as violative of both U.S. law and the Geneva Conventions. [NYT, WSJ, USAT, WP]

• The Court’s ruling places constitutional limits on Bush’s use of executive power in the war on terror and raises questions concerning how the Guantanamo Bay detainees’ cases should now be handled. Republicans are hoping to craft a legislative fix. [WP, NYT, LAT]
• As midterm elections approach, Senate Republicans are trying to figure out how to move forward on immigration reform and reach a compromise with their colleagues in the House. [WP]
• The House Republicans’ aggressive stance on immigration may harm Bush’s effort to improve the GOP’s standing with Latino voters. [WP]

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Democracy sure is swell, ain’t it? We solicited your nominations for our Hill Intern Hotties contest. Then we opened up the polls, informed you about the candidates, and counted up the votes (for the nine female hotties and eight male hotties in competition).

Now, the fun part. It’s time to declare the winners: the two hottest interns on the Hill.

The race for hottest female intern wasn’t terribly exciting, truth be told. The dazzling Stephanie Carter quickly seized the lead, which she never relinquished. She took 25 percent of the vote, trouncing her closest competition, Katie Warner (who took less than 15 percent).

This reader rave, which arrived too late to include with the earlier testimonials, says it all:

Stephanie Carter is kind, intelligent and overall stellar woman. Truly the epitome of a great person, she is driven in one of those great, rare, non-obnoxious ways. Her hard work, dedication and genuine nature truly make her a rising star. Not only that, but her natural magnetism makes everyone want to know her. Hot, smart and kind. What more could you want for the hottest intern on the hill?

The men’s side was more competitive. Last week, Joe Fore took an early lead. But over the weekend, Blake Massad zipped past him, and stayed ahead of the pack for the rest of the contest. So, with over 20 percent of the votes, Blake Massad has been elected Speaker of the Hotties.

Congratulations to Stephanie and Blake, our two deserving winners. The complete vote tallies, plus additional commentary, after the jump.

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Just a quick reminder: the polls in our Hill Intern Hotties contest will remain open for only a few more hours. Voting will conclude at 2 PM Eastern time, and we’ll announce the winners shortly thereafter. Click here to vote on the women, and here to vote on the men.

We’ve received a few more requests from candidates to withdraw from the contest. As we told you over the weekend, nobody’s going anywhere. It’s the height of ingratitude to reject such an honor, when so many others wish they could be in your shoes.

Check back this afternoon to find out the winners. For those of you who are following the contest very closely, a quick recap of the current standings appears after the jump.

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