Newsweek salutes Powerful Women! Like Blog-empress Arianna Huffington, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, and, uh, Rachael Ray. All fine examples of modern female leadership! One went from successful pundit/author to head of one of the most influential lefty sites on the internet, one is the first female mayor of Atlanta (and the first black woman to be elected mayor of any major southern city), and one is a busty television personality whose Wikipedia page currently describes her as “this hot ass beautiful, young womens.” Just as Arianna proved that you can marry a gay Republican and still amass political power and influence (on the internet), Rachael Ray proved that you can overcome the adversity of being an attractive woman without any training or ability in cooking and still end up the breakout star of a tv network dedicated ostensibly to the culinary arts.

In All Their Glory [Newsweek]

Did you know that there are ten Congresswomen with little kids?? It’s true! Ten ladies strutting around voting for shit when they should be at home raising their poor children! Just look at the list of shame:

The 10 congresswomen with children under 13: Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.) and Reps. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Heather Wilson (R-N.M.), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.)

The Post tells us all about them today, from how Debbie Wasserman Shultz ignored her deathly ill 8-year-old to gallavant to New York for a fundraiser to how Heather Wilson hates Nancy Pelosi for making her work as much as a real working mother. And their lousy spoiled kids are interrupting Senate business:

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We cannot be the only ones who’d be creeped the hell out if Madeleine Albright’s ghostly visage popped up on the register while we were paying for our groceries. That hasn’t stopped Safeway, though. MORE »

* Heard on the Hill: “On Friday afternoon, Capitol Police put out an all-points bulletin indicating that ‘multiple individuals were harassing or being too forward with Sen. [Barack] Obama (D-Ill.)’ inside the Hart Senate Office Building.” … The first 100 hours were neither first nor 100 hours… Senate still lazy, not working 5 day weeks. [Roll Call]
* Reliable Source: Famous women who’ve done famous things are approvingly listed and described. [WP]
* Yeas and Nays: FDR’s car auctioned, fetches less than a NAZI CAR… Moby was here. He dislikes DC, which should cheer up Washingtonians. Also, Alexandra Pelosi calls him “Baby Mo.” [Examiner]
* Washington Whispers: New DCCC head is trying to be BFF with DNC head Howard Dean… Michael Chertoff picked Beta over VHS. [USN&WR]

Breaking: Washingtonians dress very conservatively! But a radical new group of kuh-razee lady-congresspeople are revolutionizing all that by dressing very slightly less conservatively! MORE »

* Heard on the Hill: Alexandra Pelosi’s new documentary is screening tomorrow, people who want to suck up to mom Nancy will surely be there… The Senate has 16 women, all of them were on the Today Show, and Oxygen is throwing them a party before the SOTU. [Roll Call]
* Reliable Source: Hungarian Ambassador Andras Simonyi had a dinner for David Lynch and Donovan, you missed weirdest night in Washington history. [WP]
* Yeas and Nays: 24 reveals existence of secret CIA prison in Anacostia, Marion Barry unamused… This Barack Obama character is apparently popular or something… More college football bullshit. [Examiner]
* Rush and Molloy: People are upset that Amazon.com gave the WaPo’s bad review of Jimmy Carter’s book high placement. [NYDN]

While we have always wanted a Gerald Ford commemorative coin, we find the Mint’s new plan to take the only circulating US currency with women on it and supplement it with the dudes who are on all the other money a little bit idiotic. But whatever, Sacagawea never annexed half of Mexico, so fuck her. MORE »

• Gary Condit’s not the only one who enjoys hunting in Rock Creek Park. [Beauty and the Beltway]

• The City Paper sucks, it’s dreary, knee-jerk, and written for a different city. But this week’s cover story by Franklin Schneider is an absolute must read. Franklin Schneider is a really good writer, but sometimes, he’s shocking! Like, did you know that when you have sex with a “scathingly intelligent” woman on her period, your face and head become caked in blood? So much blood that you have to shower with your mouth closed to avoid “the red water.” Did you know that women are “venal trolls” who only talk about American Idol? Did you know that this shit comprises the City Paper’s cover story? It’s shocking! This blogger takes Franklin Schneider apart. [why.i.hate.dc]
• “Why wouldn’t Pastor Ted get his jones on with a hotter escort than Mike Jones? Does Jones have a great personality?” We don’t know, Jones is kinda hot for an old guy. [Worth Repeating]
• Poor WETA blog: “Do you agree that Democrats need to pay closer attention to Black issues? Or Latino, Asian, Muslim? Do you think the Republicans are doing a better or worse job?” You’re doing nothing, going nowhere. [WETA Intersections]
• Another DC journalist quits! And lists top five “I hate this job” songs. [Audiogram]
• If you lived here, you could be a missing person by now! [DCist]

• 20 million unmarried women didn’t vote in 2004 because they thought voting wasn’t sexy. New campaign sets them straight. [The DC Universe]

• The DC Police Department debuts new crime mapping application. Not as fun as it sounds. [Metropolitan Police Department]
• This woman needs a hand. [Neurotic in Ashburn]
• Halloween e-card defies format and is very scary. [Women Having it All]
• Alaska has most powerful delegation in Congress, cutest dogs. [An Alaskan Abroad]

“You two are just Wayans brothers in hilarious makeup, right?” [Photo: AP] MORE »

• Illionois Senator and Democratic Dreamboat Barack Obama all-but-announced his candidacy for President this weekend, by not not announcing it. [WP, NYT]

• In Tennessee, former Democratic Dreamboat Harold Ford is running for Senate like a Republican. His opponent is escaping charges of secret Democratic tendencies. [Newsweek, Newsweek]
• President Bush seems convinced that the Republicans are a lock to win it all this election year. Washington asks, is he high or does he know something? President’s dad: Less optimistic. [NYT, WP]
• The Virginia Senate Race may depend on women. Which is a problem for both Democrat Jim Webb and Republican George Allen. [WP]
• The United States will be in Iraq forever. [WP, WT]
• “Polls of white evangelical Protestants show that their support for the Republican Party grew substantially from 1999 to 2004, then began a steady decline.” [Time]