While Barack Obama continues to putz around like a jerk on vacation in “exotic” Hawaii, John McCain has been campaigning across Pennsylvania with Tom Ridge, the guy who inexplicably decided he’d rather serve as George W. Bush’s powerless anti-terrorism bitch than remain a popular governor of a large state. Well, the Pennsylvanians are just loving this pair. They’re packing the crowds, chanting McCain’s name, you name it. And if you can even believe it, some teenage girls are waking up before dawn to get into McCain rallies. Hope is for dopes! All the kids talk about these days is that old Republican bastard, John McCain. MORE »

Wonkette Muppet operative “Scott” writes: “Doesn’t Gov. Spitzer resemble the “Ohhhhhh! Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrring! YipYipYipYipYipYipYip” alien from Sesame Street?” Scott is 100% true, or at the very least, he is stoned. Spitzer is this stupid Phone Muppet, and you must play this mp3 with it. Only then will you understand why Hillary Clinton is so terrible.

• 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]