Northern Exposure

From The New York Times:

WASHINGTON, July 30 — The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service raided the Alaska home of Senator Ted Stevens on Monday in search of evidence about his relationship to a businessman who oversaw a remodeling project that almost doubled the size of the senator’s house, federal law enforcement officials said.

The decision to raid the home suggests that the corruption investigation focused on Mr. Stevens, a long-serving Republican and former chairman, has taken on new urgency.

The businessman, Bill J. Allen, the founder of an oil fields service company that has won tens of millions of dollars in federal contracts with the senator’s help, has pleaded guilty to bribing state legislators.

Original movie poster.

Blair’s War (the Musical!)

From The Independent:

Gordon Brown tried to “move on” from the disaster in Iraq as he held his first meeting last night with President George Bush since becoming Prime Minister.

Speaking to journalists during his flight to Washington, Mr Brown remarkably made no mention of Iraq in what was seen as an attempt to distance himself from what has become known in Britain as “Blair’s war”.

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To the tune of Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter (written by Trevor Peacock, performed by Herman’s Hermits):
Mister Brown, help end this bloody slaughter,
Things are messy over in Iraq,
It’s so sad, Bush says things are on track,
He’s either lying, or the asshole is on crack.

Gonzo, In Contempt…

Al Fredo has put aside even the veneer of respect or reverence for…
the Senate Judiciary Committee:

Sssshhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dan Froomkin at the Washington Post:

An apparent lie by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales could be easily cleared up, White House spokesman Tony Snow says — but doing so would require discussing matters that must remain classified in order to protect national security.

Original board game (and, yes, it really does say Auto-Spin on the original! 😆 ).

Tony Snow in His Own Turds…I Mean Words

Faux News White House Press Secretary Tony Snow did quite a tap dance today while trying to defend Attorney General Alberto Gonazles. He said that Al Fredo did not lie about his visit to the ailing then-Attorney General John Ashcroft, but he can’t tell us how he didn’t lie because what was spoken about was classified. Huh? If it was classified, then didn’t Al Fredo and then-White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card break the law when they spoke about classified stuff in an unsecured hospital room? I’m confused, Tony!!

Original DVD cover.
Maybe some quotes straight from Tony will help me understand.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat….

From the Washington Post:

President Bush is a competitive guy. But this is one contest he would rather lose. With 18 months left in office, he is in the running for most unpopular president in the history of modern polling.

The latest Washington Post-ABC News survey shows that 65 percent of Americans disapprove of Bush’s job performance, matching his all-time low.

Oh, the stink of scandal in the morning!

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Gangs are Roaming the Halls of Congress!!!!!!

Just when you think that things are bad in D.C., we find out it’s worse than we thought!! Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testified today before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Well, I use the word testified loosely, as he mostly obfuscated and tried to dodge the questions. One area that the senators delved into was the Gonzales/Andrew Card visit to former Attorney General John “Make-the-Eagle-Sore” Ashcroft when he was post-operative and sedated in intensive care. Al Fredo finally cleared up any confusion by explaining that he, then Chimpy’s George W. Bush’s White House counsel, and Card had cooked up a big pot of chicken soup for Ashcroft and wanted to deliver it to him before it got cold. Oh, that and to have the loopy-on-meds Ashcroft sign off on an illegal warrantless wiretapping program. I’ll let The Arizona Republic tell you about it:

In May, former Deputy Attorney General James Comey testified that Gonzales and then-White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card had pressured Ashcroft in March 2004 to reauthorize the program as Ashcroft lay gravely ill in a hospital bed.
Comey said the Bush administration ran the program without the Justice Department’s approval for up to three weeks in 2004, nearly triggering a mass resignation of the nation’s top law enforcement officials.
Gonzales said the hospital visit had taken place only after the so-called “Gang of Eight” top congressional and intelligence committee leaders from both parties had told him to proceed with the program despite Comey’s opposition.

(emphasis mine)
See what I mean!! Gangs in Congress!!!! Poor Gonzy! I would have been scared, too, faced with this bunch of hooligans:

Original DVD cover.
The Gang of 8 (clockwise from top left: Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Jane Harman (D-CA), Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Porter Goss (R-FL), Tom Daschle (D-SD), Tom Delay (R-LeavenworthTX), Bill Frist (R-TN), Pat Roberts (R-KS)

Gonzogate, Part CLXVIII

Al Fredo is going back to Capitol Hill today!! Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Patrick Leahy (D-VT), sent Gonzo a list of questions so he would be able to refresh his Swiss cheese memory before coming to testify. The title will give you an idea of what it covered:
Leahy Sends Attorney General Questions In Advance Of Judiciary Panel’s Oversight Hearing
…Judiciary Chairman Seeks Answers On U.S. Attorney Firings, NSL Abuses, Domestic Surveillance Program, Internal DOJ Probes, Among Other Matters
Woohooooo!!!!!

Original DVD cover.