What Page Are You On, Mr. Speaker?

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This week's hot blog topics: the Masturgate timelime has been updated; Hastert lives with two dudes while his wife prefers a hotel (so what, you ask); is an eye-opening event really a miracle?; the number 23 is auspicious - who knew?; and Katie Couric got better ratings with a camera up her ass. All this and much, much more. Enjoy!

What Would Drudge Do?

John in DC (AmericaBlog) says he's heard a rumor about another Foleyesque Republican on Capitol Hill, and he wonders what he should do with the information. Call Hastert's hotline or, um, not publish unsubstantiated rumors? One commenter thinks that the Dems' high road to hell is the wrong path. My favorite comment:

"Let the Poisons that are buried in the mud hatch out.." - I Claudius
MR. Bill | 10.07.06 - 8:13 am |

Nothing beats the classics! And destined for classic status is Think Progress' freshly updated Foley timeline, proof positive that tempus fugit... until you get caught.

Say hello to DUer Goofticket, who can explain the whole "Democrats Did It" (Republican cybersex trolling scandal):

Let me get Hastert's statement on pages correct...

First....Bill Clinton called George Soros and told him he needed some money to give to a Miami newspaper, so they could bribe a former page from Louisiana, to email and instant message a bunch of porno emails written, only to set up the Speaker of the House, by taunting a drunk Florida Congressman who likes little boys, and has to down a couple of drinks while masturbating just before a Congressional floor vote, so that ABC can run a scoop "October Surprise", showing how the internal fighting between scandal-riddled Ohio Congressman Boehner (he he ...he said Boehner), forcing the resignation of the senior aide to New York's Reynolds because the drunk Congressman just had to wack one off online, only to use this to stick it Bush for wiretapping half of Baghdad so he can find some more enemy combatants, who were actually murdered along with the other 3,300 last July in what the Iraqi parliament has been calling a civil war for a year, and make the Speaker have to repeat, in his apology to the page's family, for not doing anything about it when he was told- because everyone who said he knew is a poopy liar, and having to repeat what Karl Rove told him to say, after the whole former FBI director Louis Freeh's overseeing a new and improved review of the page program, instead of a legal investigation, was destroyed by the mastermind of evil, Nancy ' The Slayer' Pelosi, decided that four dozen subpoenas would better serve the Democrats in their demonic attempt to overthrow the world.

Am I getting close?

Oh wait, ...so Nancy, Bill & Soros can use ABC to promote the Denny bashing across the airwaves.

Couric's Crap

What a shock! Having a Claude Rains moment here. TV Newser (at Media Bistro) reports that CBS's new hire, Katie Couric (aka Murphy Brown's Corky Sherwood-Forrest before the real Couric guest starred on the show), isn't the... um, ratings darling execs thought she would be. "Free Speech" isn't free, Katie, when you choose the speakers and the approved topics. Meanwhile, the kids at the bus stop say "duh."

When Good People Do Nothing

How about voices from the real free speech zone? Carnival Of The Liberals #23 at World Wide Webers is a virtual goldmine. This particular collection of blog posts is truly outstanding! Pay close attention to the history of the number 23. Verrrrry interesting.

Also on the faith front this week... when Republicans claim to do all sorts of despicable things in our names and in Jesus' name, Exposing Religious Error And Deception is Johnny-on-the-spot with the difference between "seeing the light" and "making the blind see again":

Remember the saying that "the truth will set you (and others) free?" How does "opening one's eyes to the truth" relate to "making the blind see again" or "shining the light" or "illuminating a subject?" Notice the inherent symbolism associated with this supposed New Testament "miracle?"

I know that many have chosen to write me off as some sort of a quack over the last three years. Now that this country and world have sunk to new lows and many of the things I've warned about have occurred, perhaps fewer will be so quick to scoff at things they don't understand. Neither religious followers nor secularists have been 100% correct and most have been dead wrong about much. Perhaps now more will seek true wisdom and cooperate for the good of all before the Bush-Cheney-Vatican cabal revives the dark ages and puts you all in theological torture camps.

It just goes to show you that Cassandras come in all shapes, sizes, and philosophies, dear Yorick. First they came for... but you know the rest. And it could be worse...

When Bad People Do Nothing

Naturally, BushCo is going nuke-you-lurr over North Korea's announcement of their very own "alleged" underground nuke. Hey, wouldn't every GOPer scream to high heaven, blame Clinton, and divert attention from Iraq and Mark Foley/Denny Hastert if they got the chance? Even if it meant letting John McCain get some wingnut 2008 street-cred points defending their Miserable W. Failure president and his non-existent State Department? Fortunately, big-time bloggers are fighting back. First, Think Progress has back-to-back McCain quotes and videos, in which Johnny (against torture/for torture) Boy points the finger at Clinton, then points the finger at those who cite the Clinton facts (no N. Korea nukes, McCainiac). Add to that Josh Marshall's ultimate comeback (for defending The Comeback Kid):

But let's review the salient facts one more time.

"Failure" = 1994-2002 -- Era of Clinton 'Agreed Framework': No plutonium production. All existing plutonium under international inspection. No bomb.

"Success" = 2002-2006 -- Bush Policy Era: Active plutonium production. No international inspections of plutonium stocks. Nuclear warhead detonated.

Face it. They ditched an imperfect but working policy. They replaced it with nothing. Now North Korea is a nuclear state.

Facts hurt. So do nukes.

Josh even calls Condi Rice "a monumental twit," which brings us to...

Laughter Through Tears

Stephen Colbert, Guest Blogger? The Mess That Greenspan Made channels Colbert's "The Word" format to explain the ups and downs of the real estate market. As usual, some commenters think Colbert really wrote the entry. Simultaneously funny and sad. Then there's just plain dumber-than-dirt funny... Thanks to DUer StelleBlue for pointing out Bush's use of the word "imparamount" when decrying how "imparamount" it is that we measure the success of his NCLB grade-level reading proficiency efforts.

What Page Are You On, Mr. Speaker?

Leave it to The Hollywood Liberal to point out Denny Hastert's... um, unusual... living arrangements with style:

Hastert Lives Bachelorlike Existence with 2 "Aides"

I think I see a pattern starting to emerge here.

Hastert Vows to Overcome Scandal

NY Times

Excerpt:

Mr. Hastert, a former schoolteacher and wrestling coach, is more at home in Illinois than in Washington, traveling back to the state almost every weekend with Scott Palmer, his chief of staff, and Mike Stokke, his deputy chief of staff. When Congress is in session, the two aides and Mr. Hastert share a townhouse near the Capitol, living a bachelorlike existence. The speaker once boasted that neither he nor his roommates had cooked a meal since 1986, preferring to dine out.

It is Mr. Palmer and Mr. Stokke who are now at the center of a House inquiry into when the speaker's office became aware of Mr. Foley's conduct. Mr. Stokke offered his resignation this week, an aide said, but Mr. Hastert declined to accept it.

H.L.s Take:

So is this why he's known about Foley for all these years, and done nothing? Was he afraid that there could be some negative "blow" back if he spoke up. Was he afraid Foley would out him? 3 rich men who could easily afford their own places all living together, and where is Hastert's wife while he is living with 2 dudes. I see in another story she stays at a hotel.

Palmer and Stokke: "Nail me, you sweaty wrestler.... I mean pin me."

Rumor, innuendo, guilt by association? "Tough titty," said the kitty, "but the milk's still good."

More Days, More Dirt...

There's no place like the floor of the House. There's no place like the floor of the House. From the fabulously clever Mea Culpa comes news that a page saw Foley fondling another page in the back of the friggin' House of Representatives. Ick. When the shivers subside, check out Your Morning Leibowitz for a liberal dose of O'Reilly reality:




Hey, if it walks like an A'Nazi and talks like an A'Nazi...

Last but not least, Gary Trudeau's Sandbox Blog debuts this week, but not everyone is happy about it. The truth hurts.

This Week's Notable DU Quotes

Major kudos to Human Torch for captioning Bush's five minute long post-North Korean nuclear test speech:

"Oh shit... it's only Monday..."

Click the link for all of the photos and the amazing captions! This is a keeper.

And don't miss madrchsod's thorough debunking of the October 10th "BREAKING NEWS" reports of Denny Hastert's "bunking in DC with his gay staffer(s)" post:

breaking story on his roommates? i don't think so....

nobody noticed this from the sun times lynn sweet did they?

http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2006/02/just_ran_into_j...

sweet: Just ran into: Jean Hastert, wife of House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert

and the blogger from denny`s area around yorkville

http://50milesout.blogspot.com/2005/11/denny-and-jean-h...

50 Miles Out of the Loop: Denny and Jean Hastert

http://50milesout.blogspot.com/2005/11/exclusive-haster...

50 Miles Out of the Loop: Exclusive: Hastert Gets Cold Shoulder.

To bloggers and DUers, Denny's living arrangements are well known. Of course, it takes the corporate media several hours (and sometimes days) just to get up from the hair and make-up chair and go to work.

Finally, a big round of applause to bluerum, whose response to a Freeper meltdown post, in which the backside of the Bell Curve pleads for Rush Limbaugh to save the GOP, went like this:

Yes! That's the ticket - Rush for Pres! Run, Rush (Forest), run!

Hey - what's that bulge in his pants!!? Must be his Viagra bottle.

So many Republican f-k ups this week, so little time.

This is the blog week that was. Pages are still turning (on their masters), the GOP is showing weak vital signs, and lots of newbie bloggers are joining the online revolution. But this is no time to rest on laurels. Under the radar is the Republican explanation for specious vote counts come Nov. 7th: "local issues." They could still cheat this election, but not if we remain vigilant and get as many patriots to the polls as possible. Keep fighting, and keep sending those great blog links!

-- Delilah Boyd

[Vexatious Ape]

1. Great links,

Thanks.

[katinmn]

2. Thanks, Delilah! I can't wait to hear more about Hastert's (ahem)

living arrangements with his guy pals.

I appreciate you tipping us off to all the insights and humor on the Internets during the week!

[DesertRat]

3. Great post. Thanks. k&r

:kick: